Faith and family. (Publisher's Page).

What do you do when you've given your all, and it seems like you can't make it through? ... After you've done all you can, you just stand.--Donnie McClurkin

A tough economy. Joblessness. War. Market instability. Epidemics. Betrayals of the public trust. Terrorism. Corporate misconduct. Inequality. Budget deficits. Weapons of mass destruction. How do you move forward in the face of all this? How, in these difficult times, do we maintain the sense of optimism necessary to invest for our futures and the futures of our children, to find passion and purpose in our work, to endure the challenges, and experience the triumphs of launching and growing a business? How do we keep going--and what's the point? The answer is in the true source of our prosperity--our faith. Our legacy as African Americans is to never surrender our hopes, to persevere, and overcome. To do otherwise was never, is not, and will never be an option.

I'd like you to keep that in mind as you read through our 31st Annual Report on Black Business, featuring the BLACK ENTERPRISE 100s, our listings of the nation's largest black-owned companies. Each industry overview, which chronicles the seemingly insurmountable obstacles confronting BE 100s CEOs (including setbacks that caused us to shrink our advertising agency, asset management, and investment bank lists), is followed by an inspiring profile of a chief executive who achieved amazing success in defiance of those daunting obstacles. These CEOs--Don Barden of Barden Companies Inc., Dorian Boyland of Boyland Auto Group, Don Coleman of GlobalHue, and Kevin Cohee of OneUnited Bank--earned their respective 2003 BE companies of the year recognitions by delivering outstanding performance that is all the more impressive against the backdrop of these uncertain times.

Difficult times challenge us to appreciate what we have, to be clear on our priorities, and to understand what is truly important. The adversity of the past year should serve to remind us of the true measures of our wealth: our values, our families, our spiritual development, our integrity, and our capacity to love and care for others. It is no secret to BE. subscribers that my family is a critical source of strength and inspiration in both my business and personal lives. With faith as my anchor and family as my foundation, I learned long ago that true prosperity is not measured by market indices and economic indicators. All I need to do is glance at a Graves family portrait, or experience the uniqueness of each of my eight grandchildren, to know what really matters.

That's why, in addition to the business exploits chronicled in this year's annual report, we included our photo essay, "Family Album." These intimate snapshots of some of the families behind the BE 100s highlight the ties that have held together black-owned enterprises, and American business as a whole, for centuries. These portraits remind us that running a successful business is not just about buying and selling, profits and losses; it's also about relationships between people with common values, working toward a worthwhile goal, and building a legacy for future generations. It is for the sake of these future generations that we must remain hopeful. We do not have all of the answers. We do not know what tomorrow will bring. But we do know that our faith--in God and in ourselves--will sustain us and carry us through even these difficult times.

It is my most fervent hope that you read this issue of BE not just for the information, but for the inspiration. By holding on to our faith and remembering what is truly important in our lives, we can do extraordinary things. This is not limited to captains of industry. Be sure to check our Board of Economists Report in this issue, "Financial Wake-Up Call to see how a 25-year-old husband and father, with an annual salary of just $23,000, became a home owner. For David Cleveland to overcome the belief that his youth and income level disqualified him as a potential home buyer required him to step out on faith. As African American home ownership is a critical component to building black wealth, we owe it to ourselves and our families to seek opportunities to move from renting to ownership.

In the same article, the value of family is illustrated by sisters Lori and Lisa Porcher. Both were among the hundreds of thousands of workers displaced by our nation's economic downswing. These siblings are pooling financial resources and providing each other with emotional support as they look for new jobs. When they count their blessings, you can be sure they place each other near the top of their lists.

It is amazing what any of us can accomplish when we focus on doing what we can, for ourselves and one another, instead of wasting energy and time worrying about those things beyond our personal spheres of influence. We must not allow the "CNN effect" to rob us of the joy of day-to-day living. This does not mean that we should disengage ourselves from the events and issues that will ultimately impact our business opportunities, the health of our communities, and the security of our nation. For example, we must be concerned about whether the billions required to restore a war-torn Iraq will come at the expense of resources desperately needed for healthcare, education, and other domestic priorities. We should also remain vigilant on issues ranging from housing discrimination to affirmative action to racial profiling, as we strive to eliminate barriers to opportunity and improve the quality of our lives. These concerns, however, cannot come at the expense of our peace of mind and our commitment to taking care of ourselves; caring for our children; performing at our jobs; running our businesses; and doing all we can to manifest hope, purpose, and fulfillment in our day-to-day lives.

When we are at our best, we approach life with a sense of purpose, optimism, and enthusiasm--sustained by an appreciation of the present and motivated by the promise of better days to come. As we are called to do by singer and minister Donnie McClurkin in his powerful and uplifting song "Stand," our charge, when despair threatens to overwhelm us, is to do all we can, as best we can, and to stand on faith. You won't be disappointed.