Black Genius Network Blog

AS the world gets more connected the challenge to step up and compete grows stronger. We need to understand that their is a globe of people that are hungry for opportunity in every aspect of life. This video is an example of that hunger in the sports world. My thanks to Rae Dawn Chong for the post on Facebook.

Réinvente ton jeu

Yesterday, I wrote about the shadow of racism, the idea being that we could be seeing the end of racism as we know it. Well, after I wrote that post I’ve had a chance to reflect and of course the news as analyzed and reported Senator Obama’s speech over and over again. As I was on my way home listening to XMRadio. The host was John Gibson and angry Rich (whoever he is). Mr Gibson, of course was analyzing the speech (as usual, he was playing snippets and taking some of the words out of context but thats conservative radio and they are entitled to do what they do) but Mr. Gibson said to a young caller “America is NOT a racist country”.

I agree, America is no longer a racist country, there is no longer overt racism and most white folks are NOT racist. So, I agree, America is not racist anymore, it is not the country that it was 60 or even 20 years ago. But I believe we still are seeing the effects of racism, for want of a term the shadow of racism as it walks out the door.

This morning I was reading Annette Hall’s analysis of the speech in the Philadelphia Inquirer (yep, I still buy the paper AND read the damn thing on the internet, the dichotomy of the old and the new). Her article “Where do we go from here” was very thoughtful but what struck we was these words “My kids always tell me to get over it. Mom, I know it’s not fair, they tell me as they text and instant-message their United Nations posse of friends. “But stop blaming it on ‘the man.’ Get over it.”

This is the challenge for people like me, we have to get over it and work hard to help racism walk out the door

Ok, I lied, my last post I said I would talk more about business but like many I am immersed in this presidential campaign and the dichotomy of the race for president of the United States. You see, I understand, I am 55 years old and I remember with specificity the struggle of the last 50 years. I remember today, exactly where I was when marint Luther King was killed (on the corner of Osceola and Tulpehocken in Germantown). I remember the anger I felt, I remember the tears I shed and the feeling of hope going away. During that time, I turned into a radical black man, a disciple of Malcolm X. I remember with distinction in 1967, when black students marched on the Philadelphia Board of Education and the attack by Philadelphia police. (I bear a scar on my head becasue of it).

I also remember the tumultuous assassinations during those times. I remember it all and against that anger and struggle, I’ve lived a successful life. American has changed.

So today, I am proud, proud as a black man that finally the issue of race in American at least as been addressed. Everything that Senator Obama said about being black is true. Like Pastor Wright, I am sometime angry with American. I am 55 years old and remember with vividness the racial struggles of the last 50 years.

I also understand that today’s American is NOT yesterdays America. That there is a way to move forward and that people do change. I have been very successful in my life because things and people have changed.

So, I was proud of Senator Obama, proud of his speech, proud of his changing the image of black men and proud of his proud of his presidential demeanor.

This speech was the “I have a Dream” speech of this era and Senator Obama deserves to be our president.

In closing, Senator Obama’s and campaign demonstrates that maybe, just maybe we are seeing the shadow of racism walk out the door.

Yesterday I was in the supermarket checkout line and I saw the normal tabloids at the counter. Here is a copy of the Mational Enquirer.

The National Enquirer alleges that Senator Obama has a terrorist friend, has screaming matches with his wife and other women and lastly his alleged friendship with Mr Rezko.

I reiterate my previous post, an epic battle. I must admit that if I could not behave like Senator Obama. By now I’d be so pissed off that I couldn’t see straight. I admist Senator Obama’s cool under fire (it seems presidential to me), his public unflappability (by now I would have cursed Bill Clinton out) and his aplumb ( I will denounce, rebuke, rebut, refute, remonstrate, snubb) anyone you need.

Keep up the good work Senator Obama

BTW - Don’t worry, I will go back to my normal posts next time

I don’t know about you but win, lose or draw, the fight to become president waged by Barack Obama is an epic. What it is demonstrating to me is what it takes to create greatness in your life and what you have to do to achieve greatness. I have followed and supported Barack’s campaign from the beginning and watched him move past almost every obstacle. When evil forces insinuated that he was a Muslim spy (ok hyperbole), he walked calmly through and fought the rumors. When they tried to link him to Saddam, he fought thru that. When Mrs Clinton and others insinuated that he is to inexperienced to be president he is walking through that. It’s amazing to see this fan fight thru all of these obstacles to get what he wants.

Well, what this is doing for me is demonstrating what it takes to achieve greatness. This man is grinding, taking every arrow, raising money, fielding an organization in every state, speaking daily, trying to deal with the media, the republicans, the conservatives, the women, the skeptical black people, my good.

So here is my point, my hat’s off to Barack Obama, my hats off for having the heart for President, for setting the bar high for brothers, for being a good dad and husband and an inspiration to me.

