Thank you, BLACK ENTERPRISE, for the insightful and comprehensive
article about the role of African Americans on corporate boards
yesterday, today, and tomorrow ("Power in the Boardroom,"
February 2008).
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Disappointing barely begins to describe former National Urban
League CEO Vernon Jordan's perspective. It saddens me to read that
Mr. Jordan, who has benefited from civil rights and corporate civil
rights champions such as Leon Sullivan, is quick to point out that he
doesn't have a responsibility to champion diversity and help
identify and cultivate the next generation of African American corporate
directors.
If Mr. Jordan doesn't believe that he has a responsibility to
champion diversity, ensure that these corporations are doing business
with minority-owned companies, and develop and promote minority
executives, he should simply resign and make room for the John Rogers
generation. Rogers' annual retreat for African American directors
serves as a model for how the next generation of African American
corporate directors should serve as shareholder stewards and advocates
for greater equality at the same time.
Sherman K. Kizart
Sherman_Kizart@interep.com
COPYRIGHT 2008 Earl G. Graves Publishing Co.,
Inc. Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
Copyright 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights
reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.
NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.