I learned about the passing of Edward F. Boyd yesterday and was so thankful I knew of his incredible
story. I had stumbled across an article in the Wall Street Journal during Black History Month that detailed his life and contributions towards helping open doors for African Americans at Pepsi Co., and African American salespeople overall in the late fifties and early sixties.
Hearing about his life reminded me of the countless family gatherings where at some point in the evening my husband's Uncle would tell the story (again) of how he was denied a sales position shortly after he graduated from college in the early fifties because of his race. With each telling you could feel his frustration about working hard to prove himself on the entrance exam only to be told they did not have a position for him. He was persistent and pursued several other positions to no avail and eventually gave up on his dream to work in business. It was a bitter pill to swallow for many men and women of his generation that change was yet to come. Granted, Eric’s Uncle went on to be a successful teacher and is proud of the fact that both his daughters are Harvard graduates (paid for in cash), but nothing can erase the pain and rejection of being denied a dream and opportunity simply because of the color of his skin. He has been very supportive of my professional sales career over the years, and always marvels at the amount of money men and women have the ability to earn as salespeople today.
Most people would complain about having to hear the same story over and over again. I often hear 
my peers complain about the older generation always pointing out "so and so" being the first black person to accomplish something.
I understand and realize the importance of letting the elders tell their stories while at the same time being firmly focused on the present and future. I am thankful I have people still living in my life who are constant reminders of how far we have come. In the instances when I find myself occasionally focused on the wrong things I remind myself of the experiences told to me by my Mother and Father, my late Aunt Gloria, Grandma Evans, Eric's Uncle and the stories about history makers like Edward Boyd.
And then I think about Oprah, Ken Chennault (American Express), Dick Parsons (AOL Time Warner), John Rogers (Ariel Capital) and say to myself "success is a choice". I am blessed that I can look to people in my own family who are trailblazers in business, music and media such as Ralph Tyler (Ralph Tyler Co.), Fred Fouse (Time Warner Cable), Lauren Tyler (CCMP Capital Advisors), Dana Tyler (CBS News NYC) and Yvonne Frazier (Berlin Opera). Their accomplishments make me think about how my daughters' generation will look back on this era and reflect on the progress we've made. Mr. Boyd's granddaughter certainly has an important legacy to be proud of.
We all need to be reminded and inspired to push forward and to grow. Please read the article from the Wall Street Journal about Edward Boyd and his life story, or listen to Tavis Smiley's interview with the late Mr. Boyd (NPR radio-cast Feb. 27, 2007). And just in case you need a serious reminder of how far we've really come, check out this slide show about the history of racist spokes characters - Uncle Ben CEO.