In my life I’m striving to achieve greatness and the arrows and obstacles are coming, I need to do like Barack “keep on pushing” towards my goal.

Dedicated to your success

I recently received this Youtube video in an email. The video is of a young autistic by Jason McElway that has been the manager of his high schools basketball team. Jason has done everything the team needed as a manager, he has been the water boy, the cheerleader and the gofer.

His enthusiasm and exuberance has been so vivid he Dad is often afraid that Jason will get a technical foul and cost the team a game. Jason is a gamer. After a long season, Jason coach, Jim Johnson allowed Jason to suit up for a game and finally Jim called Jason’s number and Jason was in the game.

When Jason entered the game he tried a couple of shots and they where all air balls, but the next shot was a 3 pointer. Jason ended up scoring a total of 20 point total. Jason created his own success and you can to.

A month or so ago, my good friend David made this post - What At Six Years Old - The Basics Of The Internet

The post is about how he has started teaching his six year old daughter about how to create and (as importantly) monetize her website. His daughter has spent her time watching her Daddy use the Internet and his six year old daughter has figured out tht Daddy makes money on the Internet. She wants in (@ six)

So he is teaching his daughter about the Internet, how to create a website and how to make money. Even if her site doesn’t make a dime think about the message. Already David is teaching his daughter the value of creating an asset that creates automatic income and as importantly he is teaching his daughter about the value of taking care of herself.

What a great advantage. David’s daughter will have over other children. Just imagine she grows up with the attitude that she has to create her own wealth, that she doesn’t have to depend on anyone, not the government, not an employer, she grows up believing from the time she was 6 that she can create her own income, her own automatic income and future wealth. What a gift to give to you child. What an unbelievable start she will have.

Kudos to David and his daughter and much success. So, here is the question, What are you teaching your children? Are you teaching them about assets and wealth or are you passing on the attitude of dependence. Are you learning more about how to invest and create business and your children are learning with you? Are you giving them the gift of freedom, the gift of financial independence? If not start her, every week I try to write about financial success, wealth creation and business creation. Subscribe to this blog and start you and your family on the road to financial success.

Today is February 29, 2008, the last day of Black History Month in a leap year and I wanted to write a note about Black History Month and it’s impact. Black History Month was created in 1976 as an extension of what was then known as Negro History Week. Negro History Week was created by Carter Woodson in 1926.

Actually, the idea of Black History Month is somewhat controversial, many people believe that celebrating the history of one race for a month is wrong. To me it doesn’t really matter because I look a Black History Month as somewhat of a waste, the media trots out some black historical videos and never tells anyone and by then the month is over.

The purpose of this post isn’t to debunk Black History Month but to remind us that history is written today by people like you and me. Certainly Barack Obama is writing history by his unprecedented campaign for the presidency, he knows and we know he is writing history on a major scale.

But history is written everyday in much smaller ways by people like you and me. For example, I’m trying to write history by encouraging and fighting for entrepreneurship and financial education for all of us. So my question today, is What are you doing to write history? What are you doing to write history in YOUR family?

As Black History Month ends, link about next year (It’s coming no matter what you do), think about how you can write your own history, so next Black History Month isn’t Black History Month but My-Story Month. That way we can truly celebrate BLACK HISTORY. Thats my goal for next year. Join me

Another confusing financial term, assets. Actually assets are the building blocks of wealth. Remember, we decided to define wealth as the length of time we can maintain our lifestyle without generating income. (btw, this is not my definition, this definition came from a very famous thinker and entrepreneur Buckminster Fuller. According to Buckminster Fuller, regaining time defines wealth. I agree because you can’t buy time).

So, how do you maintain your lifestyle without having to generate income. How do you buy back your time. Well one way is to create and invest in assets that produce cash. The idea is to work once to buy or create an asset and then use the cashflow to buy your time back, effectively creating wealth.

Think bout this idea. You buy or create an asset once, and it provides you income forever. Thats how you create wealth.

Next post - How to buy assets

My last post talked about sub prime mortgages and the fact that “The erosion of wealth is staggering”. So, I’ve decided to talk a little bit about wealth, wealth thinking and how you can develop what I call a wealth ethic.

The question is “What is wealth?” According to Webster, wealth is defined as “abundance of valuable material possessions or resources or,abundant supply or all property that has a money value or an exchangeable value” but reading this definition doesn’t provide clarity. So again “What is wealth”?

If you go Google “What is wealth?”, you get a slew of results but no answers. So lets agree on a definition, lets agree that wealth is determined by how long you can maintain your lifestyle without you having to work. In other words wealth means for the sake of this blog that you can live the way you live without having to create any more income.

Which takes us to the next question, “What is Income?”. Income is the money that you generate from your effort or the efforts of others under your control. In other words income is the money you generate from work. Income is not wealth, income is money you receive from your efforts personally or from your business.

Over the next few days, think about ways to create wealth and income. It is possible to do both.