Good evening. Good evening to everyone. Thank you for coming. On behalf of our director and our staff i would like to welcome you to the institute of African American affairs at new york university. My name is joan harris and im the associate director here at the institute. Discussion is breaking the color barrier in Corporate America. It is based on the book, the real pepsi challenge by Stephanie Capparell. It is special to me personally and to the institute politically. Thanks to Stephanie Capparell , we can feel included about paying an overdue debt of gratitude. I would like to start by telling you how this came about. I am a native of philadelphia, pennsylvania. For years my godfather who lived in the about worked in new york city would drive me home to philadelphia on weekends to see my mother. My godfather is now long retired but during those years of trips i would listen to numerous ,tories about his work life what it was like to be one of the first black executives in a big corporation. He talked about the early days, back in the day, the days of segregation, of being a salesman in the south, how in those days all black people from the biggest named entertainers to the traveling salesman knew and respected each other. How the closest segregation and the need to stay with black families, there was a camaraderie in the black community that he says is missing today. He talked about the more recent past, how having worked hard to achieve within a company, he witnessed how many black executives are still given short shifts. Not given deserved promotions, fewer stock options, and basic opportunities than white counterparts. We might ask ourselves during the discussion if this is the challenge in the title of the book. January, before it was reviewed in the press, i heard just the tail end, a minute or minute and 30 seconds of a radio interview. The voices i heard, those of two gentlemen who stories are told in the book, those voices were instantly familiar to me, resonated with me. They were telling the same stories that i have been hearing for years and years from my godfather on trips home to philadelphia. Growing up in a tiny suburb of philadelphia one of the names heard in my family Social Circle was Harvey Russell. I didnt know who he was or what he had achieved. I just that he was held in high regard. Today i know that Harvey Russell was the first black american to earn the position of Vice President of a Major International company, pepsicola, the year was 1962. Today we are all conditioned by modern media equation of celebrity and fame with who is important and what is important. It is easy to forget, to overlook the history making heroism of thousands of unknown, quiet regular people. The socalled strivers of the black middle class. Without whom the Civil Rights Movement would not have been possible. 1940, seven years before Jackie Robinson changed the face of baseball, a group of africanamerican businessman held change the face of american business, hired by pepsicola company in queens, among the first black americans to work at professional jobs in Corporate America and target black consumers as a distinct market. They chipped away at longstanding media stereotypes, they face down jim crow laws and fought to ensure africanamericans were recognized as both talented and valued customers. Their persistent fight pave the way for generations to come. Unsungthese 12 pioneers, heroes of the Civil Rights Movement lived to tell their story in the real pepsi challenge. We are honored to have one of them here tonight. Jean emmons and the author Stephanie Capparell. That book was awarded the National Press club media criticism award dinner articles on the media and africanamerican art and coulter have appeared in numerous publications. The new york times, washington post, essence, and architects. To begin our discussion and introduce our guests here is pamela newkirk. [applause] pamela good evening and thank you for being here. Thank you to our panelists who i will introduce. To my far right is stephanie l author of the real pepsi challenge. Marketplace the page editor for that paper. Leadershipor of lessons from the grant antarctic explorer. To my right is dr. Jean emmons, one of the pioneers at cap see the early 1950s. He has an interesting history we would hear about tonight. He holds an mba from the university of chicago which he earned in 1948, which was unheard of back then. He is going to talk to us about the rocky road to pepsi armed with an mda. After he left, he went on to earn a masters degree in education, landed a principals job, became dean of education at Ohio State University and earned his doctorate in education. Lets get started first with stephanie. Tell us what the pepsi challenge is and what led you to that challenge. Stephanie the challenge was finding the beginnings of the africanamerican pioneers in Corporate America. To not onlye was let them through the door but to find a way in which they could be integrated into the corporation as a whole. It was an experiment of course. An experiment that had a mixed results. Us what it was like going to pepsi at that early point where they were just beginning