“They Said No: The Four-Decade Fight to Open Boardroom Doors” By Eral Burks with Lisa M. S. Barrow, DM ==================================================================THEY SAID NO: The Four-Decade Fight to Open Boardroom Doors In 1985, when Eral Burks named his company Minority Executive Search, his advisor warned it would make companies uncomfortable. “I want them to see me coming,” he responded.
For forty years, Burks fought to place qualified Black, Latino, Hispanic, and women executives in Fortune 500 boardrooms—at Amazon, Microsoft, General Electric, IBM, and beyond. Every placement was a battle against coded rejections: “not a culture fit,” “lacks executive presence,” “great candidate, but…”
This posthumous memoir reveals the real conversations happening behind closed doors and the relentless strategies required to open them. From his grandmother helping sharecroppers escape Jim Crow in the 1940s to his own decades placing C-suite executives, Burks chronicles a multi-generational legacy of refusing to accept no as the final answer.
The statistics are sobering: In 1985, there were zero Black CEOs running Fortune 500 companies. Today there are nine. Four hundred and twenty-five CEOs are still white men.
“They Said No” is an unflinching look at systemic barriers, a practical guide for executives and recruiters navigating these challenges today, and an inspiring testament to the power of persistence. As Burks’s recurring refrain reminds us: “They’re going to say no. Just keep knocking.”
Completed with co-author Dr. Lisa M. S. Barrow just before Burks’s death in November 2025, this memoir stands as both a testament to his life’s work and a roadmap for the next generation of leaders committed to transforming corporate America.
Essential reading for corporate executives, HR professionals, aspiring leaders, and anyone who refuses to accept that the world must stay the way it is.
Available on Amazon.com
PRESS RELEASE Posthumous Memoir Reveals Four-Decade Battle to Diversify Corporate America’s Executive Ranks===============================================================
In Darkness Light Dawns: Exposing Workplace Bullying
By Dr. Lisa M. S. Barrow, DM
In Darkness Light Dawns, exposes the hidden epidemic of workplace bullying and provides a pathway forward for those caught in its grip. This book shows that it is possible to take charge of the situation rather than giving in to fear, dread, and passivity.
Workplace bullying is rampant throughout North America and around the world. Also known as psychological harassment or emotional abuse, bullying involves the conscious, repeated effort to wound and destroy another person—not with violence, but with words and actions. It damages the physical, emotional, and mental health of those targeted.
Tragically, some individuals see suicide as the only escape from the pain.
Hope is at hand.
Whether you’re currently being bullied, supporting someone who is, or working to create healthier workplace cultures, this book offers the insight and tools needed to recognize bullying, understand its devastating impact, and take meaningful action.
The darkness of workplace bullying is real and so is the light of hope, healing, and empowerment.
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Phone: 844-437-5472
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