Spring 2008 BBI NxLeveL™ Graduate Dr. David Anderson Sr. sat down for a BBI interview conducted by Chantel Demolle. As part of BBI's 15th Anniversary Celebration in 2018, BBI continues to spotlight some of its notable alumni. Dr. Anderson developed a business plan in his BBI NxLeveL class that led to his radio talk show Blackanomics and the Empowerment Radio Network.

BBI: What is one of your core beliefs?
Anderson: One of the belief systems that I teach is simply “not dealing with debt.” It’s counter-productive to entrepreneurship. You can’t go into business [for yourself] carrying personal debt. With Blackanomics, we have developed and perfected systems so people could have options and afford the luxury of working from home and making their own schedules.

BBI: Prior to starting Blackanomics, what were you primarily doing?
Anderson: I was a DJ on Rapcity in the Basement, a tv show that aired on BET, from 2000-2004. I contributed to well-known Hip Hop artists getting their starts in the music industry. While attending the Bronner Brothers’ Hair Show in 2003, I had an opportunity to meet George Fraser, the event’s keynote speaker. Meeting Fraser challenged me with respect to how I would leave my mark in the world. I wasn’t happy with the type of music I was promoting. I wasn’t happy leaving that kind of legacy. That particular day revealed a lot for me and is ultimately what caused me to transition into radio and starting the Blackanomics radio show over 10 years ago. I wanted to spread a different message.

BBI: Why did you feel that it was important for others to hear and understand your perspective with respect to the black community and economics?
Anderson:

There are numbers of reports and studies about success running in our race, yet it seems like we don’t own anything. I have a personal attachment to media and worked for Kathy Hughes of Radio One for a while. She was a black pioneer in radio, but didn’t have majority interest in Radio One’s ownership. In turn, major decisions are being made by outside influences, or culture, due to ownership.

The way we see ourselves is critical and imagery that depicts us [black culture] are being controlled by other people or cultures. It’s imperative that we change the narrative on how we see, view, and relate to ourselves as black people. It’s that void that led me to making movies. There must be someone who can finance these types of endeavors, however, and there is nothing out there that teaches individuals about the stock market, insurance, tax lien certificates, etc. There is no 24-hour financial empowerment radio with a black demographic. We have real work to do.

BBI: Why is the acquisition of real estate so important to the black community?
Anderson:

We live by commandments or mandates from God. God commands us to possess the land. He tells us to subdue it. You can’t ask and pray for an abundant life and not own land. In Judaism, it’s considered an abomination to be a tenant, or to rent. In our culture, conversely, we praise God with all our hearts but are still renting. God reveals his economical perspective in the Bible. When the Hebrew shekel was exploited and disproportionately and unfairly exchanged by money changers, Christ got angry and overthrew tables. If Christ got angry over the exploitation of those who pilgrimed to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, why don’t we? Why do we allow people to come into our communities and not want to possess the land for ourselves?

This is one of the reasons why I push tax lien certificates heavily. Subdue the land by changing the way you relate to your economic positioning, which has everything to do with your religion, also.

BBI: What is wealth, to you?
Anderson: Wealth is owning your supply of water, food, land, and energy. If you own land, you can grow your own food and irrigate water and create energy. As people, we must be like trees. Trees just grow. They’re intelligent enough to engage in photosynthesis so that they can feed themselves. They secure their own water source through its branches. They produce fruit and offer themselves as a refuge to others. As black people, we’re not producing anything for ourselves…only consuming. There is a negative connotation to the word “consumption.” It relates to parasites. Its definition is an organism that generally obtains food by feeding on other organisms or organic matter due to lack of the ability to manufacture own food. We must change our thinking so that we move from being a “consumer” and more of a producer. That’s when we look for opportunities to grow, as opposed to goods we might consume.

BBI: Who are some of the people or what are some of the things that influenced your beliefs or accentuated your passion for empowering others?

Anderson: George Fraser, Michael Roberts, my biological father and grandfather, and Peter Nygard, who gave seed money for the syndication of my radio show. A billionaire, he believes in global empowerment and global citizenship and helped cultivate the idea that wealth is controlling your supply of food, water, land, and energy.

BBI: What do you think the world is missing in their philosophical or fundamental arsenal?
Anderson: Ideas. We bought into the system of going to school and getting a job, which creates a working-class society. We have been fed the ideas of others and adapted them as our own. Our job is to push forward ideas. We can’t just believe the narrative yet have no interest in continuous learning through reading.

BBI: You speak to audiences all over. What is the biggest economical disconnect or disparity you have noticed amongst black communities?
Anderson: We have the wealth and are interested in the conversation of wealth, but we don’t know how to sustain it.

BBI: Empowerment may come with one small change at a time. What are 3 small changes that readers can make to become more productive and successful in their day-to-day living?
Anderson: May seem redundant, but own land. It enables you to supply your own energy, water, and food, 3 of the top global concerns. Ownership can eliminate societal racism as well as bring about true wealth. It can help finance your dreams. We should also be consistent about the things we’re passionate about. If you’re consistent for just a short period of time a day as it relates to your goal, eventually, you’ll hit it.

Dr. Anderson is a dynamic speaker, an avid real estate investor, and an accomplished film maker. He has helped produce 3 films on the subject of Black Wealth: Black Friday, Black Friday The Remix, and Generation One.