Letters.

A GREAT CRUSADE 

As we catapult into the year 2001, the real millennium according to many scholars, I would like to thank Publisher Earl G. Graves and the BLACK-ENTERPRISE staff for commencing the Black Wealth Initiative. The foresight exhibited in starting this crusade is much appreciated.

While we have yet to reach the "promised land" of equality through [the] Civil Rights [movement], we cannot ignore the obvious fact that economic empowerment will be the major focus of the next great movement for African Americans. This movement will be spearheaded by a collective of black men and women who have taken the necessary steps to acquire the financial wherewithal to elevate the economic status of the masses.

BE has accurately predicted the new movement and taken the unprecedented step of distributing its Wealth Building Kits. The kits afford each of us an opportunity to literally prepare for financial battle. It behooves us all to encourage relatives, friends, and anyone else who will listen to prepare now for the movement and to commit to the principles of financial empowerment.

Thanks again to BE for enlightening us to the Economic Empowerment Movement.

Brian L. Haynes, Ph.D. Tallahassee, Florida [e-mail]

Editor's note: To order a free kit call 877-WEALTHY or visit our Website at www.blackenterprise.com.

Thank you for sharing the interesting facts about the hours [per] year vs. median family income disparity between blacks and whites in your article, "More Work and Less Pay" (Newspoints, February 2001). It was an inspiration for me to continue to increase my financial acuity.

It behooves each one of us to learn to make our hard-earned money work for us through the various tiers of the investment pyramid (see "Risky Climb," Moneywise, February 2001). The courts are not going to be the equalizer. Educating ourselves about how to create wealth is the equalizer. Thank you for all you do to teach people to be "moneywise."

Yu-jay Harris Voorhees, New Jersey [e-mail]

... GET SET--GO!

Thank you for the article, "On Your Mark," about achieving your goals, by Walt F.J. Goodridge, published in the January 2001 issue. I have practiced variations of Mr. Goodridge's step-by-step techniques for many years to achieve my goals. From my personal experience, I know that this five-step strategy for setting new goals and achieving them really works. Though brief and to the point, this article offered practical advice and referenced good sources for readers to gain more information. Thanks, again, for presenting readers with a good start to 2001.

Dorothy Phaire Silver Spring, Maryland [e-mail]

NOT BUYING IT

After viewing BET's accomplishments over the past 20 years and noticing their very obvious continued success ["Betting on Black," January 2001], what valid reason would Robert L. Johnson or anyone have to justify selling such an enterprise? It appeared that BET was in a win-win position in today's media-frenzied world. Why didn't Johnson transfer the business into the hands of a black-owned entertainment conglomerate? Johnson seems to be avoiding the real issues here. I would hate to think that he just gradually became a sellout.

Tracy L. Carver Fort Worth, Texas [e-mail]

Editor's note: While the ultimate impact of the sale of BET Holdings Inc. is still open to debate, it is safe to say that there is no black-owned entertainment conglomerate capable of matching the nearly $3 billion invested by Viacom to acquire BET.

CORRECTIONS

In "The Bigger, the Better" (Moneywise, March 2001), the closing date was incorrectly identified as December 25, 2000, a day on which stocks were not traded because the market was closed for the Christmas holiday. The correct closing date for the indicated stock prices was December 15, 2000.

In "Just What the Doctor Ordered," (Enterprise, January 2001), we identified only two of the four owners of A.L.D. Enterprises, the Baltimore-based pharmaceutical business. The unnamed owners are Anthony Wutoh, Ph.D., and Dr. Leon Wright.

BE welcomes comments from our readers. Address all correspondence to Letters, BLACK ENTERPRISE, 130 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10011. Fax: [phone]; e-mail: [e-mail]. Letters should include the writer's full name, address, and daytime telephone, and may be edited for clarity or space.