Listen, I work hard. This whole year I’ve been grinding 24/7 trying to make my dreams for HBCU Pulse and my media ambitions come true. I was even sideline at the FVSU vs. FAMU game for ESPNU Campus Connection this past Saturday. On this Labor Day, I told myself that I would take a break. Then, this story comes across my timeline. Even though this story is a year old, I couldn’t let this day pass by without talking about it. It’s astounding in itself but, after research, I saw that no big name news organizations talked about this when it was a hot story. The most reputable organization that talked about it was the Atlanta-Journal Constitution and it’s only because it happened in Clayton County. I learned from Curly Nikki, a black blog. So, a year later, let me throw my hat in the ring and share this great news.
In 2017, Colisha Hicks and her fiancé Fatz purchased at Citgo in Clayton County, Georgia. Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that ClayCo is 65% black but not many black entrepreneurs. “We should have something to contribute to our people and let our people know that we can do the same thing that everybody else does,” Fatz told Atlanta’s 11 Alive. “The youth when they see us they’re shocked. That makes us feel good.”
The story went viral on social media after a Facebook post by Torrey Tomlinson on July 29, 2017. The gas station, located at 7434 Tara Blvd in Jonesboro, Ga, is one that will serve the community. The couple that owns the station plans to donate proceeds of the profit to the community. This is an example of the #BuyBackTheBlock movement being about action and not just a hashtag! If we want financial freedom we must put our money where our mouths are and invest in saving our communities! If not, our black dollars will continue to circle out of our communities while we’re pushed out.
