The three-day “Cleveland Rising” summit that’s scheduled for October 29-31 at the Public Auditorium appears as if it’s going to be mired in controversy even before it gets off the ground.
The stated purpose of the summit [is to] “engage a diverse group of people in a workshop to set priorities and measurable goals for Greater Cleveland’s economic future. At the same time, this process will build trust, include diverse voices, identify the region’s strengths and opportunities and set the stage for new and lasting collaborations.” Lofty goals indeed.
However, some members of the black community are planning to protest the event, claiming they were not invited to attend, which may or may not have been the case since they simply could have overlooked the email invite. Maybe they expected an engraved, hand-delivered invitation or it could simply be they were otherwise engaged in starting hemp-growing operations or some other silly nonsense.
Nonetheless, the fact that a contingency of black activists is troubled by the makeup of the leadership of the summit is not surprising, given Cleveland’s (and indeed the nation’s) sordid history of economic inclusion, or rather, lack thereof, when race is factored in.
While I don’t question the motives and dedication of the folks organizing the summit I do question what it will accomplish if key people are not in attendance. And by key people, I’m talking about members of the financial community in general and bankers in particular.
If the goal is to establish economic inclusion then somehow, someway, banks have to be brought (kicking and screaming if necessary) to the table. The reason for the uneven development between black and white Cleveland (yes, there really are two Clevelands) is one simple thing: Credit.
America was built on two things: slavery and credit. And while slavery is officially over, credit for black businessmen and women remains elusive and the bankers always have what sounds like a great excuse: Blacks just are not good credit risks, which in many cases is total unadulterated bullshit.
True, similar to white some business folks, some blacks are not creditworthy. However, I’ll use the situation of the business my wife and I started a few years ago as an example: Chateau Hough Winery. We both have credit scores in the mid-700s and our books have always balanced perfectly. Nonetheless, as we seek to expand, we are having trouble obtaining a measly $50,000 line of credit. Not $500,000 mind you, but one-tenth of that. What I’d like to know is — why? Only race and redlining could be the culprits.
My assumption is the folks who are convening the summit are honest brokers who want to see the area thrive. However, unless they somehow force the banks to play fair with minorities their efforts will amount to naught.
True, there are a plethora of programs that throw $5,000 and $10,000 crumbs at inner-city businesses, or, as we like to say, just enough money to fail. Been there, done that.
I signed up to attend the summit and was wavering about making the effort, but if I and other blacks don’t show up, it will allow some in the majority culture to be dismissive of our willingness to participate in initiatives that could be uplifting to all.
If you’re not at the table, you’re usually on the menu.
But again, if bankers — who rarely show up at such events, or if they do send someone it’s a low-level employee with no decision-making capacity — are not present and make no effort to address their discriminatory lending practices, the summit will prove to be one giant, huge waste of time.
From CoolCleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author at http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc