Black Press columnist Jim Clingman has received the National Bankers Association’s highest and most coveted award, The James E. Young Visionary Leadership Award. The award was presented at the NBA’s Annual Awards Luncheon last month at at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, Mich., during the organization’s annual meeting.
The presenters were Mrs. Rebecca Young, widow of Jim Young, and Mrs. Cynthia Day, chief executive officer of Citizens Bank and Trust Company of Atlanta.
NBA President and CEO, Michael Grant, said, “Jim, on behalf of the entire membership of the NBA, I am very pleased that this year’s award is going to a person who has exemplified the highest standard of leadership excellence. You have raised the consciousness of hundreds of thousands – if not millions – through your disciplined devotion to writing thought-provoking columns and giving passionate speeches about a subject dear to both of our hearts: Black economic empowerment and the support of Black businesses. Congratulations, Jim, well -deserved!”
Upon notice of his selection as this year’s awardee, Clingman said, “To be recognized and given this award by such an outstanding and venerable organization is beyond my imagination. Having followed certain guiding principles as I worked on various economic empowerment initiatives, I learned that it is so important to make every effort to do the right thing for the right reason. You never know who is watching. Thanks so much, NBA; I had no idea you were watching.”
Clingman’s weekly syndicated newspaper column, Blackonomics, is featured in hundreds of newspapers, magazines, and newsletters. The column is distributed through the NNPA News Service and the Trice Edney News Wire. He has written seven books, five of which are on Economic Empowerment.
Former Editor of the Cincinnati Herald Newspaper, Clingman is the founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, and has been instrumental in establishing several other Chambers of Commerce around the country, as he continues to promote economic freedom for African Americans.
Clingman taught Black Entrepreneurship at the University of Cincinnati for 12 years; he also taught business planning at Smart Money, a community services center in Cincinnati, and he founded Cincinnati’s Entrepreneurship High School.
Read more about Jim Clingman on his website: www.blackonomics.com.
