Publisher’s Message
T
he Black Business News is proud to acknowledge National Women in History Month - March 2014. The Black Business News (BBN) has a special section highlighting African American women achievers and leaders in such fields as government, military, science, medicine, athletics, academia, film, theater, music and television (page 26). Our featured pioneer is Oprah Winfrey. Read her story starting on page 48. The Black Business Association (BBA) will host their 11th Annual Salute to Black Women, March 29, 2014. This year's event includes a business conference, vendor faire and awards luncheon. The BBA will award distinguished African American women, young and mature, from all works of life that exemplify the character, courage and commitment that runs deep in the black community. We celebrate the African American women (mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, wives) who have achieved success in their respective fields and endeavors through their courage to pursue excellence. One of the featured workshops, sponsored by Northrop Grumman, highlighting role models for success, is geared to young females 13 to 18 years of age. Another outstanding workshop will be on Financial Planning, providing insightful information and knowledge to navigate during these uncertain financial times. The third workshop will focus on critical health issues facing African American women. This workshop will have on-site stroke screening and diagnosis sessions. Black Business News highlights the big news in the Entertainment Industry for 2014 - the awards bestowed on the movie, cast and crew of "12 Years a Slave." If you have not seen the film, please support the project. Every ticket or DVD purchase levels the playing field for the future of African American film projects. Congratulations to all involved in the great production. (page 40) Please take note of the business and government articles in this issue. We have highlighted some technologies that might offer new entrepreneurial opportunities or at the least contribute to improvements in business operations. Actions by President Obama continue to have an "opening the door" effect on the business environment. He has opened many doors during his term in office. We have to walk through. As the publisher of the Black Business News, I would like to dedicate this issue to my mother, Martha Cooper, who at the age of 92 had her homegoing. She was instrumental in my growth and development not only in my formative years, but also as an adult. She seemed to always find the best in me, even at times when I couldn't clearly find my own direction. Martha Cooper will be sourly missed by many, including family, friends and love ones. Keep the Faith.
Black Business News Group P.O. Box 43159 Los Angeles, CA 90043 USA 323-291-7819 Fax: 323-298-5064
www.blackbusinessnews.net 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.
Earl “Skip” Cooper, II
Pubisher/Chief Executive Officer 3 March 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
June
Annual Awards Dinner
September
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promoting USA-based black-owned business enterprises to a world wide audience.
•
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.
WWW.BLACKBUSINESSNEWS.NET
Procurement Exchange Summit Black Business News Group Publications Black Business News Black Business News International Black Business News Travel Africa
Contents
BLACK BUSINESS NEWS…MARCH 2014 GOVERNMENT… 10 14 16 18 20
President's 2014 Economic Report African American Action My Brother's Keeper
40 46
BUSINESS…
70
American Recovery & Reinvestment Act
ENTERTAINMENT…
40
48 54 56 60 62 66
Upgrading Our Transportation Infrastructure
"12 Years," Nyong'o Win Oscars BBN/Show Biz Buzz
Oprah Winfrey, Pioneer Denver Contract Makes History New Cybersecurity Partnership OWIT & WEConnect Collaboration iBeacon, Disruptive Technology Heads Up! Microsoft Ending Some Tech Support Services Greenling's Racism Challenge
40
PUBLIC INTEREST/COMMUNITY… COLUMNS
82 83
3 - Publisher's Message 80 - Take A Look! 116 - Books to Consider... 118 - Calendar 120 - Resources SPONSORS 6 - Black Business Association
SPECIAL SECTION… 102 Shopping Gallery Cover image - Phallu Morgan
First Lady Invites Youth to Travel with Her Watch Out for Uitility Bill Scams
INTERNATIONAL… 88 99
New Citizenship Application Form - N-400 Resources for Going Global
COMMEMORATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH… 26 30
White House Proclamation African-American Women's "Firsts"
Government
President Obama Lays Out New Plan for Upgrading Our Transportation Infrastructure
President Barack Obama sits in the cab and talks with a worker during a tour of the Light Rail Maintenance Building in St. Paul, Minn. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
P
resident Obama traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota to unveil a new plan to upgrade America's transportation infrastructure and put people back to work (www.whitehouse. gov/the-press-office/2014/02/26/ remarks-president-jobs-americaninfrastructure). Speaking at St. Paul's historic Union Depot train station, President Obama announced that the
Department of Transportation is making available $600 million in Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants, a tremendously successful program investing in our nation's infrastructure. These new grants mark the sixth round of the TIGER program, which has already invested $3.5 billion in 270 transportation projects across the country.
The President explained that "one of the fastest and best ways to create good jobs is by rebuilding America’s infrastructure -- our roads, our bridges, our rails, our ports, our airports, our schools, our power grids. We’ve got a lot of work to do out there, and we’ve got to put folks to work." He added that we need to invest in our infrastructure to keep up with other countries that are trying to
10 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government out-build us, in order to make sure that America remains attractive to businesses: As a percentage of GDP, countries like China, Germany, they're spending about twice what we're spending in order to build infrastructure -- because they know that if they have the fastest trains on the planet or the highest-rated airports or the busiest, most efficient ports that businesses will go there. But we don't want businesses to go there. We want them to come here to Minnesota. We want them to come here to the United States of America. And that means the best airports and the best roads and the best trains should be right here in America. President Obama then outlined his vision for a more comprehensive, long-term plan to create jobs while repairing our transportation infrastructure -- investing a total of $302 billion over four years: I'm going to send Congress a budget that funds rebuilding our transportation infrastructure in a more responsible way -- by doing it over four years, which gives cities and states and private investors the certainty they need to plan major projects. Projects like repairing essential highways and bridges; building new transit systems in fastgrowing cities and communities, so folks who live there can get to work and school every day and spend less time sitting in traffic. And we're going to have to construct smarter, more resilient transportation systems that can withstand the worst impacts of climate change, like bigger surges of water that we’ve seen in recent floods. So, all told, my transportation budget will support millions of jobs nationwide. And we’ll pay for these investments in part by simplifying the tax code. We’re going to close wasteful tax loopholes, lower tax rates for businesses that create
jobs here at home, stop rewarding companies for sending jobs to other countries, use the money we save in this transition to create good jobs with good wages rebuilding America. It makes sense.
FACT SHEET: President Obama Lays Out Vision for 21st Century Transportation Infrastructure Launching competition for $600 million in TIGER competitive grants to fund transformative transportation infrastructure projects. Since the President took office, America has made historic investments to improve our nation’s infrastructure –including the highly successful Transportation
Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) competitive grant program that has invested $3.5 billion in 270 projects across the country. Today the President is announcing that the U.S. Department of Transportation is making available $600 million in TIGER competitive grants to fund transportation projects. The TIGER grant program, which was initially funded as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was recently funded in the bipartisan Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed by the President on January 17th, 2014. • Supporting High-Value Transportation Projects see TIGER Grants on page 12
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Government
TIGER Grants from page 11
Across the Country. The highly competitive TIGER program supports a range of projects,
including roads, bridges, transit, rail, and ports, and offers one of the few Federal funding sources for game-changing projects that integrate different modes of transportation. The TIGER program invests in projects that will have a significant impact on the nation or a region, and Federal funds are used to make such projects possible and leverage additional funding from private sector partners, States,
local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, and transit agencies. • Encouraging Improved Job Access and Increased Economic Opportunity. In an effort to expand economic
and other opportunities, promote neighborhood revitalization and business expansion, and reconnect neighborhoods that are unnaturally divided by physical barriers such as highways and railroads.
opportunities for all Americans, the 2014 TIGER program will place an emphasis on projects that support reliable, safe, and affordable transportation options that improve connections for urban, suburban, and rural communities. While continuing to support projects of all types, a priority will be placed in this 6th round of applications on projects that make it easier for Americans to get to jobs, school,
• Prioritizing Transformative Projects. Successful projects in the highly competitive process will be those with the potential to improve economic competitiveness and create jobs, improve the condition of existing transportation systems, improve quality of life by increasing transportation options, improve energy efficiency, reduce fuel consumption and encourage resiliency, and/or improve the
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Government safety of our transportation systems. • $35 Million to Help Communities Design Economic Development Plans. In addition to supporting capital grants, Congress provided the U.S. Department of Transportation with the flexibility to use up to $35 million of the 2014 TIGER funds for planning grants for the first time since 2010. These funds can be used to support the planning of innovative transportation solutions, as well as regional transportation planning, freight and port planning, housing and land use development, and resiliency efforts that improve
efficiency and sustainable community development.
Proposing an aggressive four-year plan to modernize our nation’s surface transportation infrastructure. Despite progress over the last five years, there’s more work to do. Later this summer, the nation’s transportation system will be
facing a funding crisis, which is why the President is committed to working with Congress, including Senators Boxer and Vitter and Representatives Shuster and Rahall, on a bipartisan solution. Today the President is outlining his vision for a comprehensive, long term plan that puts people back to work repairing our nation’s transportation infrastructure. The President will propose a four-year reauthorization of our surface transportation programs that will modernize our nation’s infrastructure and ensure the health and growth of these critical programs for the future
while supporting millions of jobs. Proposing a $302 billion, Four Year Transportation Reauthorization Bill, Providing States, Local Governments, and Construction Workers with Certainty. The President’s proposal for a $302 billion, four year transportation reauthorization will not only allow States and local units of government to effectively plan their project pipelines, supporting
millions of good paying jobs over the next several years, but also will enable more transformative transportation projects that improve our global competitiveness. Matching Transportation Infrastructure Investments to the Current and Future Needs of American Communities. Bringing a one-time infusion of investment into our transportation infrastructure programs would enable projects that address the diverse needs of American communities today. Expanding Economic Growth, Jobs, and Opportunity. The President is dedicated to enhancing opportunity for all Americans and our businesses by investing in transportation projects that better connect communities to centers of e m p l o y m e n t , education, and services. More Bang-for-theBuck by Boosting Efficiency and Taxpayers Return on Our Transportation Investments. In a time of tight fiscal and budgetary constraints, the President’s proposal includes a number of measures to ensure that the American public is getting most out of Federal transportation infrastructure investments that lead to better outcomes for all Americans. www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2014/02/26/president-obamalays-out-his-plan-upgrading-ourtransportation-infrastructure www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2014/02/26/fact-sheetpresident-obama-lays-out-vision21st-century-transportation-i
13 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
The Fifth Anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
President Barack Obama signs the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
F
ive years ago President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. At the time, the country was experiencing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Private employers had already cut almost 4 million jobs, trillions in dollars in household wealth had been wiped out, and the economy’s total output was in the midst of its sharpest downturn of the postwar era. As part of the accountability and transparency provisions included in the Recovery Act, the Council of Economic Advisers
was charged with providing to Congress quarterly reports on the Act’s effects. The final report in this series—www.whitehouse.gov/sites/ default/files/docs/cea_arra_report. pdf—affirms that the Recovery Act had a substantial positive impact on the economy, helped to avert a second Great Depression, and made targeted investments that will pay dividends long after the Act has fully phased out. In the four years following the Recovery Act, the President built on this initial step, signing into law over a dozen fiscal measures that extended key features of the
Act and provided new sources of support. These measures included a temporary payroll tax cut for 160 million working Americans, additional extensions to the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, expanded business tax incentives, small business tax cuts, and funding to protect teacher jobs. The report also assesses the effects of fiscal legislation signed into law following the Recovery Act, offering a broader look at the President’s bold and decisive response to one of the most challenging periods in our Nation’s
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Government
ARRA Anniversary
total fiscal support for the economy, or from page 15 $689 billion, came in the form of tax cuts— economic history. Specifically, the mostly directed at Report finds: families. The remainder • The Recovery Act, by itself, saved went to investments or created about 6 million jobin critical areas such years, where a job-year is defined as rebuilding bridges as one full-time job for one year. and roads, supporting This translates to an average of teacher jobs, and 1.6 million jobs a year for four providing temporary years through the end of 2012. help for those who This estimate is within the range found themselves of estimates provided by the unemployed or in Congressional Budget Office need of assistance and other outside organizations. because of the Great • Combining the effects of the Recession. Recovery Act and the additional • The investments made fiscal measures that followed, the through the Recovery Act will cumulative gain in employment have a positive impact on longwas about 9 million job-years run growth, raising the economy’s through the end of 2012. potential output and ultimately • Including both the Recovery Act offsetting much of the Act’s initial and subsequent fiscal measures, cost. For instance, half of the the R Recovery Act improv improved more than E PRESIDENT TH 40,00 40,000 miles of F O E IC EXECUTIVE OFF S ER IS road and over 2,700 DV A NOMIC COUNCIL OF ECO bridg bridges, brought 693 drinking d water syste systems serving over 48 million Ame Americans into com compliance with the Clean Water Act Act, made highspe speed internet ava available to abo about 20,000 community ins institutions, and lau launched the Ra Race to the Top pr program, which E TH F O incentivized CT IMPA THE ECONOMIC CT A T 3 34 states to REINVESTMEN OVERY AND im improve their AMERICAN REC ER FIVE YEARS LAT education p policies. SS RE NG O C TO While these FINAL REPORT Y 2014 AR RU EB F figures are substantial,
they still nevertheless understate the full magnitude of the Administration’s response to the crisis. Because the report released today focuses exclusively on the effects of fiscal legislation, it does not assess other Administration policies that stabilized the financial system, rescued the auto industry, and supported the housing sector— all actions that made significant contributions to spurring the recovery. Five years later, the U.S. economy is undoubtedly in a stronger position, thanks to the grit and determination of our nation's workers and businesses. The economy has now grown for 11 straight quarters, and businesses have added 8.5 million jobs since early 2010. While far more work remains to ensure that the economy provides opportunity for every American, there can be no question that President Obama’s actions to date have laid the groundwork for stronger, more sustainable economic growth in the years ahead. www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2014/02/17/fifth-anniversaryamerican-recovery-andreinvestment-act
15 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
The 2014 Economic Report of the President
T
he Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) has released the 2014 Economic Report of the President, which discusses the progress that has been made in recovering from the worst recession since the Great Depression, and President Obama’s agenda to build on this progress by creating jobs and expanding economic opportunity.
