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In 1953 racial minorities had justtaken their first few big steps toward equality. It had been only 6years since Jackie Robinson had broken the color line in baseball,and 5 years since Harry Truman had desegregated the armed forces.But progress was halting. The U.S. Supreme Court's decisionoutlawing segregation in schools was still a year in the future.Few minority brokers could get standard contracts from carriers;they had to place their clients in the high-priced substandardmarket.

That didn't deter Ernesta G. Procope, who set up a storefrontinsurance agency called E.G. Bowman Co. in Brooklyn'sBedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood that year. Her late husband, AlbinBowman, a successful real-estate broker, had convinced her to gether broker's license so she could learn the business and alsoinsure his properties. She saw opportunity where no one else did.Bedford-Stuyvesant was full of beautiful owner-occupiedbrownstones, but hardly anyone wanted insure them. Her firm wouldfill that void. In 1953, she also married a rising youngadvertising executive, John Procope. If anyone had suggested backthen that this startup agency would grow to become the nation'slargest minority- and woman-owned insurance brokerage, serving someof America's biggest corporations and institutions, it would haveseemed as outlandish as the idea that men would walk on the moon.Ernesta Procope's story is one of a remarkable perseverance thatmirrors the changes in American life and the insurance industry forminorities over the past 56 years. The secret of her success is assimple as it is hard to duplicate: “I don't give up,” she said. Thedaughter of Caribbean immigrants, she was the only female in herfamily, and having to stick up for herself among her brothers madeher tougher, she said. Music was her first love, and she became apiano prodigy who debuted at Carnegie Hall at age 13. But thatdidn't guarantee her a living, so she went into business.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Procope sold insurance but focused herprodigious energies on real estate development, rehabilitating andselling about 500 brownstones in Brooklyn from 1955 through 1970.In March 1956, she was featured on the cover of Jet magazine, underthe headline: “New York's lady builder–The first Negro woman tobuild homes in New York state.”

When the real estate market fell victim to a cyclical recession,Procope redoubled her efforts to increase her insurance business.To convince insurance companies to insure her customers, she hiredlimousines and ferried insurance executives from Manhattan toBrooklyn to show that property in Bedford Stuyvesant was valuableand insurable. “They didn't know that Bedford-Stuyvesant hadsubstantial, middle-class homeowners, blacks and whites, who neededand deserved coverage,” she said. “They were shocked.” But insurance executives changedtheir minds again after the urban riots of the mid- and late 1960s.They pulled out of the urban neighborhoods en masse and began“redlining” minority neighborhoods. In a single day, E.G. BowmanCo. received 90 cancellation notices for property insurance.Procope realized that banks would foreclose on thousands ofhomeowners unless they could secure insurance. She personally tookthis issue to New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller and convincedhim to support legislation to make homeowners insurance availableto all in the state. The successful bill created the pioneering NewYork state FAIR Plan, which became a model for similar plansnationwide. The tumult of the late 1960s saw the beginning ofaffirmative action. Encouraged that she'd have a chance, Procopebid for the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corp., a communitydevelopment program started by Robert F. Kennedy–and won theaccount, the firm's first major commercial customer. But when shedecided to go after big businesses in the late '60s, even JohnProcope thought she was too audacious. It was unheard of for asmall black-owned insurance brokerage to insure a giant likePepsiCo. But Procope didn't let that stop her, and the soda companybecame one of the firm's first big-business clients and remains onetoday. The firm was also named agency of record for the U.S.portion of the Alaska Pipeline and the Fulbright Scholars Programthrough the U.S. Information Agency. None of the E.G. Bowman'ssuccesses have come easily. “It's been a constant battle to opendoors and get a chance to show what we can do,” she said. But oncethe firm won an account, it kept it by providing top-notch serviceand expertise. In 1979, E.G. Bowman moved to its prsent location onWall Street, becoming the first major black-owned business on theStreet, and Procope became known as “The First Lady of WallStreet.” “Here was a black company from Bedford-Stuyvesant comingto Wall Street–that was significant. It showed that we had enteredthe mainstream of the American economy,” she said. “And it openeddoors for other blacks.” In the 1980s and '90s, Procope was namedto many corporate and nonprofit boards, including The Chubb Corp.,Avon Products, Columbia Gas System, New York Urban League andCornell University. She chaired Adelphi University's board. Procopehas been featured in many national magazines and has receiveddozens of awards. In 1972 First Lady Patricia Nixon named her“Woman of the Year.” She's been inducted into the African AmericanBusiness Hall of Fame and received the Excellence Award from theNew York Chapter of the CPCU Society and Lifetime Achievement Awardfrom the National African American Insurance Assn. E.G. Bowmantoday serves companies such as Kraft and Pfizer, major nonprofits,small businesses, government agencies, labor unions, educationalinstitutions and families. Licensed in 50 states, the firm has morethan 2,000 clients. Its loss-control and safety-engineeringconsulting division, Bowman Specialty Services LLP, wasincorporated in 2000. Today E.G. Bowman has 25 employees, all inits Manhattan office. Procope credits her colleagues for the firm'ssuccess. Harry Ennevor, the firm's president and CEO since 2003,has worked at her side since 1970. John Procope spearheadedmarketing from 1982 until his death in 2005. James Tom, vicepresident and controller, has been with the firm since 1978.Procope, now chairman of the board, remains as determined tosucceed as ever, and her company continues to offer new, innovativeways to better meet its clients' insurance and risk-managementneeds.

