Continued from L.A. Times article page...

How well are you doing in reaching that goal?  
We all feel we could do more.  I am never satisfied.  What's missing from 35 years ago is the commitment.  It is not as great and deep as it was in the late '60s and early '70s.  So that's a major change.  There is a sense of apathy within the African American community, especially young African Americans. 

Any other changes in the operating environment for your group?  
There is a certain complacency and apathy on both sides of the fence.  There are people in key positions that could help African Americans in business resources and business opportunities, but for them it's just a job.  They don't have the deep sense of commitment, of going that extra step.  

How is the role of small business different today?
To generalize, corporate America has left the major cities of the United States.  We do not have in Los Angeles that strong major corporate leadership as we did in the '60s and '70s with Arco, Security Pacific, Carnation.

Small business [has] to pick up the load.  We have to provide the economic base for the city.  We have to provide the jobs.  We have to pay the taxes to help provide goods and services to the city.   You have talked before about the role of limited financial resources.   We only have two black banks in Los Angeles, and they are relatively small, so their resources are limited.  And we, unlike other folk, don't have another base to go to.  We have the least financial resources of any other ethnic group in the country, so that becomes a serious problem for growth and development. 

Do black business owners have a harder time getting a small-business loan?  
Oftentimes, we don't see the system as a fair system.  We are not allowed as a group, oftentimes, to make mistakes.  Major corporations, like the automakers, have recalls every week, but if it's an African American firm, we'd be looked at with a jaundiced eye, with people saying, "Black folks don't know how to make cars."  So that's part of the institutional racism we have to deal with.  We are held to a higher standard, and that's especially hard for small, growing businesses.  That's part of why black business associations and other minority trade associations are so important.

How can your group help?
A very critical piece that is missing is acquisition of business facilities.  I have made recommendations to different financial groups that promote affordable home-loan programs to be creative and think outside the box and look into creating affordable office-ownership programs for business owners.  This is a capitalistic society and it's about ownership of land and property.  That's where the power is, so small and minority-owned businesses could create a much more powerful base if they were able to own and operate out of their own property.

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