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Publisher's Message
I
n recognition of Black History Month, we at the Black Business News applaud and acknowledge the countless number of men and women of African descent that have made an impact on our country. We as a people have made our imprint in many sectors of our economy, from entertainment and sports to politics and medicine. Yet Black History Month is not only a time to celebrate the achievements of the past, but to inspire future achievements. The next generation of leaders are our most precious resource, and we are determined to give them every opportunity to soar. Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history. – Carter G. Woodson Pubisher/Chief Executive Officer Carter G. Woodson was born in Virginia, 10 years after the fall of the Confederacy. Working as a sharecropper and a miner, he rarely had time to attend school until the age of 20. He would devote the rest of his life to study, becoming known as “The Father of African-American History.” Through his studies, Woodson found that African-American contributions to history "were overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them." He concluded that racial prejudice "is merely the logical result of tradition, the inevitable outcome of thorough instruction to the effect that the Negro has never contributed anything to the progress of mankind." Black History Month, which Woodson founded as Negro History Week in 1926, was his effort to combat that tradition. Chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas, considered heroes by most Black Americans at that time, the second week in February was set aside to celebrate Black history. The first year, education officials of only three states and two cities recognized the event, but by 1929 it was being promoted in nearly every state in the nation. In 1970, Black students at Kent State University celebrated the first unofficial Black History Month and in 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized the event, saying, The last quarter-century has finally witnessed significant strides in the full integration of black people into every area of national life. In celebrating Black History Month, we can take satisfaction from this recent progress in the realization of the ideals envisioned by our Founding Fathers. But, even more than this, we can seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.
Earl “Skip” Cooper, II
While acknowledging the 40 years since President Ford's words, in Los Angeles, radio station KJLH celebrates its 50th year on the air. The Black Business Association (BBA) will celebrate its 45th anniversary at its annual awards dinner this June, in recognition of Black Music Month. BBA also will host its annual Salute to Black Women in March and its Procurement Exchange Summit in May. The Black Business News has recorded and written much on the remarkable progress in racial justice and also the heartbreaking setbacks. There are some in our own community who feel Black History Month is unnecessary – as there were in Woodson’s own day. And their essential point is valid: Black History is American History, and its teaching should not be relegated to one month per year. But that isn’t the point of Black History Month. Racial disparity won’t disappear if we simply ignore it. Justice will not be achieved unless we actively seek it out. For us at the Black Business News, Black History Month not only serves as a reminder of what our forbearers have achieved, but as an inspiration for the journey that remains before us.
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 Steven Turner
ENTREPRENEUR EDITOR Kim Anthony
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Linda Ware
PRODUCTION MANAGER Narishima Osei
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dean Jones Linda Ware Ralph D. Sutton Veronica Hendrix Giavanna Foster P. Yvette Thomas LaSandra Stratton
GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Harris
STORY EDITORS Wanda Flagg Jennifer Marie Hamilton
PHOTOGRAPHY Ian Foxx Sabir Narishima Osei
CONTENT ADMINISTRATOR La Sandra Stratton
LAYOUT/TYPESETTING Lion Communications Copyright © 2015 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.
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: •
promoting USA-based black-owned business enterprises to a world wide audience.
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offering business growth enhancing information on education, exhibitioning, international trading, technology, industry trends, and more.
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cexploring major public and private sece tor contracting methods to educate s. black-owned and operated enterprises.
