It is hard to believe that it has been five years, five incredible years, since we launched this website to serve emerging communities within the United States and beyond. 

During that time, we have brought you stories of individuals, organizations and communities that have inspired us, motivated us and yes, challenged us.  While we have embraced the opportunity to celebrate emerging businesses and the organizations that support their growth and development, we have also showcased the works of artists, some emerging, others well known.

Having once aspired to be an artist, I have a special fondness for those who engage in creative pursuits. 

The convergence of art and business also fascinates me.  Most businesses rely on various forms of art to establish their brands, package their products and move their merchandise. 

Matthew Jones, our west coast correspondent, keeps us abreast of emerging individuals and organizations within the advertising and public relations field. 

Ads have great power to shape our perceptions, preferences and attitudes.  I am delighted that this edition features a commercial spot from Logitech, a Swiss publicly-owned company, that is a clear leader in the personal peripheral industry.  Logitech has incorporated diversity within a three-spot campaign for its webcam products.  One of the spots features a humorous exchange between two African-American family members.  Matthew Jones explores the specifics of this spot with Laura Peters, national advertising director for Logitech.

At diversityinbusiness.com we love seeing diverse people incorporated into commercials in ways that are unassuming, respectful and acknowledging of diversity without being “in our face” about it.  We especially enjoy profiling the agencies and individuals who are helping to advance ethnic marketing throughout the industry.  These agencies and individuals perform an important function because we all don’t see things the same way, and we are all selective as to what we choose to see and not see.

I love artists because they can make us see things we might otherwise not see.

Raymond Thomas is an artist with a purpose.  He uses his art to motivate people, particularly Black people, to think about their circumstances.  I love his honesty, directness and passion, which come through not only in his art, but also in his conversations.  Thomas’ current body of work explores the concept of heroes, and those who are celebrated as heroes within the Black community.  While each generation has its heroes, Thomas chooses to look to the individuals who helped to shape many of his ideas about community, purpose and struggle.

As I reflected on Thomas’ paintings and our conversation about his work, I realized how much work there is to do if Black America, and America itself, are ever to live up to their potentials.

It is vitally important for individuals like Thomas to have a platform to express their ideas and to showcase their work.  It is vitally important that we share these ideas with a multitude of audiences, not just the Black community.  From the first ship that brought Africans to the shores of North America, people of African descent have been amalgamated into one people.  And while we are one people, we are a diverse people with many different perspectives, values and beliefs.  We need to remind ourselves of our diversity and we need others to recognize us as something other than a monolithic group represented by a few media savvy individuals.

When I drive through the West Side of Chicago, I see countless young people without direction or positive purpose.  I see children running about without supervision, getting into trouble.  I also see predators preying on the despair, fear and humiliation of a people. 

We need heroes in our community and we need to celebrate them.  We also need to educate the under-educated.  They need to know about the accomplishments of those who preceded them, as well as those who are currently blazing bold, new trails.

As we celebrate five incredible years of publishing diversityinbusiness.com, I salute those of you who quietly, but tenaciously, work for the betterment of humankind.  I am also grateful for the many the insights thatGuy Summers offers to improve business relationships.  His column, The Relationship Corner has helped our team function more productively, and I trust that you have also benefited from his wisdom.

I am delighted that over the course of five years, we have profiled men, women, African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Caucasians and others who are making a positive difference in our world. 

I also wish to thank the extended members of our family who have generously contributed articles to this website.  We have been blessed by their gifts and I look forward to expanding the tapestry of perspectives as we go forward.

Our five year mark represents an important milestone, but it is only the first lap of a very long race. 

In closing, I would like to thank all of you who take time out of your busy schedules to join us on our journey. 

As I look forward, I know the best is yet to come.

Be blessed as you bless others.