(Finalcall.com)-- No, this is not about the excellent program established and operated by Brother Muhammad Nasserdeen in Los Angeles, Calif. I am borrowing the name to make a point about how we treat and mistreat one another. It occurred to me during a conversation with my publisher, Dr. Rosie Milligan, of Milligan Books, that we have to take care of some housekeeping vis-�-vis moving our money from hand to hand.

I do a great deal of advocating for Black-owned businesses; I strongly encourage Black consumers to "Buy Black," and, more specifically, I constantly beseech brothers and sisters to buy books from Black bookstores. While this is not entirely about Black bookstores, they are a microcosm of the larger problem we face as consumers, producers, and retailers.

My latest book, "Blackonomics," if it was not for the MATAH Network, two of my church brethren, and a very supportive friend, it could not have been published. In addition, Dr. Milligan, who is also in MATAH, agreed to publish the book for me, thus eliminating my having to self-publish, as I had to do with my previous three books. My point is this: I wanted as many Black people involved in getting this book out as possible. And I wanted Black people to make as much of the profit from the book as possible. "Blackonomics," as the book states throughout, is about recycling Black dollars.

Black bookstores are the primary outlets for "Blackonomics," although some brothers and sisters have ordered it through the larger non-Black owned stores. I informed my publisher of my desire to feature the book in Black owned bookstores because I want the owners to make the profit rather than the large distributors. Milligan Books, also a distributor, would be the wholesaler for the book and also make a profit from its sales because Black bookstore owners would buy my book, as well as other books, from Dr.

Milligan. Sounds like a plan, huh?

Wrong. How na�ve I was to think that is the way things work. I found out that many Black bookstore owners purchase their books from major distribution houses, white-owned of course, which get as much as a 55 percent commission on their sales. I suppose that�s how those large outlets can afford to offer all of those "markdowns" we see online and elsewhere.

Without going completely into the book-selling market, my proposition is this: If we would really circulate our money by purchasing books and other products from one another, from wholesale to retail, and then turn that money over again by purchasing other goods and services from Black people, such as dry cleaners, photographers and groceries, then recycling Black dollars would be a stark reality.

I could not in good conscience ask Black consumers to purchase their books or anything else from Black-owned businesses and not also ask Black business owners to reciprocate by buying their supplies from Black-owned establishments. That�s what recycling our dollars is all about. It gets back to sacrifice. We ask Black consumers to sacrifice a few cents more to buy Black in some cases, the same way W.E.B. DuBois did during his lifetime. But what happens to that money once it is spent in a Black owned business-bookstore or otherwise? It makes no sense (or cents) for Black businesses to seek the patronage of Black consumers and not, in turn, recycle as many of those dollars as possible with other Black-owned businesses. Back to the bookstores again. Please buy your books from Black distributors. Your customers are Black. Why shouldn�t your suppliers be Black as well? As for "Blackonomics," the book, please buy it from a Black-owned bookstore. And Black bookstore owners, please buy your supply of "Blackonomics" from a Black distributor.

To everyone else, in whatever business you�re involved, please recycle Black dollars by moving them from your coffers to some other brother or sister�s coffers. If we maintain this cyclical movement of our money among ourselves for as long as we can before it leaves our possession, we will truly be empowered and we will be able to grow our businesses, create many more, and develop jobs for our people rather than always finding ourselves in the position of having to take jobs from others.

As Bishop Luke Edwards once said to me, "Our Black dollars don�t have any sense." Let�s work together to change that.