I got caught up in Soledad O’Brien’s latest edition to the Black In America canon that aired last night on CNN. This episode was entitled “The Promised Land – Silicon Valley†and was about Black entreprenuerism in the tech world. It followed a house full of individuals, Black men and women, attempting to demo projects in order to raise money to get their sites and projects off the ground. Really heady stuff…mostly because despite living a semi-charmed life online, I know pretty much jack sh*t about building a startup tech-centric website.
But one particular scene stood out from the rest, poison as can be, a high powered chest to me. A professor from Duke University (can’t remember his name to save my life) of Indian descent was talking to the developers about the fact that when he began his venture capital company somebody told him to get a white man to be the face of the company and that’s how a lot of companies operate. Basically, investors like to see white men because it gives them some sort of comfort in the product. You know, the psychological something or other that exists in nearly every community.
I mean let’s be real, I feel safer (and more inclined to be okay staying there) when I see white people live in a community I’m interested in. That tells me that there’s growth and *ding* investment potential. People with money – largely white people – look for other white people in order to feel comfortable handing over the dividends. It just is what it is, to me at least. Hell, in China you can rent white people for that very purpose. Basically everybody’s racist. Which kind of makes nobody racist. Riddle that sh*t.
This admission seemed to bother a lot of the folks in the house. And while I get it, I kind of don’t. See, I’m generally more surprised by other people’s surprise that the rules haven’t changed yet. I know we all want to believe in the world as it should be. I have a kid. If there’s one reason to ever hope for the best in people it’s because you don’t want to bring your kids into world that’s worse off than the one you grew up in. However, you have to acknowledge that people are creatures of habit. Especially in a tech world that’s all white and Asian.
Aside: there’s really no way in holy f*ck that Jennifer Lopez would really drive a damn Fiat. Thank you and good night.
One thing that the Indian professor from Duke said was that you have to take that information, as unfair as it sounds, and use it to your advantage. Now, I have no idea how to use it to my advantage, but I’m sure its possible. I guess. But this does beg the question, a few actually. Do we just assume that white people, and say other minorities, don’t really realize they’re being racist and therefore to hear them acknowledge it is what pisses us off?
And if they know that’s the case, that means they can do something about it right? Self-aware people can change f*cked up stuff, right? So if they choose not to, that means that the injustice is not only accepted but condoned. Right? And if they know that we need to use it to our advantage, shouldn’t they just help out in the beginning by not being racist? I realize that last one is asking a lot but I figured I’d throw that log on the fire.
And I think that’s what tends to piss me off about these situations – should I find something to be pissed about – its that the folks who are creating the injustices know that they’re doing it. But nobody wants to rock the boat though for fear of losing, especially in business.
Odd dilemma.
So I bring those questions to you kimosabe (ß—- that’s racist), does open acknowledgement of racism make it worse or is racism just racism no matter how you get there?
And more abstractly, does racism still frustrate you or is its mere presence just something you know exists and therefore you keep it moving? Or is it both?
What say you?
Say you, say me.
-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka MR. WHITE FIRMS LOVE ME aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL HE A 3
IMHO, you’ve tapped into how our generation relates to racism. Most white people know that they’re in a position of privilege and know that they didn’t necessarily earn a lot of the things that they were given. Even if they don’t know it intellectually they know it intuitively. Is the form of racism we deal with now better than what our parents dealt with in the past? Arguably, but it’s more important to acknowledge that it’s still there alive and kicking, being just enough in the way of things to make a measurable and noticeable difference.
yeah, i would never suggest that we don’t keep kicking and screaming. i do think we need to be screaming at the right folsk though. or screaming the right things.
its like a mental occupy racism movement.