This year’s report highlights steps the Obama Administration is taking to address three key imperatives: • continuing to restore the economy to its full potential, • expanding the economy’s potential over the long-run, and • ensuring that all Americans have
the opportunity to realize their full individual potential. Here are seven highlights from each of the seven chapters in this year’s Report. Read the full report at: www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/ files/docs/full_2014_economic_report_ of_the_president.pdf.
Chapter 1 introduces the Report and highlights several key areas where progress has been made, but it also lays out the areas where much more work remains to be done. As shown in Figure 1-4 of the Report, among the 12 countries that experienced a systemic financial crisis in 2007 and 2008, the United States is one of just two in which output per working-age person has returned to pre-crisis levels. The fact that the United States has been one of the best performing economies in the wake of the crisis supports the view that the full set of policy responses in the United States made a major difference in averting a substantially worse outcome. Chapter 2 reviews the economy’s performance in 2013 and discusses the key reasons why the Administration, like other forecasters, expects growth to strengthen in the coming years. Five years removed from the worst of the financial crisis, the economy continues
to strengthen and recover, with businesses adding 2.4 million jobs in 2013, the third straight year private employment has risen by more than 2 million. Looking to 2014, one key reason that growth is expected to pick up is that households have made substantial progress in paying off debt, a process known as deleveraging, putting them in a better position to increase spending going forward. As shown in Figure 2-7, household debt has fallen from a peak of about 1.4 times annual disposable income in the fourth quarter of 2007 to 1.1 times annual disposable income by the fourth quarter of 2013. Chapter 3 evaluates the impact of the Recovery Act and subsequent fiscal jobs measures on the economy, finding that they made a substantial and sustained contribution to the level of jobs and output. CEA estimates that Recovery Act alone raised the level of GDP by between 2 and 2.5% from late 2009 through mid-2011. This estimate is also within the range of estimates provided by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and privatesector forecasters. But the efforts did not stop with the Recovery Act, and in the subsequent years the President signed more than a dozen additional fiscal measures to create jobs and strengthen the economy, including the payroll tax cut, small business tax cuts, incentives for infrastructure, and extended unemployment insurance. Chapter 4 analyzes the causes and consequences of the
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Government historic slowdown in the growth of health care costs, which has potentially massive implications for families, employers, and the Federal budget. The growth rate of real per-capita health care expenditures from 2010 to 2012 was the lowest since data collection began in the 1960s, and preliminary data and projections indicate that slow growth continued into 2013 (Figure 4-1). It does not appear that this development is merely an after-effect of the recession, as the slowdown has now persisted well into the economic recovery. Chapter 5 discusses the vast advances that have been made in the technology sector in recent years, the broader context of productivity growth over the last 60 years, and the President’s agenda to support research and foster innovation
going forward. Figure 5-2 shows that over the last two decades, productivity has grown faster than in the 1970s and 1980s, but more slowly than in the 1950s and 1960s, when rapid productivity growth was fueled by public investments like the interstate highway system and the commercialization of innovations from World War II like the jet engine and synthetic rubber. Recent technological advances have unleashed a great deal of potential, and Chapter 5 discusses
steps the Obama Administration is taking to support innovation, in particular expanding the availability and efficiency of wireless spectrum for commercial broadband use and reforming the patent system to ensure that it encourages useful innovation by inventors and limits wasteful litigation by patent assertion entities, also known as “patent trolls.” Chapter 6 takes stock of the progress that has been made, lessons that have been learned, and ways to take the next step forward in combating poverty 50 years after the start of the War on Poverty. Using new historical estimates of poverty based on modern measurement methods, Chapter 6 presents a more accurate picture of the changes in poverty over the past five decades. Since 1967, the first year for which such estimates are available, the poverty rate has fallen by nearly 40%. Crucially, all of this reduction in poverty has come as a result of tax credits and government programs such as Social Security, nutrition assistance, unemployment insurance, among others. Over this time period, expansions in tax credits that support working families have led the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the refundable Child Tax Credit (CTC) to lift more children out of poverty than any other Federal program. Chapter 7 focuses on how high-quality “impact” evaluations of Federal programs can influence public policy for the better, and how they have been used to focus Federal dollars on strategies that work. Figure 7-2 provides a telling example: sharply reducing homelessness is a key Administration focus, and based on evidence
from program evaluations, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has re-oriented the Homelessness Assistance Grant Program away from traditional approaches such as transitional housing toward more effective permanent supportive housing. Rigorous impact evaluations such as these have long been supported
by the President. In his 21st Century Management Agenda, the President set bold goals for building a more efficient, more effective government—one which contributes to economic growth and strengthens the foundations for economic prosperity. More work remains to be done www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2014/03/10/2014-economicreport-president
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Government
Partnering for Action in African American Communities by Valerie Jarrett
President Barack Obama meets with African American civil rights leaders to discuss criminal justice reform, income inequality and the Affordable Care Act, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
L
eaders from some of the country’s foremost African American civil rights organizations joined President Obama and a handful of Administration leaders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House recently. To open the meeting, I was joined by Attorney General Eric Holder, Director of the Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Muñoz, Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson and White House Advisor for Health Policy and
Implementation Phil Schiliro for a discussion outlining the President’s priorities for this year of action. Present were leaders from the NAACP (www.naacp.org), The National Urban League (http://nul.iamempowered.com), the National Action Network (http://nationalactionnetwork. net), the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (www.naacpldf.org), the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (www. civilrights.org), the National Bar
Association (www.nationalbar. org) and the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation (http:// ncbcp.org). The group covered a range of issues of great concern to the President, and the African American community, touching on job growth, education and job training, maintaining our momentum in enrolling the uninsured through the Affordable Care Act, bringing more fairness and efficiency to our criminal justice system, increasing the minimum wage, and ensuring
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Government
ladders of opportunity for all. What was clear in this meeting was that many of the goals the President set forth in his State of the Union address will become reality because of the strong partnerships that he and his administration have forged with leaders from the civil rights community who work hard every day to advocate equality and opportunity for all. The President will continue to work with Congress where they are able and willing to act, but
meetings like this provide optimistic reminders that there remain other leaders in the country who can act right now – to improve the economy, to ensure greater opportunity for all, and to keep this country moving in the right direction. The capacity for the President and his White House to convene thought leaders, decision makers, and community
leaders, all of whom have access to both resources and the audiences we aim to reach, is a powerful tool, and one which President Obama hopes to wield effectively in 2014 for the good of all Americans. www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2014/02/19/partnering-actionafrican-american-communities
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Government
My Brother's Keeper “There are a lot of kids out there who need help, who are getting a lot of negative reinforcement. And is there more that we can do to give them the sense that their country cares about them and values them and is willing to invest in them?” – President Obama, July 19, 2013
A student eyes the Emancipation Proclamation as the President gave students from William R. Harper High School in Chicago a tour of the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Understanding The Problem The data proves it: Boys and young men of color — regardless of where they come from — are disproportionately at risk from their youngest years through college and the early stages of their professional lives. • By the time they hit fourth grade, 86% of African American boys and 82% Hispanic boys are reading below proficiency levels — compared to 54% of white fourth graders reading below proficiency levels. • African American and Hispanic young men are
more than six times as likely to be victims of murder than their white peers — and account for almost half of the country's murder victims each year.
How President Obama is Taking Action He's announced a new initiative with leading foundations and businesses that will take a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to build ladders of opportunity and unlock the full potential of boys and young men of color — and they're getting to work immediately. He signed a Presidential Memorandum
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Government establishing the My Brother's Keeper Task Force to help determine which public and private efforts are working, how the Federal government can support those efforts, and how we can get more folks involved in those efforts across the board. That doesn't only benefit our kids facing tough circumstances — it benefits all Americans.
Learn How You Can Take Action Businesses and foundations are stepping up to answer the President's call to action. Find out more about what they’re doing, visit www. boysandmenofcolor.org/executivesalliance and/ or review the My Brother's Keeper Fact Sheet (www. whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/02/27/factsheet-opportunity-all-president-obama-launchesmy-brother-s-keeper-) to learn what is being done and to find your center of action.
Share Your Story: How are you and your community going to help create and sustain opportunities for disadvantaged youth? Whateever your plan or program, share your story and provide ideas and encouragement to all those participating in My Brother's Keeper. Share at: www.whitehouse.gov/my-brothers-keeper.
FACT SHEET: Opportunity For All: Building Ladders of Opportunity For Boys and Young Men of Color President Obama is taking action to launch My Brother’s Keeper – a new initiative to help every boy and young man of color who is willing to do the hard work to get ahead. For decades, opportunity has lagged behind for boys and young men of color. But across the country, communities are adopting approaches to help put these boys and young men on the path to success. The President wants to build on that work. We can learn from communities that are partnering with local businesses and foundations to connect these boys and young men to mentoring, support networks, and skills they need to find a good job or go to college and work their way up into the middle class. And the Administration will do its part by helping to identify and promote programs that work. That starts by using proven tools that expand opportunity at key moments in the lives of these young people. The President believes this includes ensuring access to basic health, nutrition, and to high-quality early education to get these kids reading and ready for school at the youngest age. But that’s not enough. We need to partner with communities and police to reduce violence and make our classrooms and streets safer. And we need to help these young men stay in school and find a good job– so they have the opportunity to
President Barack Obama enters the East Room of the White House with Christian Champagne at the start of the "My Brother's Keeper," event. "My Brother's Keeper" is an initiative to expand opportunity for young men and boys of color. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) reach their full potential, contribute to their communities and build decent lives for themselves and their families. New Presidential Task Force to Expand Opportunity. President Obama will sign a Presidential Memorandum establishing the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, an interagency effort, chaired by Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson, that will help us determine what public and private efforts are working and how to expand upon them, how the Federal Government’s own policies and programs can better support these efforts, and how to better involve State and local officials, the private sector, and the philanthropic community in these efforts. The Task Force will work across executive departments and agencies to: • Assess the impact of Federal policies, regulations, and programs of general applicability on boys and see My Brother's Keeper on page 22
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Government
My Brother's Keeper from page 21
•
•
•
•
•
young men of color, so as to develop proposals that will enhance positive outcomes and eliminate or reduce negative ones. Recommend, where appropriate, incentives for the broad adoption by national, State, and local public and private decision makers of effective and innovative strategies and practices for providing opportunities to and improving outcomes for boys and young men of color. Create an Administration-wide “What Works” online portal to disseminate successful programs and practices that improve outcomes for boys and young men of color. Develop a comprehensive public website, to be maintained by the Department of Education, that will assess, on an ongoing basis, critical indicators of life outcomes for boys and young men of color in absolute and relative terms. Work with external stakeholders to highlight the opportunities, challenges, and efforts affecting boys and young men of color. Recommend to the President means of ensuring sustained efforts within the Federal Government and continued partnership with the private sector and philanthropic community as set forth in the Presidential Memorandum.
