BBI GRADUATE SPOTLIGHT: DR. DAVID ANDERSON SR. '08
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? 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? 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: 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? BBI: You speak to audiences all over. What is the biggest economical disconnect or disparity you have noticed amongst black communities? 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?
![]() 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.
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