Arts and Culture

Book Review: “The Wealth Choice: Success Secrets of Black Millionaires”

Published

10 years ago

June 2, 2014

By Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm Sez, LLC

Your wallet is almost totally empty.

The same goes for your checkbook. There were two credit card bills in yesterday’s mail, you owe your neighbor ten bucks, and if you had a savings account… well, let’s just say you don’t much.

Youwork hard, you reach for your dreams, but you still can’t seem to catch a break – which means you’re doing it all wrong, says Dennis Kimbro in his new book “The Wealth Choice.”

This morning, you decided what you were going to have for breakfast and what you’d wear all day. You chose when to leave the house and where to go – but did you choose to be wealthy?

That’s an important thing, says Kimbro. It’s a decision you “must make” in order to control your life and seize opportunity. And yes, there are opportunities to be had; you just have to be on the lookout for them.

“Riches,” says Kimbro, “are lying everywhere for the observant eye.”

In order to find them, though, you’ll need to think and act like a millionaire, and two of the “common factors” Kimbro discovered about Black millionaires are their “relentless commitment to lifelong learning” and their focus on a purpose in life.

Millionaires also utilize their unique strengths to “master whatever field [they] enter.” They’re self-starters with “grit” and a strong work ethic, inquisitiveness, and they understand that ideas have power.

They practice thrift, salesmanship, and spirituality. And for them, failure is not an option.

To step on your own personal path to wealth, learn how to “add value” – not only for your customers but for employees and your community at large. Be an optimist. Read all that you can to educate yourself (and to set an example: recent studies show that nearly half of Black 17-year-olds are “functionally illiterate”).

Understand that looking rich and being rich are often two vastly different things. Don’t be afraid of work; in fact, love your work and stop being afraid of Mondays.

Learn how to network and how to stop wasting time. Practice Praise. Believe in yourself, know who you are, and play up your strengths. Invest in yourself.

And finally, own your own business: that, says Kimbro, is one of the major “laws” of wealth.

Tired of nothing but dust in your wallet? Sick of paying with pennies? Then crack open “The Wealth Choice” just about anywhere, and get ready for real change.

With dozens and dozens of anecdotes and examples (including his own), author Dennis Kimbro explains how millionaires are made – and not just monetarily.

Because he tends to repeat himself in various ways, readers get a hard examination of attitudes and traits of the wealthy, making it nearly impossible to avoid assimilation of these habits.

And that’s good because, really, who doesn’t want to be successful?

Though it’s written mostly for the benefit of African American readers, this book can certainly be utilized by anyone.

If you want to be one of the thousands of millionaires around the world today, “The Wealth Choice” won’t leave you empty.

The Wealth Choice: Success Secrets of Black Millionaires” by Dennis Kimbro, c. 2013, Palgrave Macmillan, 298 pages, $17.

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Arts and Culture

Richmond Preps for Full Weekend of Cinco de Mayo Festivities

Cinco de Mayo festivities in Richmond and San Pablo are some of the bests in Bay, and organizers say that tradition will be alive and well at this weekend’s annual parade and festival. The action kicks off Saturday, May 4, with the 16th Annual Cinco de Mayo Richmond/San Pablo Peace & Unity Parade. The parade of floats, performances, and community organizations starts at 10 a.m. at 24th Street and Barrett Avenue and Richmond and ends at 12:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 1845 Church Lane in San Pablo.

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Scene from the 2023 Cinco de Mayo parade from Richmond to San Pablo. Photo courtesy The Richmond Standard.

By Mike Kinney

The Richmond Standard

Cinco de Mayo festivities in Richmond and San Pablo are some of the bests in Bay, and organizers say that tradition will be alive and well at this weekend’s annual parade and festival.

The action kicks off Saturday, May 4, with the 16th Annual Cinco de Mayo Richmond/San Pablo Peace & Unity Parade. The parade of floats, performances, and community organizations starts at 10 a.m. at 24th Street and Barrett Avenue and Richmond and ends at 12:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 1845 Church Lane in San Pablo.

The parade’s Grand Marshall this year will be community organizer Diego Garcia, owner of Leftside Printing.

