The book is so dynamic that we chose to use the excerpt as our cover story. And though I don't agree with all the opinions offered by the author Cora Daniels, I understand. I understand her sarcastic remarks about corporate America's acceptance of African American professionals. I understand her questioning the generation gap between the "ground-breakers" and the "post Civil Rights generation." I understand her broaching the relevance of African American leadership. I understand and I thank her for being a forward-thinker. Regardless of my agreement or disagreement with any of her opinions I understand her desire to salute the achievements of African Americans, specifically the NV generation of movers & shakers. Ms. Daniels is a perceptive writer who realizes that the pace of social change in America has been grudgingly slow, that we have created our own opportunities and we have converted adversity into creativity and opportunity. She recognizes, that segregation created hard work and dedication, that double standards generated excellence, that the slow pace of change created self-reliance, and that the glass ceiling led to creativity. Ms. Daniels feels that African Americans have created their opportunities out of the oppressive conditions in which they have been forced to survive. As a member of the post Civil Rights generation and an entrepreneur I understand and I thank her.

To the Almighty, my staff and all who believe in the power of vision, I thank you.
With Vision, Kyle Donovan, kdonovan@nvmagazine.com
"everyone dreams, but few have vision"

I would like to initiate my review of Cora Daniels' Black Power Inc. by eluding to a quote attributed to Malcolm X, too Black...too strong. That is how this book struck me. Cora Daniels has delivered a book that may turn out to be just that for some readers. She has trumpeted the wake-up call for those of us working on the corporate plantation.

Daniels, a staff writer for Fortune Magazine, brings forth a book that is relentless in its pursuit of the truth. This project actually began with the research for the cover story "The 50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America" (July 22, 2002 issue of Fortune Magazine) Black Power Inc. is a collection of interviews and commentaries from arguably some of the most powerful Black corporate figures in America. Daniels delivers a fascinating revelation about the revolution that has changed addresses from "uptown" to downtown. The integrity of over 10 years of investigative journalism and her ability to bond with her interviewees stands as a testament to her profession (Is Jayson Blair in the house?).

Black Power Inc. peels back the façade of mannequin smiles covering for the racial equality propaganda so prevalent in today's corporate rhetoric. Daniels reveals how far some of the post-Civil Rights generation has come and discloses how very far they still must go to get to the promised land of racial equality. She discusses openly how the civil rights movement has allowed African-Americans to accomplish more than our parents could have dreamt. It has created a business collective where the color of skin is made so strenuously unimportant that it actually becomes the most important thing of all. It begets a classic demonstration of when anyone tries so hard not to think of something the inverse causes everyone to focus on it even more.

There was a fear nothing attitude amongst the subjects interviewed in Black Power Inc. The open discussions about the ripple effects caused by their color were efficacious. The illustrations of covert racism in the everyday work place will strike a cord with many African Americans. Racism that is so inadvertent, yet so blatant, that it leaves nameless victims infuriated at the ignorance of its brutality. The most poignant, but subtle example of this is in Chapter One. It is a story of Susan Chapman, a senior finance executive and director of global real estate, who happens to have a boss named James Crowe. Chapman was shocked after learning that neither her boss nor his staff recognized the connotation of James' preference to being called Jim. They literally were completely dumbfounded by the reference to the name Jim Crow(e).

The subject of racism is only a slice of this pie in the sky. Daniels' uncovers the new definition of Black Power and what are the criteria of wielding such power. She also discusses women's place in this modern corporate dream scheme and predicts them to be the next power brokers.

The most important subject Daniels taps into with her interview participants is the future of executives of color. This brainstorm amongst the neo-Black Power leaders is alone worth buying the book. It is not a "how to succeed in a world of colorless people while maintaining your hue in the meantime", but its close. A blueprint of what "a balla, da real shot calla"actually looks like.

This book is a must have for anyone who thinks they know the rules of the game. Black Power Inc. will institute its self as a testament to the only way to "fight the power" is to become the power. Daniels has gone a long way to distinguish that the battlefield has moved to the boardroom. And quite frankly, we are running short on true soldier.
Reviewed by Rondall Brasher, African American Literature Book Club

Don't let the title fool you. The subject of this book has more to do with the politics of power between generations of black folk than with black fundamentalism. Fortune magazine reporter Cora Daniels tackles the issues that surround a new class of black power brokers. Sometimes the challenge is as plain as black and white. Other times, they're conflicts amid the different generations of black folk.

Perhaps the most accurate juxtaposition of the generation gap is the two quotes that begin one of the chapters: One is by Richard Parsons, Time Warner chief executive. The other is spoken by Bill Jordan, a 30-year-old Wells Fargo vice president. The elder Parsons says today's younger blacks don't carry the burden of being "a credit to your race." Jordan says the burden of being an "only" still remains. Even today.

Many times, between the lines of newspaper columns and the jargon of talk show debate, it's easy for the younger, less vocal perspectives to become lost in the fray. Daniels wins big by introducing new points of view to address the well-known problems of black professionals. From the challenges of "working while black" ("I don't want to wake up and be 45...and have to think about how I got pimped.") and the concept of Moving Beyond Rage to pushing away the idea of traditional black leadership ("If there is truly a hole in Black leadership, each of us in this generation has to become a leader, one by one."), she succeeds in telling the stories of struggle and promise often lying below the radar.
Monét Cooper, Atlanta Tribune

"Black Power Inc. is a poignant and penetrating examination of the attitudes, aspirations, and lingering ambivalence of the post—Civil Rights generation, which is the best educated and most accomplished in the annals of the African-American community. This generation is thriving as never before in the fiercely competitive American mainstream where race both matters and doesn't matter. At the same time, it is struggling mightily to reconcile its collective responsibility for the 'have-nots' among us with its hell-bent determination to become securely ensconced among society's 'haves'."
Hugh B. Price, Senior Advisor, Piper Rudnick LLP and former President of the National Urban League

"It is a striking reality that our rising Black business and political leaders have been reared after legal segregation and the public protests against it. But Black Power Inc. vividly illustrates that more covert forms of discrimination still exist, and that the post—Civil Rights generation has not shirked its responsibility to continue the struggle. But this time, it's from within. If you are a twenty- or thirty- something Black professional, you'll want to give this book to your supervisor and say 'This is how I feel!' Daniels captures the aspirations, successes, frustrations, and determinations of this new generation in a way that is wonderfully entertaining, yet powerfully serious."
Mary Pattillo, author of Black Picket Fences: Privilege and Peril Among the Black Middle Class

"Cora Daniels understands something that a lot of others who are still stuck in a time warp do not; she understands that 'gettin' money,' for Black people born in the post—Civil Rights era, is a political act of the highest order. From the 'hood to Wall Street and everywhere in between, Black Power Inc. knows that it's 'all about money, ain't a damn thing funny!' Don't sleep, read this book!"
Dr. Todd Boyd, Professor of Critical Studies at University of Southern California and author of Young Black Rich and Famous and The New H.N.I.C.

"Step firmly into the minds and hearts of our twenty-first-century African-American leaders with Cora Daniels. Look into their world. Hear their voices. Allow them to help us raise the bar and strive for greater collective success."
Paula A. Banks, SVP, Global Diversity/Inclusion & Organizational Partnerships, PepsiCo