DENNIS HAYNES: Interview

What is one thing that has kept you strong during difficult times—not only as a

Black man in America…but also as an entrepreneur?

• What keeps me strong is knowing what my goals are, knowing that I’m capable of

reaching them, and knowing who I’m doing it all for — my family and me. Everything

starts with having a vision. As Seneca put it, “If a man knows not to which port he

sails, no wind is favorable.” You have to know where you want to go. As far as being

capable of reaching my goals, I’m confident in my ability to get things done and make

things happen. What I don’t know I’m more than willing to learn along the way. Lastly,

knowing who I’m doing all this work for matters. It helps give the work purpose. I want

to provide a certain lifestyle for my family and me, and nobody’s going to give it to me.

So I continue to stay strong during difficult times because I know it’s worth it, and for

me there is no other choice but to continue to be strong.

What’s the major change you’ve noticed in our world—and in our country during

the last year? 5 years? 20 years?

• Major changes in our world include the advancement of technology. AI definitely was

not as ingrained into society as it is today. Through social media we have access to

each other all around the world. You can instantly communicate and send a direct

message to someone across the country, and yet we are more divided as a country

than recent times. We have a president who clearly thrives off of division in a way that

we’ve arguably never seen before. The algorithms on social media aid in adding fuel

to the fire by feeding us one-sided points of view and false information.

Who has been the most impactful person in your life? Why?

• Someone who had an immeasurable impact on my life was my cousin Tanka. She

was someone I could have deep conversations with and . I was talking with her when I

came up with the title of my first book — Wanna Hide Something From a N*gga, Put It

In a Book. She was influential in the making of that book too. Over the course of

multiple days we recorded our conversations about the topics that I was planning to

include in the book. I transcribed the parts that stood out to me and ultimately that was

the foundation of the book. Tanka was pro-Black and it rubbed off on me at an earlier

age just from our talks about life, our family, our history, and so much more.

What is your “go to” in times of trouble or indecision?

• My “go to” varies depending on the situation. In general, I tend to pray and ask God

for guidance in my decision making and on the my journey through life and whatever

I’m dealing with. In addition, I tend to seek out people who may have been in similar

situations as they can offer a different point of view from experience. I also take time

by myself to think of solutions and possible outcomes. I trust myself and know which

direction I want to be heading in. My goal is to make decisions and take actions that

will lead me towards my overall goals.

How important is it to support Black businesses?

• Supporting Black businesses is extremely essential for multiple reasons. Owning a

business is one of the best ways to generate the most wealth. The racial wealth gap is

enormous and circulating the dollar with the Black community helps close that gap.

Spending money within the Black community helps lead to economic empowerment

and community development. Other communities circulate their money within their

communities for days or longer as they support businesses within their communities.

The Black dollar circulates within the Black community for an average of six hours as

we spend money in other communities almost as soon as we get it.

• Supporting Black businesses also allows for more jobs to be created and available. In

regards to community development, representation can be a huge aid. Black children

and adults seeing successful Black entrepreneurs and business owners encourages

more Black people to try that route.

Why do you think many of them do not survive?

• There are a lot of great Black owned businesses that have been established and

outlasted the test of time and America. Still, many Black businesses don’t survive due

to lack of support or lack of know how. Far too often Black business owners have to

do a lot of learning on the fly when it comes to operating a business. People set out to

create and build businesses without having the knowledge and experience and it

sometimes

What is your educational background? Was it worth it?

• I graduated from college with my Bachelor's degree in Psychology, and I minored in

Business Administration. It was worth it to me for multiple reasons. The education that

I received while in college opened my mind in so many ways. My books and the work

that I do often rely on the foundation of education that I gained while in college.

College was expensive – more expensive than it should be – but it’s helped me get to

where I am today, and I can appreciate that.

Name two of your Black heroes…and explain why you chose them.

• Many people refer to Dr. King and Malcolm X as their Black heroes, and rightfully so.

There are some of my heroes as well. To bring up some Black heroes that aren’t

spoken about as often, two more of my Black heroes are James Baldwin and

Michael Eric Dyson. Both of these men are authors who have had a huge impact on

me. Their writing styles, chosen topics, and overall sense of love for the Black

community heavily impacted me as an author. Reading their books let me know that I

could write about anything. Dyson’s book Holla If You Hear Me is about the impact of

Tupac – who is one of my favorite artists. It opened my mind to the possibilities.

Baldwin’s books simply spoke to me and many of his readers around the world. These

are two of my heroes because they paved the way for me to write the kind of books

that I want to write and they’re books people have expressed interest in reading.

Where do we go from here – as we see the quick changes – and the serious

decline—morally, etc. and the re-traction/erasure of accomplishments we fought

for and won? Share your thoughts?

• We must continue to do what we’ve always done. We must continue to take care of

ourselves, love each other, teach each other, and continue to build and support our

own. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to deal with someone in power that’s hellbent

on harming the Black people in America. They didn’t want Black people to learn. We

built our own schools. They didn’t want us to have rights. We fought to establish laws

that protect us by law. Persistence and perseverance have always been part of the

story of Black Americans. As America continues to decline morally, we must continue

to fight and take care of ourselves and each other.