The festivities continue Sunday with the Cinco de Mayo Festival along 23rd Street, which last year drew over 100,000 people, according to the 23rd Street Merchants Association. This year’s festival will again run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. between the intersections of Rheem Avenue and Clinton Avenue. It will feature two entertainment stages, one sponsored by La Raza 93.3 FM at 23rd and Rheem, and another sponsored by Radio Lazer FM at 23rd and Clinton.

Both events are important for the city and the region’s Latino community.

San Pablo Mayor Genoveva Calloway, who co-chairs the parade alongside John Marquez, president of the Contra Costa Community College District Board of Trustees, says Saturday’s festivities are about bringing the Richmond and San Pablo communities together in unity.

“This truly connects the spectators and people in the parade as one,” Calloway said. “The parade showcases the real communities of Richmond and San Pablo – our nonprofits, schools, horse riders, classic cars and trucks, our local businesses. All of these people represent the heartbeat of our community.”

Rigo Mendoza, vice president of the 23rd Street Merchants Association, said that at its heart, Richmond’s Cinco de Mayo Festival celebrates the date the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

But John Marquez started up the popular festival to bring the community together and also to exhibit the community’s businesses and culture to visitors, Mendoza said. The gathering was also a way to promote peace in the community.

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Art

Mario Van Peebles’ ‘Outlaw Posse’ Screened at Oakland’s Grand Lake Theatre

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Film director Mario Van Peebles, who also stars in “Outlaw Posse,” appeared at a press conference held at RBA Creative on MacArthur Boulevard hosted by the Oakland International Film Festival. Photo By Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Oakland International Film Festival hosted a screening of “Outlaw Posse” at the Grand Lake Theatre on Monday. Special guests included director/actor Mario Van Peebles and his co-star, Oakland native Scytorya Rhodes. The film is Peebles’ second western, the first being ‘Posse,’ 13 years ago. Filmmaker Van Peebles shared his passion for independent artistry and producing projects with his son, Mandela, who also starred in the film, along with Whoopi Goldberg and Cedric the Entertainer. Next week, The Post will publish an in-depth interview featuring Peebles’ reflections on his work, future projects, and continuing his father’s legacy and Rhodes on her grandfather, a real-life cowboy.

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Arts and Culture

Kedrick Armstrong: New Music Director for the Oakland Symphony

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director. In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Kedrick Armstrong is the new music director for the Oakland Symphony. Photo credit Scott Chernis.

By Post Staff

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director.
In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Armstrong is the successor to previous music director and Conductor Michael Morgan, who passed away in 2021 after a 30-year tenure at the Symphony.

Armstrong will open the Oakland Symphony 2024-2025 season on October 18.

Armstrong, who is 29 and hails from Georgetown, South Carolina, is currently the creative partner and principal conductor of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony.

The Chicago Tribune has praised Armstrong for his ability to “simply let the score speak for itself.” He enjoys a wide range of repertoire, spanning early music to premiering new works, using his joy and curiosity for all music to cultivate understanding and collaboration within diverse communities.
“I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the new music director of the Oakland Symphony,” Armstrong said. “As a Black conductor, I find it humbling to stand on the shoulders of both Michael Morgan and Calvin Simmons,” the most recent and the first African American music directors of the Symphony, respectively.

Armstrong led three programs at the Symphony between 2022 and early 2024, which showcased his broad knowledge of the classical repertoire and enthusiasm for spotlighting diverse voices.
On his Oakland Symphony subscription debut on Feb. 16, Armstrong led the world premiere of “Here I Stand: Paul Robeson,” an oratorio by Carlos Simon on a libretto by Dan Harder, commissioned by the Oakland Symphony.

Armstrong was selected unanimously by the Oakland Symphony’s board of directors and musicians after an extensive two-year search. “The search committee was overwhelmed by Kedrick’s scholarship and curiosity about all kinds of music, from classical and jazz to gospel and hip-hop,” said. Dr. Mieko Hatano, executive director of the Oakland Symphony. “We are thrilled to have him join us at the Oakland Symphony.”