Another Look at Minority Hiring

The Times survey revealed that the overwhelming majority of Asian, Latino and white-owned businesses employ a dismally small fraction of blacks [“Minority-Owned Firms Tend to Hire Within Own Ethnic Group,” Special Report, Sept. 18]. Despite the business boom in Los Angeles County, black unemployment is still the highest of any group.

And with small businesses employing more than 70% of the county’s salaried workers, it’s no overstatement to say that small-business hiring is crucial to boosting economic opportunities for blacks.

But instead of whipsawing small-business owners for their perceived prejudice, the job is to increase the number and productivity of black-owned businesses. This will take a battle on two fronts.

The first battle must be waged by black trade associations, business groups, black elected officials and community leaders. They must continue to pressure corporations to provide more loans, grants, technical assistance and training to minority businesses. At the same time, they must prod banks to eliminate the lingering vestiges of discrimination in their lending practices.

The second battle must be waged by black-owned businesses to guarantee their stability and growth. Here are some immediate things they can do:

* Implement more self-help programs. Those black firms with ample capital and clout could pool money into a development fund to provide loans, credit, resources, training and a contact network to jump-start new businesses.

* Become more efficient and continue to diversify. Black firms must concentrate more capital in research and development to upgrade products and services. Mergers, joint ventures, stock trading and expansion into foreign markets are essential tools for growth.

* Mount campaigns to educate black consumers in the importance of patronizing black businesses. Black Enterprise magazine estimates that blacks spend $300 billion annually on goods and services. They won’t, or shouldn’t, spend their dollars with black firms simply because they’re black. Black-owned businesses must provide efficient service and sell quality merchandise at competitive prices.

EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON

Los Angeles

* The article on minorities hiring within their own ethnic group describes what is essentially racism. Hiring or not hiring on the basis of ethnicity is a violation of civil rights.

But the fact that the article goes on and on about how wonderful it is proves to me that today, many laws are being enforced only against white people. Any article showing the same statistics about white-owned businesses would attribute it all to racism, but it is not even a consideration when describing minority-owned businesses.

JACK PETERS

Manhattan Beach

* The article applauds minority owners for creating entry-level jobs and for hiring and training people who “share their background.”

The West Slauson Avenue black liquor-store owner who has only one nonblack employee said he would never hire a stranger who simply walked in and asked for a job, because “you don’t know anything about them.”

I wonder if he would find that to be a suitable excuse by a white liquor-store owner in Irvine who rejected a black job applicant.

MARK LANDSBAUM

Diamond Bar

* Your article concludes that because minority firms, especially Latinos, hire mostly those of their own race, immigrants are not a drain on the economy. How in the world did you come to this conclusion?

This is not an economic analysis of immigration. The only thing I see here is that minority firms are racist. I love the way the article brushes off the racist tendencies of these firms by saying that “hiring their own” is “influenced by a variety of social and demographic forces.” I am sure that if the survey was of white-owned firms, the article would not be using this excuse.

MICHAEL ADAMS

Pacific Palisades

* Minorities discriminate--good. Whites discriminate--bad.

STEVE CARON

Glendale