Home

Food So Good, He Wouldn’t Bring it to the White House

Meet Chef Patrick Clark, the Black man who turned down a job as the White House Executive Chef. Bill and Hillary Clinton personally invited Chef Clark to the prestigious role after they tasted his remarkable food at the historic Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington, D.C. But as we know, money talks and the White House was unwilling to match his current $100,000 salary so he declined the position. While Clark seemingly made a mistake by not taking the job, the rest of his career proved that he was, in fact, too good for the White House. In 1994, Chef Clark won the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Award for the Mid-Atlantic region, becoming the first African-American chef to receive this honor. This would have never been possible had he decided to work at the White House as it is not considered a restaurant. Patrick Clark was the standard way before celebrity TV chefs. As restaurant-going became a social pastime in NYC, Clark rode a huge wave of popularity. A big man full of personality, he effortlessly attracted the attention of customers and his food never disappointed. His casual yet sophisticated French cooking astonished guests and gained him tremendous notoriety within the community. New York City is widely known as a food mecca so it comes as no surprise that fierce competition exists among chefs. Nevertheless, Clark rose as the “cream of the crop” as soon as he stepped on the food scene. At age 25, as the original Executive Chef at The Odeon in Tribeca, Clark became the first NYC chef to merge the bistro-style with fine dining. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); What made Clark so special was his ability to fuse flavors and cooking techniques in ways that no other chefs could at the time. A Brooklyn native, Clark grew up in a household filled with the spirit of cooking. His father was an accomplished chef in Manhattan who often allowed his son to visit his kitchens. By age 10, Clark was already experimenting with his own recipes under the direction of his mother, who also had a knack for creating fine dining experiences at their home. Those childhood experiences, combined with his classical training in England and France as an adult, made Clark a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen. Unfortunately, Chef Clark’s culinary pursuits were cut short by the onset of congestive heart failure, resulting in his untimely death in 1998. Clark’s life work paved the way for future Black chefs by expanding upon standard European techniques to create entirely new styles of cuisine and defying the stereotype of Black people only being able to cook “Black food.” As a historical side note, Chef Clark was not the first Black Chef to turn down a job cooking for the President of the United States. During the 18th century, one of Thomas Jefferson’s former slaves, James Hemings, also rejected an offer to serve as the Executive Chef at Monticello after Jefferson became president. Hemings, as a slave, had the rare opportunity to undergo culinary training in Paris for 5 years. Upon returning to America, he successfully negotiated his freedom. Read more about his story here. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The post Food So Good, He Wouldn’t Bring it to the White House appeared first on PushBlack.

The Awe-Inspiring Tale of The Real McCoy

“The Real McCoy” is a phrase you have probably heard at some point in your life, but do you know the man behind the legend? Meet renowned inventor Elijah McCoy. Elijah was born in 1844, the son of formerly enslaved Blacks who escaped from Kentucky to Canada by way of the Underground Railroad. Educated in segregated Canadian schools, Elijah quickly realized he had a knack for science and math. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1512094833018-0"); }); At an early age, he enjoyed tinkering with machines as well as taking things apart and rebuilding them. Though he was one of 12 kids, Elijah’s parents recognized his promise and supported him in traveling to Scotland to study mechanical engineering at age 15. After the Civil War, Elijah was determined to move to the United States with his family to pursue a career in mechanical engineering. To his dismay, all the available engineering jobs were reserved for white men despite being equally qualified. Out of necessity, Elijah took a position as a fireman (one who adds coal to a train engine) and as an oiler (one who greased a train’s engine and gears) for Michigan Central Railroad. Although these were menial jobs relative to his qualifications, they would later become the inspiration for Elijah’s revolutionary inventions. Dissatisfied with the fact that locomotives required frequent stops to oil its parts, Elijah drew on his engineering background to think through ways to improve this process. To address this issue, he invented and patented a lubricating cup that continuously distributed oil evenly over the engine’s moving parts. His invention reinvented locomotive travel by allowing trains to run for long periods of time without needing to stop for maintenance. Elijah’s invention gave birth to the name “The Real McCoy” to distinguish from all the imitation lubricating cups that popped up following his success. The moniker came to mean “the real deal” and denoted authenticity and originality to all those who were looking to purchase one of these products. While his invention continues to be used in trains to this day, it is his name that has become a cultural mainstay. From childhood tinkering to 57 patents, Elijah McCoy became the most prolific Black inventor of his time even gaining the respect of notable public figures like Booker T. Washington for his remarkable output. Elijah’s journey reveals the age-old adage that it’s not always about where you start, but where you end up that matters in life. Though he did not get the engineering job he initially wanted, he transformed the opportunities he was given into a career he never imagined possible. Many people are in jobs that they do not want to be in and are not sure if they are truly walking in their purpose. Elijah McCoy is an example of how we can make the best of our situations by learning a business, finding a niche and way to improve it, and then creating a solution by starting our own enterprise. Elijah never let his current situation dictate the ways in which he utilized his talents and brought value to an industry he was undoubtedly passionate about. The post The Awe-Inspiring Tale of The Real McCoy appeared first on PushBlack.

