Speaker, teacher, author and Black business owner Dr. Melvin J. Gravely II spared no words as the keynote speaker for the opening day of the 20th annual A. G. Gaston Conference at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex.

Melvin Gravely, author of "Dear White Friend," visited Chillicothe Tuesday to discuss racial equity and his new book.

The book is a series of letters written to a colleague and friend to help explore the topic of race. The book centers around, "What the heck is going on with race in our country?"

I understand most business leaders don’t oppose hiring and promoting Black people. Our networks, biases, preferences, systems, and experiences create a context where it just does not happen naturally. Simply not being against hiring and promoting Blacks won’t be enough to change things. We must be for it—intentionally.

According to the Federal Reserve System, the average white family has eight times the wealth of a typical Black family while also having five times the wealth of a typical Hispanic family. The gaps in wealth between Black and white households reveal the widely negative issues of accumulated inequality and discrimination.

For Melvin J. Gravely II, the CEO of Triversity Construction in Cincinnati, the pathway to making a better office-working environment requires help from both white and Black people.

The author writes that, for there to be systemic change, there must be Black leaders at the tables where a community makes its decisions.

When Mel Gravely talks about his latest book, “Dear White Friend,” you get the sense he understands that his life might change because of it.

As a successful small business owner, Mel never talked about race much. He realized that most of his life is spent with white people. He got tired of “watching the same move (on race) and perhaps I can be a vehicle to help with this problem.

In the book, Gravely eloquently accomplishes what many have wished to do: talk openly to someone they know about race.

CEO and author Melvin Gravely, II wants to empower Black and white people to discuss race in a productive way professionally and personally through his new book, Dear White Friend.

Relationships and wealth are staples of community influence. Without both Blacks will never be full contributors to the priorities of a community. For us to create systemic change, we need to add wealthy Blacks to the tables with wealthy whites helping to determine how communities function, how decisions are made, and how priorities are set.

The truth is that discussions about race and racism in the workplace are hard. They’re hard because they’re typically new; they tap into sensitive subject matter, and they’re highly informed by one’s background, experiences, and assumptions. For workplaces with a sincere desire to move beyond performative pleasantries to real anti-racism progress, there are often three significant barriers preventing any real, productive exchange—a lack of racial literacy, racial humility and racial stamina.

American DBE features stories providing information, education, & inspiration to stakeholders in the infrastructure, transportation & construction industries. The cover story Mel Gravely, author of “Dear White Friend” discussing ideas on increasing equity in the business sector.

In his frank and empathetic book, TriVersity Construction's Melvin Gravely challenges White business leaders to do more.