Minorities in the insurance industry
ManyAfrican Americans started their insurance careers as debit-lifesalesmen in minority communities in the early years of the 20thcentury. Minority property/casualty agents were basically limitedto personal lines, and even in that arena they faced a big handicapbecause they usually had to work with nonstandard, high-riskmarkets that charged minorities high rates, regardless of theirdriving record or condition of their homes.

Things started changing rapidly in the mid-to-late 1960s. Afterthe inner-city riots broke out, insurers pulled out of minorityneighborhoods and stopped writing home insurance in the infamouspractice known as redlining.

The civil rights movement and the demands by minorities to gettheir fair share of the America's wealth caused a sea change in the1960s and 1970s. With the advent of affirmative action, doors beganto open for minorities, who also began taking advantage of industryeducational programs. America's first black CPCU, Shirley Clarke,worked at E.G. Bowman from 1969 to 1986.

Today, minority employment in the industry is huge. At agenciesand brokerages, minorities accounted for 27 percent of allemployees and 10 percent of all executives and senior managers in2007, according to the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC). Atcarriers, minorities made up 25 percent of the workforce and 10percent of executives and senior managers, according to theEOC.

Several big insurers have won kudos for diversity. At Aflac,minorities represent 40 percent of its nearly 4,400 employees, withmore than half in management. Black Enterprise, which rated the 40best companies for diversity in 2008, named three insurancecompanies–Aetna, Aflac and State Farm–to that list. Aetna was citedfor its Diverse Discoveries Program, which provides careertraining, mentoring and coaching. Aflac was commended forconducting employee satisfaction surveys after diversity events.State Farm has seen a 15 percent rise in participation in employeeresource groups, set up to foster a diverse workforce.

In 2008, Hispanic Business rated the 60 best companies forHispanic workers. Insurance companies on the list were PrudentialFinancial, Allstate and State Farm.

Various organizations promote minorities in the insuranceindustry. The Washington, D.C.-based National African-AmericanInsurance Assn. is dedicated to empowering African-Americaninsurance professionals currently in the industry and increasingtheir numbers nationwide. Established in 1998, the Latin AmericanAgents Association serves agent who provide insurance services tothe Hispanic community and other minorities.

While minorities have made real progress in the industry, thestruggle for equality continues. Until minority membersproportionately populate the ranks of senior executives andminority-owned brokers have the same access as other firms, therewon't be true success.