How the “Briefcase Salesman” Became a Car Dealing King

Heralded as the “Auto Dealer Advocate” by Black Enterprise, Al Johnson broke barriers in the automobile industry, and readily paved a way for others to follow. As an entrepreneur and philanthropist, Johnson became the first African-American to be awarded a General Motors franchise and later became a leading independent Cadillac dealer. To do so, he capitalized on the attempted limitations of a racialized society in becoming one of the top salesmen and dealers in the region. Additionally, his philanthropic efforts helped support Chicago’s most impoverished and even get President Obama elected into office. Born February 23, 1929, in St. Louis as the son of a physician, he earned a bachelor of science in business administration from Lincoln University and a master of science in hospital administration from the University of Chicago. However, while working as an assistant administrator of Home G. Phillips Hospital, he began selling automobiles part-time to supplement his income. Though hired by Nolting Oldsmobile in Kirkwood, Missouri, Johnson was not allowed to sell from the dealership due to racial discrimination. Alternatively, he had to sell door-to-door, becoming known as the “briefcase salesman” that sold cars without having an actual, physical car to show. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); While at Nolting, however, Johnson discovered an innovative way to increase his profits despite inherent racial discrimination. He secured a meeting with the dealership’s owner and propositioned a new way to sell cars: the same way that dealers ordered them. Rather than the dealer making custom orders, the customer would be able to choose custom features – fabric color, trim, etc. “The car would be built to the purchaser’s specifications.” Though Johnson’s potential sales were initially limited since restricted from the showroom floor, his briefcase model paid off: Johnson’s salary reached $60,000 in his first year (about $300,000 in today’s dollars). As a hospital administrator, he could only make up to $12,000/year even at the height of the profession. Johnson would later move on to Brock Oldsmobile and continue to petition General Motors for the opportunity to franchise. After over 15 years and with demonstrated success as a “briefcase salesman,” the Chicago Oldsmobile Regional Sales Office finally granted the franchise on August 1, 1967: making Johnson the first African American to be awarded a new car franchise by General Motors (GM). Johnson’s keen sales and business management skills successfully revitalized the failing franchise, leading to a subsequent offer to become a Cadillac dealer: officially franchising on June 1, 1971. He’d eventually relocate the Cadillac dealership to a new, state-of-the-art facility of which he built and remained until selling the business in 1994. In the process, he’d also gain independent status from the Motor Holding Division of General Motors, as well as acquire a Lincoln/Mercury agency and other business enterprises including Stellar, Inc. and the Pyramid Trotting Association. But Johnson was never only in the business for himself. His pioneering work, advocacy, and willingness to help those coming after him helped establish the first Minority Dealer Organization and Training Academy to increase the number and success of African American dealers. He was actively involved in the Political Action Conference of Illinois, a group supporting Black candidates for the Chicago mayoral seat. In addition, after the election of Harold Washington as Chicago’s first Black mayor, Johnson served as a business development consultant for an annual salary of $1. In later years, he’d become the first large donor to Barack Obama’s campaign for the U.S. Senate, pledging $50,000 towards the historic occasion. Johnson has received numerous awards in recognition of business achievements, philanthropic efforts, and civic impact. He was chairman emeritus of the University of Illinois Center for Urban Business, College for Business Administration; a board member of LaRabida Children’s Hospital, a member of the Executives Club of Chicago, and the General Motors Black Dealers Advisory Board. Johnson passed away in 2010 at the age of 89, but his legacy continues to live on. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The post How the “Briefcase Salesman” Became a Car Dealing King appeared first on PushBlack.

