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Enterprise Education E 22 viduals could work together to create sweeping change. The change he wanted to see was more respect and support for the black community, particularly in the business world—and he wanted to do his part by publishing a magazine targeted to black executives and entrepreneurs. The inaugural issue of Black Enter prise, published in 1970, arl G. Graves Sr. was fine-tuning the concept for Black Enter prise magazine the same year man first walked on the moon. The coincidence wasn't lost on him: It made him believe that anything was possible. He had lived through the Civil Rights era and had been a staffer for Robert Kennedy, so he knew that visionaries and indi- Graves Ltd. in New York City, has capitalized on the maga- zine's success to achieve many of his other goals. In 1997, he published How to Succeed in Business Without Being White, an intimate, outspoken, and inspiring book that became a New York Times best seller. He has served as chairman and CEO of Pepsi-Cola of Washington, D.C., and he is a director at five major corporations: Aetna Inc., AMR Corporation (American Airlines), DaimlerChrysler AG Corporation, Federated Department Stores Inc., and Rohm & Haas Corporation. Just as important to him are his roles in service organiza- noted that minority businesspeople had been kept out of the workplace because they were "lacking capital, managerial and technical knowledge, and crippled by prejudice." Black Enterprise set out to reverse some of those conditions. Within ten issues, the magazine was profitable; by 2003, yearly sales were over $53 million. While the paid circulation today is 475,000, readership totals more than 4 million. Graves, now chairman and chief executive officer of Earl G. business, and to that end he is a powerful advocate for high- er education. A longtime donor to his alma mater, Morgan State University, in 1995 he saw its business school renamed the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management. He also serves as a trustee at Howard University, speaks annual- ly at a number of college graduation ceremonies—and goes out of his way to help newly minted business students succeed in the corporate world. much recognition, including the NAACP's Springarn Medal in 1999. In 2002, Fortune named him one of the 50 most pow- erful and influential African Americans in corporate America. Graves remains committed to helping minorities succeed in tions, including the Boy Scouts of America, the American Institute for Public Service, the Advisory Council of the Character Education Partnership, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the National Advisory Board of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. His professional and charitable endeavors have won Graves BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2004 doing it right after school. I would send $25, sometimes $20. Then one day I looked up and I was writing a check for $50,000.My wife, Barbara, and I gave $1million toMorgan State in 1995. I go back every year and address the students graduating from the business school. I shake each hand, and I make my speech. I leave them with some charges about what they need to do. I don't just do it myself, I challenge other people. All of this is part of giving back. Obviously, you have a great dedication to higher education. What do you feel you must do as a well- known businessman to personally promote higher education? I consider it important to give back to higher education. For example, in the past few days, I have spent seven hours on the phone on behalf of Howard University. I didn't gradu- ate from that school, but I have an interest in it. It's not the oldest African American school, but it's the most well- known. I've raised $6 million for Howard, where I'm a trustee. I was supposed to come off the board four years ago. Each time I said, "My term is up," I was told, "No, you've got the numbers wrong." I also plan to give all my papers to the Schomburg Center. I didn't just start giving after I was successful. I started PHOTOS COURTESY EARL G. GRAVES PUBLISHING CO., NEW YORK