Renowned author and global speaker Clifton Taulbert to talk on Black Wall Street at Southwest Tennessee Community College’s Men in Black awards
Pulitzer Prize nominee and international business consultant Clifton L. Taulbert will
deliver a virtual presentation on Tulsa’s Black Wall Street at Southwest Tennessee
Community College’s Project M.O.S.T.’s Men in Black Awards Ceremony Feb. 12, 2021.
For more information, contact: Diana Fedinec, Director of Public Relations and Media
(901) 333-4247
dfedinec@southwest.tn.edu
(Memphis, Tenn.) -Renowned Mississippi author, international business consultant and global speaker, Clifton L. Taulbert, will present, “Black Wall Street Remembered: A Story of Possibilities,” at Southwest Tennessee Community College’s Project M.O.S.T.’s (Men of Southwest Tennessee) virtual Men in Black awards event on Friday, Feb. 12, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (CST). The presentation will provide insight on the historical legacy of Tulsa’s “Black Wall Street”, its significance for today, and the “possibilities” of building thriving and inclusive communities. Located in the Greenwood district of Oklahoma, “Black Wall Street,” was an affluent community and epicenter of African American businesses in the United States during the early 20th century, until it was destroyed in 1921 in one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history.
The name of the event, Men in Black, is reflective of Project M.O.S.T.’s mission to change the perceptions associated with men of color by paying homage to the color black and how it represents academic success as the traditional color of college graduation regalia. Project M.O.S.T. is grant-funded through the U.S. Department of Education's Predominantly Black Institutions program to provide tools to increase the college success rate of African American male students.
“We are thrilled to have Mr. Taulbert return to Southwest to join us in celebrating the achievements of Project M.O.S.T. members at our ninth annual awards ceremony, and to kick-off Southwest’s Black History Month,” said Kariem-Abdul Salaam, Project M.O.S.T. director. Taulbert was a keynote speaker at the launch of the college’s Entrepreneurship Institute in November 2020. “This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre and destruction of Black Wall Street. We look forward to hearing his observations on its historical implications for today and particularly for men of color.”
President and CEO of Freemount Corporation, a Pulitzer Prize nominee and acclaimed author of 14 books, Taulbert was the first African American to win the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award for Non-Fiction. His book, Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored, became a major motion picture and was selected by the U.S. government as a gift for former president of South Africa and the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, upon his release from Robben Island prison in 1990. His second book, The Last Train North, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Time Magazine recognized Taulbert as one of America’s outstanding black entrepreneurs and his entrepreneurial consulting philosophy has been embraced by companies worldwide.
Taulbert has been recognized by the Sales and Marketing Academy of Achievement, the Library of Congress, the NAACP, Rotary International as a Paul Harris Fellow and is a recipient of the Jewish Humanitarian of the Year Award and the Richard Wright Literary Award. In 2017, he received the Citizen Diplomat Award, the highest honor given by Global Ties U.S., from Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, then President of the American Foreign Service Association. He is also President and CEO of Roots Java Coffee, an African American owned national coffee brand.
Taulbert successfully served in the 89th Presidential Wing of the United States Air Force and was honorably discharged. He continued his college education and graduated from Oral Roberts University and the Southwest Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. He is a University of Tulsa Trustee and currently serves as a director of Central Bank of Oklahoma
The virtual event is free and open to the public, however registration is required. To register, go to Eventbrite.com and search for “MOST Men in Black” or click this link:
For more information about Project M.O.S.T., contact Kariem -Abdul Salaam @ ksalaam@southwest.tn.edu.