Started in 1928, The Colored Merchants Association (CMA) in Montgomery, Alabama served as a continuation of a successful black owned food system that existed since before the turn of the century African Americans in Montgomery had had their own grocery stores, cafés, and other types of eateries that provided inexpensive and good dining experiences. The CMA in Montgomery had been successful because it did not assess cooperative's membership fees, dividend payments, and it did not have investor and board of director obligations. And Montgomery’s CMA founders had a history of building profitable businesses in the city that did not depend on white patronage, investors, or philanthropists.
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