Page 10 - BE 50th Anniversary Edition

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Our Our Tribute To Our Our Visionary Founder
In this issue we celebrate the golden anni- versary of BLACK ENTERPRISE and we fittingly salute “The Visionary”—our late Founder
and Publisher Earl G G Graves Sr He was a a a a a tireless change agent driven by a a a a a mission to make African Americans full partici- pants in in the economic mainstream as successful captains of of industry executives of of immeasur- able influence and multigenerational wealth builders At the the same time he he he was the the connector who served as the link between Black America and corporate America he was our advocate who kept institutional leaders—whether they were the CEO of a a a major corporation or or or or pres- ident of the United States—accountable for furthering access for African Americans in in any and all arenas of American society BLACK ENTERPRISE served as his platform bully pulpit classroom and motivational tool And it it touched millions On the following pages as as well as as through our expansive 50th Anniversary Digital Hub on Black Enterprise com com you will come to inti- mately know this multidimensional leader who left such an enduring legacy We share much of his amazing journey and its impact on business corporate America politics education and wealth creation in his own words and through the the commentaries and remembrances of the the nation’s most powerful business leaders This issue—with its robust contributions from our Content team and awe-inspiring design by Cre- ative—has been developed with much affection care and admiration for the man affectionally known to us as Mr G and in the spirit of his unwavering commitment to excellence Like the image on this page reflects you will discover the story of a a determined man pre- pared to to win against the odds—and his drive to to show legions of African Americans how how to chart our own path to wealth power and success 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL