The Civil Rights Movement appears to have unlocked the bolted doors of economic opportunity. Today, fame and fortune seems to be spreading across the multicultural fruited plains of America, accessible to those who get a solid education, work hard and follow the rules. Or so it seems. The perception of economic inclusion, especially for those who a hostile nation targeted for many generations, is an impediment to upward mobility today.

Inclusive Competitiveness is the No. 1 economic concern of the American people. The Census is predicting a mid-century shift in the racial demographics of the nation that will result in a non-white majority of the population. This demographic shift has significant political and economic ramifications. The Republican and Democratic Parties are both gearing up now for a battle over the White House in 2016.

“The talk” we inherited from the 20th century was based upon fear. The talk of the 21st century should include vision, encouragement, enlightenment and awareness of the new economic game and how to compete in a knowledge-based, tech-driven, globally competitive innovation economy. Black boys (and girls) have clearly demonstrated they can compete well in any game they are taught. While we teach them techniques in how to remain safe walking home (and incidents with the police), shouldn’t we also instruct them on how to compete as high-growth entrepreneurs who create jobs and generational wealth while increasing their net worth and the economic competitiveness of the nation?

QUESTION: How is it possible that across every economic development district in the nation Black Americans uniformly produce paltry percentages of business revenue, create few jobs and have virtually no net worth?

Working for a boss that she loved dearly but feeling underutilized and anxious to grow, Ms. Waikinya Clanton found herself in a peculiar situation last spring. She had spent the last four years building relationships across Capitol Hill as an aide to her hometown congressman and developing a name for herself as the President of the Congressional Black Associates.

Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) was born the son of a Tembu tribal chieftain at Qunu, near Umtata, in South Africa. He renounced his right to succeed his father and instead chose a political career. He attended college, became a lawyer, joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944 and helped found its powerful Youth League. 

Is 2014 the year for a disruption in the real estate market? Perhaps. A technology solution to a long-standing problem in the real estate industry may be on its way. NoAppFee (No Application Fee) is the brainchild of Tyrone Poole, the founder and CEO of an innovative online platform that seeks to eliminate the biggest cost renters incur in seeking rental properties while greatly reducing the time and costs property managers bear in finding qualified renters.

UNCF, Stanford University Produce Historic HBCU Innovation Summit in Silicon Valley By Mike Green Dec. 9, 2013 Where are black tech innovators in America? It’s a good question that was raised in Silicon Valley two years ago when Angela Benton met legendary investor Mitch Kapor and founded NewMe, the first accelerator in Silicon Valley focused […]