Uncommon

In the Air Force, Mel King had responsibility for an entire department comprising of about 12 Air Force airmen and four civilian personnel, yet, his first job as a civilian was pushing a mail cart, handing out mail in an office complex. The odd thing that has happened most of his career, is that he would out-perform his Anglo peers, and yet he would receive very little recognition. Many times, he would hear the question being asked of companies, "e;Why don't you have Black Americans in senior positions?"e; The response would be, "e;Well, we can't find any with a degree and the experience."e; And yet again, Mel was available, with an MBA, and managerial experience. In Mel's career, he saved companies, verifiable, millions of dollars; and, his White counterparts, who would do fractionally less, got recognized and the bonuses. So, he wrote Uncommon as a beginning documentation of the glass ceiling, unfairness, and challenges Black Americans have in Corporate America.