Publisher’s Message
From a Quicksand of Racial Injustice to a Solid Rock of Brotherhood Earl “Skip” Cooper, II
Black Business News Group P.O. Box 43159 Los Angeles, CA 90043 USA 323-291-7819 Fax: 323-298-5064
www.blackbusinessnews.net
Pubisher/Chief Executive Officer
T
he Black Business News is pleased to welcome you to a 2014 tribute to the foremost American humanitarian, pastor, activist, and lofty contributor for civil rights -- the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. (Dr. King). Black-owned and operated business enterprises gained a momentous growth shift as a direct result from Dr. King's consistent courageous action to change the sorely lacking equality for United States citizenry. Commonly, his legacy does not fully reflect how his work vastly impacted the notion of economic parity in concert with social justice for this country and beyond. Black business growth was rarely discussed within civil rights until Dr. King drove social and economic justice to the center stage with the 1955 year-long Montgomery Alabama Bus Boycott. Nearly sixty years ago when current social media tools for crowd gathering methods were barely imaginary, this was an unprecedented economic boycott by taking on an implausible public demonstration, being carried out 100% by 'American Negros.' The start of this peaceful protest was vividly initiated by the late Rosa Parks who bravely refused to unseat her position from a whites-only designated section (Jim Crow) of Montgomery City's public bus. The most memorable milestone from this event became the shifting attitudes in national political discussions referencing how should 'coloreds' receive the right to freely enter and work in white-controlled public and private sector organizations, to more appropriately discussing how society would better fair from 'black' owned, controlled and operated enterprises. Dr. King's terrific orations facilitated a jolt in national discussions addressing what if blacks operated their own bus company. At this stage was when Montgomery City officials realized that such an outcome
PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Earl “Skip” Cooper, II
ASSOCIATE EDITORS Sarah Harris Dean L. Jones
ENTREPRENEUR EDITOR Kim Anthony
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Belinda Foster
PRODUCTION MANAGER Narishima Osei
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS LaSandra Stratton Dean Jones Linda Ware
GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Harris Phallu Morgan
STORY EDITORS Wanda Flagg Jennifer Marie Hamilton
PHOTOGRAPHY Ian Foxx Sabir Narishima Osei
CONTENT ADMINISTRATOR La Sandra Stratton
LAYOUT/TYPESETTING Lion Communications Copyright © 2014 by Black Business News All Rights Reserved. The posting of stories, commentaries, reports, documents and links (embedded or otherwise) on this site does not in any way, shape or form, implied or otherwise, necessarily express or suggest endorsement or support of any of such posted material or parts therein.
see Remebering Dr. King on page 31 3 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
About
ABOUT THE BLACK BUSINESS NEWS GROUP… The mission of The Black Business News is to inspire and inform public and private sector industry representatives on the importance of smart small business growth. As a versatile source of socioeconomic development activity news, the publications of the Black Business News Group impart current local, national and international industry and social trends and news affecting small businesses across the United States of America (USA), providing guides to greater access to financial capital, management efficiencies, business education, mentorship opportunities and social media networks. The goals of the Black Business News Group include:
2014 BBA Events
March
Salute to Black Women
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Annual Awards Dinner
September
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promoting USA-based black-owned business enterprises to a world wide audience.
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offering business growth enhancing information on education, exhibitioning, international trading, technology, industry trends, and more.
Entrepreneur Training Institute
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exploring major public and private sector contracting methods to educate black-owned and operated enterprises.
November
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gproviding an affirmative influence for emerging entrepreneurs by sharing innovative de-sign and creative cultural content that expos-es them to the history of black enterprisess and urges them to participate in the USA’s future.
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advocating and promoting on behalf of black-owned businesses by promoting the need for expanding an economic foundation that supports an unfettered and selfsustained urban society with USA job creation and economic opportunity, where blacks work, live and operate viable businesss enterprises.
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Contents
JANUARY 2014
BLACK BUSINESS NEWS… 3
Publisher's Message: Remembering Dr. King
GOVERNMENT… 10 16 22 24 27
Promise Zones
30
Remembering Dr. King
36 42 45 46 53 64
Largest Free Wi-Fi Network
COLUMNS 66 - Take A Look! 106 - Books to Consider... 108 - Calendar 110 - Resources ACTION ALERTS 48 - AEG Supplier Portal SPONSORS 6 - Black Business Association
68 70
Get In Shape
SPECIAL SECTION…
82
AGOA for African Exporters
83
US to Airlift Forces Rwanda to CAR
Promise Zones: Fact Sheet Manufacturing Sector Growing National Network for Manufacturing SBA Has a New Leader
IN MEMORY… 26
BUSINESS… Sean Combs Contributes to Youth Program Cryptocurrency using Kanye image USPS Raises Rates Improving Your Company's Performance in 2014 The Flying Classroom
PUBLIC INTEREST/COMMUNITY…
30
72
Active Schools Let's Move
74
Slow-motion Lyncing off the President
INTERNATIONAL…
Remebering Dr. King Cover image - Phallu Morgan
Health Insurance Options, Protections
69
5 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
Remarks by the President on Promise Zones
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ell, welcome to the White House, everybody. And that was one of the best introductions I’ve ever had. (Applause.) So we’re so proud of Kiara for the introduction and for sharing your story, and you’re just so poised. And I know Geoff Canada is just out there all excited -- (laughter) -- and proud, and I know your mom is proud. I know she is. She should be. Kiara and the rest of these young people grew up in a 97-squareblock section of Harlem. It’s a place where the odds used to be stacked against them every single day, even just graduating from high school was a challenge. But with the help of some very dedicated adults and a program called the Harlem Children’s Zone, they’re right on track to go to college. Together, students, teachers, administrators, parents, community, they’re changing the odds in this neighborhood. And that’s what we’re here to talk about today -– changing the odds for every American child so that no matter who they are, no matter where they are born, they have a chance to succeed in today’s economy. Now, the good news is that, thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of the American people all across the country over the last five years, our economy has grown stronger. Our businesses have now created more than 8 million new jobs since the depths of the recession. Our manufacturing, our housing sectors are rebounding. Our energy and technology and auto industries are booming. We’ve got to keep our economy growing. We’ve got
to make sure that everybody is sharing in that growth. We’ve got to keep creating jobs, and then we’ve got to make sure that wages and benefits are such that families can rebuild a little bit of security. We’ve got to make sure this r e c o v e r y, which is real, leaves n o b o d y b e h i n d . And that’s going to be my focus throughout the year. This is going to be a year of action. That’s what the American p e o p l e expect, and they’re ready and willing to pitch in and help. This is not just a job for government; this is a job for everybody. Working people are looking for the kind of stable, secure jobs that too often went overseas in the past couple of decades. So next week, I’ll join companies and colleges and take action to boost hightech manufacturing -- the kind that
attracts good new jobs and helps grow a middle class. Business owners are ready to play their part to hire more workers. So this month, I’m going to host CEOs here at the White House not once, but twice:
First to lay out specific steps we can take to help more workers earn the skills that they need for today’s new jobs; second, they’re going to see Promise Zones on page 11
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Government
Promise Zones from page 10
announce commitments that we’re making to put more of the long-term unemployed back to work. And on January 28th, in my State of the Union address -- which I want all the legislators here to know I’m going to try to keep a little shorter than usual -- (laughter) -they’re cheering silently -- (laughter) -- I will mobilize the country around
the national mission of making sure our economy offers every American who works hard a fair shot at success. Anybody in this country who works hard should have a fair
shot at success, period. It doesn’t matter where they come from, what region of the country, what they look like, what their last name is -- they should be able to succeed. And obviously we’re coming off of a rancorous political year, but I genuinely believe that this is not a partisan issue. Because when you talk to the American people, you know that there are people working in soup kitchens, and people who are mentoring, and people who are starting small businesses and hiring their neighbors, and very rarely are they checking are they Democrat or Republican. There’s a sense of neighborliness t h a t ’ s inherent in the American people -- we just have to tap into that. And I’ve been very happy to see that there are Republicans like Rand Paul, who’s here today, who are ready to engage in this debate. That's a good thing. We’ve got Democratic a n d Republican e l e c t e d officials across the country who are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work. And this should be a challenge that unites us all.
I don't care whether the ideas are Democrat or Republican. I do care that they work. I do care that they are subject to evaluation, and we can see if we are using tax dollars in a certain way, if we’re starting a certain program, I want to make sure that young people like Kiara are actually benefiting from them. Now, it’s one thing to say we should help more Americans get ahead, but talk is cheap. We’ve got to actually make sure that we do it. And I will work with anybody who’s willing to lay out some concrete ideas to create jobs, help more middle-class families find security in today’s economy, and offer new ladders of opportunity for folks to climb into the middle class. And, personally, I hope we start by listening to the majority of the American people and restoring the unemployment insurance for Americans who need a little help supporting their families while they look for a new job. And I’m glad the Republicans and Democrats in the Senate are working together to extend that lifeline. I hope their colleagues in the House will join them to set this right. Today I want to talk about something very particular, a specific example of how we can make a difference. We are here with leaders who are determined to change the odds in their communities the way these kids and their parents and dedicated citizens have changed the odds in Harlem. It’s now been 50 years since President Johnson declared an unconditional War on Poverty in America. And that groundbreaking effort created new avenues of opportunity for generations of Americans. It strengthened our safety net for working families and seniors, Americans with disabilities and the poor, so that when we fall -- and you see Promise Zones on page 12
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Government
Promise Zones from page 11
never know what life brings you -we can bounce back faster. It made us a better country and a stronger country. In a speech 50 years ago, President Johnson talked about communities “on the outskirts of hope where opportunity was hard to come by.” Well, today’s economic challenges are different but they’ve still resulted in communities where in recent decades wrenching economic change has made opportunity harder and harder to come by. There are communities where for too many young people it feels like their future only extends to the next street corner or the outskirts of town, too many communities where no matter how hard you work, your destiny feels like it’s already been determined for you before you took that first step. I’m not just talking about pockets of poverty in our inner cities. That's the stereotype. I’m talking about suburban neighborhoods that have been hammered by the housing crisis. I'm talking about manufacturing towns that still haven't recovered after the local plant shut down and jobs dried up. There are islands of rural America where jobs are scarce -- they were scarce even before the recession hit -- so that young people feel like if they want to actually succeed, they've got to leave town, they've got to leave their communities. And I've seen this personally even before I got into politics. In fact, this is what drove me into politics. I was just two years out
of college when I first moved to the South Side of Chicago. I was hired by a group of churches to help organize a community that had been devastated when the local steel plants closed their doors. And I'd walk through neighborhoods filled up with boarded-up houses and crumbling schools, and single parents and dads who had nothing to do with their kids, and
take the place of a loving parent in a child’s life. But I did learn that when communities and governments and businesses and not-for-profits work together, we can make a difference. Kiara is proof -- all these young people are proof we can make a difference. For the last 17 years, the Harlem Children’s Zone -- the brainchild of Geoffrey Canada, who’s here
kids who were hanging out on the street corners without any hope or prospects for the future. But these churches came together. And then they started working with other non-profits and local businesses. And the government -- local, state and federal -- participated. And we started getting some things done that gave people hope. And that experience taught me that government does not have all the answers -- no amount of money can
today -- has proven we can make a difference. And it operated on a basic premise that each child will do better if all the children around them are doing better. So in Harlem, staff members go door to door and they recruit soon-to-be parents for “Baby College,” preparing them for those crucial first few months of life; making sure that they understand how to talk to their child and read to their child, and sometimes working with parents to teach them how to see Promise Zones on page 13
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Government
Promise Zones from page 12
read so they can read to their child and give them the healthy start that they need. And then, early childhood education to get kids learning at four years old. And then a charter school that help students succeed
all the way through high school. And medical care and healthy foods that are available close to home. And exercise. I was very pleased to hear that -- Michelle was very pleased to hear that -- (laughter) -- that they've got a strong Phys Ed program. And then students getting help finding internships and applying to college, and an outstanding, dedicated staff that tries to make sure that nobody slips through the cracks or falls behind. And this is an incredible
achievement, and the results have been tremendous. Today, preschool students in the Harlem Children’s Zone are better prepared for kindergarten. Last year, a study found that students who win a spot in one of the charter schools score higher on standardized tests than those who don’t. In a neighborhood where higher education was once just something that other people did, you’ve got hundreds of kids who’ve now gone to college. And Harlem is not the only community that’s found success taking on these challenges together. In Cincinnati, a focus on education has helped to make sure more kids are ready for kindergarten. In Nashville, they’ve redesigned high schools and boosted graduation rates by almost 20 percent over the past 12 years. In Milwaukee, they’ve cut teen pregnancy in half. Every community is different, with different needs and different approaches. But communities that are making the most progress on these issues have some things in common. They don't look for a single silver bullet; instead they bring together local government and nonprofits and businesses and teachers and parents around a shared goal. That's what Geoffrey did when he started the Harlem Children’s Zone. Government was involved -- so don't be confused here, it has an important role to play. And already there are government resources going into these communities. But it’s important that our faith institutions and our businesses and the parents and the communities themselves are involved in designing and thinking through how do we move forward. And the second thing is they’re holding themselves accountable by delivering measurable results. We don't fund things, we don't start projects just for the sake of starting them. They’ve got to work. If they
don't work we should try something else. And sometimes those of us who care deeply about advancing opportunity aren't willing to subject some of these programs to that test: Do they work? In my State of the Union address last year, I announced our commitment to identify more communities like these -- urban, rural, tribal -- where dedicated citizens are determined to make a difference and turn things around. And we challenged them. We said if you can demonstrate the ability and the will to launch an allencompassing, all-hands-on-deck approach to reducing poverty and expanding opportunity, we’ll help you get the resources to do it. We’ll take resources from some of the programs that we're already doing and concentrate them. We'll make sure that our agencies are working together more effectively. We'll put in talent to help you plan. But we're also going to hold you accountable and measure your progress. And if you're doing real stuff that is making a difference in the lives of young people like Kiara, then we're going to be there. Your country will help you remake your community on behalf of your kids, family by family, block by block. We call these communities Promise Zones. They’re neighborhoods where we will help local efforts to meet one national goal -- that a child’s course in life should be determined not by the zip code she’s born in, but by the strength of her work ethic and the scope of her dreams. So we're here today to announce the first five Promise Zones in America. And I could not be prouder to be joined by Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles; and Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia; and Councilwoman Ivy Taylor from San Antonio; Chief see Promise Zones on page 14
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Government
Promise Zones from page 13
Gregory Pyle, one of our tribal leaders, and Jerry Rickett from the Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation -- some of the leaders from these neighborhoods who are helping to make it happen. In the East Side neighborhood of San Antonio, nearly four in 10 adults don’t have a high school diploma. The violent crime rate is 50% higher than the rest of the city. So schools and community members are focused on getting more kids into pre-K, boosting math and science in high school, and they’re putting more cops on foot patrol to make their neighborhoods safer. It's a project worth investing in. In a section of L.A. that stretches from Pico-Union to Hollywood, the population decreased by 13,000 people in just 10 years. So developers are working to build more affordable housing; technical schools and community colleges are helping more people get the training they need to get jobs. It's a project worth investing in. In Philly, nearly four out of every 10 kids lives below the poverty line –- and a lot of them are on the West Side of the city. So a local university is helping connect middle and high school students with mentors to get them ready for college. You've got a supermarket that’s being planned that will create jobs and provide healthy food where there’s been too little of both. We're going to invest in that. In Senator Mitch McConnell’s home state of Kentucky, there are communities that have been struggling for decades with shutdowns and layoffs. So they’re taking steps, locally initiated, to attract new businesses and create new jobs in new industries. You've got a local college that's stepping
up to expand technical training and help more kids get a higher education. And in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, where up to half of
launch 20 in all. And each of these communities is designing from the bottom up, not the top down, what it is they think they need, and we're working with them to make
the residents in some areas live in poverty, community leaders are determined to change things. And they’re making financing available to help women start their own businesses; they're investing in new water and sewer systems that will make the area more attractive for companies looking to locate there; and they’re helping farmers and ranchers create more jobs, and more families thereby get access to healthy foods. So these are America’s first five Promise Zones. And over the next three years, we're going to help
that happen. And each of these communities is prepared to do what it takes to change the odds for their kids. We will help them succeed -not with a handout, but as partners with them every step of the way. And we're going to make sure it works, and we're going to hold them accountable to make sure it is making a difference in the lives of kids. As a nation, we've got plenty of reasons to hope. And I just want to end with one story just to give you a sense of what we're talking see Promise Zones on page 15
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Government
Promise Zones from page 14
about here. Roger Brown came here today from Harlem. Where is Roger? There he is right here. I used to have a haircut like that -(laughter) -- and maybe after I'm done with the presidency, I'm going back to that. Growing up -- I want you to listen to Roger's story, because it's unique and it's special, but it's also representative. Growing up, Roger spent some time in the foster care system before going to live with his mom, who was working two jobs to make ends meet. When Roger was in 6th grade, his mom entered his name in the Promise Academy Charter School lottery and prayed. And Roger won a spot. Now, the way I hear it, Roger, you were still having some problems sometimes. He was the class clown and acting out, and almost got himself expelled. But the teachers and the staff did not give up on him. They saw something in him. They kept pushing him. And then one summer when Roger was home visiting his foster family, he looked around the room and he realized nobody in that room had gone to
college, and nobody in that room had a job. And at that moment, something clicked. And Roger decided he wanted something better for himself -- and for his mom and for his two sisters that looked up to him. So Roger buckled down. He went from failing his classes to passing his classes. He became a member of the first graduating class at the Promise Academy. And today Roger is a sophomore at Hunter College in New York, one of the best colleges in the country -- the first person in his family to get that far. And now he wants to go to medical school and become a neurologist. If you want to know why I care about this stuff so much, it's because I'm not that different from Roger. There was a period of time in my life where I was goofing off. I was raised by a single mom. I didn’t know my dad. The only difference between me and Roger was my environment was more forgiving than his. That’s the only difference. If I screwed up, the consequences weren't quite as great. So if Roger can make it, and if I can make it, if Kiara can make it, every kid in this country can make it. But we've got to believe in that. We can't just give lip service to it. And it can't just get caught up in a bunch of political arguments. There are legitimate questions about how the best way to do this is, how we can best make progress. And there are legitimate debates to be had about how big of a role is government in that process, how big of a role is the private sector. And there's no disagreement that there has to be individual initiative -- it's got to start
inside. Roger had to have a change of attitude. I had to have a change of attitude. Kiara -- she probably didn’t need a change in attitude. She was focused the whole time. We don’t dispute that, but we do know that sometimes we talk about this stuff as if we care and then we don’t deliver. We don’t follow through. We don’t make the effort. It's not sustained. We lose interest. And then we say to ourselves, well, maybe nothing can be done, and we put up with it. And as a consequence, a lot of our kids get lost. And we can't allow that to happen. That’s what the Promise Zones represent. I want more kids to have the chance that Roger got. I want more kids to have the chance this country gave me. We should all want every one of our kids and their families to have a shot at success. If you are willing to dream big and work hard, you should grow up with the same opportunities in life as any other child living in any other place. That’s what we're fighting for. That’s what America is about. So let's act. Let's make it happen this year, all right? Thank you. God bless you. God bless America. www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2013/11/29/gathering-spiritunity-president-and-first-lady-visitfasters-capitol-hill
15 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
Fact Sheet: President Obama’s Promise Zones Initiative
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or decades before the economic crisis, local communities were transformed as jobs were sent overseas and middle class Americans worked harder and harder but found it more difficult to get ahead. Announced in last year’s State of the Union Address, the Promise Zone Initiative is part of the President’s plan to create a better bargain for the middleclass by partnering with local communities and businesses to create jobs, increase economic security, expand educational opportunities, increase access to quality, affordable housing and improve public safety. Today, the President announced the next step
in those efforts by naming the first five “Promise Zones”. The first five Zones, located in San Antonio, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Southeastern Kentucky, and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, have each put forward a plan on how they will partner with local business and community leaders to make investments that reward hard work and expand opportunity. In exchange, these designees will receive the resources and flexibility they need to achieve their goals. Each of these designees knows and has demonstrated that it takes a collaborative effort – between private business and federal, state, tribal and local officials; faithbased and non-profit organizations;
children and parents – to ensure that hard work leads to a decent living for every American, in every community. THE FIRST 5 PROMISE ZONES AND THEIR PLANS:
San Antonio, TX (Eastside Neighborhood) The City of San Antonio’s key strategies include: • Focusing on job creation and training, including through a partnership with St. Philip’s College, in key growth areas including energy, health care, business support, aerospace/ advanced manufacturing, and construction. • Empowering every child with the skills they need by increasing enrollment in high quality pre-K programs; installing a STEM focus in the local school district; expanding enrollment in Early College Programs; and improving adult education opportunities. • Expanding public safety activities to facilitate neighborhood revitalization; improved street lighting and demolishing abandoned buildings; and integrated public safety activities with social resources.
