Sweet inspiration.

I THOUGHT THE ARTICLE IN YOUR JUNE 2003 issue on Shakoor Watson ["Sweet Freedom," Motivation] was motivational and inspiring. I and many other ex-convicts will attempt to reclaim our lives and rightfully take our place in society as citizens--a society that, more often than not, deems us unworthy of such status.

BLACK ENTERPRISE is to be commended for printing such stories and informing people (incarcerated and unincarcerated) that even when wrong turns are taken in life, you can make a good turn and continue the journey toward being a productive citizen.

I hope that BE keeps up the good and much needed recognition for all to see and learn from.

Keith Williams 

Camden, New Jersey 

I WAS EXTREMELY MOTIVATED WHEN I READ your article about Shakoor Watson, because I aspire to be an entrepreneur. His story inspires me and shows me, as well as other incarcerated individuals, that with hard work, dedication and discipline there is hope, and one can be successful in society regardless of past transgressions. Thank you for printing Watson's story.

Kenneth Jamal Bryant

San Luis Obispo, California 

I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I REALLY enjoyed your article on Shakoor Watson ["Sweet Freedom," Motivation, June 2003]. It was very inspiring.

I have a wedding coming up next year, and your article indicated that Watson has a catering business. I was wondering if you could provide contact information for him or his store, because that sweet potato cheesecake sounds like it's banging.

Ravon Anderson

Hoboken, New Jersey 

I JUST FINISHED READING YOUR ARTICLE on Shakoor Watson and was really impressed with his ambition and achievements. I was immediately interested in visiting Watson's establishment to try some of that sweet potato cheesecake, but was surprised, and a little disappointed, to find there was no contact information listed.

On the whole, I notice this about all of your articles; no information is provided on how to make contact with these amazing entrepreneurs. Is this a policy of the magazine? Just curious.

Tamara ]ones

New York, New York

Editor's Note: The contact information for Shakoor's Sweet Tooth is 555 Throop Avenue, Brooklyn, New York: 718-574-2580.

With the exception of certain sections of our magazine (for example, our "Making It" columns in the Enterprise section), our policy is to identify the city and state where a business is located. We rarely provide street addresses and phone numbers: we will often provide a URL if the business has a Website. We recognize the value of the exposure companies get when they are featured in BE, but because we cannot always endorse or recommend their products and services, and we feature them primarily as examples to illustrate the strategies we write about, we try not to posture ourselves as promoters of the businesses mentioned. On the other hand, we feel that providing the city and state of the business' location makes it relatively easy for readers to get contact information through directory assistance and other public resources. Beyond that, whenever individual readers contact us directly for contact information, we are pleased to provide it.