Change Agent: A Life Dedicated to Creating Wealth for Minorities

by James H. Lowry

James H. Lowry encapsulated his thirty plus years of experience in the field of minority business development in the book he co-authored in 2011, Minority Business Refocusing on the American Dream. In his new book, Change A Life Dedicated to Creating Wealth for Minorities, Lowry delivers a deeply personal, candid, and often humorous, portrayal of his life from the South Side of Chicago to Wall Street and trailblazing entrepreneur. Often the first black in many rooms, at eighty years old, he continues the fight so he will not be the last. More than just a story of his life, this memoir illustrates the power of iconic mentors and pivotal opportunities leveraged across the globe, demonstrates how breakthroughs can be achieved through years of lessons learned, and offers real solutions to the ever widening wealth gap that plagues minority communities today. Unlike like many who only diagnose the problem, Lowry delivers a plan to accelerate economic development in the black community. This book is a road map for the next generation of leaders and will inspire new change agents to take the reins.

Genres: Race, Memoir

233 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 17, 2020

Reviews

[BookOfCinz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Memoir packed with insights and teachable moments from a live well lived.

Whenever I pick up a memoir I am always looking out for teachable moments. I am looking to learn from the life and the author’s mistake. James H. Lowry’s life is colourful, well lived and continues to impact those around him. In reading this book I think Lowry solidly drove the point home that while good education and key relationships are critical for success, “without wealth the road travelled can be more challenging” and aint that the whole truth.

I think as a society we sometime discount the fact that wealth and access to it plays a huge role in the projection of your life. Generational wealth sets up the next generation and having to start from scratch with not generational wealth is hard. In a Pew Research study it showed that between 1983-2015:
White households net worth increased f 42% from $100,000 to $141,000
Hispanic household net worth increased 40% from $9,800 to $13,700
African American household net worth decreased 16% from $13,000 to $11,000
I had to re-read that, you should too.

Lowry spent most of his life assisting major corporations plan and execute diversity plans, ensuring Minorities are properly represented at different Fortune 500 Companies. Through his consultation company he’s lead his team in advising governments in African and Mayors in the US. I think one quote that stood out for me was Lowry saying:

“Too often, when we get people who truly want to solve the problems of the poor, they don’t understand or appreciate the US economic system or how to produce and transfer wealth. Often, attempts to address these highly complex problems grounded in historic realities have failed.”

This was such a profound read for me, because at the core of Lowry’s life, is him making a seat at the table for Minorities. I love that throughout the book the consistent message was him opening doors for others to come through. He mentioned “crab inna barrel mentality” and I feel we don’t talk about that enough but it is so real!

If you are looking for a memoir or a roadmap on how you can be a Change Agent or how you can open the door for others to come through, this is a great place to start.

[Tracy Washington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important memoir from the prospective a pioneering black professional. You often see these professional pioneers and wonder about their journey. Wonderful to be able to read how it happened and be inspired to contribute to black economic empowerment. There is a lot of name dropping and degree listing but the point was to name those who have achieved. Would have been nice to hear about some of the regular people he helped- entrepreneurs or small businesses. Maybe there is another novel there!

[AJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was a great book until page 196, I stopped cuz I realized, according to him, I'll never actually get a chance in most industries. "...most industries only look for candidates with high grade point averages; they will not look at low B-grade candidates, however well rounded"

So dude said you won't make it. I wish he would have mentioned before that point that if you didn't get straight A's you're screwed. With an attitude like that, I can see why I hadn't come across his name as someone influential before. I just wish I hadn't wasted so many hours on such a man.

[Luke Eure · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy-to-read account of a very interesting life. Lowry takes advantage of every chance to list the accomplishments of the black businesspeople he’s worked with, leaving me with both an appreciation of their achievements and the obstacles they faced. He believes that business and entrepreneurial dynamism can lead us to a more racially just world, which was a valuable perspective for me to have as a contrast to much of the more revolutionary anti-racist writing that I've seen.

[sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read over the summer in France after attending BCG Empower/right before receiving my pre-MBA offer. Was great to read Jim's words after meeting him in Chicago and made me feel inspired.