We asked. You answered. According to the results of the BlackEnterprise.com Businessperson of the Century poll, your selections for the top black business luminaries of the 20th century range from publishers to lawyers to civil rights activists. But they all have one thing in common: the entrepreneurial spirit. Six hundred and nine of you responded to our poll, making your selections from a list of 25 notable African American entrepreneurs. The poll was posted on our Website in January, and it ran for approximately one month.
Some pioneers who received honorable mention include: Robert Sengstacke Abbott, founder of the Chicago Defender, at one time the nation’s largest black newspaper; Mel Farr, CEO of the nation’s largest black-owned auto dealership, Mel Farr Automotive Group in Detroit (the nation’s largest black-owned auto dealership with 1999 sales of $432.4 million); and Henry Parks Jr., the late founder and CEO of Parks Sausage Co. in Baltimore, one of the first black companies to publicly trade on the Nasdaq composite index. Also, some readers wrote in nominees that include: Michael Jordan, Malcolm X, and Sean “Puffy†Combs. The consensus from you is that all of these visionaries have had a powerful impact on how black businesses are viewed today.
As we celebrate our 30th year, we, too, celebrate the luminaries of black business for their contributions to the American business landscape. As you read on, let these stories empower and encourage you to continue in the footsteps of these great trailblazers. Here are your top picks, in inverse order, for the most important black business leaders of the 20th century. (Berry Gordy and Arthur “A.G.†Gaston tied for 10th place):
(1929- ) The Originator. He created the “Motown sound†in the Motor City using clean, fun, rhythm & blues songs from artists such as Smokey Robinson, the Jackson 5, and the Four Tops. Born in Detroit, Gordy’s big break in the music industry came in the 1950s, when he began writing songs for local R&B acts, acquiring a reputation as a songwriter and producer. He formed the musical empire Motown in 1959, overseeing all of its operations from a Detroit house dubbed “Hitsville U.S.A.†Motown’s first big hit was “Way Over There†by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. Gordy says, “Hitsville had an atmosphere that allowed people to experiment creatively and gave them the courage not to be afraid to make mistakes.†During Gordy’s reign from 1959 to 1988, Motown generated hundreds of hit singles, and in 1966, the company’s “hit ratio†– the percentage of records released that made the national charts – reached 75%, an astounding figure. Gordy was inducted into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 for his outstanding achievements in the music industry.
(1892-1996) The Pioneer. Named be’s Entrepreneur of the Century in 1992, Gaston, then 100 years old (some say he was older), was still sharp enough to head the Booker T. Washington Insurance Co. in Birmingham, Alabama. Gaston started the insurance company in 1923, when naysayers claimed that black men couldn’t run businesses. He eventually owned or controlled nine corporations with combined assets of more than $35 million. Gaston was instrumental in the civil rights movement. Although he wasn’t on the front lines (and was often criticized because of this), he housed civil rights leaders at his motel in Birmingham, the only one where blacks could stay. Gaston used money as an effective means to fight discrimination. In response to the criticism, Gaston wrote in his autobiography: “I was convinced it was now time to go to the conference table instead of the streets to try to settle differences. If wanting to spare children, save lives, bring peace is Uncle Tomism, then I wanted to be a Super Uncle Tom.†In recognition of Gaston’s contributions, Black Enterprise created the A.G. Gaston Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors individuals who have a consistent record of business success.
(1887-1940) The Crusader. In 1914, Garvey founded and was the charismatic leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (U.N.I.A.). Its mission was to correct the injustices suffered by blacks everywhere. How? By building a strong economic base so that blacks could be self-sufficient. The U.N.I.A. led to the development of several businesses, including the Black Star Line, the Negro Factories Corp., and the Negro World. The U.N.I.A. succeeded in educating blacks about their history and inner strength. For many blacks, Garvey’s vision represented a way to bulldoze the systematic barriers in America. In 1922, the legend of Garvey’s work was distorted when he was convicted of mail fraud and sentenced to five years in prison. After receiving an early release from prison, he was deported to his homeland, Jamaica. To revive the U.N.I.A., he headed for England to make a new start. He died in 1940, but his death was not in vain. With his death, his work was widely recognized and acknowledged by leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
(1941-1996) The Strategist. Born in Washington, D.C., Brown grew up in New York’s Harlem, the son of Howard University graduates. He
was appointed secretary of commerce in 1993 after his success with handling the Clinton campaign as well as in his role as the chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 1989, making him the first African American to head a major American political party. Brown got his start in politics while working for the National Urban League in New York. He held various positions at the NUL, including those of general counsel, Washington spokesperson, and deputy executive director. He was elected district leader of the Democratic party in 1971. Brown held various political positions throughout his lifetime and served in the Army. He also held a law degree from St. John’s University School of Law in New York. His greatest political achievement was to unify the Democratic Convention in 1988, which led to his position on the committee. Brown died in a plane crash in Croatia.(1935- ) The Titan. As founder and publisher of black enterprise magazine, the leading authority on black business in America, Graves is the voice of black business. He began his mission 30 years ago, in New York, with a group of business leaders that included Shirley Chisholm and John Lewis. Together, they wrote in the magazine’s premier issue, “We feel that the health – indeed the survival – of this nation will depend upon the extent to which our ethnic minorities will participate and profit from its economic system.†Today, Black Enterprise magazine has a circulation of more than 300,000 and a readership of 3.1 million. Graves is chairman of Earl G. Graves Ltd., the parent company of Black Enterprise and many other company holdings. In recognition of his support for entrepreneurial education, including a $1 million gift to advance business education, Grave’s alma mater, Morgan State University in Baltimore, renamed its school of business and management the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management. Today, Graves continues to support black businesses by speaking out against racial injustice through speeches, protests, and lobbying.
