Two months after the assassination of Dr. King, Earl G. Graves Sr. escorts Mrs. Coretta Scott King on June 8th, 1968 to the funeral of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

It’s fair to say that we have done justice to King’s memory. But the truth is America has not done justice to his dream. In fact, I and the rest of King’s generation, now between the ages of 70 and 85, owe King an apology. Due to our lack of leadership and accountability, and despite the conspicuous success of a minority of African Americans, we have failed to do what it takes to lead our people to the promised land of freedom, equality, and the full measure of the American dream.

King’s dream was about equal opportunity and economic justice for all black Americans, not just an exceptional few. After making progress toward those goals into the late ’80s, we somehow lost our desire to pursue King’s agenda. Ultimately, we simply stopped fighting, as if we no longer believed that what King died for was worth continuing to sacrifice and fight for. And for that, Dr. King, I am sorry. You left us with an example and a challenge to make a better world for our children. And we’ve failed you.

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The evidence shows that our failure is as complete as it is indisputable.  Nearly 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education, American education remains largely segregated by race, with black children bearing the brunt of failing public schools. We’re failing King in economic justice. Today, the wealth gap between African Americans and white Americans is wider than ever, and black-owned businesses remain largely excluded from economic power centers—from Hollywood and Silicon Valley to Wall Street and Madison Avenue. The quality of life for African Americans in our urban centers has hardly improved, and in many cases, has worsened, since many urban areas were destroyed by riots in the aftermath of King’s assassination. Sadly, in nearly every area, from healthcare outcomes to high school drop-out rates to entire generations of African Americans trapped in our prison system, the world we’re leaving to our children and grandchildren is no better than the one we inherited.

I was assigned by Sen. Robert Kennedy to assist Coretta Scott King with getting her slain husband’s body from Memphis to Atlanta. I know intimately the ultimate sacrifice that King made—based on the promise of future generations—so that we would have the opportunities that we enjoy today. It’s a promise we have failed to keep.

Our fight for freedom and justice is not over. We have not won. Memorials aside, my generation owes an apology to King for having dropped the baton, for not taking the torch he lit and running with it. Now, it is up to our children and grandchildren to continue the fight to ensure that King’s dream is deferred no longer, and that all African Americans, not just a select, privileged, or fortunate few, reach the promised land of freedom, equality, justice, and opportunity.

A tip for getting the most from your carry-on: “Choose bags that are square,” suggests Negrón. “Try to avoid bags with rounded edges, because you’re going to lose packing capacity.”

Other recommendations:
Swiss Army’s Victorinox NXT 5.0 Mobilizer: “This product is roughly $200 less than Tumi and has a front pocket that can store a 17-inch computer.”

Samsonite Black Label Cosmolite: A hard case from Samsonite’s premier line. “It’s not the hard case our parents owned. This is extremely light and durable.”

Rimowa Salsa Business Multiwheel: “This is also a hard case on four wheels but is made from polycarbonate, which makes it extremely strong and flexible, but also very light. Hard cases tend to hold up better if you do a lot of international travel.”

Packing
“The Eagle Creek Pack-It System offers different types of tubes and bags to organize everything from jewelry, toiletries, and electrical gadgets to socks, underclothing, sweaters, and suits,” says Negrón. “You can minimize wrinkles and maximize your packing capacity. They even have instructions on how to fold a shirt or blazer. Some of them can hold up to 10 days’ worth of garments—particularly if you know how to mix and match.”

The large system can hold between 12 and 15 items, including jackets and sweaters.
To handle all your liquids, GoToob makes squeezable silicon bottles in three sizes—all meeting the TSA’s carry-on requirement of 3 ounces or less. The award-winning travel bottles feature wide openings for easy filling, no-drip caps, and ID windows with pre-printed labels such as shampoo and lotion or a blank space to write your own.

Hand Luggage
The Briggs & Riley Large Shopping Tote [pictured in olive] is large enough to carry a number of different items, yet small enough to fit under a seat. “You can pack your laptop, iPad, a medium-size purse, and even an extra pair of shoes. It’s made from ballistic nylon, which makes it extremely durable. But all Briggs & Riley products have a lifetime guarantee in which they will repair products that are damaged.”

James Andrews, founder and CEO of Social People, a boutique social media marketing agency, offers the following tips to help you improve your chances of being found online and to provide a greater sense of who you are to hiring managers.