Honestly, the only thing that got to me was the Duke professor talking about our community not sticking together to get something done – always wanting to cry injustice instead of overcoming our situations. (Now, granted, I don’t remember what he said EXACTLY but it was something like that) I don’t feel that was a fair assessment, as far as comparing it to a community of immigrants from India. You can’t compare the black community in America to any other minority community bc of slavery, civil rights, Jim Crow, and well, our race. We weren’t brought to this country to be citizens of equal rights & given the choice to come here in the first place – our sense of community was lost in the trans-atlantic. I’m not trying to provide an excuse but more so an understanding. Immigrants come over to America a lot of times TOGETHER with a goal in mind – we didn’t have that luxury. You can’t give someone a 5 minute head start & expect the other people to catch up & be at the finish line at the same time, especially when said persons are black in America.
“One thing that the Indian professor from Duke said was that you have to take that information, as unfair as it sounds, and use it to your advantage. Now, I have no idea how to use it to my advantage, but I’m sure its possible.”
Yes it is! Place a smiling thumbs up photo of a white male after the “Brothas” in the logo at the top of the page. Thereby increasing your demographic and capitalizing on the full potential of VSB. Better than the white guy is an interracial couple including a black woman with natural hair. Give the couple an unnecessary Asian male friend. Our ‘studies’ have shown that no one is threatened by an Asian male but he helps to bring more to the website, no one likes feeling threatened. Finally, change the name to “Very Smart People” that way you reduce your chances of offending any group you haven’t included. B!tches love Political Correct-ness nowadays.
*hopes this is taken as lightly as I wrote it*
it was and that was hilarious.real talk, there was a point in time i wondered if we’d called our site very smart people, would we have achieved a much larger crossover appeal. maybe. maybe not. but that one word could make all the difference. to others.
Definitely felt same way about Duke prof comment especially regarding how blacks dont build each other up. But Silicon Valley is an entirely different world within itself.
Racist thinking is so entrenched in this country (and worldwide). But most people seem to rely on racist mindsets out of convenience rather than outright malice.
Does the guy who doesn’t give your resume a second look because your name is Tyrell Jones do it out of a seething hatred for “the Blacks?” Probably not. He’s likely to do it because he wants to play things safe.
Have ad agencies stayed lily white to the point of facing EEOC charges because their executives were determined to oppress uppity negroes? Nope.
That’s not to say that such instances of racism are permissible. In fact, it means that it would take formidable efforts to change things for the better.
i agree with you. i had this convo last night with a friend. i dont think there’s as much malice behinds the racism as we want there to be at times. its just so entrenched into the fabric of society…whcih makes it worse. if folks are being dbags at least you know how to attack it. if folks are just being themselves you have to make fundamental changes to…well, everything.
goooooooo life.
Racism is a hard pill to swallow, but when there is malice behind it, for me it’s a little easier to wrap your head around it, get your bearings and move on, but when it is innate; when someone stands in your face and makes a racist statement and not even realize it was racist, that blows me away, but does give one the opportunity to school that person.
“But most people seem to rely on racist mindsets out of convenience rather than outright malice.”
Yup. Habit is stronger than reason. Sad but true.
Racism is racism. It’s always valuable to know where people stand on issues though. Does racism upset me? Well you can’t be Black and conscious in America without being in a constant stage on enragement to paraphrase and bastardize the James Baldwin quote. I’m not numb to it yet and I have no desire to divorce myself from that hate (Darth Nihilus swag).
1st PJ, hope the site doesn’t throw me out again — or maybe it’s just racist against me!
2nd, though I understand the perception that the Indian dude was referring, I do find it disturbing too. Look at the most damaging scandals in corporate America: Enron, Worldcom, Halliburton, AIG, etc (here’s a list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_corporate_scandals) and who was leading this unethical conduct in business? Ehem… white men! And, please, let’s not forget Bernie Madoff!
Unfortunately, racism isn’t just a black/white problem. I remember when I was in the middle east how Arabs used to treat the Filipino workers. It’s really bad. I mean REALLY bad. Talk about your modern day slavery. You’ll find it there, easily. Indians were also 2nd class. Bedouin (Arabs without documentation/citizenship to any specific country) were regarded just slightly above all these peoples, but still classed below citizen Arabs. Interestingly enough, relations between ‘white’ Arabs and ‘black’ Arabs are relatively equal, particularly if they share the same sect of faith (i.e. sunni v. shiite Muslim).