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providing an affirmative influence forr emerging entrepreneurs by sharing in-novative design and creative culturall content that exposes them to the history of black enterprises 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 self-sustained urban society with USA job creation and economic opportunity, where usiness enterprises. blacks work, live and operate viable business
WWW.BLACKBUSINESSNEWS.NET
2016 Black Business Association Events
March
Salute to Black Women
June
Annual Awards Dinner Black Business News Group Publications Black Business News Black Business News International Black Business News Travel Africa
Contents
Black Business News…February 2016 3
Publisher's Message
Government 8
Computer Science for All (#CSforAll) Initiative 10 President Obama's Final Budget: Innovating for a Better Future
12 Cancer Moonshot Taskforce 14 Advancing Equal Pay for Women
46 47
Obama and a Little Visitor President Obama Meets with Faith and Civil Rights Leaders
Business 50 Estonia Offers Digital Citizenship 53 BBN Biz Notes 69 Abbey Creek Vineyard
CommunityPublic Interest 88
Celebrating African American Women in Dance
Obituary/Memorials 90
Remembering Maurice White the Historian
International 96
USTDA Promotes Value-Based Procurement in Ethiopia 97 Google Campus for Start-ups in Brazil 99 Black Woman Owned Air Line
20
Entertainment 20 25
BBN Show Biz Buzz Jesse Jackson: Hollywood, it's Time to Flip the Script on Diversity
Special Focus: Black History 28 Proclamation: Black History Month 30 OP-ED: How Will We Judge Obama? 32 Carter G. Woodson 33 NMAAHC Opens September 2016 34 Visit Google Cultural Institute 36 Five Little-Known Facts About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 41 Celebrate Black History Month for 28(29) Days 44 THE DUNBAR HOTEL, Los Angeles History
99
Columns 84 95
Take A Look! African Stock Exchanges
108 Buy Blacj Shopping Gallery 131 BBA Master Planner 132 Books to Consider... 136 Resource Vault
5 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
President Obama's Computer Science for All (#CSforAll) Initiative By Megan Smith, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, @USCTO
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rowing up in Buffalo, New York, I was lucky to have teachers in my local public school who found creative and exciting ways to introduce me to all of the STEM (science, tech, engineering and math) disciplines. Hands-on experiences with innovative technology built my confidence and skills for the future and helped me understand that STEM, especially computer science, could be used to make the world a better place. And now, we have the chance to work together to expand that hands-on learning experience to all children across America, with President Obama's new Computer Science for All (#CSforAll) (www.whitehouse.gov/ initiative.
blog/2016/01/30/computer-scienceall?utm_source=email&utm_ medium=email&utm_content=email560text1&utm_campaign=CSforAll)
The President's bold new proposal will empower students from kindergarten through high school to learn computer science, equipping them with the analytical skills they need to be creators in the digital economy, not just consumers, and to apply their passion and enthusiasm to solving problems using technology.
Elementary students in Baltimore, Maryland with the author. The United States has been home to so many amazing digital inventions -- from Silicon Valley to its counterparts like Austin, Boston, Eastern Kentucky, Louisville, Boise, Salt Lake, Atlanta, and more. Last year, there were more than 600,000 high-paying jobs across a variety of industries in the United States that were unfilled, and by 2018, 51% of all STEM jobs are projected to be in CS-related fields.
Our economy and our children's futures can't afford to wait. We’ve made real progress, but we have a lot of work left to do. In 22 states, computer science still doesn’t count toward high school graduation requirements for math or science, and 75% of schools don’t yet offer a single high-quality computer science course. The good news is innovators in education are already solving
these challenges and leading the way all over the country. We recently recognized just a handful of these Americans at the White House Champions of Change for Computer Science Education event (www.whitehouse.gov/ champions#section-the-latest). These students, teachers, and community leaders are proving what’s possible. As a kid, I was lucky to be exposed to CS -- but a lot of my generation didn’t get that chance. Let’s get all-hands-on-deck to make sure every child is learning to code as a new 'basic' skill -- so they can all be part of the next generation of American ingenuity, problem solving, adventure, and deep economic impact. Find out how you can get involved today, whether you are a student, teacher, techie or an interested citizen. There's something we all can do.