Los Angeles, CA (Neighborhoods of Pico Union, Westlake, Koreatown, Hollywood, and East Hollywood)
San Antonio, Texas
The City of Los Angeles’s key strategies include: • Increasing housing affordability by preserving existing affordable housing and partnering with housing developers to increase the supply of affordable new housing to prevent displacement. • Ensuring all youth have access to a high-quality education, and are prepared for college and careers through its Promise Neighborhoods initiative, by partnering with the Youth Policy
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Government
Promise Zones from page 16
Institute and L.A. Unified School District to expand its Full Service Community Schools model from 7 schools to all 45 Promise Zone schools by 2019.
• Ensuring youth and adult residents have access to highquality career and technical training opportunities that prepare them for careers in high-growth industries through partnerships with career and technical training schools and the Los Angeles Community College District. • Investing in transit infrastructure including bus rapid transit lines and bike lanes, and promoting transit-oriented development (TOD) that attracts new businesses and creates jobs. • Charging its Promise Zone Director and Advisory Board with eliminating wasteful and duplicative government programs.
Philadelphia, PA (West Philadelphia) The City of Philadelphia’s key strategies include:
• Putting people back to work through skills training and adult education; classes on small business development to support entrepreneurs; loans and technical assistance for small resident-owned businesses; and the development of a supermarket providing both jobs and access to healthy food. • Improving high-quality education to prepare children for careers, in partnership with Drexel University and the William Penn Foundation, through increasing data-driven instruction that informs teacher professional development; developing school cultures that are conducive to teaching and learning; mentoring middle and high school youth with focus on college access and readiness; and increasing parent engagement. • Preventing and reducing crime in order to attract new residents and long-term investments, through strategies such as focused deterrence, hot spots policing, and foot patrol.
leveraging $1.3 million of private sector funds in a revolving loan fund targeted within the Promise Zone. • Creating leadership and entrepreneur training for youth and industry-specific retraining opportunities for local skilled workforce, through the University of Kentucky Economic Development Initiative, the East Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, and the Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation. • In order to ensure all youth have access to a high-quality education Berea College will run evidence-based college and career readiness programs for high school students in the Zone, while Eastern Kentucky University will expand technical education programs.
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma The
Choctaw
Nation
of
see Medal of Freedom on page 18
Southeastern Kentucky (Kentucky Highlands) In Southeastern Kentucky, the Kentucky Highland’s Investment Corps’ key strategies include: • Implementing a sustainable economic effort across eight counties in the Kentucky Highlands region, focused on diversifying Southeastern Kentucky’s economy to make it more resilient. • Creating jobs and growing small businesses by
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Promise Zones from page 17
Oklahoma’s key strategies include: • Improving skills for tomorrow’s jobs, through workforce training for skilled trades and professionals and more rigorous summer and after-school programs. • Leveraging its role as the largest employer in southeastern Oklahoma to create a strong base for economic revitalization by working with partners, like Oklahoma State University, Eastern Oklahoma State College, and the Kiamichi Technology Center to improve workforce training for skilled trades and professionals, with a focus on providing nationally-recognized STEM certifications. • Investing in infrastructure that lays the foundation for economic growth, including water and sewer infrastructure; these infrastructure challenges have been identified as impediments to investment in an area with otherwise strong growth potential. • Improving educational outcomes by working across 85 school districts throughout the region to share data for continuous improvement, and bolster early literacy and parent support programs. • Pursuing economic diversification by utilizing natural, historic, and cultural resources to support growth, including evaluation of market capacity for local farmers’ markets, as well as implementation of technologyenhanced “traditional” farming and ranching, and large-scale greenhouses and specialized training in business plan development, marketing, and financing to support the development of women-owned businesses in the Promise Zone.
THE PROMISE ZONES INITIATIVE
The five Promise Zones announced today are part of the 20 that will be announced over the next three years. These unique partnerships support local goals and strategies with: • Accountability for Clear Goals: Each Promise Zone has identified clear outcomes they will pursue to revitalize their community, with a focus on creating jobs, increasing economic activity, improving educational opportunities, increasingaccess to quality, affordable housing and reducing violent crime. All Promise Zones will continuously track those outcomes, and have committed to sharing data across their community partners (privatesector, non-profits, federal, state, and local agencies, etc.) so that each partner can work towards improvement and accountability. The Administration will work with the Promise Zones and third party experts to track progress and evaluate results. • Intensive Federal Partnership: Modeled after the Administration’s successful Strong Cities Strong Communities and Strike Force for Rural Growth and Opportunity initiatives, which have created unique partnerships between local stakeholders and the federal government, these first five Promise Zones will benefit from intensive federal support at the local level to help them implement their economic and community development goals. • Help Accessing Resources:
Where necessary to achieve their goals, Promise Zones will get priority and be able to access federal investments that further the goals of job creation, additional private investment, increased economic activity, improved educational opportunity, and reduction in violent crime. • National Service: Each Promise Zone will be provided five full-time AmeriCorps VISTA members to support their strategic plan. These VISTAs will recruit and manage volunteers, and strengthen the capacity of Promise Zones to expand economic opportunity. • Investing in What Works: In order to be designated as a Promise Zone, these five communities have already demonstrated that they are pursuing strategies that have data proving their effectiveness. This same data will also help direct future federal investments to these Zones. Cutting Taxes for Businesses: Finally, President Obama has proposed, and called on Congress to act, to cut taxes on hiring and investment in areas designated as Promise Zones – based upon the proven model of Empowerment Zones tax credits – to attract businesses and create jobs.
18 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
SEC Seeking Input on Crowdfunding
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Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Moscow About The GEC 2014 The Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) is an inter-disciplinary gathering of startup champions from around the world-where entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, thought leaders and policymakers work together to help bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare. Over the past five years, the Congress has contributed to the expansion of a global entrepreneurial ecosystem, connecting experts and entrepreneurs across borders and sectors to unleash their ideas and transform innovation into reality.
he Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is looking for feedback from entrepreneurs and small business owners on a proposed rule to implement equity-based crowdfunding as required by the Jumpstart Our Business Startup (JOBS) Act. While the proposed rule will allow a startup or small business to offer an equity stake in exchange for an investment, it imposes limitations, reporting and recordkeeping requirements on entities seeking to raise capital through crowdfunding. The rule also imposes registration, reporting and recordkeeping requirements on the website portals that small businesses will use for crowdfunding transactions. The SEC is hoping to strike the right balance in protecting individual investors while not being so burdensome for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs, small business owners and others have until February 3, 2014, to provide formal comment (http://erule-outage. erulemaking.net/outage/regsoutage.htm). This and other opportunities for entrepreneurs and small business owners to comment on federal regulations are available as part of the Small Biz Reg Watch from the U.S. House Committee on Small Business (http://smallbusiness.house.gov/resources/ regulatory-watch.htm). http://entrepreneurship.org/Blogs/Policy-ForumBlog/2014/January/SEC-Seeking-Input-onCrowdfunding.aspx
MOSCOW
http://gec2014.com
19 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
Haiti's Independence Day - January 1st
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n behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Haiti as you celebrate the 210th anniversary of your independence.
I spent more than 30 years representing Massachusetts as Lieutenant Governor and Senator, and I am proud to this day that my state is home to the third largest Haitian-American community in the United States. I was proud that my daughter’s first work as a doctor was in Haiti where she experienced firsthand the determination and resilience of proud Haitians who cared so deeply about their country’s future. Having known and worked so closely with this exceptional community, I hold a special appreciation for Haiti’s journey. I was proud to introduce bipartisan legislation in the Senate to help Haiti rebuild and develop in a way that creates an opportunity to emerge better off and better prepared. And that’s why I worked closely with dozens of families in Massachusetts to expedite adoptions of Haitian orphans that had already been underway before the earthquake. As Secretary of State, I will continue to make Haiti a priority. The United States joins you today in commemorating the courage and spirit of independence of all Haitians as well as the ties of friendship and family that bind our peoples together. On this special day, I extend best wishes and reiterate our strong commitment to help all Haitians as they chart a path toward greater peace, security and, prosperity. John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC January 1, 2014 PRN: 2014/0001
www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2014/01/219227.htm
20 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
21 December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
America’s Manufacturing Sector Continues to Show Momentum By Gene Sperling
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core component of President Obama’s agenda to grow the middle class is to make the U.S. a magnet for the location of high-quality jobs – especially those that support manufacturing and innovation. The President has already taken significant steps to support America’s manufacturers, including by announcing nearly $250 million in funding to support four new manufacturing innovation institutes, aggressive new efforts to enforce trade agreements and open new markets, new investments in community colleges to help workers get the high-demand advanced manufacturing credentials needed by our manufacturers, and launching the first-ever federal effort to bring job-creating foreign investment to the U.S. And going forward, the President will continue to push a comprehensive agenda (www. whitehouse.gov/the-presso ff i c e / 2 0 1 3 / 0 2 / 1 3 / f a c t - s h e e t president-s-plan-make-americamagnet-jobs-investing-manufactu) to support a manufacturing renaissance that includes supporting a network of up to 45 manufacturing innovation institutes with a onetime $3 billion investment, making the U.S. more cost competitive by reforming our business tax code including a rate no higher than 25% for manufacturing, expanding and making permanent the R&D tax credit, continuing to ensure that trading partners like China are
playing by the rules, and pushing new efforts to train workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Our emphasis on manufacturing is due to the unique role that the sector plays in creating positive “spillover” benefits to our broader economy, particularly in its connection to our ability to innovate. Manufacturing punches above its weight; despite representing 12% of GDP, manufacturing accounts for roughly 70% of private sector research and development, 60% of all US R&D employees, over 90% of patents issued, and the majority of all U.S. exports. The benefits from a stronger manufacturing sector go far beyond factory jobs and include the production capabilities needed in design and innovation for many technologies, the high-skill talent that enable our services industries, and the dense web of suppliers that employ millions outside of the manufacturing sector. While our emphasis on manufacturing must have a longterm focus – one that goes beyond the ups and downs in our economy in any month or quarter – today we received more good news that growth in America’s manufacturing
sector continues to be strong. Recently, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) (www.ism.ws) released its monthly purchasing managers’ index (PMI), which rose to 57.3 in November – the fastest monthly pace of growth since April 2011, with all five components of the index showing strength, including employment (a reading above 50 indicates expansion). he index has shown sector expansion for six straight months and is on track to have its strongest quarter since mid-2011. Recent strength in the ISM report underscores that America’s manufacturing sector is helping to lead our recovery. Today there is little disagreement that the U.S. is a more competitive location for production, and we are beginning to see the results. America’s manufactures have created jobs at the fastest pace in 15 years, with over 500,000 new jobs added since February 2010, and our manufacturing sector has grown roughly twice as fast as the overall economy since the beginning of 2010. And there is little doubt that without the threat of default and harm from the arbitrary see Manufacturing Sector on page 23
22 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
Wide Bandgap Semiconductors: Essential to Our Technology Future By US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz
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idden inside nearly every modern electronic is a technology -- called power electronics -- that is quietly making our world run. Yet, as things like our phones, appliances and cars advance, current power electronics will no longer be able to meet our needs, making it essential that we invest in the future of this technology. President Obama has announced that North Carolina State
University will lead the Energy Department’s new Manufacturing iInnovation Institute for the next
Manufacturing Sector from page 22
sequester, America’s manufacturing sector and the economy would be performing even better today. We believe that if we make the right policy choices we can support a manufacturing renaissance. That’s why the President continues to push forward on his long-term manufacturing agenda. The President will announce the winners of three new manufacturing innovation institutes, each one a team of businesses and universities coming together to co-invest in the development of different manufacturing technologies to
generation of power electronics. The institute will work to drive down the costs of and build America’s manufacturing leadership in wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductorbased power electronics (www. youtube.com/watch?v=V7w07-zYIJ4)
-- leading to more affordable products for businesses and consumers, billions of dollars in energy savings and high-quality U.S. manufacturing jobs. Integral to consumer electronics and many clean energy technologies, power electronics can be found in everything from electric vehicles and industrial motors, to laptop power adaptors and inverters that connect solar panels and wind turbines to the electric grid. For nearly 50 years, silicon chips
enable U.S. leadership in new products and processes, supported by a federal investment of $200 million led by the Departments of Defense and Energy. This announcement demonstrates progress on the President’s broader push to fund up to 45 institutes for $3 billion. Today’s data shows that we are making progress but we must do even more to build on this momentum and help accelerate a resurgence in American manufacturing. www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2013/12/03/america-smanufacturing-sector-continuesshow-momentum-new-datamonday-showing-manuf
have been the basis of power electronics. However, as clean energy technologies and the electronics industry has advanced, silicon chips are reaching their limits in power conversion -- resulting in wasted heat and higher energy consumption. Power electronics that use WBG semiconductors have the potential to change all this. WBG semiconductors operate at high temperatures, frequencies and voltages -- all helping to eliminate up to 90% of the power losses in electricity conversion compared to current technology. This in turn means that power electronics can be smaller because they need fewer semiconductor chips, and the technologies that rely on power electronics -- like electric vehicle chargers, consumer appliances and LEDs -- will perform better, be more efficient and cost less. One of three new institutes in the President’s National Network of Manufacturing Innovation, the Energy Department’s institute will develop the infrastructure needed to make WBG semiconductor-based power electronics cost competitive with silicon chips in the next five years. Working with more than 25 partners across industry, academia, and state and federal organizations, the institute will provide shared research and development, manufacturing equipment, and product testing to create new semiconductor technology that is up to 10 times more powerful that current chips on the market. Through higher education programs and internships, the institute will ensure that the U.S. has the workforce necessary to be the leader in the next generation of power electronics manufacturing. www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2014/01/14/wide-bandgapsemiconductors-essential-ourtechnology-future
23 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
National Network for Manufacturing Innovation
Edited Remarks by President Obama at North Carolina State University just took a tour of a company called Vacon, where workers design the drives that power everything from elevators to the giant fans that help cool buildings like this one which is the smart thing to do. So this company is making these engines and these systems more efficient, saving businesses big bucks on energy costs, improving the environment. Those savings get passed on to customers, puts money in people’s pockets. And growing companies that need the products that Vacon makes, they’re benefitting enormously. So it’s a good-news story. But in a global economy, that company, just like every company in America, has to keep inventing and innovating in order to stay on the cutting edge. And that’s where all of you come in. Here at NC State, you know something about innovation. You’ve got one of the largest undergraduate engineering programs in the country. Companies like Cisco and
I
IBM, they come to this school when they’re looking to hire because of the quality of the engineering program. So the reason I came here today is because we've got to do more to connect universities like NC State with companies like Vacon to make America the number-one place in the world to open new businesses and create new jobs. We want to do that here in North Carolina, and we want to do this all across America. When I took office, we decided to focus on the hard work of rebuilding our economy on a new foundation for growth and prosperity, and to make sure that everybody had a chance to get ahead. And thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of the American people, the good news is the economy is growing stronger. Our businesses have now created more than 8 million new jobs since we hit bottom. So we've made progress. And that’s what I mean when I say this can be a breakthrough year for America. The pieces are all there to start bringing back more of the jobs that we've lost over the past decade.
