It doesn’t take long for a conversation with Charles O’Neal to reveal he is all about the business of Black business. So, too, are the 175 chambers in 42 states that are members of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., an umbrella organization of local Black chambers of commerce for which O’Neal serves as chair of the board of directors.
O’Neal is so passionate about supporting Black business that leadership in just one major Black business-focused organization wasn’t enough. He’s also president of the Texas Association of African American Chambers of Commerce (TAAACC), in the state (Texas) that has led the nation in the rate of business formation among Black women for nearly two decades.
It is with the experience of wearing those two hats, along with his many years as an entrepreneur and owner of a Black media entity, that O’Neal answers questions about the state of Black business with both ease and edge. Ease from knowing his stuff and edge from the down-in-the-bones commitment O’Neal has for supporting Black business.
“I was literally in the newspaper business, and I did a non-scientific survey of how money failed to flow in our communities,” O’Neal recalled. “What we discovered was that there was a clear and malicious intent for money to not flow in our communities. And I sincerely believe that business ownership or thriving profitable businesses are the linchpin to changing that dynamic.”
STATE OF BLACK BUSINESS
That discovery and his personal passion led O’Neal to chamber participation, which has given him a first-hand look at the state of Black business across the state and nation.
“I’m not one of those, ‘Glass half full, glass half empty’ people. I’m like, if we don’t own the glass it doesn’t make a difference. I’m trying to own the glass, man.”
That was O’Neal’s colorful and charismatic was of making the point that the state of Black business is “always tenuous when it can be controlled by somebody else’s actions.”
“So, to the extent that we can, we inform not just business owners, but their consuming base, on how critical it is that we support the very businesses that have grown from our community,” added O’Neal.
Regarding Black businesses, he said being competitive amid a global economy, the TAAACC and the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. have for the last decade reiterated the message that solo entrepreneurism alone is probably not going to get the Black job done. The chambers have, instead, encouraged business owners to at least explore or be open to mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures that allow for business risk to be spread out while also enlarging that enterprise, creating opportunities to scale up and be seen in the marketplace.
WHAT DO CHAMBERS DO?
Beyond general advice sharing, chambers serve as both hammer and shield for Black businesses, according to O’Neal.
“Without the business owner, him or herself, creating an enemy by going in and beating up on municipal or county or state governments, a Black Chamber, an advocacy organization can, in their stead, go in and make these points that this is the experience of the people that I represent.”
Texas, which has a dismal record of spending money with Black-owned businesses, has a policy that gives five preference points to any business that has done business with the state of Texas before. Because most Black-owned businesses have not had such dealings, it’s nearly impossible to beat out companies with long legacies or even recent ones of having those state business relationships.
“It’s those kinds of seemingly innocuous regulations that have impeded Black economic progress, and they’re mirrored at the municipal level. The state’s counties are notorious for failing the people that they represent. So, that’s 254 opportunities that Black folk have been denied access to via county governments,” said O’Neal.
“I always invite folk to come to Austin and see for yourself, the things that are done with your money against you. It’s heart-wrenching on one level, but it’s criminal on the other. So, the Chambers of Commerce, in their best iteration, are that entry point for that kind of advocacy on behalf of now 400,000 Black-owned businesses in a state that has the largest Black population.”
CHALLENGES
Along with those seemingly “race-neutral” policies that have an outsized negative impact on Black and Brown business owners, O’Neal said various regulations at the city, county and state levels that define who can and can’t do business serve as another barrier barring access to Black entrepreneurs. These, according to O’Neal’s informed opinion, were “designed expressly for that purpose.”
That said, O’Neal still contends that “the unfailing number one, two, three, four, five, six and seven, most affirmed challenge to Black-owned business is access to capital.”
OPPORTUNITIES
Moreover, Texas’ Black population (15%) receives only a shameful 1% of the state spending, a reality O’Neal calls “criminal” and “taxation without representation.”
O’Neal still sees opportunities.
“If, in fact, we are given an equitable shot at a reasonable return on our taxpayer investment, then we ourselves can begin to face those social and societal challenges that we face. Lack of access to healthcare, lack of access to education, criminal justice, injustice, all those things that take money to fix. When we’ve got money, and it’s not somebody else’s money. It’s our tax dollars. When we’ve got our money returned to us at the same rate at which other communities are getting a return, we fix stuff,” O’Neal said, pointing to the long history of Black Chamber members serving as “wellsprings of civic engagement.”
BENEFITS OF CHAMBER MEMBERSHIP
That potential return on our tax investment can multiply when paired with chamber membership benefits, one of which is the opportunity to share space with fellow business travelers.
“Just sitting in the room next to someone who is either going through or has been through what you have experienced as a business owner is beneficial. The exchange of ideas, success stories, failure stories, whatever that is, a chamber is a place that folk in business can get together and figure out how we skin this monkey.”
Moreover, O’Neal contends there’s a “magic” in the kind of information chambers have historically provided and the relationships forged.
Since TAAACC’s last conference, the group has solidified a relationship with a Black-owned and operated nationwide community development financial institution, allowing the chamber to offer a loan application portal on its website (www.taaacc.org).
“Use this portal to see if you can qualify for the kind of funding that’s not available to you in your marketplace. Clearly, everybody won’t get financed, but, you’ve got a shot at something you did not have access to prior to your experience with your Black chamber in your community.”
CONFERENCE INFO
Texas Association of African American Chambers of Commerce Annual Conference
Date: Sept 18 – 20
Location: Sugarland Marriott Town Center (16090 City Walk, Sugar Land, TX 77479)
Theme: We’re Pro-DEI (Doing Everything Intentionally)
Activity Highlights:
- Economist William Michael Cunningham will provide his annual “Texas Black Economic Forecast,” an analysis of business trends to identify opportunities for entrepreneurs to position their businesses accordingly.
- Financial institutions will be on hand to discuss access to capital, which continues to be the most critical challenge facing Black-owned businesses.
- Members of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus will provide a legislative update spotlighting regulations fomented in the Texas Legislature that impact the ability of Black-owned businesses to access opportunities in the marketplace.
- The TAAACC’s partnership with the Texas Association of Black City Council Members and Texas Association of Black Mayors will be on display, underscoring the importance of a dynamic Black presence at the helm of municipal governments being reflected in tangible economic returns for Black-owned businesses when those municipalities spend millions of our tax dollars on sidewalks, sewers, police, cars, fire stations, etc.
- Representatives from state agencies will identify their practices that have either assisted or impeded opportunities for Black-owned businesses.
- TAAACC will offer attendees participation in its “Consult Corner” where TAAACC will engage business owners at whatever level they are. Legal experts, accountants and straight business consultants from SCORE, Service Corps and retired executives will offer their insights. Moreover, representatives from multiple financial institutions, the SBA, the Minority Business Development Agency and others will be on hand to talk to business owners one-on-one during the course of the conference.
To register for the conference, visit https://taaacc.org/2024-taaacc-annual-conference/.
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