Booker T. Washington's Call to Business Action- A Black History Month Special

Jan. 31, 2010 - PRLog -- A vast number of Blacks followed Washington’s advice, as they founded and maintained small crafts and service businesses throughout the country. By 1900, there were so many blacks in business that Tuskegee leaders formed the National Negro Business League. Its purpose was to help men and women get started with their own business enterprises, and to assist those already in business to become more effective entrepreneurs.

As part of  its 25th anniversary celebration, the Education Training and Enterprise Center,   http://www.edtecinc.com/  has developed a series of articles for  Black History month that chronicles the history of Black Entrepreneurship in America. The contributions of  Booker T. Washington and our other early Black entrepreneurs should be celebrated.  

In addition to growing and cultivating crops, farmers were business people. Washington advocated economic independence as the primary goal of every farmer, especially for tenant farmers who did not own the land on which they worked. In many cases , these farmers would grow just enough crops to pay the landowner rent. With Washington’s mentorship, they were encouraged to grow more crops for profit, open a bank account and purchase a parcel of land; even it was but one acre. http://www.edtecinc.com/mmofw/mmofw.htm

Tuskegee established an extension service in order to bring agricultural and  entrepreneurship education to poor farmers in the rural outback. The “Movable School” was a wagon equipped with the necessary tools to teach the group of farmers the mechanics of crop expansion. Families also received instructions in the renovation
of dilapidated cabins, an idea initiated by Washington to help improve their standard of living and economic circumstances. Tuskegee was more than an educational institution. It was the spearhead of a movement that inspired blacks around the country to work for the “progress of the race”. Whenever Blacks needed assistance, they often turned to the multi- talented Tuskegee staff for advice and guidance.

Those who supported the goals of Tuskegee believed in a now famous statement made by Washington, often referred to as the motto for the movement, “ We must not allow our grievances to over shadow our opportunities. http://www.edtecinc.com/
                       
George E. Waters, Jr. and Aaron Bocage are founders of the Education, Training and Enterprise Center, Inc.  (EDTEC, Inc.).. They have more than 30 years of experience in entrepreneurship training , promoting economic empowerment,  and job creation.

For its exemplary training and hands-on demonstration projects, EDTEC has received national awards from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Small Business Administration.  EDTEC has produced a twelve-volume curriculum on youth entrepreneurship and job readiness, which has received international acclaim. To date, thousands of the New Youth Entrepreneur  (NYE) workbooks have been sold within the Uunited States  and throughout the world.  

Since its inception, EDTEC has trained more than 15,000 educators, social service administrators, urban planners, and youth development professionals.  The thriving company’s rapid growth was heralded by INC magazine, with special recognition as one of its Inner City 100 award recipients.

George and Aaron are graduates of the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work and have authored numerous articles on minority entrepreneurship and business development. Their work in the area of youth entrepreneurship has been chronicled by numerous magazines and newspapers including Career Focus, Black Enterprise, Youth Today, INC, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Courtier Post and the Washington Times.