The Official Ill Community Black Excellence Thread

[Maximus Rex]

The Black Billionaires, 2017 cont.

5) Oprah Winfrey, Director/Producer, Entrepreneur, Personality, Philanthropist, $3 B

Onetime queen of the small screen Oprah Winfrey has turned her focus to journalism and filmmaking. In January 2017 news broke that Winfrey will be a contributor to the CBS news show 60 Minutes. In the fall of 2016, she shot back-to-back roles in the biopic 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' and 'A Wrinkle In Time,' an adaptation of the fantasy novel. Ratings at the Oprah Winfrey Network continue to climb. The 2016 premiere of megachurch drama 'Greenleaf' was the network's most-watched debut, with 3.04 million viewers. She purchased a 10% stake Weight Watchers in October 2015; its stock plunged after an initial surge, resulting in its CEO leaving in September 2016. Winfrey is helping to find a replacement. The media mogul overcame a tough childhood: raised on a farm without indoor plumbing, she survived serial abuse and rape, and became a mother as a teen. Her son died in infancy. Her way out came in the form of a federal program that gained her access to a rich suburban school. She discovered a knack for public speaking and debate, which earned her a part-time radio gig and, later, a scholarship to Tennessee State University. Her long-running Oprah Winfrey Show was the highest-rated television talk show in U.S. history.

4) Isabel dos Santos, $3.2 B

Africa's richest woman, Isabel dos Santos is the oldest daughter of Angola's longtime president. Though her representatives deny that her holdings have any connection to her father, President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, FORBES research found that he transferred stakes in several Angolan companies to her. In June 2016, he appointed her the head of Sonangol, Angola's state oil firm. In February 2017 he announced he will not seek reelection. Dos Santos' assets in Angola include 25% of Unitel, the country's largest mobile phone network, and 42% of a bank, Banco BIC. In Portugal she owns nearly 6% of oil and gas firm Galp Energia (alongside Portuguese billionaire Americo Amorim), and nearly 19% of Banco BPI, the country's fourth-largest bank She is also a controlling shareholder of Portuguese cable TV and telecom firm Nos SGPS (formerly called Zon). In October 2015, four members of the European Parliament publicly called for an investigation into her investments in Portugal, questioning their legality. A spokesperson for Dos Santos told Forbes that "Isabel dos Santos is an independent business woman and a private investor representing solely her own interests. Her investments in Angolan and/or in Portuguese companies are transparent and have been conducted through arms length's transactions involving external entities such as reputed banks and law firms."

3) Mike Adenuga, $6.2 B

Mike Adenuga, Nigeria's second richest man, built his fortune in telecom and oil production. His mobile phone network, Globacom, is the second largest operator in Nigeria with 36 million subscribers; it also has operations in Ghana and the Republic of Benin. His exploration outfit, Conoil Producing, operates 6 oil blocks in the Niger Delta. He also owns real estate firm Proline Investments, which has hundreds of properties throughout Nigeria. Adenuga studied in the United States, getting an MBA at Pace University in New York, where he worked as a taxi driver to support himself. He returned to Nigeria and made his first fortune trading lace and Coca-Cola. Along the way he made friends with Nigerian military bigwigs who awarded him lucrative state contracts; those formed the foundation of his fortune. His estimated net worth is lower this year due to the drop in value of Nigeria's currency, challenges in the oil sector, and overall weakness in Nigeria's economy.

2) Mohammed Al Amoudi, $8.5 B

Mohammed Al Amoudi, son of a Saudi father and an Ethiopian mother, has accumulated a portfolio of construction, agriculture, and energy companies across Sweden, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia. He made his initial fortune in construction in Saudi Arabia. One of his most valuable assets is oil refiner Preem, which bills itself as the largest fuel company in Sweden. In Ethiopia he has invested in agriculture, cement production and gold mining. His firm Saudi Star Agricultural Development has cultivated thousands of acres of land for fruits, vegetables, cereals, coffee, tea, flowers and rice fields for customers in Ethiopia and abroad.

1) Aliko Dangote CEO, Dangote Group, $12.2 B

Nigerian, Sugar, Cement, Flour

Aliko Dangote is not only Africa’s richest man; he’s also the richest black person in the world. Dangote built his fortune trading in cement, sugar and flour but subsequently ventured into manufacturing these commodities. His Dangote Cement is the largest cement producer in Africa with operations in several African countries. In January he announced plans to establish a $100 million truck manufacturing facility in Lagos in partnership with SINOTRUK, a Chinese firm.

 

[2stepz_ahead]

Damon Williams 14, Young Millionaire in the Making
http://www.blackempowerment.net/damon-williams-14-young-millionaire-in-the-making/

Feb 07, 2014

He’s only 14 years old, but already Damon Williams of Chicago Illinois has mastered the art of investing in the stock market and earning a sizeable profit. While others his age worry about buying the latest teen fashion or high school wear, Damon is more interested in owning a piece of the company that produces and markets that product.

