PDF Black Fortunes The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires Audible Audio Edition Shomari Wills Ron Butler HarperAudio Books
Download As PDF : Black Fortunes The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires Audible Audio Edition Shomari Wills Ron Butler HarperAudio Books
The astonishing untold history of America's first black millionaires - former slaves who endured incredible challenges to amass and maintain their wealth for a century, from the Jacksonian period to the Roaring '20s - self-made entrepreneurs whose unknown success mirrored that of American business heroes such as Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, and Thomas Edison.
While Oprah Winfrey, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Michael Jordan, and Will Smith are among the estimated 35,000 black millionaires in the nation today, these famous celebrities were not the first blacks to reach the storied 1 percent. Between the years of 1830 and 1927, as the last generation of blacks born into slavery were reaching maturity, a small group of smart, tenacious, and daring men and women broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success.
Black Fortunes is an intriguing look at these remarkable individuals, including Napoleon Bonaparte Drew - author Shomari Wills' great-great-great-grandfather - the first black man in Powhatan County (contemporary Richmond) to own property in post-Civil War Virginia. His achievements were matched by five other unknown black entrepreneurs including
- Mary Ellen Pleasant, who used her Gold Rush wealth to further the cause of abolitionist John Brown
- Robert Reed Church, who became the largest landowner in Tennessee
- Hannah Elias, the mistress of a New York City millionaire, who used the land her lover gave her to build an empire in Harlem
- Orphan and self-taught chemist Annie Turnbo-Malone, who developed the first national brand of hair care products
- Madam C. J Walker, Turnbo-Malone's employee who would earn the nickname America's "first female black millionaire"
- Mississippi school teacher O. W. Gurley, who developed a piece of Tulsa, Oklahoma, into a "town" for wealthy black professionals and craftsmen that would become known as "the Black Wall Street"
A fresh, little-known chapter in the nation's story - a blend of Hidden Figures, Titan, and The Tycoons - Black Fortunes illuminates the birth of the black business titan and the emergence of the black marketplace in America as never before.
PDF Black Fortunes The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires Audible Audio Edition Shomari Wills Ron Butler HarperAudio Books
"Excellent book of history....every black person should know about their ancestors profiled in this writing. It shows why and how the wealth of blacks today are on top....while illuminating their negligence of not investing back into our businesses, community infrastructure and institution building. If Opra, and a dozen other black elite wealthy folk pooled together even just one-eighth of their money to invest in financial and learning institutions established for black people, the wealth gap would diminish within one generation."
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Black Fortunes The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires Audible Audio Edition Shomari Wills Ron Butler HarperAudio Books Reviews :
Black Fortunes The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires Audible Audio Edition Shomari Wills Ron Butler HarperAudio Books Reviews
- The book is interesting to read, but it is hard to trust a book that claims to be history but contains glaring and easily-researched errors, and almost no footnotes. Two errors the author speaks of a character living near the Virginia-West Virginia border in the 1850s, but West Virginia did not exist until 1863. There was no state border and Harpers Ferry was in Virginia, not West Virginia. Then he says Senator Blanche Bruce died in 1883, when Bruce did not die until 1898. Sloppy. Nevertheless, the characters are interesting and the stories well worth reading for more depth in Black American history.
- This book tells the stories of six entrepreneurs born into slavery and Jim Crow but became millionaires despite their black identity. Not only did they create great wealth for themselves, they pioneered industries and built cities during their lifetime.
Here are my top five takeaways from the book
1. Creating wealth is not a special talent, it is a discipline, the discipline to save money - Cash they say is king. When opportunities knock (and they always do), be sure to bring plenty of it to the door. So, always have liquid cash in bank!
2. Purpose precedes fortune – their mission in the business world was simple. To empower as many people of color as they can with the opportunities they’ve been given. So, discover THE WHY behind your pursuit of wealth!
3. The family unit is where true wealth starts and sadly ends – they all either attained greater levels of financial success or lost it all largely because of the choice of their spouses. So, choose wisely!
4. Crises are wealth in disguise – if they had any special talent that will be this, understanding - that crises are cyclic, they come and go, and leave wealth making opportunities behind. So, embrace your current crisis!
5. If cash is king, succession is the key to the kingdom – while their legacy today is clear, unfortunately the wealth they created did not outlive any one of them. The fortitude and grit needed to create the wealth, became waned or too little to continue the fight needed to preserve it for the next generation. So, think generationally! - Excellent book. These are great stories. Author did and excellent job of bring this book to life. We need more books like!!!
- A well-written work, Shomari Wills uses solid research and great storytelling to uncover the hidden truth of remarkable African American entrepreneurs that accumulated wealth while navigating treacherous social, political, psychological barriers, physical violence and personal shortcomings. The story of black wealth and all the ways that white racism fights against it is not taught in schools. The story of Indians owning slaves and fighting with the Confederacy to maintain slavery and battle against U.S. intentions to steal Indian lands is not taught in schools. Wills reveals truths that are not commonly known when among African American historians (Madame C.J. Walker was not actually a millionaire, nor as financially successful as her mentor, for example, or that Greenwood was rebuilt after it was destroyed by the white racist mobs. This is s fascinating read. Wills forced a more nuanced understanding of the role of black wealth in dismantling white supremacy in a capitalist society.
- First of all, shame on the American school system for not teaching black people ALL about their history. Noooo we as black people only learned about slavery and some minor things that only represent a very small percentage of our heritage. Why am I 43 and just now learning about these African American millionaires from the 1800's? I guess our part and contribution in American history is not important. Well thank God for books like this. I am not even finished with it, but had to review it already. I was telling my 21 yr old daughter about it. She's excited to read it when I'm finished. I will order one for my son in another state. Shame on the American school system only teaching HIStory (HIS STORY)
- I loved the details and events expressed in this book. It documented major moves in history. It was both inspiring and enlightening. A must read for all African- Americans who are in pursuit of accomplishing their own dreams.
- Excellent book of history....every black person should know about their ancestors profiled in this writing. It shows why and how the wealth of blacks today are on top....while illuminating their negligence of not investing back into our businesses, community infrastructure and institution building. If Opra, and a dozen other black elite wealthy folk pooled together even just one-eighth of their money to invest in financial and learning institutions established for black people, the wealth gap would diminish within one generation.
- Excellent book. I would highly recommend it. It show the importance of having self confidence and being willing to adapt to changing circumstances. The book is well written to capture the interest of the reader. It also demonstrates how far we have come over the last 150 years for Americans and 180 years for the British colonies. It is highly recommended on my list of books to read. it would be of value to persons of all races. Demonstrates how unkind and barbaric racism is, in a very engaging read.
