The very success of The Kinte Center’s Community Economic Development Plan for our targeted area in East Oakland at 55th Avenue east to the Oakland-San Leandro border is dependent on community based businesses that meet community consumer and employment needs.  As the late Chauncey Bailey wrote in the Oakland Post newspaper, “The Kinte Center targets Oakland Black businesses” to meet these community needs.

A door-to-door survey and analysis of businesses located in our targeted area’s four major commercial corridors i.e., International Boulevard, Bancroft Avenue, Foothill Boulevard and Macarthur Boulevard revealed that almost all of the businesses located in these corridors are non-white owned and that almost all of the area’s white owned business are located in the area’s airport and coliseum complexes. It is safe to assume that the area’s white owned businesses are employing their fair share of the area residents. Thus reducing the area’s high unemployment falls on the shoulders of the area’s non-white businesses. Further analysis revealed that the non white businesses located in the business corridors are mostly small family run, mom and pop businesses where in many cases English is spoken as a second language if at all.  Thus rendering many of these businesses; except Black owned unlikely candidates through which to create jobs for this majority Black, mostly English speaking community. Further, Blacks are 56.70% of the areas population and constitute 60.59% of the areas unemployed. Thus the Kinte Center; based on solid research “Targets Oakland Black Businesses” through which to deliver jobs and job training for its Youth Employment Development and Employment/Jobs programs. It would be appropriate for Oakland Black business to step and assume the responsibility for providing jobs and job training for our targeted area.

This is very fitting when considering Oakland’s high number of Black owned businesses at 5,972 (according to the latest 2002 US Economic Census).  This Census also reveals that Oakland with a 66.89 per capita Black business ownership (one for every individual in the city) has the state’s highest per capita Black business ownership among California top five cities with 100 or Black owned businesses. Oakland is followed by San Bernardino at 103.75, followed by Los Angeles at 142.36, followed by San Francisco at 294.89 and lastly San Jose at 554.14.  These statistics reveal an untapped resource that exists right here in Oakland among our Black owned businesses through which to deliver jobs and economic opportunity for Oakland’s economically depressed majority Black communities.

However comparative data reveals that the annual sales and receipts and hiring capacity of our targeted business group (Oakland Black businesses) lag behind the city's other business groups. To view comparative annual sales and receipts data click on figure 1. To view comparative hiring capacity data click on figure 2. Thus the Kinte Center has embarked on a mission to grow and expand its targeted businesses to meet the employment needs of our targeted area. To facilitate this needed business expansion and growth The Kinte Center has developed a Business Improvement Plan a business Improvement Program (click here)

NOTE: While the Kinte Center targets Oakland Black businesses, any targeted area community based business that can demonstrate the ability and willingness to provide jobs and job training for our targeted area may participate and receive the benefits our Business Improvement Program; bearing in mind the standard requirement that out of necessity, English will be the first language spoken in business workplace.

FIGURE 2