Sarah H-Sanders is used to SHAME. What troubles her, her friends is the POWER of a small business owner.

I wonder about and wait for the day that business owners from my community can exert the protest and power that the owner of the Red Hen restaurant did when she asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave her business. I'm certain that when Sanders was asked to leave that restaurant it was not the first time she was criticized directly or publicly. She probably gets blistering, ireful, hateful, probably even foul letters all the time. And no doubt when she leaves her office she must be harassed and harangued. That's to be expected. She is one of the most recognizable leaders in the White House, and an outspoken thought leader and spokesperson for a political party with policies and rhetoric that hurts and disenfranchises so many. Outrage, criticism, opposition is to be expected and her appointment to such a prominent position presumes her preparedness in handling this level of disapproval and these intense disparagements. It should be mentioned that she is also greeted by and overwhelmed with adoration and praise and pedestal putting from those who agree with her positions and admire her work. (Don’t forget that the only reason we know about this incident is her tweeting about it.) She no doubt thrives off some of the martyrdom. She is no more worthy of my pity than the people she has underwritten, championed and defended, like Roy Moore and the White supremacists of Charlottesville. But I digress…

What I feel has been left out of the coverage is the power of the business owner. Indeed, Sanders is no stranger to direct criticism and harassment, but the fact that she was asked to leave a place she wanted to eat in, the fact that she was denied something she wanted and could not do anything about it is what’s most poignant here. The SHAME she is accustomed to, and probably because her peers and posse thrive on the somewhat… for the past 16 months at least, and oh so unfortunately… ineffective anger, adversity and opposition. The SHAME she can handle and probably welcomes at times. But the POWER that business owner exerted is beautiful and undeniable.

Black business owners need and deserve that POWER. Black businesses create jobs that will not be created otherwise. Black business owners and professionals provide hope, wealth and role models that cannot be provided otherwise. And when a Black business owner is able to exert that kind of calm and earned control in and for his or her community, and know that his or her customers, partners and suppliers are loyal enough to enable and protect that power… that will be the day that the Black community has realized its promise and reclaimed its destiny in this country.

I’m learning now that the Red Hen owner is dogged by protests, resigned from her post in the local chamber, and has been forced to close down temporarily. I hope that those who support her stand would step up and support her business now, more than ever. Similarly, Black entrepreneurs who plan to open businesses are receiving threats and hate before they even open their doors! See this article, and if you are anywhere near Irvington, Indiana, make sure you show these entrepreneurs and this business love and support… 

https://www.wibc.com/news/local-news/racist-note-left-door-irvington-business

Our people, our culture, our neighborhoods, our future, and our legacy is only as strong as our businesses!

Love you all! - Maggie Anderson

Indiana Black Expo LLC Elkhart Chapter Indiana Black Chamber of Commerce Black Owned Businesses Black Owned Business Network Black Businesses of South Bend/Mishawaka Black Businesses Matter @Black Businesses of Indiana