The Invisible Men

In this episode, Eugene S. Robinson joins Ian and Nique to discuss his multifaceted career as a journalist, author, musician, editor of OZY Media, and MMA Connoisseur. As a child, Eugene was driven by the New York “hustle” culture to pave a path to a better life for himself and his family. From Brooklyn to Stanford University, Eugene’s intellect and zeal propelled him into a plethora of exciting jobs and opportunities. Eugene shares pivotal moments — from starting a snow shoveling business as a young boy to discovering his knack for music and writing at Stanford — that laid the groundwork for his career. Later, Eugene discusses how mastering martial arts prepared him to respond to adversity from a place of strength rather than fear. Watch the full episode to hear Eugene’s advice for “Darryl” and his unorthodox “speed round” answer, where he compares MMA Fighter Jon Jones to Abel in the Old Testament narrative of Cain and Abel.

Note: If you would like to see all episodes of The Invisible Men, please go to: www.invisible.men

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by one of America’s greatest wrestlers — Lee Kemp — who reflects on a life of challenges and achievement both inside and outside wrestling. According to Lee, “I was given up for adoption at birth and was institutionalized until the age of five,” when he was adopted. Lee shares that his adopted father, who left the south for Cleveland in search of a better life, taught him the values of hard work and respect from an early age. Amid the racial unrest of the 1960s, Lee’s family moved from Cleveland to a rural Ohio farming community. There, Lee watched his father build a thriving farm while also holding a full-time job. It was at this time in his life that Lee was introduced to the sport of wrestling. Wrestling has informed one of Lee’s core beliefs: the reward of winning one battle is earning the privilege to fight another battle.

Later, Lee discusses his experience in 1980 when President Jimmy Carter decided to boycott the Summer Olympics in Moscow — dashing Lee’s hopes of becoming both a multi-time world champion and an Olympic champion. Tune in to the full episode to learn more of Lee’s story and hear his words of advice for “Darryl.”

Note: If you would like to see all episodes of The Invisible Men, please go to: www.invisible.men

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by James Stovall, the co-founder and former CEO of Little Bird HR. James founded Little Bird in 2016 to provide software, employee benefits, and HR support to New York City charter schools. After five years of empowering charter schools in the city, Little Bird was bought in 2020 by one of the largest firms in the industry. Essential to James Stovall’s decision to found Little Bird: a desire to leverage his experience working in the charter school sector to pursue his long-term dream of building a company that could address root problems he had observed in education.

One crucial part of James’ early story: witnessing his mother exemplify a remarkable spirit of grit and resiliency as she rejected welfare benefits available to a single mother like her and got a job as an insurance agent to build a better future for her children. Later, James discusses the importance of overcoming prevalent racial narratives that instill feelings of helplessness and undermine personal agency. James has done so by fixing his mind on the open doors in front of him, and not the closed doors — keeping a steady focus on his own goals and the opportunities within his reach rather than ruminating over the barriers that stand in his way. Tune into the full episode to hear more about James’ story and his words of advice for “Darryl.”

Note: If you would like to see all episodes of The Invisible Men, please go to: www.invisible.men

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by Cliff Barber — Chief Strategy Officer of the Archdiocese of Chicago and a former investment fund manager. Combining knowledge from his impressive corporate background and extensive experience in ministry, Cliff discusses the centrality of faith in shaping his upbringing, and he shares his passion for addressing “spiritual poverty” in vulnerable communities. Cliff’s upbringing in a deeply faithful family and his experience in prison ministry cause him to reflect on how black Americans for generations have leaned on faith to knock through the barriers standing in front of them. Cliff believes this history informs the great potential for faith to be the nexus of revitalization in black communities around the country today.

Later, Cliff shares one pivotal moment in his life: Stepping away from his home in the south side of Chicago to attend a science fair downstate where he was inspired by many high achieving students. This set him down a path of constant self-improvement and dedication. Watch the full episode to discover the advice Cliff has for “Darryl” in 2020.

Note: If you would like to see all episodes of The Invisible Men, please go to: www.invisible.men

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by Barry Lawson Williams to discuss the importance of building black representation on corporate boards across the United States. When it comes to corporate America, Barry’s life exemplifies the vision, character, and insight worthy of a career business executive who has served on 14 public company boards. A few years ago, Barry conducted a study with 50 top black executives in the United States and found five common themes with timely insights into how we can pave the way for a new generation of black corporate leaders. Consistent with his own experience, all of the directors Barry interviewed shared that they had gained their prominent positions through a rich network of relationships — highlighting the need for current leaders to leverage their social capital to recruit and place more black men and women in positions of corporate leadership.

Barry also shares the unique challenges he faced as a black student at Harvard in the 1960s — and the power he experienced by embracing his race in the predominately white arena of Harvard. Watch the full episode to discover the advice Barry has for “Darryl” in 2020, and to learn why Barry has adopted the habit of writing a letter to his children each year.

Note: If you would like to see all episodes of “The Invisible Men,” please go to: www.invisible.men

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by someone who is actively modelling a path of excellence for young men in the 21st century. Rav Arora — a current student at University of the Fraser Valley and an up and coming writer whose work has been published in leading outlets such as City Journal and the New York Post — joins the show to discuss his intellectual development and path to prominence amid the current culture of identity politics. Rav shares how a high school teacher helped channel his passion for thinking about social problems by introducing him to the work of Thomas Sowell. Rav had experienced discrimination and prejudice during his youth. But public intellectuals like Thomas Sowell and Coleman Hughes helped him think more deeply about the root of social challenges in western nations, and the opportunities for minorities to pursue lives of excellence in spite of these challenges. Inspired by these figures — Rav’s worked has now reached hundreds of thousands of people. 

