Turnovers are good

Nearly six months after the founder of Black Business Month  died, the organization he created to push the issue-Recycling Black  Dollars (RBD)-kicked off the month-long recognition with a call to arms  message during its regular Tuesday breakfast meeting held at the Papa  West Cafe in Leimert Park Village.
The keynote speaker at the  breakfast was Rosie Milligan, owner of Milligan Books and creator of the  Black Writers on Tour program, and she has just completed a book  dedicated to Nassardeen. One of the questions she asked during her talk  struck at the heart of what the late entrepreneur was trying to do: “How  many of you have done business with another person in this room in the  last 30 days?”
When only two hands went up out of about 25 people in  the room, Milligan pointed out that those inactions are part of the  reason why the African American community is in a crisis.
Dealing  with this “crisis” has been the focus of RBD since Nassardeen launched  the organization in 1989. His vision was to motivate and encourage black  professionals, businesspersons, corporations, and consumers alike, to  invest in the future of the African American business community, through  patronage and support.
Among Nassardeen’s tactics to achieve this  vision were promoting black banks by having residents open up accounts  at these institutions, working in collaboration with Miller Brewing to  hold a business plan competition for young emerging African American  entrepreneurs, and pushing for recognition of African American companies  by starting Black Business Month in April.
Nassardeen died last  October, but the organization he founded and grew has continued on, and  this month hosts its first black business month celebration without the  RBD founder.