More than a decade ago, I was honored by the St. Louis Business Journal 40 under 40. It was a great honor, but I also wondered why we didn’t have more initiatives to celebrate young and diverse, particularly Black, talent. I had recently launched with my colleagues at United Way a Young Leaders group, one of the most robust in the nation. What distinguished our Young Leaders group is that it required individuals to contribute at least $1,000 – it wasn’t solely based on their age and position. It was based on age, professional and financial contributions.
After receiving the award from The Business Journal, I chatted with Donald M. Suggs, the publisher of the St. Louis American, about a Salute to Young Leaders Award. We worked together to secure sponsorship support from Emerson. David Farr, Emerson’s former CEO, and many of their executives and employers were big supporters of United Way. This support provided the capital to induct our inaugural class.
Many of the people who were on the initial committee (all young) have moved on from St. Louis, up in their roles, and we’ve seen at least one tragic early death. I miss those days, but I’m more impressed with the enduring legacy we established.
Midwest BankCentre is proud to sponsor the Salute to Young Leaders. And, I am proud to have been a founder. Black excellence is a thing of the past, present, and future – let’s continue to discover and provide a platform.
