Mark_Allen's Blog

  I understand that someone at The Defender is working on a story regarding Parker House.     I just spoke at length with 3rd Ward Alderman Pat Dowell regarding saving the historic Parker House Sausage as a Black owned institution and even discuss the possibilities for expansion of the business. I told the Alderman that I am publicly committed to convening and challenging other civic, business, and political leaders to make a priority issue in directing the proper resources to sustain Parker House as Black owned business. I have specifically contacted Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr at The Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and Cheryle Jackson, new President of The Chicago Urban League.

 I was very upset and read with total disbelief, an e-mail (attached) from a Parker House employee who alleges that Parker House representatives have not been able to get the attention of The Chicago Urban League or Rainbow/PUSH, two organizations that the late Daryl Grisham, former Parker House President/CEO was an active member and totally committed to financially during his life. Grisham and Parker House has been connected too deeply with these two organizations and their Black empowerment agenda's for me to believe that they would not respond to any request that involves sustaining it as Black owned, and helping find resources to improve the existing facility as well as expand the business to provide even more jobs for Black community and increase the Black economy and provide a new generation of civic responsibility.  

 I have been on staff at The Chicago Urban League and Rainbow/PUSH and I cannot remember and major events that I was involved in organizing that did not enjoy the support of Mr. Grisham and Parker House employees. Alderman Dowell told me directly that she will immediately put an end to any rumors that she has not responded to any request to help Parker House and she instructed me to have my contact at Parker House to contact her directly, which they did today, and she will host a meeting to officially hear whatever specific requests from the current Parker House ownership.  

As a co founder of The Chicago Black Wall Street Economic Summits, I am going to seek the support of the over 300 people that have attended the summits and committed to our campaign to sustain and increase Black businesses. And that includes our outreach campaign to create Black consumer clubs like the old days of Operation Breadbasket where we trained people at the very grassroots community levels with ongoing campaigns on the purchasing of Black owned products. We must not lose another historic Black business for I am convinced that we have the collective resources from our various levels of leadership to save, sustain and even expand Parker House Sausage.  

I am humbled that the Parker House employees reached out to me, and I am making a public commitment not to let them down. I am glad that Alderman Dowell responded quickly to my call and personally called me repeatedly until she got me after she heard my call. So I hope that this the first step in our leadership to support the current owners of Parker House, and let them know that The Black community and it's collective leadership will support them, and they can tell those who have made overtures, that Parker House is not for Sale.  

Mark S. Allen Founder of The Black Leadership Institute, BLDI and a Cofounder of The Chicago Black Wall Street Project 773-392-0165  

Mark,
I don't know how much of that rumor is true..however, I have been
working for months for Mr. Maurice McFolling, the current owner and
stepson of the founder Colonel Parker in trying to get Black clergy,
the Chicago Urban League, the City Council's Black Caucus, Ald. Pat
Dowell(in whose ward Parker House is located), Reverend Jesse Jackson
and several other Black prominents to step forward and speak up and
speak out on behalf of the Parker House Sausage Company. 

To date, no one has felt the need to go to bat for a company that went to the wall
for many a Black civil rights group.  As you well known from your days
at Rainbow(Breadbasket) former Parker House CEO Daryl Gresham
sustained that organization, often paying the payroll when no one else
would.  Gresham's leadership also spawned the first merger of two
major Black lending institutions.  He was a pioneer Black businessman
who blazed a trail for the Bob Johnson's and the Earl Graves' to
follow. For years, the city's land-hungry and social engineering elite
have salivated over the thought of driving Parker House from South
State Street.  If the Black community does not stand up and speak out
to save Parker House, then no Black business anywhere in the city of
Chicago is safe.  Give me a call.





On 6/20/08, Marksallen2800@aol.com wrote:
> Friends:
>
> I just got a an anonymous voice mail allegedly from an employee of  Parker
> House Sausage asking me to look into the fact that they may be up for  sale
> and
> if they are looking at Black buyers. So I figured I'd put out this  heads up
> just in case we may be about to lose yet another historic Black owned
> institution.
>
>