The Entrepreneurial Pledge

I am an entrepreneur. All of my income is derived from my ability to provide value to my clients. As I enter the new year it is my intention to follow the following four principles as laid out by Melvin Gravely in his book, 'Making It Your Business: The Personal Transition from Employee to Entrepreneur'.



With the following four principles as my guide, which hold me and only me accountable for the outcomes, I commit myself. Any and everything I want will take my personal commitment to make happen. If I do nothing different from what I do today, I should expect nothing different from what I have right now. With all that the world has to offer in front of me, I pledge:

1. I will start with what I have today. It is all I have! I know I will never have all I think I need. But, my ideas and dreams cannot wait another day. I must do what I can with what I have right now.
2. I will commit to the habit of continuous learning. Knowing the importance of learning practical information about myself and about my craft is my weapon against the dangers of a rapidly changing world.
3. I will choose to do something over doing nothing. Anyone can do nothing and most people do. It takes my action to make things better. Anything worth having is worth my doing something to get.
4. I will fight against the constant urge to give up. Understanding that the difference between those who have tried to do and those who have done often rests in the ability to keep trying.

This is my pledge to myself and to my aspirations. I take this pledge today, and I will live it every day because I can have what I want if I am willing to make the decision, set the direction and have the disciplined determination to see it through.

Carnival of Business and Entrepreneurship #18

I'm an entrepreneur in the 'real world'. More importantly, I feel that we need to nurture and encourage Black-owned businesses. Some of you recall that Step #8 in the Declaration of Financial Empowerment calls for us to 'to support the creation of profitable, competitive, Black-oriented enterprises'.

One way that we can support Black-owned businesses is to educate ourselves on the subject of business and entrpreneurships. As such, I encourage you to take a moment to check out the 32 blog entries in the Carnival of Business and Entrepreneurship #18 compiled by Bootstrapper.

Are you a current or future entrepreneur?

Sports, Obama, Running a Business and Cleaning House

Go Blue!  It is so nice to wake up on a Sunday morning with a smile on my face from the University of Michigan football game.  There was a time that the Wolverine football team embarrased me very much due to their consistently poor play.   Today, I see that their sophomore quarterback, Denard Robinson, is a legit contender for the Heisman Trophy.  Now if we could only improve our kicking game!

Today, we find out if the Cincinnati Bengals can live up to the hype.  They go on the road to play the New England Patriots and Michigan alumni Tom Brady.  I'm looking for the Cincinnati Bengals to go all the way to the Super Bowl this year.   I also want to see Cedric Benson and Tank Johnson have great seasons.  Those are the favorite players for my two youngest 'uns.  Bengals season begins today.

Cincinnati was able to give some props to Pete Rose yesterday at the Reds baseball game.   Apparently it's been 25 years since Rose became the all-time leading hits leader in major league baseball.  Of course, Rose's personal demons and character flaws have kept him in baseball's shadows for most of the past 25 years.  I know how he feels.  I feel like I've been in the shadows for the past decade.   It is difficult to regain your footing when your character flaws cause your downfall.

President Obama shouldn't need to worry about such things.  His character is strong and positive.   I have confidence that he will lead our nation out of its current economic doldrums.  I have no confidence in the likes of an old man from Kentucky (McConnell) or a tanned golfer from Ohio (Boehner) ... just as I had no confidence in McCain or the Half-Governor when they were running for the White House back in 2008.

How soon we tend to forget the spirit of hope, change and renewal that our entire nation felt when Obama was campaigning two years ago.  He's the same man.  He is still cool, calm and collected.   I just wish that he and his team would find the magic potion to reduce the unemployment rate.

I've never been to an unemployment office.  I'm an entrepreneur trying to get my consulting business on.  I've been full-time entrepreneur since July 5, 2002.   Things haven't been fly all the time ... and right now I'm at a point that I need to get very busy in order to make ends meet.   Maintaining this blog ain't bringing home many duckets ... but, I enjoy it ... so I'll keep doing it.   However, I may need to listen to Paula Mooney or some other role models out here in the blogging world that are more successful than I've been in creating a revenue stream from their web-work.

Time will tell.  For now, I'm going to sit back and enjoy my Sunday.   Hmmm, I may need to take some time to clean up my place.  There is no longer a Mrs. Villager to ensure that it gets done.   Anyhow, I'll talk at y'all again tomorrow.

Carnival of Business and Entrepreneurship #16

Step #8 in the Declaration of Financial Empowerment calls for us to 'to support the creation of profitable, competitive, Black-oriented enterprises'.

