"The Right Man" : James a. Jackson and the Origins of U.S. Government Interest in Black Business

Although the widely held belief is that the U.S. government did not begin helping African American entrepreneurs until President Richard M. Nixon introduced the "Black Capitalism" initiative in the late 1960s, this assistance really began in the 1920s with the appointment of James A. Jackson to the Commerce Department.Jackson served as the advisor of "Negro Affairs," and in this role he laid the foundation for Nixon's initiative. The spark for the "Negro Affairs" initiative came from Claude A. Barnett, an influential African American businessman who was involved in numerous businesses in the Chicago area.Barnett, through conversations with Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, proposed that Jackson be appointed as the advisor in 1927. Jackson faced many obstacles during the first few weeks of his appointment, but with the help of Barnett, he was able to settle into the position and begin reaching out to African Americans. Through letters, speeches, and individual interviews, Jackson worked tirelessly to promote the Commerce Department to African Americans, and he continued this work during Hoover's presidency. As a result of his close ties to Hoover, Jackson was terminated when Hoover lost the presidency in 1932.He went on to become the first member of the American Marketing Society and served as the special representative to the black community for Esso Standard Oil. (SRD)