Dr. Boyce Money: Why It Pays to be a Dangerous Negro

Dangerous Negro is changing the world. A young company founded by strong, intelligent black men, Dangerous Negro is shaking up the corporate power structure with empowered and intelligent apparel, designed to let you know that black men are no longer interested in scraping, bowing and "bojangling" to get ahead. Educated at the top business schools in the world, these men are not just hustling t-shirts - they are making serious money. Entrepreneurship is the Underground Railroad of the New millenium, and these men have signed themselves on as conductors. As winners of the Miller Coors Urban Entrepreneur Series, we can see that their greatest work is yet to come.

AOL Black Voices had the chance to catch up with the founders of Dangerous Negro:

1) What exactly is a "Dangerous Negro"?

Our tagline is: A dangerousNEGRO is a Danger to America's racial paradigm, a Danger to low expectations, a Danger to degenerate black mentalities, and is Dangerously contagious to the miseducated individual. Are you a dangerousNegro or soon to be endangered Negro?

Basically we noticed a historical pattern of great Black leaders being labeled "dangerous Negroes." Starting with President Woodrow Wilson's declaration of A. Philip Randolph as "the most dangerous Negro in America" in 1919, it seems that intelligent Black leaders with organizational skills were given this label. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. was crowned the "most dangerous Negro in America" by the FBI after the March on Washington. The US Government was fairly consistent in keeping the "dangerous Negro" monicker alive. Due to the global Black community's current state of despair, we would like to reignite this trend.

2) Tell me about your organization: What do you do, who's involved?

dN Group LLC is the parent company that operates dangerousNEGRO Black Empowerment Apparel (dN|Be Apparel) and dangerousNEGRO Entertainment (dN|Be ENT.).

dangerousNEGRO arose from the minds of Black men united in the quest to deliver consciousness to a lost generation. Sickened by images of ignorance, we decided to take a stand by giving the world a positive visual representation of Black culture. So our goal was to start not just an innovative clothing line and record label, but a movement.

We firmly believe that through our products we can increase the number of socially conscious individuals around the world, and, in turn, increase their impact on the community. By serving as a visual representation of the Black Empowerment Movement, our brand can help to inspire action and combat the apathy that has taken over many aspects of the Black community.

The New Black Leadership

Barack Obama
Barack Obama is the first African-American president of the United States. His charm and charisma have been well received around the world, making him an "icon" for change in America.

Getty Images

Oprah Winfrey
Oprah: the name is as powerful as her brand and image. The media mogul has made it her mission to inspire millions of people to be who they aspire to be through her television show, movies, magazine, and a radio show. She even reached out to help educate struggling kids in Africa by opening her girls-only boarding school, but even that wasn't enough for her. Next year, she'll launch her own network, leaving no doubt that Oprah is a leader in every sense of the word.

George Burns, AP

Jesse Jackson
Arguably the most well-known black leader, Jesse Jackson has been on the front lines for black people since witnessing the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. However, the reputation of this former presidential candidate has been tarnished with time and by the discovery of his marital infidelity, which produced a love child. Then, there are his controversial comments: the one about Jews that killed his White House bid, and recent ones about presidential hopeful Barack Obama. Is the leader of the so-called "old guard" still relevant in the black community? Only time will tell.

Lefteris Pitarakis, AP

Condoleezza Rice
Rice, a former professor at Stanford University, is the first black woman to serve as Secretary of State in the United States. She's also just the second black American to hold the post. Prior to this, she served as George W. Bush's National Security Adviser. Her political acumen isn't the only thing that distinguishes her leadership. Rice is also a classical pianist who can speak five languages fluently. Still, many black commentators have concern about Rice's stances on the war, handling of Hurricane Katrina and statements on various issues. But nonetheless, Rice is truly a remarkable woman that deserves recognition as a leader and pioneer. But will her next job give any attention to the needs of the black community?

Haraz N. Ghanbari, AP

Deval Patrick
On Nov. 7, 2006, Patrick was elected as the first African American governor of Massachusetts, and the third black governor in United States history. More recently, he signed a landmark bill that allows gay non-residents of Massachusetts to tie the knot in the state, circumventing bans in their own states.

AP

Dorothy Height
A civil rights activist, Dr. Dorothy Height has spent a lifetime fighting for equal rights for African Americans and women of all races. Chair of the National Council of Negro Women, she recently received the Congressional Medal of Honor, a testament to her reputation and leadership skills. At 96, she's still going strong as the chair of the Executive Committee of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. She is a tireless leader who will keep fighting injustice until her last breath.