Investments from Leading Foundations and Businesses to Advance the Achievement of Boys and Young Men of Color. Leading foundations and businesses have long worked with others in philanthropy to create opportunities for young men and boys of color and today are committing significant resources to research critical intervention points in the lives of boys and young men of color; change the often-damaging narrative about them; and catalyze coordinated investments to seed, replicate, and scale up effective community solutions. The foundations supporting today’s call to action have already made extensive investments, including $150 million in current spending that they have already approved or awarded. Building on that, today these foundations are announcing that over the next five years they seek to invest at least $200 million, alongside additional investments from their peers in philanthropy and the business community, to find and rapidly spread solutions that have the highest potential for impact in key areas, including: early child development and school readiness, parenting and parent engagement, 3rd grade literacy, educational opportunity and school discipline reform, interactions with the criminal justice
system ladders to jobs and economic opportunity and healthy families and communities. The foundations will work over the next 90 days to design a strategy and infrastructure for coordination of these investments, which can be aligned with additional commitments from a diverse array of actors from other sectors. These foundations, who are joining President Obama at today’s announcement, include The Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The California Endowment, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Open Society Foundations, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and The Kapor Center for Social Impact. Many of the foundations are members of the Executives’ Alliance to Expand Opportunities for Boys and Men of Color – a coalition of philanthropic institutions committed to leveraging philanthropy’s role in improving life outcomes for boys and men of color. In addition to the leadership from the philanthropic community, the My Brother’s Keeper initiative will leverage participation from the business community and elected officials to support this cross-sector effort. As part of today’s announcement, President Obama will meet with a number of business leaders – including Joe Echevarria of Deloitte, Magic Johnson of Magic Johnson Enterprises, Glenn Hutchins of Silver Lake Partners, Adam Silver of the National Basketball Association and Thomas Tull of Legendary Entertainment – to discuss ways in which they and their companies can work with the Initiative to improve the life outcomes of boys and young men of color. The President will also be joined today by public sector leaders including General Colin Powell, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Honorable Michael Bloomberg. Additionally, several other prominent members of the business community—including Rosalind Brewer of Sam’s Club, Ken Chenault of American Express, and Don Thompson of McDonald’s—have already expressed their support for this effort, and the White House expects additional commitments in the coming days and months. The effort launched today is focused on unlocking the full potential of boys and young men of color – something that will not only benefit them, but all Americans. The Task Force and new private sector partnership will take a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to building ladders of opportunity. Both the Task Force and the partnership will take action immediately while planning for long-term success. www.whitehouse.gov/my-brothers-keeper
22 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
THE WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, 2014 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION Throughout our Nation's history, American women have led movements for social and economic justice, made groundbreaking scientific discoveries, enriched our culture with stunning works of art and literature, and charted bold directions in our foreign policy. They have served our country with valor, from the battlefields of the Revolutionary War to the deserts of Iraq and mountains of Afghanistan. During Women's History Month, we recognize the victories, struggles, and stories of the women who have made our country what it is today. This month, we are reminded that even in America, freedom and justice have never come easily. As part of a centuriesold and ever-evolving movement, countless women have put their shoulder to the wheel of progress -- activists who gathered at Seneca Falls and gave expression to a righteous cause; trailblazers who defied convention and shattered glass ceilings; millions who claimed control of their own bodies, voices, and lives. Together, they have pushed our Nation toward equality, liberation, and acceptance of women's right -- not only to choose their own destinies -- but also to shape the futures of peoples and nations. Through the grit and sacrifice of generations, American women and girls have gained greater opportunities and more representation than ever before. Yet they continue to face workplace discrimination, a higher risk of sexual assault, and an earnings gap that will cost the average woman hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of her working lifetime. As women fight for their seats at the head of the table, my Administration offers our unwavering support. The first bill I signed as President was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which made it easier for women to challenge pay discrimination. Under the Affordable Care Act, we banned insurance companies from charging women more because of their gender, and we continue to defend this law against those who would let women's bosses influence their health care decisions. Last year, recognizing a storied history of patriotic and courageous service in our Armed Forces, the United States military opened ground combat units to women in uniform. We are also encouraging more girls to explore their passions for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and taking action to create economic opportunities for women across the globe. Last fall, we finalized a rule to extend overtime and minimum wage protections to homecare workers, 90 percent of whom are women. And this January, I launched a White House task force to protect students from sexual assault. As we honor the many women who have shaped our history, let us also celebrate those who make progress in our time. Let us remember that when women succeed, America succeedsAnd from Wall Street to Main Street, in the White House and on Capitol Hill -- let us put our Nation on the path to success. 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 March 2014 as Women's History Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month and to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, 2014, with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. I also invite all Americans to visit www.WomensHistoryMonth. gov to learn more about the generations of women who have left enduring imprints on our history. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of March, 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
Community/Public Interest - WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
Black Business Association’s 2014 Salute to Black Women Awards Luncheon Honorees Barbara Lee, Lifetime Achievement Award - Congresswoman Barbara Lee is a forceful and progressive voice in Congress, dedicated to social and economic justice, international peace, civil and human rights. She gained national attention in 2001 as the only member of both chambers of Congress to vote against the Authorization for Use of Military Force after September 11th. In September of 2013, President Obama nominated Congresswoman Lee to be a Representative of the United States to the Sixtyeighth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, making her the first African American woman to hold that position. Barbara Walden, Entrepreneur Pioneer Award Barbara Walden was the forerunner in designing the first cosmetic line for the African American woman, named Barbara Walden Cosmetics. Her skin care, makeup and fragrance are popular with women of all ethnic groups. It was the Official Makeup of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics and is sold in China, Europe, and Africa. Ms. Walden authored a beauty book, "Easy Glamour" published by Wm Morrow & Company. Gwen Green, Civil Rights Activist Award - Gwen Green started her civil rights work in the mid-1950s with the NAACP in their regional office as a youth advisor fighting racial discrimination in Oakland, California. In 1960, Gwen met Martin Luther King, Jr and began a working friendship until his tragic death. Gwen was one of the founders of the New Frontier Democratic Club, in Los Angeles, CA. Gwen assisted in establishing the Home Care Workers Union Seiu Local 434(B), currently known as United Long Term Care Union 6434. She continued to work for the Union, as the Community Outreach Director, for 20 years advocating for its members to earn a fair living wage. Autumn Williams, Young Achievement Award Ms. Williams studied Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University and participated in astrobiologyfocused research during her undergraduate career. She is the founder of STEMgineers Shifting Gears, a STEM-focused afterschool, tutoring and summer program based in Watts, CA which encourages middle and high school students participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Karen Slade, Executive Leadership Award -
Entering her twenty plus years as Vice President / General Manager at KJLH, Karen is responsible for ensuring the station’s Broadcast Operations adhere to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) rules and regulations. Karen has been recognized by Radio Ink as one of the Most Influential African Americans in Radio. She has received many awards including the distinguished George Foster Peabody Award for significant and meritorious achievement and the NAACP Image Award for Humanitarian broadcast efforts. Cherilyn Lee, Professional Excellence Award - Dr. Lee’s is a trained Physician’s Assistance and is a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner. She earned her PhD in Holistic Nutrition, is certified in Energy Medicine and is a Certified Natural Healthcare Professional. Dr. Lee has clients with varied physical diseases/aliments whom she sees at NutriMed Integrated Healthcare in Inglewood, CA. Cherilyn regularly attends seminars and workshops to stay abreast of the latest technologies in Holistic Medicine Dr. Ora Mobley Sweeting, Pioneer Award - Dr. Ora Mobley Sweeting, an activist lived in Harlem, New York from 1948 to 1990. She worked with Harlem's notables in an era that defined Africa's post-colonial struggles and America's own period of Civil Rights. Her indomitable spirit and courage allowed her to overcome sexism and racism as she spread the powerful and challenging ideals of liberation, freedom and human rights. MobleySweeting initiated a campaign to change the names of schools in Harlem to honor African American heroes, which lead to the re-naming of the streets in Harlem after Dr. King, Malcolm X and Fredrick Douglas. Cherice R. Calhoun, Community-Based Business Award - Cherice created BlackNLA.com having the desire to have one source to obtain any and all information pertaining to African-Americans living in Los Angeles. BlackNLA.com is renowned for disseminating information to urban professionals living, working and visiting the greater Los Angeles area. BlackNLA.com provides varied information. It’s inclusive of promotional advertisements, upcoming events, networking opportunities and community outreach information. “We provide this at no cost to the community, “says Cherice. Her aim is to enhance Black Businesses, Organizations and Networking Opportunities. Starlett Quarles, Emerging Leader Award - Ms. Quarles is a Community Activist and Advocate for the progress of Black Los Angeles and urban communities across the Country. She hosts a weekly, communitybased, nationally-syndicated Internet Talk Show, titled, “The Dialogue with Starlett Quarles”. The Talk Show is an additional vehicle to further her vision to bring Young Urban Professionals and community members together with Business and Political Leaders.
Community/Public Interest - WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
Some "Firsts" for African American Women From: www.blackpast.org African-American Firsts: GOVERNMENT • Woman legislator: Crystal Bird Fauset, 1938 - first AfricanAmerican female state legislator in the United States, elected to the Pennsylvania state legislature. She later was a member of President Roosevelt's "Black Cabinet"
and Urban Development (HUD) in his cabinet. • Woman mayor of a major U.S. city: Sharon Pratt Dixon Kelly, 1991 - in her first bid for public office, she was elected mayor of Washington, D.C. • Woman U.S. Senator: Carol Mosely Braun, 1992 - the first female Senator elected from Illinois and the first African American woman in the U.S. Senate. • Woman Secretary of State: Condoleezza Rice, 2005 - first African American woman National Security Advisor and Secretary of State of the United States.
Hon. Crystal Bird Fauset with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. • Woman U.S. Representative: Shirley Chisholm, 1969 - the first black woman elected to Congress and later the first black person to seek a major party’s nomination for the U.S. presidency. • Woman cabinet officer: Patricia Harris, 1977 - nominated by President Jimmy Carter to
African-American Firsts: LAW • Woman admitted to the bar:Charlotte Ray, 1872 - first African American woman to practice law in the United States. • Woman federal judge: Constance Baker Motley, 1966 - President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Motley to the United States District Court. become the Secretary of Housing
African-American Firsts:
DIPLOMACY • Woman U.S. Ambassador: Patricia Harris, 1965 - President Johnson appointed her as the U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg.
African-American Firsts: MILITARY • Woman general: Hazel W. Johnson, 1979 - first African American woman to become a general in the U.S. Army. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Woman to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy: Janie L. Mines, 1980 - first African American woman to graduate from the United States Naval Academy. • Woman Rear Admiral in the United States Navy: Lillian Fishburne, 1998 - attained the rank of Rear Admiral and was promoted by the President of the United States, Bill Clinton.
African-American Firsts: SCIENCE and MEDICINE • Woman to receive an M.D. degree: Rebecca Lee Crumpler, 1864 - the first black woman physician.
30 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest - BLACK HISTORY MONTH • Woman patent holder: Judy Reed, 1884 - considered to be the first African American woman to receive a United States patent. • Female Dental Surgeon: Ida Gray Nelson Rollins, 1890 first African American woman to graduate with a Doctorate of Dental Surgery in the United States - became the first African American, male or female, to practice dentistry in Chicago. • Woman astronaut: Mae Jemison, 1992 - becomes the first African American woman in space when she travels on board the space shuttle Endeavor.
African-American Firsts: SCHOLARSHIP • Woman to graduate from a college, Lucy Stanton, 1850 - the first African American woman to graduate from college, completing a Ladies Literary Course from Oberlin College. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Women Ph.D.'s: Georgiana Simpson, 1921 - second black women to be awarded a Ph.D. in the United States receiving her degree in German from the University of Chicago. • Women Ph.D.'s: Sadie Tanner Mossell, 1921 - became the first black woman to be awarded the degree (from the University of Pennsylvania). • Women Ph.D.'s: Eva Beatrice Dykes, 1921 - became the first black woman in the United
States to complete the required coursework for a Ph.D. and the third African American woman to receive a doctoral degree. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Ivy League University president: Ruth Simmons, 2001 - the first African American to be named President of an Ivy League university, Brown University.
African-American Firsts: ART and LITERATURE • Poet: Lucy Terry, 1746 - first known work of African American literature. • Poet (published): Phillis Wheatley, 1773 - while yet in her teens, she became the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry. • Woman's autobiography: Jarena Lee, 1831 - the first to be published in the United States by an African American woman. • Woman novelist, Harriett
Wilson, 1859 - believed to be the first African American woman to publish a novel in the United States. • Pulitzer prize winner: Gwendolyn Brooks, 1950 - the first African American to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in poetry for Annie Allen. • •
• Nobel Prize for Literature winner: Toni Morrison, 1993 - receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature for the novel Beloved. • Woman Poet Laureate: Rita Dove, 1993 - became the youngest person and first African American to be named United States Poet Laureate, an honor she held until 1995. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
31 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
see "Firsts" on page 32
Community/Public Interest - BLACK HISTORY MONTH
"Firsts" from page 31
African-American Firsts: MUSIC and DANCE • Member of the Metropolitan Opera Company: Marian Anderson, 1955 - the first African American to perform with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Woman Grammy Award winner: Ella Fitzgerald, 1958 - overall she won thirteen Grammies, sold over 40 million records, performed for 58 years.
American woman. • Oscar, Best Actress: Halle Berry, 2001 - for the film Monster’s Ball. • First President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Oscars): Cheryl Boone Isaacs, 2013 - elected for a oneyear term.
African-American Firsts: RADIO and TELEVISION • Woman television show host: Oprah Winfrey, 1986 - "AM Chicago" was renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show”.
African-American Firsts: SPORTS • Woman gold medalist (Summer games; individual): Alice Coachman, 1948 - leapt 5 feet 6 1/8 inches to set a new Olympic record for the high jump.
African-American Firsts: FILM and THEATRE • First Oscar winner: Hattie McDaniel, 1940 - for Best Supporting Actress for her role as “Mammy” in Gone With the Wind. • Tony Award Winner: Juanita Hall, 1950 - she was named Best Supporting Actress for her role in South Pacific. • Woman director for a major Hollywood Studio: Julie Dash, 1991 - Daughters of the Dust was the first nationally released feature-length film by an African-
Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open). • Olympic medalist (Winter games): Debi Thomas, 1988 - the first African American woman to win a medal (Bronze) at the Winter Olympic Games.
• Olympic gold medalist (Winter games): Vonetta Flowers, 2002 won gold in the women's bobsled event at Salt Lake City.
African-American Firsts: RELIGION • Woman Bishop in the Episcopal (Anglican) Church: Barbara Harris, 1989 - first woman to be ordained in the worldwide Anglican Church. • Woman Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church: Vashti Murphy McKenzie, 2000 - in 2005 became the first woman to serve as Titular Head of the AME Church.
• Wimbledon tennis champion: Althea Gibson, 1957 - the first African American to win championships at Grand Slam tournaments (the Australian
32 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest - BLACK HISTORY MONTH
African-American Firsts: BUSINESS and LABOR • Forbes magazine billionaires list: Oprah Winfrey, 2003 - the first African American woman to become one.
• Woman commercial airline pilot: Jill Elaine Brown, 1978 - was hired by Texas International Airlines at the age of 28.