So a little over a year ago, we launched America’s first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio. And what it was is a partnership; it includes companies and colleges. They came up with a joint plan. They were focusing on developing 3D printing technology and training workers with the skills required to master that technology. Now, that was a great start. We got one going and some of the folks from Youngstown are here today, and we congratulate them on the great work they’re doing. But here’s the problem: We created one; in Germany, they’ve already got about 60 of these manufacturing innovation hubs. So we’ve got some catching up to do. So today, after almost a year of competition, I’m pleased to announce America’s newest hightech manufacturing hub is going to be based right here in Raleigh, North Carolina. So the Next Generation Power Electronics Innovation Institute is bringing together leading companies, universities, and federal research all together under one roof. Folks at this hub are going to develop what are called “wide bandgap semiconductors.” This hub is going to make it easier for these wide bandgap see Manufacturing Innovation on page 25
Quote of Note... “"We have to do everything we can to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit, wherever we find it. We should be helping American companies compete and sell their products all over the world. We should be making it easier and faster to turn new ideas into new jobs and new businesses. And we should knock down any barriers that stand in the way. Because if we’re going to create jobs now and in the future, we're going to have to out-build and out-educate and out-innovate every other country on Earth."” President Barack H. Obama
Manufacturing Innovation from page 24
semiconductors to go from the drawing board to the factory floor to the store shelves -- or not necessarily the store shelves, because what I just saw, for example, were these really big pieces of equipment that are attached to utility companies or help windmills translate the power they’re generating actually get transmitted to where they’re going to be finally used. It’s going to bring together chip designers and manufacturers with companies like Vacon and Delphi that stand to benefit from these new technologies. And this will help big companies, but it’s also going to help small companies, because they’re going to be able to use equipment they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to test and prototype new products. And of course, American workers will be able to come right here, to North Carolina, to learn the skills that companies are looking for. And the next generation of manufacturing
will be an American revolution. So in the coming weeks, we’re going to be launching two more of these innovation hubs; we’ve already got them all planned out. One is going to focus on digital design and manufacturing; another is going to be developing lightweight metals that could transform everything from wind turbines to military vehicles. And together, they’re going to help build new partnerships in areas that show potential. They’ll help to lift up our communities. They’ll help spark the technology and research that will create the new industries, the good jobs required for folks to punch their ticket into the middle class. And that’s what America is all about. We have always been about research, innovation, and then commercializing that research and innovation so that everybody can benefit. And then we start selling our stuff all around the world, we start exporting it. And we create good jobs, and middle-class families then are able to buy the products that result from this innovation. And you
get a virtuous cycle where everybody is doing better, and nobody is left behind. And that’s what we can do if we pull together the way those companies and universities have pulled together as part of this bid. Now, this is going to be a long haul. We're not going to turn things around overnight. A lot of jobs were lost in the textile industry and furnituremaking. But the great news is, is that ultimately, because our people are good and smart and hardworking and willing to take risks, we are going to be able to start bringing those jobs back to America. And that’s what we do. When times get tough, we don’t give up. We get up. We innovate. We adapt. We keep going. We look to the future. And I want all of you to know, North Carolina, that as long as we keep working together and fighting together and doing what it takes to widen the circle of opportunity for more Americans so nobody is left behind -- if you work hard, if you are responsible, then you can go out there, get a skill, train yourself, find a job, support a family. If we work together, and that’s our focus, there’s nothing we can’t achieve. (Applause.) There’s no limit to how far we can go. So congratulations, North Carolina State. Congratulations, Raleigh. Let’s get to work. God bless you. God bless America. www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2014/01/15/remarks-presidentnational-network-manufacturing-innovation
25 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
Magic Johnson Helps Sell Obamacare
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agic Johnson is giving the President a big assist in promoting Obamacare. Johnson stars in a new public service announcement touting President Barack Obama's new health care system, which apparently is trying to appeal to a younger audience as the March 31 sign-up deadline approaches. "If it wasn’t for that quality health care that I had, and the plan that I had, I probably would have been dead," Johnson, 54, says in the video (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=wlakfp83iEg#t=10).
Earvin "Magic" Johnson with President Barack Obama (Uptown Magazine) “You never know when you’re going to need it,” he says. “Young people, they think they’re Superman, like nothing’s ever going to happen to them. But trust me, one day something’s going to
Statement by the President on the Confirmation of Jeh Johnson as Secretary of Homeland Security
(l-r) Vice President Joseph Biden, Hon. Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security and President Barack Obama
I
am pleased the Senate has confirmed Jeh Johnson as our next Secretary of Homeland Security with broad bipartisan support. In Jeh, our dedicated homeland security professionals will have a strong
happen, and you’re going to need a quality health plan, so make sure you get Obamacare.” http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/ story/Magic-Johnson-helping-sellObamacare-011514 leader with a deep understanding of the threats we face and a proven ability to work across agencies and complex organizations to keep America secure. Jeh has been a critical member of my national security team, and he helped to shape some of our most successful national security policies and strategies. As Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh will play a leading role in our efforts to protect the homeland against terrorist attacks, adapt to changing threats, stay prepared for natural disasters, strengthen our border security, and make our immigration system fairer – while upholding the values, civil liberties, and laws that make America great. I look forward to Jeh’s counsel and sound judgment for years to come. www.whitehouse.gov/thepress-office/2013/12/16/ statement-presidentconfirmation-jeh-johnsonsecretary-homeland-security
26 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
Maria Contreras-Sweet to Head Small Business Administration by Juliet Eilperin he nomination by President Obama of Maria ContrerasSweet, 58, fills the final slot in the president’s secondterm Cabinet. If Contreras-Sweet is confirmed, eight women and
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“is highly regarded in Los Angeles and throughout the state of California.” “She is articulate and passionate about helping small businesses,”
two Latinos will have Cabinet or Cabinet-level posts this term, which is the same number as in Obama’s first term in office. Gary Toebben, president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, said Contreras-Sweet
Toebben said in an interview, saying that she mentors other Latinas so they can enter the business world. Contreras-Sweet’s career represents a mix of corporate and government experience. She served as Secretary of the California Business, Transportation and
Housing Agency between 1999 and 2003, overseeing 40,000 employees working on issues ranging from real estate and financial institutions to public transit and highway patrol. Having served on the board of California Blue Cross before joining state government, Contreras-Sweet created the Department of Managed Care during her tenure as secretary. She founded the ProAmérica Bank, a Latino-owned community bank in Los Angeles, in 2006. The bank, which offers bilingual services, aims to provide capital and services to small and mid-size businesses that often lack access to larger, traditional financial institutions. Before founding ProAmérica Bank, Contreras-Sweet was the president and co-founder of Fortius Holdings, a private-equity and venture fund specializing in providing California’s small businesses with access to capital. www.washingtonpost.com/ politics/obama-picks-mariacontreras-sweet-to-headsba/2014/01/14/8176d5c4-7d5611e3-9556-4a4bf7bcbd84_story. html?wprss=rss_national
Coming Soon:
The Next SBA.gov
Redesigned, Refocused, Renewed 27 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
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THE WHITE HOUSE PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION -MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., FEDERAL HOLIDAY, 2014 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Each year, America sets aside a day to remember a giant of our Nation's history and a pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement. During his lifelong struggle for justice and equality, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave mighty voice to the quiet hopes of millions, offered a redemptive path for oppressed and oppressors alike, and led a Nation to the mountaintop. Behind the bars of a Birmingham jail cell, he reminded us that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." On a hot summer day, under the shadow of the Great Emancipator, he challenged America to make good on its founding promise, and he called on every lover of freedom to walk alongside their brothers and sisters. As we marked the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom last August, we noted the depth of courage and character assembled on the National Mall that day. We honored all who marched, bled, and died for civil rights. And we celebrated the great victories of the last half century -civil rights and voting rights laws; new opportunities in the classroom and the workforce; a more fair and free America, not only for African Americans, but for us all. We were also reminded that our journey is not complete. It is our task to build on the gains of past generations, from challenging new barriers to the vote to ensuring the scales of justice work equally for all people. And we must advance another cause central to both Dr. King's career and the Civil Rights Movement -- the dignity of good jobs, decent wages, quality education, and a fair deal. Because America's promise is not only the absence of oppression but also the presence of opportunity, we must make our Nation one where anyone willing to work hard is admitted into the ranks of a rising, thriving middle class. Dr. King taught us that "an individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." In honor of this spirit, Americans across the country will come together for a day of service. By volunteering our time and energy, we can build stronger, healthier, more resilient communities. Today, let us put aside our narrow ambitions, lift up one another, and march a little closer to the Nation Dr. King envisioned. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2014, as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service projects in honor of Dr. King and to visit www.MLKDay. gov to find Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service projects across our country. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
BARACK OBAMA
Remembering Dr. King from page 3
could radically shift the preferred economic balance of trade. This led to the most monumental stoppage of patronage that immediately promulgated improved racially integrated ridership on all public transportation and other public facilities a reality. When Dr. King stood up to outwardly unchangeable segregated governmental leaders his exertions served as a catalyst and wake-up call to eliminate human deprivation around the world. Dr. King created a luminosity for our national leaders to better comprehend what is important, which is why Dr. King's work matters so much toward making this a more perfect union. The Black Business News pays homage to Dr. King and the countless numbers of those who spoke out and marched and sacrificed life and limb for social change. The USA is far better off today where Dr. King made lucid how the USA must make good on its promissory note of equality. A majority of American leaders benefited greatly with a consciousness shift from Dr. King's voice that still serve our captains of industry. His voice has longlasting resonation helping to better understand the importance to eradicate conditions that sanction slum and ghetto like conditions that once unjustly comprised the landscape of urban cities and country towns. By any measure, Dr. King's resounding vocalizations made clear that racial inequality is an intolerable condition no matter who, when, where or how you find it. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 for taking care of business on behalf of humanity, which occurred during his planning of a national occupation of Washington,
D.C., to be called the Poor People's Campaign. He shared his dream of racial harmony that ostensibly generated action as in our lifetime the national and global picture of poverty has staggeringly improved. Extreme poverty has been cut in half, child mortality is descending rapidly, and many local and global areas that had depended on welfare and foreign aid have become more self-sufficient. This is why it gives pleasure to the Black Business News to feature the YouTube video link (www.youtube. com/results?search_query=i+have+a +dream+speech+full+version+&sm=1)
Accordingly, it is necessary to pay attention to the meaning of honoring and acting on Dr. King's legacy. Whereas, it is devastating to know that racial conflict being one, countries heavily populated with black skin are still thriving far below the socioeconomic development pace than other predominated non-black geographical regions. Dr. King spoke frequently on how developing societies that include in opposition to excluding creates basic health, relative prosperity, and fundamental equality. Where, countries like Haiti, Senegal, Sudan, and other landlocked countries in central Africa have extensive work to complete in order to move forward. On October 14, 1964, Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize (the youngest recipient) for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. A widespread cliché that flawlessly describes the life of Dr. King is how one man can make a difference. All the same, nothing can be more fittingly said about his legacy but from his own words; "No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has
of Dr. King's 'I Have a Dream' speech (August 28, 1963) mainly to serve as the most eloquent reminder of the United States Declaration of Independence's incomparable words that 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.' Dr. King recited these words in his 'I Have A Dream' speech to crystallize the apparent situation that was struggling for positive social change. Well, today this part of the dream is not a reality, as our public and private job and contracting screenings begin and end with checking a box of personal I Have a Dream speech. August 28, 1963 identification or certifying business ownership dignity and importance and should for color/gender versus inclusion be undertaken with painstaking consequential to character/human excellence." Reverend Doctor content. Martin Luther King, Jr.
31 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther
By Tyler Lewis, The Leadership Conf
The Rev. Dr. Martin tin Luther King, JJr. r. w was ass aass com comm mm segregation. And d yyet, et, Dr. King'ss sspeeches peecches on on e still not as well know known wn aass h his is sspeeches peeches o on n rraa helping the poorest rest Am Americans, mericans, reg regardless gardlesss of of r struggling with 4 40 0 ye years earrs later.
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"The time has come ome forr aan n aall-out lll-ou ut world war ag vast resources of wealth we ealth to d develop evelop p the und under d er the unfed. Ultimately matelyy a g great reatt n nation ation iiss a ccomp omp be great if it does oes no not ot h have ave a cconcern oncern ffor or ""th th Justice, December ber 11,, 1964. 1964 4.
"But we must see that struggle ee th hat the stru uggle ttoday oday is m because we are struggling stru uggling n now ow fo for or genuine e lunch counter than han n itt is to guar guarantee rantee a livable to guarantee the e rright ight tto o vo vote ote than it is to gu housing conditions. onss. It is much easier to integ integr gr quality, integrated ed de education du ucaation a reality. And sso ot says we demand d genuine genuiine equality." eq quality."" – T The he O Othe the
"…this is America's ica'ss opportunity opportuniity to h help elp b bridg r id g nots. The question on iiss whether Ameri America ica w will ill d do o en ow have the tech hniques aand nd is new is that we now techniques question is whether ether we hav have ve the w will." ill." – R Rem em March 31, 1968.
Printed with permission from author Tyler Lewis, The Leader
View the article online at: h
r King's Economic Justice Vision
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much more d diffi ifficul cult. lt. IIt's t'ss m more ore d difficult today equality. And d iit's t's m much uch e easier asier tto integrate a income and dag good ood ssolid olid d jo job. ob. It' It's much easier uarantee the right right tto o llive ive iin n sa sanitary, decent rrate ate a public pa park ark tthan han iitt iss to m make genuine, ttoday oday we are struggling sttruggling g fo for or som something which err America, e America, April April 14, 14, 1967.
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http://tinyurl.com/bbamlk
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Business
Country's Largest Continuous Free Public WiFi Network Announced
M
ayor Michael R. Bloomberg recently announced the launch of a new outdoor public WiFi network in Harlem accessible to all users at no cost. The Harlem WiFi network will extend 95 city blocks, from 110th to 138th Streets between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Madison Avenue making it the largest continuous free outdoor public wireless network in the nation. The network, which will be rolled out in three phases in coordination with the city’s Technology Development Corporation and the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, will increase digital access for approximately 80,000 Harlem residents, including 13,000 public housing residents, as well as businesses and visitors in the area. The free public network will serve the community for an initial five-year term and is funded through a generous donation from the Fuhrman Family Foundation to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. The first phase, extending from 110th to 120th Streets between Madison Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, is underway and the remaining phases will be complete by May 2014. The Mayor was joined at the announcement by Chief Information and Innovation Officer Rahul Merchant, Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman, Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City President Megan Sheekey, Chief Digital Officer Rachel Haot, New York City Housing Authority Chairman John Rhea and Harlem Children’s Zone President and Chief Executive
Officer Geoffrey Canada. “Our new Harlem wireless network brings critical connectivity to residents and visitors, giving them 24/7 access to everything from education materials for kids, to information about Harlem’s rich history and attractions, to everyday needs like paying bills, checking library hours – or even just keeping tabs on the Knicks and Nets,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “In 2013 being successful requires being connected; thanks to the Fuhrman Family Foundation and the Mayor’s Fund, we are wiring nearly 100 blocks in Harlem and giving 80,000 New Yorkers another tool for success.” “This unprecedented free network is possible thanks to private generosity and public know-how,” said Deputy Mayor Holloway. “With the management skills of the Technology Development Corporation and the IT infrastructure expertise of our Department of Information, Telecommunications and Technology, New Yorkers will have access to the largest free network in the nation in record time.” “Increasing wireless connectivity helps to strengthen neighborhoods for those who live, work, and visit and is a key component of the Bloomberg Administration’s efforts to ensure digital inclusion,” said Chief Information and Innovation Officer Rahul Merchant. “The Harlem WiFi network extends wireless access to thousands of New Yorkers, enabling convenient
free connectivity on-the-go. Thank you to our partners in this project for their commitment to expanding our City’s digitally connected communities.” “Combining the passion of private supporters with the expertise of
City agencies and local community members has allowed us to provide pioneering public services like this initiative,” said Megan Sheekey, President of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. “We are very grateful to the Fuhrman Family Foundation and the Harlem WiFi network partners for their commitment to this collaborative model and dedication to making New York a truly 21st-Century city.” “Internet access is critical to New York City’s digital future, and today’s announcement will spur technology education, innovation and economic opportunity,” said Rachel Haot, New York City’s Chief Digital Officer. “This historic public WiFi partnership in Harlem is the largest in the City’s history and will strengthen the community as it connects more New Yorkers than ever before.” “I have been hoping for years that we could somehow make this happen for our children and families, so I am personally delighted this see Free Public WiFi on page 37
36 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Free Public WiFi from page 36
day has arrived,” said Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone. “Today, being connected to the world and being competitive in the global marketplace means access to the Internet, which is essential to evening the digital playing field for our kids.” “We are honored to work with the Mayor’s Fund, Harlem Children’s Zone and our other local partners to facilitate the Harlem Free Wifi project,” said Amanda and Glenn Fuhrman. “We are proud New Yorkers and believers in the communities and the people that make this city extraordinary. We
hope that increased access to the Internet and its extensive resources will serve to advance educational opportunities and support community development across a broad area of the city.” “As more than 13,000 public housing residents will benefit from having access to free WiFi, this will be a big boost in helping our residents bridge the digital divide,” said NYCHA Chairman John Rhea.
