The Succession of Black Business is in Community: Atlanta’s Jay Bailey
By M. Todd Manuel
FWIS Contributing Writer
Just a week ago, many Fort Wayne residents and area leaders were taken by storm when Jay Bailey arrived in town. Not only was Bailey a joy to listen to, but his message left an atmosphere of optimism, encouragement, and hope for entrepreneurs in our community. Jay was this year's guest speaker hosted by Northeast Indiana Innovation Center's Ideas @ Work event. The yearly event commemorates Dr. Daryl R. Yost. Bailey is the president and CEO of Atlanta's RICE Center: The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, an all-black business center in Atlanta. It is one of few all-black business development centers and an organization that Bailey leads with extreme passion. A passion that seeps from his pores and is contagious.
When we sat down, I felt something magical about the engagement. Jay was clearly exhausted from the night before but still eager to let me in on his life's mission and the RICE Center back home. As we began speaking, Jay taught me about the history of the RICE Center. He informed me of who the organization was founded by and the impact of H.J. Russell. Russell was one of the very few affluent blacks in the mid-1900s. When Blacks couldn't share water fountains with their white counterparts, H.J. Russell made millions as a black man in Georgia's business sectors. He single-handedly integrated both the Atlanta and the Georgia state chamber of commerce. At the height of the civil rights movement, college students from some of Atlanta's historically black colleges became incarcerated for their protests. "It took just one phone call to H.J. Russell," and everyone posted bail, said Bailey.
Jay spoke with excitement for change in the future. His philosophy is that all individuals will find success once they are placed in a cultivating environment. "It's about tools, resources, access, and exposure," explains Jay as he expands on how businesses within the center operate. "I want to change the course of the 'fail or fly' narrative," says Jay. The failure or fly mentality is the belief that businesses will either fail or fly, so there is no need for support. Jay firmly believes that successful companies are successful because they are in thriving communities. By creating healthy and fertile environments, the RICE Center partners with more than 100 active and fully-participating businesses that receive and provide support from within the center. These businesses are committed to helping each other and remain open to guidance.
"We don't have the right to fail!" says Jay sincerely when he mentions the sacrifices our ancestors made for us and this country. Jay highlights the forgiveness Blacks have had towards our country, despite the traumas blacks have suffered at America's hands. Bailey also challenges the idea that blacks cannot collaborate. Bailey adds that "the question is not why are we crabs in the bucket, but who put those crabs in the bucket, to begin with." As Jay expanded on the metaphor, his words painted a picture of a place of crab harmony. In the natural crab habitat, crabs reproduce, protect their young, and survive together.
Jay's wife is a local news anchor for one of Atlanta's news stations. Sharing his wife's experience, he uses her as a perfect example of what happens to blacks who grow up in healthy communities and households. She comes from a long line of influential and highly-successful black professionals; there is no wonder why she is a successful journalist. Jay says his pursuit of success began after being exposed to entrepreneurship at a young age. Jay assumed that the man driving his dream car was a drug dealer; much to his surprise, he told Jay what he was—a business owner.
From that point forward, Jay knew what he wanted to be, and before he was 30 years old, Jay Bailey was a millionaire. Jay explains that we must see value in our own reflection. That is, children think they can be whatever they see. The possibilities within the next generation are limitless. "Blacks are resilient...you tell me what's more innovative than a single mother," says Bailey. In the great words of H.J. Russell himself, "collaboration beats competition every day of the week."
After our discussions, Jay shared some of the same thoughts with the larger audience. When he left the stage, there was a standing ovation. Jay's message spoke of the succession of black entrepreneurship and what it requires to succeed. His message of business success and community echoes in the minds of hopeful black entrepreneurs everywhere. His approach and philosophy are that by building businesses around thriving communities, we will enhance our lives and create generational wealth. Building cooperative communities means that companies have everything they need to succeed, so future generations have it better than ever. By developing the community, we will create businesses.