Entrepreneurship Is the Only Option: A Wake-Up Call to Black America

Black America, we are standing at a crossroads — not someday, not eventually, but right now. As Dr. Rosie Milligan so powerfully reminds us, every community in this country is fighting for its share of economic power. They are building businesses, buying property, investing in technology, and creating generational wealth pipelines.

And while the landscape shifts around us, too many of us are still waiting on systems — government, corporations, educational institutions — to do what they were never designed to do: secure our economic future.

The Reality Has Changed — And We Must Change With It

DEI was never a long-term solution, and now that corporations are openly retreating from those commitments, the truth is unavoidable:Nobody is obligated to hire us, promote us, or invest in our children’s future.

Automation is replacing jobs. College degrees no longer guarantee a stable career. The economy rewards creators, innovators, owners — not passive participants.

If we don’t adapt, our children will inherit an economic landscape that is already unforgiving and increasingly indifferent to the survival of our communities.

Entrepreneurship Is Not Optional — It’s Survival

Entrepreneurship is more than starting a business. It is:

• Economic self-defense

• Protection from discrimination

• A path to independence

• A model of ownership our children can inherit

Ownership is how we ensure that no child in our community must beg to survive. It is how we take responsibility for our destiny instead of hoping someone else will open a door.

Other Communities Are Building. Are We?

Walk into any city and you’ll see who owns the corner stores, nail salons, technology companies, motels, distribution channels.It is rarely us.

While we debate, others collaborate.While we wait, others innovate.While we hope for inclusion, others purchase the building.

The result? Multi-generational wealth for them.Economic vulnerability for us.

The New Civil Rights Movement Is Ownership

If the 1960s were about access, the next era must be about ownership — businesses, land, media, tech, intellectual property, digital platforms, and community infrastructure.

We cannot afford to let another generation fall behind. Not when the world is moving this fast, and certainly not when the stakes are this high.

What We Must Start Teaching Our Children — TODAY

Our children deserve the truth, unfiltered:

• A job can feed you — ownership can free you

• You are competing in a global economy

• Multiple streams of income are essential

• Skills you can monetize matter more than degrees you can frame

• Entrepreneurship is economic armor

This is the mindset shift that will determine whether our community thrives or struggles in the decades ahead.

The Call to Action: Start Where You Are

Now is the time to:

• Build businesses, not just résumés

• Combine resources, not compete for scraps

• Learn digital commerce, technology, and AI

• Teach children how to create, own, and innovate

• Build wealth pipelines that outlive us

Entrepreneurship is not our “backup plan.”It is our liberation strategy.It is our economic Emancipation.

One day our children will ask, “What happened? How did we get here?”Let the answer be: “Because we chose ownership. Because we refused to wait. Because we built.”

JOIN THE CONVERSATION — YOUR VOICE MATTERS

We’ve opened this discussion on the Black Business Focus Group Facebook Page and we want to hear directly from YOU.

👉🏾 Share your thoughts and add your voice to the conversation here:https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Di9s4CZdP/

Share Your Thoughts

Tell us:

• What part of Dr. Milligan’s message hit home for you?

• When did you realize entrepreneurship was necessary, not optional?

• What do you want our children to understand about ownership?

Your comment could inspire someone else to take the first step toward building their own legacy.

It’s Our Time.Let’s build boldly.Let’s build together.

— The Black Business Focus Group (BBFG)