The Covenant In Action

The book just caught fire throughout the nation. Immediately following the release of "The Covenant" in Houston in February 2006, I began what I thought would be a six- or seven-city tour to talk with black people about the book and the issues we are facing as a people. I was amazed by the many thousands of people who came out to churches and community venues to talk about "The Covenant" goals and the future of Black America. In response to demand, we expanded the tour to about 20 cities, and I wish I could have done more. The hunger to talk about these issues was vast; and the conversations were rich, revealing, and urgent. It seemed that everybody everywhere wanted to read and talk about the "Covenant with Black America!" Within a month of its release, "The Covenant" hit number 1 on the bestsellers lists of Barnes and Noble, Borders, "The Washington Post," "The Los Angeles Times," "USA Today," and even the "New York Times Book Review," where it not only reached the top spot on the bestsellers list for Paperback/Nonfiction, but it also stayed on that list for 14 weeks. In September it reappeared on the "New York Times" bestsellers list, probably because so many students were purchasing the book as the school year began. In fact, the book has made history as the first book published by a black publishing company to appear on any of the "New York Times" bestsellers lists. All of this proved what I had already known for sure--that black folk are thirsty for information about the state of Black America and for an action agenda they can use to address the issues that impact our communities. I have been inspired by the actions black people have taken in response to "The Covenant." Churches, civic associations, community organizations, elected officials, neighborhood leaders, and everyday people have picked up the challenge, offering helping hands to others and becoming activists, crusaders, and advocates for change. THE COVENANT "In Action" tells of a few of the stories of the wonderful things that Black Americans have done to advance "The Covenant" goals, it describes activities that have been instigated by "The Covenant", and it offers profiles of young, black activists who exemplify the quality of leadership that is emerging from the next generation. There is a label on the front cover that says Compliments of ExxonMobil.…