Black Enterprise was just a modest monthly magazine when I founded it 40 years ago–just me; a few brave forward-thinking advertisers like Pepsi, ExxonMobil, and General Motors; and a small but spirited and talented staff. Oh, and one other person who did just about everything there is to do to put out a magazine back then–a combination writer, editor, proofreader, layout designer, sales director, office manager, and vice president in charge of shutting down the publisher’s bad ideas–my wife of 50 years, Barbara Graves.
This was the Black Enterprise that Barbara and I brought into being and nurtured into one of the most respected magazines in the country. But now, four decades later, there is the multimedia entity that Black Enterprise has become, and that’s due to the creativity and leadership of my sons, Earl Jr., Johnny, and Michael, and dedicated staff, who have all contributed to the company’s continued relevance and success, and of whom I am extraordinarily proud.
It’s impossible to write this–my 40th anniversary Publisher’s Page column–and not think about the extraordinary journey we as African Americans have traveled–from slavery to the White House. Even more remarkable to me is how much of that journey I’ve lived to witness.
Just to be clear, I just turned 75 earlier this year. That’s old enough to have made one of my earliest visits to the American South riding a segregated bus. Ironically, I was on my way to ranger and airborne school to serve my country as a U.S. soldier, a full decade before my country saw fit to afford me or anyone who looked like me the full freedoms and privileges guaranteed by the founding fathers.
But here’s what moves me to my core: Having lived through that era, here I stand half a century later and Barack Obama is Commander in Chief. In May, at the 15th annual Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo, we began our 40th anniversary celebration in Atlanta, the flagship city of a New South–a South that is viewed by more and more African Americans not as the home of Jim Crow and fire hoses and attack dogs, but as a place of renewal, opportunity, and advancement.
So what’s responsible for this change? Social scientists and historians will give you different answers, but in my view nothing had a more significant impact on the country’s social progress on matters of racial justice, acceptance, and opportunity than African American entrepreneurship.
During times when opportunities for African Americans in business were limited by racist exclusion, black entrepreneurs managed to carve out financial opportunities for themselves as restaurateurs, funeral home directors, bankers, insurers, auto dealers, and innovators in such industries as cosmetics, entertainment, and agriculture. The profits from those early ventures did not merely line the pockets of their owners; they were invested into the social advancement of African Americans as a group.
Indeed, the civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others would not have succeeded to the degree that it did without the financial support of African American business leaders of that period.
As much as anyone, these early entrepreneurs were the architects of the New South. And they are an essential link in the creation of a 21st century United States of America–an America that would freely and overwhelmingly elect a person of African descent to the presidency.
Back in 1970, I saw in Black Enterprise an opportunity to build a successful venture with the potential to serve the broader interests of African Americans. Not everyone shared my vision. We got some pretty big doors shut in our faces. But we persevered and opened those doors. In doing so, we didn’t just document the rise of the African American entrepreneur; we became the uplifting force driving that ascent, showing our readers what could be done and giving them the tools to achieve it.
I’m proud of our history, but I’m even more proud of what Black Enterprise is now–a full-service media entity that uses cutting-edge communication technology to reach our audience wherever they are, however they need us 24/7/365.
Now, I’m the first to admit it; I’m no techie. To me “tweets†are something birds do. And while I have at last mastered sending faxes, my grandchildren tell me there’s no one left alive who still owns a fax machine so I needn’t bother.
Fortunately, I’ve entrusted Black Enterprise to my son, President & CEO Earl
“Butch†Graves Jr., who does get the new technology and is adapting the Black Enterprise brand to formats that haven’t even been invented yet! That’s how you need to think as you go forward.You have to look for opportunities in trends, technologies, and emerging markets that are on the horizon. I did the same thing when I started Black Enterprise 40 years ago. I sensed that the social progress African Americans had made in the civil rights era were about to bear fruit. And it’s what Butch has done in anticipating the explosion of new media. Soon it will be your turn.
Someone is going to find ways to pick up the pieces and put the world back together again. Someone with vision and tireless entrepreneurial spirit is going to identify the products and services that will make a positive difference in people’s lives and innovate profitable ways to deliver them. So decide now if that someone is going to be you. If so, then make sure that everything you do from now on–be it academic or part-time employment or even recreational–puts you one step closer to your goal.
Finally, keep in mind that this current downturn will end, but you need to do more than sit and wait for it
to do so. Leadership begins when you decide to shape your environment rather than letting it shape you. As you look forward and assess the obstacles you face, it will be hard not to succumb to discouragement. Don’t.Remember that an African American was elected president of the United States–something I never expected to see in my lifetime. Now, it’s time to participate in the change we all seek by bringing your energy and ideas to the table. I want to challenge all the entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs out there to march on. Black Enterprise has reached its 40-year milestone because we have endeavored to serve an audience that is always changing, always searching for the uncharted path for financial success and empowerment.
We could pat ourselves on the back for what we’ve achieved, and maybe we’ve done a little of that in this, our 40th anniversary issue. The truth of the matter, though, is that we are humbled by the achievements of the talented people we report on. We are in awe, still, by the courage it takes to put oneself on the line in an unmerciful marketplace.
During the past four decades, we’ve seen giant careers spring from the most modest beginnings. And that’s why I know that great things are in store for many of you who hold in your hands this landmark issue of black enterprise magazine, or who are reading these words on BlackEnterprise.com, on your social media profile or on your iPad.
I urge you to take the mantle of past achievers and run with it. And remember–you do not run this race alone. black enterprise will be with you every step of the way.