Dear Friends,
Welcome to 2020! The new year comes with new perspectives. Often, we make plans that dissipate by March, but I encourage you to find your path and walk it with confidence this year, taking it one day at a time. Last year brought us some sad times—we lost ONYX Magazine’s co-founder Lillian Seays. She was the heartbeat of ONYX Magazine and we are honored to carry on her legacy. We also lost Mary Ann Carroll, the only woman among the Florida Highwaymen artists and ONYX Magazine’s 2018 Woman of the Year.
However, we also celebrated many events, debuting our first business and entrepreneurship issue; and hosting the 2019 ONYX Magazine’s Women on the Move, which was heralded the best one yet! But perhaps the most exciting endeavor was our official launch of the ONYX Foundation! Through the Foundation, we will be committed to literacy, black history and arts education, and we are looking forward to community support. We believe 2020 will be the best year ever at ONYX Magazine. So, stick around for all we have planned.
In our first cover story of the year, Cliff Long shares his vision for Orlando as the first African-American president of the Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association (ORRA). Read about how black wealth is folded into owning real estate and what you need to know to purchase your home. Also, in this issue, you will be encouraged to make the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday a day on, not a day off. Help your community by serving on that day. February marks Black History Month and we share a story about G.D. Rogers, a philanthropist and businessman who built the second golf course in the state for black people. February also is the month of love. Who should be your Valentine? Our article has some interesting thoughts. How does mentoring and interning boost your business? Read these pages to find out.
Thank you for being on this journey with us for more than 22 years. As always, we are dedicated to bringing you entertaining, inspiring and informative information that celebrate us! At ONYX Magazine, we are marching into 2020 with confidence that we are making a difference in the lives of very important people—like you.
Sincerely
Richard “Rich” E. Black
