Black-run eateries an idea for High St.

David Overeem, it is unfortunate that you chose to compare the Ku Klux Klan with the NAACP in your article, “Liberals should not criticize Campus Partners” (3/9/98). The Klan was founded as an outlaw gang and has engaged in murder, kidnapping, assault, arson and other violence. That is how they are still perceived today by blacks and most of us whites. Your comparison obscured the important points you tried to make about the absence of blacks among minority-owned businesses in the campus area.Many minority-owned campus businesses are restaurants and they succeed because they attract diners from all backgrounds. A successful black-owned business will also likely have to attract a diverse customer base.Personally, I wish there were a couple of eateries on High Street that featured Southern cooking. I’ve had several good meals at black owned and operated barbecues in Florida and Caribbean food during the annual ComFest at Goodale Park.”Southern cooking” can be anything from take-out to gourmet dining and is not exclusive to one race. It seems to me that such a business would be an excellent prospect for a black entrepreneur. I think such a restaurant (maybe two or three) would attract a large multi-ethnic clientele at Ohio State.

Price Robert Cope Staff