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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lowe’s is a Black man, Marvin Ellison. He runs a company that brings in almost $100 billion in annual revenues and has over 300,000 associates. Marvin Ellison was born and raised in Brownsville, TN.  His father did not finish high school, but his parents said, “don’t let your current…

Marion Croak has over 200 patents to her name, including the technology behind Zoom. She is widely credited with the invention of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), which enables people to use their internet connection and network for voice and multimedia communications. This is the technology behind Skype, video conferencing and text-to-give messaging. She was…

Janice Bryant Howroyd is the first African American woman to build and own a billion-dollar company.  Her company earns $1.1 billion per year. Her net worth is put at $420 million. In 1978, her mother loaned her $900 and added her own $600 to start her business. She started as a full-time placement company in…

Ursula Burns served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Xerox from 2009 to 2016.  She also served on the board of directors of multiple large American companies, including Uber, American Express and ExxonMobil. Ursula Burns led Xerox for seven years, stepping down in 2016 after a bruising battle with the activist investor Carl Icahn, which…

Considered one of the most powerful women in the business world by Forbes, Mellody Hobson is president and Co-Chief Executive Officer with John W. Rogers, Jr., of the Chicago-based money management company, Ariel Investments. Ariel manages over $18 billion in assets and is one of the largest Black-owned asset firms in the country.  Mellody serves…

Cathy Hughes is the Founder and Chairperson of Urban One, formerly known as Radio One; the company is the largest African American owned and operated broadcast company. Radio One is the parent corporation of TV One, home of hit shows such as "UnSung," "NewsOne Now," "R&B Divas," "Reach Media," "The Rickey Smiley Morning Show," "Interactive…

LeBron James is much more than a basketball star. He is also a businessman and outstanding philanthropist. He is a smart businessman. He is part owner of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, the New England Sports Network, RFK Racing, and the Liverpool F.C.. He and Drake became part owners of the Italian football club,…

From Baltimore, Maryland, Reginald Lewis became one of the richest Black men in America.  He was the first African American to build a billion-dollar company: TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc. In 1993, Forbes named Lewis among the 400 richest Americans with a net worth of $400 million.  Reginald Lewis’ book, Why Should White Guys Have…

Kenneth Chenault was the long-time Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of American Express. Born in 1951 in New York,  he received a Bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine and his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1976. He started  working at a New York law firm and went to work at American Express…

The Queen of Rock and Roll was born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee,  a town she described in a song as having “a church house, gin house, a schoolhouse and an outhouse.” She said the people kept the town clean. It was full of deep-seated racism. As a child, Tina picked cotton. Tina, still…