In the Air Force, Mel King had responsibility for an entire department comprising of about 12 Air Force and four civilian personnel. His first job as a civilian was pushing a mail cart, handing out mail in an office complex. The odd thing that has happened most of his career is that he would out-perform his Anglo peers, and yet he would receive very little recognition. Many times, he would hear the question being asked of companies, Why don't you have Black Americans in senior positions? The response would be, Well, we can't find any with a degree and the experience. He was available, with an MBA, and managerial experience. In Mel's career, he saved companies, verifiable, millions of dollars; and, his White counterparts, who would do fractionally less, got recognized and the bonuses. So, he wrote Uncommon as a beginning documentation of the glass ceiling, unfairness, and challenges Black Americans have in Corporate America. Look for continuing chapters of Uncommon in the near future.
