Summary: Willie Jackson is the founder and publisher of Abernathy, a magazine for black men. He is also a tech consultant and a member of Seth Godin’s Domino Project. He is an advisor and has worked with several bestselling authors and entrepreneurs as well as speaking regularly at conferences. Previously, he served as the director of Web optimization for W3 EDGE, an interactive Web development and marketing agency. Abernathy is his latest project that was started partly because of the events in Ferguson and the Black Lives Matter movement. Willie joins Charlie on the show to discuss the weighty issues of race and police brutality as well as much more about his career. Key Takeaways: 02:24 – Willie leaving working in consultancy and getting in to doing his own thing. 06:38 – Why Willie didn’t like the corporate business world. 12:10 – Starting W3 EDGE and how the idea formed. 16:08 – Some of the challenges with W3 EDGE. 21:15 – The importance of taking the time to connect with other people and acknowledge how hard things can be. 24:01 – Why and how Willie formed Abernathy and his feelings on the Michael Brown story. 33:27 – Abernathy being a magazine specifically for black men and issues of race that aren’t talked about enough. 42:06 – The case about Sandra Bland. 47:09 – What Willie has learned from launching and growing Abernathy. 51:43 – Willie wanting people to know that he cares about people being touched by what Abernathy is about and benefitting from it. Mentioned In This Episode: Abernathy Seth Godin’s Domino Project Black Lives Matter Lift Off Retreat INROADS W3 EDGE Accenture Michael Brown Mark Zuckerberg Yoyodyne Yahoo Worse Than Slavery Nate Silver Hillary Clinton Sandra Bland Basecamp MailChimp The YEC abernathymagazine.com/launch
