October 23, 2026
Harris’ spaceflight legacy inspired a career in venture capital.
Dr. Bernard Harris accepted the prestigious Icon Award at BLACK ENTERPRISE‘s XCEL Summit for Men held in Orlando, Florida, Oct. 21-23. The historic astronaut reflected on a career shaped by two primary life goals: flying in space and building wealth for his community. Dr. Harris expressed sincere gratitude for the recognition, sharing, “When he called me about this award, I was really honored.” He thanked his long-time friend and BE CEO, Earl “Butch” Graves Jr., for reaching out, and recognized his partner of 17 years, Valerie Mosley: “Thank you, honey, for being here. I appreciate that.”
Dr. Harris explained why the award held special meaning: “In 1970, of course, as you know, Earl Graves Sr. created the BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine,” Harris said. “It was the first time that a Black man had talked about wealth, talked about entrepreneurship in our communities, talked about not only building wealth but passing it forward and supporting businesses.”
This publication sparked Harris’s desire to achieve his dual goals. He recalled how he and his peers “learned a new vernacular, and that is we call ourselves Black astronauts, Afronauts.”
With that identity forged, Harris explained: “I left University of Houston and did the medical training… on my way to my first goal of becoming an astronaut. With the mind that at some point in time, when I got through playing around in space, that I would come back to my second goal, and that was building some of that wealth.”
The “Green and Gold” Lesson Inspired Community Progress
Harris’s venture capital career began with a 1970s Black economics course at the University of Houston. During a guest lecture by Houston’s first Black millionaire, the class—composed of about “60% or so African Americans, about 30% white kids, and then some Hispanic kids”—debated whether the struggle facing the Black community was a Black or white issue.
Harris’ then-professor brought the debate to a pivotal conclusion that reshaped Harris’ outlook: “His conclusion was that the plight of the Black community was not a Black or white issue. It was a green and gold issue.”
Dr. Harris recalled the immediate impact of those words: “Something went off, a bug went off in my head, a bit went off in my head that was set to this day. And what he meant is that in order for us to move forward as a community, we have to get some of that green and we have to get some of that gold.”
Guided by that lesson, Harris fulfilled his second ambition: “It was because of Earl Graves Sr., it was because of what Black Enterprise’s mission and goals have that inspired this young man to start a venture capital firm and then be able to spread the word to other young Black people in our community.”
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