Rayton
Gerald
"New Visions for Youth"
Presently, three African Americans serve as chief executive officers
of Fortune 500 corporations and several more head publicly listed
companies with revenues exceeding $500 million. In addition, the
head of the world's largest brokerage firm is African American.
In the federal government, both the Secretary of State and the
National Security Advisor are African American. African American
entrepreneurs are also beginning to have access to financing from
America's capital markets.
Currently, there are an increasing number of publicly listed
companies predominantly owned and run by African Americans, among
which are Radio One, Inc. In education, African American firsts
were registered at Brown University, which named its first African
American president, and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, among
the world's premier technology research institution headed by
an African American.
This accounting is not exhaustive. Nor is it meant to suggest
a revolutionary new reality in America. However, the examples
represent signature changes in the landscape of the American economy
and in American society generally. They herald a new array of
career options for ambitious African American youth. To encourage
and to promote their consideration of evolving new opportunities,
Associated Black Charities has adopted as this year's Dinner theme
"New Visions for Youth."
Instead of a view fixed on traditionally open opportunities in
the professions, entertainment, athletics, government, and non-profit
organizations exclusively serving the African American community
or junior level positions in majority companies and other organizations,
they may realistically cast their sights toward new vistas that
include senior leadership positions in areas and organizations
of their chosen interest. New precedents have been set.
As the so-called "glass ceiling" slowly recedes and
the Information Age continues to evolve with insistent demands
for 'knowledge workers," the objective now must be to enable
African American youth to take advantage of emerging opportunities.
Education and training, of course, are the keys. We must stimulate
higher educational performance in our public school systems in
order to prepare our children to participate more fully in the
present and forth coming occupational options.
Higher educational performance means not only investing in obviously
capable students, but also assuring an equal chance for the leaning
disabled to maximize their potential. Special education is not
the automatic answer for any child deemed "difficult to handle."
The experience from educational development programs run by one
of Associated Black Charities' member agencies reveal that exceptional
aptitude for and interest in learning are veiled by the apparent
presentation of the "problem child." The appropriate
response is to remove the shroud so that the real issues may addressed
and fixed. In the case of our member agency, this was done and
children who participated in the program not only avoided special
education, but had outstanding performance on standardized tests.
Again this year, Associated Black Charities initiates the celebration
of Black History Month in New York City by recognizing the outstanding
achievements of two persons who reflect the full flavor of the
Dinner theme and message of inclusion so necessary to make true
the oft used phrase "no child left behind." For Johnnie
L. Cochran, not getting an education was not an option. Catherine
L. Hughes, forced by circumstance of being a single mother as
a teenager, educated herself on the job. Though they pursued disparate
paths, they achieved excellence in their chosen fields. For the
"New Visions" that they have brought forth, we welcome
them as Black History Makers.
On behalf of Associated Black Charities' Board of Directors,
I also salute all of you for your contributions. In particular,
I thank Keith L. Reinhard, Chairman, and Ken Kaess, President
and CEO of DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc, for their time
and resources, Ed Bradley, member agencies, and friends of Associated
Black Charities.
Rayton Gerald
Chairman, Board of Directors
Associated Black Charities
