Black In Business

You have to wonder will conditions for black Americans in business change if Barack becomes President. Will having a Blackman as President inspire more of us to enter the world of business? Will the barriers of race come down and provide equal opportunity for us all? What do you think? I think not but I never envision people like the Kennedy’s and Mayor Daily supporting a Black man as the nominee for the Democratic Party.
Here are 3 situations that I encountered this week that reinforced how remarkable ii is for Obama to have become such a force in America.
I walked into a Ace Hardware store in my home town recently to try and get a key made. The lady at the cash register looked at me in a hateful manner and inspected me up and down. The weather was cold outside but it was chiller in my reception.
I left there and went to the Volvo dealership to see if I could have the key for my 1993 400E Mercedes made there. I walked in and looked around and found someone to provide me directions to where I could have my key made. No big deal, I had to navigate down 2 floors to the parts dept.When I went back upstairs to leave, I witness a white man being welcomed into the store by a fat salesman squeezed into small black polyester pants, the sales helped open the door with a smile and a enthused, “ welcome to Oak Park Volvo!” the man he sucked up too, was dressed very casual like me and did not purchase a car. The fat sales man waddled back to sit down and wait for another white opportunity; I mean right opportunity to sell.
Last evening I joined a friend for a beer. There was a 60 plus year old crack head in the bar, a white man, a white bartender, and my friend and I are both black males. As the music lowered, I over heard the crack head’s attempt of humor by telling the white female bartender, when he left, she would be in real trouble with those 2 guys left in the bar. This is a key white man’s ploy used with women and children to reinforce their feelings of white supremacy.
This is just one week in the life of a Blackman and it is in this country, Barack is running for President. Black people do not be fooled, they do not see Barack as they see us, not much as changed since the day when black wall street was bombed by our government. We still need to be twice as good.. Keep hope alive. Visit the link below for insight to a story of black business working well and the reaction to it.

http://www.chicagodefender.com/page/local.cfm?ArticleID=8458

This is a business blog but most recently we have posted a lot about Politics. Well it is an election year and many of the issues will have an enormous impact on business and business people. If you are like me much of your election protocol for selecting a canidate is based on emotion. My father a union guy, always voted Democratic, and now we have a serious black canidate, I’m in. Many people voted for George Bush because he is a red neck smart ass cowboy.What about the issues. I beg you to take this quiz, like I did and let us know what canidate stands the closest to you in regards to high priority issues. What you will find may surprise you. Here is mine. My score of 69 is closest in alignment with Dennis Kucinich. Next is Hillary and Chris Dodd, at 57. The man whom I will vote for; my brother Barack Obama is next at 52.Kucinich is unelectable, he is single and that will not sit well with the America of today. Hillary is divisive and untrustworthy; Dodd is out, thus my logic for Obama.I disagree the most with McCain at 5 points, Huckabee 5 points and Romney 10 points. Thank God, just think how uncool it would be to support ant of them. UGH!Take the quiz you will enjoy it, I guarantee it. It takes 7 minutes. Link below
http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460 For some reason, I am unable to link this site, but I hope you are able to visit.

I recieved this article from a friend. Read with Purpose!

