Black Alumni

Newsletter

Fall 2006

The old saying goes, that if you teach a man to fish, he eats for a day. But if you teach a man how to fish, he eats for a lifetime.

That same quote explains why Black people are starving for economic success.

On “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Harry Belafonte said that the African-American population is confused by their effect on the American democratic process. Belafonte claimed that because the bipartisan system ignores issues that are of most concern to Blacks, we do not truly know who to vote for and don’t believe that our votes count.

I see the same confusion in African Americans when it comes to our ability to mobilize. Whenever it is time for us to come together, rarely can we agree on what to fight for and how to do it. This is especially true when Blacks seek out the assistance of other Blacks.

When you see Black success in this economy, it is usually the by-product of a person who sought out his or her education, paid their dues working for “the man,” and had the perseverance and creativity to make it to the top.

However, with races of the Caucasian persuasion, much more of their economic success stems from creative development, access to capital and the ability to acquire the support group they need.

For example, Michael Dell is no computer genius. He was a student at the University of Texas, he paid for school by building simple computers, and when building computers began to bring in more money than his diploma ever could, he dropped out. He borrowed against his grandmother’s home, and he founded Dell Inc.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder and creator of Facebook, dropped out of Harvard after he got the resources from his family and friends at Harvard to further fund Facebook.

But it is much less common for Blacks to have similar paths to success. It happens, but it is far less common. And yes, we don’t have the same monetary resources that Caucasians have. Far fewer of our relatives own their homes, and the percentage of Blacks that belong to credit unions is much less in comparison.

But capital resources are not even our biggest problem. The fact of the matter is that there are Black people with money. The problem is when the Black people with money are not in connection with the Black people who don’t have it.

The art of networking in our race is not what it is supposed to be. After all, our ancestors did not have much in the means of communication, and it is quite possible that trait has somehow transcended into our modern day existence.

But it needs to stop!

As graduates of Columbia University, I know you all are familiar with a lot of the Black gatherings that the Black Alumni Council host. And they are nice gatherings. People talk, have fun, maybe exchange business cards and even take on mentors and mentees. And the all-encompassing gatherings held by Columbia are pretty much the same way, too.

But that’s not enough.

As a member of CU Athletics and a writer for a high income magazine, I have attended numerous networking events that include New York City’s wealthy, of which the majority is Caucasian. In these situations I have seen jobs basically handed out, people discussing real estate and constant name-dropping of those who can be facilitators of business success. I have seen business proposals made and partnerships formed right before my eyes. And the funny thing is that most of this takes place between people who may or may not know each other all too well.

That’s what Black people need to encompass. We need to be more open to helping each other, especially young people with creativity and perseverance. However, young people with no money, no experience and no sources can rarely reach out to the more prominent figures of Black society. That’s why those prominent figures should be reaching out to them. They need to make themselves available and they need to seek out future Black leaders and entrepreneurs. There are far too many Black angel investors who ignore the opportunity that investing in Black youth provides them.

I’m not saying that Black people who have worked their way to the top should start giving away all of the support and resources that they worked hard to attain. Because when you give a person a fish they only eat for a day. But if you help Black society fish for itself, they’ll feast for years to come and invite you over for dinner.

By Uzo Ometu

Jennifer Dahlberg graduated from Columbia University in 1993. She is a published novelist who released her book “Uptown and Down” in October of 2005.

After graduating from the College, Jennifer became a consultant for an executive search firm. She never thought her dream of becoming a novelist would materialize as she got caught up in the busy world of business. But when her Swedish fiancé proposed to her in 1997, she moved to Stockholm where the nation’s uniqueness inspired her to start writing.

The book is essentially about music industry entrepreneurs who experience the pressures of business while remaining true to their principles. The book brings issue with Blacks who finally achieve success and how they deal with it. But the real story is Jennifer, who spent over 4 years trying to get her book published. She tried not to let the thought of finding an agent and publisher consume her life, but she was eased with the pressures with her children and enjoyable seven years spent in Stockholm.

When her book finally got picked up by Penguin, she moved back to the United States. And since her book and her life have heavily been faced with issues of race, she has moved to the international feel of Riverdale where race is not a prominent issue. She has appeared at several bookstores and venues to promote her book, including the Howard University Bookstore in Washington D.C.

Within the last year, Jennifer has recently been appointed a Board Member of the Greenwich Arts Council and she has also had thoughts of writing her next book. She is working on getting in the zone for writing her new idea, and is looking forward to being with her family with her new portable career.

A 21 year old native of Baltimore, MD, Sydnie Mosley, BC ‘07 arrived on Barnard’s campus her first year immediately becoming involved in the community. Sydnie, a double major in Dance and Africana Studies, tackles a full course load while staying involved on and off campus. At Barnard, Sydnie has been an active participant in many on-campus organizations. She is a former First-Year Representative and Secretary for BOSS and currently serves as their Senior Representative. She was a board member of Orchesis in the Spring and Fall of 2004, participating as a dancer and choreographer from Fall 2003 through the Spring of 2005. Moreover, she served as a New Student Orientation Program (NSOP) Orientation Leader for two years and finds time to work on campus recruiting new students as a Barnard Student Admissions Representative (BSAR). As if that is not enough, Sydnie continues to work on and off campus as an Administrative Intern for the Brooklyn Ballet in 2005 and currently as a Technical Production Assistant for the Dance Department, and a Research Assistant for the Africana Studies Program at Barnard. In addition, Sydnie studied abroad in Ghana this past Spring where she developed the idea for her senior thesis. Currently, most of her time is spent researching for her senior thesis project in which she is comparing how dance/movement is used for Christian worship among Africans in Accra, Ghana and African Americans in Baltimore, MD. Simultaneously, Sydnie is rehearsing to perform in the Barnard Project sponsored by the Barnard Dance Department at Dance Theater Workshop, a professional dance theater downtown in New York. She plans to choreograph and produce a work next semester as a part of her senior project in dance.

Sydnie has begun planning for life after graduation by looking for jobs in arts administration. Her interests lie in dance education, community based arts programs, and learning about dance company management and production. While working, she will continue to both take dance class and choreograph works. After working for a few years she will apply to Master of Fine Arts programs in dance, a degree that will enable her to continue to strengthen her dance technique, qualify her to teach dance at any level, build a choreographic repertoire, and increase her knowledge of dance production. Eventually, she would like to found and direct her own dance company. She envisions a professional touring dance company and arts organization created to serve as a medium for spreading God’s word as well as strengthening spirituality and faith; to serve as a home for the trained dancer with the non-traditional body type; to showcase choreography that ranges and merges contemporary and world dance techniques and forms; to provide community programming including, but not limited to classes and performances in both professional and amateur arenas; and lastly, to be a home where the dancer, human being and spirit will continually grow and flourish. Sydnie currently lives on Barnard’s Campus.