America's Worst Nightmare - Young, Black, and Gifted.

While I do not know what the world holds for me - I do realize that my skin has melanin.

Ask elite member of a new corporate boardroom I find myself in, and they will certainly agree to this as well, without hesitation. Why is that? As if being one of the only black guys on campus at Notre Dame (not on athletic scholarship) was not enough... I am now reminded every other meeting - that my presence is somewhat uncomfortable for the good old boys in the room simply based on the fact that my skin is a bit more natural than the attractive 20's something blonde who escorted me to the conference room (who clearly spent too much time in the tanning bed during her last appointment).

So why is that?

I've come to believe that people often fear what they do not understand. And all too often people only understand the information that is most accessible to them. The old quote used to be "If you want to hide something - put it in a book". And as the 'book safes' on Amazon suggests - this is still very true.

Given that our society spends more than 2/3 of their lives ingesting some type of content, and that content often glamorizes the accomplishments of that of a fairer complexion, it can then be inferred through the transitive law of equality (google it) that society in turn has assimilated a preferential ideology that does not accurately reflect that of society itself.

So while I may appear to be an anomaly, given that inside of two generations my bloodline went from slavery to commencement day at Notre Dame (without any need for affirmative action), the intrinsic correlation between diluted societal esteem is a direct reflection of the society's content appreciation attributable to those who's looks appear similar to mine - or lack thereof.

One of the reasons I keep showing up to the corporate boardrooms, firmly shaking the hands of the 60's something good old boy, looking him square in the eye is to let him know that a new day has come to America, and often times I can see that indeed my presence in a decadent corporate board room is indeed a nightmare come true.

God Bless America.

Brandon Kelly
University Of Notre Dame, MBA