"You're Hired!" Only four distinguished Americans have had the privilege of hearing these two words from business mogul Donald Trump on his hit reality TV show "The Apprentice."
The fourth person to be hired as an apprentice, and the first African-American, is Dr. Randal Pinkett, president and CEO of BCT Partners, a management, technology and policy consulting services firm. Pinkett, who had a 3-0 record as project manager during the show, spoke at the University last Thursday night, primarily reflecting on the meaning of Black History Month.
"Black history is very much like a path or a road," Pinkett said. "Like a road, black history has its winds and its twists and its turns. It has bumps and obstacles and even has its ends."
Continuing with that analogy, Pinkett continued by saying that black history makers have often had to travel down paths that very few individuals have traveled before. But what if there is no road or path to follow? What can you do then? Pinkett said that this is precisely when you yourself can become a history maker.
"The road is made when one walks, and this is the message I bring to everyone here," Pinkett said. "We are all, in some way, blazing new trails, and, in doing so we are all on an ongoing, never-ending process to create history."
Pinkett was the first black student from Rutgers to receive a Rhodes Scholarship. Pinkett holds five degrees, a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Rutgers University, a master of science in computer science from the University of Oxford in England and a master of science in electrical engineering, MBA and Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This is particularly notable as Pinkett earned his array of impressive degrees in an era when few other African-Americans were doing so.
"I grew up in a U.S. culture that sought to define me as a black man," Pinkett said. "I grew up in the '80s and, other than 'The Cosby Show,' if you watched the evening news or anything else I was described to be a criminal or an athlete or an entertainer, rather than a businessman."
Despite this, Pinkett sought to ignore cultural perceptions and set about achieving his entrepreneurial goals.
"I never allowed those stereotypes to limit my possibilities and I never allowed those influences to prevent me to venture into uncharted territories," Pinkett said. "If I had, I never would have been the first black apprentice for Donald Trump. We need to encourage more people, particularly African-Americans, to see entrepreneurship as a viable option."
Pinkett told the audience he was skeptical of claims of progress in African-American communities. He said such advancement in African-American communities is merely a popular misconception.
"Are these markers of progress in the 21st century a sign of full inclusion or are they illusions?" Pinkett asked. "On Forbes' list of the richest Americans, I see only three African-Americans. I see Michael Jordan, I see Oprah Winfrey and I see Tiger Woods."
Pinkett went on to list some statistics buttressing his claim that progress in black communities today is not advancing in the way that it seems to be.
"Along several measures, the progresses we have made in our communities have been slow, whereas in other measures, our communities have actually gotten worse," Pinkett said. "In 2001, the typical black household made a net worth of $19,000, compared to $121,000 for white people. In 2002, the black poverty rate was three times the white poverty rate."
To overcome these disparities, Pinkett encouraged everyone to broaden their desires and embrace challenging goals.
"Don't let anybody limit your possibilities," Pinkett said. "It is not other people who hold us back, but rather, it is ourselves. So, it is only we who can remove our own figurative constraints."
After delivering his 45-minute speech, Pinkett took questions from the audience. Naturally, many questions pertained to his experience as an apprentice and how it has changed his life. When asked what advice he can offer aspiring entrepreneurs, Pinkett was quick to answer by emphasizing the importance of networking.
"While it is important to focus on operations, accounting, finance and all of that, the intangible is the networking factor and being disciplined about getting out to events," Pinkett said. "For entrepreneurs, relationships mean a lot. I would not be where I am as an entrepreneur if it were not for the relationships I formed in the past."
Pinkett was then asked about the incident that occurred during the finale of "The Apprentice" when, in a surprising twist, Trump asked him if he should also hire Pinkett's competitor, Rebecca Jarvis. Pinkett refused the offer saying, "There is one and only one 'apprentice.'" The crowd loudly opposed Pinkett's decision, and showed their disapproval, but he firmly stood by his decision.
"From where I stood, from my perspective, this was a runaway victory," Pinkett said. "I had an undefeated record and she had a losing 1-2 record. On the final task, a charity fundraising event, I raised $11,000 and she raised nothing. When I look at every objective measure, to me, this was a runaway record. The fact that the question was posed to me in the first place was surprising, and my response was justified."
Pinkett ended his speech Thursday night on a positive note, recognizing that support and advancements in all communities can readily be available.
"Yes, full inclusion is indeed at some levels an illusion, but I do see reinforcements arriving," Pinkett said. "I see a generation of trailblazers and history makers who will not be influenced by the world but will indeed influence the world. I look to you as symbols of progress and also as symbols of hope for where we will be 50, 100, 150 years from now."
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