Wielding real power.

Name the person whose decisions are the most critical to the health of our economy. The president of the United States? Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan? The answer: None of the above.

It's you, the consumer, who is the final arbiter of our economy. Every dollar we spend has the power to create opportunity - of leave it dormant and unfulfilled. As African Americans, we have plenty of influence on this process - to the tune of $400 billion and growing in income. How we choose to spend those dollars is the most important decision we can make on behalf of our economic empowerment. This is the foundation of NAACP President and CEO Kweisi Mfume's call for African Americans to become disciplined consumers.

Here's an illustration of what I mean. Let's say you just bought a new suit for work, and you paid $450. You are happy with the price and quality of your purchase, you found the suit at a convenient location and the customer service was superb. Did you get a good deal? Well, maybe or maybe not.

Here's my idea of a great deal. Let's say I bought the same suit under the exact same conditions, except: I saw the suit in an ad in my favorite black magazine. At the store where I bought the suit, there were black sales clerks on the floor, reporting to black sales managers. The company that designed and manufactured the suit is black-owned, or at least has African Americans in senior management and on its board of directors. The maker of the suit does business with black companies, ranging from its public relations firm to the investment bank that helped it raise expansion capital. Finally, because of a special promotion, 5% of the retail price of my suit will be donated to the United Negro College Fund.

I could go further, but I think you see my point: Not only did I get the suit I wanted, but, thanks to what I'll call reciprocal benefit premiums (RBP's), I made sure that at least some of my $450 would recirculate to other African Americans in the form of education, employment and business revenues. In fact, some would argue that, depending on how you estimate the value of the RBPs (giving greater weight to black-owned businesses, for example), I could have paid $500 for the suit and still have gotten a better deal than you did when you paid $450 without the reciprocal benefits.

How can you assess the RBPs of the dozens of purchases you make each day? You just have to commit to being a truly informed consumer. It could be as easy as taking a closer look at the local enterprises from which you purchase products and services. Don't be afraid to ask for information about ownership structure and hiring practices. Naturally, through our expanded consumer affairs coverage, we'll be doing more to keep you informed about the practices of larger companies.

The bottom line is: We must maximize the economic influence we wield as consumers. Each and every purchase we make can be a contribution to black economic empowerment. That's real power - but only if we choose to use it.