According to Damon, in 2009 he already made a “shade over fifty thousand.” Damon does everything the average high school teen does. He’s popular, and the starting point guard for his varsity basketball team. He doesn’t stress about wasting time playing video games either, instead he said, “it’d be much more cool to know I own a piece of the company that makes that video game.”

Damon was first motivated to become a young investor after his financial minded mom turned down his request to get a pair of the latest Jordan sneakers on the market. Instead, she made him save his money to buy several shares of Nike before he could by another pair of shoes. Thus he became Damon Williams youth investor in the stock market.

If you ask Damon about market equities and earnings per share, he knows it, compounds and interest? he’s already got it down pack. He’s by no means a fickle investor, you won’t catch him daytrading in and out of stocks. Damon prefers to buy and hold, based on growth potential of a stock.

This young millionaire in the making is knowledgeable, and confident about the stock market. He’s put the rest of grown up Wall Street on notice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbxgv-R5M-U

Dr Boyce Watkins: This Child is DEFINITELY Going To Be A Millionaire!

props...

 

[2stepz_ahead]

i love this thread

 

[Maximus Rex]

i love this thread

How do y'all use thread? To to use as a point of reference when debating suspect racist white supremacists CACs in order to dispel negative stereotypes about black people, especially black youth? As a personal motivation tool? Or to motivate the youth?

 

[Qiv_Owan]

i love this thread

How do y'all use thread? To to use as a point of reference when debating suspect racist white supremacists CACs in order to dispel negative stereotypes about black people, especially black youth? As a personal motivation tool? Or to motivate the youth?

All of these

Plus its just nice to see people excel

 

[2stepz_ahead]

i love this thread

How do y'all use thread? To to use as a point of reference when debating suspect racist white supremacists CACs in order to dispel negative stereotypes about black people, especially black youth? As a personal motivation tool? Or to motivate the youth?

I use it as a reference point to the youth I mentor.

they often say they don't see or they didn't know about people like this. while it's still hard to get thru to some, I can see a light in others.

I like it personally because I saw so much hatred and self hate and limiting of potential growing up that this makes me smile when I know we are better than what alot of people try to portray us as.

all these people should be the rule and not the exception

 

[Maximus Rex]

Nuff said.

 

[IceManKam]

From a personal standpoint, I graduate with my Bachelors in Computer Science in a few weeks #BlackExcellence

 

[Maximus Rex]

Kid genius brothers, 11 and 14, graduate high school and college this weekend
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-college-this-weekend/?utm_term=.ca45c021bccf

By Katie Mettler May 12

Claretta Kimp wants you to understand this:

Yes, she gave birth to two child prodigies, and yes, they’re graduating from high school and college this weekend at ages 11 and 14, respectively. Carson, her oldest, is leaving Texas Christian University with a degree in physics and minors in Chinese and math. Cannan, the kid brother, will head to TCU next fall to study astrophysics and engineering. The first wants to get a PhD, the other wants to be an astronaut.

All that, Kimp concedes, is impressive.

But as a mom, her sons’ academic achievements rank low among her favorite facts.

“Yes, they’re smart,” Kimp told The Washington Post, “but that’s just a small part of who they are.”

The brothers, she said, are also best friends, study partners and big fans of their puppy, Klaus. They wrestle and laugh and hold the door open for women, just like their mother taught them. At home, Carson and Cannan do not fight, not even during their epic Star Wars lightsaber battles that make Kimp cringe. And don’t worry, Kimp tells the peanut gallery, their social lives are perfectly adequate. Their childhoods haven’t suffered.

“My boys have more social skills than most adults,” she said. “They are just normal little boys who do normal little boy things.”

It was their brilliance, though, that first landed them in the spotlight.

Four years ago, at age 10, Carson was admitted to TCU in Fort Worth and he began classes as an 11-year-old. On Saturday, he’ll become the youngest graduate in the university’s history.

Cannan Huey-You, 11, left, and Carson Huey-You, 14. (Courtesy of Claretta Kimp)

Kimp, who studied early education and business at Southern Illinois University, said she converted the spare bedroom in their home into a classroom before Carson was even walking. At first, he played with blocks there. Then she started sitting him in a chair for class.

He was so excited to learn, Kimp said, that they created a set school day from 9 a.m. to noon. But Carson would blow through the curriculum she planned in an hour. By age 2, he was reading books with chapters, and at age 3 he told his mom he wanted to learn calculus.

Kimp home-schooled Carson until he was 5 years old and learning at an eighth grade level. She knew he needed to “get out a little bit,” she said, but she struggled to find a school that was willing or able to accommodate him. She finally found a small, private Christian school and cold-called the receptionist.

“I’m a normal functioning human being and I’m totally for real,” she recalls saying on the phone. “Here’s my situation.”