One way that we can support Black-owned businesses is to educate and motivate ourselves on the subject of business and entrpreneurships. As such, I encourage you to take a moment to check out the 39 blog entries in the Carnival of Business and Entrepreneurship #16 compiled by Bootstrapper.

Are you a current or future entrepreneur?

President's Weekly Address: 'Health Care Reform as the Key to Our Fiscal Future'

The President has long noted that skyrocketing health care costs will be disastrous in terms of our long term national debt unless we pass real reform. In this Weekly Address, the President also explains how he will cover the upfront costs of reform by eliminating overpayments from Medicaid and Medicare and driving down costs contributing to government’s health care expenditures across the board.





I agree that health care reform is critical for our nation. I'm a self-employed entrepreneur operating without health insurance. I wonder how many others that read this blog are living without health insurance? What is your take on the health care reform issue?

Are You an Ohio Entrepreneur?

I was president of a small business incubator in Cincinnati from 2003-2008. Our incubator was focused on support for businesses owned by women and people of color. One source of support is the Ohio Department of Development (ODD). Within ODD, there is the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Division which provides assistance to business owners and entrepreneurs in order to encourage both the creation and the expansion of small businesses throughout the State of Ohio.

The flagship program in the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Division is the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC). The Ohio SBDC program is considered the gateway for small business owners and entrepreneurs to access supportive services. The SBDCs are staffed with highly trained business advisors who offer FREE counseling and low or no cost training to help with specific business needs. The 36 centers across Ohio are in your local communities to guide you to the right resources and services to help your business grow and succeed.

I worked closely over those five years with the SBDC that served Hamilton County. These SBDCs are located in all 50 states. Take a moment to find the one that is local to you ... and give them a call!

I plan to share other aspects of the Ohio Department of Development over the coming weeks for those villagers living in this part of the world.

I also encourage all women who own a business to consider attending the Ohio Women's Conference on May 20, 2009. You can learn more about it on CollectiveX, Facebook or LinkedIn Network.

Reparations: The Blog for Economic & Political Empowerment

Villagers, one of the brothers that I met at the Blogging While Brown conference last month was Jabriel Ballentine. He is an entrepreneur and activist.

One of his blogs is called, 'Reparations: The Blog for Economic & Political Empowerment - by Simmonds Ballentine'. The stated mission of the blog is to engage Black people in reparations through commentary; to motivate the grassroots and; to hold leadership accountable. The blog seeks to build an active grassroots & become the leading vehicle for political activity in the Community by capitalizing on emerging technologies to empower Community defenders.

Jabriel operates with a race-first ideology that respects all. He seeks to recruit, develop and empower new Black Leadership committed to erasing disparities faced by the Community.

As I read his blog I was reminded of the MATAH movement from a few years ago. Anyhow, I just wanted to introduce Jabriel and his blog to those of you in our electronic village. Check it out if you have time or inclination.

Rise and Grind If You Have 'More Month Than Money'

Rise and Grind! I understand the anxiety that my fellow villagers are feeling as they deal with unemployment and floundering business revenue. Some people joke about the idea of having "more month than money". It ain't no joke for many of us. We're less than halfway through the month ... and we're juggling bills and delaying purchase decisions so that we can make it to the end of the month. It's Monday morning and many villagers, including myself, realize that we need to rise, hustle and grind things out.

I'm an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs need to find new clients and retain current clients. That is easier said than done in today's economic environment. However, when the sun rises today I'll begin my grustle (hustle and grind). How about you? Are you feeling any real pain from the economy?

One thing that I'm fairly sure about ... I could give a phuque about renewing the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthy. The wealthy always do well. They were doing well back when Clinton was president. So, in my view, they can handle having the same tax rates in 2011 that they had in the Clinton Administration. The GOP wants me to believe that Obama has a "Kenyan anti-colonial world view" because he wants to let the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthy expire. Heck, if the GOP was serious about those tax cuts in the first place ... why did they put the sunset date into the law when it was originally passed. They said that the tax cuts should expire in 2010 ... so let 'em expire.  Newt Gingrich wants us to believe that President Obama is a "con-man".  I guess if Republicans can believe that our president isn't an American and that he practices Islam religion ... they may fall for Gingrich's nonsense as well.

On a personal note, I want to wish my 15-year old niece a very happy birthday. Zoe turned 15 yesterday ... and she is one of the most creative youngsters that I know. I wish her nothing but love and happiness over the course of the next year.