“We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Mayor’s Fund for NY, along with Sky Packets and the Furman Foundation in providing this service; as well as the very able collaboration of the Harlem Children’s Zone is helping to spread the word of the free WiFi availability.” “It is an honor to work with the City of New York to provide this free digital resource to the visitors and residents of Harlem,” said Henry Quintin, CEO of Sky-Packets. “In today’s society Internet access has become more of a necessity than a luxury. Over the years Harlem has seen a transformation in its neighborhood and this is just another life enhancing amenity that will help reduce the digital divide in an area where access may not be easy to obtain.” The New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications and the Technology Development Corporation are overseeing the WiFi network’s implementation working closely with technology provider, Sky-Packets. The project will be implemented in three phases: • P h a s e One: 110th to 120th Street, between Madison Avenue & Frederick Douglass Blvd. Scheduled for completion in December 2013. • Phase Two: 121st to 126th Street, between Madison Avenue & Frederick Douglass Blvd. Scheduled for completion in February 2014. • Phase Three: 127th to 138th Street, between Madison Avenue & Frederick Douglass Blvd.
Scheduled for completion in May 2014. The Harlem WiFi network will provide a fast Internet connection from portable devices completely free of charge. The network will be available 24/7 in outdoors locations within the zone, with unlimited access. Enabling connectivity is a key component of increasing technology inclusion citywide. From public WiFi in over 50 parks and access to computers and the web through NYCHA’s Digital Van, to computer courses at senior centers and libraries and subsidized broadband for thousands of low-income residents, today more New Yorkers are connected than ever before. Many of these programs are possible through the NYC Connected Communities initiative. Formerly funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, NYC Connected Communities recently received city funding to continue its technology programs, enabling more New Yorkers to continue to access critical digital resources. In addition to the phased WiFi implementation, Harlem Children’s Zone will be increasing awareness and network use among Harlem residents, businesses, and visitors. As part of this education and outreach process, Harlem Children’s Zone’s high school students are engaged in a contest to develop a name and logo for the network later this month. The printing of the promotional materials that are selected has been donated by Showtime Networks and Peachtree Enterprises. www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/ news/394-13/mayor-bloombergcountry-s-largest-continuous-freepublic-wifi-network
37 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
The Scrap Value of a Hacked PC, Revisited from KrebsOnSecurity
A
few years back, when I was a reporter at The Washington Post, I put together a chart listing the various ways that miscreants can monetize hacked PCs. The project was designed to explain simply and visually to the sort of computer user who can’t begin to fathom why miscreants would want to hack into his PC. “I don’t bank online, I don’t store sensitive information on my machine! I only use it to check email. What could hackers possibly want with this hunk of junk?,” are all
common refrains from this type of user. I recently updated the graphic (see above) to include some of the increasingly prevalent malicious uses for hacked PCs, including hostage attacks — such as ransomware — and reputation hijacking on social networking forums. One of the ideas I tried to get across with this image is that nearly every aspect of a hacked computer and a user’s online life can be and has been commoditized. If it
has value and can be resold, you can be sure there is a service or product offered in the cybercriminal underground to monetize it. I haven’t yet found an exception to this rule. By way of example, consider the point-and-click tools pictured below (image available by following the link at the end of this article), which are offered on several fraud forums by one enterprising young miscreant. This guy makes and markets dozens of account checking tools see Hacked PC on page 39
38 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Don't Miss PAFF February 2014
T
he 22nd Annual Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) (www. paff.org) will be held on February 6-17, 2014 in Los Angeles. The film festival is the nation’s largest and most prestigious Black film festival. Over the years, it has showcased films from all parts of the world, representing such countries as Angola, Austria, England, Bermuda, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Brazil, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, Nigeria, and of course, the United States. With the pulse on the international film market, PAFF has opened the minds of its audiences, and transported them to lands far away and back home again. “Over
the years, the filmmakers from around the world have become m o r e sophisticated in telling their stories,” says Asantewa Olatunji, the director of programming for PAFF. The Pan African Film Festival office is located at 6820 La Tijera Blvd Suite 200 Los Angeles, CA 90045. Contact PAFF
via e-mail at info@paff.org or by phone at 310.337.4737.
4 Emergency Services On Your Cell Phone In times of grave emergencies your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival.
Hacked PC from page 38
that are used to test the validity and status of many popular online stores and services, including Amazon, American Express, eBay, Facebook, iTunes, PayPal and Skype, to name a few. Principally, I see the hacked PC graphic as a way to capture the average user’s attention and imagination. Hopefully, these folks can then be guided toward some simple steps to keeping their machine from getting hacked. I’m building a running list of applications, simple tools and tips that can help on this front, available at: http://krebsonsecurity.com/ tools-for-a-safer-pc. http://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/10/ the-scrap-value-of-a-hacked-pcrevisited/
Emergency: The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an Emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out. Hidden Battery Power: If your cell battery is very low you can reactivate it by pressing the keys *3370#. Your cell phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged the next time when you charge your cell phone. Disable a STOLEN Mobile Phone: To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following Digits on your phone: *#06#. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. If your phone is stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. Free Directory Service for Cells: Cell phone companies charge $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE411 or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. This information is sponsored by McDonalds.
39 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
RIO 2016 OLYMPIC COMMITTEE Partnership & Contract Opportunities For a list of current Rio 2016 Olympic Sponsors visit: http://rio2016.com/en/organising-committee/partners
Your American Contact: joel.Reynoso@trade.gov
For information on the Games visit http://export.gov/brazil/games/index.asp
For information on participating in or supporting the Voting Rights Act restoration movement visit these and other organization websites: • 50th Anniversary March on Washington - http://50thanniversarymarchonwashington.com.
• National Action Network - http://nationalactionnetwork.net/mow/
• NAACP - www.naacp.org
• National Urban League - http://nul.iamempowered.com
• Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
Verizon is joining forces with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and a number of other businesses and community organizations to help promote safe driving through
- www.rainbowpush.org
• Project Vote - www.projectvote.org
F
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http://trayvonmartinfoundation.org
It Can Wait. http://itcanwait.com
40 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Donates $250,000 to NFTE by Alexis Garrett Stodghill
S
ean ‘Diddy’ Combs may have come from humble Harlem roots, but that did not stand in the way of his growing an estimated personal fortune of $580 million, according to Forbes magazine. Now giving back to inner city youths with similar entrepreneurial dreams, the media mogul has donated $250,000 to an organization that helps low income children learn the brass tacks of business. Combs presented a $250,000 check to the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) (www. nfte.com), an international nonprofit dedicated to teaching underprivileged young people to think like entrepreneurs.
Combs gives back to community “I’m definitely proud that I could do something positive,” the founder of Bad Boy Entertainment (http:// w w w. i n t e r s c o p e . c o m / b a d b o y / videos) told theGrio (http://thegrio. com). “Being able to have a certain amount of economic power, to me, gives you the opportunity to help people and support great causes. NFTE is a great cause.” Combs did not merely stop by and drop off some cash. Before the gala where his gift was announced, the rapper and clothing impresario spoke in depth with NFTE finalists in a national business competition. The 2013 NFTE National Youth Entreprenuership Challenge
included 39 students representing 35 different businesses. Winners Toheeb Okenla and Jesus Fernandez won the $25,000 first prize for their idea, T&J Soccer, which produces a special sports sock containing pockets for shin protectors. The music producer and branding expert was on hand to personally mentor NFTE participants and nurture their business ideas at the benefit. “I wish I had a NFTE when I started. That could really have showed me the importance of combining what I learned in school, and then applying that to my street smarts,” Combs said of working see Sean Combs on page 43
42 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
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Sean Combs from page 42
with the group.
Business advice for tomorrow’s leaders What is Combs’ best advice for young business leaders of the future? “Don’t be afraid to close your
Combs was once of those dreaming youths of color, walking Harlem streets with a vision for success that he has since painstakingly built into a multifaceted empire. Educating and inspiring children from lower incomes towards creating their own economic opportunities has been NFTE’s goal since 1987. “The issues with most of these
this case, developing large-scale enterprises. What’s next? Revolt TV (http:// revolt.tv), the 24-hour music channel coming soon to a station near you. “It’s coming! We’re going to support true artistry, true freedom,” Diddy said of Revolt TV. “We have a tagline: Music. Freedom. Truth. The new number one name in
(Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File) eyes and dream, then open your eyes and see,” the entrepreneur affirmed. “It’s a quote I came up with when I was 19. Sometimes it’s hard to come up with something that doesn’t already exist. That’s really being in the darkness. A lot of people get scared in the dark.” Combs went on to explain that “opening one’s eyes” implies grasping in practical terms how to accomplish one’s goals, however grand. “Understand what it’s going to take for you to accomplish that. How hard it’s going to be. How much work it’s going to be. I think that’s an important message.”
young people is people have low expectations of them,” Amy Rosen, president and CEO of NFTE, told theGrio. “Once you empower them to believe in themselves, and think entrepreneurially, they can solve any problem. These kids just show the world that they can be successful if they choose to be.”
Icon of business with more in store Combs is a fitting example for these young people. To paraphrase his famous motto (coined on many Bad Boy recordings), he won’t stop, because he can’t stop — in
music. It’s going to be a place that you can really express yourself. It’s for the fans, by the fans; for the artists, by the artists. It’s not my network.” That spirit of sharing was evident Thursday night, as one of the most successful men in American business reached back towards those seeking assurance, wisdom and a prime example of what they could become. http://thegrio.com/2013/10/08/ sean-diddy-combs-donates-250000to-organization-that-teachesentrepreneurship-to-low-incomeyouth/#s:sean-combs-nfte-7
43 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
There’s a Kanye West Themed Cryptocurrency on the Way By Ryan Bassil (Noisey)
C
ryptocurrency the namesake given to onlinebased forms of payment like Bitcoin - had a 2013 that went up and down vigorously. The value of one single Bitcoin rose from under $100 to almost $1000, before losing 50% of its worth after the Chinese government effectively outlawed it. At least five other notable cryptocurrencies exist: Ripple, Litecoin, Peercoin, Dogecoin and Namecoin all rep non-tangible cash flow. The newest iteration, CoinYe West, is launching January 11, 2014. The currency is not cosigned by Kanye but it seems the CoinYe West founders are seeking his approval. Noisey (http://noisey.vice.com/ en_uk) wanted to find out more, so I contacted the creators of CoinYe West. Excerpts from that interview follow: So what’s the benefit of creating another cryptocurrency? There’s already quite a few. Coinye West is a cryptocurrency for the masses. Bitcoin is for hardcore money-hoarders, and Dogecoin was more for the internetmeme crowds. What’s your goal? Our goal with Coinye West is to make it easier for people to use cryptocurrency. Right now, it's kind of a dark art for people to mine coins. We plan on releasing a front
end to the "mining" programs called CoinyeMiner. It will make things a lot more simple and people will be able to make their own coins. We're working round-the-clock to get everything going as smoothly as possible. In lay-mans terms, how does mining work? Basically, people’s computers try and figure out math problems. Hundreds of them work together and when there’s a payout, about half a million coins get released from a block, and they get shared between everyone who helped open them. They then get paid out to a wallet, which is a software that people will keep on their computer. They can send or receive coins from there, sorta like Paypal. Why Kanye? Doesn’t Drake or Lil B deserve a crypto? We chose to represent Kanye because he is and always has been a trendsetter, and he's always keeping things unique. I can picture a future where Coinye is used to buy concert tickets, with cryptographically verified virtual tickets, and other ideas I can't give
away just yet. That sounds really interesting. What else are the benefits? Coinye will also give people a chance to share. We will be giving away Coinye West to users upon launch. It will get people who are on the fence interested and help them to start using the currency, and we hope they'll share it with their friends, too. Do you want Kanye to co-sign Coinye West? How many coins would you gift him for a namecheck in a song? We'd love if Kanye named dropped Coinye. I think he's gonna love that there’s a CURRENCY named in his honor. We don't want to pay him off to name check us, but it'd be sick if he does so. In-fact, we're making an open invitation to Kanye: Get hold of us at coinyewest.com and we'll send you 100,000 COINYE on launch. A hundred thousand. Bitcoin started small too, and now look where it's at. http://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/ read/screw-bitcoin-and-dogecointheres-a-new-kanye-west-themedcryptocurrency-on-the-way
45 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
USPS Raises Postal Rates by Erik Sass
I
n response to a request from the USPS board of governors, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) voted 2-to-1 to approve a
4.3% increase in Standard Mail rates, which works out to 5.9% when the customary inflation adjustment is included, effective January 26. Meanwhile, the price for First Class Mail stamp, for postage including letters, flats, and parcels under 13 ounces, will rise 6.5% from $0.46 to $0.49 on the same date. The blow was softened somewhat by the PRC's proviso that the rate hike is only temporary, and should be phased out after two years, when the effects of the economic downturn are expected to have passed. No surprise, the PRC’s
decision still got a negative reaction especially from magazine publishers and direct mailers, who have previously argued that exigent increases are only intended to help the USPS cope with unforeseen emergencies, not long-term structural problems For its part, the USPS board of directors have long countered that the economic downturn constitutes just such an unforeseen condition, justifying the exigent increase. The USPS has also pointed out that other attempts to cut costs and raise revenues --- for example, by temporarily waiving contributions to a future health care fund, closing smaller post offices, or allowing the delivery of alcohol through the postal system -- have all been stymied by Congress. www.mediapost.com/publications/ article/216428/usps-raises-postalrates.html#reply
46 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Grow With
A crowdfunding platform for projects and ideas benefiting the African-American community. www.blackstartup.com
MOBILE BLACK BUSINESS DIRECTORY Download the App Add your Business Information Be found by new & old clients
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Supplier Portal, an online communication tool designed to enhance the relationship between AEG and our partners. The portal is an online and paperless tool that will provide you with: Increased visibility for AEG business opportunities Extended Company Profile in online directory Direct email updates from AEG clients and buyers Easy accounts payable information sharing Increased exposure for MBEs, WBEs, and DBEs It is important that you register your business so that we have the ability to contact you for participation in future opportunities. Suppliers seeking to initiate business with AEG are encouraged to register as well. Registration is simple and we invite you to visit our Supplier Portal at your earliest convenience:
https://supplier.aegworldwide.com
Advocaacy Th hrough Educattio on
Reproductive Health and the Environment: A Global Perspective on Local Problems
8am–12pm THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES Funded by a generous grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation Additional Support from the Executive Advisory Board of the Iris Cantor– UCLA Women’s Health Center
Continuing Education: 2 Hours for RNs, LCSWs, and CHES
BUILDING COMMUNITY ADVOCACY: Demystifying Green Chemistry: Learning about and Making Green Cleaning Products
RESEARCH PANEL: Applying Research: Using Data to Determine the Impact of the Environment on Health (Information on applying for Research Pilot Funding will be presented)
POLICY: Hot Topics in Women’s Health and the Environment: What You Need to Know w About Legislation
Registration Questions?? Contact Ryane Daniels at rdaniels@mednet.ucla.edu RSVP Here: https://www.surveymonkkey.com/s/HVT6S56
www.thesmallbusinessexpo.com/Small_Business_Expo.pdf ď ? 1-646-681-5867
Business
Four Steps to Improve Your Company’s Performance in 2014 By Lori Williams this method has inherent flaws (1) the system is comprised of a series of individual solutions to specific problems and may not be fully cohesive (2) the company may have lost time, money and possibly even staff during the error/solution process. Given the disadvantages of developing processes in a haphazard fashion, the more effective method is to develop the entire system right from the start. By investing in the infrastructure early on, the company will have everything in place to grow to the next level.
