The Late Rev. Leon H Sullivan & the Sullivan Principles: The Greatest Underrated Catalyst for Socio-Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa By: Herbert A. Igbanugo 1 Igbanugo Partners Int’l Law Firm, PLLC 250 Marquette Ave, Suite 1075 Minneapolis, MN 55401 (612) 746-0360: Telephone (612) 746-0370: Fascimile Introduction We would like to use this opportunity of Summit IX 2012 (August 20-24 th ), Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to pay homage to a man whose life’s work was and remains a living testament to the unimaginable success and social changes good Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”) policies can bring about in underdeveloped countries and communities that need the most help. At a time when CSR was a concept yet to be fully developed and Corporate America’s focus was purely on the bottom line, Rev. Leon H. Sullivan’s life’s work embodied his moral convictions and dedication towards achieving economic and social equality for society’s most disenfranchised. His struggles and successes extend from the United States of America, his birthplace, to Africa, the land of 1 Herbert A. Igbanugo, Esq. is a founding shareholder of Igbanugo Partners Int’l Law Firm, PLLC, and its consulting division, Sub-Saharan African Development Enterprises (SSADE). As an SSA-focused law and development consulting firm with African cultural fluency, Igbanugo Partners provides consulting services to U.S. government agencies, corporations, institutions and non-profit organizations throughout SSA, concentrating in: 1) managing/liaison counsel services, 2) anti-corruption/anti-bribery/Foreign Corrupt Practice Act compliance, training, advisory/oversight, monitoring & legal services, 3) corporate social responsibility advisory/oversight services, 4) high level governmental/private sector access & interest advocacy, and 5) democratic governance and rule of law assessments/training. He can be reached by telephone at 612-746-0360 or by e-mail at [email protected]. #132834 1 Herbert A. Igbanugo, Esq. Copyright © 2012 Igbanugo Partners Int’l Law Firm, PLLC. All Rights Reserved. his ancestry. His examples and principles continue to have a lasting impact on the way business is done around the world, especially in Africa. More importantly, his memory and principles live on, fostered through the extraordinary and noble efforts of the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, headed by his distinguished and capable daughter, Hope Sullivan. In his book Build Brother Build, Rev. Sullivan recorded his thoughts on his African heritage in both nostalgic and poetic language: When I plan for the future, my thoughts turn eventually to Africa. Somehow, I believe, slavery will be turned to the advantage of our future. The day will come when the continent from which my forefathers came will blossom into a paradise. I have a feeling that my ultimate freedom and my ultimate security are tied to the development of Africa. Of course I have no intention of forsaking America, for America is my home and I have helped to build her and shape her. But like the Jews and others who came to make this country what it is, I need an anchor in the past, a place my children can proudly call their ancestral home. My citizenship is here, but a part of my spirit is in Africa, also. I envision a bridge from America to Africa over which one day my children and my black brothers and black sisters will move freely from one side to the other and back again. The bible has said, “The day will come when Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands again,” and I know that day is coming, though I shall not live to see it. The time is not far off when black technicians, artisans and craftsmen by the thousands and tens of thousands will visit a flourishing Africa, helping to mold that continent into a new greatness glorious to see. 2 When Leon Sullivan joined the Board of Directors at General Motors in 1971, he used his corporate foothold to oppose apartheid, the government policy of segregation in South Africa. Since the passage of a Declaration of Grand Apartheid in 1948, a number of reformers, including Nelson Mandela, had tried unsuccessfully to end apartheid. But imbued with an unusual compassion for humanity, this indefatigable leader, visionary 2 Leon H. Sullivan, Build Brother Build (Philadelphia: Macrae Smith, 1969), 178-79. #132834 2 Herbert A. Igbanugo, Esq. Copyright © 2012 Igbanugo Partners Int’l Law Firm, PLLC. All Rights Reserved. and policy entrepreneur embraced the challenge. He personified stubborn persistence in the struggle and stood tall and undaunted in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity. The Early Years: Leon H. Sullivan Leon H. Sullivan was the son of Charles and Helen Sullivan. He was born in Charleston, West Virginia and was raised in Washington Court, one of Charleston’s poorest sections. At the age of three, his parents divorced and he grew up an only child. In spite of growing up in extreme poverty, Sullivan recalled that “we never went hungry.” Although an only child, he grew up in an extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins. 3 Rev. Sullivan credits his grandmother Carrie for his convictions and in so doing recalls that she “regularly reinforced the view that no one – not even God – would help me if I was not willing to help myself.” 