Finally, I give praise to the New England Patriots. They ripped the hearts out of the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday with a 38-24 victory. The Bengals need to do a gut-check this week as it gets no easier next week when the Baltimore Ravens come into town.

Baltmore Ravens vs. New York Jets tonight on Monday Night Football.   I'm hoping that New York Jets can live up to their hype by putting a beat-down on the Ravens.  Who you got in tonight's game?

Broke-A$$ Brotha Tip #1: Ignorance is Not Bliss

I'm not sure when it happened. At one point in my life I was living large. In fact, I left my secure corporate-type employment for life as an entrepreneur back in July 2002. The economy over the past few years took a big chunk out of my cash inflow. The problem was that I didn't cut back on my cash outflow at a similar rate. Next thing you know ... I'm a Broke-A$$ Brotha.

I'm not proud of being a Broke-A$$ Brotha.  My plan is to take steps necessary to get rich.  The process begins by getting serious about my current financial situation. I'll share some tips with y'all as I go through the process. I would love to hear from you on some Broke-A$$ Brotha (or Sista) tips that you have learned over the few months and years as well.

My first tip is simple. You can't fix your situation if you fail to face your situation.

Ignorance is Not Bliss!

My Dad dealt with personal finances in a very disciplined and direct manner.  He was an aeronautical engineer so he made a good living.  However, he didn't believe in credit cards ... so he never got caught in the trick bag of living beyond his expenses.  I remember that he would take me to the Sears warehouse store to buy clothes because they had some great deals.

The largest single expense that my Dad ever had was the first (and only) home he bought.  His instructions to the realtor were simple -- the home had to be located in such a manner that the sun was behind his back on both ways of his commute to work.  Secondly, the total mortgage expense needed to fit into his salary.  You should know that my Mom was working full-time as a public school teacher ... but, my Dad insisted that the mortgage payment fit into his salary as if we had a one-income family.   It took a little longer to find the house ... but the 2-story brick house that my parents purchased is now fully-paid off and remains the family home of my Mom as she enjoys her retirement years.

My young brother was disciplined as well.  He showed me his system once.  He would get cash at the beginning of the month to cover his discretionary expense budget (food, entertainment, clothes, transportation, gifts and such).  He would then (literally) place the cash-dollar-bills in envelopes that were labeled for these various discretionary expense line items.  He was disciplined enough to stop spending on a particular item if the money ran out before the month ran out.   He told me that it became easier to cut back on things like fast food and other money-wasters while he was using that envelope system.

I now recognize that I need to get a handle on my expenses. I need to BUDGET. The odd thing is that I've been tracking income and expenses with my Quicken software for many years. However, I've not been disciplined about reviewing the results regularly ... analyzing those financial results ... and making adjustments accordingly.

Ignorance is Not Bliss.  When you're living large you're making enough money to make up for stupid spending decisions.   When you're a Broke-A$$ Brotha those stupid spending decisions can literally put you in jail (...speaking to those of us paying child support with that comment!).  

I pledge to review my budget vs. actual expenses for the first nine months of 2010. I will also create a budget for the final quarter of 2010 that details out my fixed expenses (rent, utilities, child support, etc.), my discretionary expenses (transportation, food, entertainment, etc.), my debt repayment expenses, my long-term savings and my emergency savings (six months of current income).

How about you? Do you have a written budget for the month of October? Are you tracking your actual income and expenses against that budget? If not ... it is time to get busy.

If It is OK to 'Lynch' Tiger Woods ... Is It OK to 'Gas' a Jewish Golfer?

Drumbeats from SerenityLife told us about recent comments from broadcaster Kelly Tilghman who said young golfers challenging Tiger Woods should "lynch" him. Tilghman uttered the remark during coverage of Hawaii's Mercedes-Benz Championship on Friday, while she and and co-host Nick Faldo were bantering about how young golfers might challenge ever-dominant Woods.

Faldo said, "To take Tiger on, well yeah, they should just gang up for a while until ..."

"Lynch him in a back alley," Tilghman interrupted with a chuckle.

Woods says he considers Tilghman a friend, saw no malicious intent in remark. Villagers, at what point do we hold people accountable for hate-speech. I disagree with Tiger Woods. It is very malicious to indicate on public television that there is something to 'chuckle' about when you indicate that a Black man should be 'lynched'.