At any rate, I think before anyone puts trust in a business partner, especially with a lucrative business such as high tech, they may just want to consider more than their skin color as a pre-qualifier. I’m just sayin.
Follow up: I caught this show late last night and saw the part about the Indian guy saying get a white man for the front guy. I also heard him tell that group of entrepreneurs something else — the perception of black people who as a whole who cry racism, slavery, under privileged, etc, as excuses for lack of success. What was interesting to me is here is a ‘minority’ man telling other ‘minorities’ his perception of black people. Individually, some may not subscribe to his perception. Others may.
I thought about this for a while… until I faded to sleep… in that this guy, whether he’s right in his perception or wrong, has done the one thing that mattered in business. He (or the person who told him to get a white front man) identified a weakness and exploited it to his benefit. ‘Good’ business is all about exploitation of a skill or product to produce revenue. He also said that his people (Indian) see a problem they try to fix it. Hahaha… he saw the problem was racism, but he couldn’t fix that so he exploited it. Big difference.
Question is, was it ethical for him to use that weakness to enjoy greater financial gains? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But, in reality it did work to benefit him financially and usually business minded people use whatever works to succeed (succeed = generate revenue).
My opinion, it’s all about playing the systems that exist in our society; right, wrong, privileged, under privileged. If you recognize a system exists and you play the system, you are more likely going to to succeed than fail. When you buck the system and blatantly upset the status quo you have resistance. Though I do have ethical issues with the exploiting of race to further objectives, to deny the fact that racism exists, it has for thousands of years for many peoples, and to create success you must play the systems in society, is only setting yourself up for failure. You have the choice to play the game or be a victim of it. Very Smart (and rich) People play the game.
I think if we always play by the rules the game will never change. I think settling for the status-quo may be a sign of weakness; one would have to be quite brave to decide to do business one’s own way. Although I can understand the argument that, as in life, the “game” will never be fair and someone will always be shafted. Just get what you can get. I also see value in standing up for your beliefs and being a pioneer. Let someone else get stomped for a while. The greater the risk the greater the rewards I suppose.
The way to change the game here is to pimp the current system for funding and take your product to market. Next, ensure that you and your team let all media outlets know who’s the brains behind the operations or have a buyout clause where you buy back controlling interest in your company.
Um, yeah, my first post was erased. The comment about the site being racist was not a jab at VSB. I believe you all are still having issues with the site operating correctly. Just an observation with a bit of bad humor, apparently. My bad.
I thought it was a pretty interesting series. I think a lot of the black folk on the show could benefit from developing mentoring relationships with some of the higher ups. It probably will be easier to get their foot in the door.
One more thing…I’m not the only person that lol’ed when that one black dude had a white gf named “Becky”.
Yeah I laughed about his Becky.
To call racism “bothersome” is like saying a gunshot wound smarts. It is something I deal with every day from the moment I step outside of my home. It is something I have to step on, walk through, jump over, and more often than not, pretend I don’t notice in my daily interactions with people…along with the other burdens of chauvinism, colorism, and general ignorance. When all is said and done, in consideration of human nature, it is a rarity to find ANY person, regardless of race, who can look at you (and admit/see past their own flawed perceptions) and really see who you are; have a real conversation with you (not your image). It is an understandable realty that all extensions of human interaction: politics, business, sports, the arts will only reflect and magnify these flaws.
I suppose it particularly frustrates me because one of the most important male figures in my life — in absencia my own biological father — was a White male. He was my mentor, groomed me in how to navigate the academic “White” World as a sheltered kid in an all-Black neighborhood. He treated me as an equal, an individual who was deserving of external opportunities that would not have been as readily available without his help…and in many ways, set a precedent that has been unmet ever since. But because I know that the possibility exists, that there are those who are truly capable of transcending racial boundaries, I naturally view those who choose not to as inferior.
