A Long Way from Where I Been: from Jim Crow Mississippi to the Gold Coast of Chicago - Softcover

Richards, Roosevelt

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1420848070 ISBN 13: 9781420848076

Publisher: AuthorHouse, 2005

Synopsis

In 1952, at the age of nineteen, Roosevelt Richards left Mississippi for Chicago. Having grown up under the South's unmerciful racial injustices, he was entering adulthood with serious deficiencies in his preparedness. A Long Way From Where I Been is an exemplary story of how Roosevelt propelled himself from the cotton fields in the Jim Crow South to the Gold Coast in Chicago.Today, there is a huge number of high school and college students, as well as young and middle-aged adults who are pessimistic about a better life in their futures. As a result, they lack the inspiration and motivation to even try to reach higher grounds. For such people, this book is a must read.Roosevelt's story illustrates the importance of faith, moral values, and good character, as well as how to acquire, develop, and apply these qualities to every aspect of one's pursuit of success. Also the importance of perseverance will become crystal clear to readers as they follow Roosevelt struggling for nine years to get a college education and, afterward, striving for nearly a half century to overcome the racial injustices that stood in the way of the attainment of his life goals.Readers will be motivated and inspired by both his work ethics and achievements. They will also benefit from Roosevelt's common sense approach to success in both his professional and personal life. Of greater importance, perhaps, readers will acquire an understanding of the process of becoming an entrepreneur from conceptualizing to actualizing a successful business, and many will be motivated to do so.

About this title

About the Author:

In 1933, Roosevelt Richards was born in Mississippi, four years after the Great Depression began. At that time, like many other African Americans in the South, he and his family lived in utter poverty while, at the same time, enduring the cruel racism that was characteristic of the South during that time. In 1952, at the age of nineteen, he finished high school and moved to Chicago, hoping to improve his living conditions. Working ten hours a day and going to school at night for nine years, he finally earned a degree in education.Roosevelt taught school for a little more than four years before taking a job as a sales representative with a major educational publishing company. Being the first and only Black representative, he worked hard and smart, not to please his boss but to prove to himself that he could succeed in the white, corporate world. Not only did he succeed, he excelled. This resulted in his quickly moving up the corporate ladder of success through continual promotions. In these various positions, he developed a thorough understanding of the publishing industry as well as an interest in writing. Consequently, he formed his own publishing company, developing supplemental materials for elementary and high school students. In addition to financial success, Roosevelt's company enabled him to make significant contributions to the education of children and enabled him to devote time and resources to philanthropic causes.Roosevelt is now seventy-two, retired and enjoying the rest of his life traveling with his wife between his homes in Chicago and Florida, writing, playing golf, and supporting benevolent causes.

About this edition

• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1420848070
• ISBN 13: 9781420848076
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288