Most Requested?

Greetings, Family.

You know, I've been thinking about how Umar claims he is the Number One Most Requested Black Scholar on the Planet (yes, that's quite a mouthful), although I don't know who Umar would know this.  What organization or publication tracks the number of requests a speaker gets so that Umar, or the rest of us would know that?

*SHRUG*

But, if it's true, would be a testament to his popularity and scholarship.

He does say that when he goes to speak, even overseas, that he pays all of his own expenses, in addition into paying for insurance, paying his staff, and paying for the venue.

That got me to wondering...

If Umar is so popular, so well-liked, so respected, so scholarly, and so requested, wouldn't it stand to reason that the colleges, universities and groups who request Umar to come and speak would actually pay, or help pay for, his accommodations?

For example, whenever I travel for a job, the company pays for all associated expenses, including my flights -- both domestic and foreign -- my hotel rooms, my meals, car rentals, and provide the venues in which I deliver the requested content.  I didn't have to come out of my pocket for anything, unless I wanted to, for personal things, or even to buy postcards, T-shirts and souvenirs for myself, or family and friends.

But, okay, I work for a company, so I realize that the situation could be different for colleges and universities, or for local community groups.  So I asked a friend of mine, who works at a university, about how they go about bringing in speakers.  This is what he says.

In general terms, when a group on a college or university wants to bring in a speaker, the group takes the following steps:

1.  The group applies for funds from the college or university.
Most speakers ask for an honorarium, which covers travel expenses, hotel, meals, car rental, in addition to the speaker's fee. Some speakers, if they believe in the cause that the group is involved in, will waive their fee and only ask that their travel-related expenses be covered.  Some speakers don't mind flying economy class.  As as aside, I have noticed how Umar brags about flying first class or VIP or something like that.

Anyway...the dollar amount for honorariums range from $1,000 to upwards of $20,000.  Most colleges and universities set aside money to pay for lectures, as it provides opportunity for the students to get a well-rounded experience on the college campus.  Most will have lecture series around certain subject matter or events, like Black History Month.

2.  The student group selects a speaker, and perhaps one or two backup options.
Of course, the speaker should talk about about issues that are relevant to the students.  The group would find out what the speaker wants or needs, in terms of honorarium, special requests, etc. The group may also want to think about if they want to have a reception or dinner for the speaker.  The group also budgets for advertising.  Of course, nowadays, people also use blogs, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and other web-based forms of advertising.  Then they will ask the college or university for funds.

3.  Once approved for the funds, the group then sends an invitation to the speaker.
Included in the invitation are details such as information about the group, how much the honorarium is, or how much financial assistance the group is offering, potential dates, expected attendance and a brief description of the group and its advertising strategy.

So when Umar is invited to a college campus to speak, it escapes me why he would have to pay for his own travel-related expenses, let along pay staff, insurance, venues and so on.

Most student groups do not heavily vet a speaker.  It's safe to say that most 18 to 21 year-old students get excited by a speaker's "celebrity" status.  It's also safe to say that students groups have a minuscule budget compared to the budget of an entire college campus, so administration may not get heavily involved in who the student group invites to speak, unless there are protests or complaints about the speaker.  We have seen this in the case of Umar Johnson when Anne Arundel Community College canceled his appearance in February of 2015.

My contention is that Umar gets on college campuses through student groups, who may be bedazzled by his "celebrity" status.  And, he is likely not invited by deans, provosts, or even tenured professors. Even if a professor or a member of administration were inclined to invite Umar to speak, the inclination would likely disappear once the professor learns that he or she cannot verify Umar's background, education, or his claims of being related to Frederick Douglass, Alexander Wayman, or perhaps even Harriet Tubman (maybe).

Now, if he's being invited by local community groups, who may not have much money, I can understand why Umar would cover his own travel.  But wait...doesn't he charge $20 a head for these events?  Often people would buy a ticket before the event, therefore he knows how much money he has to work with, and therefore can know what type of hotel he would stay in and where he could afford to eat?  And, couldn't he also recoup any profits, or be reimbursed for his expenses, on the back end?

AND...

Isn't there upwards of $370,000 in donation money (as of May 24, 2017), that people donated for a school, sitting somewhere that only Umar seems to know?

Hmmmmmm......I wonder if that donation money for the school is how he's paying for his travel expenses to Africa, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and locales across these United States?

One wonders...


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