Earl G. Graves Sr: In a Time of Crisis, We Must All Step Up

In a Time of Crisis, We Must All Step Up

By Earl G. Graves Sr.

Founder & Publisher, BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine

Editor's Note: Reprint permission granted courtesy of BLACK ENTERPRISE

(New York, NY) April 1, 2009—Earl G. Graves Sr., Founder & Publisher of BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine, issued the following statement in the publication’s April issue:

We are closing in on the symbolic 100th day of the presidential administration of Barack Obama, and America has witnessed a standard of leadership that is as rare as the complexity of the crises confronting our nation. Our new chief executive achieved his first major objective when he signed his $787 billion economic stimulus bill into law, and he’s clearly just getting started.

President Obama continues to reward our faith in his leadership, and he deserves the support of all Americans in these difficult times. That’s why I, along with millions of other Americans, have been appalled by the petty attacks on the president—distractions that have absolutely no place on the agenda of Americans struggling to survive this economic crisis. Nonissues such as the article questioning the president’s U.S. citizenship and the racist New York Post cartoon comparing him to a monkey slaughtered by police officers dishonor not only the commander in chief but the very office of the presidency. Worse, they pull valuable energy and attention away from what really matters: our families are losing their homes and jobs.

As bleak as the headlines continue to be, I share our president’s faith in our nation’s ability to pull through to better economic times. While the economic stimulus package cannot bring instant relief, it will begin the process of revitalizing our economy and pulling us through this recessionary cycle—if we all do our part. We cannot demand fiscal responsibility from Washington without demanding the same from ourselves. We cannot live in expectation of a bailout without doing all that we can to provide relief and opportunity to our neighbors. American industry cannot lay off and cost-cut its way out of recession; sooner or later we have to revitalize our companies and get the economy moving by actually doing business, investing resources, and creating jobs.

In his exclusive interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE Editor-in-Chief Derek T. Dingle, President Obama promised, “Help is on the way.” True to his word, he has begun to deliver. However, to paraphrase President John F. Kennedy, it can’t only be about what our country will do for us. Our future absolutely depends on what each and every one of us is personally willing to do to restore hope and opportunity to our nation. In the early months of his presidency, President Obama has shown that we can count on him. We must also show that he can count on us, and that we can count on each other. It’s time for us all to step up.