KBSS Boycott Planning Thread

What should the name of this boycott be?

  • UnOccupy the BSS

    Votes: 48 34.3%

  • Stop the BSS

    Votes: 85 60.7%

  • I have another suggestion (please make it known in the thread!)

    Votes: 7 5.0%
  • Total voters
    140
ahh trolls. smdh. lol.


nisemac i understand what you are saying, and this thread is only titled KBSS because that is what we first started discussing. i think most of our planning is also to ensure that we have the clearest message possible, and that message comes off as well intentioned and positive as possible. believe me, i dont want to attract any negative press at all, esp so it can look like we are 'unfairly targeting' koreans or whatever. i get that.

i agree about not cutting ourselves off from the global market, and i dont think that was my suggestion. I (ME) do not wish to support businesses that are known to discriminate at multiple levels... you say that is just cultural practice, etc... ok fine.

If black bss care to buy weave and stuff, am i going to stop them? no. do i buy bss weave? not anymore. do i wish to support black bss so that they can have more $$ to pursue other options? yes.

so in short... i get what you are saying but i dont think that consumers choosing to be knowledgeable about how they spend their money is going to cut off opportunities for other businesses... it might just cause some to wake up.
 
Hey ladies....haven't read all the latest replies. I wanted to know if anyone has checked out some of the links I posted yesterday. There is info on the guy who has started a seminar on opening up black owned beauty supply stores. I think we should contact him. He could be a great resource.
 
WhippedButterCreme said:
Hmm, I go to Sally's and usually order my hair care from online, so how can I 'stick it to the man?' in this case? lol.

Even then Sally's isn't Korean owned. (At least to my knowledge)..But even then, it's not a big loss for me if I got to go to hairveda or pinkdandy's and order awesome haircare.

Just a thought, maybe some other ladies are wondering the same thoughts?
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I think what would help besides spreading the word would be to also try to buy at least one or two things at your local BLACK owned beauty supply store - since that is what is at the heart of this movement after all. Tamster For that reason I think the hash tag and name should go more along the lines of "Occupy Black Business".

Another reason is that with that name this movement could spread beyond the hair community and into other industries. I'd really like those who are compiling fact sheets to keep this in mind and focus on the support of black businesses rather than the un support of Asians or others. You could list the facts without bringing down or even mentioning another race.

Something like:

"Less than ___ percent of black businesses started in America will be profitable. This is a sad fact that stands true - recession or no recession. One huge problem for black businesses is the lack of support. While other communities support and fight for each other, blacks are being shut out.
Black hair care for example is a huge industry bringing in ____ amount of money a year - with only ____ percent actually going to BLACKS. Though blacks try to start up businesses in an industry they should have some control over, they constantly get shut out by others...."

Hmm maybe I'll write an "introduction to the movement" essay.

Sent from my IPhone
 
Please. I really beg everyone who does not understand the reason for the boycott to watch the documentary I posted in the other thread. Once again:


Here is part one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p96aaTSdrAE

Part Two
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWeLiXHcSyU&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Part Three
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWeLiXHcSyU&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Part Four
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m67P2kT7TzQ&feature=related



One of the main highlights is that the GOVERNMENTS played a big role in this. Not just our government, but asian governments. I don't see how "boycotting" is negative when the majority of people feel disrespected and exploited.

The black shop owners have been trying to generate a boycott for YEARS, but the consumer has been unwilling to take a stand. Now, we have finally gotten enough people together who say enough is enough. It is one thing to be upset about the way things are being done but never do anything about it and another thing to finally do something about it. Now is our chance to demand better service, and equal oppurtunity.

On top of that, your customer should be your number one priority. The only reason why the bad customer service has been going on for so long is because we continue to let it happen #1 by shopping in the stores we receive bad treatment in, and they have a control over the distribution channels so there is no other option in many communities.

That's all I have to say for now, I'm not trying to derail this thread any further.
 
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Here are some of the issues that people may miss if they didn't watch the documentary. I found them written out on another website (i.e didn't feel like hunting through the documentary to find it) :
The wig business was doing so well, especially amongst African-American consumers that the Korean Wig Merchants pushed to corner the market. “In 1965, the Korean Wig merchants joined together and convinced the Korean government to outlaw the export of raw hair,” said Aron Ranen, a filmmaker who has documented the marginalization of African-American entrepreneurs in the hair care industry in the film Black Hair. “[This ban] made it so that one can only buy the pre-made wigs and extensions.” In other words, Korean hair could only be manufactured in Korea. “Six months later, the United States government created a ban on any wig that contains hair from China,” effectively putting South Korea in prime position to exploit the market.
The business structure helped set up many Korean entrepreneurs in the sale of wigs and over the past five decades, wig stores have evolved to become full fledged beauty supply stores where hair for weaves and extensions represent the top selling products. Since then, it’s been a chain reaction as one store beget another; family members and employees of one store owner duplicated the business. According to said Dr. Kyeyoung Park, associate professor of anthropology and Asian American Studies at UCLA, competition also played a role in the proliferation. “Korean immigrants are more concerned with peer competition,” she said. “If one is running a business so well, then another Korean will open up a similar business very quickly.”

