“All people want is things red, blue and white,” said Ken Babluya, an Nigerian store owner. “I haven’t sold a piece of clothing or any red, black and green flags since September.

Not only have African liberation flags, Kente cloth and walking sticks been ignored by consumers, but the statistic symbolizes how many Black American concerns have also been pushed to the back burner of American politics. Issues of reparations, racial profiling, affirmative action, housing discrimination, and the corporate glass ceiling have been completely ignored by Americans as President George Bush sends soldiers into an obscure cave in Afghanistan looking for Osama Bin Laden.

Ironically, Latino music and sales of ethnic food have also decreased as Americans try to be more patriotic. True patriotism means eating American food—hot dogs, cotton candy and bar b cue. “Patriotism is defined by the level of heartburn you have,” said one consumer at Big John’s Red Hots in Chicago.