Teacher Association (PTA): Lois Jean White, 1995 - the first African American elected President of the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA).
African-American Firsts: OTHER • Licensed Pilot: Bessie Coleman, 1921 - became the first black women to gain an international permit to fly. • Flight Attendant: Ruth Carol Taylor, 1958 - for Mohawk Airlines.
• Miss America: Vanessa Williams, 1984 - the first African American woman to win the Miss America title. • •
• Explorer, North Pole: Barbara Hillary, 2007 - the first African American woman on record to reach both the North and South Poles.
• President of Girl Scouts, USA, Gloria Dean Randall Scott, 1975 - first African-American president of the Girl Scouts of America and the twelfth president of Bennett College.
• Miss USA: Carole Ann-Marie Gist, 1990 - first African American woman to win the Miss USA title. • President of the National League of Women Voters, Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, 1994 elected the first African American president of the National League of Women Voters. • President of the National Parent-
THIS SPACE IS FOR YOU!! www.blackpast.org/aah/101-africanamerican-firsts
33 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
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
37 ď&#x201A;ą March 2014 ď&#x201A;ą Black Business News ď&#x201A;ą www.blackbbusinessnews.net ď&#x201A;ą 1-323-291-7819
SERVING THE INDUSTRY and the TRADE PIPE - VALVES - FITTINGS - METALS - TOOLS PROCESS CONTROLS - INSTRUMENTATION - WATER WORKS
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ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED
Actress Lupita Nyong'o on the Red Carpet during the Oscars on March 2, 2014 in Hollywood, California. PHOTO | AFP
12 Years a Slave: Making History in Film Making with Our History By Linda Ware
T
he film “12 Years a Slave” is one of the most powerful motion pictures of all time in its box office success and overall integrity as a respectable representation of solid film making. It is a dramatic motion picture that has broken records in its global success in critical acclaim around the world with its unprecedented wins at this year’s Academy Awards, Golden Globes and Peoples’ Choice Awards winning top honors for Best Picture. The film brings to life the dramatic story of the autobiography of Solomon Northrup, a book that was originally published in 1853.
Actress Lupita Nyong'o accepts the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role award for '12 Years a Slave'. PHOTO | AFP
40 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Entertainment The film brings to life on the silver screen the story of Northrup, born as an free African American who lived in upstate New York during pre-civil war America. The film portrays the dramatic story of how Northrup was captured and forced into slavery in the American South. The film takes the position to focus on a different perspective of slavery as an institution in African American history …different that previous films on slavery of the past. “12 Years a Slave” shows the drastic difference between the two worlds of the free North and the slave driven South during America’s peak time of engagement in the slave labor system. British Grenadian film director, Steve McQueen, partnered with African American screenwriter John Ridley to create the script of this historical film setting the stage for a production that would change the face of the movie industry as a whole. With its solid cast line up see Oscar Winners on page 42
Steve McQueen accepts the Oscar for Best Picture for “12 Years a Slave” at the 86th Academy Awards. John Ridley accepts the Oscar for adapted screenplay for “12 Years a Slave” at the 86th Academy Awards. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholsony
41 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Entertainment
Oscar Winners from page 41
including Lupita NYong’o and Brad Pitt, the film awakens America and the world to the stark reality of the slave labor system from the point of view of a freeman. British Nigerian Actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor, portrays the lead role of Northrup as the story weaves the story of his life as a family man living in upstate New York. He was kidnapped from his home in Saratoga, New York by slave poachers and taken against his will to Louisiana where he was sold into slavery for the price of $650.00. Ejiofor brings to life the character of Northrup in a poignant acting performance as he walked from freedom into a life of forced slavery picking cotton for over 12 years of his life. In the film, Brad Pitt portrays a Canadian who assisted Ejiofor to regain his freedom. “12 Years a Slave” is monumental as a film production that is both engaging and historical in its presentation. The top honors that this unprecedented film has received are remarkable in terms of its widespread global accolades. “12 Years a Slave” received the top award of the evening at this year’s Academy Awards, winning the Best Picture Award as it competed amongst a list of some of the top selling films of the top film studios in Hollywood. Steve McQueen, a British film director, is notably recognized as the first African American film maker to win an Academy Award for Best Motion Picture of the year. Lupita Nyong’o walked across the stage to pick up her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Patsey, a slave who worked alongside Northrup played by Ejiofor. John Ridley proudly held
Top to Bottom: Barkhad Abdi as Somali Pirate leader in "Captain Phillips" Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northrup in "12 Years a Slave" Pherrel Williams performes his Best Original Song Academy Award nominated hit “Happy” from the movie "Despicable Me 2".
see Oscar Winners on page 44 42 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Co-producer Brad Pitt accepting Academy Award for Best Picture for "12 Years a Slave"
On the Oscar's Red Carpet nominees (l-r) Chiwetel Ejiofor, Best Actor (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images), Pherrell Williams, Best Original Song, and Barkhad Abdi, Best Supporting Actor
43 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Entertainment
Oscar Winners from page 42
his Oscar up high in the air for Best Screenplay. Northrup was sold into slavery for $650. The film that brought to life his biography has earned over $171 million in box office revenues around the world. The film’s destiny in success was predicted several centuries ago connected to the original memoir penned by Northrup himself upon his return to freedom. After selling 30,000 copies in the 1800s, a newspaper is quoted to say this about Northrup’s story: "A full story of his life and sufferings on the Cotton plantation….It will be read widely." “12 Years a Slave” is the guarantor that this African American biography will be both read and seen for years to come.
Winners at the 86th Academy Awards: • Best picture: Steve McQueen, Director, "12 Years a Slave" • Best actor: Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club" • Best actress: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine" • Best supporting actor: Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club" • Best supporting actress: Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years a Slave" • Best director: Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity" • Best original screenplay: Spike Jonze, "Her" • Best adapted screenplay: John Ridley, "12 Years a Slave" • Best foreign language film: "The Great Beauty" (Italy) • Best animated feature: "Frozen" • Best original song: "Let It Go" from "Frozen," music and lyrics
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. Photo By MIKE BLAKE/REUTERS
• • • • • • • • •
by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez Best original score: Steven Price, "Gravity" Best visual effects: "Gravity" Best film editing: "Gravity" Best cinematography: "Gravity" Best sound mixing: "Gravity" Best sound editing: "Gravity" Best costume design: "The Great Gatsby" Best production design: "The Great Gatsby" Best make-up and hairstyling: "Dallas Buyers Club"
• Best animated short film: "Mr. Hublot" • Best live action short film: "Helium" • Best documentary feature: "20 Feet from Stardom" • Best documentary short: "The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life".
Cheryl Boone Isaacs: The New Face of the Oscars in Leadership and Vision by Linda Ware
44 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Entertainment
Academy Museum, scheduled to open in 2017
During the summer of 2013 Cheryl Boone Isaacs became the first African American executive in Hollywood to be named as President of the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts, and Sciences in Hollywood. As an African American female executive, she began her journey towards Hollywood’s most prestigious position starting in her university years as she pursued an education in her interests of film and political science. When she arrived in Hollywood, she secured a job with Columbia Pictures. Her first job involved promoting one of the film industry’s classic science fiction films, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. Isaac's reputation in creating out of the box, effective film promotional strategies with top film companies including New Line Cinema and Paramount Pictures gave her the solid track record and credibility of an outstanding talent in her field. Some of her most notable promotional campaigns include “Braveheart” and “Forrest Gump” with both movies earning top Oscars.
Over 20 years ago, she became an official member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences by recommendation of an associate member. Isaacs found herself soon moving up the ranks becoming a Governor for over 20 years where she worked to oversee the Public Relations department of the Global Motion Picture Guild. One of the first tasks that she focused upon related to finding a way to increase membership enrollment. With a majority white male membership limited in capacity, she successfully removed the cap on the amount of members allowed to join. In opening the capacity opportunities for memberships, Isaacs sent invitations to over 400 people to apply for membership from all age groups. This move was unprecedented for the Academy and a pioneering move for Isaacs from her start at the helm of her presidential position in office. Among her top priorities during her service in office, Isaacs will oversee the construction of the Academy Museum and she will fulfill her committment to expanding the diversity of the Academy’s
acknowledgment of outstanding professionals in the field of motion pictures. From lead actors, to directors to producers and screenplay writers, the nominee landscape of the 2014 Oscars reflected her leadership presence with a racially diverse array of people walking the stage to pick up the highly esteemed Oscar in various categories of achievement. The Best Picture this year went to "12 Years a Slave", a film that also garnered Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o and Best Screenplay for John Ridley. Three of top Oscars were awarded to British African hopefuls which transformed the perception of the show in the minds of global viewers front around the world. As Isaacs continues her leadership role at the helm of the Academy, her objective is to continue the opportunities for diversity recognition that will continue to emerge for qualified writers, producers and actors in turn changing the face of the Oscars as a multicultural platform for acknowledgment for film achievement.
45 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
BBN Show Biz Buzz By Linda Ware
in her new TV series, “How to Get Away with Murder”. The show is coined as a dramatic thriller in show format. “Think Like A Man Too” opens in theaters on June 20th and stars Regina Hall and Kevin Hart. Sources say that Neo Soul songstress, Jill Scott, is coming on board as a mentor on NBC’s “The Voice”.
TV Host, film actor and comedian, Arsenio Hall, has announced that his late night talk show, "The Arsenio Hall Show" has been renewed for season two by CBS television network. NBC’s Tamron Hall has landed the new morning anchor position on NBC’s "Today Show". She will also
continue to host "News Nation" on MSNBC which airs at 11am. Tyler Perry has just released his latest film to theaters across America,"Single Mom's Club", starring Nia Long and Tyler Perry.
Viola Davis
Producer Shonda Rhimes has vetted Actress Viola Davis to star Tamron Hall
Regina Hall HBO is extending Niecy Nash’s show, "Getting On", for season two. At the same time, Nash costars with Cedric The Entertainer in "Soul Man" airing on TV Land network.
46 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Single Mom's Club
Spike Lee is creating a new sequel to "School Daze". He is currently w o r k i n g to secure Jill Scott Laurence Fishburne to return to the modernized film in his popular role of “Dap” Dunlap.
Terrence Howard
Babyface and Toni Braxton are in rehearsals for the Spring Broadway production of “After Midnight”, produced by Jazz great, Wynton Marsalis.
Laurence Fishburn
Harold Perrineau and Terrence Howard co-star with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the spring film release, "Sabotage", which is set for its premiere on April 14th.
Niecy Nash
47 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
A
s March is Women’s History Month, Black Business News salutes one of the most outstanding women of excellence as a globally successful entrepreneur, pioneer television host, film actress and publisher, Ms. Oprah Winfrey. Oprah Winfrey is a woman of vision, who has broken barriers for women around the world which started with her captivating presence on television. Oprah's success came from her natural ability to listen with compassion to her guests on her flagship series, "The Oprah Winfrey Show". Oprah became the first African American female television host of a nationally syndicated daytime talk show. As a result of syndication, her popularity grew along with her income. Ms. Winfrey reigned as the Queen of Daytime Television for over 23 consecutive seasons, hosting her number one rated program with people from all walks of life. Mainstream Americans, as well as authors, celebrities and athletes competed to sit on the couch of her nationally syndicated Emmy Award winning talk show. She delved into topics that were of value to average Americans, but, overlooked by conventional media. The Oprah Winfrey Show received 48 Daytime Emmy Awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award during its run on the ABC television network. Oprah Winfrey defined and pioneered Daytime Talk TV to global success. Yet, she is more than a Talk Show host. In her debut
Oprah Winfrey: An African American Icon in Business and Achievement By Linda Ware as an actress, in the role of Sofia, in the classic feature film, “The Color Purple”, directed by Steven Spielberg, alongside the acclaimed Danny Glover and Whoopi Goldberg, she received rave reviews. Her dialogue in this film is recited by her fans worldwide. Most recently, Winfrey costarred with Forest Whitaker in the feature film, “The Butler” where she played the role of the cynical wife of Whitaker. Directed by Lee Daniels, Winfrey’s performance has been cheered as outstanding, charismatic, and groundbreaking by some of the industry’s top film critics. Unlike many actors who
work only in front of the camera, Winfrey possesses the creativity and business savvy to control her destiny as a film actress. As CEO, of Harpo Productions, Winfrey has expanded her brand in communication by publishing “O, The Oprah Magazine”, which maintains progressive editorial content that has positioned the magazine as one of America's leading periodicals in today’s market. She created the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) on cable television. Although the network went through many challenges and obstacles at its start, Winfrey managed to keep
48 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Oprah Winfrey with First Lady Michelle Obama it afloat. Enlisting Tyler Perry as a partner in some of its programming, OWN is now considered one of the best cable networks, with some of the most progressive programming on television. Winfrey’s philanthropic work speaks to the core of who she is. She is a passionate philanthropist who has given a considerable amount
across the globe. Because of her knowledge of the value of education, she has given extensively to the education of many underprivileged youth. Winfrey is known as the matriarch of the girls who attend the school she founded, “Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls” in South Africa. Winfrey’s noble grace in managing
all of her business and creative roles represents the essence of an African American woman who is driven by her inner vision and hope in the future. Black Business News is once again pleased to salute this phenomenal woman. BBA encourages its readers to support OWN by including it in their cable viewing.
