When Uncle Nearest Whiskey, a proudly Black-owned brand named after the formerly enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel the craft of distilling, found itself in legal turbulence recently, it made headlines for all the wrong reasons. The Root’s coverage spotlighted the uncomfortable truth: even when Black entrepreneurs build something legendary, the road to sustaining it is littered with legal traps, competitive sabotage, and the unforgiving spotlight of public opinion.
But if we hop in a time machine back to 1925 Baltimore, as the AFRO American Newspapers recently did, the parallels are striking. That was an era when Black businesses flourished in segregated America — not because the system was fair, but because it was rigged against us, and we still found a way to make a dollar circulate within our own communities before it left. From beauty parlors to banks, those entrepreneurs carved out empires despite redlining, racist zoning laws, and open hostility from white competitors.
Today, the lessons still apply.
Own your narrative – In 1925, if you didn’t tell your own story, the white press sure wasn’t going to tell it truthfully. In 2025, if you don’t control your digital and brand identity, competitors and critics will do it for you.
Community is currency – Back then, a Black business owner’s survival depended on loyalty from the neighborhood. Today, it’s about building customer bases who see your product as part of their cultural identity, not just a commodity.
Legal armor matters – Jim Crow-era entrepreneurs often had to be part hustler, part lawyer to protect what they built. The Uncle Nearest situation is a 21st-century reminder that paperwork, trademarks, and contracts aren’t boring extras — they’re shields.
The truth is, Black entrepreneurship has always been a balancing act between brilliance and battle. We are still proving that our ventures can be world-class while surviving in a system that wasn’t designed for us to keep them. The question is whether we’ll treat history as an inspirational coffee-table book — or as a manual for how to win in a game that’s still rigged.
Sidebar: 100 Years of Black Business Resilience
1925 – Baltimore’s Black Business Boom
Segregation forces Black entrepreneurs to create their own self-sustaining economic ecosystem. The AFRO American reports thriving banks, barbershops, and beauty schools run by and for the community.
1940s–50s – The “Negro Market” Awakens
White corporations realize Black consumers are a powerful economic force, but advertising remains steeped in stereotypes. Black business leaders push for authentic representation and ownership.
1960s – Civil Rights Meets Capitalism
The rise of “Buy Black” movements and cooperative economics empowers communities but faces pushback from white-owned competitors and systemic barriers to financing.
1980s–90s – Hip-Hop Hustle
Black-owned fashion labels, record companies, and media outlets tap into global youth culture, proving that Black creativity is a billion-dollar export.
2020s – The Digital & Legal Battlefield
Social media amplifies Black-owned brands, but legal challenges — from intellectual property theft to corporate lawsuits — highlight the need for both cultural capital and airtight legal strategy.