I didn’t watch this, and I’m pretty much done with CNN and there “The Negroes Among Us” specials. Is there a reason CNN feels the need to portray Black people like we’re some obscure Amazon tribe worthy of a National Geographic special? i just…can’t….
+1
And the same goes for NPR, bless their hearts.
I think one of the “perks” of blantant racism is that it’s in your face and you can come up with strategies to bring it down. Underlying and embedded racism is harder to irradicate because it’s harder to point out and prove that it is intentional.
But imagine if all the black tech people agglomerated somewhere away from Silicon Valley and they came up with their own ideas and became a growing force in the tech business independent of silicon valley. Eventually they could become a valuable asset because they could create outside competition or they can sell their ideas to Silicon Valley for millions of dollars. Then because of this success of “rogue” black techies Silicon Valley would find more value in hiring black employees and listening to business plans from black companies. When Obama became President White guilt went out the window. We need to start working together to build our own versions of institutions that block us out.
Maybe I’m just idealistic. I will end with this: Other minority groups have managed to turn the lemons society has handed them, created booming lemonade factories and business is good.
Remember when Black In America used to be like 2 or 3 nights of stories about what it’s like to be Black in America? Now they can tell us in 40 minutes or less.
i made this point to someone last night as well.
we’ve been condensed into an hour including commercials.
Sooner or later we’ll be reduced to a 30 minute infomercial sandwiched in between Reverend Ike and some third-tier juicer.
Look, I’m still waiting on the post racial society, where the color of skin (or lack) means little to a persons ability or charcter. So while there are more landfills in POC communities or indifferent coverage of minority missing & exploited children, I’ll just be Black in America, no CNN.
Look, I’m still waiting on the post racial society, where the color of skin (or lack) means little to a persons ability or charcter. So while there are more landfills in POC communities or indifferent coverage of minority missing & exploited children, I’ll just be Black in America, no CNN.
*In my Miss Minifield voice* Soledad O’Brien, dig deeper.
Panama,
Using a white man’s image for business success is one of many end-results of the disconscious racism that Wave Cap mentions.
Wave Cap, I do think that “playing it safe” and not being against the uppity Negros has to do with wanting to keep their fields White. White supremacy involves maintaining the whiteness of one’s surroundings and hiding behind playing things safe to uphold this. White people will fight to keep the benefits of their white privilege. It’s no accident that Occupy Wall Street began by people who suddenly lost their job-status and fiscal position in America & felt shocked, resentful & indignant over their loss of in how America measures power & value via net worth.
When Black people deal with unemployment, loss of mortgage, loss of anything, even losses from facing daily racism, we keep it moving. It’s rare to hear us shout in groups “how dare the banks take what I had!” We are accustomed to being poor, job loss et cetera. Some folks are shocked & discombobulated when they lose a job & can’t find a new one when that has not been their previous experience. The problem isn’t corporations but customers’ need to buy stuff they just store in their garage or play with for a few weeks then get bored or must drive longer hours to and from work to live in it just for a few hours of peace, then the credit card bill is too high, the mortgage & utilities ballooned too high and
all that “stuff” costs more in interest. The banks will always protect their own interests. Some people are realizing how they didn’t protect their own interests and expected the bank, their employer, their stockbroker to provide them financial security.
Playing things safe translates to protecting the interests of the company one owns & runs and maintaining it’s status quo. That is all. Oh & Soledad O’Brien’s job ain’t safe. They gave her three part segments to do on the Kneegrows and now she has 40 minutes to tell America about Black people. I’d be updating my resume right about now Ms. O’Brien.
Let me stop this typed thoughts now.
This is a chicken and egg game that’s been going on for years. Before you can even play with the big boys (Sorors, venture capitalists, angel investors, etc.) you’ve got to be able to get bank funding first which is a challenge in itself. Many times we don’t hear about tech entrepreneurs because a) they work for publicly held companies or b) they are acquired by larger companies before we hear about them.