Quote of Note... “No nation is perfect. But here in America, we confront our imperfections and face a sometimes painful past, including the truth that some of these soldiers fought and died for a country that did not always see them as equal.” President Barack H. Obama These awardees were previously overlooked for the Medal of Honor due to their racial or ethnic backgrounds. The awards ceremony follows a 12-year Pentagon review, ordered by Congress, of past discrimination in the military.
Staff Sgt. Melvin Morris is awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama
49 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Editorial
NAACP Spends Lion’s Share of Image Award Ad Budget with Non-Black Media By Natalie Cole, Our Weekly
T
he primary and most trustworthy source of news and information to Black Americans has been and continues to rest in the bosom of the Black press. So why is it that in the year of our Lord 2014—during Black History Month no less—the NAACP needs to be reminded that the Black press is interested in the
at Harvard University. His so ads with the Black media this leadership and record speak for year, totaling approximately $40K… what just happened? themselves. The big 58-page book that was Two years ago, the NAACP ran zero dollars with the Black inserted in my LA Times this week press for the Image Awards. Ben would cost about $50K or more just Jealous, a former staff member for the Black press, had recently assumed the helm at NAACP. He informed the Board of Directors of National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) that they had made an oversight in not supporting the Black press in ad dollars to promote their event. He also stated that he thought that the Black press had been given the buy and that their agency had erred and that it would not happen again. All dollars Geeorge that year were spent in non-Black Washington media. Many Black publishers Carver even reported that they had been denied media clearance to cover the event…what could the NAACP a few years ago. be thinking? Do you think that such disrespect According to NNPA publishers, the could have happened on DuBois’ NAACP ran approximately seven or watch and he not address it?
“Advancement of Colored People” too, everyday?
Why You Are Clueless Without the Black Press
What Would W.E.B. DuBois Do?
We put our pen to paper regarding the horrific injustice of slavery; we followed and recorded the Great Depression and the subsequent great migration; with the stroke of our pens, we called to action many of our great leaders and helped to incite the Civil Rights Movement and we kept documenting. We lambasted Jim Crow-ism and embarrassed our government into actionable legislation to ensure
It is such an insult that the NAACP would disrespect the Black press regarding ad buys that it’s almost too shameful to write about, but I had to, it’s what we do. W.E.B. DuBois, Ph.D. (18681963), was one of the founders and editor of the NAACP’s magazine, Crisis, which first published in November 1910. He was educated
W.E.B. DuBois, Ph.D.
52 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Editorial
us equal rights in cases such as Brown v. Board of Education, and three years after its passage, we recorded the Little Rock Nine breaking down barriers that persisted nonetheless. We were in Birmingham following the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which took the lives of four little girls and though we wept, we continued to write. We were there to cover our discoveries and inventions from George Washington Carver, who invented more than 300 peanut products, or Madame C.J. Walker and her specialized hair care products, to lesser recognized inventors like Otis Boykin, who invented electronic control devices for guided missiles, IBM computers and pacemakers. We were
there when R o s a P a r k s refused to relinquish her paid seat on the bus and we closely followed the boycott t h a t ensued afterward. Rosa Parks We took to with Rev. Martin the streets Luther King, Jr. during the race riots throughout the country covering more memorials and funerals than we would like to remember. We were in the bleachers as Jackie Robinson hit homeruns into history. We were there for our Black entertainers, giving them a space when others would not. We pushed the word out to support the first Black president, Barack Obama; We cried for Trayvon Martin and his family, but we still showed up to do our business. We’ve traveled all across this country and abroad and wherever
Barack H. Obama, President, United States of America
there are Black people, there… right there with you is the Black Press. We are not here solely for the month of February, we are here daily, year-round to review, cover, talk about, and write about news and information that is important to you. In some regards, you can compare us to the World Wide Web. When you need to know about a particular subject, many of you “google it” and what you get back is a vertical list of postings specific to your searching. Similarly, with the Black Press, when you pick up a Black newspaper, its all about Black, our people, culture, communities, education, entertainment, challenges, successes, etc. What would have happened if we had not been there? What will happen if we are not there tomorrow? Please don’t say you miss us as we close our doors. We need you to support us! If you and the NAACPs across the country are planning to run an ad schedules, you should consider placement into a Black-owned media company. Stop taking us for granted! http://ourweekly.com/news/2014/ feb/27/naacp-spends-lionsshare-image-award-ad-budgetnon/?page=1
53 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Largest Minority and Woman-Owned Construction Contract in Denver's History Awarded By Terri Dixon, Senior Account Executive LaGrant Communications
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urgess Services recently announced the company was awarded a $39.6 million contract for the mechanical construction of the Denver International Airport’s (DIA) Hotel and Transit Center Program. The contract is the single largest contract ever awarded to a minority or woman-owned enterprise in Denver’s history. Burgess Services is a Denverbased construction management, quality assurance/quality control, commissioning and value engineering firm. The company has worked on numerous construction projects, including the Denver Justice Center, Denver’s Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building, United States Southern Command and DIA. Awarded by MHS (Tri-Venture of Mortenson, Hunt, Saunders), 100% of the contract will go to Burgess Services, who will then subcontract to several other firms. Contracted by DIA, MHS is the prime construction manager/ general contractor for the Hotel and Transit Center Program. Burgess Services originally contracted to MHS for design assist, which provides constructability reviews, estimating and coordination prior to actual construction. “Burgess Services is excited to be part of the Hotel and Transit Center Program. Having worked with DIA in the past, we look forward
Burgess Services President and General Manager Denise Burgess and Denver M launch of the Denver International Airport Hotel and Transit Center Program.
54 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Mayor Michael Hancock at the
to working alongside DIA, MHS and other contractors to help make the Hotel and Transit Center Program a model for other airports around the country,” said Burgess Services President and General Manager Denise Burgess. Burgess’ late father, Clyde J. Burgess, founded Burgess Services as Burgess Heating and Air Conditioning. After a successful career in the communications industry in Southern California, Burgess joined the family business in 2001. She went on to later transform her family’s successful heating and air conditioning business into the multi-million dollar construction services firm it is today. Burgess attributes her success in
business to hard work, tenacity and an inherited entrepreneurial spirit from her late father.
About Burgess Services, Inc. Burgess Services, Inc. is a Denver-based construction management, quality assurance/ quality control, commissioning and value engineering firm. The year 2014 marks 40 years of maintaining a strong reputation in the highest standards in workmanship and quality control within the construction and engineering industry. To learn more about Burgess Services, Inc., visit www.burgessservices.com. www.lagrantcommunications.com www.burgessservices.com
55 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Merchant and Financial Trade Associations Announce Cyberseurity Partnership
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eading trade associations representing the merchant and financial services industries have announced a new cybersecurity partnership that will focus on exploring paths to increased information sharing, better card security technology, and maintaining the trust of customers. Discussion regarding the partnership was initiated by the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and the Financial Services Roundtable (FSR), joined by the American Bankers Association (ABA), the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), The Clearing House (TCH), the Consumer Bankers Association (CBA), the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the National Associations of Convenience Stores (NACS), the National Grocers Association
(NGA), the National Restaurant Association (NRA), and the National Retail Federation (NRF). “We are committed to working together to ensure customer personal and financial information is secure and protected,” said Tim Pawlenty, CEO of FSR. “Exploring avenues for increased information sharing and collaborating on innovative technologies and safeguarding data will be critical in defending against common enemies.” “Retailers place extraordinarily high priority on protecting customers’ personal information,” said Sandy Kennedy, President of RILA. “This partnership will improve collaboration across the payments ecosystem allowing us to work together to develop near- and longterm solutions that will enhance security for our customers.” “Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, and recent
events underscore the urgency to update the payments system and protect customers against recent and future threats,” said James Aramanda, President and CEO of The Clearing House Association and Payments Company. “Customers deserve a proactive approach – like the Secure Cloud tokenization initiative to protect consumer credentials that The Clearing House and its Owner Banks have undertaken – by banks and retailers alike to address these real and evolving threats. This cyber partnership is consistent with such an approach and marks an important step to provide for collaboration, continued innovation, and dynamism among all the relevant stakeholders to ensure that customer data will be safeguarded.” "The U.S. hotel industry is committed to protecting the confidential data of our customers," said Katherine Lugar, President & CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. “We look forward to working with merchant and financial groups to advance measures to further enhance data security.” “Customers are counting on everyone to keep their data safe and secure. It’s critical to recognize that the real enemy here is the hacker,” said Richard Hunt, President and CEO of CBA. “Everyone, from the smallest to the largest businesses, has an interest in keeping our customers’ payment data secure,” said Henry Armour, President and CEO of NACS. “Working collaboratively across industries to find ways to thwart data thieves is the best approach to protecting customers’ information.” www.ahla.com/pressrelease. aspx?id=36092
56 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Google Unveils Smartphones that View the World in 3D by Charlie Osborne
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oogle has taken the lid off Project Tango, research designed to make our mobile devices function in 3D. The tech giant's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) team has produced a smartphone prototype which utilizes a vision processor chip capable of bringing 3D motion tracking to mobile devices. The goal of Project Tango (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Qe10ExwzCqk) is to "give mobile devices a humanscale understanding of space and motion." In other words, these devices will be aware of their environment and function in three-dimensional space. The hardware is able to make 250,000 3D measurements per second, therefore creating a real-time 3D map of its surroundings.
Project Tango's application in future technology could be endless. For example, • a smartphone could give the visually impaired auditory cues related to their surroundings,
• GPS maps could be revolutionized, and • future games could be created based on a scan of the physical realm. Johnny Lee, leader of the Tango team, said: "Over the past year, our team has been working with universities, research labs, and industrial partners spanning nine countries around the world to harvest research from the last decade of work in robotics and computer vision, concentrating that technology into a unique mobile phone. Now, we're ready to put early prototypes into the hands of
developers that can imagine the possibilities and help bring those ideas into reality." (g.o/projecttango) Dev kits are being handed out this March to parties interested in creating applications for the device. Google suggests that indoor and outdoor mapping, as well as games which use physical space, could be hot topics to pursue. The ATAP team is a spin-off research lab that Google decided to hang on to when it sold Motorola to Lenovo. www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/ google-unveils-project-tangosmartphones-that-view-the-world-in3d/?tag=nl.e660&s_cid=e660&ttag=e6 60&ftag=TRE4eb29b5
57 March 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
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http://trayvonmartinfoundation.org 58 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT) and WEConnect International Collaborate
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etworking, contacts and education for women business owners around the world will be strengthened as a result of an agreement signed in Washington, DC, by the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT) and WEConnect International. Both organizations pursue activities that build economic parity and increase business opportunities for women. Started in 1989, OWIT is dedicated to advancing global trade opportunities for businesswomen through its educational opportunities, global membership and 25 chapters worldwide. With a presence in 15 countries and self-registered businesses in over 50 countries, WEConnect International is connecting certified women’s business enterprises to multinational corporations inside a newly launched eNetwork: Global Directory of Women-Owned Businesses. OWIT and WEConnect International will collaborate, initially for one year, to open up certification, membership, training and education to their respective memberships, according to a Memorandum of Understanding signed by both Presidents. “This is an exciting development since OWIT and WEConnect International are such complementary organizations,” says Angela Marshall Hofmann, President of OWIT International and VP Global Integrated Sourcing and Trade, with Walmart. “It gives
OWIT the opportunity to tap into contacts and resources in countries w h e r e WEConnect International already has a presence and vice versa.” Under the agreement, OWIT will help identify women business owners who would be suitable for WEConnect International certification, and WEConnect International will help identify businesses suitable for OWIT membership. They will also provide educational webinars on international trade-related topics and on certification. “By working together, we can leverage our capabilities to provide growth-oriented women business owners around the world with more networks and resources to expand in the global marketplace,” adds Elizabeth Vazquez, CEO and Co-Founder of WEConnect International. “This will increase their participation in international trade and boost their economic contributions and empowerment.”
About OWIT The Organization of Women in International Trade (http://www. owit.org) is a non-profit professional organization dedicated to advancing global trade opportunities for women by providing networking
and educational opportunities. It has 25 active chapters worldwide and over 2,000 members, including entrepreneurs, executives, government representatives and service providers.
About WEConnect International WEConnect International (http:// www.WEConnectInternational.org) is a corporate-led non-profit that helps build sustainable communities by empowering women business owners to succeed in local and global markets. Since 2009, it has provided business education, certification, and business connections to companies based outside the United States that are at least 51% owned, managed and controlled by one or more women. WEConnect International corporate members represent $700 billion in annual purchasing power and are true pioneers in inclusive sourcing and global supplier development. www.prweb.com/releases/2013/6/ prweb10801144.htm
60 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Silicon Valley Bank and MasterCard Introduce a Commerce Accelerator Program for Startups Second Round Applications Begin in June 2014
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ilicon Valley Bank (www. svb.com), financial partner to the global innovation economy, and MasterCard (www.mastercard.com) introduce Commerce.Innovated.™, a customized commerce accelerator program that will help a select group of commerce focused startups access operational and technology expertise to effectively advance their go-to-market commerce platforms. Established by experts in the global payments industry, Commerce. Innovated. is a four-month program for four to six startups. The program is custom designed for each startup to address key operational and technology challenges by working with subject matter experts across the commerce space. Early stage companies that meet the following criteria may apply by February 21, 2014: • Innovative commerce focused solutions • Pre-series A, seed round secured • Live with beta product • Path to revenue defined • Core team established “This program is consistent with our core mission, to increase the probability of our clients’
success,” said Bruce Wallace, Chief Operations Officer of Silicon Valley Bank. “We want to provide focused operational knowledge and connections to help commerce startups overcome operational and infrastructure challenges, so we mobilized our team to create a program that will help them get their commerce platforms to market quickly.” “Having run a startup that partnered with MasterCard in the past, I know first-hand the very tangible value that can come from an opportunity like this. Startups can leverage the deep domain expertise that a company like MasterCard can share. In return, larger companies benefit from the experience of working and thinking like a startup to help challenge the ‘usual’ way of doing things within an established organization,” said Garry Lyons, Chief Innovation Officer for MasterCard. Commerce.Innovated. ™ will run two classes in 2014 for four to six companies per class. The first class will begin in April and run through July. Applications for the second class will begin in June. There is no fee to apply or participate. More information on the program and the online application
are available at: www. commerceinnovated. com.
