Take a Lesson: Today's Black Achievers on How They Made It and What They Learned Along the Way

303 Pages·2000·1.31 MB·English

by  Caroline V. Clarke

B u s i n e s s C u l i n a r y A r c h i t e c t u r e
C o m p u t e r G e n e r a l I n t e r e s t
C h i l d r e n L i f e S c i e n c e s B i o g r a p h y
A c c o u n t i n g F i n a n c e M a t h e m a t i c s
H i s t o r y S e l f - I m p r o v e m e n t H e a l t h
E n g i n e e r i n g G r a p h i c D e s i g n
A p p l i e d S c i e n c e s P s y c h o l o g y
I n t e r i o r D e s i g n B i o l o g y C h e m i s t r y
e
WILEY
B O O K
WILEY
JOSSEY-BASS
PFEIFFER
J.K.LASSER
CAPSTONE
WILEY-LISS
WILEY-VCH
WILEY-INTERSCIENCE
CCC-Clarke FM (i-xvi) 1/17/01 11:04 AM Page i
Take
a
Lesson
CCC-Clarke FM (i-xvi) 1/17/01 11:04 AM Page ii
CCC-Clarke FM (i-xvi) 1/17/01 11:04 AM Page iii
Take
a
Lesson
Today’s Black Achievers on
How They Made It and
What They Learned along the Way
❖
.
C A R O L I N E V C L A R K E
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
New York • Chichester • Weinheim • Brisbane • Singapore • Toronto
fcopyebk.qxd 2/19/01 11:58 AM Page iv
Copyright © 2001 by Caroline Clarke. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the
1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the
Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the
Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923,
[phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission
should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158-0012, [phone], fax [phone],
E-Mail: [email protected].
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard
to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not
engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or
other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person
should be sought.
Kevin Clash Photo: Mark Husmann.
Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. Photo: Leroy Hamilton.
Spike Lee Photo: David Lee.
William M. Lewis, Jr. Photo Courtesy of Wagner International.
Joan Parrot-Fonseca Photo Courtesy of Joseph Daniel Clipper.
Robin Roberts Photo: Steve Fenn/ABC.
Ruth Simmons Photo: Jim Gipe.
Terrie Williams Photo: Dwight Carter.
This book is also available in print as ISBN 0-471-37825-9
For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.Wiley.com
CCC-Clarke FM (i-xvi) 1/17/01 11:04 AM Page v
Dedicated with love, admiration, and gratitude
to my greatest teachers and
the best parents a child could have,
Vera and Robert Clarke
CCC-Clarke FM (i-xvi) 1/17/01 11:04 AM Page vi
A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but
the want of learning is a calamity to any people ...
—Frederick Douglass
Abolitionist, Orator, Journalist
CCC-Clarke FM (i-xvi) 1/17/01 11:04 AM Page vii
Acknowledgments
❖
I
n late December 1993, Fate seated me next to Carol Hall at dinner in
Vail, Colorado. We didn’t know each other well, but as we discussed our
plans and resolutions for the coming new year, we hit it off. Knowing
that I was a journalist, she suggested that I write a book. Knowing that
she was in book publishing, I shared my idea for this one. She loved it
and said, “Go for it,” before our conversation shifted to other topics.
Vacation ended and we both returned to work in New York. More
than a year went by. Then, out of the blue, she invited me to lunch.
Carol’s follow-up on that dinner conversation resulted not only in
this book, but in Black Enterprise Books, a series in which this is our sixth
offering. She is a skilled and insightful editor. She is also a steadfast sup-
porter of Black Enterprise, and a caring and generous friend. I thank her
for it all.
I must also thank former John Wiley & Sons editor Ruth Mills, who,
with patience and humor, pushed me to begin this project, and my cur-
rent Wiley editor, Airié Dekidjiev, who enthusiastically nudged me to
completion.
My deepest gratitude goes to all 27 of the subjects of this book, who
paused overloaded schedules to sit awhile with my trusty tape recorders
and me. I must especially thank Joe Moniz, who allowed me to interview
him when this was nothing more than a sketchy idea in my head. His
vii
CCC-Clarke FM (i-xvi) 1/17/01 11:04 AM Page viii
viii Acknowledgments
chapter, which accompanied my book proposal, won the publisher over
completely. Also, unbeknownst to them, Ruth Simmons and Kenneth
Chenault were the first subjects who agreed to do the book once it was
official. They did so without hesitation and without knowing who else
would sign on. Being able to mention their participation (which I did at
every opportunity), no doubt helped pave the way for others to follow.
To my Black Enterprise family, thanks for your constant encourage-
ment and support, and for staying committed to the B.E. mission. To my
loving “bosses,” Earl and Barbara Graves, thanks for this and so many op-
portunities, and for showing me again and again how to not just do it,
but to pull out all the stops, and do it right.
Finally, I’ve been blessed with an amazing extended family and true
friends who always cheer me on. I am deeply grateful for them and to
them. To my extraordinary parents, thanks for giving me roots and wings
and a family full of sterling examples to emulate, especially your own. To
my children, Veronica and Carter, who amaze, delight, and teach me
new lessons every day: You are the best part of my life. And to my hus-
band, Johnny: You inspire me to be the best I can be, to look for my deep
purpose in life and be about it. You encourage me to try, then try again if
need be and, through it all, you keep me laughing. I love you. I’m so
proud of you. And I thank you for reciprocating in full.
CCC-Clarke FM (i-xvi) 1/17/01 11:04 AM Page ix
Note to the Reader
❖
T
he passing on of information and history from one person to another
to another has always served us well. Ours is an oral tradition.
Long before the term mentor ever existed, griots [African musician-
entertainers] would hold court in tribal communities across Africa, im-
parting wisdom by telling stories that would be passed, like precious
heirlooms, down through generations. Through our preachers and poets,
storytellers and musicians, grandparents and parents, it continues on to
this day.
In keeping with that custom, this book is a collection of first-person
interviews conducted with 27 contemporary African American achiev-
ers. They represent a broad variety of industries from investment banking
and entertainment to aviation and politics. Their personal backgrounds,
too, are incredibly diverse.
What they have in common is that all have achieved groundbreak-
ing successes; all have at least one “first black” distinction; all are ex-
tremely concerned about their role in helping to pave the way for other
African Americans to succeed; and all are over 40 (due to my belief that
you have to live a while to have not only knowledge, but perspective,
worth sharing). It is also important to note that they are successful not
merely because they have achieved social or economic status, or because
they are leaders in their fields—although all that is true. They are also
ix