I'm confident that Ms. Tighman would not have chuckled in talking about a Jewish golfer and indicating that his opponents should 'gas him in a back alley'. She would know from her upbringing and from societial pressures that talking about gassing a Jewish person is beyond the pale. Just like talking about lynching a Black man is beyond the pale as well.

Brothers and sisters ... enough is enough! I agree with Al Sharpton on this one. Tilghman should be fired. Just like Imus. Just like Al Campanis. Just like any public figure that publically chuckles about lynching of a Black man. It is unacceptable in America and Tilghman should be called on the carpet about it. I'm uncertain if a two-week suspension is enough.

The Golf Channel, founded in 1991 by media entrepreneur Joseph Gibbs, employs 300+ people at their corporate headquarters in Orlando FL. Does anyone have contact information for Mr. Gibbs? If not, then I encourage you to express your feelings on Ms. Tilghman's racist comments directly to the The Golf Channel website.

I don't consider myself a "politically correct vigilante". I simply realize that the history of lynching is such in our country that it should never be a joking matter.

What say u?

Good News Tuesday: Adebayo Ogunlesi -- Entrepreneur Extraordinaire

Did you know that Gatwick Airport, located 28 miles south of London, is the second largest airport in England? Gatwick is the busiest single-runway airport in the world. It serves more than 200 destinations in 90 countries for around 33 million passengers a year on short- and long-haul point-to-point services. The airport employs 23,000 people.

Did you know that Gatwick Airport is owned by a Blackman?

Adebayo Ogunlesi, chairman of Global Infrastructure Partners, bought the airport earlier this year and said he is going "to make Gatwick a truly first class experience".

'Freedom' = Owning Your Own Business

In the United States of America lies a large industrial city which is the site of one of the world's largest slave labor camps.

Located in and around the center of this city are community settlements where the slaves live.
Each morning the slaves move herd-like from their quarters into the slave labor camps.

Each one is at his or her station by 7:30 AM. Here they report to their master for the day's duties. And here they remain chained until 5:00 PM when they're released to go home.

The slaves have no choice as to how many hours they must labor. Sometimes they are required to work overtime until their master tells them they may leave and go home.

Each year the slaves are told when to take their vacations, for how long, and when they must return.

They have little choice as to how much money they earn as they are paid not what they are worth, but what the job is worth.

They are allowed very little time for lunch and coffee breaks during the labor hours.

The slaves will remain in their chains in great fear because the master can punish them with the "firing" or "layoff" whip.

It is said that even some of the older slaves who have been good and faithful have felt the sting of the whip.

Day by day, year-by-year, the slaves toil and grow older until the master decides it is time to release them to the retirement camps where they're forced to sit idle and wait for death.
It's a well-known fact that the old slaves who try to keep working are sometimes whipped with a "stop-their-pension" whip.

I know these slave camps exist for I once was a slave. But now I am a free man who lives among the slaves.

The reason I am free is because I am in business for myself as an Entrepreneur.

Yes, I am truly free. I arise in the morning at the hour called for by my schedule. I decide my own hours. I can even sleep in late while the slaves are at work. I can vacation when, where, and for how long I please. I'm free to take my coffee break and lunch when I decide.

And of course, I can decide my own paycheck because I am not a slave.

I can choose to work when and where I please and with whom I please.

I'm free to stay in the city for as long as I want, or to move on to greener pastures if I decide to.  I've seen many slaves sadly pack their belongings to leave their city in search of a new master, but it is always the same.

There is, however, a ray of hope for the slave.

He or she can buy their own freedom.

The cost is not high, yet it seems high to those who do not have the courage to pay the price.

What is the price?

ONE MUST BE WILLING TO BE ONE'S OWN MASTER!

Twitter Milestone: 700 Followers

I have talked about Twitter here on this blog over the past few months. It appears that the rest of the world discovered Twitter as well. You can barely watch television for an hour without someone telling you about their Twitter account. The world has not yet discovered my personal Twitter account yet ... but, I want to express my appreciation to the 700 folks that do follow me!

Special honors go to Louis Pagan. He is a New York-based entrepreneur/author of http://www.latinopundit.com/ and http://www.louispagan.com/. Louis was the 700th person to follow me on Twitter!

Are you on Twitter? How do you use it to improve your life or business?

Rest In Peace: Sherman Hemsley (1928-2012)

Sherman Hemsley was an actor that we didn't appreciate as much as we should. I suspect that we will end up appreciating him more in death than we did in life. He died at the age of 74. He had no wife or children.