to diversify. First, tell us about the rocky road to pepsi, even with an mba. I had a very unusual experience. I grew up in a family, black family where my father was a waiter and my mother was a schoolteacher. We were always taught this is yours. , and the world is i always believed that. The only way that you fail if you decide youre going to, i went to a school that was all white, and a high school that was all black. I had some fantastic experiences at both places. I wanted to enter the field of business because my dad always said it is therefore you. If you dont get it it is your fault. I remember that i went to northwestern. To attend the university of chicago. I had an unusual experience. I went in august to apply for the fall quarter. To my amazement. Registrationed the in april. I talked to the young lady and she said do you think you can pass the test. I can ace any test you produce. She produced the test. I aced the test. It looks too good. We take another . I said yes. I aced that test. If you keep your mouth shut, i will see that you get into the university. Back in those days you could do things like that because there were not computers and whatnot. She slipped my name into the file. Get intoow i happen to the university of chicago. I never had a sponsor. I never had anyone to put their arms around me and tell me anything. Took what they said i would need to lead up to a degree. In finance. Egree i took courses. Things were rough in those days. Encourage me all the way. The tuition was more than his monthly ceremony salary. I dont how he did it but he always came up. When things were tough i went to work mopping floors in the evening and running the elevator , selling insurance for an Insurance Company called jackson mutual homicide. The secondr forget quarter the dean called me in. I made a be and to ds. He said with your record, i dont see how its possible you could make grades like this. He said nobody can do that here. He said i tell you what im going to do. If you quit your jobs and study hard we believed weve will lead you in, and not have to expel you. I didnt tell him i didnt quit the mopping job. I could get up early the next morning and go to class. My favorite lunch was tina butter on cornbread. But i ended up with honors. Pamela and you had your mba and you talked about how while your classmates were talking about all of the job interviews they were doing and all the calls they were getting from corporations, your phone wasnt ringing. Never rang. One day they were talking, did no,talk to general motors, about what. They are interviewing. And they are hiring. I said really . Make a long story short, i went. Ver he said what do you want. I said im here and im graduating. I have honors. I would like to be interviewed. They said they dont want anyone like you. It was really shocking because i wasnt prepared for that conversation. No, you must allow some of these people to talk with me. He said no, im not. Get out of here. Dont come back. You are messing up my program. I left there went to the chancellor of the university who pamela the head of the hutchins commission. Jean right. The secretary asked me how can i help you. I said i need to speak with the chancellor. She said what is the problem. I told her. She said wait a minute. She spoke with him. The next two minutes, he got up and came and said come into my office. He said i dont believe this is happening at this university. Well, it is. I believe that i could find employment and so myself. Platinum record in everything. So he said you will receive interviews. I received day or so a call for an interview. Mr. Calvin said i know what you did. Im going to fix you. I will get you. Interview. The one fellow told me i dont know if i should tell you this. If you ever mention it im three. He was from a firm i cant mention. He said mr. Calvin warned us you had gone to the chancellor, and losehe was maybe going to mov his job. And if he hired you he was going to see that you never got to the end and we would be fired. You will never be hired. That is the way it is. That is what happened. It was devastating. Tell usbefore pepsi, what you did and how the pepsi job came about. Jean there wasnt a job to be had anyplace. I was too black to be an executive. I was too educated tomorrow. I didnt know what i was going to do. In the meantime i met a person who was dean of the college of universityt southern. She offered me a job to be a professor. I went south and tots. I like the idea of Teaching College but i was nearly lynched twice because i didnt know how to behave myself in the south. I came back north. Still there was no opening. The University Still did not help me like they help in these days. I beheld a fellow i knew who a fellow wasay coming through from the pepsicola company and they were looking for men to join the crew of salesman. I was thrilled. Pamela he was africanamerican . Jean he was africanamerican. , bill payne, we were interviewed. There were 6070 fellows there. We made it. He only hired three. I was thrilled. I never believed anything like this would ever happen because i was so disillusioned. I had done everything i was supposed to