PAUL J. RICHARDS

Corey Booker
The current mayor of Newark, N.J., has been a dynamic force in the resurrection of one of the Garden State's largest and most-beleaguered cities. Booker has taken a hard line on crime in the city. In 2008 Newark has had 37 murders so far; that's on track for a dramatic low for the city which had 105 murders in 2006. Additionally, he was at the forefront of a new arena being built downtown along with a city renovation. He took over for Sharpe James who was at the city's helm for 20 years, but was recently convicted of federal corruption charges.

Chris McGrath, Getty Images

Cynthia McKinney
The former U.S. congresswoman from Georgia has become the new face of the Green Party within the last year, as the party's nominee for president. Unfortunately, her leadership in recent months has been overshadowed by Sen. Barack Obama's presidential run. In Congress, McKinney was recognized for pressuring lawmakers to release records relating to the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Tupac Shakur, as well as for her Hurricane Katrina activism.

W.A. Harewood, AP

Benjamin Jealous
Who is Benjamin Jealous? If you don't know now, you soon will. At 35 he is the youngest ever national leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. His challenge? Bringing the civil rights organization back to the forefront and making it relevant to younger generations. Perhaps Jealous will give the organization an infusion of youthful energy.

Earl Gibson III, AP

Faye Wattleton
As the youngest ever president of Planned Parenthood, Wattleton became a leader in family planning and reproductive health. She has also been at the front of the pro-choice movement. As if that wasn't enough, Wattleton is now taking her inspirational message to all women as the president of the Center for the Advancement of Women.

Scott Wintrow, Getty Images

3) How did this company get started in the first place? Also, what's the background of the founders?

3) How did this company get started in the first place? Also, what's the background of the founders?
The company was started in Nashville, TN, where 6 of us graduated from Vanderbilt University. The seventh founder has always been a close associate based out of Indianapolis. All of us shared the desire to incite action in the Black community, so we combined our individual talents to strive towards that common goal.

We all have diverse backgrounds. I'm proud to say we boast among our ranks an MBA (Chairman Tre Baker), an MBA candidate (Frank Robinson), a Ph.D candidate (Tracy Holmes), a JD. (Justin Giboney, Esq), a Master of Engineering (President Sebastine Ujereh Jr.), and 2 Bachelor of Arts scholars (Demetrius Walker and Gary Mavindidze). Justin and myself (Demetrius Walker) are also public speakers that travel around the country lecturing.

4) What have you learned about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship? What has kept you going for this long?

We've learned that persistence and determination are key. The word Negro has somehow become the most frightening word in the English language, so we have learned to patiently weed through people's ignorance. In order to enlighten and incite change it takes a strong team committed to teamwork.

Seeing people inspired by our product has kept us going for the past 4 years. We've sold thousands of shirts across the country and people seem to appreciate what we are trying to accomplish. In many ways, we are the voice of those who wish to see change in the social, political, and economic well being of their communities. Therefore, our responsibility to Black America keeps us motivated.

5) Who is buying your product at this time?

Most of our apparel customers are in the 14-35 age range and sympathetic to our call for empowerment. We sell an equal amount of male and female shirts.

On the dN|Be Entertainment side we have an enormously diverse crowd of fans from all over the world.

6) You are obviously about more than just selling t-shirts. What tangential progress would you like to make in your community?

We would like to be the alarm clock that finally forces the Black community to wake up. Through dN|Be Apparel, we are forcing people to visibly recognize that "Smart Is The New Gangsta" these days. When someone is wearing one of our shirts they visually impact the subconscious of all in their vicinity. So the fashion side of our company hopes to encourage activism through people's sense of sight.

dN|Be Entertatinment caters to the sense of hearing on the other hand. Our airwaves are polluted with a significant amount of nonsense. We will be giving listeners music that will encourage intellectualism and promote intelligence.

7) What are your plans for the future?

As the company continues to spread its positive message, dangerousNEGRO plans to become the preeminent leader in urban wear, independent Hip Hop, and multiple other ventures. Once we finish raising the necessary capital, we are confident that dangerousNEGRO will be a household name.

8) Is there anything else you'd like for the AOL Black Voices audience to know?

We would like to thank AOL Black Voices for giving us an opportunity to talk about our business. We encourage everyone to become actively involved in our movement. Go to dangerousNEGRO.com today. Participate in our blog discussions. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/dangerousNEGRO. Join our Facebook fan page as well. Tap us to speak at your schools and universities. This is an interactive movement and we are very responsive to the input of our customers, consumers, and even critics. Help us to get this positive message in every Black household across the country!

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of the forthcoming book, "Black American Money." To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered directly to your email, please click here.

Categories

Contributors

Other BV Blogs