The Foundation: We Are Our Own Worst Enemy

By Zeno D. Edwards

Odell Williams grows up amid a humble background, encouraged by a loving mother who teaches him that working hard and treating people with dignity and respect will bring success. After vowing to make something out of his life to reward his mother for her selfless investment in his college education, Odell begins his journey into the business world.

Fulfilling his mission to repay his mother for her personal sacrifices soon becomes challenging as Odell realizes that diversity and individualism are not understood or tolerated in corporate America. Still, even as he faces numerous roadblocks, Odell manages to persevere within a vicious environment of deceit and betrayal where he finds himself constantly struggling to understand the unwritten rules of corporate behavior. But as his destiny leads him into an unknown future, Odell must rely on his wifes strength and his own as his journey comes full circle and takes him to a place he never could have imagined.

In this inspirational tale, a courageous black man seeks a new beginning in corporate America where he discovers that achieving success is not easy in the unforgiving world of big business.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jun 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9781480831056

Zeno D. Edwards

Zeno D. Edwards earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from North Carolina Central University and an MBA from City University of Seattle. His diverse career has led him to serve in several leadership positions at five fortune 500 companies and now as an adjunct professor at Strayer University. He currently resides in Morrisville, North Carolina.

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PART ONE

The Sacrifice

CHAPTER 1

O N A TYPICAL MONDAY MORNING, ODELL STARTED HIS WORK day as usual by checking his e-mail messages. He noticed that there was a message with an attachment from his boss. Mike’s note read: It appears that you have friends in high places.

The e-mail attachment addressed to Mike Boller, the Zywork Business Solutions (ZBS) Western region vice president, was a message from Pablo Santana, a corporate vice president and a direct report of the CEO of Zywork Corporation. Odell recognized Santana’s name from the Zywork Corporation annual report. Odell could not fathom why someone so high up in the corporation hierarchy would send an e-mail to Mike Boller, and why Mike would forward that message to him. The message simply read: Fix ZBS Los Angeles.

As the general manager of the ZBS Los Angeles operation, Odell took the message seriously. His intuition told him that he was in deep trouble, and something drastic was about to happen to his life. In corporate America, when someone at Pablo Santana’s level says fix something, it generally means immediately. He also understood that Mike Boller was going to do whatever was necessary to save his own skin. Odell thought about his plight. All he had in his arsenal were the lessons he had learned from his mother, who taught him that working hard and treating people with dignity and respect would bring success. She had not taught him about this kind of world.

He desperately needed to speak with someone! But at this point, the only person he could trust was Belinda, his loving wife. He recalled that she was at home, taking a day off from work. Although it was only nine o’clock in the morning, he packed his briefcase and decided to retreat to his safe haven.

Mimi, I’m taking off for the day, Odell said as he walked pass his administrative assistant and headed for the front door.

Mimi attentively watched him as he passed by her desk. She knew something was seriously wrong. She felt bad for Odell. She could see the sadness in his eyes—he looked like a distraught and beaten man. Even with her limited experience with corporate America, she knew he wasn’t being treated fairly. Mimi could not believe that this type of behavior was happening in such a reputable company as Zywork Corporation.

Even before the message from Pablo Santana, conversations were being conducted everywhere—from the headquarters in Buffalo, to ZBS operations throughout the country— regarding the pending fate of Odell Williams. The rumor on the street was that Odell Williams was in deep trouble, and he would be fired by the end of the month.

As usual, the streets of LA were jammed with heavy traffic, giving Odell a lot of time to think. He was beginning to second-guess himself: Were the naysayers correct—was the assignment too big for him—had he exceeded his limitations—what was going to become of his life—would Belinda lose respect for him?

Belinda was surprised to see her husband pull up into the driveway so early in the day. She knew something was seriously wrong. Here we go again, she thought, as she prepared herself to listen to the latest tragic occurrence.

Odell told Belinda about the e-mail from Pablo Santana. She immediately understood the ramifications of the note. She did all she could to reassure him that everything would be okay, although she wasn’t sure if she believed her own words.

Belinda wasn’t concerned about the financial ramifications of Odell losing his job; she had faith that he would always find work. She was more concerned about the emotional impact that the job was having on him. Since he accepted the job, he had told her about so many incidents going wrong. Belinda didn’t want him to lose faith in people; but more importantly, she didn’t want him to lose confidence in himself.

