04/28/2026
Last night at mentorship, we watched an old 1954 video called “The Secret of Selling to a Negro.” And I’m telling you, this video opened up a real conversation with our young men.
The video was basically showing businesses how to market to Black people. Back then, they were telling companies, “Don’t ignore this community, because Black people spend money too.” The crazy part is, decades later, we are still having the same conversation except now the numbers are even bigger.
Black consumers’ economic power is projected to grow from about $910 billion in 2019 to $1.7 trillion by 2030, yet Black communities are still often underserved. (McKinsey & Company) At the same time, the median Black household income was around $54,000 in 2023, according to Pew Research. (Pew Research Center) Another 2026 report put Black household income around $56,020 in 2024, while also noting that Black households hold only about 15 cents in wealth for every $1 held by White households. (NCRC)
So the lesson is simple: we have spending power, but spending power is not the same as ownership, wealth, or control.
3 lessons we pulled from the video:
1. Recognition matters.
The video showed that companies knew Black people had money to spend, but they still needed to be reminded to respect us as customers. That tells our kids something important: never beg to be seen, but understand your value.
2. Consumption without ownership keeps us behind.
We spend billions and trillions collectively, but how much of that comes back to our neighborhoods? How much do we own? How many businesses, properties, schools, programs, and opportunities are we building with that money?
3. Education is economic defense.
If our kids don’t understand marketing, money, business, ownership, and consumer behavior, they become the target instead of the decision-makers. That’s why mentorship matters. We are not just watching videos — we are teaching our kids how to think.
At Limitless Athletics, these are the conversations we are having. Sports are great, but our kids need more than drills. They need financial literacy, history, discipline, critical thinking, and real-life conversations that prepare them for the world.
Because if they can learn how the system sells to them, they can learn how to build, own, and lead within it.