In 1997, on the eve of the new millennium, The Network Journal undertook to re-image Black youth by publicly honoring 40 men and women under the age of 40 who were exceptional performers in their respective industries while being committed to the development of their community.

Halfway through the year, with clear signs of national economic growth, the economy of Black America is mired in recession. That assessment follows a recent report that the buying power of African-Americans will reach $1.1 trillion by 2015, based on current spending, media habits and consumer trends.

Bent on increasing revenues and profits, companies are scouring the world for markets to sell their goods and services, invest in manufacturing for local and/or export consumption and buy products for export to international buyers. With a steady buzz emanating from influential researchers and consultants about the eye-widening potential of Africa, smart business minds are beginning to see that nowhere may better fit their interests than that continent.

Investing in Africa is now becoming very popular, with hedge funds and tons of cash going into what used to illiquid stock markets across the continent and even the Caribbean. I saw it when I visited Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, early this year. Foreign investors are establishing accounts with local stock retail shops.

The dethronement of the United States in Western hemispheric diplomacy did not make the top of big-media news on the weekend of the Sixth Summit of the Americas. Neither did the line drawn in the sand over Cuba and the war on drugs, pitting the United States and Canada against just about every country south of the U.S. border... Instead, the lead story was, and continues to be, the sexual shenanigans of U.S. Secret Service agents and military servicemen, who had been tasked with assuring the security of Cartagena ahead of President Obama’s arrival in that coastal Colombian city for a meeting of the region’s heads of state on economic policy and trade.

When people think of the securities laws, they think of big companies that are “going public” through an initial public offering. But even startups have to worry about securities law compliance.

The Women’s History Month that ended in March was themed “Women’s Education — Women’s Empowerment.” Women are integral to the fabric of the United States. The social, political, business and scientific contributions of minority women have both enriched our nation and challenged us to build a more perfect union. Sadly today, I find that the American Dream is often not the reality for young minority women, particularly those in underserved urban and rural communities. They are often prisoners of a failed education system, marginalized by both circumstance and expectation.

John W. Rogers Jr., founder, chairman and owner of Ariel Investments L.L.C. in Chicago, one of the nation’s largest African American-owned asset management firms, is among the super-elite when it comes to helping people make the most of their money... Last year, Black Enterprise named him one of the most powerful Blacks on Wall Street. Rogers, 54, is a former classmate and still a friend of First Lady Michelle Obama’s brother. President Barack Obama appointed him to the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability. Rogers was in New Brunswick, N.J., recently and sat down for a brief interview with TNJ contributing writer Glenn Townes.

Black-owned companies can take advantage of import, export and investment opportunities under the U.S.-Colombia Trade Agreement that entered into force on May 15. The agreement’s elimination of tariffs on a host of goods and services, as well as barriers to investment, make it easier and cheaper for Black-owned firms in the United States to do business in the South American nation, including with its large community of African descendants.

African-American hair product manufacturing will continue to enjoy growth, thanks to a rebounding economy and an expanding Black population with rising disposable income, according to an industry report from IBISWorld, a leading publisher of U.S. industry research

Small-business owners are adjusting their budgets to accommodate technologies that enhance operational efficiency, customer service and sales. Advances in computer, network and communications technology have revolutionized such areas as accounting, payment processing, marketing and communications, lowering overall costs and giving a competitive edge when applied.

The sign of a busy worker used to be a desk with a huge PC crowded on the sides by small gadgets and hemmed in below by snaky tangles of data and power cables. Today’s business tech is neater and simpler: A thin laptop or tablet connected to a wireless network gets the work done and leaves room on the desktop for a cup of coffee — or your feet.

Why is it so difficult for Black men in this American culture to be true to themselves? As a Black man in America, do you really feel free; are you ready for freedom? Are you comfortable with the impact of your actions on your community and in the world?

 Jack cardiologists have declared war on heart disease among African- Americans, the leading cause of death in the community. “It’s not justifiable to have a system where the average Black man has a lifespan of sixty-five to sixty-eight years while Caucasian women reach eighty to eighty-five,” declares Ola Akinboboye, M.D.

Tennessee Williams’ classic play A Streetcar Named Desire, set in New Orleans’s French Quarter, is enjoying a stunning revival at the Broadhurst Theatre on West 44th Street in New York City. Exploding with human emotion, the play examines mental illness: a woman on the edge in the household of a domineering and brutal husband and a submissive wife.