IU School of Liberal Arts

Book Examines How Black Entrepreneurs “Confront the Odds”

News Categories: African American and African Diaspora Studies | Books by Faculty | Political Science | Research

"What is the bottom line?" Professor Bessie House-Soremekun asked herself as she set about studying African American entrepreneurship past and present. Fledgling entrepreneurs, the cities where they lived, politicians, public policy advocates, financial institutions, and the research community wanted to know what works and what doesn’t when it came to building successful businesses. House-Soremekun’s book, based on original field research performed in Cleveland, Ohio, utilized statistical analysis, historical methodologies and materials, ethnographic data, and qualitative insights to find out. The foreword  to the book is written by the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. and features a special tribute to former Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. 

With Confronting the Odds: African American Entrepreneurship in Cleveland, Ohio (2^nd ed.)(Kent State University Press, 2009), House-Soremekun draws upon more than 10 years of academic and community work to examine numerous factors that contributed to the success of African American businesses in the large urban center of Cleveland, Ohio and  to make  policy recommendations about stimulating entrepreneurship through public and private programs.

Beginning with chapters on African American entrepreneurship nationally and a history of the phenomenon in Cleveland, Confronting the Odds then uses  statistical analysis to compare black and white businesses and to hone in on the various constraints experienced by African American business owners. While performing her research, House-Soremekun developed a statistical model which accurately predicts which entrepreneurs are more likely to succeed and which ones are more likely to experience failure. 

Interviews and narratives about a group of successful Cleveland entrepreneurs bring the book’s conclusions to life. From the long-time married owners of a local pharmacy to an internationally renowned male architect and the owners of a communications firm and a market-research company (both women), the featured individuals’ life histories are presented in the forms of narratives designed to emphasize why they were able to succeed in business in spite of the odds, in some cases, long before the civil rights movement ever took place.

What can government and organizations do to help business owners and foster an environment of entrepreneurship?

Cities across the country can apply House-Soremekun’s policy recommendations which include establishing mentoring programs as early as elementary school and initiating microloan funds. Public agencies and nonprofit organizations can provide business training classes to provide entrepreneurs skills that they will need to launch and expand businesses in the 21^st century knowledge economy. They can also help business owners to develop the networks and the know-how for success.

"The bottom line" says the book author, "is that African American entrepreneurs have made significant contributions in enhancing economic development in this country for centuries. Confronting the Odds is the first book that accurately documents the historical development of African-American owned businesses in Cleveland, Ohio, and the innovative and creative strategies that these entrepreneurs used in a society that was often hostile to them, to create products and services that they sold to the public to develop profitable businesses and achieve economic success. In the process, they created jobs and wealth for their communities." 

Dr. House-Soremekun is the Public Scholar in African American Studies, Civic Engagement, and Entrepreneurship, Professor of Political Science and Professor of Africana Studies in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, and a Faculty Fellow in the Office of Academic Affairs. She is the president, founder, and CEO of the National Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., and the director of the Entrepreneurial Academy of Greater Cleveland.

[Kent State University Press]
[Amazon]

 

Published on: February 08, 2010