Is supporting historically underutilized businesses (HUBs) racist?

Yes

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by Jack Wolf

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Racism is the belief that race accounts for distinct differences in character, abilities, or capacities. That one's origin, culture, skin color, religious beliefs, nationality, occupation or social status can have an affect on the persons overall characteristics.

Cont rary to popular belief, this does not apply only to a Caucasian being prejudice against any minority. Racism is ANY attack or assumption, good or bad, hurtful or playful, purposeful or accidental, from one person to another based on a predetermined generalization of an entire group of people. It would be wrong for a Caucasian man to reject an African American from getting a job on skin color alone.

However, it is equally as wrong if the roles are reversed. Anyone who might think that a Caucasian man somehow deserves it for a crime his ancestors might have committed would also be wrong. If someone thinks on the basis of an "eye for an eye" scale, then we'd have to look a LOT deeper than just slavery in America.

Besides the fact that we are repeating the actions that so many men lost their lives to outlaw. Speaking hypothetically, let's say there is a small town with two stores built right next to one another. One store is run by a white man, and the other is run by a black man. You must run and get supplies, let's say paper, every week.

You are given the money from your boss, who specifically tells you, "it is the law that you buy from the white man, even if he gouges the prices, and is rude, or slow in delivery. It is the LAW that you buy from him at all costs, unless you simply can't, if that's the case, then you may do business with the black man."

Does that sound fair? No, mainly because it's racist. Being forced to buy something from someone based on their color alone is disgusting. Stating that the white man deserves the business on the lone fact the he is white, not on merit or choice, but because he is white is terribly wrong.

In the same manner, when a company spends an extra 12 million dollars a year to purchase supplies for HUBs, or historically underutilized businesses, I was shocked by the news. Am I to believe that we are forced to buy from a company, on the basis of it being run by a black person?

And the simple answer is, yes. Yes we are forced to buy from a HUB, just because it's a hub, no matter what the cost. Forget free market economy when it comes to skin color, folks.

That doesn't seem right at all. Should someone automatically be granted something more simply because of the color of their skin? I was taught that was racism in school, but maybe they taught me wrong. I think they wanted to teach me that it was a one way street, and there was no way the wrong could be done the opposite direction.

I'm sick of the double standard being used as a pity card for lazy people, or a vote of sympathy from the masses. Racism is racism, and the only place it exists anymore is as an ace in the hole for a minority to get something that wasn't earned.

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