I thought I'd drop you a note on some race relations info. I recieved about a multinational corporation that you may be supporting. The former monopoly AT&T. At the end I'll provide you with a toll-free number for AT&T if you need further info. My friend is a young successful businessman who was a AT&T partner in the Security Division. The way his career ended with them is straight out of the 1920's and it's a sad, sad situation. It ended after his company was highly awarded and in less than 3 years a half-million dollar business with 15 employees . He was the only African- American AT&T Security Dealer in the U.S.A. His story has appeared on the front page of the Philadelphia Tribune (Sept.94), Kansas City, L.A., Boston and Radio Talk shows. stigmatized as being a racially insensitive corporation.
Example: Remember when the NAACP wrote to AT&T complaining about a monkey in a AT&T magazine to depict African? The AT&T employees had to complain to the NAACP! Well to refresh your memory, in late 1993 (90 days before my friends AT&T contract was canceled for a second time) , a AT&T magazine called "FOCUS"" had a picture of people talking on the telephone all around the world. Everyone on each continent was Human except the one from Africa, which was a monkey talking on the phone. It sparked an outrage in the African American community. An article appeared in Black Enterprise magazine last year (April 94) saying "AT&T's depiction of Africans as monkeys was extremely disturbing. We believe that we , as Blacks, should use our economic power and boycott AT&T. We should switch to another long distance carrier and cease purchasing AT&T services and products. When AT&T asks why you are switching, remind them of their monkey business". Several other publications joined in.AT&T has been manufacturing Security Systems for homes for about 10 years. They use a video titled "Can you afford to lose everything "? The 8 minute video is used to market expensive systems to mostly surburban communities. The video has 55 different white people in it and only 1 Black person, and 1 criminal. Guess who the criminal is? of course, the Black person! The AT&T Public Relations manual for Security Dealers only has a very obvious racial statement in the community events section stating , "A larger population ,and a growing drug cancer have all contributed to a crime rate that keeps heading in one direction: up . And crime isn't JUST in the INNER CITIES anymore, either- it has crept toward OUR SUBURBS and even into the rural areas where doors were once always left unlocked". This is commonly called "marketing 'ala Willie Horton"- using the fear of Black crime to scare white people into buying the AT&T security systems. The glossy full-color brochures on the AT&T systems that goes out to customers have a total of 47 different white people and 0 (yes 0) Blacks. I guess Blacks don't buy security systems, just long-distance. All of this material is produced and copyrighted by AT&T. Between the video, the AT&T PR book, and the brochures, there's over 100 different White people and 1 Black/Criminal- (do you think that's an accident?).
We've come to far to go backwards in our country. It's a sad, sad day when a corporations marketing profits from the trappings of racial stereotypes. I think my friend knowing this inside info jeoparized his business. After achieving Salesman of the Year in 1991 , he signed a contract with AT&T distributor,Prime Security to market and service AT&T products. First year in business his company was #9 in business out of 160, had 12 employees and won a customer service award! The following month he was the only Top 20 Dealer to recieve a cease and desist notice! 4 months later his company was doing so well, they had to give him another contract. But the new contract was nearly double the quota as other dealers, probably set up so he'd fail. Well his company was 15 out of 360 the following year, increased his business with AT&T 48% , and had 15 employees! Plus ,another customer service award! Again he was the only dealer (top 20) sent a cease letter for no reason. (See Nov. 1993 Newsweek-The hidden Rage of Successful Blacks- there are still problems with being Black and successful in this country!)
This time my friend decided to stand his ground and filed a Federal Lawsuit on Prime and went to AT&T ,the parent company, for help. His Regional manager has a confederate flag tattoo on his arm! AT&T laughed at him and did nothing but fight him. So he filed a Federal discrimination suit on AT&T (Shield Alarm Systems,Inc. vs- AT&T&Prime Security/ Federal Court Eastern District of Michigan -Detroit #94-cv-70324dt) . 3 different times they told him and his staff not to hire Black Telemarketers . He refused and 50% of his staff was African-American. He was the only Black in the entire division and managers from the top down had a good time telling racial "jokes" in front of my friend.
Big business has a certain attitude about small business that goes like ,"The Big enemy to Big business is small business". My friends company grew to fast for them, and he started out with very little. Another example of "even when Blacks do good some whites try to keep them down." AT&T is a powerful corporation, but you have a vote. Every time you buy a product, you vote for the way that company does business. You also have a voice to effect change! And Entrepreneurship may very well be the only solution to institutionalzed racism. 20 years ago the U.S. government filed the largest discrimination case in history on AT&T. Now Blacks make up 15% of AT&T's workforce. However, some people believe that AT&T has a glass ceiling in place for Blacks. In the USA Black Managers make up 5% of all managers, compared to 10% for Whites. At AT&T Black managers make up only 1% of the total workforce of 300,000. These employees need outside help, that's why they contacted the NAACP on the monkey issue.
AT&T needs to be FLOODED with calls at 800-222-0300 24 hours a day to let a rep. know how you feel about this "high-tech" racism! Or if you need more info. Send a quick note to:
ATTN. Bob Allen- INTERNET:reallen@attmail.com. or snail mail at: AT&T Corp. 32 Ave. of the America's-NY.NY. 10013-2412. If you already switched-tell them you'll never go back to AT&T! Thanks for your help.