(1921-2009) The Communicator. As a descendant of entrepreneurs (both his father and grandfather were businessmen), Sutton took a mom-and-pop radio station and created Inner City Broadcasting Corp. in New York in 1972, and built a multimillion-dollar broadcasting and media giant. Sutton ultimately became chairman emeritus of the company. Inner City’s products include cable TV, TV production, and radio stations, among them New York City’s WLIB-AM and WLIB-FM, later renamed WBLS, which hovers at the top of New York City’s ratings. Education was key in Sutton’s household, where he was schooled by
his family as well as in the traditional classroom. A lawyer by trade, Sutton set up a law practice with his brother, Oliver, in Harlem. He and his family were also on the front lines of the civil rights movement, setting up protests, boycotts, and freedom rides – anything to advance the black cause in America. After 11 years of politicking, Sutton was elected to the New York Assembly, and in 1969 he was elected Manhattan borough president, one of the most powerful positions in the city.(1918-2005) The Innovator. In 1942, Johnson used his mother’s furniture as collateral to secure a $500 loan to start the publication Negro Digest, the forerunner to Ebony magazine. To build the magazine’s circulation, Johnson presold subscriptions, and subsequently asked friends to request it at newsstands. He parlayed his dream of publishing “a magazine of Negro comment†into a “black gold mine.†Johnson ultimately became chairman and CEO of Johnson Publishing Co. Inc. in Chicago, the largest black-owned publishing and cosmetics company in the world. Its revenues in 1999 were $387 million. Johnson sees the world as full of small battles rather than major wars. He says, “I always advise young people to dream small dreams, because small dreams can be achieved, and once you achieve a small dream and a small success, it gives you confidence to go on to the next big step.â€
(1856-1915) The Educator. Born in slavery on a tobacco farm in Piedmont, Virginia, Washington’s life was shaped by the African American quest for education and equality and the post-Civil War struggle over political participation. As a youngster, Washington went to school not for an education but to carry the books of his slave master’s children. At the time, it was illegal to educate slaves. “I had the feeling that to get into a schoolhouse and study would be about the same as getting into paradise,†he wrote. The cornerstone of Washington’s philosophy was self-reliance born of hard work. Washington walked as much as 500 miles from West Virginia to Virginia to attend Hampton Institute, which at the time was a new school for black students. In 1881, Washington founded Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), and was recognized as the nation’s foremost black educator.
(1954- ) The Beacon. As producer and host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Winfrey reaches an estimated 14 million viewers daily and millions more in 132 other countries. Winfrey uses her long reach to help viewers improve their lives and their world. She is chairman of the Harpo Entertainment Group in Chicago, and in this capacity has the distinction of being the only African American woman in TV and film to own her own production studio. Winfrey is also an actress – she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in The Color Purple – and a philanthropist – who established the “world’s largest piggy bank†on her show as a way to send disadvantaged kids to college. In 1998, Winfrey partnered with the producers of Roseanne and the head of the cable network Nickelodeon to form Oxygen Media Inc., a cable channel and interactive network for women. In April, she launched O, The Oprah Magazine, in a joint venture with Hearst Magazines. The magazine is a personal growth guide for women. Oprah has her finger on America’s pulse.
(1969-1993) The Groundbreaker. Lewis set an historic precedent with the $985 million leveraged buyout of TLC Beatrice International Foods Cos. in 1987. At the time, the deal was the largest offshore transaction ever, and with $1.8 billion in gross sales, TLC Beatrice became the first black-owned company to gross $1 billion in sales. As CEO of the company, Lewis built an empire in the food processing industry. Lewis’ untimely death in 1993 rocked the business world, but TLC carried on under the leadership of Lewis’ wife, Loida. In 1993, Lewis’ alma mater, Harvard University Law School, dedicated the Reginald F. Lewis International Law Center to Lewis of the graduating class of 1968. The center is the first major facility at Harvard named after an African American. In 1997, after assessing several business models, TLC’s management team made the decision to sell its French Food business, which accounted for two-thirds of the company’s revenues. In 1999, the company liquidated the remaining assets and sold its shares back to investors.
(1867-1919) The Entrepreneur. Born Sarah Breedlove in 1867 in Delta, Louisiana, Walker was the daughter of former slaves. From her beginnings as an uneducated farm laborer and laundress, she transformed her life, becoming one of the most successful businesswomen of the 20th century. Walker is widely reported to be the first self-made African American millionaire. She made her fortune through a haircare products company targeted to the African American community. Once asked what was the secret of her success, Walker responded: “There is no royal flower-strewn path to success. . . If I have accomplished anything in life, it is because I have been willing to work hard.â€
Originally published in the August 2000 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.