Black Proffesionals..Profiles of a lost Workforce

On a very popular blog, I made the statement that my company (---_---) has about 400 employees, and about 4 of them are black. Seriously 4. Though people believed me, they were puzzled by the number. I'm here to tell you I dont see alot of black folk in the white-collar workforce. I cant honestly tell you why this is . I can point out a couple of things that got me to my place in life and maybe it will serve as a blueprint.

1. I never settled ..When I joined the military I made it my goal to get a job I can do that required my brain and not my body for labor. Or worse for bullet catching.

2. I inspired myself. When told I couldnt do something. All it really did was make me want to do it, an d do it better then my counterparts. Ultimatly I wanted to get so good at it, that I wanted to teach it ..And I did.

3. I took a job that matched my skills. When I got out the military I made it a point to find a job that coincided with what I did while in the military. It had to pay enough to allow me to leave the military, and not lose any face while doing so.

4th. I made a promise to myself I'd do better. Ok I have a goal and thats to be in a job where im complety happy irreguardless the salary, yet I will allow myself to save enough money for a rainy day. Im getting there now, but I have a ways to go.

I cant speak for the rest of our small group, but I know this much to be true. I got where im at, because I was not comfortable settling, and taking the easy way.

With all that said. Is our new social epidemic a lack of a whitecollar workforce. How do we get more young proffesionals out there? Im interested in this debate, b/c it does hurt to not see alot of us out there. It does hurt when i go to lunch that in the cafeteria mine is one of the rare faces I see of color.

My people, what steps do we take to make this happen, and how do we maintain it. In the 90's many of us were out there, but come the new decade,, it went away. How do we get it back peepz? Simple question....

SMOOTH