Feb 28, 2024 3 min read

By Fred Alexander Fleet

In 1972, my junior year of high school, I decided to run for student government president at Trinity High School.

I understood what challenges were ahead for me. I was not an athlete, nor on the honor roll. I didn’t consider myself extremely popular and I was the only Black candidate running for the office. My parents felt it could be too much of an emotional event for me and advised against it. Some of my classmates informed me a few of their teachers had closed-door meetings suggesting I would not make a suitable president.

My classmates disagreed and I won the election.

This election forever changed my life. In my senior year, I was voted president of a Junior Achievement company. Our company won Best Company of the Year and Top Company in Sales. The same year I was elected to the student advisory board for Pennsylvania’s secretary of education, representing over 100,000 students. The Optimist Club selected me as one of the recipients of Washington’s Outstanding Student Award.

My life has been surrounded by events where I’m the only Black man in the room. In Los Angeles, I started out as a security officer. I was later promoted to operations manager in the corporate office, where I was the only Black face. Even though I was typing over 100 words a minute and updating more than 30 security manuals in three months, overseeing all operations for the security sites and field supervisors. I was consistently overlooked for any upper management positions. The decision was notable. Several white men were promoted over me to handle extremely lucrative accounts. Mindful, I stayed my course and did not become angry.

My father raised me to control my anger by discovering alternative opportunities. Soon I would outmaneuver the politics in the office and find myself in charge of the security in the largest buildings in downtown Los Angeles. I was promoted to various managerial positions within the firm and finally landed the position as account security executive for Blue Cross/Blue Shield for their entire southern California offices with over 150 employees in my department.

Each position, whether in corporate headquarters or in the field, I met daily challenges by doing more than what was expected in spite of the internal politics. Learning how to maneuver around in this environment, I was able to motivate other minorities. My passion for learning took me in the direction of taking management and leadership classes without assistance from my company. I used my skills to help my employees to strive for goals beyond their current positions, such as getting higher education.

When I retired in 2001, there were still no Black men in the corporate office.

I’m thankful I started my life’s leadership journey with my classmates at Trinity High School. They saw my character, not just the color of my skin. It holds true for me today.

Fred Alexander Fleet is the former CEO of the Highland Ridge Community Development Corp. His first novel, “Dark Cloaks and Nightmares,” can be found in Washington’s Citizens Library. Fleet has written for International Living Magazine about the Republic of Panama for more than 10 years.