S.B. Fuller: The Forgotten History of a Legendary Black American Entrepreneur

On this episode of the Resistance Library Podcast, Dan and Sam discuss the great American entrepreneur, Samuel B. Fuller. June 4th marks Fuller’s birthday. You can read more about S.B. Fuller at Ammo.com: https://ammo.com/articles/sb-f....uller-forgotten-hist

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In the days before President Lyndon Baines Johnson, black Republicans were a thing. And chief among them was Samuel B. Fuller. Fuller was a black American entrepreneur in the mid-Century United States. More than just an entrepreneur, he also gave back to the black community by providing both inspirational speeches as well as nuts-and-bolts training at a time when entrepreneurially minded black Americans had precious few options for either. Some entrepreneurs trained or inspired by Fuller include John H. Johnson of Johnson Publishing and George Ellis Johnson of Johnson Products.

To say that Fuller came from “humble beginnings” is a bit of an understatement. He was born into a family of Louisiana sharecroppers who were so poor that he had to drop out of school to work in the sixth grade. But he also displayed an entrepreneurial spirit from a very young age. The young Master Fuller was going door-to-door selling products at the age of nine.

When he was 15, his family moved to Nashville. It was here that his mother passed away two years later, leaving Fuller in charge of his six siblings. Relief organizations came by to offer assistance, but Fuller turned them down because he didn’t want his neighbors to think his family couldn’t make it without handouts. It was then that he and his siblings made the decision that they were going to make it on their own without any external help.

The road to success was not an easy one for Fuller. He relocated to Chicago where he took a series of backbreaking, menial jobs, before rising up to become the manager of a coal yard. During the Depression, he was working as an insurance agent at the Commonwealth Burial Association, a black-owned firm. Despite having a secure position at that company, he decided to strike out on his own and build his own business.

Have a listen to learn more about S.B. Fuller’s inspiring life. You can also read Sam’s full article “S.B. Fuller: The Forgotten History of a Legendary Black American Entrepreneur” in Ammo.com’s Resistance Library.

Helpful Links:

- S.B. Fuller: The Forgotten History of a Legendary Black American Entrepreneur: https://ammo.com/articles/sb-f....uller-forgotten-hist
- The Resistance Library: https://ammo.com/articles
- Sam Jacobs: https://ammo.com/our-team#sam-jacobs