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Hello everyone, I hope you’re all well and that our U.S. readers enjoyed a relaxing long weekend, as yesterday was a federal holiday to mark the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Having grown up in Scotland and Canada, I didn’t have the same exposure to Dr. King as my American friends. But I’ve come to appreciate the profound impact that he had, especially after I wrote a book about five Black Americans who came of age around the time of his assassination in 1968: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, legendary litigator Ted Wells, Pulitzer Prize winner Edward P. Jones, former New York deputy mayor and investment banker Stan Grayson, and Eddie Jenkins, an attorney who played for the Miami Dolphins during their perfect season in 1972. On one level, Fraternity was about the formative experiences those men had while attending the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. But the book was also about the power of leadership, specifically the leadership of Rev. John E. Brooks, a Jesuit priest who recruited the first class of Black men and would go on to become president of the college. What inspired Father Brooks to personally recruit 20 Black men wasn’t just the example of Dr. King or his sense of social justice. He believed that Holy Cross was missing out if it didn’t try to attract and educate future leaders from every racial and ethnic group. Why would any leader ignore a massive pool of potential talent? (That same instinct inspired Father Brooks to push for women to be admitted soon after he became president.) As Justice Thomas told me: “He wasn't making a statement. He was just doing the right thing.” I recognized that instinct again when first reading about the appointment of Rashaad Lambert, founder of For(bes) the Culture, as Director of Community and Culture, with a mandate to establish Forbes as the preeminent community for young Black and Brown entrepreneurs. Assistant Managing Editor Ali Jackson-Jolley, came to Forbes a few months later to help bring more diversity to our stories and to our newsroom. Working with colleagues like Jared Council, Raquel “Rocky” Harris, Jair Hilburn and many others has helped me become a better journalist and helped our audience get a better understanding of the people and trends they need to know. Here are some stories to check out, starting with our latest installment on the state of Black entrepreneurship. Jared has a piece on Black VCs growing tired of responding to racist remarks. If you missed it, here are our For(bes) The Culture 50 champions. We’re often inspired by our competitors, mentors and friends. For me, Claudia Deutsch was all three. As a reporter at The New York Times and Businessweek, she held many leaders accountable for what they said and did over the years. (For every profile, she demanded two hours–no more, no less–and often discovered more than reporters who followed their subjects for weeks.) As a mentor, she was funny and frank. As a friend, she was unwavering. She especially worked to put a spotlight on racism, sexism, anti-Semitism and the impact of climate change. Claudia died last week of cancer. Donations in her memory can be made to DOROT. Finally, one of the key roles of every leader is to delegate key responsibilities to the team and give others a chance to step up. While I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this newsletter over the past several months, I'm pleased to let you know that Deputy Editor Vicky Valet will be taking over this role next week. You're in great hands and I'm excited by all the new initiatives we will be bringing you in the coming months. Have a great week.
Best, Diane
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