Include keywords. Because social media content lives everywhere on the Web, posts on your profiles are crucial for getting noticed by hiring managers. Within the content, you should find opportunities to reference your job title, skills, and industry-related keywords that hiring managers might be searching for. This applies to your Facebook updates, Twitter posts, blogs, bios, and Web content. For instance, your Twitter “bio” is actually your profile descriptor, and an important way to be found that is often overlooked.

Take advantage of Twitter lists. Twitter is great for fast access to job postings and career tips. It’s a lot easier, though, to follow and respond to tweets from recruiters and the human resources staff of companies you’re interested in if they’re all in one place. Lists group people based on a criterion: location, subject, industry, etc. Additionally, creating Twitter lists is another way to bring attention to your profile and get noticed by companies on the lookout for talent. Andrews recommends Listorious.com, a searchable directory of Twitter lists.

Find out who’s “talking” about you. Get on Social Mention.com, a search engine that allows for an intensive scan of user-generated social content such as Twitter updates, Facebook posts, blogs, comments, bookmarks, events, news, and videos across the globe. You can subscribe and choose to have mentions go directly to your e-mail or smartphone. You can also sign up for Google Alerts to see when your name is popping up in the news or on the Web.

Job: Musical Director and Band Leader, The Rosie Show

Responsibilities: Composition of music and conducting the band

Previous Position: Musical Director, Saturday Night Live

Talents: Songwriter, musician, producer, singer

A classically trained musician, Katreese Barnes began playing the piano at age 10. By age 14, after playing in a band her father managed, she believed she could make music her profession. Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, she has since collaborated with the best artists in pop, rock, and soul and has won two Emmys for Saturday Night Live musical numbers. She is currently the only African American female to lead a television band.

Collaborations: Barnes has toured with Sting, Mariah Carey, and Carly Simon, and has written for Roberta Flack and Chaka Khan, among many others.

Training: Barnes received private lessons for seven years from age 10. She has also studied voice, saxophone, and guitar. She recently began studying the fiddle. “The best education has been to work with great talent and great musicians along the way. Being in people’s bands you get to hone in closer to the things you need to be a working musician. Or you learn the kinds of things that are needed to support talent. One thing I would have never learned on my own is how to listen. You have to play with great people to learn to listen because you get the best feedback.” Barnes compares listening to great artists to sitting in on a great lecture: “You’re listening to someone who is very wise.”

Influences: “Roberta Flack is a great singer and a great musician. One of the things she’s mastered is her sense of phrasing—how she phrases a song. If you’re a piano player, you shouldn’t be just playing all the way through her phrasing, but listening to her and learning how to play to her phrasing. Sometimes when people have spent a long time practicing they just want to show off their chops, but it’s a conversation.”

Job Expectations: Barnes says general responsibilities for a musical director can range from teaching music to booking talent to, in her case, composing the music.

Skill Set: Part of her responsibility is leading the band in the instrumentation of guest artists. “I’m a quick study. What I learned at SNL is that I can compose a lot of music in a short amount of time and execute pretty well. Out of 40 sketches there can be eight pieces of music, which can range from a tongue-in-cheek musical number to a hip-hop track to a quick little jingle. And all of that has to be put together and rehearsed between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon.”

Advice for Aspiring Musicians: “Learning to read music is the bottom line for me. No matter how complex the music is, if someone brings me the score I can understand it. When you can read music, you can troubleshoot problems, you can get gigs, you can take on things last minute. If someone gets sick in a Broadway pit, if you can read you’ve got the job. You increase your chances of working and surviving in a very tough industry. Also understand music technology. People don’t spend what they used to spend [on music production in studios] because they know that things can be produced digitally for less money. You need a command of that today.”

The lesson Mixon learned is that every tenant should know his or her rights as a renter, and what to do in the case of infringement. These rights vary by local jurisdiction, so check with your tenant association, municipality’s website, state attorney general, or local HUD office, says Ron Leshnower, About.com’s Apartment Living/Rental guide and president of FairHousingHelper.com.

With more people renting homes and apartments, it is important that you know your rights since landlord–tenant disputes are common. In fact, the Fair Housing Council of Orange County, California, reports that 22,000 landlord–tenant disputes are resolved there each year. Among the most common disputes are repair and maintenance issues as well as unreturned security deposits, says Bill Deegan, executive director of Renter Nation, an organization that advocates for renters’ rights.