1. Know your Financials Companies are dynamic organizations with a myriad of business functions occurring simultaneously. In order for the company to grow, each business function must operate collectively to produce an output in excess of the input. Gross Profit, Net Profit and Cash Flow monitor these relationships. They provide vital information about the health of the company. Specifically they can tell you: • If you are selling your products/ services at a high enough price to cover cost to produce. • If your overhead cost are in alignment with the profit received from the sales. • If you are profitable enough to sustain operations, pay shareholders and create equity for reinvestment . • If your cash timing (collections and payments) are in sync and
will provide the necessary cash flow to make payments on time. By monitoring these financial performance measurements, managers can proactively address issues before they become a crisis.
2. Review your Processes Operations affect every aspect of a company. If the product/service does not meet quality expectations, is not delivered in a timely manner and/or within the cost allocation, both revenues and profitability will suffer. Efficiency is the outcome of numerous documented procedures, integrated seamlessly and completed without error or waste. Many company failures are caused by inadequate processes and communication breakdowns. Processes develop over time as the company grows and are often the result of errors and problems that occur along the way. However,
3. Assess Employee’s Performance In a small business it is common for employees to become close friends with the managers and owners of the company. In fact, it is often those very bonds that produce an unstoppable teamwork that gives the company a competitive edge. However, those same relationships can become counterproductive when the priority of maintaining the friendship supersedes what is actually in the best interest of the company. Business owners do not necessarily recognize this, as it culminates subtlety over a period of time and can be the result of many factors. As companies grow and change, existing job positions may require skills and expertise beyond the person’s capabilities yet employee’s shortcomings are accepted. The person may have see Improve 2014 Performance on page 53
52 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Improve 2014 Performance from page 52
never been the best selection for the job but for budgetary reasons, existing relationships or some other justification beyond skill level they
were hired. A long time employee may be promoted beyond their capabilities (often known as the Peter Principle where tenured employees are continuously promoted until they reach a level of incompetence). Now they been with the company for many years and rather than letting them go management tries to change the job to meet their skill level. As uncomfortable as it may be to address the situation, today’s small companies unfortunately have no choice. In a small business every employee plays a crucial role and if someone is underperforming the entire company suffers. Very few small businesses have expandable profit margins allowing them to “just keep” someone on the payroll. Moreover, the company is not gaining new skills and expertise within the current talent pool, which exemplify the company’s needs, as they exist today.
often attributed to a lack of time and understanding. Strategic planning does not necessarily need to be a complicated process involving elaborate planning tools. In its simplest structure it can be described as the development of a long-term company positioning based on that which provides value to customers and shareholders. Strategic planning allows companies to assess fundamental industry shifts and how customers and competitors are responding to those changes. Flexibility is an inherent characteristic, required for continuous change and adaptation. Therefore, the best place to start is to develop an awareness of the fundamental changes occurring within the industry and begin to align those changes with the organizations’ core competencies. To this end, answering the following three questions can provide any sized organization with a starting point. • What Business are we in?
• What changes are occurring in the industry? • How do we continue make money?
In Summary These four steps outlined above address financials, processes, employees and industry trends. They are the foundations of the business and the key indicators of success. Set aside some time at the beginning of the year to consider each area discussed. Come December 31, 2014, you will be glad you did! To learn more about: Performance Measurements visit www.BusinessSimplyPut. com and look for the eBook titled, “Simple Math Calculations to Monitor Company Performance”. Strategic Planning visit www. BusinessSimplyPut.com and look for the eBook titled, “Planning Your Company’s Growth A 10 Step Guide to the Strategic Planning Process”. www.startupnation.com/grow-yourbusiness/run-your-business-better/ four-steps-improve-companysperformance-2014
4. Think Strategically The lack of strategic planning in the smaller sized companies is 53 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Develop a Peer Group in 2014 By Dan Glisky Jr.
B
eing an entrepreneur and the leader of a small business can be a lonely experience. I have personally struggled with many critical and challenging business decisions, with just my own thoughts and the dimly lit ceiling I stared at during a night of not being able to sleep. Whether it was hiring my first controller, making payroll, or any of the hundreds of difficult decisions and challenges I have had to make as a small business owner, I recognized early on that working through these issues on your own is wrought with danger. When you decided to become a business owner, you may not have realized how many business decisions you would have to make in any given week, or how ill prepared you were to make them. Your friends and family, while good intentioned, are typically not equipped to offer you advice on the issues which you grapple with, although that doesn’t stop them! Often the best advice they can offer to you is to “stop this crazy idea and to go and get a real job”. After all, they have real jobs. They have a steady paycheck, and they don’t understand the burning desire that
crafted a peer group of other b u s i n e s s owners and entrepreneur friends that are my regular s o u n d i n g boards on a wide variety of business, sales, financing, and operational issues that I grapple with. In fact, I can say today that most of my friends are either entrepreneurs or at least very entrepreneurially minded. They deal with many of the day to day issues that I do, and by sharing our experiences we provide real value and support to each other, in a completely non-judgmental manner. After all, we recognize that we have all gone through the same issues, or we will soon. Anyone who is considering starting a business or currently has a small business should begin assembling a peer group of other small business owners to share ideas and experiences. It is not hard to do. They could be within your industry or out of it, it doesn’t really matter. The principles of running a business are universal,
STARTUPNATION
ROCK YOUR BUSINESS!
you have to build your Company and shape it to your own vision. Over the years, I have carefully
and while the industries may change, the principles do not, and you can benefit from the first-hand
knowledge of another entrepreneur. Write down an initial list of business owners that you know, or want to know, and call them up. Tell them that you would like to meet with no agenda other than you are interested in a developing a friendly peer to peer relationship with them where you can occasionally bounce ideas off each other and you feel you could benefit from their advice. Ask them for their experience, you will be amazed at the positive response you will get. Entrepreneurs are the most positive, forward thinking group of individuals I know. Think about it, how could you not be and optimistic and a positive person and be an entrepreneur. It just couldn’t happen. Surround yourself with these types of people. Build a group of peers around you that can help you navigate the minefields of running your own business, and give you the confidence that you can do it. When you decide to make your peer group a priority, you will begin to find it a little less lonely at the top, and a lot more fun being an entrepreneur. www.startupnation.com/articles/ need-develop-2014
54 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
The Parisian Book Fair 2014 When: March 21-24, 2014 (Friday to Monday) Where: Paris Expo – Porte de Versailles, Paris France A U.S. Presence organized by the American Embassy/Commercial Service in Paris
Who attends: Publishers, Distributors, Agents, Bookstores, Teachers, Students? Best Prospects for U.S. Publishers: Contemporary American Literature; Thrillers and Suspense books; Arts, Life Style & Design; Travel & Tourism; Nature & Wildlife; Spiritual and Self-Help Books; Comics, and Children’s Books. U.S Embassy/Commercial Service Paris is proposing 4 Booth Categories: 1. Exhibitor: Small Publishing House - Price: $ 2,405 (the furniture is not included) 2. Booster Package: Small Booth - Price: $ 908 3. A Table in the Right Center Pavilion: - Price: $ 549 4. Catalogue Display (display of 8 titles): - Price: $ 440 For information, registration contact: Valérie Ferrière, Trade Specialist, Books & Publishing Tel: 33-1-43-12-70-77 Valerie.Ferriere@trade.gov AMERICAN EMBASSY PARIS Bobby Hines, International Trade Specialist 444 S. Flower ST, 37th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071 213-894-4231, Cell: 213-276-3675, Fax: 213-894-8789 Bobby.hines@trade.gov Free Webinar: Export Opportunities in Mexico for Textiles and Apparel Thursday, November 7, 2PM EST: Covering: Market, Business culture, NAFTA Overview, Rules of Origins, Q&A https://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ePublic/event/editWebReg.do?SmartCode=4Q0K laurie.mease@trade.gov Featured U.S. Exporter – FUSE features your company on U.S. Commercial Service Websites around the world. U.S. exporters seeking trade leads or representation in over 50 markets around the world should register for FUSE at: http:// www.buyusa.gov/home/fuse.html RIO 2016 OLYMPIC COMMITTEE is looking to work with international companies as partners. For a list of current Rio 2016 Olympic Sponsors visit: http://rio2016.com/en/organising-committee/partners Your American Contact: joel. Reynoso@trade.gov For information on Games visit http://export.gov/brazil/games/index.asp Cosmetic Catalog Show Czech Republic. Coming Soon
58 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Free Catalog Show - Taipei 2014 The American Institute in Taiwan (U.S. Commercial Service) is pleased to showcase your e-content and/or printed catalogues at the Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE) 2014. The Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE) is one of the largest annual trade shows for the publishing industry in Asia, and it is fast becoming the “gateway to the Far East” for publishers to break into the Greater China and other Asian Marketplace for rights transactions as well as print and digital sales. TIBE 2014 takes place February 5-10, 2014 at the Taipei World Trade Center with a focus on promoting books, digital content, magazines and publishing & licensing rights. TIBE is an excellent opportunity for U.S. publishers, agents, content providers and publishing service providers to promote their products & digital content, and meet buyers in the region. If you are unable to attend, we will help generate interest for your content by participating in the FREE Catalogue Show in the U.S. Pavilion. By participating in the FREE Catalogue Show we will be able to: • Promote pavilion participants and their links on the website of U.S. Commercial Service Taiwan for six months • Exhibit printed catalogues at TIBE 2014 • Display e-content and links • Invite buyers, importers, distributors, book stores, libraries, schools, research institutes, and teachers to visit the show. U.S. Pavilion highlights at TIBE 2014: • Digital content: academic digital databases, e-libraries, web-based learning content • Trade books: best sellers and award winning titles • Children’s books: picture books and story books • Educational books: school books and test preparation books BEST PROSPECTS • Educational books: k-12, higher education and academic • Digital content: academic databases, e-libraries, web-based learning • University Presses • Trade books: best sellers and award winning • Children's books: picture books and story books Registration Deadline: January 15, 2014 Printed Catalogues must be received by: January 15, 2014 For more information or to register, please visit http://www.export.gov/california/losangeleswest/tradeevents/ tibe Questions - contact Andrea DaSilva at Andrea.DaSilva@trade.gov , 202-482-3686 or Delia Valdivia at Delia. Valdivia@trade.gov , 310-235-7203
59 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Smartphones Reducing 'Digital Divide' for Blacks, Survey Finds by Emily Alpert Reyes
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martphones are helping black Americans whittle down the “digital divide” with whites, according to a report released by the Pew Research Center. Blacks are still behind whites in Internet use, especially among older and less educated Americans: The survey found that 87% of white respondents said they use the Internet, compared with 80% of black respondents. The gap was even wider among African Americans over the age of 50 -- as well as among those who did not go to college. But younger blacks appear to have closed the gap, the nationally representative survey of more than 6,000 people indicated. Rates of Internet usage were virtually identical among black and white respondents who were in their 20s. There was also little difference among those with a college education. When it comes to smartphones, blacks are just as likely to own them as whites, Pew said: The survey found that 56% of black respondents said they had a
smartphone, compared with 53% of white respondents. A tenth of black adults who were surveyed said they didn’t have a broadband connection at home, but did have a smartphone. That helps narrow -- but not totally eliminate -- the “high speed access
gap” between whites and blacks, Pew concluded. All in all, 80% of white adults who were surveyed had either a home broadband connection, a smartphone or both, compared with 72% of black adults surveyed. Though smartphones have been heralded as a way to close the "digital divide," some activists caution that the devices still have limitations as a primary way to get online. Filling out job applications or writing a resume, for instance, is
much harder on a phone than on a laptop or desktop computer. "With a tiny little screen, it's harder to navigate through websites -- particularly if you're trying to do homework," said Stephanie Chen, energy and telecommunications policy director for the Greenlining Institute in Berkeley. "If you don't have Wi-Fi, you may run into data caps." Smartphone access "is not really solving these problems the way we were hoping it would," Chen added. "We see the digital divide playing out online, even among the connected." Besides gauging the "digital divide," Pew also delved into what people are doing online: It said white and black respondents were equally likely to use social networks such as Facebook, Google Plus or LinkedIn, which are nearly universal among young adults. But black respondents, especially those in their 20s, were more likely to be on Twitter than their white counterparts: The survey found that 40% of African American respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 were on Twitter, compared with 28% of white respondents in the same age range. Pew worked with Princeton Survey Research Associates International, which conducted phone interviews with more than 6,000 people living in the United States between July and September of last year. Interviews were done in English and Spanish and used land lines and cellphones. www.latimes.com/business/ technology/la-fi-tn-smartphonesdigital-divide-white-black20140106%2c0%2c3768345. story#axzz2pfGl7DvH
60 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Affordable Care Act from the exchange. Keep in mind, depending on the type of employment coverage available to you, you may not qualify for certain savings offered by the exchanges.
8. Can I buy insurance through Covered California if I already have a serious health problem? Yes. The amount you pay for a health plan will not be affected by your health status. This means that you can’t be charged more because of your health problem. It also means you will not have to wait to get the coverage you need.
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resident Obama’s Affordable Care Act “insurance exchangeâ€? opened throughout the nation, with “Covered Californiaâ€? serving as the State of California’s insurance. For information pertaining to your speFLÂżF KHDOWK FDUH LQVXUDQFH FRQFHUQV visit www.coveredca.com or call 800300-1506.
1506. Multilingual call centers will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays. You can also ask that information be sent to you by mail.
4. Does every California resident need to buy health insurance through this marketplace? No. Peo1. Exactly what happened on ple who already have insurance Tuesday, October 1, 2013? For the through their employer or through ÂżUVW WLPH $PHULFDQV EHFDPH DEOH government programs such as Vetto buy health insurance online, by erans Affairs, Medicare or Medi-Cal phone or in person through a new can keep their insurance. marketplace exchange created by President Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Affordable Care 5. Is there a deadline to enroll? Act. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;open enrollmentâ&#x20AC;? period doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t end until March 31. But if you want 2. Who is eligible to buy on the the insurance to take effect Jan. 1, marketplace? Can I buy on the ex- youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to buy it by Dec. 15. change even if I am not eligible for subsidies? The exchange can be 6. What does Covered Calused by individuals, families, as well LIRUQLD RIIHU" <RXÂśOO ÂżQG D YDULHW\ RI as small business owners who have private insurance plans with familiar 50 or fewer employees. Many small names such as Anthem Blue Cross, businesses will also be eligible for Kaiser and Health Net. You can enroll substantial tax credits if they use the in the newly expanded Medi-Cal proexchange. gram if your income is low enough. 3. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the California market- 7. If I have insurance from my SODFH FDOOHG DQG KRZ GR , ÂżQG LW" employer, do I have to do anything? Covered California, and its website No, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to, but if you is http://coveredca.com. If you prefer choose to do so, you can drop your to sign up by phone, call 800-300- employerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coverage and buy a plan
9. If I have Medicare, can I purchase a plan on Covered California? Yes, but you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get help paying for it. Also, getting extra coverage on the exchange may not make sense. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because Medicare will be your main coverage, but you would still have to pay for a full health plan. Talk about this with an exchange helper WR ÂżJXUH RXW WKH ULJKW VWUDWHJ\ IRU you. 10. Some groups are exempt from being required to have coverage. Who are they? The categories include people who would have to pay more than 8% of their income for health insurance, people with incomes below the threshold required IRU ÂżOLQJ WD[HV WKRVH ZKR TXDOLI\ IRU religious exemptions, members of Indian tribes, undocumented immigrants, and people who are incarcerated. Also the plan is for residents who are citizens or legal permanent residents. Illegal immigrants are not eligible. www.mercurynews.com http://www.contracostatimes.com
FOR
Valentine's Day
OR ANY SPECIAL OCCASION
Business
The Flying Classroom From InsideHook
ne cold and black night 25,000 feet above the Bering Sea, Barrington Irving flew into an ice storm. His tiny, single-engine Cessna
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literally – flies it around the world. He’s building The Flying Classroom. Long before he set his globespanning record, Irving was just a
moments in an ice storm above the Bering Sea. Fans followed him online all the way. That participation led Irving
was buffeted by winds at 110 knots. He had no de-icing system. He had no weather radar. His only option was to turn back into Russian airspace. But with no clearance, his salvation might come in the form of an air-to-air missile. So as the clouds loomed and he tumbled through the Arctic darkness, Irving reasoned he was about to die. “It felt like I was marching towards death.” But instead of marching towards death, Barrington Irving — only 23 and on the way to becoming the youngest man and first AfricanAmerican to fly solo around the world — flew into history. And today, at 30, he’s building a classroom that will expose children to careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, as he – quite
nondescript Jamaican immigrant attending school in Miami’s notoriously crime-ridden Liberty City. “I went to a high school with a pregnancy center,” Irving says. “And I still remember the morning I saw a dead body on my way to class.” Fortunately for Irving, a Jamaican neighbor and pilot took an interest in him and offered to show him the cockpit of a Boeing 777. He was hooked. He received an Air Force/ Florida Memorial University Flight Awareness Scholarship. By 2007, with only 600 hours of flight experience, Irving made his record-breaking solo flight around the world. 97 days, 13 countries and 145 flight hours — including those tense
to a realization: kids like him – underserved kids back in Liberty City with few opportunities – were interested in learning.. And so the idea of The Flying Classroom was born. Today, Irving is fast at work transforming a Beechcraft jet into that classroom. “I want to give young people the world, and we can do that through their sense of wonderment and curiosity.” Irving has built an interactive program where he’ll broadcast live video feeds, host forums and conduct educational lessons – all from 40,000 feet in the air. Kids will vote on everything: where Irving should go, what types of foods he’ll eat and what the curriculum will be. see The Flying Classroom on page 65
64 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Barrington Irving
The Flying Classroom from page 64
It’s an ambitious project that has raised over 1.5 million dollars in fundraising — an achievement which Irving credits to his will and determination. “There’s nothing special about me, but I have resilience.” Like when he flew through that ice storm, and found a landing strip on an island that was only 1,600 meters long. That night, he set his Cessna down with just 12 minutes of fuel to spare. “You have to do things,” he says, “with a sense that anything is possible.” The Flying Classroom project is taking donations in hopes of reaching its goal before the 2014 school year starts. You can donate here - www.experienceaviation. org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article &id=71&Itemid=120. www.insidehook.com/man-of-the-month
The curriculum is web-based, so teachers are able to use the lesson plans in class. The Flying Classroom is slated to launch in 2014.
