Performance Cyclez
Black Mountain
Black Mountain
How Close Are We to Dr. King’s Mountaintop? by Willie Alexander-8975
Houston, TX Black History Month has an added poignancy this year, as it is almost 40 years to the day, since Martin Luther King delivered his I Have Been to the Mountaintop” speech. In the four decades since that momentous occasion, there have been great strides in civil rights and racial relations the fact that there is a Black History Month at all would have been unthinkable in 1968.
Some of the progress includes Senator Barack Obama winning a presidential caucus in a predominately ‘White’ state like Iowa. Conversely, there have been recent reminders of America’s deep racial divide with cases like the Jena 6 in Louisiana. So how far has America really come since MLK declared on April 3, 1968; I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land”?
I was 19 when Dr. King made that speech,” recalls Willie Alexander, former NFL Cornerback and author of ‘Entering the Promise Land.’ Three years later I was in the NFL and I thought I’d escaped discrimination. Turns out I was wrong.”
Raised in segregation-era Montgomery, Alabama, Willie had first-hand experience of the problems caused by racial strife. Being a Houston Oilers Defensive Back brought about stardom, but re-entering the ‘real world’ as a black business owner made Alexander realize a lot of work needed to be done before African-Americans could realize the dream of Dr. King’s ‘Promised Land.’
Since his retirement from the NFL in 1980 he has concentrated on building his own business in Houston. Through his own experiences, Alexander found most African-American businesses struggle to do commerce in a predominantly white-business marketplace, and thus struggle to turn a profit.
At first I was just a young man dealing with experienced executives, so I didn’t expect it to be easy,” says Alexander. But what I do find troubling is that even though I’m now an experienced businessman and company chairman in my late 50′s, when I deal with less experienced managers I am still having to swim against the tide because I’m a black businessman.”
Alexander is using his book ‘Entering the Promised Land’ and Black History Month to encourage Black Americans to embrace Rev. Martin Luther King’s economic blue print, which called for spending money with institutions that supported the Black Community, thereby creating a stronger Black economic base.
The night before his assassination, Dr. King’s final words spoke about his hope for America’s future, He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.”
Over the span of his unique life, Willie Alexander has personally seen how far up ‘the mountain’ Black Americans have been. But he hopes that the 40th anniversary of that speech and the embracing of Dr. King’s message will finally mark the conquering of the summit thereby helping all Americans with dreams of ‘Entering the Promised Land.’
Willie Alexander’s website can be found at www.EnteringThePromisedLand.com
Willie Alexander is best known as a Houston Oilers Defensive Back, a position he played for nine seasons. He founded W.J. Alexander & Associates in 1980, a full-service employee benefits consulting and insurance brokerage firm in Houston, Texas. Willie also serves on public and private sector boards, including the Amegy Bank of Texas, Greater Houston Partnership and the Texas Children’s Hospital, and has been a prime activist in numerous charities throughout his sporting and business career. Born in Montgomery, Alabama during the segregation era, Willie witnessed first-hand the rise and success of the civil rights movement, which had a lasting impact upon him. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Alcorn State Universit
Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/How-Close-Are-We-to-Dr–King-s-Mountaintop-/278931
|
|
NEW Mens Endura Hummvee black cordura mountain bike shorts $36.00 |
|
|
RIGID HI-TEN STEEL MTB MOUNTAIN BIKE FORK BLACK 1-1/8 26″ DISC BRAKES,THREADLESS $44.87 |
|
|
New 3K/12K Full Carbon 29er Mountain Bike Bicycle MTB Frame 19″ Black MB-RST003 $699.00 |
|
|
Salsa Cowbell 3 Drop Handlebars NEW Road Or Mountain Bicycle 31.8 44cm Vaya $15.00 |
|
|
DT Swiss XR425 32h Mountain Rim Brake 26″ Black $87.99 |
|
|
Dimension Threadless Mountain Stem: 90mm; 125 Degree; Black; 1-1/8″; 25.4 $25.99 |
|
|