Later, Rav discusses instances of racism he has experienced in recent months from progressive actors who claim that Rav is pushing an “alt right” agenda by challenging prevailing ideologies on white privilege and racism. Some people have gone so far as to label Rav “self-hating” for adhering to his beliefs. Watch the full episode to learn more about Rav’s story and hear his advice for “Darryl” in 2021.

Note: If you would like to see all episodes of The Invisible Men, please go to: www.invisible.men

With the job market fundamentally changing, how can we build pathways for a new generation of black men and women to unleash their passion and build a successful career? In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by Troy Stovall, the CEO of Maryland TEDCO — an organization founded by the state of Maryland in 1998 to fund early stage tech companies. They discuss the evolving skills marketplace and the role of four-year college degrees. Troy firmly believes that education is an essential component of empowerment, but he also argues that we have become too rigid in our thinking about education. Rather than seeing the bachelor’s degree as the only path to success, Troy believes we should first help more “Darryls” identify their passion before thinking about the skill-based or academic pathway to achieve their goals.

Later, Troy discusses his upbringing and shares how a deep faith commitment helped him find a moral rooting in something much larger than himself and taught him that, while he cannot control how other people view him, he does have control over how he carries himself. Troy notes the importance of teaching black children these principles as they face acts of discrimination that may feel paralyzing. Further, Troy argues that we must help children connect with examples of successful men and women who can broaden their understanding of what is possible for them to achieve.

Note: If you would like to see all episodes of The Invisible Men, please go to: www.invisible.men

Many scholars, public figures, and activists have noted the striking divide between the economic outcomes of black and white Americans. But what lies at the root of these differences is a difficult question. In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by Dr. Wilfred Reilly, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Kentucky State University, to discuss how ideological uniformity in academia has influenced the public debate on race in America. Reilly notes that two problematic narratives have dominated the debate over what accounts for racial differences in recent years—one attributing different outcomes to structural racism and the other pointing to genetics.

Contrary to these ideologies, Reilly has been inspired by economist and public intellectual Thomas Sowell to focus on social and behavioral characteristics that can engender the uplift of a new generation. He highlights a striking diversity of outcomes between ethnic groups within the same race that suggests a more complicated picture. In other words, careful analysis reveals that family, faith, free enterprise, and hard work do still matter. Why is this viewpoint scarcely acknowledged in the public narrative? Reilly suggests that political and ideological uniformity in academia has caused a stagnation of ideas and resistance against non-traditional theories. Tune into the full episode to learn more about Reilly’s book, Hate Crime Hoax, and hear his words of advice for “Darryl.”

Note: If you would like to see all episodes of The Invisible Men, please go to: www.invisible.men.

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by Vernon Lee to discuss the role of entrepreneurship as a catalyst for the uplift of black Americans. Vernon is a partner at the Marathon Fund, an organization dedicated to supporting a new generation of underrepresented entrepreneurs with high potential for growth. Vernon argues that we need stronger institutions to act as a “pipeline” for minority Americans, teaching them the skills they need to be successful in their ventures. Most importantly, Vernon contends that black entrepreneurs need more opportunities to fail. Black men and women are much less likely than their white peers to be given a second chance by investors when one of their businesses fails. But any well-seasoned entrepreneur knows that a failed business can be an incredibly valuable asset in building a successful enterprise in the future.

Later, Vernon shares how he grew into an entrepreneurial mindset in his own life. From running a paper route in middle school to being inspired by “Puppy Combs” to start a successful party-promotion venture in college, a few early touchpoints inspired Vernon to pursue entrepreneurship as a long-term career. Importantly, Vernon’s life journey has closely mirrored the characteristics of successful black men outlined in Brad Wilcox and Ronald Mincy’s “Black men making it in America” report — from following the success sequence closely to participating in a faith community and serving in the military. Watch the full episode to hear more of Vernon’s story and find out what his advice to “Darryl” is.

Are business leaders in today’s climate naturally drawn to a “cutthroat” approach to management and growth, or do the concerning behaviors often seen in large corporations stem from a misunderstanding about what is necessary to survive in the business world? In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by Gervase Warner, the President and CEO of the Massy Group — one of the largest conglomerates in the Caribbean which now holds nearly 60 companies and employs more than 12,000 people. Gervase shares how he grew to understand that businesses do not need to embrace a “mean and nasty” approach to thrive — that a company can deliver strong financial results while holding firm to its core principles and seeking to become a “force for good” in the world.

Later, Gervase shares a deeply personal and powerful story about how he found freedom by embracing forgiveness in the wake of a deeply traumatic experience. Gervase now believes widespread forgiveness is the key to generating cultural and political renewal — especially in countries with a long history of injustice like Trinidad and Tobago and the United States. Gervase holds this belief so firmly that he advocated for forgiveness on the TEDx stage just few years ago. Watch the full podcast to hear Gervase’s story and what advice he has for “Darryl” in 2020.

Please find Gervase’s TEDx talk at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ-NkuFlibI

Note: If you would like to see all episodes of The Invisible Men, please go to: www.invisible.men