Tucson Urban League putting focus on economic disparities blacks face

While great strides were made in the fight for equality a half-century ago, blacks are still being left behind when it comes to homeownership, entrepreneurship, stable employment and financial literacy, said Kelly Langford, the new president and CEO of the Tucson Urban League.

"There's a lot of unfinished business," he said. "For African-Americans, the gap persists. And if that gap persists, we still have a lot of work to do."

Marc Morial, the National Urban League's president and CEO, has said in speeches that the civil rights struggle has not ended — only changed. Working with its local affiliates, the nonprofit organization launched a campaign to bring more attention to economic disparities between blacks and whites after its 2006 State of Black America report found that despite a rebounding economy, blacks are not progressing economically. The median net worth of the nation's average black family is $6,166, while that of the average white family is $67,000, the report concluded, attributing the gap mainly to the difference in homeownership and income.

In 2005, the median income for blacks stood at $30,858, compared with $50,784 for whites, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.

That same year, 48 percent of blacks owned a home, while 75 percent of whites were homeowners. Blacks account for about 13 percent – close to 40 million – of the nation's population. In Pima County, there are about 31,000 black residents.

Locally, black leaders are working to help people get ahead economically through various programs aimed at youths and adults. The Tucson Urban League, for example, assists first-time home buyers to secure low-interest loans, and it provides training to people who are ready to start their own business. At Urban League child-care centers, children as young as 4 are taught about the importance of savings through the collection of coins in a classroom jar.

It's a simple and effective concept that children can take home to parents who tend to avoid conversations about money with their offspring, said Shani Stewart, who oversees a financial-literacy program for the organization on the city's South Side.

"Our families just don't talk about money," Stewart said, adding that culture plays a role among people with few resources on money matters.

For instance, she said, she often comes across people who have little trust in banks, so they lack savings and checking accounts. Bad credit also is rampant among blacks, which limits their opportunities for loans, Stewart said.

"We try to educate them, and we're able to provide the education in a culturally-sensitive environment," she said.

A little education went a long way for Martio Harris and Michael Chamblee II, who received from the Urban League the assistance and training they needed to launch a business. In Harris' case, it was a $5,500 grant to pay for barber school. Now he runs his own barbershop and a slew of other business ventures on the side. He later got a $15,000 loan through the organization to open Tio's MasterCutz. He paid it back within a year, said Harris, 34.

Although he suspects the barriers to financial success are greater for blacks, Harris said he never gave any obstacles much thought as he pursued his goals.

A high school athlete, Harris said he decided to become an entrepreneur after realizing that a career in professional football was not to be. The barbershop, where he also sells clothing and the Christian music he produces, probably won't make him wealthy, Harris said, quoting his mentor, longtime Tucson barber Al Longmire.

"What's important to me is to not just have a job, but to own a business and be able to employ people and give back to the community rather than just take from it," he said. At his barbershop, high school students who do well academically get free haircuts.

After seven years of leasing space at a strip mall on North Stone Avenue, Harris said, he is getting ready to break ground on his own building nearby. It will accommodate all his businesses, he said, and a music studio to boot.

Chamblee, also 34, said the program taught him how to put together a business plan for his Marana yard-maintenance business, Weed Wackers Express.

"I started from the bottom up; I had no money at all and my credit was messed up," he said, adding that he started whacking weeds out of his car for just a few clients.

Harris got busy so quickly that about three years ago he quit his job of 12 years at Costco, he said, adding that he didn't even need a loan to go into business. Now, nearly five years later, he has his own work trucks and caters to more than 150 customers and two homeowner associations. He isn't debt-free yet, Chamblee said, but his credit is solid.

If he could achieve financial success, anyone can, said Harris, who started pushing carts at Costco and through the years rose to a supervisory position. And yes, he noted, being black sometimes means that "you got to be that much better. So you got to make sure you prepare yourself and as far as having your own business, really know the ins and outs of what you're trying to do."

As the new head of the local Urban League, Langford said he wants to help more black people reach the opportunities that often elude them.

"But this is not just a job of the Urban League; it is a community issue," Langford said.

"Anytime you leave folks behind, it's not good for the development of the community as a whole."

FInd a multimedia feature about Black History Month at azstarnet.com/multimedia

Tucson Urban League

2305 S. Park Ave.

• Offers various free services, including assistance in securing housing, jobs and low-interest loans. Workshops on starting a small business and financial literacy also are provided.

• For more information, call 791-9522 or visit the Web site at tucsonurbanleague.com .