do. There were no openings. Lo and behold after i signed up and was on my way to new york, the American Friends Service committee, back in those days they did a lot of work under the table to help African Americans to get positions and industries. Positionneered a interview with the Ford Motor Company. I was accepted into their program. Now i had a problem. I had accepted pepsicola and on the way in Ford Motor Company said you may come into our program. I decided to stick with pepsicola. I had made the promise and i was a person that once i promised, i fought to fulfill the promise. Me. Was a turning thing for from chicago we flew into new york and began a series of fantastic experiences under mr. Iyd, who was a fantastic man, met walter mack, the chief executive officer of pepsicola. Everything was wonderful. That is how it began. Pamela your book traces the targeting of blacks as a market, and also the targeting of african ancestor did americans. As employees. What about the promotion of blacks as executives at that time . It was quite rare to have any employees that were wearing a suit and tie and a company. Walter mack was a visionary for thinking through hires and as well as to target the markets. And was always a chance of a huge reaction. Any company seen as pandering to blacks, hiring them are selling to them could be the subject of a boycott. It was quite a big deal that these men gave them business cards and have them represent pepsicola company. America being very segregated in the 1940s, he never expected them to do more than sell to the africanamericans. That is what they did. Didnt really have an avenue for the higher echelons of the company. Alongere taking a seat the white salesman with not quite as good salaries but having similar jobs and treated with respect inside the company for the most part. Jean tell us about the Public Perception tell us about the Public Perception. I read about the way that black press in particular really cheered you on. Jean first the concept was fantastic. I want all of you to realize that under this american system of high segregation in the north created fine black neighborhoods that were selfsufficient. Having salesman of the same race to promote a product was the idea of genius, and helped pepsi rise from one rent to another. Subordinate had worked with mr. Mac, there is no telling what would have happened. It was fantastic. We were received as celebrities. Andould go into a community was great. We met everyone. The black community was so selfcontained you would have doctors, lawyers, dentists, barbers. Beauticians. Companies, gas stations. Everything you can think of. When i was assigned to columbus, ohio i thought it was a fantastic community. I was very successful. The schools were highly segregated. Elementaryur schools. Principle of the Junior High School was like a czar. That helped our cause. When you went into the community and he to, whatever you wanted. You can place a machine at the elementary schools. In those days we had separate ymcas. Time in thoserful days developing the concept of shifting your coke preference from coke cola to pepsicola. Nut. A i had pepsi all over the house. If i came into your house and you had cocacola, i went nuts. You had to have some pepsicola. We promoted and promoted. We also have black newspapers. They were powerful forces. Black ministers were powerful forces. I had a wonderful time. Operationgned to the that had its headquarters in columbus, ohio. Detroit, cleveland, youngstown, toledo, cincinnati, louisville, indianapolis. Populationsvy black with fine neighborhoods that were selfcontained. Just drivene cocacola out of business. But i had a man that was a former coke man brought into the company and he hated africanamericans. He thought we were next to nothing. Thatragedy of the thing is when the Center Office assigned ,ean ammons to this operation we were the first assignees because they thought we would do the type of job that would propel this operation to on thought of heights. It happened in chicago but it didnt happen in columbus, ohio theuse he let me know that nerve of them sending Something Like me into his office, and that is the relationship we had until i couldnt take it any longer. Left. I quit but i was really fired the day i walked in. I tried to call new york. They decentralize the operation. He became a Regional Sales force. A local bottler wanted to hire me. You will not believe this. Jewishal beidler was a fellow. He called me in his Office One Day and said let me tell you something. Do you know what your manager is doing . You tell me some things that were shocking. I went up to south bend and the Palmer Family and they told me the same thing. I said i cant believe this. He wouldnt let anyone go to detroit or cleveland. So i had to leave. That was my experience. Out therere there any is where you are being undermined or had roadblocks because of race . In the course of doing business elsewhere . Ohio, and indiana and kentucky, the acceptance was unbelievably high. I had a bad experience in louisville. The barber and district manager to support me and i wouldnt. Experiences. Ful sales one up that you could