Belinda said a special prayer before she went to bed that night, as did Odell. They both asked the Lord to give him strength.

TWENTY YEARS EARLIER

At 7:30 a.m., Friday, April 4, 1973, Odell Williams woke up suddenly, fearing he might have overslept. He had an interview scheduled for 8:00 a.m. in the campus placement office. The company on the schedule was National Breakfast Company, a well-known Fortune 100 company, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The interviewing process at the placement office of North Carolina College (NCC), a historically black university in Durham, North Carolina, started at the beginning of March. By now, most of the roughly fifty seniors slated to earn a degree in accounting had already secured jobs; they were just awaiting graduation day, one month away. The schedule for the National Breakfast Company recruiter was full for that day, primarily because students had been encouraged by Mr. Murphy, the school’s placement director, to attend as many interviews as possible to gain practice time. This was not the case with Odell Williams; the interview meant more than just practice.

Odell scrambled out of bed. There was no time to shower, so he did a quick wash-up instead. He put on his only pair of dress slacks, the lone white dress shirt that he possessed and a plain black tie; he didn’t own a sport coat. He raced to the placement office.

He arrived at 7:55 a.m. and was directed by Mr. Murphy’s assistant to go directly to the interview room. At exactly 8:00 a.m., a pale, middle-aged, white man in a dark gray suit walked into the room. The man smiled, warmly extended his hand, and said: You must be Odell Williams. My name is Bob Smith.

Mr. Smith began to talk to Odell about the beginning-level staff accountant position associated with the company’s management trainee program. He asked Odell a few basic questions about his grades and extracurricular activities.

Odell only carried a 2.5 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), which he figured was part of the reason he had not received a job offer from other companies, particularly those on the East Coast. There was a lot of competition from the other students for jobs located close to home. Odell wished he had taken his studies more seriously. He now realized he had put himself at a disadvantage. He explained to Mr. Smith that he worked every night as a janitor, which took time away from his studies. He reflected for a moment on his financial struggles during his college days.

From 1970 to a portion of 1972, Odella Williams, his mother and namesake, was paying $7,000 per year for college tuitions—$2,500 for Odell and $4,500 for Harold Jr., his brother, who was two years older and went to a renowned historically black university in Virginia. The tuition covered a room in the dormitory and meals for both boys. For spending money, Odella would send each son ten dollars a month.

During the first year, Odell struggled to survive on that meager amount of discretionary money. He never talked to Harold Jr. about it because he didn’t want to say anything disrespectful about his mother; and besides, his brother never brought up the subject during their first summer at home together. Odell did manage to get a summer job after his freshman year, but most of his money went toward buying books and school supplies for the upcoming school year. His mother continued to send the two boys the ten dollars each month; however, by the beginning of his second year in college, the low spending allowance was beginning to take its toll on Odell.

Even during the 1970s, ten dollars a month didn’t stretch too far. Like most growing boys, Odell would get hungry at night, although he had a slight build, stood five-eight and barely exceeded one-ten in weight. Recognizing an opportunity to make money, an avaricious neighborhood grocer would bring a truck filled with snacks to the campus each night at ten o’clock, to take advantage of the hungry students. The truck would stop at every dormitory, regularly greeted by long lines of students, eagerly awaiting the late-night treats. Odell would visit the truck only once a month, the first day he received the money from home. He would treat himself to a honey bun and a soda.

For the remainder of the month, Odell would watch with envy as the other boys in the dormitory took care of their hunger pains. Unlike most of the students, he had to be extremely careful with his spending; after all, his mediocre allowance had to last the entire month. Compounding the problem, he also had to use a portion of his allowance to wash his clothes twice a month; thus in reality, he only had four dollars per month for discretionary spending. Also, there was an additional problem—his two favorite fraternity brothers frequently visited the P&G Grill after classes were finished, to buy beer and hotdogs and listen to music from the juke box. Knowing that Odell never had any money, the frat brothers would invite him to tag along anyway, with each taking turns paying for Odell’s share of the bill. Odell would always return to the campus feeling like a deadbeat.

