In the 1960s I was heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement as second vice chair of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) under our leader at the time, the legendary James Farmer.  I later went on the become chairman of Bronx CORE, following in the footsteps of the chapter's first chairman, Herb Calendar, who was an original Freedom Rider.

I share this with you so you'll understand why more often than not I am stirring the pot and unwilling to tolerate the status quo when it comes to opportunities for wealth building and empowerment in our African-American community.  By us pushing the envelope and not settling for things as usual, we served as catalysts for change.  

That being said, this Publisher's Message is directed mainly at our meeting, incentive and event planner audience.  I'm the first to admit that the days when overt racism was rampant are thankfully behind us for the most part.  But unless you have been wearing blinders, it's hard for you to deny that we continue to experience and live with the vestiges of Jim Crow, which are evident wherever you look in this industry. Our efforts moved our community, and our country, in the right direction.  We won many battles, though certainly not all of them.  And while we accomplished much, in 2017 few can argue that we don't still have a long way to go.

That being said, this Publisher's Message is directed mainly at our meeting, incentive and event planner audience.  I'm the first to admit that the days when overt racism was rampant are thankfully behind us for the most part.  But unless you have been wearing blinders, it's hard for you to deny that we continue to experience and live with the vestiges of Jim Crow, which are evident wherever you look in this industry.

In fact BM&T regularly runs feature articles in our magazine presenting an array of outstanding and highly qualified individuals who are more than competent to fill some of the many opportunities that exist under the broader umbrella of Tourism as well as highlighting hundreds of African American Tourist sites that would be of interest to everyone nationwide.