I recently wrote Do you qualify to be black? - 10.01.2006.1 on my www.mvass.com site. This got me thinking. Who are the leading African Americans today. Who is creating the trends, leading the politics and making the most money.
When considering American leaders money is always a factor for many. Black Americans often focus on how much someone has, in my experience, equating it with prosperity and influence. Money is a focus of music and black culture today, moreso than at any time previous in my lifetime at least. So that is a factor I looked at though I don’t find it to be as significant as many others do.
Taking that into effect I have also tried to figure out the reach of influence of each individual. This is hardly scientific and based on my own calculations. Taking age, medium, wealth, and an assumption that the primary focus of African American celebrity influence is primarily focused in the U.S. where ~13% of the nation is African American and 14% are Hispanic (Latino) American. Based on these factors I have made an equation, which is as follows:
(Net worth/medium) * age /
percentage / world pop. = (the sum) squared = final value
Where medium is an approximate of the main reach of people (ie. Television viewership or my best estimate based on company sales) and world population is 6.6 billion, and percentage is 13%.
So in the case of Ms. Oprah Winfrey the final value is 9.18. As I said this isn’t scientific, but it’s something of interest. The final value equates to influence on the world. A comparison is that President Bush has a value of 91.97.
The ranking breaks down as such for several noted African Americans.
Mr. Robert Johnson – 2.66
Mr. Russell Simmons – 3.35
Mr. Tiger Woods – 12.18
Mr. Michael Jordan – 13.61
Mr. Colin Powell – 52.46
Now what these numbers are saying [based on the figures I could find which may not be accurate. If you are aware of better reliable numbers, please let me know.] is important. While apparel and music related sales do bring wealth and some influence it is very limited in the overall scale. Sports and athletic achievement is also limited though it does improve the numbers. But the real influence is held in the political realm. There is just no comparison.
With only 27 million in assets, Mr. Powell staggers over everyone else in my grouping. I would say that this group, while small is somewhat accurate in description. It comprises 2 billionaires, a broadcast television mega-star, 2 sports legends, 4 business giants, and one politician. The fact is that so much attention in black culture is focused on the wrong avenues.
Money may feel like a equal to power, but it is not. Sports may seem like a ticket to power, but it fails as well. The most important tool is direct involvement in what is going on. The richest woman, and most powerful television figure does not come close to the effect of Mr. Powell. The math may not be perfect, but you can see that the influence over 300 million people is more directly tied to power than entertaining smaller portions of the nation.
So I must ask, why is the current theme of the culture focused on entertainment and income? When did that become more important than influence and change? Why is the superficial and transient desired above the integral and stable?
This is what I think, what do you think?
Note some figures derived in part from or with reference to:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_16_100/ai_78966463
http://blogs.sohh.com/ya_heard/archives/2006/08/post_43.html
http://www.gibbsmagazine.com/BlacksM.htm
http://www.charityvillage.com/cv/research/rphl10.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_billionaires
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/15/AR2006051501638.html
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