Today, there are over 9,000 Korean-owned beauty supply stores serving a billion dollar market for Black hair. Between manufacturing, distributing and selling these hair care products, Korean entrepreneurs appear to control all major components. Ranen was inspired to make his documentary because of what he saw as the injustice of unfair business practices.

“It’s really about allowing black manufacturers to get inside the distribution channel,” he said. “‘I mean, if you ask me, ‘what is your vision for the future?’” Well, right away, it’s a 100 black-owned stores opening up right next to Korean stores – a boycott until the Korean stores accept at least 20% black-owned manufactured products. Then we are talking about money in the community.”

According Ranin, there are only four central distributors serving beauty supply stores in the country and these Korean owned distributors discriminate against Black store owners in order to maintain their monopoly in the market. Ranin interviewed Lucky White, the owner of Kizure Ironworks which specializes in making styling tools like curling irons, for his 2006 documentary. Ms. White claimed that distributors told her that her products were no longer in demand as an excuse to turn away her products in favor of knock-offs produced by Asian companies.
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Source: why do koreans one the supplies


People need to stop this dependency on weaves. Forreal. And that is just my personal opinion. I know that the profits within a BSS gotta be 70%-80% due to the weaves...it has to be...
 
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And here is my beef again lol, you don't want the main tag line to be too ambiguous. Yes, I agree, we should support ALL local black businesses more but specifically, right this minute, this movement is focused on the hair care industry. We need to have a targeted message addressing that fact that isn't confusing to the public.

We have to focus on one goal at a time.


DaiseeDay said:
I think what would help besides spreading the word would be to also try to buy at least one or two things at your local BLACK owned beauty supply store - since that is what is at the heart of this movement after all. @Tamster For that reason I think the hash tag and name should go more along the lines of "Occupy Black Business".

Another reason is that with that name this movement could spread beyond the hair community and into other industries. I'd really like those who are compiling fact sheets to keep this in mind and focus on the support of black businesses rather than the un support of Asians or others. You could list the facts without bringing down or even mentioning another race.

Something like:

"Less than ___ percent of black businesses started in America will be profitable. This is a sad fact that stands true - recession or no recession. One huge problem for black businesses is the lack of support. While other communities support and fight for each other, blacks are being shut out.
Black hair care for example is a huge industry bringing in ____ amount of money a year - with only ____ percent actually going to BLACKS. Though blacks try to start up businesses in an industry they should have some control over, they constantly get shut out by others...."

Hmm maybe I'll write an "introduction to the movement" essay.

Sent from my IPhone
Click to expand...
 
ms-gg said:
And here is my beef again lol, you don't want the main tag line to be too ambiguous. Yes, I agree, we should support ALL local black businesses more but specifically, right this minute, this movement is focused on the hair care industry. We need to have a targeted message addressing that fact that isn't confusing to the public.

We have to focus on one goal at a time.
Click to expand...

Hey:hug3: ms-gg

Are you on the planning forum too? I put a suggestion up over there....tell me what you think about it. I'mma run...gotta get studied up for an exam this week:)....:( lol
 
No ma'am but I will! I am in the same boat as you: I have a killer finance exam to tomorrow and yet I can't stay out of this thread lol!
 
This is what i Sent to BobSA. Unfortunately I had to go through their site and on submission there is no indicator that the actual form got submitted :ohwell: I will monitor it for a day or two and see if I get anything back. And if not I will resubmit it.

Good Afternoon,

I am part of an African American Hair Care Group and we have recently been discussing the lack of African American owned Beauty Supply Stores in our communities. One of our members ran across an interview on the “Permed to Natural Blog”, dated 2/14/2011 entitled “Black Owned Beauty Supply Store Reveals the Struggles to Stay in Business”. In that article the owner states that issues with Korean Beauty Supply Stores and the distributors was a major issue.

We know that your organization is dedicated to promoting the increase of Black Owned Beauty Supply Stores and support of those stores. We are looking at ways that we as consumers can also support in our own ways. Prior to doing so however, I wanted to check my facts and make sure that we really do understand the true issues so that we are most effective. I am hoping that you would be willing to help in that area.

Based on your experience and research what do you feel are the three top issues that affect Black Owners from establishing and maintaining their own Beauty Supply Store business? And as consumers what are some key ways that we can help Black Owned Beauty Supply Stores thrive?

Thank You For Your Time. I await your response.

Sincerely,
 
I haven't been completely following this thread because well, I do have work to do. But I don't think anything should be made public in writing, by email, forum, facebook page until we have a clear vision and mission of what we are doing.

So there needs to be in this thread or wherever we are putting it something which clearly states the issues and clearly states our objectives. We have to have 1 vision and 1 voice. If we don't do that and you have 50 piece voicing what they think the issues are the whole thing will be a failure no matter which strategies we pick.

And whatever issues we say exists, we need them clearly documented and supported by several reputable sources.
 