Halfway through his sophomore year, Odell had reached his limit. Filled with anger, he decided it was time to confront his mother regarding the meager spending allowance. He placed a dime into the pay phone at the dormitory and made a collect call home. Unexpectedly, Thelma, his sister, answered the phone and accepted the call.

At that time, Odell was not particularly close to Thelma, who was four years his junior and the only girl of the four siblings. He resented her because Harold Sr., his father, made it clear that she was his favorite child. Thelma was the only person who could get a dime out of Harold Sr., who was penurious with his money.

Odell exchanged the normal pleasantries with his sister and then suddenly without warning, the boiling frustrations started effusing from his mouth. Where’s Mom? I’m tired of the measly ten dollars a month that she sends me. I can’t live like this anymore!

Thelma quickly responded in a smug and matter-of-fact manner. Do you know how Mom gets those ten dollars? Odell didn’t have an answer; he had never thought about it.

She sells her blood every month for twenty-five dollars. She sends you and Harold Jr. each ten and keeps five for herself.

Shocked by this news, Odell instantly felt profound shame. There was a long pause of silence, as he processed the information he had just received. He had no idea that his mother was going through such lengths to send him money. Thelma patiently waited for his reply.

Odella Williams didn’t make much money. Her annual salary was close to $12,000 as a hospital laboratory technician. Harold Sr. brought in $11,000 as a clerk for the government. The combined income of $23,000 had been barely enough to pay for food, clothes, medicine, and any other needs for a family of six. The family lived from paycheck-to-paycheck. However, by most standards of the black people that Odella and Harold Sr. knew, they were living well, and that feeling was passed along to Odell and his siblings. They all thought they were an average family. That’s why it was so hard for Odell to accept such a meager discretionary spending budget.

Harold Sr. helped Odella pay bills for the house, but he didn’t have any interest in giving his kids money for school. He always thought sending a black child to college was just a waste of good money—he didn’t believe a college education meant a decent job for a black man. Besides, Harold Sr. was a selfish individual. He would often say, Nobody sent me to college, so why should I send you? Whenever Odell or Harold Jr. asked their father for money, they would get the standard answer: I don’t have any money! The boys eventually stopped asking, regardless of how desperate they were for the funds.

But it was a whole different way of looking at life for Odella Williams. She had promised her four kids they would all go to college—she wanted a better life for them than she had growing up. Odella was determined to do whatever she could to make that happen. She worked overtime at every opportunity, to pay college expenses for both sons.

Odell was grateful to his sister for setting him straight. He execrated his father for putting his mother through so much turmoil. But he discovered a whole new level of adoration and respect for his mother; she was truly his inspiration. He vowed at that moment to dedicate his life to making her proud of him.

Thanks Thelma! Do me a favor— don’t tell Mom I called. I’ll talk to you later.

The next day was a busy one for Odell Williams, although he had not attended a single class. At seven that night, he called home, and this time his mother answered the phone.

Hey Mom, how are you doing?

Hello Son, I’m fine.

Mom, you know the ten dollars that you send me each month? —You don’t have to send it anymore. Also, the $2,500 tuition that you are paying has been reduced to $500 a year.

Odella was shocked by her son’s comments and quickly became alarmed that something was amiss. Son, what are you talking about?

Mom, I went to the administration office and told them I’m moving off campus next week. I found myself a room with this nice lady for only $15 a month. Her name is Mrs. Tease. I will have a room and my own bathroom. I can walk home from school—she lives only two miles away from the campus. And Mom, I can pay for this myself.

Son, where are you going to get the money?

I got a job working for a janitorial service—that was hired by the school to clean the administrative building every night. I can finish my classes and head straight to the administrative building. I get paid two dollar an hour. Isn’t that great?

Odella was still stunned by this announcement. It was happening too fast. She didn’t know why her son had done this; and also, she was concerned that he might be taking on more than he could handle. Besides, she didn’t know anything about the woman that he would be living with, 150 miles from home. Anticipating how his mother would feel, Odell pulled one more card from the deck. Mom, I’m calling you from Mrs. Tease’s house. Would you like to speak to her? He handed the phone to Mrs. Tease.

