By James Clingman
SPECIAL TO SACOBSERVER.COM

Too often we sit around and commiserate about our economic plight. In essence, what we are doing is wishing it were not so. If we are ever going to start building our own wealth, instead of building it for everyone else, African Americans must stand up and get busy. Wishing just won't make it so. It will take dedication, commitment, and just plain old-fashioned work if Black folks want to change their economic condition in this country and around the world. And it must begin with the understanding of the importance of building and retaining wealth among Black people.

Robert Taylor, the founder of the Better Life Club, says, "Wealth-building must be number one on every Black person's agenda because economics is the foundation of social life... The simple fact is that virtually every problem we face as a people either had its origin in poverty or poverty makes the problem worse. Education, political empowerment, and pride are all needed, but none of them represent the fundamental need of our people."

Taylor went on to say, "We must produce more than we consume and earn more than we spend. Otherwise, growth and wealth building are impossible...if we remain weak economically, it will make little difference how educated we are or how many politicians we have. In capitalist America, you cannot build wealth and financial security with just a job. You must own ... businesses to generate profit income and invest to generate interest income." He ended his statement by quoting Newt Gingrich, whom Taylor says, "I do not like very much." He says Gingrich told a reporter, "If black people want more respect, they should get more money."

Maybe since a White guy uttered those words Black folks will feel more compelled to act on them. After all, we have heard these same words from our ancestors for years and years. While there have been times in our history that we followed their instructions, our current actions, collectively of course, are sadly and sorely lacking. We sure like to brag about our past and the successes of our brothers and sisters, for instance, those in Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Okla.; Hayti in Durham, N.C.; Allensworth, Calif.; Mound Bayou, Miss., and many more. Don't you think it's time we renew what they accomplished? Isn't it time for us to start more of those economic enclaves?

Wealth-building is vitally important to any group of persons, especially in this country, and even more important is the retention of that wealth within the particular group. Black people not only built this country, we have built communities for other groups of people-and we continue to build them today by buying everything anyone makes or does. We have paid more college tuitions for youth from other communities than we have for Black youth. We have bought more homes and cars for others than we have for ourselves. We have grown and sustained the businesses of others to a far greater extent than we have our own. As Newt suggested, we had better get busy, folks.

Solution: Robert Wallace, in his book, "Black Wealth Through Black Entrepreneurship," says, "Without a doubt, the best way for us to accumulate wealth quickly and increase the circulation rate of our dollars within our community is through the rapid formation of businesses in our community. To accomplish this, we must start directing a greater number of our young people through the entrepreneurship channel. This will not only benefit the African American community, but the overall American community."

We must also release ourselves from the psychological enslavement that keeps us from supporting our brothers and sisters in business and understand that it is only common sense for people of a particular group to support those within that group. Just watch the Jewish people, the Arab people, the Chinese people, the Vietnamese people, the Indian people, the European people, and other groups. They show us everyday that no matter what the situation, they will always support the interests of their people over the interests of others, especially Blacks.

We have no choice but to stand up for ourselves and do for ourselves, and that takes strength and an attitude of fearlessness and love for one another. When Marcus Garvey rallied 50,000 people around an economic cause, they shouted, "Marcus gives us backbones, not wishbones."

The last time I checked, if you want to stand tall and stand straight, a backbone was required.

James E. Clingman, an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati's of African American Studies department, is former editor of the Cincinnati Herald Newspaper and founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce. He hosts the radio program, ''Blackonomics,'' and is the author of the book, "Economic Empowerment or Economic Enslavement-We have a choice."