About Silicon Valley Bank Banking the world's most innovative companies and exclusive wineries, SVB's diverse financial services, knowledge, global network, and world class service increase our clients' probability of success. With $26 billion in assets and more than 1,700 employees, we provide commercial, international and private banking through 34 locations worldwide. Forbes Magazine ranks us among America's Best Banks and Fortune considered SVB one of the best places to work. (Nasdaq: SIVB) www.svb.com. Silicon Valley Bank is the California bank subsidiary and the commercial banking operation of SVB Financial Group. Banking services are provided by Silicon Valley Bank, a member of the FDIC and the Federal Reserve System. SVB Financial Group is a member of the Federal Reserve System.
About MasterCard MasterCard (NYSE: MA), www. mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Cashless Pioneers Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.
61 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Grow With
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62 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
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Business
4 Reasons Why Apple’s iBeacon is About to Disrupt Interaction By Kyle VanHemert Design
Y
ou step inside Walmart and your shopping list is transformed into a personalized map, showing you the deals that’ll appeal to you most. You pause in front of a concert poster on the street, pull out your phone, and you’re greeted with an option to buy tickets with a single tap. You go to your local watering hole, have a round of drinks, and just leave, having paid—and tipped!—with Uber-like ease. Welcome to the world of iBeacon. It sounds absurd, but it’s true: one of the most exciting things going on in consumer technology
is Bluetooth. Today we have Bluetooth Low Energy (www. bluetooth.com/Pages/BluetoothSmart.aspx) with new protocols for ambient, continuous, low-power connectivity. It’s quickly becoming big deal. Why? Because it means we’re finally at a place where gadgets can talk to each other wirelessly without demanding that we, the users, make the arrangements at every encounter. It means we’re
entering a world where our phones won’t just be in continuous contact with satellites and cell towers—but also potentially with our laptops, our TVs, and the high-tech bangles on our wrists. It’s a step closer to our gear existing in a truly intelligent ecosystem. And yet, gadgets talking to other gadgets is only part of the allure. Even more novel is the promise of letting our devices talk to the world around us, whether we’re in a bar, a bookstore, or a ballpark. That’s precisely the future Apple is quietly laying the tracks for with a little-known iOS 7 feature called iBeacon. Strictly speaking, iBeacon is a protocol that lets developers harness the latest Bluetooth Low Energy technology in their apps. Effectively, anything that has the latest version of Bluetooth can function as an iBeacon. In some cases, that can mean a smartphone. Google recently jumped on the Bluetooth LE train, baking it into Android 4.3. Apple has been building it into their devices since the iPhone 4, meaning that every iPhone from the last two years is essentially an iBeacon in itself. More exciting, though, are standalone iBeacons: low-cost gizmos that continually beam out a Bluetooth signal, running for up to a year on a small watch battery. These are the types of transmitters that will open the physical world to our digital devices. The barista at your local coffee shop may already know your face, but with an iBeacon
stuck to its front window, that coffee shop will be able to know your smartphone, too. Where does that leave us? We’re already starting to see hints of the possibilities, and only a handful of them involve coupons.
1. Tying Digital Content to the Physical World The most obvious application for iBeacon is tying digital information to physical places. When Apple first presented iBeacon to developers at their WWDC conference this summer, they used the example of an art museum. Instead of punching a three-digit number into a handheld tour guide, you could walk up to a painting, pull out your iPhone, and find additional information on the artwork right there waiting for you. That’s neat if you like art museums. But undergirding that use case are several of the things that make iBeacon and Bluetooth LE so powerful. For one, the technology can pinpoint you–indoors or out– with an astonishing degree of accuracy. Multiple beacons can triangulate your position at distances anywhere from 100 feet down to just a few inches, heralding a new era of digital experiences based on “microlocation.” That ability to triangulate means museums won’t need to stick beacons next to every
64 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business painting, they’d just need to put a handful in every room. The other aspect the museum example illustrates is the passive nature of iBeacon. The protocol is designed so that all the triangulating happens constantly and quietly in the background. When you pull out your phone, the right content is there waiting for you. This immediacy is one big advantage Bluetooth now has over clunky predecessors like NFC and QR codes. The potential for location-based content is huge, and it could take many forms. The Bar Kick pub in London is already taking a novel approach. Everyone sitting inside the bar will find the most recent digital editions of two popular magazines ready to read in their device’s Newsstand app, free of charge. Yes, iBeacon could spell the end of paging through germy old issues of People magazine before your doctor’s appointment. It’s easy to imagine other variations on the theme. Digital geocaches could let you drop animated GIFs at obscure hiding spots throughout your city. Intersections could become invisible tour stops augmented with local lore. Citi Field, home of the Mets, is already experimenting with embedded videos, dynamic hot dog coupons, and straight-to-yourseat navigation—the augmented ballpark of the future, all built on iBeacon.
typing in a Wi-Fi password with the Apple TV’s finicky remote. The latest Apple TV software brought a fantastically clever workaround. You just tap your iPhone to the Apple TV itself, and it passes your Wi-Fi and iTunes (www.apple.com/ itunes) credentials over and sets everything up instantaneously. This admittedly is a narrow inconvenience, but the idea here is an important one. Using physical proximity to intelligently pass data between devices will make our lives easier in innumerable ways. In combination with new types of authentication like TouchID (www. imore.com/touch-id), constant device-to-device chatter is a vital step towards a future where your digital identity—all yours accounts, services, files and preferences— are tied inextricably to you, instead of being scattered around the cloud, hidden behind myriad logins. That could mean something as simple as your car adjusting the seat and mirrors depending on whether you, your spouse, or your kid plunks down in the drivers seat. But it could be far more complex. Imagine this: You sit down at any computer in the world, put your thumb on your iPhone’s fingerprint reader, and instantly that computer becomes your machine. Your desktop, your settings, your files. It’s like Dropbox turned up to eleven. It’s also something for which Apple holds a patent.
2. Seamless Setup for All Your Gadgets
3. Retail 2.0
Giving devices real world awareness doesn’t just herald new interactions. It could be used to smooth out old ones, too. Why type in a password when your person will suffice? Apple’s already using the latest version of Bluetooth to eliminate one of the most singularly frustrating experiences in consumer technology today:
So far, the most frenzied activity surrounding iBeacon has been in the world of retail, where there’s potential for shops big and small. At one end, you have big name retailers who are eager to push retail into the future with highly tailored digital experiences. Macy’s is already installing iBeacons in their New York City and San Francisco stores with the help of an outfit called Shopkick (shopkick.
com). Walking into one of those locations will automatically surface the Shopkick app, which can make specialized offers to customers depending on where they are in the store. Apple flipped the switch on iBeacons in its own retail stores last week. Estimote Beacons (http:// estimote.com) is another startup already pursuing the standalone
iBeacon with an aim of transforming retail. That’s just the beginning, though. Retailers are already talking about things like in-store navigation and dynamic pricing, all made possible by beacon-enhanced retail locations. For independent
65 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
see iBeacon on page 66
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iBeacon from page 65
shops, iBeacon is a chance to jump into the smartphone era with one fell swoop. A $100 beacon is all it takes for even the mustiest book store to track customers, make recommendations, and offer discounts to customers’ pockets. The other area of activity here is in payments. Paypal’s already showing off its own “Beacon,” a USB device that will interface with the Paypal app to let users make totally hands-free transactions. The problem of digital wallets is a tricky one, but the technology is finally starting to make sense. Three years ago, the future of digital wallets rested entirely with NFC. Today it seems like Bluetooth is the one poised to finally bring mobile payments to the mainstream. Supercharged retail will likely be the first exposure many have to the powers of iBeacon. It’s also in many ways one of its least exciting use cases. Apple’s own implementation doesn’t extend much beyond greeting you when you walk in the store and pinging you about upgrade availability when you pass by the iPhone section, both of which sound potentially more like interruptions than delightful touches of Apple magic. In other words, businesses will have to be careful not to inundate us with crap, lest they kill the future of retail before it arrives.
4. A New Level of Peer-toPeer Smarts More exciting than turbocharged coupons, however, are the new types of applications that Bluetooth LE could engender. Apps have long had access to location data via GPS, but pinging satellites is a big drain on precious battery life. Just consider how quickly your charge evaporates when you’re using Google Maps. iBeacon
gives applications a new way to orient themselves in the real world, continuously, without evaporating your charge (new geofencing APIs give apps other new, batteryfriendly ways to track). When you combine this with the fact that every recent iPhone—and many new Android devices—can function as iBeacons themselves, you can envision all sorts of exciting peer-to-peer interactions. Imagine a hook-up app like Tinder (www. gotinder.com) for the bar you’re in, with Bluetooth facilitating the flirting before you even say hello. (Gross, I know, but is there any doubt that someone will get millions in VC funding for this?) More wholesomely, think of games that let you challenge people waiting at your airport gate. Or spontaneous messaging based
on your real-world location—an update of the old anonymous AOL chat rooms organized not by topic but by wherever you happen to be standing. Some of these use cases can flourish today. There are already nearly 200 million iBeacons in the wild in the form of the phones in our pockets. A handful of startups are aggressively pursuing the standalone iBeacon; deployment will follow soon. These devices are already cheap, ranging anywhere from $40 to $100 a piece. In a few years, they’ll be considerably cheaper. They’re currently small enough to house in paper weight-size enclosures; someday they could be small enough to sew into a jacket or build into the sole of a shoe. They can already survive for a year on a coin cell battery, but life expectancy could expand too. Earlier this year, Apple acquired a company called Passif, one of whose most valuable assets was a technology that charged low-power sensors ambiently using nothing more than the radio waves already saturating the air. Conceivably, Apple could someday sell their own dirt cheap iBeacons that charge themselves indefinitely. This emerging, invisible infrastructure will give designers an entirely new technological frontier to explore. There are obstacles. Developers will have to deal with thorny privacy issues, for one, and corporations will have to resist the urge to bombard us with new hyperlocalized notifications with our every step. But there’s huge potential for Bluetooth LE and iBeacon. They represent a chance to teach our old gadgets some truly new tricks. www.wired.com/design/2013/12/4use-cases-for-ibeacon-the-mostexciting-tech-you-havent-heard-of
66 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
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Warning!! Major Bitcoin "Bank" Goes Dark, Loses $409M by Cameron Keng Black Business News Editor's Note: This edited article is presented in an effort to balance past articles in the Black Business News describing the Bitcoin digital currency system.
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t. Gox, the most public and well-known brand that represented Bitcoin’s exchange market, shutdown overnight. The closing is rumored to be caused by a “hack” or “security breach” that resulted in a loss up to 744,000 BTC or $409,200,000. (Based on the approximate value from Coindesk.com) This is truly an unfortunate event that has caused the international community to shake its trust in Bitcoin as evidenced by the massive price drop. Mt. Gox is not the only company to face these problems. Companies such as MyBitcion lost 154,406 Bitcoins (Today worth $84,923,300) in an attack in 2011 and Bitcoinica lost 43,554 (Today worth $23,954,700) in an attack in 2012. There have been a multitude of these incidents. Over one million people were Mt. Gox customers and they need to know what their immediate options are to deal with their financial losses. First, it’s important to understand that Mt. Gox is not a bank and it does not protect its users with a system similar to the FDIC or Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This means that there isn’t a neutral third-party protecting the money held at Mt.
Gox. The FDIC provides insurance up to $250,000 on deposits in bank accounts to help assure us that our money won’t evaporate, if the bank shuts down like Mt. Gox. Mt. Gox. could have provided the same service by purchasing a separate insurance policy on their BTC deposits. The insurance would’ve been on behalf of the one million users that have lost $409.2 million overnight. Unfortunately, Mt. Gox does not provide insurance or any assurances for a user’s account. Thus, they’re left in the wind – cold and unprotected. The single silver lining here is that Americans that fell in this disaster will at least be able to use their losses to help lower their tax burdens because bitcoins are classified as assets. United States tax law allows capital gain losses to
be rolled forward without a statute of limitation. Thus, your Bitcoin losses will be deductible forever until you’ve used them all. This means that the $409.2 million is worth a potential $122.8 million in tax refunds. Mt. Gox’s failure may not be the end of Bitcoin. It is a single company failing in a large ecosystem. It is up to the Bitcoin community to determine whether this is a scrape they can recover from. www.forbes.com/sites/cameronkeng/2014/02/25/ bitcoins-mt-gox-shuts-down-loses-409200000dollars-recovery-steps-and-taking-your-taxlosses
T
he welcome new science show, Fox's "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey," hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson is a remake of and homage to Carl Sagan's beloved "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage," which aired over PBS in 1980 and a fascinating, fun place to be on Sunday evening's. The subject — everything that is and how it got that way — is obviously a big one, encompassing not only planets and stars and amoebas and people, but the lenses through which we've viewed it all. Most important, it celebrates scientific inquiry itself, which Tyson defines as "generations of searchers strictly adhering to a simple set of rules: test ideas by experiment and observation; build on those ideas that pass the test; reject the ones that fail; follow the evidence wherever it leads; and question everything."