You will also find that white men will put a woman or a minority as the figure head to be able to compete for Federal set-aside work as well.
This is a chicken and egg game that’s been going on for years. Before you can even play with the big boys (Sorors, venture capitalists, angel investors, etc.) you’ve got to be able to get bank funding first which is a challenge in itself. Many times we don’t hear about tech entrepreneurs because a) they work for publicly held companies or b) they are acquired by larger companies before we hear about them.
You will also find that white men will put a woman or a minority as the figure head to be able to compete for Federal set-aside work as well.
ITA Sigma, Successful businesses will always protect their own interests. So yes, they also put a minority as a figure-head if they also want the federal set-aside benefits.
ITA Todd–in a recession, investors still want to know how you are going to make them financially happy if they invest in you.
Everyone has to work their hustle well in this arena.
Interesting post. I get your point about being aware means that you’re in a position to do something about it. That said, there are two questions that need to be answered before that happens. First, how much power does that individual have? Just because someone has status doesn’t necessarily mean they call shots. Two, how willing is someone to be the one out on their own?
Going back to the specific example used on CNN, not that many VC-backed businesses succeed. As a result, there’s going to be every effort used to minimize the risk entailed. Yes, an individual running their own VC outfit can go out on their own and back more minority and women-owned tech companies. However, it’s not clear how they can convince other people with money to do likewise. Also, if things don’t work out with those companies, it’s very easy for the rest to say “see, backing people of color doesn’t work out. Let’s go check for those White kids over at Harvard for something.” As much as people front and fake jacks, it’s HARD to be that person out on their own. Either if the reward is high, so is the risk.
Personally, I believe that the way to minimize this risk is for each person of color to go, put themselves out there, get to know the “powers that be” so you’re familiar to the, and learn the game by their side. It can be a mentoring relationship, but it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes, just being around and being friendly can make a huge difference. Heck, look at Herman Cain on the business front. As much as he forgot the lessons upon going into politics, you can’t front and say the man didn’t learn to work a hustle with White people. All those pizzas didn’t fund themselves, let alone sell themselves. I think we need to go out and learn the game collectively, then PASS THE F***ING LESSONS ALONG! So long as we don’t pretend we’re all the special Kneegrows, we’ll be alright in the long run.
@ Todd (I don’t know if this went through the first time)
Time is not on your side. I my personal experience, I’ve found that the people who have the most knowledge and are the most connected have the least amount of time to mentor individually. Between, meetings, work, and corporate charity activities, getting fifteen minutes to be schooled is dang near impossible.
Well, my thinking is that you need to literally pimp the game. Make it look like you’re doing them a favor by helping to explain some small thing. Interact and socialize with these successful people. You’d be amazed by what you can accomplish.
I wonder when the professor who made that comment started his company? I watch “American Greed” and the ratio of white business/con-men to black business/con-men seems proportionate. Meaning people were just as likely to invest with black people as white people. Also, don’t Indian people have their own issues with color too?
Why couldn’t your boy have made an Indian the face of the company and help prove the prejudice he observed wasn’t warranted? Other people who look like him could have been inspired. I wonder how the “white face” feels about being a token?
I think that knowingly perpetuating racism is wrong. By feeding into racist ideals for gain, one loses the opportunity to help reverse said ideals. If we always show a 65 year-old slighting graying white man as the face of a successful company, how will anyone ever realize that Donquarius can run that company just as well?
In the tech game, you get your cred if you have a track record of successful intellectual property that you’ve sold that’s the buyer then turns around and makes money. You take your additional chips and put them into your next idea until you get to a point where people beg you to let them invest instead of the other way around. This also helps to ensures that your investors don’t have a problem with YOU taking the product to market rather that some other entity. Too often, the guys/gals with the brains don’t have the day to day business acumen which is why some tech companies fail.
Moderation Gods please set my comment free.