He made a good living as an actor after spending four years in the Air Force and eight years working at the post office. Hemsley made a name for himself as George Jefferson, carrying the iconic sitcom for a decade and earning a 1984 Emmy nomination for his work as lead actor in a comedy series. He also starred as Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series "Amen" for several years.

Sherman Hemsley created his own future with the energy and creativity that he gave to his supporting character on 'All In The Family'. He was a great foil to 'Archie Bunker's white supremacist attitude as the Black neighbor. Hemsley's brilliance led to a spin-off situation comedy called 'The Jefferson'.

His bodacious portrayal of a successful Black entrepreneur trying to 'move on up' hit home for many of us ... he had a successful marriage in that show and he raised a good son in a tradition nuclear family. His comedic genius was evident in each episode ... and he showed a different side of Black America that hadn't been seen before on prime-time television.

I suspect that there never would have been a Huxtable family in the 'Cosby Show' if George Jefferson hadn't been so great in 'The Jeffersons'.

Rest In Peace Mr. Hemsley!

Rebecca Davis Uses Ballet Dancing to Save Darfur

Soulclap to Save Darfur for introducing us to Rebecca Davis, an entrepreneur, dancer and activist who has used the arts to bring attention to violence against women in Darfur. As Creative Director of her own ballet company, Rebecca choreographed and premiered the first contemporary ballet about the conflict in Sudan, entitled DARFUR - the proceeds of which fund humanitarian work in-country.




In DARFUR, a woman is brutally raped by a group of Janjaweed soldiers. The ballet explores both the attack itself and the long-term emotional and relational repercussions of her attack. Through dance, Rebecca educates her audience about this important issue.

Is the NAACP relevant?

Are you a member of the NAACP? I remember when I was in junior high school my grandfather gave me a gift of a youth membership into the NAACP. The best thing about the membership was that it came with a plaque that I immediately nailed to the wall of my room. I think that was the last time that the NAACP was relevant in my life.

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the historical value of the NAACP. However, during my career the organization hasn't been relevant. They do make for interesting soap opera at times. I was a fan of Ben Chavis when he led the NAACP. Ben Chavis became a hero of sorts for me with his leadership role in the Million Man March. However his rise and fall from grace with the NAACP was sad to see.

In 1995, the same year her second husband died of prostate cancer, Myrlie Evers-Williams became the first woman to chair the NAACP. She was elected by one vote ... and her term of office was non-descript in many ways.

On February 20, 1996, Kweisi Mfume resigned his seat in Congress to become the president of the National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He said that he could do more for civil rights than in Congress saying, "Given the polarization in the country, the levels of crime and hatred, given the despair that I see in the eyes of young people, I thought that I could do more at the NAACP." After one year of leadership, Mfume had erased the NAACP's $4.5 million debt. He stayed in office until 2004 when he decided to run for the Maryland senate seat.

Next, the organization selects a business executive, Bruce Gordon, to run the organization. After 19 months ... he resigns. It appears that he couldn't get along with the 60+ person board of directors.

Finally, it should be noted that the NAACP branch here in Cincinnati, OH is becoming a soap opera. The branch recently won the privilege of hosting the 2008 national convention here in Cincinnati. This is big deal because of the problem that many African Americans have with the way we are treated in this town. You may have heard of the 'boycott' that was called after the riots/uprising that made international news in April 1991. Anyhow, there is now a giant debate about who won the recent election for president of the NAACP Cincinnati branch. I understand that recent decision from is to have a new election.

Anyhow, I say all of that to say ... I've not seen how the NAACP is relevant to my life as an entrepreneur. I know that they have a legacy that is strong. But, it seems to say a lot when a man with the credentials of Bruce Gordon is brought to his knees in only 19 months. Is the NAACP relevant to you?

Is This Commercial Post-Racial, Racist or Just Plain Bizarre?

I need villagers to take a minute or so to watch the following television commercial from Red House Furniture.



I need your feedback ... it this commercial racist? post-racial? or simply brilliant marketing on the part of a small town entrepreneur?

Carnival of Business and Entrepreneurship #15

Step #8 in the Declaration of Financial Empowerment calls for us to 'to support the creation of profitable, competitive, Black-oriented enterprises'.

One way that we can support Black-owned businesses is to educate and motivate ourselves on the subject of business and entrpreneurships. As such, I encourage you to take a moment to check out the 26 blog entries in the Carnival of Business and Entrepreneurship #15 compiled by Bootstrapper.

Are you a current or future entrepreneur?

