I'm not a business-man, I'm a BUSINESS man.

I'm Not A Business-Man. I’m A Business Man.

The above quote is from a Jay Z song it expresses a boast that he himself is a business. He is not just a business man, Jay Z is speaking about his clothing line, bar ownership and sports brands, which makes the Jay Z brand a business, all of its own. Listening to this song led me to ask. Why are there so few black businessmen on TV? When you watch business channels like CNBC you can go weeks without seeing an African-American speaking on topics of finance or the world economy. I have thought that one of the great problems in the African-American community is the fact that its leadership is mainly made up of preachers and politicians. Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for the majority of preachers in the black community. I am fully aware of the long and proud tradition of black preachers acting as spiritual adviser, along with being political activists. That's said  the skill sets that make you a great businessman are different from the skill sets of being great preacher. Of course there are a few that do both very well, TD Jakes is a great preacher an excellent business man. As for the as for the politicians being the leaders of the black community, I cannot be so kind. The majority of black politicians lack the understanding of business and global economy to be of any real service to the black community, which is beset by high unemployment and failing schools. I think it is of utmost importance that men like Quintin Primo III, Robert Johnson, Earl Graves and Len Burnett become the voice of the black community. If you do not know these gentlemen are that's the problem. They're all black CEOs of very successful companies. People like Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, and H. Ross Perot have all used their success as businessmen as justification for the qualifications to be President of the United States. There are few Asian politicians yet a majority of Asians Americans are very successful and have a very strong business leadership tradition.

I believe if Black America is to address its many issues its elected and non elected leadership must come out of the business community. With all due respect to Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Cornell West and Mike Eric Dyson, what do they know about business? That is to say, what do they know about the real steps needed to address the decaying urban cities of America? It's time for African-Americans to find the voices of those who proven they know how to get paid and get off zero.

Thanks

 Courtney Robert Brown Jr. 

CEO, High Exposure Consulting.

The Silent Majority

Quote of the week: "A wise man learns much from a fool but a fool learns nothing from a wise man." - CATO a Roman Statesman

The silent majority is a phrase President Richard Milhouse Nixon coined. He used this phrase to describe what he called 'The Silent Majority of Americans that supported the Vietnam war unlike the Americans that were protesting and marching against the war.  Well history proved Nixon to be wrong but there are times when the majority is silent, that is to say when the few are louder than the many.
     I believe there is a silent majority of African Americans that know there is something seriously wrong with the status and progress of a large number of fellow Black Americans.  A 50% percent dropout rate among black males in some cities and a 50% population of prison are a few of the depressing stats concerning this segment of the black population. What is the root cause of these issues?
Is it the policies of white racists whom continue to discriminate against blacks or is it the Asian and Arab merchants that drain most of the resources out of black communities, leaving no other option but crime as a means of providing for themselves? Or is it this fast changing world that has moved the opportunity of African Americans to places like China and India ?
        Well, I believe that  me and a silent majority of African Americans do not believe that the problem of the Black Community are due to white racism or foreign merchants or the world becoming a global market place.
I believe that most of Black Americans wounds are self inflected.
       There is a very small yet loud group of black politicians and TV personalities that continue to blame everyone else but Black Americans for Black Americans' problems. By not asking Black Americans to look at self for help they support a culture of hand outs and excuses. President Obama can't solve the above stated problems, neither can all the well meaning white folks in the world. The answer to black young men dropping out of school is a family issue with a family answer. Families make communities. So if the family unit is damaged, the community will be damaged.  If blacks want to own businesses then we must stop being a people whom prefer to shop instead of save. Black Americans are not poor in general we just spend money in foolish ways.
       These issues I have brought up are somewhat complex and deserve much more discussion. But I hope I have helped start the discussion. 'We are the help we have been waiting for." See http://www.bigbossbooks.com
& http://www.bigbossfilmworks.com and High Exposure Consulting and Life Coaching on Facebook

Courtney R. Brown Jr.
C.E.O. Big Boss