The NY Times: Stars Flock to Atlanta--Reshaping a Center of Black Culture (Alpharetta: house, college)

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by nyanti

Atlanta could never compete with D.C's Black history legacy period.

This is true. After all, nobody's really ever heard of W.E.B. DuBois, Dr. Martin Luther King, Ralph Abernathy, Rep. John Lewis, Maynard Jackson, Andrew Young, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Julian Bond, and on and on.

having a degree in history/education I could name hundreds of first that D.C. has over Atlanta.

Hundreds? This should be good. Go ahead; I'm ready to read this list.

You have to realize that D.C. and Baltimore were the prime cities for the urban Black population from the Civil War until the great migration only being surpassed by Philadelphia, New York, Detroit and Chicago.

Point taken. Much of Atlanta's prominence in Black history was around WWII/the Civil Rights era, but that's not the whole story. Atlanta University, founded in 1865 was, before consolidation with Clark College, the nation's oldest graduate institution serving a predominantly African-American student body. While not too far apart, Atlanta elected its first Black mayor in 1973; DC, in 1975. Atlanta is also home to the country's first black radio station, WERD, founded in 1949.

[po-boy]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

If a white man had a job at Home Depot's Corporate Office, would we call him "successful?" Or an Asian man? Or a Jewish man?

The whole concept of the "successful" black person is a backhanded compliment in itself. Why are you "successful" for doing some sh*t that white people do all the time? I'm more inclined to call Asians "successful" because there are fewer of them (in America, anyways) and they're locking up a good 20 to 40 percent of the slots at Stanford and the Ivies. They've raised the bar and it's time for blacks to do the same.

My comment didn't have a racial aspect at all. In fact, it didn't have a sex specified either.

If a person (man, woman, transgender, black, white, asian, whatever) holds a steady job and can support themselves and their family, then yes, I think they are successful in that part of their life. They aren't "exceptional" but they are successful and they deserve respect.

You seem to believe that only people at the very top of a few chosen professions are the ones worthy of respect. To my mind, that is a very narrow view.

[BajanYankee]

This is doing it BIG. When you're managing sovereign wealth funds in the hundreds of billions at Lazard, you're doing it big. When you're on the Board for the Guggenheim as a black man in NYC, you're doing it big. When you're running the Carlyle Group, you're doing it big. The only guys making more money per annum are professional athletes, but unlike athletes, these guys won't be broke in five years. And their political influence is obviously much greater. We're talking about black people dealing with trillions of dollars in global capital flows here. Not Little Caesar's Pizza. Not a construction business that owes its entire existence to minority contracts and government largesse.

Take a look at this list. "Wall Street" just means blacks in the industry. I don't see any Atlantans on here.

75 Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street - Black Enterprise

Here's one bio:

William E. Kennard. Managing Director The Carlyle Group Washington, DC. Age: 49. Bottom Line: Carlyle is the largest and one of the most successful private equity firms in the world. Kennard, the former chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has helped orchestrate multibillion dollar transactions involving Dex Media Inc., one of the nation’s leading phone directory publishers; Casema Holdings BV, one of the Netherlands’ leading cable operators; and Insight Communications, America’s ninth-largest cable company. He was also instrumental in Carlyle closing on the $1.5 billion deal to acquire Hawaiian Telcom in 2005.

Originally Posted by muxBuppie

Lol, blacks shouldn't own businesses but instead be lawyers for the state and only work for other people.

No. You can just become a CEO like E. Stanley O'Neal and run the world's largest investment bank. Or become an equity partner at a Wall Street firm where you share the profits and get a vote on the management committee. I'd say that's better than running a small potatoes shop in Alpharetta, Georgia.

[muxBuppie]

I'll never understand how people from other cities feel the need to come in here "put us in our place". No one in here is hyping Atlanta so take your beef up with the media.

[po-boy]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

This is doing it BIG. When you're managing sovereign wealth funds in the hundreds of billions at Lazard, you're doing it big. When you're on the Board for the Guggenheim as a black man in NYC, you're doing it big. When you're running the Carlyle Group, you're doing it big. The only guys making more money per annum are professional athletes, but unlike athletes, these guys won't be broke in five years. And their political influence is obviously much greater. We're talking about black people dealing with trillions of dollars in global capital flows here. Not Little Caesar's Pizza. Not a construction business that owes its entire existence to minority contracts and government largesse.

Take a look at this list. "Wall Street" just means blacks in the industry. I don't see any Atlantans on here.

75 Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street - Black Enterprise

A big thumbs up to those people who have that level of success! Good for them and they are definitely positive role models (for people of all races).

But IMO it is immature to think those are the only people who "count" or who are worthy of respect. The vast majority of people are not going to be like that. I think those who make up a large middle class of professionals who follow the law, contribute to society and raise their families are also positive role models. To be a bity cheesy and paraphrase It's a Wonderful life, it is the normal people who do most of the working and paying and living and dying in any community. YMMV

[muxBuppie]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

This is doing it BIG. When you're managing sovereign wealth funds in the hundreds of billions at Lazard, you're doing it big. When you're on the Board for the Guggenheim as a black man in NYC, you're doing it big. When you're running the Carlyle Group, you're doing it big. The only guys making more money per annum are professional athletes, but unlike athletes, these guys won't be broke in five years. And their political influence is obviously much greater. We're talking about black people dealing with trillions of dollars in global capital flows here. Not Little Caesar's Pizza. Not a construction business that owes its entire existence to minority contracts and government largesse.

Take a look at this list. "Wall Street" just means blacks in the industry. I don't see any Atlantans on here.

75 Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street - Black Enterprise

Here's one bio:





No. You can just become a CEO like E. Stanley O'Neal and run the world's largest investment bank. Or become an equity partner at a Wall Street firm where you share the profits and get a vote on the management committee. I'd say that's better than running a small potatoes shop in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Better how? So if unless you reach those levels your ain't nothin?

[muxBuppie]

Lol, now if a black man ain't in the top 1% or close he ain't sucessful.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by muxBuppie

Better how? So if unless you reach those levels your ain't nothin?

Nope. I'm just saying DC and NYC have more talent. They're playing on a much more competitive field than blacks are playing on in the ATL. I think we need to encourage our children to reach the highest levels they can and not just settle for "good."

I'd say that this is a bit more impressive than...


U.S. UN Ambassador Susan Rice on Darfur - YouTube

This.


Herman 'clueless' Cain on Libya - YouTube

[muxBuppie]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

Nope. I'm just saying DC and NYC have more talent. They're playing on a much more competitive field than blacks are playing on in the ATL. I think we need to encourage our children to reach the highest levels they can and not just settle for "good."

I'd say that this is a bit more impressive than...


U.S. UN Ambassador Susan Rice on Darfur - YouTube

This.


Herman 'clueless' Cain on Libya - YouTube

Uh
Lol Herman Cain was not only a Enginnering grad but has been CEO of multiple large companies. You are contradicting yourself ,but you will probably come back and say the companies he ran weren't cool/prestigious enough.

[muxBuppie]

I guess this discussion boils down to this; is it better to have a bunch of moderately successful blacks that are middle class (Atlanta)or to have a few highly sucessful ones with the vast majority of the rest living in qualler(D.C.)?