www.experienceaviation.org/docs/ ClassroomintheSky_313.pdf
Business
Technology:
Take a Look! by LaSandra Stratton Check out what these firms and organizations have to offer for your personal interests, personal wealth building, and business expansion opportunities. https://yourkarma.com Karma is a portable 4G mobile hotspot. With Karma, you pay for data as you go, and take it with you on your 4G mobile hotspot. Post pics to Facebook. Catch
up on the news. Video chat with your kids. You know what to do. Your Karma hotspot has an open Wi-Fi signal. Anyone around can connect to it. When they do you'll both receive 100MB of free data. It's Social Bandwidth. Your Karma hotspot takes it to the next level, connecting you with people instead of receipts. Letting you own data, instead of it owning you. And even better, your data never expires, ever. Hours of power. On a full charge, your Karma hotspot will keep you connected for 6-8 hours. Use any micro-USB cord for charging. Your Karma
hotspot can connect up to 8 devices simultaneously. Without you even noticing. Karma runs on a rock solid 4G network. It’s from our friends at Clearwire. You can find it in over 80 U.S. cities. And we’re expanding, fast. www.agreedo.com AgreeDo helps you to run meetings and track results more efficiently. AgreeDo helps you to create the agenda for your meeting and to send it out to all participants. Every attendee now knows the meeting's intention, and they also can add more agenda items or comments before the meet-
ing starts! Best of it: When using AgreeDo, your agenda turns into your meeting's minutes! AgreeDo lets you put down all important issues with a single mouse click. Take down your tasks and schedule and assign. Or highlight important decisions. To group or ungroup items, you can use topics and build hierarchies using subtopics. During a web conference, using a tool like WebEx, all attendees can follow your meeting in AgreeDo online! When the meeting is over, work starts. AgreeDo helps you to track all tasks which were assigned during the meeting. The person in charge of a task gets notified via email when the task is due, and can add comments and update the tasks' status. AgreeDo's search engine lets you instantly search for information
from previous meetings. AgreeDo helps you with a Google-like search engine to find information hidden in your meeting history, which is stored securely at AgreeDo.You want to give your boss or
your customer an update about the current status? Just forward the AgreeDo task-link to them via e-mail. https:// helpouts. google. com/pwelcome Helpouts is a new way to share knowledge and expertise over live video. Connect with customers in a one-on-one video call. The Helpout system gets you instant access to customers, unrestricted by geography, time-zone or currency. Make your service accessible from anywhere. Setup your schedule — decide what time works for you, give Helpouts at home or on-the-go, on your computer or mobile device. Pick your price — set your own rate for each Helpout and get paid easily using Google Wallet. Charge a fixed price per Helpout or set a per-minute rate. Want to learn something, get advice on an issue? Visit Google Helpouts to seek an expert or teacher providing the information you need. Submitted by LaSandra Stratton, Chief Content Administrator of the Black Business News.
66 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
I Resolve to Eat Healthy, Loose Weight, Get in Shape Visit BlackDoctor.org to get the Help You Need to Succeed
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here are a lot of healthy foods that can help you lose the weight you want and keep it off. Here are the ten simple healthy eating habits: 1. What to eat – No magic food causes weight loss and no food is inherently fattening. Eat a variety of foods from meat, legumes, dairy,
grains, fruits, vegetables and small amount of fat daily. Vegetables and fruits are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Carbohydrates in fruits, milk, grains and legumes will give you quick energy for the first 2 hours while protein in milk, meat and legumes will keep you satisfied for 4 hours.
http://30dayfitnesschallenges.com/how-to-do-a-plank
The fat in meat and milk as well as fat added to foods will keep you satisfied for 6 hours. 2. Where to eat - Eliminate eating in the car, bus, train, walking, standing or on the phone. Make time to eat meals and snacks by sitting down at a table. Read about the dangers of driving and eating. 3. When to eat - Eat breakfast and two other meals each day. People who eat breakfast are less likely to snack in the evening. Eat at least every 4 to 6 hours when awake rather than waiting until your stomach starts growling. 4. How much to eat - Calories count. Choose smaller portion sizes. Forget those super sizes as they are expensive to your waistline. 5. Shopping & eating out – If you don’t buy it or make it, food has a hard time finding its way into your mouth. Shop from a grocery list and after a meal when you are not hungry to limit impulse buying. In restaurants, if you aren’t sure how a food is prepared ask. When your food is served, divide off what you are going to eat and take the rest home for the next meal. Just because food is presented to you at a buffet doesn’t mean you have see Get Healthy in 2014 on page 69
68 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
Get Healthy in 2014 from page 68
to eat or sample everything just because it is included in the price of a meal. Make food and portion sizes before you start eating. 6. Record your eating – Keep a written record of what you eat or drink, when and where to see what triggers your eating. Do you eat when you are tired, bored or upset? 7. Weigh in – Weigh yourself daily and record it. It helps keep track of your weight so that when your weight varies by more than 5 pounds you can make small eating and exercise changes before 5 pounds turns into 10 or more. 8. Pay attention & slow down – Don’t get distracted by multitasking while eating. Activities like watching TV or reading takes your focus off how much you are eating and your sense of fullness. Stop when you pause while eating or sense that you
are full no matter how much food is left on your plate. Eat slower and drink water with a meal. Food takes 20 minutes for a message to get from your stomach to your brain that you are full so meals should take at least 20 minutes and preferably longer. Chew each mouthful thoroughly. If you eat food that isn’t on your plan, don’t get down on yourself. Get immediately back on your plan rather than waiting for the next day or New Years to start again. 9. Get moving – Take a look at your daily schedule and figure out how you can walk, bike or run more. Get 30 – 60 minutes of exercise
each day and wear a pedometer to keep track. Aim for 10,000 steps a day. (http://blackdoctor.org/ category/healthy-living/fitness) 10. Drink water - Drink enough water so that your urine is colorless and odorless during the day. People who drink sufficient water are more likely to lose weight. http://blackdoctor.org/1641/whatto-eat-where-to-eat-how-to-eat-10easy-steps-2
69 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
New Health Insurance Options, New Consumer Protections in the New Year by Phil Schiliro
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oday is a new day for the millions of Americans who finally have the security that comes from quality, affordable health coverage. And those who already have health insurance will have better, more reliable coverage than ever before. From now on, insured Americans won't be forced to put off a check-up or worry about going broke if they get sick. While there is much more work to be done, beginning today, no family will be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition like high blood pressure or asthma. Women can no longer be charged more than men for the same coverage. No American will have to worry that losing a job means you can't get health coverage. And small businesses may qualify for more financial help to pay for new affordable coverage options for their employees. The challenges in our health care system were decades in the making and won't be solved overnight, but now more than 6 million Americans have been enrolled in Marketplace or Medicaid coverage and are getting peace of mind, knowing that they can get the care they need without losing everything they've worked and saved for.
New Benefits and Consumer Protections Begin Today • Protections for People with Pre-Existing Conditions: Up to 129 million Americans with pre-existing conditions no longer have to worry about being denied health coverage or charged
higher premiums because of their health status. • New Insurance Options: Many previously uninsured Americans have new health insurance options through private health plans in the Marketplace or Medicaid in States that have opted to expand it. Nearly 6 in 10 of Americans who were uninsured could pay $100 or less per month for coverage. • No More Annual Caps on Health Benefits: Millions of Americans no longer have to worry about having their health benefits cut off after they reach an annual dollar limit on benefits. • Comprehensive Coverage: Health plans in the individual and small group markets are now required to cover ten categories of essential health benefits – including emergency services, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder services, and prescription drug coverage. As a result of these new protections, approximately 60 million people will gain expanded mental health and substance use disorder benefits and/or parity protections.
Millions of Americans Have Already Benefited from the Health Care Law • Free Preventive Services: 71 million Americans on private insurance have gained coverage for at least one free preventive service such as mammograms, birth control, and immunizations in 2011 and 2012. In the first
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eleven months of 2013, an additional 25 million people with traditional Medicare received at least one preventive service at no out of pocket cost. New Insurance Options for Young Adults: Over three million young adults have gained health insurance because they can now stay on their parents’ health plans until age 26. No More Lifetime Caps on Health Benefits: 105 million Americans no longer have to worry about having their health benefits cut off after they reach a lifetime dollar limit on benefits. Protections for Children with Pre-Existing Conditions: Parents of the 17 million children with pre-existing conditions have had the security of knowing their children could no longer be denied health coverage due to their health status. Saving Seniors Money on Prescription Drugs: Since the health care law was enacted, more than seven million seniors and people with disabilities have saved an average of $1,200 per person on prescription medications as the health care law closes Medicare’s “donut hole.” Cutting Back on Premium Increases: Insurance companies must submit premium increases of 10% or more for review by experts. Last year, 6.8 million Americans saved an estimated $1.2 billion on health insurance see Health Insurance Options on page 71
70 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
Health Insurance Options from page 70
premiums after their insurers cut back on planned increases as a result of this process. • Premium Dollars That Work for Consumers, Not Just Insurers: Consumers have saved $5 billion over the past two years due to a new requirement that insurance companies have to spend at least 80% of premium dollars on care for patients (at least 85% for large group insurers). If they don’t, they must send consumers a rebate. Last year, 8.5 million enrollees received rebates averaging $100 per family. • Coverage for Some Americans with Severe Pre-Existing Conditions: The federal PreExisting Condition Insurance Plan gave tens of thousands of
Americans who were previously unable to get health insurance due to pre-existing conditions the security of coverage before plans were available in the Marketplace. • Expanding Access to Care in the Community: Using funds available through the Affordable Care Act, community health centers are expanding access
to care by providing primary care services, establishing new sites, and renovating existing sites. Health centers served approximately 21 million patients in 2012. www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2014/01/01/new-healthinsurance-options-new-consumerprotections-new-year
71 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Active Schools
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egular physical activity helps students succeed in school – and in life! In addition to keeping kids healthy and strong, being active for 60 minutes each day has been shown to: • Increase concentration and focus • Improve classroom attendance and behavior • Boost academic performance As the places where kids spend a majority of their time, schools are important places for kids to experience and enjoy being active. That’s why, in collaboration with the groups below, the First Lady kicked off the Let’s Move! Active Schools program to help schools across the country make quality physical activity a part of every kid’s day. Let’s Move! Active Schools
is a comprehensive program that empowers school champions – P.E. teachers, classroom teachers, principals, administrators, and parents – to create active environments that enable all students to get moving and reach their full potential. A Let’s Move! Active School provides opportunities in 5 key areas: • Physical Education • Physical Activity During School • Physical Activity Before and After School • Family & Community Involvement • Staff Involvement Let’s Move! Active Schools provides individual champions with a clear roadmap to meet their goals in the 5 key areas above. After signing up at www.letsmoveschools.
org, school champions are guided through a simple, 6-step process that helps them build a team, make a plan, and access free resources and tools, including in-person trainings, program materials and activation grants, and direct, personal assistance from certified professionals. Once they’ve achieved their goals in the five areas above, schools will be publicly recognized and celebrated. Every school needs a champion - anyone can be that champion. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, administrator, or interested community member, you can make a difference. Everyone has a role to play, and by working together, we can help our schools get moving and our kids lead active, successful lives.
72 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
Take Computer Skills Development in Your Own Hands It's Not Just for Kids Anymore
C
omputer Science has been called the new literacy for the 21st century. And yet,
Computer Science education is on the decline in the U.S., where only only 5% of students learn how to program. The Hour of Code, a campaign created by Code.org that ran from Dec. 9 to 13, 2013, aimed
to push the U.S. in the right direction by working with school districts to help introduce more than 10 million students to computer programming during Computer Science Education Week 2013. The tutorials, which are designed as a game that teaches basic coding principles, were created in collaboration with engineers from Microsoft, Google, Twitter and Facebook. The campaign skyrocketed past its goal thanks largely to teachers who used the programs in their classrooms. In seven days, 15 million students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade participated and wrote 500 million lines of code. An infographic on ww.Code.org showcases the stats from the first week. Interest in the tutorials didn't drop off after Computer Science Education Week ended. The lines of code keep piling on and more students are joining in. Since the first week's numbers were compiled, another 106 million lines of code have been written and another three million students have participated. To date, nearly 606 million lines of code have been written by students and more than 18.2 million have participated. Not every student who started the Hour of Code
actually finished. The numbers that Code.org provided are based just on participation, not completion. In the view of Code.org's creators— brothers Hadi and Ali Partovi—the Hour of Code isn't a panacea to America's computer science worker shortage. It's just the beginning. The real goal is for programming to become part of a school's regular curriculum alongside math, science and reading.
Bandwagon to the Future To join in, be part of and up on the tools that control the technology of today and of tomorrow, visit www. code.org/learn/beyond. In the Learn/Beyond section of the Code. org site you will find lessons that can be used right away to begin the learning process - a process for the young people in our lives and for ourselves. Learn about creating apps like the those on our smartphones and tablets. There is a section for learning how to create webpages. If nothing else you will learn how to interact better with your Webmaster. Try your hand at creating interactive stories with and to entertain your children. This same skill can be used to present interactive marketing pieces to your clients.
Help Fund and Promote Code.org is a non-profit service organization and as such needs donors and shoppers to provide operating funds. Visit the website to learn more about the programs, start your selflearning challenge and have the schools in your neighborhood ready for the Hour of Code in Computer Science Education Week 2014. www.smartplanet.com/blog/ bulletin/hour-of-code-more-than600-million-lines-of-code-andcounting/?tag=nl.e660&s_cid=e66 0&ttag=e660&ftag=TRE4eb29b5
73 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
The Slow Motion Lynching of President Barack Obama By Frank Schaeffer
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’ve watched liberal and right wing commentators alike blame the president for being lynched. They say “he’s not reaching out enough” or “he’s too cold.” It’s the equivalent of assuming that the black man being beaten by a couple of thug cops must have “done something.” I am a white privileged well off sixty-one-year-old former Republican religious right wing activist who changed his mind about religion and politics long ago. The New York Times profiled my change of heart saying that to my former friends I’m considered a “traitorous prince” since my religious right family was once thought of as “evangelical royalty.”
