For Black History Month, I am introducing Franchise The Golden Arches in Black America by Marcia Chatelain. It is a fascinating look at the complex relationship between McDonalds and the black community in America and the naive hope that black capitalism would magically solve racial inequality in the absence of a major change in policies and attitudes. This is a story of how a global icon reluctantly embraced black franchisees and customers, and found that this became a huge driver of profits in their American operations. While McDonalds did a lot to support local communities, they are also guilty of drinking their Kool Aid and believing that they occupy a privileged position in the black community. 

 At a time when businesses are rightly asked to take on a greater role to solve social issues, this is a useful reminder that businesses can’t achieve racial equality by themselves.