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GLOBAL I AM CONVERSATIONS (ARCHIVE SERIES)

Clifton L. Taulbert

From the Mississippi Delta to Black Wall Street: Building Communities That Endure

Long before "purpose-driven leadership" became fashionable, Clifton L. Taulbert was living it.

Born in the Mississippi Delta during the era of segregation, Taulbert transformed the lessons of a small rural community into a global philosophy of leadership, entrepreneurship, and human dignity. His Pulitzer Prize-nominated memoir, Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored, introduced millions to a world where character, resilience, and community were the greatest forms of wealth.

In this timeless Global I AM Conversation, Taulbert reflects on the values that built not only families, but businesses, neighborhoods, and nations. Drawing from his celebrated work Eight Habits of the Heart, he reminds us that trust, generosity, accountability, and service remain the true currencies of lasting success.

Today, as President and CEO of Freemount Corporation and Roots Java Coffee, Taulbert continues to demonstrate that commerce and conscience can walk together—connecting African coffee growers to global markets while helping organizations cultivate stronger leaders and stronger communities.

His journey—from the Mississippi Delta to Tulsa's historic Black Wall Street—offers an enduring blueprint for entrepreneurs, executives, educators, and anyone seeking to build a life of significance rather than mere success.

This archival conversation is more than an interview—it is a masterclass on resilience, values, and the quiet power of principled leadership.

The Culture. Our Capital.

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.   

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ).  Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados. 

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.

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Roots & Vines: Growing Beauty, Business & Belonging

Some businesses sell products.

Others cultivate experiences.

For entrepreneur Ena Jones, founder of Roots & Vines, every bouquet tells a story, every customer interaction is an opportunity to serve, and every business is ultimately about nurturing people.

In this heartfelt archival Global I AM Conversations, Ms. Jones shares the remarkable journey of building a purpose-driven business rooted in beauty, wellness, hospitality, and authentic human connection. Drawing upon more than two decades of entrepreneurial experience spanning food service, retail, client care, health and wellness, and nonprofit leadership, she demonstrates that success is not simply measured by revenue, but by the relationships we cultivate along the way.

A natural leader with an unwavering commitment to excellence, Jones reflects on the challenges of entrepreneurship, the discipline required to build lasting organizations, and the emotional intelligence necessary to lead both teams and customers with compassion and integrity.

As founder of Roots & Vines, she has transformed floral design into something far greater than decoration. Flowers become symbols of celebration, healing, remembrance, reconciliation, and hope—reminding us that beauty itself has the power to strengthen communities and enrich everyday life.

Host Patrick A. Howell explores how entrepreneurship is often an act of faith, requiring resilience, creativity, and the courage to build something meaningful from the ground up. Together they discuss leadership, customer care, innovation, technology, and why the businesses that endure are those that never lose sight of the people they serve.

Whether managing complex logistics, leading teams, or designing unforgettable experiences, Ena Jones reminds us that true success begins with service and flourishes through authenticity.

The Culture. Our Capital.

This Week on Global I AM Conversations

•  Building a purpose-driven business through beauty and service 
•  The entrepreneurial journey behind Roots & Vines 
•  Why emotional intelligence is one of today's greatest leadership skills 
•  Creating memorable customer experiences that become lasting relationships 
•  Lessons from more than twenty years in business, wellness, nonprofit leadership, and hospitality 
•  Leadership, resilience, and growing a company rooted in community 
•  How beauty, creativity, and entrepreneurship can become acts of healing 

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.   

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ).  Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados. 

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.

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In this archive conversation, we examine the creative origins and cultural vision of Ruth E. Carter, whose work has helped redefine the visual language of Black cinema and global storytelling. Long before “Afrofuturism” entered the mainstream lexicon, Carter was constructing worlds — drawing from history, diaspora, imagination, and memory — to articulate identities too often left unseen.

Together with our Global I Am hosts, they explore the discipline behind her craft, the intentionality required to design for cultural specificity, and the responsibility inherent in rendering Black life with depth, dignity, and possibility.

What emerges is a meditation on vision — how it is formed, how it is protected, and how it ultimately helps a people see themselves anew.