“By feeding into racist ideals for gain, one loses the opportunity to help reverse said ideals”
I completely agree! I work in the tech industry and there are a lot of stereotypes that I continually fight each day, but the only way to fight these stereotypes is by challenging them, getting mentored, and supporting each other. I joined a tech start-up 2 yrs ago in Seattle where our CEO isn’t white or Asian and got a lot of seed money. Our angel investors included a minority female and the CEO’s mentor who is very well connected. We became very successful. I’ve also pitched my own business ideas to investors and did very well…..The problem is that there are so few of us in the industry and it makes it very challenging. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve been told that I don’t look like I’m a techie and it takes a lot of time to earn the respect that my less experienced/educated peers have. It’s frustrating, but I love working in Tech and will keep working in the industry.
“Basically everybody’s racist. Which kind of makes nobody racist. Riddle that sh*t.”
That was deep. TWSS.
“Aside: there’s really no way in holy f*ck that Jennifer Lopez would really drive a damn Fiat. Thank you and good night.”
I don’t care if she drives a hover round, she needs to NOT sing in that commercial. Ever. Gah.
“So I bring those questions to you kimosabe (ß—- that’s racist), does open acknowledgement of racism make it worse or is racism just racism no matter how you get there?”
Yeah, racism is racism no matter how you get there, IMO. Racism is NOT the tree in the forest that doesn’t make a sound if no one hears it. It’s kinda like air, we don’t have to acknowledge it being there, but we still breathing the ish in. Racism is toxic air. Deep.
Anyway, I will say it IS worse when the mofo is self-aware of said racism, because then they’re in a position to do something about it. It’s different when someone is straight up ignorant and you want to teach them to do better (without Drake around, of course). Hell, I even have to slap my own hand when I think of things such as the example you used with white folks in your neighborhoods. It’s almost instinctual at this point… we do it without even stopping to think because it’s so embedded in our brains… in our society. But when I step back, I’m like… “Dayum, homie… I not only dissed my peoples… I kinda dissed myself. Unless I think I’m the only exception, which is pretty delusional.” <– Yes, I have this convo with myself.
I do need to see this segment of Black in America. I missed it. Not Drake.
She should never sing PERIOD lol (it deleted my original comment).
Oh, trust me, I agree. It’s just that I can avoid the other ish. This Fiat commercial, doe… GAHHHH. These are the moments where I wish I had Tivo.
“It’s kinda like air, we don’t have to acknowledge it being there, but we still breathing the ish in. Racism is toxic air. Deep.”
Best sh!t ever said in the history defining the permeability of racism.
You be smart n sh!t.
i’m definitely not a fan of racism open or covert. i don’t care if we’re creatures of habit i’m not buying into the idea that a white man would make my company look better on paper or not. i’ll struggle and fail before i fall into that self-defeating trap. if i were to ever start a company it would fail or succeed based on my hard work. that alone.
Yeah, I’m sure my career would have been much more successful if I were white and male. People like their lawyers to look like that. Makes them feel safe.
If I had to sit and calculate, realistically, how much racism has cost me? At least enough to pay off my student loans. But I don’t sit and calculate such things anymore. It makes me mad and I can’t go around slapping people. I mean, what can you do? High blood pressure, ya know? Find a way around it. Look on the bright side, make some lemonade. That sounds trite as ish. Cray, right?
But check it. Flip the script. I have black woman in urban city privilege. I’m surrounded by beautiful, creative swaggerific black people. It’s warm and delicious like peach cobbler. Places I go, a white person would feel awkward and out of place. I get to giggle to myself when I see them trying to fit in. Beautiful, upscale places. I get to look at VSBs and VSSs all day in their stylish clothes strutting about like they own the place. Like kings and queens. I beam with pride and know with their skill and smarts and swag, it won’t be long till they do own the place.
It feels like riding a wave and a revolution, watching my people. Striving so hard, so hard against the walls that they become stronger, smarter and faster than everyone else. Soon nothing will stop us. That’s my black privilege. I’m in on the bottom floor.