count. Pamela its interesting that you seem to be lamenting the end and it is one of those interesting paradoxes where others have noted that you had strong black institutions. You had vibrant black communities. Integration that has somehow hurt the africanamerican jean not somehow. Very much so. But you pay a price. I think everyone has a time. The time of highly segregated Northern Areas was possible at certain levels but not at the level that we were seeking that we talk about in the book. , there was anged vast change in the black communities and the collapse of black communities. It is witnessed by the School Systems when i was with pepsicola. The most Successful Schools in the hundreds and 40 School System of columbus, ohio or the black schools. All the tests, sats. Passed at a high level , and competed all the way academically. Now you see today, what has happened is we have tried thousands and thousands of programs and the community has collapsed. On the other hand, the audience sitting here is a recipient of the goodies that have come about because we cracked some very things and we looked at a great number of African Americans who have made their mark at higher levels. I am very worried. I came into your sitting and i saw very little black and appointment. Believe you me. Very little black and appointment. I am wondering where all of this will end. Magnificentlywing. The bottom is drowning out. Pamela stephanie, in your book you trace this integration in the pepsi company. Was it a brief shining moment of Diversity Efforts where you saw this negative this and team assembled and then it was dispersed . The segregation, it was heartbreaking to follow pepsi editorials about these gentlemen in the black press. People can be cynical today. Pepsi was going after the money of africanamericans. Are they supposed me happy for that. At the time they were. No one was recognizing them as consumers or employees. When you finally do recognize a group as a Consumer Stores follow. When stores follow jobs follow. They are recognized as valuable people in the bigger economy. Not the economy of the neighborhood. They thought once the africanamericans were hired as employees and recognized as consumers they would be money pouring in to the black created team. They could spend it on their own institutions and stores. But they didnt see was this vacuum cleaner of Corporate America in these neighborhoods sucking money out of the neighborhoods into their stores and restaurants as they began to be integrated. It was something they didnt see coming. Threat, icorporate would like to trace it throughout pepsi. 1940 they hired this meet and greet team, and africanamerican salesman and interns. That worked very well getting more africanamericans to drink pepsi until the war shook it up. Toer the war he allow them form this team and do fabulous advertising and have a real department. That worked quite well. Even after the team was broken up which was because of the disinterest of the successor of walter mack, looking for a global reach of pepsi. Not some much in the underserved communities of america. He did drop the ball. He broke up the team into regions. That was a management trend. 1962, pepsi dropped a bombshell. Harvey russell in 1962 was quite the thing when he became the first africanamerican promoted within inside a company to Vice President. The ball was picked up again. The 50s were quite dry and they did not find a way to integrate into the Greater Corporation and take full use of their talent. Noy were special markets matter how much they succeeded. They rarely said lets put them in charge of this department. The local bottlers sometimes did do that. If a black salesman was good, why dont you just serve that difficult community. They were able to integrate quicker on the lower level. Quite re were executive positions with the company like salts on the east coast, and head of the chicago operation who really welcomed these highly intelligent, highly efficient African Americans. Chicago gave cocacola 50 sales. They were wearing them out. My friend was there. On the east coast we had a lot of black colleges. They saw the value of this. In that interim where the teams are broken up there was such success in places where the management saw the value of integrating and moving with people of all faiths and colors and religions. On, Harvey Russell stayed steel came back and let him reinstitute the idea of the team. He did far more things than boyd was able to do later on. They did some wonderful things in removing the Corporate Structure alone. Jean can either one of you talk about pamela can either one of you talk about the way caught of coke, and how that helped the industry or helped africanamericans in the industry . Stephanie they were working hard to sell pepsi. It wasnt a hard sell. We had to show themselves as being employees and that spurred the consumers to start drinking more pepsi. Remember. T the boycott they had in their mind that pepsi was the better higher. Subtlyly the gentleman kept everyone informed they were the better hires of africanamericans. The head of coke put his foot in it, being an atlantabased company. He was a