Dorothy Pitman Hughes, owner of a New York City office supply store, has written an informative guide for small black business entrepreneurs that is also a memoir, a call to action, and a how-to manual. She focuses on New York's predominantly black community of Harlem, relating how black businesses there have been victimized by gentrification and how white enterprises are flourishing now because of the emergence of the "empowerment zone," a government program that brings dollars into economically depressed areas. Hughes contends that the zone's philosophy is to bring in large corporations to create jobs, while black-owned businesses aim to "support ownership in the community to create wealth, security and a strong social culture." She is clearly on a mission, which is admirable: she wants to empower all inner-city residents economically; show her fellow black businesspeople how to raise money, sell shares, and buy stock; and take advantage of all investment opportunities. While this is an enlightening work, the author tends to be too impressed with her own accomplishments. Recommended nonetheless for small-business collections.