Common Rights Every Renter Should Know
The right to your security deposit. While a lease may require a security deposit, you should expect to get that money back when you move out if you haven’t caused any damage beyond reasonable wear and tear, says Leshnower.

The right to a fair eviction. Tenants should be given ample notice—typically 30 to 60 days—to vacate the premises. If a landlord does not follow that jurisdiction’s eviction rules and shuts off utilities, locks you out prematurely, or fails to go through the sheriff’s office, it’s called a ”self-help eviction,” which is illegal.

The right to safe and habitable living conditions. Tenants have the right to live in safe and sanitary conditions, such as buildings that are structurally sound with running hot and cold water. If a hazardous condition such as fire damage makes your apartment uninhabitable, you may have the right to break your lease, says Christal E. Edwards, a Largo, Maryland-based attorney.

The right to privacy. In most states, landlords must give tenants notice before entering their apartments unless it’s an emergency, such as a serious water leak. For example, in New York, if a landlord enters your premises to make repairs without giving you notice, your rights have been violated.

Fighting Back If Your Rights Are Violated
Put it in writing. Make your landlord aware of the problem. Send a certified letter. Explain your grievance and indicate what portion of your lease the landlord has violated, says Edwards. Also indicate a date when you expect your grievance to have been addressed.

Seek HUD help. If you suspect a landlord of breaking the Fair Housing Act, contact the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by filling out the housing discrimination form at www.hud.gov/complaints/housediscrim.cfm. HUD will
take on your case free of charge.

Get legal counsel. Hire a lawyer experienced with landlord–tenant issues plus Fair Housing law, says Akita M. Smith-Evans, an equal opportunity specialist investigator for the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights. Attorneys often charge $200 to $300 an hour, so it’s costly. A one-time consultation might help you determine what steps you can take on your own, or you may find an attorney willing to do pro-bono work to help you, Smith-Evans suggests. She also recommends contacting your local human rights or civil rights commission if you believe discrimination is involved.

Six Tips to Better Business Tweeting
1. Engage your followers and influencers. Tweeting is about building relationships. So, take time to retweet or reply to the posts of your followers—and the people you follow. Look for opportunities where you can offer help or advice. “Just because people are following you doesn’t mean they are engaging with you. Tweet resources that customers would find valuable,” suggests Richards. Also, “create Twitter lists for your customers. Be a curator of information.” Don’t overlook the back end of Twitter, adds Richards, so e-mail influential Twitter users to introduce your business or to keep them abreast of what’s going on to strengthen relationships and help generate business leads.

2. Mix it up. Your tweets should consist of links, status updates, breaking news, industry tidbits (especially about high-tech items, for example, the smartphones, monitors, of point-of-sale system you use), replies, and announcements about new products, services, or events, says Richards. Also, use Twitter to offer special discounts or run contests to attract and retain customers.

3. Use hashtags to promote events. You want people talking about your event. Also, ask to be the person being discussed in Tweetchats (Twitter conversations). Every Twitter conversation has a topic with a hashtag (#) and a time. Search for an industry-related topic. You can favorite tweets as well.

4. Use status update schedulers. It’s important for small businesses to get a tool that manages their social media communications, says Richards. Take advantage of status update schedulers for Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. HootSuite.com and CoTweet.com let you manage and monitor your social networks. Richards suggests releasing your tweets according to the schedule most bloggers follow: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., and 6 p.m. (Eastern time).

5. Tag your tweets. Ideally there should be one account used for your company, says Richards. Each tweet should be tagged with the sender’s initials so customers know who’s speaking—someone from marketing or sales and not just the person who manages the company’s Twitter account, she says.

6. Use twitter.com/search. Search what people are talking about in real time using keywords and phrases. Also, use Google Trends. To see what topics are trending in Twitter, go to Hashtags.org.

Location: Miami

Founders: Daniell “Danni” Washington and Michelle Swaby-Smith

Founded: September 2008

Program target: Boys and girls ages 6 to 18 from all races with a primary focus on communities of color

Program mission: To inspire and empower today’s youth to become stewards of Earth and guardians of the oceans through service learning, visual arts, and media.

