With the
support of the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Regional People of Color, Fit
Oshkosh, Wisconsin Public Television, Thelma Arts Center, and Moraine Park
Technical College, the showing of “BOSS: The Black Experience in Business” was
shown at Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts in Fond du Lac on Wednesday,
September 18. Casa Del Tequila provided dinner
before the event and UW-Extension Youth Development Educators provided
activities for children during the event.
“BOSS: The Black Experience in Business” is a must see two hour documentary that follows the lives of African American entrepreneurs in America over hundreds of years. It is an emotional story of discrimination and racial violence. Despite these barriers, the film also highlighted stories of courage, resilience, and success.
One such story is about Berry Gordy, Jr., the founder of Motown Records. In 1957, already a successful songwriter, Gordy borrowed $800 from his family to start an R&B record company. Motown played an important role in the racial integration of
America. Gordy had a unique gift for recognizing
musical talent. Soul music artists under the Motown label include:
Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and Diana Ross and the Supremes.
Motown was the most successful record label of soul music for its time. Gordy official retired from the entertainment industry
on September 24, 2019
Another story
is about Ursula Burns. Burns, the former CEO of Xerox, was the first African
American woman to serve as CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Burns started her
career at Xerox in 1980 as an intern. She held various positions there before
serving as CEO from 2009 until 2016. She
led a workforce of over 140,000 employees. She went on to hold the
position of chairman of the board at Xerox until 2017 and has held numerous
other board positions, including one at Exxon Mobil. She is currently chairman and CEO of an Amsterdam-based
telecommunications provider.
Talented African American businessmen and women have been building successful companies in America for hundreds of years. Today, building upon their predecessors’ contributions, courage, sacrifices and willingness to help each other, we see African American managers and CEOs in most large corporations. To view “BOSS: The Black Experience in Business” check out the official website: https://to.pbs.org/2Tn9klg. The documentary can be rented or purchased on Amazon or iTunes.
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