67 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
TO RECEIVE COMPUTER Attend 3 Hour Boot Camp Monday – Friday 10am – 1pm 4pm – 7pm Saturday 11am – 2pm Locations: Vary – Call For Schedule Questions: Call (323)754-3116 or Email: info@laoic.org
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Support for Windows XP and Office 2003 Ends April 8, 2014 From the Tri-County Black Chamber of Commerce
Support for Windows XP is ending... Upgrade to the new Windows and boost productivity.
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e, at the Tri-County Black Chamber of Commerce, want to make sure all small business owners are aware of an important event happening next month. As of April 8, 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide technical assistance for Windows XP and Office 2003, including automatic updates that help protect your PC. According to Microsoft, more than 20% of small businesses are still using the XP platform, which Microsoft first introduced in 2001.
What does this mean for your business? • There will be no new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options, or online technical content updates. • Without critical security updates, PCs could become vulnerable to harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software which can steal or damage business
data and information. • Anti-virus software will not be able to fully protect PCs running Windows XP once the OS is no longer supported. • Businesses that continue to run Windows XP after support ends may be exposed to potential security threats, and may even risk breaching compliance standards depending on the industry in which they operate.
How do you stay protected? To stay protected after support ends April 8, you have two options: • Upgrade your current PC: Very few older computers will be able to run Windows 8.1, which is the latest version of Windows. You may want to download and run the Windows Upgrade Assistant (http://go.microsoft. com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=321548) to check if your PC meets the system requirements for Windows 8.1 and then follow the steps in the tutorial to upgrade if
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your PC is able. Get a new PC: If your current PC can't run Windows 8.1, it might be time to consider shopping for a new one. The average price of a PC is considerably less expensive than the average PC was 10 years ago. For more detailed information: Chat with a Microsoft representative about your questions: 1-800-385-2266, Visit Upgrade Tutorial (windows.microsoft.com/enus/windows-8/upgrade-fromwindows-vista-xp-tutorial) if you want to know more about moving from Windows XP to Windows 8.1, or Visit the Windows XP and Office 2013 end of support site at: www.microsoftbusinesshub.com/ get2modern#. houstonblackchamber@tcbcc.org
69 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
www.tcbcc.org
www.thesmallbusinessexpo.com/Small_Business_Expo.pdf ď ? 1-646-681-5867
Editorual
CFPB's Race Controversy: An Opportunity for Progress By Orson Aguilar
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n March 6,American Banker ( w w w. a m e r i c a n b a n k e r. com/issues/179_44/cfpbstaff-evaluations-show-sharpracial-disparities-1066045-1.html) published a controversial piece on Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) internal data pointing to racial disparities in employee performance evaluations and satisfaction surveys. The leaked data reportedly found people of color at the CFPB are less likely to receive high rankings on employee performance evaluations. The findings give real cause for concern, but they also present an historic opportunity for the whole financial services sector – not just CFPB and other federal regulatory agencies – to have a broad, healthy dialogue about the role of people of color in the financial sector and the need for diversity initiatives that
work in the real world. Because of this leaked data, we’re already seeing diversity enter into mainstream conversation and draw in some unlikely participants. GOP leaders like House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling – who has not previously made diversity a primary focal point – are now starting to ask questions about these issues. Of course, this is Washington and motives aren’t always pure. Some of the sudden interest is coming from members of Congress who never wanted a strong watchdog protecting financial consumers and who have now found a convenient weapon with which to attack an agency they never much liked. No matter. The discussion that’s been sparked can be productive. While sometimes painful, bringing these issues to light is a good thing. Racial disparities have long existed throughout the entire financial services sector. At The Greenlining Institute, we have been working on this exact issue for years, and have put a lot of thought into how organizations can infuse equity into their diversity policies and practices. We’ve created resources like the Racial Equity Framework to help agencies think proactively
and creatively about race and ethnicity in order to produce equitable outcomes and prevent the sort of disparities just reported. It’s not enough to think just in terms of compliance with antidiscrimination laws and reaction to problems. The financial services sector must start thinking proactively about diversity – what it
72 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Editorual the natural agents to carry out this vision. Financial regulatory agencies and Congress should take the following steps right away: • All agencies should conduct racial/ethnic impact studies of their employees, including: performance, satisfaction, retention, promotion, pay and placement within the agency. Transparency and granular reporting can identify agency blind spots to understanding issues within their workforce, and allow strategic planning to rectify any disparities. • Agency heads must lead the way in making diversity a priority. What
means in the real world and how it can strengthen both banks and the agencies that regulate them. Luckily, in the Dodd-Frank Act, Congress wisely created Offices of Minority and Women Inclusion for this specific purpose. The OMWIs, housed in the nation’s most powerful financial regulatory agencies, including the CFPB, are
gets measured gets done. When leaders care about diversity, it goes from being a “fringe topic” to one that all employees will buy into, becoming part of the organizational culture. Creating a culture of diversity and inclusion requires clear, consistent and visible commitment from agency leadership. Without this commitment, staffers have less of
an incentive to devote the extra time and resources necessary to making the workforce culture more inclusive. Leadership commitment also ensures that diversity policies are incorporated into all divisions and that these policies will actually be effective and enforced. • The OMWIs must lead the charge for diversity and inclusion, and Congress must support them. Every year the OMWIs release annual reports to Congress on the nature of diversity within the financial sector, but we haven’t seen much interest from Congress until now. In the past, Greenlining has called for key stakeholders to more substantively support the OMWIs and engage when they report to Congress. If Congress cares, the OMWIs will be better resourced to carry out their mission and promote inclusion for all. • Congress should establish a Joint Committee on Diversity. The Senate Banking Committee, House Financial Services Committee and members of the tri-ethnic caucuses should create a joint committee on diversity to track and hold financial agencies and companies accountable to workforce and supplier diversity standards. Our whole economy will be stronger if the financial industry and the agencies that regulate it reflect the full strength and diversity of American society. Everyone involved has just been handed an historic opportunity to get it done. We look forward to working with the CFPB leadership and all other financial regulatory agencies to ensure that this happens. www.americanbanker. com/bankthink/cfpbs-racecontroversy-an-opportunity-forprogress-1066117-1.html
73 March 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
76 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
77 February 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
FOR
Women's History
OR ANY SPECIAL OCCASION
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. //keepod.com Keepod is the first standardized bootable OS. The Keepod OS is stored on a simple USB device and is designed to jump between PCs so you can have your OS wherever you go. No need to be dependent in a specific computer anymore, you can run Keepod
from a USB drive on any PC. The Keepod technology was design to provide a smooth user experience eliminating the USB bottleneck. Keepod eliminates the need for personal computers by storing a person’s entire operating system on a USB drive that can be slipped into a pocket and carried with them. This technology has the potential to save lives, help the environment, and it’s just cool. It seems so simple and perhaps that is why it’s totally brilliant. Divorcing software from hardware means that old, “non-functioning” computers can be rescued from landfills, re-furbished, and transformed into totally functional systems. It means that people and organizations who could never dream of buying a $1,200 Mac can now utilize technology to run their lives and businesses more
efficiently, a potentially life-changing contribution. Through Keepod, the desktop experience can be customized, content, such as education or industry specific kits, can be installed and updates can be deployed quickly even in areas where there is no internet connectivity. For security, each time the OS is booted the user is requested to insert his credentials. The OS preboot is encrypted and protected by strong password policy. Benefits • Many people can securely share one computer. • Users do not have to carry valuable devices in unsafe regions. • No hard drive is needed. • No digital trace is left on the computer; user identity and data are protected. • Computer maintenance is reduced as well as related costs. • Main computer malfunctions are eliminated. • The computer uses less energy. • USB technology is low cost and easy to replace. In addition, the future establishment of local Keepod Community Hubs will provide local entrepreneurs the tools to develop new apps which are relevant for the local, special interest or global communities. Keepod’s mission is to overcome one of the world’s biggest inequalities: access to computers.
www.vidaao.com If you've looking for a fast and
easy way to produce cost-effective yet high quality video for your business or non-profit organization, try the Vidaao service. Vidaao recommends amazing video creatives for your project in less than 48 hours! You register with Vidaao (free to set up an account) and provide your project profile. Vidaao makes your project info available to their circle of creatives who will then bid on your project. You select the service provider you like the most and establish a contract. Vidaao provides project tracker software, script writing tools, video distribution assistance and funds management. You no longer have to wait to build a video production division for your small business. Vidaao is
there for you. http://flipagram.com Flipagram is an effortless tool for creating slideshows from your Instagram (http://instagram.com) photos library. It lets you turn the pictures on your phone into short photo-video stories, set to music you love. Flipagrams are fun to make, easy to share via email, Facebook or YouTube and have as many uses as there are stories to tell and people to tell them to. see Take a Look! on page 83
82 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
www.facebook.com/NBMBAAhq Take A Look! from page 82
Along with having music in the background of personal video you may now record a voice over and tell a story to your viewers. This is a tool for fun but it may also be used for instruction, marketing and preserving/sharing history. Flipagram uses the Instagram API but is not affliated with or endorsed by Instagram.
Visit the Flipagram FaceBook page to see some of the videos created by fans (www.facebook. com/Flipagram) then visit the Flipagram Blog for links to users like Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx and Common. The Flipagram app is available through the Apple app store and the Android Play Store. Submitted by LaSandra Stratton, Chief Content Administrator of the Black Business News.
83 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
First Lady Michelle Obama Travels to China and Invites Young People to Participate
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n March 19th, I’ll be heading to China for an official visit – and I want young people like you across America to join me. Over the past five years as First Lady, I’ve traveled around the world – to countries like Mexico, India, South Africa, Ireland and others across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America – and China is another important stop on this journey. With more than 1.3 billion people, China is the most populous country on earth, and it plays an important role on the world stage. My husband and I take the time to visit countries like China because we know that today, more than ever before, our lives here in America are connected to the lives of people around the world. Companies here in America do business with – and compete with – companies across the globe. With the click of a button, you can connect with kids on every continent, and last year alone, more than 283,000 American high school and college students studied in more than 190 different countries (China is actually the fifth most popular place for American students to study abroad, and more students come from China to study in the U.S. than from any other country). And no matter what country we live in, we’re all facing so many of the same challenges – from ensuring that students get a good education; to fighting poverty, hunger and disease; to addressing threats to our planet like climate
First Lady Michelle Obama visits with students in South Africa
change. These issues affect every last one of us, so it’s critically important that young people like you learn about what’s going on not just here in America, but around the world. Because when it comes to the challenges we face, soon, all of you will be leading the way. You’ll be discovering the cures, inventing the technologies, building the businesses, and making the laws that will shape our future for generations to come. And you’ll need to do these things together, working with others around the world – so you’ll need to be familiar with cultures, languages, and traditions that are very different from your own. That’s why everywhere I go, whether it’s here in the U.S. or abroad, I meet with young people to hear about your challenges, hopes and dreams – and that’s what I’ll be doing in China as well. During my trip, I’ll be visiting a university and two high schools in Beijing and Chengdu (which are two of China’s largest cities). I’ll be talking with students about their lives in China and telling them about America and the values and traditions we hold dear. I’ll be focusing in particular on the power and importance of education, both in my own life and
in the lives of young people in both of our countries. I’ll also be visiting various historical and cultural sites in China, and I look forward to sharing with you the stories of the students I meet, as well as the interesting facts I learn about Chinese history and culture. I’ll be posting a daily travel blog, complete with videos and photos, and I’ll be taking – and answering – questions from kids across America as I go. I hope you’ll join me – all you have to do is get online: • Go to www.WhiteHouse.gov to check out my travel blog, and you can even sign up for a daily email update delivered to your inbox (www.WhiteHouse.gov/FirstLady-China-Visit). • Explore educational resources about China and join virtual events with PBS LearningMedia and Discovery Education. • Follow me on Twitter @ FLOTUS and on Instagram @ MichelleObama for the latest updates from the road and for chances to ask questions during the visit. I look forward to sharing this important trip with you. www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/03/03/firstlady-michelle-obama-travels-china-andinvites-young-people-participate
84 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
Utility Scammers Continue to Target SCE Customers Nationwide by Phone and Email
U
tility bill scammers (www.
mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_24879201/pg-ewarning-customers-email-scam#2)
are once again targeting customers throughout the United States by phone and sometimes even email. In both scenarios, the scammers often request personal information and threaten to cut off electrical service if they do not receive immediate payment. Some Southern California Edison (SCE) customers have reported receiving these suspicious emails that look like a bill. Others have reported aggressive phone scams threatening immediate service disconnection if customers don’t pay a purported overdue bill. “SCE never uses high-pressure tactics to collect or demand money for past due bills,” said Marlyn Denter, SCE’s manager of Consumer Affairs. “We are not in
The highpressure tactics include threatening SCE customers with disconnection of their electricity.