I’ve just spent the last 7 years writing over 200,000 words in blogs and articles in support of President Obama. My blogs on the Huffington Post alone would add up to a book in support of the President of over 300 pages. Weirdly, I just realized that through all my writing, this has been the first time in my life I’ve personally gone to bat for a black man. It just happens that he’s a president. But my emotional stake in his life is now personal. So I’ve changed from a white guy who used to read news about some black man getting shot or beaten by cops or stand-your-ground types who assumed that the black man must have “done something,” to a
white guy who figures that the black man was probably getting lynched. I’ve changed ideology but I’ve also changed my gut intuitive reactions. I’ve changed because if this country will lynch a brilliant, civil, kind, humble, compassionate, moderate, articulate, black intellectual we’re lucky enough to have in the White House, we’ll lynch anyone. What chance does an anonymous black man pulled over in a traffic stop have of fair treatment when the former editor of the Harvard Law Review is being lynched? One famous liberal commentator see Lynching the President on page 75
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Community/Public Interest
Lynching the President from page 74
wrote a book on how Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neil could disagree and still be friends. Why, he asked on many a TV show promoting his book, couldn’t President Obama be like that? Because, I yelled at the screen, those two men were white Irish Americans and part of a ruling white oligarchy. Because, I yelled, you might as well ask why Nelson Mandela didn’t talk his jailers in South Africa into seeing reason. Because, I yelled, the President is black and anytime he’s reached out he’s pulled back a bloody stump. Because, I yelled, liberal white commentators have been as bothered by a black man in the White House, who’s smarter than they are as much as right wing bigots have been bothered. Because, I yelled, President Obama has been lied about, attacked, vilified, and disrespected since Day One. Because, I yelled, this country may have passed laws so blacks can vote and eat in a white man’s world, but in our hearts we’re stuck in a place more like 1952 than 2013. We’ve been watching a slow motion lynching of a moderate brilliant family man, a father, and faithful loving husband. The Republicans in Congress are so dedicated to lynching the President they’ve been willing to shut down our government and risk the future of our economy. Evangelical “Christians” have been so stuck on putting a rope around this black man’s neck they have denied their faith and been the backbone of the lying Tea Party who spawned the so-called “birthers” and the rest of the white people driving our news cycle. Roman Catholic bishops have
denied their tradition of helping the poor and been so eager to destroy this president they aligned themselves with white Evangelical bigots and tried to stop health care reform, all because the President wants to give women a fair shake. The bishops even called him “anti-religious” because the president wants insurers to pay for contraception. This is a slow motion lynching of a black man who is so moderate and centrist that he favored Wall Street enough so that the Left is all over his case. He’s so “radical” and “leftist” and “hates America” so much, and “coddles our enemies” so much, that he killed bin Laden and used drones to kill our enemies. He’s such a “socialist” that he presided over the revival of our economy from the worst recession since the Great Depression, and led us to the present day stock market boom. President Obama is such a “Marxist” that he tried to give insurance – not socialized medicine – to all Americans. President Obama never answered back to the disgusting southern right wing rubes from the former slave states that have tried to belittle, mock and stymie his presidency shouting “You lie” in a million ways, while actually meaning “You lie, nigger!” And did the “enlightened” Left have President Obama’s back? No. They carp about his “failure” because a website was slow to get running! The white privileged “progressive” few were too busy blaming him for getting lynched and telling him how to craft policy while a rope was put around his neck again and again and tightened with each filibuster, each lie told on the radio, each self-defeating scorched earth action to stop him from succeeding, even if it meant taking us all down too. We don’t like to admit who we
really are. So we make excuses and blame the victim. I’m ashamed for our country, a country my Marine son fought for in two stupid wars this president has been working to end. And I’m still rooting for the best, smartest and most decent man who has been president in my lifetime. I pray for his health care reform to succeed. I pray for his immigration reform to succeed. I’m amazed he’s gotten anything done, but he has, even while the lynch mob gathers again and again to laugh, lie and spit and claim he’s “failed” while “liberal” commentators nod sagely and talk about his “mistakes” as if President Obama has been playing on a level playing field. We have a lot to do to heal this country of the damage done by the right wing Obama-haters and the Left wing know-it-all pundits who did not have his back because they don’t have the honesty to admit that we still live in a backward racist swamp of prejudice. Maybe in 50 years our country will be worthy of someone of President Obama’s forbearance again. For now we can just hope that the hatred of the Republican Party for our first black president doesn’t drive us to the brink of ruin again as they strip food from the mouths of the poor, and try to get people to not sign up for health care, just to get even with the black man they swore to destroy from the day that “uppity” black who is smarter than all of them put together took the oath of office. God bless you Mr. President. I’m praying for you. I am so very sorry. But take heart, in the long reach of history the door you opened will stay open for the millions of Americans of all colors, genders and beliefs who will follow you. They will bless your name. So will history. www.patheos.com/blogs/ frankschaeffer/2013/12/the-slow-motionlynching-of-president-barack-obama
75 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet Troy Simon, student at Bard College, backstage prior to the College Opportunity Summit on expanding college opportunity in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building South Court Auditorium. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
First Lady Michelle Obama: "Meet Troy:" By Lindsay Holst Hello, all -Today, I met a young man named Troy. Troy comes from New Orleans, where his family lived through the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He couldn't read until he was twelve, and would regularly cut school because the other students would tease him. When he did attend, he'd shove desks, start fights -- anything to get him out of class. But then Troy saw his younger siblings start down a similar path. And he decided to make a change. He connected with his fifth-grade teacher, and enrolled in a program called the Urban League College Track. With the support of College Track and his teachers, he worked hard and made his way into high school -- and today, he's a sophomore at Bard College, studying American Literature. There are a lot of kids like Troy out there -- kids with all
the potential in the world -- but far too many of them are slipping through the cracks. They're not making their way to college -- maybe because their parents never went, or because they've never been encouraged to believe they could succeed there. It's on all of us to help change that. That's why, Barack and I hosted college and university presidents, business leaders, philanthropists, and representatives from organizations around the country who are helping more of our kids see their potential and pursue their education. They're helping them navigate the financial aid and college admissions process. They're working with them to find schools that match their ability and interests. And they've made real, concrete commitments to help make college a reality for more kids. see Meet Troy on page 77
76 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
Meet Troy from page 76
And here's the thing: You don't have to be a university president or an executive to do that. There is something that each and every one of us can do in our communities to help make sure our kids realize their potential and make their way into higher education. That could mean having a conversation with a young neighbor or a relative, serving as a mentor, or volunteering at a local high school to help students fill out their college applications. So I'm asking you today to make a commitment of your own -- and learn more about the commitments that universities and organizations from around the country are making, too. I'm passionate about helping our young people because I see my story in theirs. Neither of my parents graduated from college, but they always encouraged me to pursue my education and told me that college was possible. And I know that there are so many kids out there just like me: kids who have a world of potential but need some encouragement and support to make it through college.
These kinds of programs aren't just good for these young people. They're good for all of us. Because after everything these kids will have overcome to get to college -- and get through college -- they'll have all the skills they need to thrive in our businesses, and law firms, and labs. And that's not just good for them and their families, it's good for their communities and our country. That's why Barack is working every single day to expand opportunities to every single young person in America. And that's why we're working to rally the country around his "North Star" goal – that by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. Reaching that goal begins with each of us doing our part as parents, students, educators, and citizens. We can all help a young person realize his or her potential, so I hope you'll learn more about the commitments that organizations and schools around the country are making -- and then make a commitment of your own: www.whitehouse.gov/share/collegeopportunity. Thanks in advance for everything you will do on behalf of America's young people (www.whitehouse. gov/blog/2014/01/16/meet-troy).
First Lady Michelle Obama FACT SHEET: The President and First Lady’s Call to Action on College Opportunity www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/16/ fact-sheet-president-and-first-lady-s-call-actioncollege-opportunity Remarks by the President and First Lady at College Opportunity Summit: www.whitehouse.gov/thepress-office/2014/01/16/remarks-president-andfirst-lady-college-opportunity-summit First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks prior to discussion in the State Dining Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon) That's why I was so inspired by some of the commitments I learned about during the College Opportunity Summit. Universities are taking steps like helping underserved students with financial literacy, or finding innovative ways for academic advisors to better support students who could use a helping hand. And many colleges are working with organizations like the Posse Foundation to give kids the social and academic support they'll need to graduate.
Taking Action to Expand College Opportunity: www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/01/17/takingaction-expand-college-opportunity First Lady Michelle Obama Hosts a Discussion on Education: www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/01/15/ first-lady-michelle-obama-hosted-discussioneducation How Do We Make College a Reality for More Young Americans? Like This.: www. whitehouse.gov/share/College-Opportunity?utm_ expid=24505866-13.IJb-Fl9LRwCTj-0dZegBEg.0
77 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
Amiri Baraka October 7, 1934 to January 9, 2014
A
miri Baraka, the militant man of letters and tireless agitator whose blues-based, fistshaking poems, plays and criticism made him a provocative and groundbreaking force in American culture, has died. He was 79. Perhaps no writer of the 1960s and '70s was more radical or polarizing than the former LeRoi Jones, and no one did more to extend the political debates of the civil rights era to the world of the arts. He inspired at least one generation of poets, playwrights and musicians, and his immersion in spoken word traditions and raw street language anticipated rap, hip-hop and slam poetry. The FBI feared him to the point of flattery, identifying Baraka as "the person who will probably emerge as the leader of the PanAfrican movement in the United States." Baraka became a leader of the Black Arts Movement, an ally of the Black Power movement that rejected the liberal optimism of the early '60s and intensified a divide over how and whether the black artist should take on social issues. Scorning art for art's sake and the pursuit of black-white unity, Barak was part of a philosophy that called for the teaching of black art and history and producing works that bluntly called for revolution. "We want 'poems that kill,'" Baraka wrote in his landmark "Black Art," a manifesto published in 1965, the year he helped found the Black Arts Movement. He was as eclectic as he was
prolific: His influences ranged from Ray Bradbury and Mao Zedong to Ginsberg and John Coltrane. Baraka wrote poems, short stories, novels, essays, plays, musical and cultural criticism and jazz operas. His 1963 book "Blues People" has been called the first major history of black music to be written by an African-American. He was denounced by critics as buffoonish, homophobic, antiSemitic, a demagogue. He was called by others a genius, a prophet, the Malcolm X of literature. Eldridge Cleaver hailed him as the bard of the "funky facts." Ishmael Reed credited the Black Arts Movement for encouraging artists of all backgrounds and enabling the rise of multiculturalism. The scholar Arnold Rampersad placed him alongside Frederick Douglass and
Richard Wright in the pantheon of black cultural influences. "From Amiri Baraka, I learned that all art is political, although I don't write political plays," the Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist August Wilson once said. First published in the 1950s, Baraka crashed the literary party in 1964, at the Cherry Lane Theater in Greenwich Village, when "Dutchman" opened and made instant history at the height of the civil rights movement. Baraka was still LeRoi Jones when he wrote "Dutchman." But the Cuban revolution, the assassination in 1965 of Malcolm X and the Newark riots of 1967 radicalized him. He renamed himself Imamu Ameer Baraka, "spiritual leader blessed prince," and dismissed see Lynching the President on page 79
78 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
Amiri Baraka from page 78
the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as a "brainwashed Negro." He helped organize the 1972 National Black Political Convention and founded the Congress of African People. He also founded community groups in Harlem and Newark, the hometown to which he eventually returned. The Black Arts Movement was essentially over by the mid-1970s, and Baraka distanced himself from some of his harsher comments — about Dr. King, about gays and about whites in general. In 2002, respected enough to be named New Jersey's poet laureate.
Poet and social activist Amiri Baraka speaks during the Black Political Convention in Gary, IN, March 12, 1972.
www.today.com/books/amiri-barakaactivist-poet-playwright-dies-792D11893442#amiri-baraka-activistpoet-playwright-dies-79-2D11893442
From the Works of Amiri Baraka THE NATION IS LIKE OURSELVES The nation is like our selves, together seen in our various scenes, sets where ever we are what ever we are doing, is what the nation is doing or not doing is what the nation is being or not being…
SERMON FOR OUR MATURITY We want to be all we can we want to know all we can we want to feel all we can all there is all there was all there will evoooooo be ("Here come d' judge Can all be the judge all is the judge") all is the judge…
IT'S NATION TIME Time to get together time to be one strong fast black energy space one pulsating positive magnetism, rising time to get up and be come be come, time to be come time to get up be come black genius rise in spirit muscle sun man get up rise heart of universes to be future of the world the black man is the future of the world be come rise up future of the black genius spirit reality move from crushed roach back from dead snake head… It's nation time…
79 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Paulette Williams
T
he Black Business Association was very sad to hear of the loss of one our true supporters, Paulette Williams. Paulette enjoyed a life-long career in the financial services industry, serving as the Vice President and
Manager of Union Bank’s African American Segment in Emerging Markets Administration. She also served as an ad-hoc member of the BBA Advisory Board after leaving Union Bank and was a long-time advocate for small business. As the Southern California Regional Director at Meriwether & Williams, Paulette helped many contractors get necessary bonding through the firm’s Bond Programs. These programs were funded by the following public agencies: the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Community College District, and Los Angeles Unified School District.
he earned a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree and met his beautiful wife, Joanne Williams. Leroy and Joanne married on August 31, 1952. After moving to Chicago in May 1929 ~ December 2013 1955, he was employed as a eroy Higginbotham was case worker with the Cook County a major contributor and Department of Public Aid in Illinois. founding member of the He also worked as an Assistant Black Businessmen's Association, Director for the NAACP in Chicago, now n known marched with Dr. Martin Luther as a the Black King Jr., and served as a child B u s i n e s s guidance counselor with the Illinois a s s o c i a t i o n Youth Commission. After moving to California in (BBA). ( 1965, he became a parole officer He was born b on May and heavily involved himself in 4, 4 1929, to community affairs. Leroy was also Leroy L Edgar politically active, serving as the and Mary campaign manager for multiple a elected officials. In 1970 he earned Higginbotham H in Newark, NJ. a Masters Degree from UCLA He H was the in Public Administration. He also oldest of nine surviving children. served as a lecturing professor at Leroy grew up in Ohio where he UCLA’s School of Architecture thrived academically, resulting in his and Urban Planning for five years, nickname “Schoolum”. He joined and was the Assistant Director of the Air Force and served during UCLA’s Center for Afro-American the Korean War and was honorably Studies. He was a board member discharged in 1950. He attended for Sons of Watts Community Central State University where Enterprises.
Leroy Higginbotham
L
Paulette offered much more than mere words of hope to contractors and business owners she met. She knew the importance of having access to capital, bonding and insurance. She was determined to support the growth of the minority and small businesses community and worked to help them thrive. As the president & CEO of Black Business Association and editor of Black Business News I personally appreciated her commitment to help African American small businesses. Paulette Williams was a true champion and a real friend. On December 31, 2013 Paulette succumbed after a lengthy battle with cancer. The Black Business Association members and friends will miss her bright smile and kind disposition.
In 1974, Leroy earned a second Masters Degree from Cal State College Dominguez Hills in Business Administration. He then went on to hold many socially conscious positions of public service, such as the Executive Director of the Orange County Community Development Council and other director posts with the cities of Compton, Lawndale, Fontana and Santa Ana. After retiring and moving back to Ohio in 1990, he devoted much of his time to his passion of genealogy. After many years of research, he was able to complete his legacy document entitled “Where, How, and Why Our Clan Got The Name Higginbotham”, that traces the family name back to 1634. After becoming ill in 1999, his children moved him back to California where they cared for him alongside his dedicated and loving nurse Natalie Lewis during his final years. As in life, he continues to give even through death, having donated his body to UCLA’s Donated Body Program for research and medical education.
International
African Exporters: Access & Opportunities to the U.S. Market By Andrea Ewart, ESQ
Trade Office
F
or African exporters interested in the US market, the good news is that USAfrican trade grew by more than 500% between 2001 and 2011. The U.S. market is wide open for goods that conform to its laws. The African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programs can give African exporters a costadvantage over their competitors. These programs permit qualified African goods duty-free entry into the US market. Duty-free entry means that the goods can be sold at a cheaper price than similar goods which may have attracted a duty, or import tax, when the product entered the country.
Getting Your Product in Free Most Favored Nation (MFN): African countries all have “normal trade relations” (NTR) or MFN status with the United States. So does every other country, except for Cuba and North Korea. A number of products receive duty-free entry into the United States on the basis of their country’s MFN status. This is good news because it means there are no additional qualifying requirements that have to be met to allow the products to be sold more cheaply to US consumers. On the other hand, there is no costadvantage over one’s competitors based on the ability to avoid paying import taxes at the US border. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): The majority
market. African exports from these countries are eligible for GSP (once it is renewed). Except for agriculture and apparel and textile products, the eligibility criteria are similar to those of the GSP program. Exporters from eligible African countries can continue to use AGOA as this program does not expire until September 30, 2015.