Mrs. Tease, who was an extremely religious, seventy-seven year old lady, shared a duplex house with her daughter and grandson, who lived in the second unit. Mrs. Tease wanted to rent the spare bedroom to a college student and make some extra money. But she was careful about whom she would have living in her house. She had just finished interviewing Odell for the room; and although she found him to be a pleasant and nice young man, she wasn’t quite sure. Odell realized this was a perfect opportunity to put both his mother and Mrs. Tease at ease.

Mrs. Tease told Odella Williams right away that she would not put up with any shenanigans in her house. After the two ladies talked briefly, Mrs. Tease recognized that Odell came from a good family. She decided to let him move into her house. However, sensing some concern in Odella’s voice, Mrs. Tease told her she would keep a watchful eye on her son, which made Odella feel much better about the situation. Odella now knew her son was in a safe environment.

Odell gently grabbed the phone from Mrs. Tease to say goodbye to his mother.

Son, you take care of yourself, and call me if you need anything. Also, I don’t have to tell you this because I raised you, but make sure you respect Mrs. Tease and her house.

I will mom, and please don’t worry about me. I will keep my grades up, and everything will be fine.

After hanging up the phone, Odella was still a little concerned. She didn’t understand why her son had suddenly made the drastic change, but all she could do was support him in his decision since the changes had already been made. She prayed that he would be alright.

Odell still managed to have his meals on campus. He convinced a few of his sorority sisters to share their leftover meal tickets with him, enabling him to eat dinner before going to his janitorial job.

After work was over, Odell made the two-mile hike home. Before reaching Mrs. Tease’s house, keeping a watchful eye for the local block boys, who terrorized the college kids at every opportunity, he would stop by what appeared to be the same local country store that supplied the snack truck to the school. He would generally pick up a honey bun and a soda, which he would carefully sneak into the window of his room before entering the front door. Mrs. Tease, who didn’t allow Odell any food privileges, was always there at the front door to greet him. He always thought she did that to ensure he wasn’t bringing anything bad—like beer into her house, but he was okay with the arrangement. She was nice to him; he had his own bathroom, which he kept clean for her, and the room only cost $15 a month.

Odell stayed in this arrangement for a year, until he found a couple of roommates and got an apartment one mile from the school. He never forgot Mrs. Tease for her generosity, and he would stop by to see her from time to time, just to say hello. She always appreciated his visits.

Odell knew he couldn’t explain to Mr. Smith the financial pressure that he experienced while pursuing his college education.

CHAPTER 2

A WEEK HAD PASSED. ODELL CHECKED HIS MAILBOX AND found a letter from National Breakfast Company. This is just another rejection letter, he thought. He opened it slowly and began to read:

Congratulations Mr. Williams. On behalf of Tom Davis, CEO of National Breakfast Company Inc., I am pleased to offer you the assignment of staff accountant in the management trainee program for National Breakfast Company Inc., at a starting salary of $ 10,500 per year.

Odell leaped for joy! He had finally received a job offer. The salary was a few thousand dollars less than the amount the other students had reported, but he didn’t care; he finally had a job. I’m going to Minnesota! He shouted to his two roommates.

Carlton Bowen, the chapter president of his fraternity and one of his closest friends; who happened to be at the apartment at the time, responded quickly, Odell, are you crazy? Did you say you are moving to Minnesota? Man, its cold as hell out there. You will die in that cold weather!

Odell knew Carlton had a point, but he didn’t care. It was a job, and it was time to start acting like a man and begin paying his mother back. Besides, it was his only job offer. He was determined to not let anyone take away the high of this moment.

The next day, he raced to the placement office to tell Mr. Murphy about his job offer. Mr. Murphy was elated to hear the news. Odell, I knew you could do it. It’s a fine company. You will do well. I’m proud of you Son.

Those words meant a lot to Odell. Mr. Murphy was like a national treasure: Recruiters from all of the big companies throughout the country knew Mr. Murphy. His record of placing 95% of the business graduates with jobs was unmatched by any schools, including the top white universities in America. Besides having the respect of the North Carolina College students and faculty, he had the ear of the recruiters from most of the major corporations.

As Odell continued his act as the town crier, he ran into Clyde Brown, who had also interviewed with Mr. Smith. Hey Clyde, guess what, I got a job offer from National Breakfast Company.

So did I; but obviously, I’m not going way out there. I got offers from a company in Washington D.C. and another one here in North Carolina. I’ll pick one of them because the weather is better, and it’s closer to home.