staunch supporter of a family who were ferocious segregation lists. He gave a toast to Herman Talmage as one of the great governors of georgia and the greatest governor who was his father also. That really got the Africanamerican Community exploding. Starts to sound familiar. Was part of the difficulty cocan become 24 karat gold. The standard of the world for the cola drink. There were many drinks that could not crack coke. Was exceedingly clever. He would do all he could to keep from hiring any african ancestored americans that would lead to greater jobs and dignity. At the same time he dropped millions in tuskegee. This was a difficult job. A difficult thing to fight. ,hen we were pushing pepsi people would serve coke in the living room and have see in the kitchen. It was a tough struggle. But it worked. The evidence of it working is you look at pepsi today. Pamela do you think the boycott empowered africanamericans within the pepsicola company . Are there any lessons that can be learned . Jean yes. The battle is never over. You have to continue the fight and you must be able to constantly analyze the opposition, can know that gains could be made come very very slow, very difficult because remember, in those days, White America didnt think very much of african ancestored americans. The organization of the ku klux klan would come up and boycott. The coke men would come and smear mud on the pepsi display. Things, some many of them you dont mention in an audience such as this to discourage this because it was thinking you are taking white jobs and they dont deserve these jobs. We deserve the fruits of america. Youre lucky we let you stay here, go back to africa or whatever. But dont be in a position to think that you are our equal. That is the great difficulty that we had. Out of that it made us stronger. We fight harder and we decided we had to win no matter what. So we won. Even in columbus for i have this terrible manager. I did a greater job there than others that didnt have a terrible manager because we could identify so many places where we had successes. There were some middle managers at the Cocacola Company asking for more integration. It may havee served them better knowing this fight was going on, and the cost for not integrating was winning out. You show how the integration at pepsi had been watched by other companies. Tell us about that. What evidence do you have that it had impacts on other corporations . Stephanie they did see the success. When mr. Boyd was fired, cocacola did have meetings and was picking his brain. They did hire outside work, outside advertisers. Those boycotts, africanamericans are learning how to boycott. The backlash was so much more powerful than the initial boycott of africanamericans that it was in a silly good news that the boycott was going on. The backlash could be more ferocious than anything the africanamericans could dig up. Jean part of the evidence was that increased employment in sectors that you never thought would consider calling an africanamerican, even with the brain andcked his found out enough, and they didnt hire him but they certainly hired others to do the things that mr. Boyd instituted. They stepped up their program to the point where now we had a coke force that was in competition with us of what this almighty american dollar. Pamela tell us about the Market Research going on to beginning to go on. Stephanie it was just beginning. In those days people were excited about being polled. American corporations were figuring out you could ask people what they wanted to buy. They would tell you. People were so happy to be picked. That is what led to the kinsey report on sexuality. They were ready to say anything to these pollsters. Tot was one of the keys having more serious Market Research. They wanted to know what africanamerican marketers were doing and the black press was wise to fund it some Market Research to measure it. Worth 10it was billion. That is a Huge Consumer market. Again, these Market Researchers didnt want to advertise too much how many africanamericans were using their products because they didnt want to be labeled as a bargain product. These gentlemen were too successful in some ways. They were so successful that pepsi was starting to be known as a black drink. At one point said no, calm down, we are not known as the drink. And he was progressive for his time. Stephanie he could only go so far in his time. When mr. Boyded walked out. Jean another positive evidence of the success was that the black newspapers begin to receive advertisements that they didnt receive. , itsorts of companies wasnt the type of high impact force that pepsicola was providing but it was a little nipping here. We must remember that every little force, you put it together is a great forest. They begin to open to the fact saidthe great news paper we wonder if what we are doing now is going to kill the black community or the african ancestored community, which in a sense it did. Pamela tell us about the imagery and how the images of africanamericans changed as the Advertising Campaigns grew. Stephanie you cant there were several companies tiptoeing into the media. They would usually have monday and adds,. Being National Urban league trained wanted to have more positive images. Pepsi was one of the first to have a full scale Advertising Campaign that should africanamericans as affluent middleclass and enjoying themselves and middleclass luxuries. 