Computer Science for All
8 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
In the coming years, we should build on that progress, by … offering every student the hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one. President Obama in his 2016 State of the Union Address
Computer Science for All is the President’s bold new initiative to empower all American students from kindergarten through high school to learn computer science and be equipped with the computational thinking skills they need to be creators in the digital economy, not just consumers, and to be active citizens in our technology-driven world. Our economy is rapidly shifting, and both educators and business leaders are increasingly recognizing that computer science (CS) is a “new basic” skill necessary for economic opportunity and social mobility. CS for All builds on efforts already being led by parents, teachers, school districts, states, and private sector leaders from across the country. The President’s initiative calls for: • $4 billion in funding for states and $100 million directly for school districts in his
forthcoming Budget to expand K-12 CS by training teachers, expanding access to highquality instructional materials, and building effective regional partnerships. • $135 million in Computer Science funding to become available starting this year from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (www.nsf. gov/news/special_reports/csed/ csforall.jsp) and the Corporation
for National And Community Service (CNCS) (www. nationalservice.gov/programs/ americorps/computer-scienceteachers-americorps)
• Expanding access to prior NSF supported programs and professional learning communities through their CS10k Initiative that led to the creation of more inclusive and accessible CS curriculum including Exploring CS and
Advanced Placement (AP) CS Principles among others. • Involving even more governors, mayors, and education leaders to help boost CS following the leadership of states like Delaware, Hawaii, Washington, Arkansas, and more than 30 school districts that have already begun to expand CS opportunities. • Engaging CEOs, philanthropists, creative media, technology, and education professionals to deepen their CS commitments. More than 50 organizations are making commitments, learn more (www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2016/01/30/fact-sheet-presidentobama-announces-computer-scienceall-initiative) and get involved and
make a commitment here (www.whitehouse.gov/webform/ building-president-s-call-action-expandcomputer-science-education-k-12schools).
9 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
President Obama's Final Budget: Innovating for a Better Future By MELANIE GARUNAY
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ecently, President Obama released his final budget, outlining a path to meet our country's greatest challenges not just for the year ahead, but for decades to come. The budget proposes smart investments to accelerate the pace of American innovation, so that we can create jobs, build the economy of the future, and tackle our nation's greatest challenges like climate change -- all while building on the progress we've made over the past seven years to make the economy works for everyone.
How to View or Read the Budget Here are three ways you can explore President Obama's 2017 budget: • Read the President's annotated budget message on Genius - www.whitehouse.gov/thepress-office/2016/02/09/budgetmessage-president • Explore the data on GitHub and Socrata - https://github.com/ WhiteHouse/budgetdata, https:// open.whitehouse.gov/budget. • Read the full budget on Budget. gov - www.whitehouse.gov/omb
Budget Highlights Cybersecurity National Action Plan: The President's budget invests more than $19 billion to strengthen our nation's cybersecurity – a more than 35% increase from last year’s request. He is also directing the Administration to implement a Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) that takes near-term actions and puts in place a long-
term strategy to ensure the federal government, the private sector, and American citizens can take better control of our digital security. Learn more about the plan.
Cybersecurity National Action Plan 21st Century Clean Transportation System: The President’s budget lays out a new plan for building a 21st Century Clean Transportation System funded by a new fee paid by oil companies. The plan would increase American investments in clean transportation infrastructure by roughly 50% while reforming the investments we already make to help reduce carbon pollution, cut oil consumption, and create new jobs. Mission Innovation: In November, President Obama and other world leaders came
together in Paris to launch Mission Innovation, a landmark commitment to dramatically accelerate public and private global clean energy innovation. Through the initiative, 20 countries committed to double their governments’ respective research and development investments in this domain over five years. Today,
10 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
President Obama announced the next step in advancing that goal, laying out his proposal to double the Federal investment in clean energy R&D from $6.4 billion in FY 2016 to $12.8 billion in FY 2021.
whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/02/01/firstmeeting-cancer-moonshot-task-force).
Community College Partnership Tax Credit: As a part of the President’s America’s College Promise (ACP) plan to make two
years of community college free for responsible students, the budget will propose a new Community College Partnership Tax Credit to encourage employers to play a more active role in funding.