The principal eventually accepted Carson, and five years later he graduated as co-valedictorian.

Then the search for a school willing to accept a child started all over again.

Kimp said they visited numerous college campuses and listened to lectures about the Ivy League. But when it came time to decide, TCU bubbled to the top.

Ultimately, the decision was Carson’s. He told his mom that TCU “felt right.”

“TCU is our Ivy League,” Kimp said.

Physics professor Magnus Rittby, a senior associate dean, became Carson’s mentor and, eventually, his research adviser. Rittby knew how to ease Carson’s anxieties, push him academically and, most importantly to Kimp, treat her son like the kid he is.

“This experience at TCU would not have been possible without Dr. Rittby,” she said.

arson faced challenges most college kids don’t. Federal financial aid forms, for example, didn’t include his age in the drop-down menu, and his mom had to drive him an hour and a half to school every day in rush hour traffic. Kimp walked him to and from class. And he had a 9 p.m. bedtime — 11 p.m. if he had to cram for a big exam.

Kimp eventually moved the family closer to campus, so their commute shortened to eight minutes. And the juggling act got even easier once Cannan started tagging along to TCU.

Because Kimp never wanted to make her sons feel in intellectual competition with each other, the divorced mom tried to avoid forcing Cannan down the same path as Carson. She wanted him to find his own way.

Cannan began on the traditional route, attending kindergarten with kids his own age. But my second grade, he was bored, and asked to be home-schooled like Carson, reported the Dallas Morning News. Kimp thinks her eldest son’s thirst for learning rubbed off on Cannan.

Even after she would complete lessons with Cannan, Carson would swoop in to help with homework, demonstrating on the whiteboard in their home how to breeze through complex math equations.

“They know that they are blessed to have a sibling and to have each other,” Kimp told The Post.

With both sons, she said she enjoyed “seeing the lightbulb moments.”

It’s not often that an 11-year old enrolls in a university. We have such a gifted student at TCU. This week, we have the pleasure of spending some time with the now 13-year old and some of the persons who ensure that this young fellow is successful at home, at school and in life. Meet our focus this entire week: Carson Huey-You, his brother, Cannan, his mother, Claretta Kimp, and his mentor, Professor Magnus Rittby, physicist and senior associate dean of the College of Science and Engineering.

Cannan later enrolled in the same private high school that Carson attended. He went to the school to take exams, but mostly worked remotely from the TCU campus alongside his brother. Cannan even got to begin work on a research project with a TCU astronomy professor.

On Friday, he’ll walk at his high school graduation, and on Saturday, Carson will receive his college diploma.

And although her children are geniuses, Kimp chooses to measure her parental success in other ways.

Recently, Cannan and Carson were playing upstairs with their Star Wars lightsabers, gifts they got this year at Christmas. Made from hard plastic, they made a loud “whack!” every time they clashed together. Kimp listened from downstairs, waiting, she said, for an inevitable scream.

When it came from Carson, who had been thumped in the arm, she sat there for a minute to see what would happen next.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she heard Cannan said. “Let me rub it for you.”

She sat back feeling satisfied.

“Okay, yeah,” she said she thought to herself, “I’ve done a good job.”

 

[Maximus Rex]

NBCBLK28: Marques Brownlee Knows ‘Dope Tech’
http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbcblk28-2017/nbcblk28-marques-brownlee-reviews-dope-tech-n714396

by GRANT YANNEY

Marques Brownlee, 23, Maplewood, NJ

Tech Reviewer & YouTube Star

One can arguably say that there aren't many people in tech like Marques Brownlee. If you factor in that he's 23, Black and basically spends his days testing really cool technology and showcasing his findings on YouTube, that disparity is a little more self-evident.

Our NBCBLK28 recipient has an uncanny knack for shedding light on what he calls "dope tech." You can tell he knows his stuff, but he also breaks down the specifications of the products in a very conversational manner that's easy to digest.

Affable yet informative. Armed with more than 4 million YouTube subscribers and an alias fit for a Terminator villain, it's no wonder as to how menacing the digital grind is for the New Jersey native known online simply as MKBHD. He's not actually a Schwarzenegger adversary—MKB are the initials for his first, middle, and last name. The HD stands for high-definition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtXZlpJP-Ik

Dope Tech: The Best Drones!

Brownlee, a seasoned tech professional who started making tech videos in high school, now boasts more than 883 videos on his channel. Those videos have amassed more than 200 million views. High-definition, indeed.

Outside of being a tech YouTube star and an ultimate frisbee aficionado, Brownlee prides himself on simply helping everyday consumers buy things.

"Being a game changer to me means changing the way other people see things," said Brownlee. "I guess for me, I keep saying the words consumer electronics, consumer tech—the biggest purchase decisions people make a lot of times are the phones they buy and the tech they buy. To be able to influence other people's decisions on that front is pretty game changing."

Influencing white people's purchasing decisions, Black Excellence.