I hear you. I’ll check with you later, Odell responded.

Ralph Milton had overheard the exchange between Odell and Clyde. Hey Odell, I also received an offer from National Breakfast Company. In fact, I heard that all ten of the people who interviewed with that company received an offer, including Donnie Miller, who has the lowest scores in the accounting class, as everyone knows. I guess they are desperate for black people. I read that African-Americans represent only 1% of the state’s population. Obviously, no one black is going way out there. I don’t know why Mr. Murphy had that company come here in the first place!

Odell now felt deflated, but he was not going to show it. I heard that. I’ll catch you later, he replied.

During the early 1970s, there were not many black people working in corporate America. It was now almost a decade after the civil rights movement, and the new presidential administration was seeking to change those dynamics. Thus, Affirmative Action, a policy established by the government to give minorities equal opportunities for employment by corporations, was implemented. Most African-American college students attended historically black schools. The few black students at the white universities were either athletes or came from the scarce number of wealthy black families. Mr. Murphy, who understood the affirmative action initiative, took full advantage of the social climate by building strong relationships with the key human resource managers from most of the major companies. He invited them to come to North Carolina College to recruit good minority candidates.

Partly due to the location of the company’s headquarters, National Breakfast Company didn’t hire the best talent among the African-American students. The black candidates with the best credentials chose to work at companies that were located closer to home, and the majority of the historically black colleges were located in the south. Recognizing this trend, National Breakfast Company recruiters didn’t really try to find the best black talent. They followed the instructions of their superiors: Hire some black people to get the government off of our backs, and we will worry about what to do with them later.

Odell was extremely disturbed by Ralph’s comments, especially the news about Donnie Miller; he was surprised that Donnie was graduating on time. If everybody who interviewed with National Breakfast Company received job offers, what does that say about me? He thought. Suddenly, it was not a big deal to receive a job offer from National Breakfast Company. After a brief moment of reflection, he decided that it didn’t really matter why National Breakfast Company offered him a job; he didn’t have any other offers. He was determined to accomplish something out of his life. He had to ensure that his mother’s sacrifices were not made in vain. He decided to keep the Minnesota news away from the family until he could tell them in person. Besides, there was still hope that another job offer would come along between then and graduation.

Unfortunately, no other offer came. It was time to start planning for graduation and then —Minnesota!

MAY 6, 1973—GRADUATION DAY

Graduation day finally arrived. The traveling party consisting of aunts, uncles and cousins from both sides of the family were all in Durham to see Odell Williams graduate from college. This was going to be a special occasion for Odella, her proudest moment as a parent, and she wanted to share it with the entire family. Even Odell’s 75 year old grandmother (on his father’s side) was there to see him march. However, there was one significant person missing from the celebration.

Two years earlier, Harold Jr. broke his mother’s heart when he informed her two weeks before graduation day that he would not march, due to missing assignments. Subsequently, he was drafted into the armed services that same month, during the height of the Viet Nam War.

The significance of Harold Jr.’s absence was not missed by Odell. He knew he had to graduate on time and finally reward his mother for all of the sacrifices that she made to send him and his brother to college. Failure was not an option.

Odella insisted on the family getting to the ceremony an hour early to get a good seat. She sat in the auditorium wearing a beautiful new pink, flowered dress, which she bought just for this special occasion. Besides underwear, it was the first piece of clothing that she had bought for herself in six years.

Odell heard his name called. He walked proudly across the stage to receive his diploma. After shaking the chancellor’s hand, he turned toward the crowd to look for his mother. Although there were over 2,000 people in the audience, he knew exactly where she was sitting. For that moment, in his mind, there were only two people in the auditorium—Odell and Odella Williams. He caught his mother’s eyes and waved the diploma at her. She smiled and cried. The first mission had been accomplished.

_________

Odell packed his belongings, turned the apartment over to his two roommates and returned home to Richmond, Virginia. He had enjoyed the four years he spent at North Carolina College, but now it was time to be a man. Odell promised himself he would make his mother proud for her immense sacrifices; however, he had yet to inform her that he was moving to Minnesota. He knew this news would not be well-received. But first, he needed to take care of preparatory issues like arranging for some transportation; he could not live in Minnesota without a car.

