(ThyBlackMan.com) America has been a melting pot of cultures, creeds, religions, and ethnicities since it was first discovered. African American communities have always been significant under-represented in powerful positions, however, having been oppressed for hundreds of years. This is why celebrating African American leadership is warranted. Let’s consider Charles Phillips, Infor CEO and Ursula Burns of Xerox, master & mistress of their business respectively, for instance, as well as a few others.
Charles Phillips
Charles Phillips is the current CEO of Infor, a global leader in 
software systems. Prior to his position as CEO of Infor, he was President of Oracle. And he also serves on the White House’s President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Furthermore, Phillips and his wife Karen have started the Phillips Charitable Organizations, through which they do philanthropic work to support army veterans, single parents, and those with an interest in the STEM field.
Ursula Burns
Women have had some rough deals, and even more so if they are African American. Imagine being an African American businesswoman, and you will instantly understand, therefore, just how strong and powerful these women need to be. Ursula Burns is a first generation citizen of this country who was raised in New York City’s projects. In 2009, she became the CEO of Xerox. Today, she is the 14th most powerful woman in the world. Interestingly, she started as a summer intern for Xerox in 1980 and work her way up from there.
Oprah
Everybody knows Oprah, who owns HARPO, the television network. She is the country’s most loved talk show host, an actress, a book club president, a satellite radio station owner, a magazine owner, a producer, a lifestyle guru, and a lifestyle guru. Growing up, she was so poor she had to wear potato sacks for clothes. Today, she is the world’s alpha female. It is even believed that it was her support of Obama that won him the election in 2008.
Kenneth Frazier
Kenneth Frazier, Merck & Co, Inc.’s CEO was the first African American to land the position of CEO of a pharmaceutical company. Additionally, he was the second lawyer in history to rise to those ranks. Frazier is known to be an innovator, as well as one of the true good guys. He still works as a pro bono lawyer today, even getting a wrongfully convicted man of death row.
These are just four of the world’s most powerful African American businessmen and businesswomen. They not only run successful businesses, they are inspirations to millions of people and they have used their position to do good for the world. All are heavily engaged in philanthropic world, aiming to use their fortune as an inspiration for others to do the same, to see past skin color and to reach for their dreams, not allowing anything to stand in their way. If people who come from the projects, wore potato sacks, or went to Penn State are able to become global influencers, anyone else can, too.
Staff Writer; Travis Garner