the business of threatening our customers with the immediate termination of service.” This latest email scam follows a recent utility phone scam where more than 2,000 SCE customers were targeted. Unfortunately, more than 300 customers have fallen victim to the scam, many of them mom and pop business owners and entrepreneurs whose first language is not English. The scammers often demand immediate payment through a prepaid cash card or debit card. The average loss for SCE business customers last year was between $800 and $1,000; residential customer lost an average of between $300 and $500. Overall, the total losses so far for SCE customers are estimated at $225,000. “We ask our customers to be alert to these scams that demand
immediate payment and threaten service disconnection,” said Denter. If SCE customers receive suspicious emails, they should never click on any links or attachments, and never send a reply. Customers should also delete the email. If a customer has been victimized, they can report it online to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force at StopFraud.gov. SCE customers suspecting a fraudulent call should ask for the caller’s name, department and business phone number. If the caller refuses to provide this information, customers should terminate the call and report the incident immediately to local police. In either situation, customers should contact SCE at 1-800-6554555. www.lagrantcommunications.com
85 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
AFRICA TRAVEL WEEK April 28-May 3, 2014
IBTM Africa
Cape Town International Convention Center Cape Town, South Africa 28th - 30th April 2014 www.africatravelweek.com
An event comprising of three co-located shows –
WTM Africa, IBTM Africa and
ILTM Africa encompassing Africa’s inbound and outbound markets for general leisure tourism, luxury travel and the MICE/business travel sector brought to you by Reed Travel Exhibitions (www.reedexpo.com)
2nd - 3rd May 2014
28th - 30th April 2014
International
Immigrants Prepare for the New N-400 Citizenship Application Form From United African Organization
A
bdulai, a Malian immigrant and legal permanent resident since 1998 literally took time off his business for the first step to apply for naturalization to become a US citizen, and ensure an easier immigration process for his wife and child. Having no formal education, Abdulai always saw the citizenship test and interview a big hurdle. With his participation in UAO's EL/Civics class, Abdulai finally believes that he can do this. Additionally, on February 4th 2014, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new N-400 application for naturalization. The new N-400 form appears to be more user-friendly. However, it is a lot longer than the old form - 21 pages versus 10 pages. Due to the added length and complexity of the new form, it is more important than ever to seek legal guidance before applying for naturalization. Abdulai is eager to avoid using the new application form. There is a 90-day transition period where both the old and new forms will be accepted by USCIS. However, as of May 5th 2014, only the new form will be accepted. Here is what you need to know about the new N-400: • Eligibility requirements for
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naturalization have not changed, which means that if you were eligible to apply under the old form, the same remains true under the new form; Length: the new form is a lot longer than the old form - 21 pages versus 10 pages; Additional sections: there are individual fields to collect information to more clearly complete the form; Additional Questions Reflecting Changes in law: in order to comply with the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004 and the Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2008, about 30 new questions were added regarding good moral character and national security. For instance, there are a lot more questions regarding crimes, terrorism and other possible bars to naturalization; Additional Questions Regarding Family Members: applicants will now need to provide additional personal information regarding spouses, children and parents; New Section for Preparer and Interpreter: the preparer's
statement has changed and there is a new interpreter's statement which must be signed by the interpreter himself and the applicant; • New Technology: if the form is filled out electronically, the 2D bar-code at the end of each page captures the data entered on the form and allows USCIS to scan the bar-code and upload it directly to the system. This is meant to improve data quality and reduces errors. However, the form can still be filled out by hand in black ink; • Improved instructions: the instructions are clearer and more comprehensive. United African Organization (UAO), under the New Americans Initiative program, provides free monthly citizenship workshops where lawful permanent residents can receive help with their naturalization applications. In addition, our staff attorney, Sondra Furcajg, is happy to answer any questions you may have at: 1-312949-9980 or send a fax to: info@ uniteafricans.org. www.uniteafricans.org
90 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
EX-IM Bank 2014 Annual Conference April 24-25 Omni Shoreham Hotel Washington, D.C. www.exim.gov/newsandevents/events/annualconference/2014
Celebrating 80 Years of Exporting
"Meet me @BETExperience!"
Innternational
Fast Company Names iHub to Top 50 Innovative Companies List iHub (www.fastcompany. com/most-innovativecompanies/2014/ihub) is listed as #38 in the ranking of '50 Top
Hi everyone, Today’s the day. I’m excited to tell you -- and the more than 100,000 people who have already signed up -- that World Science U is now live! Head over now to World Science U: Choose a username and password, and start
Innovative Companies in the World 2014.' "The idea was that we would work and talk together," says Erik Hersman, founder of the Nairobi, Kenya–based technology center iHub (ihub.co.ke), "and that by putting a lot of smart people in the room, good things would
experiencing a new kind of online learning. Get started by checking out our first two courses on Einstein’s Special Relativity -- one that’s purely conceptual and the other mathematical -- or by exploring our Science Unplugged videos, which offer brief explanations of some of the most exciting ideas in science. And remember, this is just the beginning -- we’re planning more courses that will cover mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, astronomy, and more. So, start your exploration of science now: www. worldscienceu.com/sign-up Brian Greene Co-Founder, World Science U Co-Founder, World Science Festival Professor of Physics and Professor of Mathematics, Columbia University
happen." So far, so good: In 2013, the three-year-old iHub passed 10,000 members. Already, 152 companies have grown out of the iHub, many dedicated to applying technology to Africa-specific problems. Above all, it has helped dispel the notion that Africa's tech community is somehow lacking in ideas, talent, or ambitions.
92 March 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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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)
93 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
SEMINAR
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
"Complying with U.S. Export Controls" U.S. Department of Commerce San Diego & Imperial District Export Council Del Mar Hilton, Del Mar California March 26-27, 2014
For complete seminar information including speakers and agenda please visit us at: www.export.gov/california/sandiego/ tradeevents/eg_us_ca_067494.asp If you would like to register, please go to our secure online registration at: www.regonline.com/bisexportcontrols2014 Kathy Kelly, International Trade Specialist U.S. Dept. of Commerce
Tel: 1-858-467-7036
FraserNet, Inc. | 2940 Noble Rd., Suite 203 | Cleveland Heights | OH | 44121 frasernetinfo@frasernet.com
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
www.starrafricanrum.com product of Madacascar
#GETCOVERED H E A LT H C A R E . G O V If you're uninsured, go to http://HealthCare.gov & find an affordable plan that works for you. #GetCovered www.whitehouse.gov/share/what-obamacare-means-you
99 March 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 100 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
RESOURCES FOR GOING GLOBAL Event: Secretarial Energy Mission to West Africa • May 18-23, 2014 Secretary Pritzker will lead an Energy Business Development Mission to West Africa with stops in Ghana and Nigeria from May 18-23, 2014. This business development mission will promote U.S. exports to Africa by helping U.S. companies’ launch or increase their business in the energy sector in West Africa. This mission will assist U.S. businesses in initiating or expanding exports to the region by: • Arranging business-to-business introductions; • Providing market access information; and • Facilitating access to government decision makers. For more information, visit: http://export.gov/ AfricaEnergyMission2014
Activity: Energy Opportunities in SubSaharan Africa (webinars) • Feb 19, Feb 27, & Mar 6 Location: your computer (webinar) Cost: $25 per webinar Webinar 1 – Feb. 19: Opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa- This webinar will provide an overview of the Power Africa as well as energy opportunities in southern Africa. Featured speakers from U.S. Commercial Service - South Africa, USAID, and USTDA. Register at: https://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ePublic/event/ editWebReg.do?SmartCode=4Q48 Webinar 2 – Feb. 27: Energy Opportunities in West Africa- This webinar will provide an overview of energy opportunities in West Africa. Featured speakers from U.S. Commercial Service - Nigeria and Ghana, Millennium Challenge Corporation and Ex-
Im Bank. Register at: https:// emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ ePublic/event/ editWebReg. do?SmartCode=4Q49 Webinar 3 – Mar 6: Energy Opportunities in East Africa - This final webinar highlight energy opportunities in East Africa. Featured speakers from U.S. Commercial Service - Kenya, USAID, and USTDA. Register at: https://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ ePublic/event/ editWebReg.do?SmartCode=4Q4A Marketing: Sell Your Products Worldwide in the USA Product Showcase Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce, offers exporters an affordable way to promote their products and services in 178 countries worldwide. Now, you can advertise in the USA Product Showcase section of the magazine for just $499. Commercial News USA reaches more than a quarter million buyers worldwide. Reserve your space in the next issue today. For information, call 1-800-581-8533, x 822, online to www.thinkglobal.us/499, or send e-mail to advertise@ thinkglobal.us. Marketing: Promote Your Company on the New Commercial News USA Website The newly redesigned Commercial News USA website makes it easier for buyers around the world to find American companies with products and services ready for immediate export and for U.S. exporters connect with buyers worldwide. Commercial News USA features hundreds of products and services from U.S. exporters. For more information and/or to review the current issue of the magazine, please visit www. thinkglobal.us. ᏊᏊᏊᏊᏊ The U.S. Commercial Service - Your Global Business Partner. With offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration uses its global Network and international resources to connect U.S companies with international buyers worldwide. If you have any questions about these initiatives, please contact your local U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist. To find the trade specialist nearest you please visit www. buyusa.gov/home/us.html or contact Bobby Hines at bobby.hines@trade.gov.
101 March 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 102 March 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
106 March 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 110 March 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 //esowon.booksense.com for Calendar of Events
AMERICAN GROWN by First Lady Michelle Obama
Available in your local bookstores now
What Would
Michelle Do?
by Allison Samuels
The Soul of a New Cuisine
A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa by Chef Marcus Samuelsson
112 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Books to Consider... I Am Iman
With peeks behind the curtain and scintillating interviews, this book is an assmblage worthy of any fashionista’s dream. www.imancosmetics.com www.amazon.com/I-am-Iman/dp/0789306336
by Iman (Author), Peter H. Beard (Author), David Bowie (Author)
The Beauty of Color
Am Iman (Rizzoli 2000) is an autobiographical sketchbook of her career that questions the unserious business of fashion and beauty and its serious effect on identity. Iman’s emergence in 1975 sparked an upheavel in cultural identity that continues today, and her first book is a gloriously entertaining hybrid essay on the cultural-cum-political power of good looks. A quarter century of the most famous photographs by Helmut Newton, Steven Meisel, Herb Ritts, Peter Lindbergh, Bruce Weber, Scavullo, David Bailey, Nick Knight, and many others are contextualized by wellknown essayists, a chorus of celebrity contributions, and Iman’s own take on her much-mytholigized career. The book’s outrageous pop design - by graphic designers Barnbrook Studios - makes it plain that this is not just one woman’s success story. I Am Iman captures the funny, infuriating, and often absurd validation of black and ethnic looks in a beauty industry where billions of dollars - and the self-image of women everywhere - are on the line.
From the b e l o v e d fashion f icon a and cosmetics e n t r e p r e n e u r, the t first book to e embrace global beauty b and w women of all ethnicities. e Iman's been a g groundbreaking supermodel f for the world's t top designers a and a muse for p photographers, and she is the founder of the worl world's most popular cosmetic brand for skin of color. Now, in an era when the face of beauty has changedand the most celebrated women in Hollywood include such stars as Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, and Lucy Liu-Iman delivers a new approach to makeup and skin care. With The Beauty of Color, she revolutionizes the way women of color can think about the way they look and feel. Iman resists categorizing people according to ethnicity, and instead embraces the whole range of skin color-light to dark. This is the first beauty and makeup book to truly address skin tones across the spectrum-Latina, Black, Asian, Indian, Native American, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, as well as women of mixed ethnicities. Iman is uniquely aware of the difficulties women of color have always had with skin care and makeup. In The Beauty of Color, Iman teaches readers how to work with skin care regimens and palettes targeted to their exact skin tone and type. With stunning color photographs and images on every page, the book itself is a work of beauty. Unique, informative, and creative, The Beauty of Color is a landmark celebration of global beauty. www.amazon.com/The-Beauty-Color-Ultimate-Guide/ dp/0399532846 www.imancosmetics.com
by Iman
I
116 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Calendar March … 29th 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.
April 4th Greenling Institute 21st Annual Economic Summit Annual summit using the theme "21st Century Majority: Empowering a New Nation" will be held in Oakland, CA. Go to www.greenling. org for details.
28th-May 3rd Africa Travel Week Take in three expos in one at Africa Travel Week to be held in Cape Town, South Africa. Participation information is available at www.reedexpo.com or www.africatravelweek. com.
Participation and sponsorship information is available at www.bbala.org or send an inquiry to the BBA using mail@ bbala.org.
September TBA BBA Business Entrepreneur Training Institute Conducted in partnership with the Business Division of West Los Angeles College. The 15-week training program prepares the serious entrepreneur for operating a highly successful business. Participation fee is $75 and includes a one-year BBA membership and a certificate of completion. For information visit www.bbala.org or send an inquiry to the BBA using mail@bbala.org
October 23rd BBA 2014 Procurement Exchange Summit The Summit, Conference and Luncheon will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles. Participation and sponsorship information is available at www. bbala.org or send an inquiry to the BBA using mail@bbala.org.
June J 25th BBA 40th Annual Awards Dinner Plan to attend the Annual Salute Conference and Awards Luncheon. 118 March 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 Publish Africa http://wow.gm/publishafrica Rock Me Africa //rockmeafrica.com
www.causecast.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
Organizations Africa Leadership Forum http://africaleadership.org The African Union www.au.int/en Black Business Association www.bbala.org CauseCast
Commerce Department www.doc.gov International Trade Administration http://trade.gov Minority Business Development Agency www.mbda.gov Small Business Administration www.sba.gov State Department www.dos.gov White House www.whitehouse.gov
120 March 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819