While reviewing the newspaper ads, he spotted a vehicle that he liked. The salesman on the phone at the Ford dealership told Odell he needed to have two things before he could sell him a car: a cosigner and a down payment.

Odell decided to take on what he considered to be the easier task, first. He rode the bus downtown to the Emancipated Bank, the only black owned bank in Richmond, Virginia. Inside the bank, a fairly attractive African-American woman in her early-forties, noticed the diminutive, young black man roaming around the bank, looking confused. She decided to see what he wanted.

Can I help you, young man?

Odell responded without hesitation. Yes, I would like to borrow some money.

Amused by his boldness and somewhat ignorance about how the process worked, the woman decided to humor him. How much money do you need, Son?

I need a thousand dollars.

What in the world do you need a thousand dollars for?

I need to put a down payment on a car so I can buy it and move to Minnesota, Odell responded in a matter-of-fact manner.

The lady was now dumbfounded. Young man, what are you talking about?

He pulled out the offer letter from National Breakfast Company and handed it to her. She read the letter carefully. This is not a joke; he is serious, she thought. She became alarmed.

Son you don’t just walk into a bank and expect people to hand you money. You just finished college. I’m sure you don’t have any credit history. Besides, we don’t just loan money to anyone. How do we know you are going to pay it back?

Odell was unfazed by her response. He was focused on the mission at hand. He looked her squarely in the eyes before speaking in a strong tone: "LOOK, I’m not running around in a gang, hanging out in the streets, knocking people upside the head to steal their money. I’m trying to BE somebody! I came to the black bank because I thought you would understand. I’m asking you to help me get started by loaning me a thousand dollars," he responded earnestly.

The woman was stunned by this entire conversation. She knew he had a point. She stood there for a moment staring into his eyes. He didn’t blink. Young man, how do you know you will like living in Minnesota? They don’t have black people in Minnesota!

They will have one black person! That’s me, and I have a job offer, he replied inexorably. He stood there looking at the lady with a stoical expression on his face.

The woman paused to give the matter some deep thought. Okay, I must be crazy, but I will loan you the money. I’m going to set it up for you to pay the bank back $50 a month. You just ensure you make every payment on time! Do you understand? she asked sternly.

Odell broke his expression for the first time. He smiled and nodded in the affirmative that he understood. Thanks ma’am, I appreciate it, and I won’t let you down.

Odell would never see that Banker again, but he didn’t forget her kindness. He would keep his promise to make every payment on time for the two-year loan period.

He got his down payment money. Now it was time for the hard part; he had to break the news to his parents about moving to Minnesota and ask one of them to cosign for the car loan.

__________

On Saturday morning, the next day, he decided it was a good time to talk to his mother.

Mom, did I tell you that I’m moving to Minnesota?

Odella first thought he was joking, although she didn’t think it was funny. Then after looking into his eyes, she realized that she had seen that look before; her son had an earnest expression on his face. Her next thought was that of deep concern. Son, what are you talking about?

Mom, I got a job offer from National Breakfast Company—you know—the company that makes all kinds of food products. Their national headquarters is in St. Paul, Minnesota. He pulled out the offer letter and handed it to his mother. I’ve already accepted the job.

Boy, are you crazy? There are no black people in Minnesota!

Odell was unfazed. There will be one soon. Besides, that’s the only job offer that I got. I had to take the job!

Odella was stunned! She immediately summoned Harold Sr. for help. Harold, you need to hear what your son is planning to do.

Harold Sr. was equally shocked at the news. He could not believe his ears. Boy, have you lost your mind?

Odell simply ignored his father. Mom, I love you, but I am a twenty-one year old college graduate, and I’m going to move to Minnesota in a couple of weeks. However, I will need your help. There’s something that I need for you to do so I can make the move.

Odella felt defeated. What do you want us to do Son?

I need for you to go with me to the Ford dealership to cosign for a car loan. I can’t go to Minnesota without a car, and I found the vehicle that I want. The man told me he would let me have the car if I gave him a down payment and brought one of my parents down to cosign for the vehicle. I already have the down payment money, which I got from the bank. Now all I need is for one of you to cosign for the car loan.

That’s crazy. We are not going to cosign a loan for a car! Harold Sr. said defiantly.

Odell expected that response from his father.