Annual cost to run program: Approximately $65,000 per year

How they receive funding: Contest and fellowship awards and small local grants from different agencies and organizations

Short-term goal: Create and build upon programs and events for children and their families focused on ocean conservation using art and media as the main platform of communication.

Long-term goal: Washington would like to develop, launch, and host a nationally syndicated television show for children about marine life.

Ever since she was in pig tails, marine biologist Daniell “Danni” Washington has been in love with the ocean—an interest supported and nurtured early on by her mother, Michelle Swaby-Smith, who remembers her 6-year-old declaring during a killer whale show at SeaWorld that she wanted to be a whale trainer when she grew up. Just a few years later, Washington won a competition to name a baby dolphin at the Miami Seaquarium and spent two days swimming with the friendly mammals. “It was wonderful,” recalls Washington’s mother. “This of course really fueled her fire to continue pursuing her passion.”

Washington attended the University of Miami, where she had lengthy internships with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at its Southeast Fisheries Science Center, and spent a year with the Pew Institute for Ocean Conservation Science, both in Virginia Key, Florida. She graduated in 2008 and just a few weeks later entered Roxy Surfwear’s Follow Your Heart Tour contest during which she expressed interest in creating a television show for kids about ocean conservation. Washington won and used the $10,000 prize money to create The Big Blue & You Foundation (www.thebigblueandyou.com) in September 2008.

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News of her victory led to her first post-college gig with Untamed Science, where she gained on-camera and script writing experience, and learned how to explain science to young people. Now 25, Washington provides youth in her native Miami and surrounding communities with a similar exposure to marine life as CEO of the organization she co-founded with her mother. Through community programs and events, Washington works with roughly 1,700 students annually, encouraging them to become guardians of the planet by increasing their awareness and becoming more conscientious about environmental sustainability, and about their role as global citizens. “Since the oceans are the source for more than 50% of the oxygen that we breathe, food, and countless types of recreation, we must move forward in educating youth to protect this critical resource,” she explains.

Untamed Science helped prepare Washington for one of The Big Blue & You Foundation’s signature programs. The One Water Workshop is a five-day filmmaking program through a partnership with Miami World Cinema Center Inc., where students created their own public service announcements about water and worked on a mini-documentary about the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which won an award from the National Council for Science and the Environment.

Vilma Sooknanan, 17, first participated in the One Water Workshop in 2010 and recently became the chair of the foundation’s seven-member Youth Advisory Board. “With a program like this more kids my age will be interested in science. This in turn may change the career paths for individuals,” Sooknanan explains.

Sooknanan is just one of the more than 5,000 youth in South Florida that The Big Blue & You has worked with since its inception. There are also 10 consistent volunteers. Ideally, Washington would like to have five to seven staffers including a grant writer, marketing professional, and fundraiser to give the organization the power to expand. “With more staff we could work on multiple things at the same time and really expand our reach beyond South Florida to the rest of the United States,” says Washington, noting a goal of reaching youth in urban communities that may not be around large bodies of water.

In late September, Washington was one of 40 fellows who participated in the TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Program, a five-year initiative sponsored by Toyota and the National Audubon Society, designed to help environmental leaders become more proficient. The selection also netted her $10,000 to invest in the foundation. “We believe that children hold the key to a brighter future,” she says, “and have the power to be the lead messengers of this ‘blue’ movement.”

Pam McCullough, director of the nursing program at Stratford University’s Woodbridge, Virginia, campus, says that a wide variety of opportunities are available for professionals with nursing credentials. “You can change your job and stay in nursing,” she explains. “You can work three years on a pediatric floor and three years on the intensive care open-heart floor, and they’re totally different jobs, but you’re still building the career.” But work doesn’t have to be confined to bedside care.

Administration: McCullough suggests looking at management and administrative positions in hospitals, medical centers, homecare agencies, and hospices. She says there are also opportunities at health and insurance companies. “The nurse is helpful because they have to know the disease process or the extent of injury, or determine the degree of disability.”

Health Educator: In this area nurses could position themselves to educate the public. “She or he can teach in the community, [such as in] churches and community centers, teaching patients about understanding medication, lifestyle changes, or dietary changes.”