4 Growing up as a poor black child in the segregated South came with many challenges; however, the obstacles segregation presented to Sullivan in his early years only served to strengthen his resolve to fight against discrimination. At the age of twelve, Sullivan had his first direct experience with bigotry. He tried to purchase a Coca-Cola in a drugstore in Capitol Street and was promptly ordered by the white proprietor to leave. The proprietor yelled, “Stand on your feet, black boy! You can’t sit down here!” Sullivan recounts this story in his various writings and describes how it was a motivating factor in his life long struggle to exterminate racial prejudice. 3 Stand on Your Feet Black Boy , http://muweb.marshall.edu/revleonsullivan/principled/stand.htm 4 Leon H. Sullivan, Moving Mountains, The Principles and Purpose of Leon Sullivan, Judson Press, 2008. #132834 3 Herbert A. Igbanugo, Esq. Copyright © 2012 Igbanugo Partners Int’l Law Firm, PLLC. All Rights Reserved. By the age of seventeen, Sullivan had chosen the path towards becoming a minister. He credits Rev. Moses Newsome for his career choice. Sullivan explained that, at a time when he was most impressionable, he witnessed Rev. Newsome reach out to the poorest and the lowest he could find. He further notes, “I admired him and determined this was the kind of man I wanted to be.” Admirably, Sullivan became a preacher by age seventeen and the pastor of two churches by age eighteen. 5 Sullivan attended the Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University, where he obtained a master’s degree in Religion in 1947. He met his wife, Grace Banks, who he called his “Amazing Grace,” while serving as an assistant Pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church. He and Grace together brought three children into the world: Hope, Julie and Howard. Rev. Sullivan later became the pastor at First Baptist Church in South Orange, New Jersey and the pastor of Zion Baptist Church in Philadelphia. While at Zion Baptist Church, his congregation grew from 600 to 6,000 members, making it one of the largest congregations in America during this era. The Selective Patronage & Civil Rights Movements Rev. Sullivan’s fight against the scourge of racism and his quest for social equality never took a back seat to his career as a pastor. If anything, the two were one and the same. His work at Zion Baptist Church provided him with the opportunity to foster his life’s mission in an urban setting riddled with social complexities and problems. Moreover, naiveté was never an attribute that hindered Sullivan’s vision. He exhibited a perspicacious understanding of the socio-economic inequity in his society and knew from 5 Id. #132834 4 Herbert A. Igbanugo, Esq. Copyright © 2012 Igbanugo Partners Int’l Law Firm, PLLC. All Rights Reserved. an early age that self-help was the major factor in bridging a socio-economic gap plagued by over a century of racial prejudice, segregation and discrimination. Rev. Sullivan later explained: Creating economic opportunities for blacks and other minority groups who had experienced discrimination stood at the top of my list of priorities. In the larger society, many mistakenly assumed that once the laws were changed to end segregation, all the problems of minority cultures would be solved. But black people learned from experience that social and economic discrimination would continue long after human rights laws were enacted as a result of the efforts of the civil rights movements. 6 By 1960, Rev. Sullivan recognized that blacks made up less than one percent of the U.S. marginal job market. He also witnessed that the jobs in which most blacks were employed were severely limited to specific sectors of the economy, mostly labor and low paying government service sector. More concerning was the fact that blacks were virtually shut out of the job market of major industries like banks, insurance companies, corporations and retail stores. Sullivan also understood that despite this discrimination, blacks as a group made up a formidable sector of economic purchasing power. He was a brilliant student of business and had ingenious insight into the inner workings of corporate America. His participation in groups like Americans for the Competitive Enterprise System and Chambers of Commerce provided him with the discernment he needed to leverage an economic force once thought insignificant to the powers that be. Sullivan knew that blacks, comprising approximately twelve percent of the population, were an indispensable market force and as such, could make or break a corporation.