Dimension Threadless Mountain Stem: 70mm; 83/97 Degree; Black; 1-1/8″; 25.4 $25.99 |
|
|
Trex 820 black Mountain bike / boys 18″ $300.00 |
|
|
New Black Bike Cycling Mountain Bike Casual Short $22.99 |
|
|
Mavic Plasma bicycle cycling race mountain bike helmet Medium White Pearl/Black $109.00 |
|
|
26″ Shimano Folding Bicycle Mountain Bike 6 Speed Foldable Storage Blue Black $129.95 |
|
|
Ergon GP1-L Mountain Bike Grips Black – 114101 $30.00 |
|
|
SYNCROS LOCK-ON MOUNTAIN BIKE MTB GRIPS BLACK $2.87 |
|
|
Northwave Arctic Winter Mountain Bike Shoe Boot 43 Lake Shimano $25.00 |
|
|
Shimano SH-M086L Mountain Bike Shoe size 41 $89.99 |
|
|
Bicycle Mountain Bike Sound Alert Ring Bell Red Black $7.95 |
|
|
SHIMANO SH-M161G MOUNTAIN BIKE MTB SHOES BLACK/GREY – 42 (US 8.4) $149.95 |
|
|
SHIMANO SH-M161G MOUNTAIN BIKE MTB SHOES BLACK/GREY – 43 (US 8.9) $149.95 |
|
|
SHIMANO SH-M161G MOUNTAIN BIKE MTB SHOES BLACK/GREY – 48 (US 12.3) $149.95 |
|
|
2 TWO 4″ Black YETI CYCLES MTB Mountain Rack BICYCLES BIKE FRAME STICKER DECAL $9.99 |
|
|
Keurig K-Cup Home Brewer $107.00 Keurig B60 Single Cup Coffee Maker The Keurig B60 Single Cup Brewer is the mid-luxury home brewing system in the Keurig line, and offers a blend of styling and convenient features. This Special Edition features chrome accents, a blue-backlit LCD and three brew size options. Programmable features include a digital clock, adjustable temperature, and auto on/off. The 48-oz. removable water reservoir … |
|
|
Keurig B-40 B40 Elite Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System $101.99 The Elite Brewing System is Keurig’s gourmet home brewing made affordable. The Elite Brewing System, the most affordably priced Keurig kitchen brewing system, offers K-Cup® coffee, tea and hot cocoa brewing as the elite choice to any drip coffee maker. The Elite offers two cup sizes for brewing options with the programmable feature of Auto Off. The 48-ounce removable water reservoir holds up to 6… |
|
|
Lodge Logic, Seasoned Cast Iron Cookware Muffin/Cornbread Pan $14.49 This old-fashioned designed piece is slightly more compact and 6 muffins at a time. Pam measures 7-1/2 by 1-1/2 by 5-1/4 inches. Impressions are 2-1/2 inches in diameter x 1-1/2 inch in Depth. Pre-seasoned and ready to use!… |
|
|
Facing Future $10.47 To gauge the magnitude of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s popularity in his native Hawaii, consider this: following his death in 1997 (at age 38, attributed to his profound obesity), Kamakawiwo’ole’s body lay in state in the state capitol, only the second person to receive such an honor. Kamakawiwo’ole’s appeal lies in his love for prestatehood, precondominium Hawaii and the expressiveness of his gently p… |
|
|
Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO) $4.58 CD > POPULAR MUSIC > ROCK… |
|
|
Black Country Communion (CD/DVD) $10.67 BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION (CD+DVD)… |
|
|
AccuSharp 001 Knife Sharpener $5.50 This knife shapener sharpens any double edge blade whether serrated or plain, thick or thin and it will do it faster than youd believe possible. AccuSharp sharpeners are the best, easiest and fastest sharpeners around. The difference is in the specially formulated, precision ground and mounted tungsten carbide blades…. |
|
|
Gerber 31-000751 Bear Grylls Survival Series Ultimate Knife, Serrated Edge $79.99 From Gerber, the 31-000751 Bear Grylls Survival Series Ultimate Knife is designed to help you endure in the toughest environments. It features an ergonomic grip for comfortable handling and a dependable stainless steel blade with a versatile serrated edge. Additionally, the knife and military-grade nylon sheath are packed with innovative survival tools, including a fire starter, a diamond blade sh… |
|
|
Fenix E21 Flashlight $48.00 The Fenix E21 LED Waterproof Flashlight is the perfect portable flashlight, requiring only two AA batteries that provides up to 11 hours of uninterrupted light. The LED gives off a constant brightness of 48 or 154 Lumens, depending on the output setting, and has a lifespan of 50,000 hours. Waterproof up to 6.5 feet (2m). Features simple twist-head to toggle between low and high settings, tail push… |
|
|
Napoleon Dynamite $6.00 A high school outcast throws caution to the wind to help his new friend get elected class president.Genre: Feature Film-ComedyRating: PGRelease Date: 2-AUG-2006Media Type: DVD… |