Health Writer: Forums for writers may include health magazines, trade publications, blogs, health-related companies, books, and journals. McCullough says studying at the doctorate level and attaining a doctorate of nursing practice, or DNP, could increase the opportunity to become a media medical expert. “Nurse practitioners focus on health promotion and maintenance of wellness. So being a health educator and providing information to the public is very much what a nurse practitioner does.”

School Nurse: These professionals maintain the health of students in school, managing everything from allergies to illness to accidents. “School nurses are often very, very busy. There’s often just one nurse in the school.” Schools used to accept licensed practical nurse (LPN) credentials, but now most school nurses are required to be RNs, says McCullough.

Teaching: Instructing nursing students is another option for those who prefer a non-medical environment. At that level, McCullough says, a master’s degree is required.

NURSING NOTES

• According to Pam McCullough, there are now two doctorate options for nurses: DNP for hands-on clinical and a Ph.D., which is better suited for those interested in research.
• The average age of the RN population in the United States is 47 years, according to the 2008 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses conducted by the Health Resources and Services Administration.
• The average annual salary for an RN with a graduate degree is $87,363.
• Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) have the highest earnings of all employed nurses, averaging $154,221 annually.

So scrap that list of empty promises. The sure-fire way to achieve all your objectives is actually quite simple: This year commit to developing a positive attitude. Despite these uncertain times, stop caving into defeatism before even entering the arena. Bring energy and brilliance to each and every situation instead of allowing your life to be consumed by doubt and darkness. Remember the lyrics to that old ditty: Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.

I recently talked with a good friend and business associate regarding how too many of our entrepreneurial and executive colleagues seem willing to put their livelihoods in the hands of others, accepting whatever fate is dealt them, and resigning themselves to the inevitability of defeat. To me, failure is never an option.

Let me set the record straight: Just because I’m a dyed-in-the-wool optimist doesn’t mean I’m a Pollyanna wearing rose-colored glasses. I choose to surround myself with a network of positive people and admire those individuals who seek out possibilities and forge ahead without excuses. I take great pride in believing I’m equipped with everything I need—drive, intellect, health—to maximize personal and professional success. I thank God every  morning for another chance to make today better than yesterday.

Over the years, I have chosen to adopt the mental attitude of a champion excited to snag opportunities from challenges, fully confident I have the God-given abilities to eventually achieve my goals. You must develop this level of confidence whether you run a business, seek employment, or invest in today’s volatile market.

As an entrepreneur, being positive will allow you to realize greater productivity and profitability. I have never met a successful organization with a downbeat CEO at its helm. Enthusiasm is infectious and energizing. People are motivated by leaders who possess a vision for a better tomorrow.

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Any job hunter who isn’t upbeat will get steamrolled in this tough environment. Take black enterprise, for example. Any prospect who walks into my office for an interview with bowed head, drooped shoulders, and lethargic posture will wind up hitting the pavement in 9.7 seconds; the body language betrays insecurities that can’t be glossed over by either a sterling résumé or gold-plated recommendation. I would only consider hiring a highly skilled, polished candidate whose passionate presentation communicates that he or she is the power hitter I need to strengthen my executive bench.

As for investing, it’s true you must be knowledgeable about the market. However, you must also have a positive outlook to help drive long-term decisions to secure your family’s financial future. It starts, of course, with a change in mindset. For instance, if you’re drowning in debt and haven’t taken any serious corrective action, you will never regain your financial footing. Conversely, if you’re too conservative to invest then you will never realize the potential capital gains that ultimately produce a life laden with options. Quite frankly, maintaining the status quo often represents your worst financial position.

So let’s make a fresh start in 2012 with an uncompromising belief that we deserve the best from life. I’m here to tell you that any and all aspirations are well within your reach. All it takes is developing a positive attitude.

Network for Teaching EntrEpreneurship (NFTE)
This fall in New York City, Hayley Hoverter of Los Angeles was named Best Young Entrepreneur at the 2011 NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge, a partner of Black Enterprise. Hoverter won the $10,000 grand prize from MasterCard and $5,000 from the Coleman Entrepreneurial Scholarship Program for presenting her business, Sweet (dis)SOLVE. With prestigious judges such as Daymond John, founder and CEO of FUBU; Tina Wells, founder and CEO of Buzz Marketing Group; and BE’s own Alfred Edmond Jr. and Elayne Fluker, these young entrepreneurs proved to be in good hands.