Young leaders and the money that folds
January 16, 2008
Since I arrived I’ve noticed that there are distinct groups saturated with the intention to improve equality and life for black people. Groups including the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), the New York Urban League (NYUL), the Wall Street Project and the National Action Network are extremely active in NY.
I’ve met with most of these organisations and they each have their own way of attempting to solve the challenges faced in black communities, and one thing about them all is that they see economic independence as the way forward, which I completely agree with.
Last night I attended the NYUL Young Professionals general body meeting which seeks to build young professionals as leaders in their communities. It’s a very noble idea and I can see how effective it is for many young people and their communities.
Luckily on the night, I was able to hear from the two presidents and CEOs of the NYUL and National Urban League (NUL), Darwin Davis and Marc Morial. They gave very inspiring speeches about the need for future leaders and the work of the NUL. One really good point Davis raised regarded the presidential election. He argued that people were too caught up with the candidates in the race, that it overshadowed what it really should be about – their policies.
Listening to them and the young chairs in the organisation as I say was very inspiring and the turnout was great. The only thing I found questionable was speaking to some of the other people who attended, their interest for joining the meeting was purely for personal interest. Don’t get me wrong as young professionals it should be about networking and how we can work together. However, one guy I spoke to was particularly driven by money. He had developed a really interesting publication about parenting and I asked him where did the idea and passion come from and the first thing that came out of his mouth was “money” – he wasn‘t joking. It was only after a lot of prodding that he said that he came up with the idea because he saw a niche in the market. I know that money is an important thing in life especially to progress in this world but the true passion behind such ideas seems to be lost.
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