I grew up in Louisiana during the time of Jim Crow laws. In spite of all the hate, my parents taught me to love.
As the son of a sharecropper growing up in Gilbert, Louisiana, I learned very important life lessons from my mother and father that shaped me into the man I am today.
Schools were legally segregated until 1954, when the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education declared state-sponsored segregation of public schools unconstitutional. Love is a transformative force that is largely missing in our society. There are different levels of love: eros, which is romantic, and philia, which is brotherly love. The type of love my mom taught me is agape — universal love for everyone. Clearly, our city and nation suffer from a love deficit. Our national government discourse is void of civility, respect and love. My father taught me that it is not about Democrat, Republican or independent — it is about serving people and civility.
In 1965, I moved to Chicago’s West Side with my aunt. When I arrived in the city, I was amazed by the number of Black-owned businesses and opportunities. It was a far cry from the South. Eventually, I would flip burgers and mop floors at McDonald’s and work my way up to manager. I worked five years without a day off and learned how to run a business. My parents’ advice about love, faith, a good work ethic and persistence propelled me to own my first McDonald’s restaurant.
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