"i am deep/blk/soil
they have tried to pollute me
with a poison called America.
they have tried to
scorch my roots
with dope
they have tried to
drown my dreams with alcohol
with too many men who spit
their foam on top of my fruit
till it drops
rotten in America's
parks.
but i am deeeeeEEEp
blue/blk/soil
and you can hear the
sound of my walken
as i bring forth green songs
from a seasoned breast
as i burn on our evening bed
of revolution.
i, being blk
woooOOOMAN
know only the way of the womb
for i am deep/red/soil
for our emergen Blk Nation." - Sonia Sanchez, 

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What makes a moment sacred? How do memory, ancestry, and spirit converge in a single image?

In Part II of our extraordinary conversation with acclaimed photographer and visual historian Chester Higgins Jr., we journey deeper into the spiritual and emotional dimensions of photography and human experience. A longtime photographer for The New York Times and one of the most important chroniclers of the African diaspora, Higgins has spent more than five decades documenting the beauty, dignity, and sacredness of Black life around the world.

Joined by host Patrick A. Howell, Higgins reflects on the moments that transcend journalism and become acts of witness—capturing not simply what people looked like, but who they were, what they believed, and the unseen forces that connected them to their ancestors and to one another.

Together, they explore the meaning of sacred memory, the responsibility of artists as cultural stewards, the enduring influence of Gordon Parks, and the profound idea that every human being carries within them a divine story waiting to be seen.

This is not merely a conversation about photography. It is a meditation on spirit, purpose, remembrance, and the timeless power of seeing ourselves—and each other—with grace.

Global I Am. Wisdom & Grace.

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.   

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ).  Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados. 

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.

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Chester Higgins Jr. is not simply a photographer. He is one of the great visual historians of the Black world — a man whose lens transformed memory into sacred text. A longtime staff photographer for The New York Times for nearly four decades, Higgins captured the spiritual architecture of Black life with extraordinary dignity and force. His photographs of Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, and Amiri Baraka at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture remain among the most powerful visual records of Black intellect, movement, artistry and spirit. His work lives in museums, archives, history — and in the consciousness of a people still learning to see themselves whole. ()

The Chester Higgins episode of Global I Am is now produced. It still needs a touch more work on the production end — but already it breathes. Soulful. Profound. Brilliant. What began as one conversation became two episodes — a rare gift unfolding at the intersection of storytelling, photography, revolt, memory, and the apex of a master’s eye.

In this conversation, the lineage becomes clear. Gordon Parks became more than photographer; he became witness. Oracle. The Eye of Horus. The ancient Kemetic symbol of protection, healing, restoration — the eye wounded, then restored. Sun and moon. Spirit and return. Through that tradition, Chester Higgins does not merely photograph people. He illuminates them.

His lens is not mechanical. It is spiritual architecture.

Spirit. Soul. Excellence.

He has become that rare artist who transforms as he reveals — reminding us not only how we looked, but how we loved, endured, struggled, prayed, created, resisted, and remembered. His presence itself becomes an archive of grace.

Through Chester Higgins, we remember how to see one another again.

Sacred. In the Spirit. Renewed.

Global I Am.

Wisdom & Grace.

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.   

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ).  Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados. 

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

The Global I Am's Max Rodriguez welcomes PBS NewsHour anchor and acclaimed author Geoff Bennett for a candid conversation about his memoir Black Out Loud, the power of storytelling, and the role of journalism in strengthening democracy. Bennett reflects on the mentors, experiences, and defining moments that shaped his remarkable journey, offering insights on leadership, representation, and the importance of finding—and using—your voice.

Topics Include:

• The inspiration behind Black Out Loud
• Journalism, democracy, and public trust
• Mentorship and the power of representation
• Leadership through storytelling
• Race, identity, and the American experience
• Building bridges across communities and perspectives
• Finding your voice and using it with purpose

A thoughtful and timely discussion with one of America's most respected journalists on truth, leadership, and the stories that shape our lives.

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.   

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ).  Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados. 

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

Global I Am -  Episode 4: Dr. Dennis Kimbro
“Think and Grow Rich: The African Choice”

In this powerful conversation, renowned author, educator, and economic thinker Dr. Dennis Kimbro joins culturalist Max Rodriguez for a far-reaching discussion on wealth, legacy, vision, and the future of Black economic consciousness.

Best known for his groundbreaking adaptation of Napoleon Hill’s philosophy through works such as Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice, Dr. Kimbro has spent decades exploring the principles of achievement, ownership, discipline, and generational prosperity within the African diaspora.  And he is still only beginning. 

