The Invisible Men

Early data suggest the US is on track to see the highest year-to-year murder increase in history this year, reminding us that a majority of gun violence goes unreported and unaddressed. While reasons for this vary, the result is that a very small number of “bad actors” can cause devastating harm to underserved communities. In this episode, Ralph Clark, the CEO of ShotSpotter, joins Ian and Nique. Ralph discusses how he combined his path of serial entrepreneurship with groundbreaking technology to equip police with the tools they need to improve the safety of underserved communities while building trust through a “guardian” model of policing.One crucial element to Ralph’s journey: having a person outside of his family—in this case, a nun teaching at a Catholic school Ralph attended—show genuine interest and investment in his success. Ralph also shares how one lunch he had in high school with a successful black executive demystified success and helped him internalize the possibility of upward mobility in his own life. Tune in to hear Ralph’s words of wisdom for “Darryl.”Note: If you would like to see all episodes of The Invisible Men, please go to: www.invisible.men

How should young Americans respond to structural barriers as they seek to carve out a place for themselves in the world? In this episode, Brown University economist Glenn Loury joins Ian and Nique to discuss how a foundation of grit can shape a new generation of black excellence.Glenn was raised on the south side of Chicago in a working-class family. Despite some obstacles in his youth, a professor at his community college discovered Glenn’s academic gifts and helped him gain admittance to Northwestern University. At Northwestern, a world of opportunity opened to Glenn, but his road to success wasn’t easy. With three children to father, a full-time class load, and a full-time job at night to balance, Glenn’s story is a testament to the power of grit in helping people surmount steep obstacles. Looking back, Glenn’s advice to similar Americans looking to build a better life is to find a spiritual foundation for their life and anchor key life decisions to the “success sequence.”

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by Will Crossley — a man who not only embodies black excellence himself but is helping children build pathways to excellence in their own lives. Will Crossley is president of The Piney Woods School, a historically African-American prep school in rural Mississippi and an institution that has been empowering black Americans to pursue their vision of excellence for generations. Ian and Nique dig into Piney Woods’ unique model of forming children’s character, grit, and self-efficacy in addition to providing an outstanding academic education. An alumnus of Piney Woods himself, Will talks about how the gift of a quality education, along with the influence of his mother and a strong church community, was instrumental in helping him find his vocation and build a meaningful career.

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by Bob Woodson, president of the Woodson Center and prolific champion for upward mobility, to discuss an “inspirational and aspirational” message Bob is crafting through the 1776 Unites project. Amid a popular narrative of despair and victimhood around race in America, 1776 Unites celebrates America’s long legacy of black excellence and offers a “look forward” to how all Americans can become agents of their uplift. 1776 Unites does not discount or ignore a history of injustice against black Americans, but rather chooses to focus on what we can do to generate an environment of upward mobility for future generations. Ian and Nique speak with Bob about his ten “Woodson Principles” for uplift, and they discuss how the core principles upon which America was founded will play an integral role in the movement of our nation toward greater equality and opportunity. 

In the aftermath of Rodney King’s assault by police officers in the 90s and his attackers’ subsequent acquittal, Ian Rowe and Nique Fajors grew weary of a public narrative proclaiming that black men in America were doomed to failure under an oppressive system. A feeling of invisibleness struck both Ian and Nique who were then Harvard Business School classmates as the stories of men like them became increasingly ignored in the public eye. So they launched “The Invisible Men,” a documentary telling the stories of amazing black men at Harvard University who achieved success by leaning on the core principles of family, faith, free enterprise, and entrepreneurship.Today, Ian and Nique have resurrected “The Invisible Men” as a video podcast. In their inaugural episode, Ian and Nique share their inspiration behind launching “The Invisible Men” documentary in the 90s and discuss why — 30 years later — their message of agency and empowerment is needed more than ever.Integral to the story of “The Invisible Men” is “Darryl,” a 16 year-old black teenager Ian and Nique imagined in the original documentary, who lives in the urban city of Forgotten, USA and desires to build a better life for himself but sometimes feels that success is out of his reach. Ian and Nique asked each of the men in their original documentary to advise “Darryl” on how he can forge a path to excellence and empowerment. Join Ian and Nique today for episodes of “The Invisible Men” every week as they hear the stories of incredible men and learn what advice they have for “Darryl” in 2020!Note: If you would like to see all episodes of The Invisible Men, please go to: www.invisible.men