A Day without Black People: How Black Inventions Have Revolutionized Life As We Know It

America’s First Terrorist Tried To Free Black People

This Black Inventor Wanted to Stop Heart Attacks

When thinking about famous Black inventors, Otis Boykin might not immediately come to mind, however, a piece of him may literally be in your heart. This brilliant Black man is responsible for revolutionizing the pacemaker and keeping our hearts beating longer. Boykin held 26 patents for various inventions and became most well-known for his work with resistors. For those of us who are not scientists, a resistor essentially controls the amount of electricity that flows through an object. Boykin’s breakthrough device “could withstand extreme temperatures and tolerate and withstand various levels of pressure and physical trauma without impairing its effectiveness,” making it ideal for the human heart. In the science community, Boykin worked as a lab assistant, then research supervisor, up until launching his own company, Boykin-Fruth, Inc. Boykin’s resistors were cheaper and more effective than his competitors, which led to his products being highly sought after for the U.S. military’s guided missiles, IBM’s computers, and by radio/TV companies. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Born in 1920 in Dallas, Boykin traversed tremendous obstacles on his way to success. At the age of one, his mother died of heart failure which forever affected him and served as his primary motivation for developing his groundbreaking technology for the pacemaker. In spite of this early loss, Boykin excelled in school and eventually became a proud graduate of Fisk University. Soon after enrolling in graduate school in Chicago, Boykin dropped out and decided to fully pursue his dream of becoming an inventor. At the time, Boykin had no idea heart disease would become such a prevalent killer or that his inventions would have such a profound impact on the Black community. With the highest rates of heart failure due to high blood pressure, obesity, and high cholesterol, Boykin’s pacemaker may be needed now more than ever before as hundreds of thousands of people benefit from the medical device each year. Ironically, Boykin himself died of heart failure. Ultimately, even his own life’s work could not save him. In spite of his untimely death, his work left an indelible mark on the science and medical communities. His innovation places him among the ranks of George Washington Carver, Benjamin Banneker, Garrett Morgan, and many other notable Black inventors. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The post This Black Inventor Wanted to Stop Heart Attacks appeared first on PushBlack.

Jemele Hill Is On The Right Side Of History ... Are You?

Last week, ESPN anchor Jemele Hill was persecuted for speaking out against racial injustice. After Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones threatened to suspend any player who knelt during the National Anthem, Hill took to Twitter to express views that most people agree with. This play always work. Change happens when advertisers are impacted. If you feel strongly about JJ's statement, boycott his advertisers. https://t.co/LFXJ9YQe74— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2017 Just so we're clear: I'm not advocating a NFL boycott. But an unfair burden has been put on players in Dallas & Miami w/ anthem directives.— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2017 Hill saw an "unfair burden" placed on NFL players who wanted to protest but now had a difficult choice to make: either kneel during the national anthem and get suspended, or don't kneel and get labeled a "sellout". She encouraged fans to boycott the Cowboys' advertisers. ESPN suspended Hill for two weeks for acting against the network's social media policy, according to ESPN. This suspension came several weeks after her previous controversy during which she called President Trump a "white supremacist." Join us in signing our petition to stand with Jemele Hill. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); However, many have argued that ESPN's true grievance with Hill's most recent statement was due to the fact that the network benefits from the ad revenue generated by the Dallas Cowboys and other NFL teams. ESPN recently paid the NFL $15.2 billion for rights to air Monday Night Football through 2021. In its decision to suspend Hill, the sports network made it clear that its allegiance is to the money made off the labor of Black athletes, not to the athletes themselves. Jerry Jones used his power to remind the players that they truly had no power themselves. His announcement about suspending players who choose to kneel came after a seemingly empty display of unity several weeks ago, when Jones joined the entire team on the field before the anthem to take a knee ... only to stand in unison during the anthem. C’mon Jerry. Join us in signing our petition to stand with Jemele Hill. Jones’ decision to kneel with the team, followed by the threat of suspending those who protest in ways unagreeable to him, is reminiscent of the views of white America during the Civil Rights Movement era. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); In 1964, shortly after the 1963 March on Washington, 74% of Americans believed "mass demonstrations by Negros" would "hurt the Negro's cause for racial equality." Later that year, another poll reported that 73% of Americans believed "Negroes should stop their demonstrating now that they have made their point." Then, in 1966, 85% of Americans felt demonstrations would hurt the advancement of Black rights. Ironically, due to the relentless mass protests, boycotts, and demonstrations of the '60s, we were able to pressure the government to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Today, 51% of Americans believe that NFL players are right in their protest. Today, our demands for civil rights and an end to police brutality are more supported than ever. Today, we must continue pushing forward and supporting the public figures who use their platforms. Join us in signing our petition to stand with Jemele Hill. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});