:kiss: i agree faithVA thats why ive been wanting hold back on going public.

i do agree with documenting the issues -- id be interested in hearing what BOBSA and some of these others groups have done. it might just be a case of bringing to light their claims...because frankly, unless we own beauty supply stores like Guitarhero then we cant bring some of the claims about distributor discrimination up and report to agencies. we didnt experience that.

what we as consumers do experience is crap service, and what we do notice is that black people dont own nearly enough of a billion dollar industry that is all about us.
 
^^^I don't own any, some family did - a cousin and my father at one time. But I agree. We should bring it to light, asking for a change in the laws...but we gotta determine just how they are able to do this because it begins in Korea.
 
Tamster said:
:kiss: i agree @faithVA thats why ive been wanting hold back on going public.

i do agree with documenting the issues -- id be interested in hearing what BOBSA and some of these others groups have done. it might just be a case of bringing to light their claims...because frankly, unless we own beauty supply stores like @Guitarhero then we cant bring some of the claims about distributor discrimination up and report to agencies. we didnt experience that.

what we as consumers do experience is crap service, and what we do notice is that black people dont own nearly enough of a billion dollar industry that is all about us.
Click to expand...

Tamster, I know you may have said this earlier. But my day is swamped so I haven't been able to catch up with the posts from last night. So I went the lazy way and just posted in the middle :blush:

I'm a stickler for details and I am a broken record :lol:

Just listening to the Baisden show I know that we can come together collectively as a people. But there have been times we have supported a cause without the details and then we get the full story and it just makes us look passionate but sort of slow at the same time.

I would like for us to have a more positive impact where we are intelligent, informed and passionate.
 
Carisa said:
As for the title I guess stop the bss works for me (its like saying stop the bs lol)
Click to expand...

Yes, and I think this is much better than a title that makes reference to Koreans or Blacks. "Black", "Korean" or KBSS or KBSA don't need to be in our title IMO.

Once this is on FB we can share with friends and family, lets get on that.
 
Carisa said:
:look: ??? Is this question for me or where u just asking in general. I've never heard of this but I googled it
Click to expand...


Actually it was for DrC. She had a kpop gif. I hit quick reply instead of quote. I've actually been doing that until now and I realise my mistake.
 
I have a feeling that the Bobsa.org site is defunct. Can anyone check to see if Bobsa is on facebook? I don't have access right now.

I am searching the net and I don't see BobSA as having updated content after 2008.
 
usagi25 said:
:cry3:This makes me sad. I'm not a troll. I just joined today. I made a mistake when going to reply to another person in fact I made it on the other Korean thread as well. Sorry for the confusion.
Click to expand...

so sorry @usagi25!!!! my bad. i made the troll comment too. sorry hon. WELCOME!!!! :hug3::welcome2:

ETA: that works for me Carisa :D thank you.
 
They are still around. They have a site called "Total Hair" that is linked to Bobsa. The last time it has been updated is 2011. Here is the contact info from them:

Thank you for visiting at Mytotalhair.com

In order for us to better answer your questions, please select the appropriate destination below. Our goal is to respond to all of your questions and issues as soon as possible. Please submit your questions to the proper department. We will ensure that you do receive the fastest possible service.

Phone/Fax:

Phone : 213.234.8789

Fax : 323.935.4247

E-mail :
Customer Service : [email protected]
Address :
3960 Wilshire Blvd #308 Los Angeles, CA 90010

Business Hours :
To better serve you, Customer Service Representatives are available to assist you

Monday ~ Friday 9 AM to 5 PM PST.
Click to expand...
I don't know what to think right now. Here is the mission statement from the Total Hair company:

My Total Hair is a global partnership focused on the elevation of the beauty industry through cooperation based on truly universal principles.

Guided by forward thinking technology, respect for individual rights, and always looking for ways to unify our global beauty industry whenever possible through understanding, products education, proactive business partnerships to unify and assure mutual benefit to our share takers and global partners. While always sharing our abundance by giving back to our industry and global community.

Manufacture direct hair company locate Los Angeles California USA.
Since 1975 from Korea has striven to produce and provide world’s highest quality human hair goods to the global.


Our promise is the hair we select best of best raw hair from the worlds.
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It was released on 3/23/11

I can't link to it because the bobsa website does not change url addresses from page to page. I don't know what is going on...

This is a second organization on the suspect list for me. Maybe they have a distributor now. IDK
 
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ms-gg said:
They are still around. They have a site called "Total Hair" that is linked to Bobsa. The last time it has been updated is 2011. Here is the contact info from them:


I don't know what to think right now. Here is the mission statement from the Total Hair company:

It was released on 3/23/11

I can't link to it because the bobsa website does not change url addresses from page to page. I don't know what is going on...

This is a second organization on the suspect list for me. Maybe they have a distributor now. IDK
Click to expand...

Ok ms-gg girl I am truly lost. I see from the site that they are selling stuff. But the BOBSA.Org site is a no go. So I don't know where to go from here. So did they just stop supporting BSS and start selling weave? :perplexed
 
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