Community College
Moonshot to Cure Cancer: The budget includes a new $1 billion investment to jumpstart the national “moonshot” initiative to eliminate cancer as we know it and provide the funding necessary for researchers to accelerate the development of new cancer treatments (www.
Computer Science for All: To continue the real progress we’ve made in education and address the new skills needed in our rapidly shifting economy, the President unveiled his plan to give all students across the country the chance to learn computer science (CS) in school. The President’s Computer Science for All Initiative seeks to expand CS education by providing $4 billion in funding for States and $100 million directly for districts to increase access to K-12 CS by training teachers, expanding access to high-quality instructional materials, and building effective regional partnerships.
Pell Grant Reforms: To help ensure every American gets the postsecondary education and training they need to find a goodpaying job, the Administration is calling for an additional $2 billion
investment in the federal Pell Grant program -- the cornerstone of college affordability. The two new Pell proposals in the 2017 Budget will help students to accelerate progress towards their degrees by attending school year-round and encourage students to take more credits per term, increasing their likelihood of on-time completion.
Link to Read the Budget Read the full overview of all of the policies and investments in President Obama's budget: www.whitehouse. gov/the-press-office/2016/02/09/ fact-sheet-presidents-fiscal-year2017-budget-overview. https://www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2016/02/09/president-obamas2017-budget-innovating-betterfuture?utm_source=email&utm_ medium=email&utm_ content=email564-text1&utm_ campaign=Budget
11 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
Cancer Moonshot Task Force By Melainie Garunay
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden participate in a meeting with the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force in the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House, Feb. 1, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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n February 1st, Vice President Joe Biden chaired and convened the first meeting of the Cancer Moonshot Task Force, a first-ofits-kind federal task force to carry out our call for a moonshot to end cancer as we know it.
Check out the message he sent ahead of the meeting and highlights from the Twitter Q&A with Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Douglas Lowy, Acting Director of the National Cancer Institute.
Message from Vice President
Biden: During his final State of the Union, the President put me in charge of a new national commitment to ending cancer as we know it. We're calling it a "Moonshot," and that's because I believe that this effort, like President Kennedy's call to land on the moon 55 years
12 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
Education Trade Mission to Africa March 7-10, 2016 Johannesburg, South Africa Accra, Ghana Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire This Trade.gov mission seeks to connect U.S. higher education institutions to potential students and university/institution partners in three African countries: South Africa, Ghana, and an optional stop in Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). The goals of the United States Education Mission to Africa are: • to help participants gain market exposure and to introduce them to the vibrant African market in the countries of South Africa, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire • to help participants assess current and future business prospects by establishing valuable contacts with prospective students and educational institutions/partners; and • to help participants develop market knowledge and relationships leading to student recruitment and potential partnerships. The trade mission will include student fairs organized by EducationUSA, embassy briefings, site visits, and networking events in our target cities of Johannesburg, Accra, and Abidjan. The African continent has a growing middle class, and presently spends up to $900 million on education annually. Participation will be limited to 25 institutions on a first come basis. For more information, contact: Jennifer Woods, jennifer.woods@trade.gov or Debra Rogers at debra.rogers@trade.gov. ago, is truly a call to humankind -- to be bold and do big things. And right now, I'm about to walk into the very first meeting of the Cancer Moonshot Task Force the President just created, and tasked me with chairing.