Save the NAACP Youth Entrepreneurship Institute

This is an 'Open Letter to NAACP President Ben Jealous'. I invite everyone to voice their own thoughts in the COMMENTS section below. My hope is that we will receive some type of response from Mr. Jealous himself over time.

---

Dear President Jealous:

The Electronic Village offers our sincere congratulations on your appointment as President and CEO of the NAACP. The afrosphere stands ready to assist you in any way we can. Black bloggers are optimistic about the outreach that you have made to our online community. Your recent conference calls displayed the power of working cooperatively, thus, serving notice that the NAACP will stand for equity in the public arena, fairness in the corporate sector, and impartial treatment in the criminal justice system.

After talking with you last week I took a deeper look at the NAACP website. It gave me great hope to learn about the Reginald Lewis Youth Entrepreneurship Institute (YEI). For over five years I ran a small business incubator here in Cincinnati. As such, I know the power of entrepreneurship ... especially in these volatile economic times when unemployment is sweeping through the Black community.

You can imagine how disappointed I am to learn that you have decided to cancel this valuable youth entrepreneuship program.

Learning how to become entrepreneurs is so vital to our children and the future they face. It would be wonderful to see such a program located here in Cincinnati. Our town was recently named by Entrepreneur Magazine as a region with three of the top 25 college entrepreneurship programs, University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, and Miami University (Oxford, Ohio), not to mention an outstanding program at Northern Kentucky University just a cross the Ohio River from Cincinnati as well.

In addition, our school board created an entrepreneurship high school eight years ago. Also, our city is the home of a powerful brother, Jim Clingman, who advocates for economic empowerment and youth entrepreneurship in his nationally syndicated newspaper column.

Mr. Jealous, the YEI Program would be a great asset to Cincinnati, as it has been to other cities, and this is a request for your reconsideration of maintaining the program as an individual offering of the NAACP.

Thank you in advance for your courteous consideration of this request.

Sincerely,
Villager, blogger
Electronic Village
Member: The AfroSpear

America I AM: The African American Imprint

I truly appreciated Tavis Smiley back in the day when he was engaged in a series of forums branded as 'Blacks in Technology'. However, his recent tantrums against POTUS have caused me (and most of Black America) to be disappointed in Tavis.

However, even a person with questionable political antennae can do good things. I think that the creation of the America I AM museum exhibit is a positive addition to Tavis' resume.

This traveling museum exhibit celebrate nearly 500 years of African American contributions to the nation through artifacts, documents, multimedia, photos and music. In fact, some have called it 'the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of African American history ever created.'.

I am pleased to note that the America I AM exhibit is coming to the Cincinnati Museum Center in June 2010 for about 6-7 months. Cincinnati isn't your usual suspect for things that uplift Black culture ... however, when someone does good ... it should be acknowledged. Kudos to the leaders of the Cincinnati Museum Center for getting this exhibit to our town!

America I AM is a four-year touring exhibit that premiered in Philadelphia last year. It is currently in Los Angeles CA. The exhibit endeavors to bring together Americans of all cultures, ages, and backgrounds to celebrate and further understand the indelible African American imprint on this country.

The exhibit is HUGE ... containing twelve galleries encompassing over 15,000 square feet. It takes visitors through a journey that spans nearly five (5) centuries of American history ... there has never been a culture and history exhibition as complete and impactful.

My understanding is that Tavis Smiley used his brand and contacts to obtain over 250 rarely toured artifacts from over 70 contributors from across the globe. The exhibition will include the doors to the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana (Doors of No Return), Alex Haley’s typewriter used to write Roots, personal Koran of Malcolm X, the door key and stool from the Birmingham jail cell that held Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., sports memorabilia from Michael Jordan and Arthur Ashe, Muhammad Ali’s robe, a personal loan of Prince's guitar, and much more.

The Cincinnati Museum Center is going to take advantage of this national exhibit to present its internationally significant collection of J.P. Ball photographs -- the largest collection of his works in the world. For those villagers that don't know ... J.P. Ball was a free Black man who settled in Cincinnati in the mid-19th century. An entrepreneur, abolitionist and photographer, Ball was a careful observer and recorder of key transformations of his time.

Anyhow, I hope that the Cincinnati community -- of all races, but particularly African Americans -- support the America I AM exhibit when it gets here in a few weeks. This exhibit can have a positive impact on our community life -- from economics to self-image to youth and community development to social progress to spirituality.

Have you seen the America I Am exhibit yet? Do you plan to do so over the course of its 4-year run?