"Many of the white-owned companies just continued the tradition of black stereotypes," she said.

Today, even with 34 employees and a good track record, Mr. Smith finds his dealings with white-owned companies to be "really something."

The white-owned company promptly evicted the black tenants and filled the buildings with whites.

"We wanted to point out the commodification of black heroes by predominantly white-owned companies, but we didn't realize what a land mine it was," he said.

At this time it was very difficult for the approximately 40,000 blacks in California to obtain insurance from white-owned companies at reasonable rates.

The current rules also allow a white-owned company to buy out the minority owner after one year.

But this "development" rarely trickles down to rank-and-file black folk, and it does very little for those minority workers within the white-owned companies.

The case related to Mr. Prewitt's practice of serving as a minority front for white-owned companies seeking city business.

Almost all of the revenue from construction, tourism, restaurants, office rentals and retailing in Cincinnati goes to white-owned companies.

And these companies tend to have far more minority employees than do white-owned companies.