This is really two good reads, but who doesn’t need homework for the weekend? Just yesterday I was reading a column from a newspaper colleague in northwest Iowa. Ty Rushing is the managing editor of the Sheldon Mail-Sun and is one of the few black journalists in Iowa and one of even fewer black journalists holding leadership positions in the state. In his column, he discusses both the challenges and the opportunities of being in this position. The bottom line is this: When we have more diversity in our employees and our leaders, we better represent the varying perspectives of the communities we serve. I was curious if any national outlets had bigger coverage of black pioneers in business for Black History Month, and, lo and behold, I found this Forbes piece. Technological innovations like the traffic light, automatic elevator doors and even caller ID all sprung from the minds of creative black luminaries.