Here's what it all means. Every single federal agency with a part to play in this mission -- from the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration to the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Energy and its national energy labs -- will be in the same room together to make sure we're working from the same playbook. We'll make sure we're making the most of investments, of our research and data, our supercomputing capabilities, our targeted incentives, private-sector efforts, and patientengagement initiatives. In fact, just today we announced
a new 1 billion dollar jumpstart to make sure some of the best work going on has the funding that it needs. Because ultimately, as the federal government, our job is to break down silos and bring people together who are doing the most cutting-edge work. Our job is to clear out the bureaucratic hurdles -- and let science happen. And we're going to continue to call on families, researchers, and physicians all across the country to join this effort and rise to the challenge. I've been in touch with hundreds of the world's top cancer physicians, researchers, and philanthropists. And I’ve been in touch with Americans around the country who know the realities of this disease firsthand, people who have lived through it and people who have lost their loved ones they hold most
dearly. If you’ve got a story to tell about how this disease has touched your life, I want to hear from you. As the President said in the State of the Union, we can do this for the loved ones we've lost -- and the families we can still save. I couldn't agree more. If there is one word that defines us as Americans, it's "possibility." And I believe this is possible. I know that we can do this. I'll be in touch along the way with ways you can help -- believe it. Sign up at the following link to receive Moonshot Updates: www. whitehouse.gov/email-updates. Thank you, Joe www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2016/02/01/first-meetingcancer-moonshot-task-force
13 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
Taking Action to Advance Equal Pay by Melanie Garunay
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even years ago today (January 29, 2009), President Obama signed into law his first piece of legislation as President: the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which empowered women to recover wages lost to pay discrimination. While the gender pay gap has narrowed slightly over the past two years, there is much more work to be done to ensure fair pay for all. Today, the median wage of a woman working full-time yearround in the United States is about $39,600—only 79% of a man’s median earnings of $50,400. Today, the President is highlighting several additional actions that his Administration is taking to advance equal pay for all workers and further empower working families: • The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in partnership with the Department of Labor, is publishing a proposal to annually collect summary pay data by gender, race, and ethnicity from businesses with 100 or more employees. The proposal would cover over 63 million employees. This step – stemming from a recommendation of the President’s Equal Pay Task Force and a Presidential Memorandum issued in April 2014 – will help focus public enforcement of our equal pay laws and provide better insight into discriminatory pay practices across industries and occupations. It expands on and replaces an earlier plan by the
Department of Labor to collect similar information from federal contractors. • The President is renewing his call to Congress to take up and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, commonsense legislation that would give women additional tools to fight pay discrimination. • The Council of Economic Advisers is releasing an issue brief, the "Gender Pay Gap on the Anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act," that explores the state of the gender wage gap, the factors that influence it, and policies put forward by this Administration that can help address it. • The White House will host a summit on "The United State of Women" on May 23rd that will create an opportunity to mark the progress made on behalf of women and girls domestically and internationally over the course of this Administration and to discuss solutions to the challenges they still face. These new actions will build on the steps President Obama has taken since day one create more equality in the workplace. In April 2014, to celebrate Equal Pay Day, he signed two executive actions to recognize the full equality of women and increase equity for all in the workplace. The first was an Executive Order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating against employees who discuss their compensation. The second
was a Presidential Memorandum instructing the Secretary of Labor to propose a new regulation requiring federal contractors to submit summary data on compensation paid to their employees, including by race and gender. www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2016/01/29/taking-actionadvance-equal-pay
14 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
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here’s a lot that’s been done for women and girls, but there’s still plenty to do. Convened by the White House, this Summit will rally all of us together to celebrate what we’ve achieved, and how we’re going to take action moving forward. Covering key gender equality issues, we’ll make a powerful difference in our collective future.
SUMMIT TOPICS: Economic Prosperity; Health and Wellness; Educational Opportunity; Violence Against Women; Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Civic Engagement, Leadership and Visibility Add your voice to the Summit by registering at www.theunitedstateofwomen.org to receive updates on the event and to let the White House know about your specific concerns or interests.