1950, theo point out gentleman on the right was an model, and the little boy was another amateur model, one of the very first to pose for a pepsi ad. He grew up to be president clinton secretary of commerce. Hepsi team was also was very haphazard. 20 bucks to be paid work 15 hours somewhere. , fat,anted dark skinned stereo typical. Jemima. Ny stereotype of a chef they hire people like sylvia to work for the agency. They were some of the first professional models. , ay hired jay jackson political cartoonist. They let him do cartoons for pepsi. Probably what mr. Boyd was most proud of, leaders of the field went on and that lasted for five achievers the campus who would highlight real people. All these highlighting of real having prominent historical africanamericans, pepsi wanted to keep it current, having achievers of their day, engineers,ty of composers, teachers. Anybody that did not fit the stereotype. These leaders in their field were so popular that high schools were ordering them in the tens of thousands to use his educational tools. Pamela this is good for obviously africanamerican employees. It was good for the black press. It was an image boost for all of african ancestored america. When did any of this positive change begin to shift . Stephanie that is hard to pin down. Two steps forward and one step back. Just to show you how rocky that was, in 1962 he became Vice President , he thought now is the time. Were ato emphasize these pointofpurchase ad. They were in the black press only. It was truly unthinkable you would have one in the press. In 1965 he thought now is the time. The time has arrived. Im going to put a black face into a white ad. He picked somebody who was extremely famous over the country. Jim brown, the Cleveland BrownsFootball Player becoming an actor. Very popular. What could be safer . Been a pepsi spokesperson , well for 34 years. 1965. S men and add in Sports Illustrated and pepsi. There were any corporate backlash or white consumer political backlash. Bottlers whopsi themselves said not again. Withnt want associated africanamericans. It took until the 1970s until you saw them more and the mainstream press. By the 1960s and with civil rights so prominent and covered by the mainstream pressure you saw ads pulled from the black press. Jean right. Stephanie another excellent thing another exodus, black Insurance Companies upset that their best insurance salesman wanted to work with a white Insurance Company. It was a constant battle. Everyone was picking sides. Everyone was trying to figure out what the balance would be, what the competition would be. There was a lot of change in the 1960s. Jean when you are on the cutting edge you are the one that is cut. [laughter] but, i think i am thrilled to be here because to me this represents for an old man as myself something that i never thought would ever happen. When i wasto realize , youg to break through were laughed at. You were ridiculed. Impossible situation. It took a strong person to persevere or not. I dont know which one i was. It i said i believe i can do and i looked at all of these people sitting here today and all of the things that have happened and i said some of us were out there. We were getting cut but it made a difference. I think today that African Americans have unbelievable opportunities because so many things that we did and others at the time did. You think about the 1940s and 1950s. This is a miracle that has come to pass. Do any of you have questions . I can ask questions all night. If you have questions, do you want to there is a microphone. Up. Ela come right no . I have not so much a question you to talklike for about the importance of edward floyd who was supposed to be here with us tonight but unfortunately he was unable to come. He is on the mend but he was extremely important as the leader of that team. Could you talk about him . Stephanie 1947, he had a chance encounter with walter mack at the algonquin. He was having lunch with norman cousins. With cousins, he said here is a guy you should now. Know. He saw something instantly and boyd who had some hollywood experience, a welltrained voice. Hes saying and hollywood pictures. It was a matter of weeks when walter mack asked him to come to his office in queens, and they talked about what the africanamerican market might be. At that point his efforts hadnt become the shambles. Efforts to the black consumer. , he wanted ated full team. He wanted a 12. He got his department of 12. Of his tenure was that he had a full concept of his Advertising Campaign. He said i had everyone on my staff read your book. It is all there. Any new market that you enter. Concept of how to therint ads, and how to do good work inside the community. They both had a solid idea of what should be done, not profit oriented but in terms of scholarships. Walter mack did a lot of community service. Do you think he knew what he was doing . He knew what he was doing. He knew the corporation. Required. Walter mack not only have scholarships but he had something unusual for the day. Any state that had a segregated School System, they had to have africanamerican winners of any student contest. He included africanamericans in every contest because they are , having thecluded theer of a company giveaway vacation and some resorts. Walter mack rejected all that. Ed boyd was a genius. He did not have any training in business or marketing. Forward ept stepped forward and had an opportunity somehow from his fertile mind came all of these Brilliant Ideas and plans that precisiond with great. He also had no fear that someone would not like what he was doing and what he was saying. He stood up and was counted and he forged forth every time. This is why he made such a great difference. He was a man of his time. I really admire him. Pamela what do you think the new challenges are today, either one of you, that was a time where he could create something from nothing. Now we do know what works. We have models. We have diversity goals. But yet there seems to be resistance to diversity still. Particularly at the higher levels of companies. How do we kickstart that . Stephanie i have the opportunity since the book come out to speak with the new patsy upper echelons pepsi upper echelons. They thought the biggest damage was when the pipeline was broken in the 1950s where there werent they didnt keep hiring more and more africanamericans. Had there been more of a Critical Mass than other things would have taken place. More advancements. That may be true to some extent. One of the , theyst problems today are being higher but they are well somehow not advancing enough in well enough numbers. There is discussion of or not that can be blamed on the corporate world, which they get a big chunk of the blame, and whether it is something in women and africanamericans who are being resistant to becoming part of that power structure that for so long that they labeled as corrupt. Pamela there are more africanamerican, latinos, mbas out. Han in his time coming and you hear the difficulty he had breaking in, i have heard a similar difficulties today. I would find it hard to believe it is a problem of the pipeline. That African Americans have to realize the fight is still here. We have not one. America has not one. In my thinking, we must do, we must push education. We have fallen short in that at the elementary and High School Levels especially in big cities. We must push, push not only generate general education but specific education. We must look at where the jobs are. There is no point training a bricklayer when there are not jobs anymore. E need to challenge our leaders to stand to the cutting edge and fight for more progress in more openings. Once i get there dont sit back and say i made it. Make it the best way you can. Made ityone of us that there is a secret Guardian Angel finger we must do more. We must solidify in that way. America is different. Back there there was a oneto problem. White and black. Now there is a multiproblem. We have many forces. When i came into the city today all the other forces were infringing on my thoughts. I said what does the african ancestored american do today to win today . All of us can not be executives. We must have a workforce from the bottom to the top, the left to the right. It must be in all seasons of this push. [applause] the gentleman who wrote the book emphasized a truth that exists today. Corporate america is not a meritocracy. Rewarded for be the effort you put in there. To doody is suggested their best, educate yourself, travel, make yourself the best you can torepared work in this world, and the ,eward is what you become rather than what title you get, what paycheck you get. Pamela beyond the pepsi challenge. I have too many black and African American ancestors and American People who are trying to get on the escalator who want to remember the fine positions at the top. They are not one through application, but nomination. Application,rough but through nomination. Somehow, along the way, we must cultivate the types of friends and associations that will lead to us being nominated. When you arrive there, do not forget from whence we came. Pamela do you have any final words of wisdom . All the way, they have enlightened leadership. May have a vision of what the future is. And lightened leadership is extremely important. These gentlemen could not of been it on their own, neither could the company have succeeded without them. It is the relationship it is cultivated. [applause] thank you all. On history bookshelf, here from the countrys bestknown American History writers of the decade every saturday at 4 00 p. M. Eastern time. Watch any of these programs at our website, cspan. Org history. You are watching American History tv, all weekend on cspan3. Wraps up, cspan presents congress, a year in review, a look back at all the debates and hearings at center stage this year. Join us on december 31 at 8 00 p. M. As we revisit Mitch Mcconnell taking position as Senate Majority leader, pope address of a joint session of congress, the departure of john b