> NEWS FLASH ! (SPREAD THE WORD)
> Hillary Was AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1964
> While a Republican and “Goldwater Girl”
>
>
> A March 12, 2007 article written by acclaimed
> Washington columnist Robert Novak sheds a very
> revealing light on the true sentiment of Hillary
> Clinton during the peak of the Civil Rights
> Movement. Clinton recently was found to have
> minimized the great and monumental strides taken by
> Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by stating that it was
> Lyndon B. Johnson, then president, who should
> receive the credit for the civil rights progress
> including the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
>
>
> In an attempt to attract black support Hillary
> Clinton regularly shares her ‘civil rights
> experience’ during every speech given to black
> audiences. Novak writes of one such speech at
> Selma’s First Baptist Church on the 42nd
anniversary
> of the “bloody Sunday” freedom march there, where
> Sen. Clinton declared: “As a young woman, I had the
> great privilege of hearing Dr. King speak in
> Chicago. The year was 1963. My youth minister from
> our church took a few of us down on a cold January
> night to hear [King]. . . . And he called on us, he
> challenged us that evening to stay awake during the
> great revolution that the civil rights pioneers were
> waging on behalf of a more perfect union.” But
> Novak’s article states that there’s a big problem
> with her statement.
>
>
> The fact is, in 1963, not only was Hillary Clinton
> a republican, but she was also a staunch supporter
> of republican Senator Barry Goldwater, well known as
> a segregationist and one of the most vocal senators
> adamently against the passing of the Civ il Rights
> Act of 1964, which is why he lost in his
>
; presidential bid to Lyndon B. Johnson. Novak writes
> “…how then could she be a ‘Goldwater Girl’ in the
> next year’s presidential election?” He continues,
> “…she described herself in her memoirs as ‘an
> active Young Republican’ and ‘a Goldwater girl,
> right down to my cowgirl outfit.’
>
>
> Novak adds, “As a politically attuned honor
> student, she must have known that Goldwater was one
> of only six Republican senators who joined Southern
> Democratic segregationists opposing the historic
> voting rights act of 1964 inspired by King. Hillary
> headed the Young Republicans at Wellesley College.
> The incompatibility of those two positions of 40
> years ago was noted to me (Novak) by Democratic
> old-timers who were shocked by Sen. Clinton’s
> temerity in pursuing her presidential candidacy.”
> ; Novak adds, “What Hillary Clinton said at Selma is
> significa
nt because it betrays her campaign’s
> panicky reaction to the unexpected rise of Sen.
> Obama as a serious competitor for the Democratic
> nomination.
>
> Clinton’s plans were transformed by the advent of
> Obama, an African-American threatening the hard
> allegiance of black voters forged by Bill Clinton.
> On one hand, the Clinton campaign has attacked Obama
> and his supporters. On the other hand, she has
> sought to solidify her civil rights credentials.
>
> While Clinton was re-inventing her past, her road
> to the White House is not going as planned. Instead
> of a steady procession to coronation at the Denver
> convention, she is involved in a real struggle
> against credible opponents led by Obama. No wonder
> she and her handlers were tempted to imply the
> existence long ago of a young lady in Chicago’s
> suburbs who never really existed.”
>
&g
t; We greatly appreciate Mr. Novak’s findings which
> bring one main thought to mind. Wake up Black
> America! DON’T BE FOOLED ! The fact is, despite her
> falsehoods, Hillary was AGAINST the passing of the
> Civil Rights Act of 1964 that Dr. Martin Luther King
> died for. As a ‘Goldwater Girl’ she was actually
> even against Lyndon B. Johnson, the very person she
> now gives the credit to for Dr. King getting to the
> mountaintop. She has worked extremely hard to hide
> many truths about her past, including ordering that
> her 92 page college thesis that she wrote at
> Wellesley College be ’sealed’ and unavailable to the
> public, an order forced upon the college by Bill
> Clinton while president, although all senior thesis’
> at Wellesley have been available for public reading
> for over 100 years, except one ….Hillary Rodham
> Clinton’s.
>
>
> Reports have state
d that information in her
> ’secret thesis’ could be the ‘Swift Boat’ ammo to be
> used by the Republican Party against her should she
> become the nominee. (read more about ’secret thesis’
> at MSNBC)
>
>
> In addition to re-inventing her past, the most
> obvious new Billary Clinton strategy is to use
> ‘Token Negroes’ like BET Founder Bob Johnson, Tavis
> Smiley, and Magic Johnson to name a few, to attack
> and discredit Barack Obama, a tactic which many
> blacks find additionally offensive, calling these
> black Clinton cronies ’sell-outs’. Spread the
> word….share the facts. The Clinton’s have been
> conning the black community for a long time and are
> NOT what they claim to be. I bet they go home at
> night, pour some expensive wine, kick their feet up
> and just laugh like cr azy about what big black
> suckers we are. But now, it’s time to prove them
>
wrong !
>
>
> By: Greg Jones