SUMMIT DATE: May 23, 2016 SUMMIT LOCATION: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC 15 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
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• A damaged connection to a gas appliance • Dirt or water being blown in the air • Dead or dying vegetation (in an otherwise moist area) over or near gas pipeline areas • A fire or explosion near a pipeline • Exposed pipeline after an earthquake, fire, flood or other disaster
LISTEN • An unusual sound, such as a hissing, whistling or roaring sound near a gas line or appliance
SMELL • The distinctive odor* of natural gas *Some people may not be able to smell the odor because they have a diminished sense of smell, olfactory fatigue (normal, temporary inability to distinguish an odor after prolonged exposure to it) or because the odor is being masked or hidden by other odors that are present, such as cooking, damp, musty or chemical odors. In addition, certain conditions in pipe and soil can cause odor fade – the loss of odorant so that it is not detectable by smell.
screening. Some worked multiple cell phones (with assistants standing nearby fielding calls of their own) in what appeared to be fevered discussions about the awards-bait film. Speaking to the packed Eccles Theater crowd with almost the entire cast beside him after the lights came up, Parker said, “I made this movie for one reason only, creating change agents,” adding, “there are still a lot of injustices in our world.” By Linda Ware Sanitizing nothing, from the systematic and brutal torture inflicted by slave owners on the men and women they enslaved to the 48-hour bloody uprising led by Turner depicted in the movie, the film challenges our conceptions of that terrible time in American history and the lives it destroyed. s director-producer-star Nate Parker said “These people thought they were doing good when onstage at the Sundance Film Festival they were doing bad,” said Parker of his effort to depict “Without an honest confrontation, there is no the entirety of the slavery ecosystem. “In 2016, that healing.” That’s from Birth Of A Nation (http://deadline. echoes,” he added, to a roar of approval from the Park com/tag/birth-of-a-nation). In what I have to say was City crowd. While comparisons undoubtedly will be made to such films as Best Picture Oscar winner 12 Years A Slave, Parker’s movie has the added visceral impact of a movie like Schindler’s List, or a handful of other well-told films that depict genocide. So often, I wanted to look away at the carnage as the slave owners and their henchmen mutilated their slaves, but in fact I think that this film demands it be looked at with open and honest eyes. That is why the Sundance crowd reacted so strongly to Nate Parker as Nat Turner in the film Parker made. "Birth of a Nation" Evidence of this is born out by Birth of a Nation one of the most emotional experiences I’ve had at a winning both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award movie theater, Parker world premiered what he called for its section. his seven-year “passion project.” His telling of the For all the talk of Sundance becoming overly early 19th century slave revolt led by Nat Turner had corporatized and perhaps losing sight of its indie audience members crying in their seats and jumping to mandate, watching a filmmaker put everything on the their feet in a prolonged standing ovation at the film’s line on both sides of the camera is a reminder why conclusion. there really is no festival quite like Sundance, Potential buyers for the film streamed out of the lobby http://deadline.com/2016/01/birth-of-a-nationmere minutes after the cast had left the stage postpremiere-sundance-stunner-nate-parker-1201690343/
BBN Show Biz Buzz
‘Birth Of A Nation’ Electrifies Sundance Crowd In World Premiere
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20 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
For Don Cheadle, Miles Davis Film Is Personal
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on Cheadle was nominated for an Oscar for Hotel Rwanda in 2004. He lost to Jamie Foxx for his performance in Ray. Next year, academy
Don Cheadle voters will have to seriously consider Cheadle for his passionate portrayal of jazz legend Miles Davis in Miles Ahead. But the actor, director, co-writer and coproducer of the film told The Root he is not looking for accolades: “If my movie makes $100 million or $200 million, but I don’t get nominated, thank you, I’ll take that. Because those are the votes that I count.” Whether or not Miles Ahead makes the Oscars cut next year, audiences at the Sundance Film Festival, where his movie played in the Spotlight section, gave it lots of love. Selma director Ava DuVernay, who watched the film with The Root, said, “It was a lovely performance from him.” For Cheadle, it was personal: “I wanted to make a movie that Miles Davis would want to star in.” This is also the first feature film Cheadle has directed. Said Cheadle: “A lot of what I was trying to do, as opposed to mimicry or an impersonation of him, was trying to find, and this may sound like esoteric [bulls--t], I was really trying to pull him close to me. You know, reach out and find a place where we both connected, you know. I’m a musician, and I study and I play.” Cheadle plays piano, saxophone and drums but took up the trumpet so that he could appear authentic on camera. While he does play in the film, the sound is