of African countries qualify for GSP (http://developtradelaw.net/gsptrade) which provides duty-free entry into the US market for about 5,000 products. To qualify for GSP, the imported products must meet Country Eligibility and Product Eligibility criteria. GSP is not currently available because the program has lapsed and needs to be renewed by US Congress. However, African exporters should still encourage the US importers of their products to claim GSP duty-free status at the time of entry. African Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA): AGOA (www.ustr. gov/trade-topics/trade-development/ preference-programs/african-growth-andopportunity-act-agoa) is a preferential
trade program that extends GSP benefits on an additional 1,800 products to those sub-Saharan African countries that qualify for this program. African exports from ten sub-Saharan African countries are currently ineligible for AGOA duty-free entry into the US
The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) (www.ustr.gov) is responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. international trade, commodity, and direct investment policy, and overseeing negotiations with other countries. The head of USTR is the U.S. Trade Representative, a Cabinet member who serves as the president’s principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on trade issues. USTR is part of the Executive Office of the President. Through an interagency structure, USTR coordinates trade policy, resolves disagreements, and frames issues for presidential decision. USTR also serves as vice chairman of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), is on the Board of Directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, is a non-voting member of the Export-Import Bank Board of Directors, and a member of the National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Policies. http://developtradelaw.net/ access-opportunities-to-the-u-smarket-for-african-exporters/?utm_ source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_ campaign=access-opportunitiesto-the-u-s-market-for-africanexporters&utm_source=Happy+Ne w+Year_+2014%21&utm_campaig n=Happy+New+Year+2014&utm_ medium=email
82 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
US to Airlift Rwandan Forces into Central African Republic By Reuters he U.S. military will soon begin flying Rwandan troops into the Central African Republic, in its second such operation in support the African Union's efforts to stem bloodshed there, a US official said. The U.S. official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the airlift operation could last
T
been quoted telling local radio that the country would send around 800 troops. The U.S. aircraft would fly out of Uganda into Rwanda's capital Kigali, where they would load before proceeding onto Bangui in the Central African Republic, the official said. A Muslim rebel coalition, Seleka,
just over a month and would involve two U.S. military C-17 aircraft. The airlift mission would be very similar to the one the United States carried out flying forces from Burundi into the Central African Republic late last year, the official said. Rwanda's foreign minister has
seized power in Central African Republic last spring, unleashing a wave of killings and looting that in turn sparked revenge attacks by the 'anti-balaka; Christian militia. The United Nations estimates that months of fighting in the landlocked former French colony has displaced around 1 million
people, or just over a fifth of the population. The national death toll is difficult to estimate. More than 1,000 people were killed in Bangui alone last month and sporadic violence has continued despite the presence of 1,600 French troops and 4,000 African Union peacekeepers. France's U.N. envoy said on Wednesday that the level of hatred in Central African Republic between Muslims and Christians had been underestimated and is creating a "nearly impossible" situation for African Union and French forces to combat. U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon is expected to submit a report to the Security Council next month with recommendations for a possible U.N. peacekeeping force that would take over from the African troops. http://news.msn.com/world/us-to-airliftrwandan-forces-into-central-africanrepublic
83 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
www.zambiausachamber.org
African Stock Exchanges • Bolsa de Valores of Cape Verde - www.bvc.cv (in Portuguese) • Bond Exchange of South Africa - www.bondexchange. co.za • Botswana Stock Exchange www.bse.co.bw • Bourse Regionale des Valeurs Mobilieres - UEMOA (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) - www.brvm.org • Casablanca Stock Exchange (Morocco) - www.casablancabourse.com/bourseweb/index. aspx • Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (Tanzania) - www. dse.co.tz
• Douala Stock Exchange (Cameroon) - www.douala-stockexchange.com/index_us.php • The Egyptian Exchange - www. egx.com.eg/English/homepage. aspx • Ethiopia Commodity Exchange - www.ecx.com.et • Ghana Stock Exchange - www. gse.com.gh • Johannesburg Stock Exchange (South Africa) - www. jse.co.za/Home.aspx • Khartoum Stock Exchange (Sudan, in Arabic) - www.kse. com.sd • Libyan Stock Market - www. lsm.ly/_layouts/membership/
• • • •
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•
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login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fEnglis h%2fPages%2fdefault.aspx Lusaka Stock Exchange (Zambia) - www.luse.co.zm Nairobi Stock Exchange (Kenya) - www.luse.co.zm Malawi Stock Exchange - www. mse.co.mw Mozambique Stock Exchange (in Portuguese) - www. bolsadevalores.co.mz Namibian Stock Exchange www.nsx.com.na Nigerian Stock Exchange www.nse.com.ng/Pages/default. aspx Stock Exchange of Mauritius www.stockexchangeofmauritius. com Swaziland Stock Exchange www.ssx.org.sz Tunisia Stock Exchange - www. bvmt.com.tn Uganda Securities Exchange www.use.or.ug
Read the last issue of The Exchange Magazine www.nse.co.ke/media-center/ecommunique/exchange-magazine/ category/50-free-version.html)
84 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
www.poweringafrica-tanzania.com With the UK throwing its hat into the ring for energy projects in Tanzania on the heels of America and China, millions of dollars may be wasted in misguided market intelligence for new investors believing that Africa is the land of fast deals and easy wins. Increasing numbers of investors and technology providers are looking to Tanzania and the wider region for investment opportunities where ROI appears to be assured. However, with so much hype, what affect is the publicity having on international investors’ perspectives on returns – are they entering the market with sufficient insight to be successful, or is there potential for the lack of clarity and data to turn some great prospects sour? Over the last 10 years, we’ve heard countless stakeholders deliver broad statements about the incredible opportunities available; however, getting beyond what is available online is essential. At the Powering Africa: Tanzania Summit, 29th-31st January 2014 in Dar Es Salaam, we’re taking this exact approach, factoring in ‘scene setting’ presentations by leading advisors and investors, followed by round table debates on the challenges international organisations and stakeholders alike face in getting projects off the ground. International firms operating locally are key and their knowledge and experience is essential to the volley of new entrants looking to invest. These insights will not only support a more pragmatic investment approach, they will also enable the public sector to understand the challenges being faced by foreign investors and help narrow the knowledge gap between both sides. Backed by TANESCO and EWURA, as well as some of the most established power developers and gas companies operating in Tanzania, the meeting will create an environment conducive to debate and business development. If you’re thinking of investing in Tanzania or are already part of the ‘establishment’, we hope you’ll support sector development and contribute to this sector focused meeting. For more information on the individuals attending and the proposed topics for discussion, download the working agenda. Alternatively, drop me an e-mail quoting the code TANZANIA1. Download working agenda: (www.energynet.co.uk/content/download-powering-africa-tanzania-working-agenda?utm_source=EM02/12&utm_ medium=AfConf&utm_campaign=AfConf)
We hope you can join us in January 2014. Kind regards, Amy Offord Senior Marketing Executive EnergyNet Ltd amy.offord@energynet.co.uk 85 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
Nigeria Summit 2014 Turning Growth Into Prosperity
Intercontnental, Lagos, Victoria Island
March 24, 2014 Bringing together 350+ international business leaders, investors, government ministers and influential thinkersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for a series of hard-hitting and frank discussionsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;our flagship Nigeria Summit focuses on the major factors that will influence Nigeria's economic growth as it becomes Africa's fastest growing powerhouse. FOR DETAILED INFORMATION: www.economistinsights.com/countries-tradeinvestment/event/nigeria-summit-2014?region%5 B1%5D=1&region%5B5%5D=5
http://cemea.economistconferences.com/event/kenya
Internationl
One Africa:
Tell the US Government that North Africa is Africa Too!
J
oin with and support the United Africa Organization’s campaign to petition the U.S. Department of State to include the whole African continent under its Bureau of African Affairs.
Why? The State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, led by Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson, currently excludes Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Western Sahara from its agenda. Instead, the aforementioned countries are grouped with the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, together with Iran, Iraq, Israel and others. This artificial distinction between North Africa and the rest of Africa
negatively impacts US foreign policy relations throughout the entire continent of Africa. We unequivocally reject the argument that North African countries are outside the scope of African affairs. North Africa is geographically and historically part of the African continent, and all fifty-three (53) independent African states, including North African countries, are represented in the African Union (AU). It would be far more productive for the State Department to engage with the entire continent of Africa, including North Africa, under its Bureau of African Affairs. We are one Africa, from the Cape to Cairo, indivisible and bound together! Therefore, no square inch of African
land should be excluded from African affairs.
Sign The Petition!!! Go to www.change.org/petitions/ one-africa-tell-us-state-departmentthat-north-africa-is-part-of-africa and sign the online petition to support this important proposition. Next tell everyone you know to sign.
www.uniteafricans.org
see On The Rise on page 88 88 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Thursday Blues at Uncle Darrow‛s High Noon-2pm Every Thursday
Come by for lunch and relax to blues & jazz from our house band! 2560 S. Lincoln Blvd. Marina del Rey North East corner of Washington & Lincoln
“LA Times Magazine favorite cajun food”
310-306-4862
www.uncledarrows.com 89 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Returning to Africa? African Repatriation is an invaluable online resource for any African national who is thinking about returning to Africa. Our industry articles and specialist editorials provide the latest sector information. Why not find out for yourself and become a part of our growing community today? www.africanrepatriation. com
Career Opportunities in Africa Search and apply online for the latest vacancies in Africa with African Talent. We provide candidates and employers with the tools and resources needed in today’s competitive job market. For employers, we offer numerous options to feature your jobs in Africa and for candidates, reviewing the most recent job vacancies in Africa is a fast, easy process. Uploading your CV is simple and takes just a few moments. www.africantalent.com 90 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Cultural Interiors West &
Cordially Invited Cultural Interiors West 5573 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019 Experience our exciting array of products from Cards to Cupcakes, African Masks, Asian Teacups, Healthy Herbal Teas, Gourd Purses, Candles, to Furniture
Artwear Handpainted Handbags, Skirts, Tees, Accessories, Calendars, Wall Hangings & More! http://gbabysworld.blogspot.com Gbabyartwear@hotmail.com or Gbabyart345@gmail.com Find Gbaby Products at the “Collective” http://www.atthecollective.com 280 Elizabeth Street, Atlanta, GA
Hope to see you soon!!! In the meantime visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/CulturalInteriors-West/140688362658236
JJ’s Belizean Cuisine 2618 W. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90008 1-323-293-2926
93 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Collection Bed, Bath & Beyond
http://bsmith.com/shop
Bernahu Asfaw & Getahun Asfaw
1041 S. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90019 323-938-8827 or 323-938-8806 • Fax: 323-932-6047 messob@gmail.com • www.messob.com
Open 7 days a week • 11am - 11pm
The Economic Turn Around in the USA is in Our Hands •Buy Products Made or Assembled in the USA •Hire One New Employee •Eat an Extra Meal Out Each Week •Start/Grow a Business to Generate Wealth & Jobs
Buy Black Save Black Invest Black 97 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Eso Won Books African American Books 4327 Degnan Boulevard Leimert Park, Los Angeles
Give the Gifts of Knowledge! Come see our unsurpassed collection of books, music, videos, children’s books, and games!
323-294-0324 www.esowonbookstore.com for Calendar of Events //esowon.booksense.com
AMERICAN GROWN by First Lady Michelle Obama
Available in your local bookstores now
The Soul of a New Cuisine
A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa by Chef Marcus Samuelsson
100 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Custom Culturally Inspired Wedding Rings & Fine Jewelry For The Entire Family. Unique One of a Kind Pieces Create your own designs. Transform old into new.
JendayiCollection.com 323.898.7468 877.898.7468 Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, First Floor 101 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
JWFA
Jamaal Wilkes Financial Advisors, LLC M a n a g i n g We a l t h I n t e l l i g e n t l y
WHY OWN GOLD IN YOUR IRA/401k Changing jobs creates a great opportunity for you to switch, or rollover, your former employer’s retirement plan into an IRA. Plus, it usually provides you with more investment options than if you left the money in your former employer’s plan or rolled the money into your new employer's retirement plan. The early 1980s presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy stocks. Today, economic and political conditions appear to offer a similar opportunity in tangible assets such as physical gold. With the global economic environment growing more uncertain, physical gold has become the #1 alternative for IRA, 401k, 403b, and Pension Plans, as well as for non-retirement funds. Gold is produced primarily for accumulation while other commodities are produced primarily for consumption. Gold’s value does not arise from its usefulness in industrial or consumable applications. It arises from its use and historical worldwide acceptance as a store of value. Gold is money. A healthy measure of gold clearly belongs in every portfolio for the “Four Ps” – Personal Purchasing Power Protection. There are six primary reasons why investors own gold: As a hedge against inflation. As a hedge against a declining dollar. As a safe haven in times of geopolitical and financial market instability. As a commodity based on gold’s supply and demand fundamentals. As a store of value. As a portfolio diversifier. According to Bloomberg.com, on October 15, 2009, Paul Tudor Jones of Tudor Investment Corp, who manages about $11.6 billion out of Greenwich, Connecticut, told its investors, “I have never been a gold bug… but Gold is just an asset that, like everything else in life, has its time and place. And now is that time…Gold appears to be cheap. In our view, gold’s value should increase as its scarcity relative to printed currencies increases.” JAMAAL WILKES FINANCIAL ADVISORS makes 401(k) rollovers easy with just a few simple steps. Please call us at (310)209-8298 or email gold@jamaalwilkes.com for a web seminar presentation. Jamaal Wilkes Financial Advisors is an independent Registered Investment Advisor www.jamaalwilkes.com Phone: (310)209-8330 6601 Center Drive West, Suite 500 Los Angeles, CA 90045
104 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
How to Do Business with Metro - Monthly Workshop DECEMBER 2012 9:30am – 12:00 pm Febuary 11, 11, 2014 ǣ x x x x
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Ǧ Ȁ Ǥ ǯ ǡ ǡ Ǧ Ǥ ǯ Ǧ Ǧ Ǥ ͻǣ͵Ͳ ǤǤ For further questions, please contact Sherman Gay, Ph.D. (HC) at gays@metro.net or at (213)922-3502. Ǥ ሺ ̷ Ǥ ሻ ǡ ǡ ǡ Ȁ Ǥ
105 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Books to Consider... Prepared for a Purpose by Antoinette Tuff
A
ntoinette Tuff is a true picture of grace, courage, and heroism at its best. But before she made headlines and talked a school shooter back from the brink, she was a woman who faced--and overcame-her own pain and hurt. Publicly recognized by President Obama for her courageous act that saved a school from tragedy, today she speaks around the world, spreading hope and sharing her inspiring message of how our lives prepare us for our own moments of purpose. She has two children and resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Prepared for a Purose is a true story of courage and compassion in a school under siege. As 870 children waited in fear, their elementary school rushed into lockdown mode. As the nation faced yet another Sandy dy Hook story of tragedy, tragedy one woman rewrote the ending. Yet the story doesn't start with those first steps Michael Hill took into that Atlanta elementary school. It starts with Antoinette Tuff, a woman who faced her own pain, hurt, and rejection, yet held onto grace, faith, and hope. A hope that anchored her in the most high stakes of moments, a grace that allowed her to empathize with a hurting young man, and a faith that gave her the courage to love him back from the brink. This is more than just the amazing account of tragedy averted. It's the evidence of what we can do when we allow ourselves to be used by God. And it's a story of how God uses all of our life experiences--the good and the bad--to prepare us for our own moment of divine purpose..
www.christianbook.com/prepared-for-a-purpose/ antoinette-tuff/9780764212635/pd/212635
There Is a Balm in Gilead: The Cultural Roots of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Lewis V. Baldwin The sources of Martin Luther Kings's Jr's phenomenal and prophetic impact on life in America and beyond have never been adequately understood. In this pathbreaking volume, Lewis Baldwin traces King's vision and activism not to his formal philosophical and theological development but directly to his roots in Southern black culture, where King spent most of his 39 years. King's appropriation of the Bible, Gandhi, American participatory democracy, B o s t o n personalism, and the theologies of Reinhold Niebuhr and the Social Gospel makes sense, Baldwin argues, only against his visceral and abiding identification with black culture and the black Christian tradition. Working directly with the trove of King's sermons speeches, and unpublished papers, Baldwin has reconstructed the pain and joy, the defeat and triumph King experienced in his formative family relationships, in the black church, in his childhood and education, in his marriage and children, in segregated black Atlanta, and in his leadership of America's civil rights movement. www.christianbook.com/there-gilead-culturalroots-martin-luther/lewis-baldwin/9780800624576/ pd/0624572?product_redirect=1&Ntt=0624572&item_ code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP
106 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Calendar
tool kit for planning your own project can be found at www. MLKDay.gov.
January…
March
20th
29th
MLK Day of Service Dr. King believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all, and encouraged all citizens to live up to the purpose and potential of America by applying the principles of nonviolence to make this country a better place to live—creating the Beloved Community. The MLK Day of Service is a way to transform Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and teachings into community action that helps solve social problems. That service may meet a tangible need, or it may meet a need of the spirit. Americans of every age and background may celebrate Dr.
King through service projects that strengthen communities, empower individuals, bridge barriers, and create solutions. Opportunities to serve and a
BBA Salute to Black Women Plan to attend the Annual Salute Conference and Awards Luncheon. Participation and sponsorship information is available at www.bbala. org or send an inquiry to the BBA using mail@bbala.org.
June 25th BBA 40th Annual Awards Dinner Plan to attend the Annual Salute Conference and Awards L u n cheon. P a r ticipation and sponsorship information is available at www. bbala. org or send an inquiry to the BBA using mail@bbala.org.
108 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Resources Media Africa Interactive Multimedia Press/Content Agency in Africa www.africa-interactive.com Africa World Press Books www.africaworldpressbooks.com African Vibes Magazine www.africanvibes.com The African World www.theafricanworld.tv Africast TV www.africast.tv AllAfrica http://allafrica.com Black Wall Street Times http://bwstimes.com Black Business News Group www.blackbusinessnews.net Black Press USA www.blackpressusa.com BridesNoir www.bridesnoir.com CuisineNoir www.cuisinenoirmag.com DiasporaVoice www.blogtalkradio.com/diasporavoice Rock Me Africa //rockmeafrica.com
www.causecastfornonprofits.com Continental African Chamber of Commerce www.continentalacc.org Pan African Film Festival www.paff.org United African Organization http://uniteafricans.org Zambia-USA Chamber of Commerce www.zambiausachamber.org
Investment/Development Africa Reports www.africareports.com African Development Bank www.afdb.org African Export - Import Bank //afreximbank.com/afrexim/en AfrigadgetTV www.afrigadget.com The Exchange Magazine www.nse.co.ke YouTube Educational Channels http://teacherswithapps.com/197-educational-youtube-channels-know Ventures www.ventures-africa.com
U.S. Government Commerce Department www.doc.gov International Trade Administration http://trade.gov
Organizations Africa Leadership Forum http://africaleadership.org The African Union www.au.int/en Black Business Association www.bbala.org CauseCast www.causecast.com
Minority Business Development Agency www.mbda.gov Small Business Administration www.sba.gov State Department www.dos.gov White House www.whitehouse.gov
110 January 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819