As black business people we need to pay close attention to the campaign trail. It is a moving target from Hillary’s inevitable nomination to Barack’s winning New Hampshire by a big margin .Since the primary we have viewed the stunning to some, transformation of the anointed first black President, Bill Clinton, to just another southern hillbilly redneck racist. Now we have the former Chairman of BET and billionaire, Bob Johnson symbolically calling Obama a nigger.
There is a business lesson here for blacks in corporate America. When white folks want to get you, they usually can find a black to join forces with. No matter how long you have been doing well, if you become a threat, the white corporate people that love you now, will recruit a house nigger, to help bring you down. Just think how close Bill and Hillary would be to Barack if he was not running for President.
The facts are, Clinton has a lot of black support and may even receive more of the black vote than Barack. If that happened it would be distasteful and disgraceful but perhaps some people see the Junior Senator from New York as the best option.
It is a deep thing to look at the evolution of black America since the end of slavery. In many ways we are still held slave economically but many blacks are held slave from emotion and in mentality. In some cases there is a unrelenting love for white people. That is what surprised me about Oprah’s support of Barack.Rumor has it Oprah has received a lot of criticism from white women for her support of Obama.
I will give Bob Johnson credit; at least we know where he stands. Just like we know where Magic Johnson stands, with the Clintons. How about one of Chicago’s biggest celebrity endorsers, Michael Jordan, the man who refused to help Harvey Gantt in his senate campaign vs. racist Jesse Helms in Jordan’s home state. Michael uttered the unreal comment, Republicans buy sneakers too. He has a new anniversary Air Jordan priced at 230 dollars. Could you imagine Barack and Michael on the campaign? How about Tiger Woods, who felt the white woman golf anchor joke about lynching him was of no concern, whose side is Tiger on. Tiger like Mike is on Nike’s side and do not want to upset the slave masters
These examples are used to exhibit our unrelenting love of white folk. If some of our richest and most powerful are determined to not upset master, what does that say for the rest of us?
The examples will say it is bad business, I say, having a black President, will be good business for blacksinbusiness.It is time for black voters to stand together, draw a line in the sand, and make a point to vote black and let the world know we are not weak minded anymore! Our Time Has Come!

We have mentioned this organization before and now as we start a new year, we urge you to enhance your networking skills. I have been a member of NSN since their early days and was instrumental in my former company Abbott Laboratories being a strong supporter.
This organization is a group of African American Sales Professionals. If you are early in or sales career or a veteran, there is something for you at NSN. They have chapters around the US and hold a National Convention and job fair every year.
The organization has a vision of offering development for their members. You can learn in a setting filled with peers and receive feedback with no hidden agenda.As you know sometimes whited managers cannot be trusted to develope black talent because of barriers from race.

START YOUR NEW YEAR RIGHT!

Join us for Brunch, Saturday February 2, 2008

Our Sponsors Include…
________________________________________

On Saturday February 2, 2008 at 10:00 AM, NSN is hosting its 13th Annual State of the Organization Jazz Brunch at Blu47 Restaurant, 4655 S. King Drive in Chicago.

Come and learn about the EXCITING PLANS for NSN Chicago Chapter’s 14th year of operation and how YOU can benefit from and be a part of our success!

ENJOY

We will serve a delicious brunch and provide outstanding LIVE ENTERTAINMENT from the Whitfield- Harris-Jenkins Trio - veteran Chicago Jazz musicians for over 40 years.

NETWORK

Get Connected with Chicago’s top African- American sales professionals and representatives from multinational corporations in the nation’s ONLY organization designed to meet the professional and developmental needs of the African-American Sales Professional.
It all will take place in the heart of Chicago’s historic Bronzeville community!
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!
The price is $25 for members, $35 for guests. Call Carolyn Booth at 773-752-0610 or Andre Mitchell at 773 814-2585 for tickets or purchase on-line at www.nsnchicago.org.
HURRY, SPACE IS LIMITED!

Please call or go on-line now to purchase your ticket and reserve your space.

P.S. Realize 2008 membership benefits right away by saving $10 off the non-member price. Visit www.nsnchicago.org to renew or join today! We look forward to seeing you on February 2nd….and thanks for your continued support of the National Sales Network.

Get Connected to the Network!
National Sales Network, Chicago
________________________________________
program@nsnchicago.org
http://www.nsnchicago.org

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