Jackson State University alum and entrepreneur Anthony Hales is profiled on the popular Website The Root in which he discusses career stagnation of minorities in corporate America that is attributed to racial discrimination.
Hales, 30, started a Washington, D.C., company last year after leaving what he described as a “dead-end” job with no room to advance. Hales Creative Solutions specializes in a range of services from graphics design and Web development to business consulting.
“You get tired of dealing with the issues of being a minority in corporate America,” says the Mississippi native. “I decided to stop stressing and build my own (company).”
Today, he is being nurtured by the U.S. Black Chambers Inc., which has launched its Young Black Male Entrepreneur Institute to assist businessmen such as Hales, who will serve their communities. With support from business leaders acting as mentors and advisers, the D.C. pilot program provides a specialized curriculum based on the nation’s top business schools. The chamber plans to expand the initiative throughout the U.S. in hopes of changing society’s negative perceptions of black men.
The Root – a news, opinion and culture site targeted to African-Americans – says the program is divided into three phases, which consist of six-week sections that cover topics such as strategic marketing, business-plan development and refinement, and individualized business coaching from seasoned business owners.
Hales is in the second phase of the program and says he’s already benefiting from mentors. “It’s valuable to talk to people who have been there,” he said.
The Root cites U.S. Census data that reveal that 2.3 million black entrepreneurs employed nearly 1 million workers in 2013. Furthermore, it says the growth in small-business ownership by African-American woman has been the biggest driver.