The Face of the Company

I read an article in the Chicago Tribune today about black business owners who chose not to put pictures of themselves on their company websites because they didn't want their businesses to be labeled as "black" businesses. About a week ago, I read a similar story about Real Housewife Bethenny Frankel advising female business owners (minority women, in particular) to have a white man as the face of their company. (She has since denied saying this, but let's assume she did.) Was she wrong to give such advice? Were the black business owners featured in the Chicago Tribune wrong also to hide their race in order to get more business? The world is a tough place and if you're a minority who's trying to run or start a business that relies on customers from all walks of life, then maybe taking yourself physically out of the equation is the right thing to do. I remember overhearing a woman at my hair salon talking about trying to get a liquor license in Chicago for a restaurant she and her husband were running and she enlisted the help of someone white to help her jump through hoops she and her husband knew they'd have a hard time navigating because they're black. Is this sad? Sure. Is it the way the world works sometimes? Absolutely.