Confronting the Odds : African American Entrepreneurship in Cleveland, Ohio

by House-Soremekun, Bessie

• ISBN13: 9781606350065
• ISBN10: 1606350064
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-10-31
• Publisher: Kent State Univ Pr

Summary

Confronting the Odds documents life histories of business owners, compares African American male and female business owners, and offers insights into why some businesses succeed and others fail. Author Bessie House-Soremekun's statistical analysis of the factors that contributed to the success of African American businesses in Cleveland is supported by extensive research, and her policy recommendations about how entrepreneurship could be stimulated through public and private programs are thought provoking. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Dr. Bessie House-Soremekun is an award-winning author and nationally recognized leader, advocate, and expert on entrepreneurship and economic development. She received her Ph.D. in International Studies from the University of Denver in 1988. She is the Public Scholar in African American Studies, Civic Engagement, and Entrepreneurship and professor of Political Science and Africana Studies at Indiana University-Purdue University India-napolis (IUPUI). She is also an inventor and entrepreneur. She is the president, founder, and CEO of the National Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., and the director of the Entrepreneurial Academy of Greater Cleveland.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
A Tribute to the Late Congresswoman	p. xiii
Note	p. xv
Acknowledgments	p. xix
Introduction	p. xxiii
African American Entrepreneurship at the National Level	p. 1
The Historical Development of the African American Community in Cleveland and the Black-Owned Business Sector, 1795-1895	p. 13
Black Business Development in Cleveland, 1895-1960	p. 19
Black Economic and Political Development in the Contemporary Period, 1960-2008	p. 50
The Contemporary Condition of Black-Owned Businesses in Cleveland	p. 80
The Continuum of Black Business Success: Why Some Firms Succeed While Others Fail	p. 93
Biographical Sketches of African American Entrepreneurs	p. 105
Conclusions and Public Policy Recommendations	p. 169
Methodology for Chapter 5	p. 187
Research Design, Methodology, and Operationalization of Variables for Chapter 6	p. 188
Additional Letters Regarding Garrett Morgan and the Lake Erie Tunnel Disaster	p. 199
Notes	p. 211
Selected Bibliography	p. 226
Index	p. 236
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