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Yes, it’s still there. When I did some startup things, I found there was a certain bias from VCs and others who were funding to want someone who “looked” to them like a prototypical startup denizen. I think the selectivity bias requires black hackers who unfortunately have to play the game. I think it’s surmountable, but it’s not going to come from shaming them into it. We need to get more kids into science and math. More kids programming from a young age and exposing kids to more than just the playing of games, but how to make them.
This is where shaming them can work, because surely urban kids are spending billions a year in this industry, giving these kids access to the raw materials should help. But we’re in a different world now and it’s not going to work to use the same tactics our parents and grandparents did to get access. Because with statistics where they are and other “minorities” doing well, people are less sympathetic to the cause and alas, they don’t want to hear how unfair it is, even if it is.
So it’s not impossible. And it is frustrating and often unfair to just be “good enough” because that old adage that I bet most of us have heard when we were kids (you have to be twice as good if you’re black) hasn’t changed much when it comes to tech.
But still the inequality isn’t necessarily implicit, it’s just structural. We can overcome it, it just will take more work, partnership and more action.
VSB just put me up on game, appreciated.
Great post PJ
BTW The Duke Professor Vivek Wadwa said on his Twitter page that he started his company 20 years ago – so that is when he 1st used the white front man
Wellll……how many times do white owned companies use blacks as their “face” or figurehead?
What the Indian professor was saying seems to be saying to make whitey your Uncle Ben or Aunt Jemimah….
Wellll……how many times do white owned companies use blacks as their “face” or figurehead?
What the Indian professor was saying seems to be saying to be the HNIC and make whitey your Uncle Ben or Aunt Jemimah….
OMG! I love that J Lo commercial!
Do you think Soledad will do a special “Being white in black America?” I hope she picks me to interview!
Love you VSB!
OMG! I love that J Lo commercial!
Do you think Soledad will do a special “Being white in black America?” I hope she picks me to interview!
Love you VSB!
What the Duke professor suggested to the team was nothing new. It has been going on forever and it’s too bad that we simply accept it because we want those dollar bills and contracts. Blacks have often been told to use white men as fronts, especially for public and big buck projects. And white women are often fronts for their husband’s businesses.
“He who owns the gold makes the rules.”
The professor’s comments speak to an even larger issue – significant economic disparities between whites and blacks. In a recent Pew Research study, the gap between white and black household wealth is a staggering 20 to 1… That’s a problem.
I’m in the real estate development business that has some striking similarities to the tech industry; less than one percent are black and is run by multi-generational white men. Yes it’s frustrating attempting to do business with people who do not look like you and it’s for a lack of skills but opportunity. For the commercial real estate space to be a five trillion dollar industry with less than one percent black American participation is not sustainable nor does it promote economic viability. Likewise with the tech industry, until and unless, more people of color control the proverbial (and literal) gold, these problems will only persist and become more pronounced. YEBH
Peace,
@YahyaHenry
Overt racism is tough to deal with but it is easier to respond and react to. When it’s embedded so deeply in people’s psyche that it is hard to recognize, it’s tough to properly assess the situation. It’s those cases that cause so much disagreement between different races over whether racism exists or is imagined.
All that said, I don’t think it’s all racism. I think people will have their comfort zone and make decisions to keep them comfortable. Race just happens to be something that Americans use to evaluate an individual. Right or wrong, it’s who we are.
I think we just need to recognize it and move on. If whites are better front men for a product, we as blacks need to start understanding how we can overcome this and make venture capitalists more comfortable with us as the pitch men. What can we do to be more appealing and respectable in their eyes. They have the money so we need to change some things. In the end, it may not matter or it may take a long time to get there. But that’s all we can do.
Was really missing you guys! But, the break did allow me to totally focus on my coursework more than I had been. Now let’s see if I can maintain that same concentration now that you boys are back in the building (doubt it, doubt it).
Hello Everyone!