Together, Kimbro and Rodriguez examine how “being in the black” is not simply an accounting term — but a visionary framework for imagining the future, building institutions, and redefining community wealth in the 21st century.   

This episode of Global I Am explores a larger idea increasingly central to the movement: that community itself may be one of the world’s most undervalued asset classes.

A conversation on economics, culture, self-determination, and the architecture of possibility.   A conversation around the prosperity of love. 

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.   

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ).  Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados. 

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome back to the full season of The Global I AM Podcast at the Nexus of THE Culture and Our Capital.   After our first 2 beta-episodes as well as episodes from our vaults earlier this year,  Global I Am will resume every Friday to share information from around the worlds of culture and finance. 

For our first episode back, we lean into the wisdom of the Pacific Ocean at Point Loma University,  a Christian liberal arts university in San Diego, California, founded in 1902 and rooted in the Wesleyan tradition - Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is named after its location on the Point Loma peninsula in San Diego, California, where it moved in 1973

In a rare and layered gathering of minds — Dr. Dean Nelson of Point Loma University, our Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Kenyan leader Wavinya Makai of Cambridge University, global financier Bill Huston and visionary Patrick A. Howell - explore the intersection of literature, leadership, and lived identity.  

At the center stands Jesse Jackson as a living force through the people whom he inspired.  When he declared, “I Am Somebody,”  in 1984 and 1989 as a presidential aspirant, he did more than inspire -  he changed the nation, he changed the world. 

Dean and Max talk about Jamaica Kincaid - a literary force whose voice, rooted in Antigua and expanded across the world, has shaped how we understand place, power and self-definition, from St. John’s to Harvard, from the Caribbean to the global stage.

Dean E. Nelson, Ph.D., is a beloved award-winning journalist, author, and 21st Century thought leader who founded and directs the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU). He is also the founder and host of the distinguished annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea. 

This episode moves across continents and disciplines:

•  From the civil rights movement to the global diaspora
•  From economic systems to cultural production
•  From personal testimony to institutional consequence

It positions Jesse Jackson as what he truly is:

The bridge - between Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama, between protest and policy, between voice and power.

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.   

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ).  Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados. 

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.

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Hollywood icon Bill Duke joins the Global I Am Archive in a conversation that examines the intersection of capital and culture. At Global I Am we operate from a simple premise: culture is not separate from markets — culture is markets.

Across films in which Duke has acted, directed, or produced, the combined box office impact exceeds $1.6 billion, including projects such as Predator, Sister Act II, Payback, Red Dragon, and X-Men: The Last Stand. Nearly 80% of these films are major studio productions, with over 70% profitable, reflecting the rare combination of artistic mastery and professional discipline that defines Duke’s career.

Yet the deeper story is craft. With more credits behind the camera than in front of it, Duke has spent decades refining his work across film and television—from Kojak and Miami Vice to Black Lightning.

In Global I Am terms, Bill Duke represents the fusion of story, wisdom, and enterprise - a modern global griot whose legacy reminds us that the oldest technology in human civilization remains the story itself.

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.   

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ).  Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados. 

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

In this powerful archival episode of Global I Am — At the Nexus of Culture & Our Capital, we sit with Ruth E. Carter, one of the most influential costume designers in cinema history.

Originally recorded for our legacy Victory and Noble series Getting Deals Done, this conversation explores Carter’s extraordinary ability to translate cultural memory into visual language — a gift inspired in part by Black Arts Movement icons Sonia Sanchez and Nikki Giovanni.

Ruth Carter has long shaped how Black history, imagination, and identity appear on screen — from Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) to Spike Lee classics including Malcolm X (1992) and Do the Right Thing (1989). Here, she reflects on her journey, her craft, and her role as a cultural custodian.

This episode lands at a historic moment: Carter has received a new Academy Award nomination for her work on Sinners — a recognition underscoring her enduring impact on American cinema and global cultural storytelling.

At its core, Sinners follows twin brothers returning home only to confront a darker reality than the one they left — a powerful meditation on memory, reckoning, and the ghosts we carry.

In this archival Global I Am conversation, we explore:

• How design becomes narrative and living archive
 • The responsibility of cultural representation in global media
 • The lineage of Black aesthetics in film and performance
 • What it means to stand at the intersection of heritage and innovation

Carter’s work reminds us: culture is a language — and those who shape it shape how communities see themselves and the world.

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.   

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ).  Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados. 

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.