actually looped with the real music from Davis. Miles Ahead has been in the works for 10 years, ever since Davis’ nephew Vince Wilburn Jr. said publicly that he wanted Cheadle to play his uncle. At Sundance, Wilburn told The Root, “I think Don was spot-on with it. It moved fast, but the music moved fast. He captured it; he was fearless and he was very engaging with me and the family.” The film was not easy to finance. Cheadle ran an Indiegogo campaign to raise money. He also said that he had to cast a bankable white actor to get the film made. That actor, Ewan McGregor, plays a journalist who becomes a kind of confidant and running buddy of Davis. “I thought it would be an exciting place to be and I wanted very much to be part of it. To play the part,” said McGregor at the film’s Sundance premiere, “because it’s great fun, and it really came off the page, and I thought I’d have a lot of freedom with it. Equally, I wanted to be by Don’s side while he went about this and see how he did this. I learned such a great deal from working with Don.” Emayatzy Corinealdi, who plays Miles Davis’ first wife, Frances (they were married from 1958 to 1968), said she was attracted to
the role because Cheadle is “one of those actors that you really just dream of working with.” Miles Ahead takes place in the 1970s, during a time when Davis’ drug addiction kept him from playing the trumpet, but the film also shifts back to earlier years and his relationship with Frances. The film is a bit like the jazz musician’s music; it moves fast at times, and that might not be what everyone wants. But Cheadle see BBN Show Biz Buzz on page 22
21 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
BBN Show Biz Buzz from BBN Show Biz Buzz on page 21
fully captures Davis, with a raspy voice, Jheri curl wig and ability to pull off playing the trumpet. Miles Ahead opens April 1. http://www.theroot.com/articles/ culture/2016/01/for_don_cheadle_ miles_davis_film_is_personal.html
Idris Elba Posts Full Text Of Powerful Diversity Speech Online
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hanks for such a warm welcome. I could almost feel at home… In fact we’re not far from where I grew up in East London, but as a young man, I never thought I’d come here. In fact as an older man, I never thought I’d come here. But Oona invited me to speak here today. You know what she’s like, she’s a bit obsessed with diversity. I told her to get out more, & stop watching TV. Thing is, when you get out more, you see there’s a disconnect between the real world & TV world. People in the TV world often aren’t the same as people in the real world. And there’s an even bigger gap between people who make TV, and people who watch TV. I should know, I live in the TV world. And although there’s a lot of reality TV, TV hasn’t caught up with reality. Change is coming, but it’s taking its sweet time. Why change? 1. Because the TV world helps SHAPE the real world. It’s also a window on our world. But when we look out the window, none of us live in Downton Abbey. 2. Because the creative industries are the foundation of Britain’s future economy. You guys want to safeguard
Idris Elba Britain’s economy, right? That’s genuine diversity of thought among your job? people making TV & film, then you 3. If you want to safeguard the won’t accidentally shut out any economy, you have to safeguard of the groups I just mentioned. the Creative Industries; and they Anyway, on the whole, I don’t think rely on TALENT. of myself as just a ‘black actor’. I’m Talent is our lifeblood – we can’t an actor, not a number. Just like afford to WASTE it, or give it away. anyone else. But when you don’t reflect the real Yo u know what I mean; all the world, too much talent is trashed. MPs in the room, (by the way, Talent is everywhere, opportunity thanks so many of you for coming. isn’t. And talent can’t reach Oona tells me it’s really unusual opportunity. Especially on our small to get 100 MPs to turn up, she says island – that’s why British talent often she can’t even get one.) But gets exported all over the world. you guys know what I mean, about We haven’t done enough to not just being a number. I suspect, nurture our diverse talent. for those of you who have children, But before I go any further I want you don’t just speak as a politician, to say something really important: I’m not here to talk about black people; I’m here to talk about diversity. Diversity in the modern world is more than just skin colour – it’s gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, social background, and – most important of all, as far as I’m concerned – diversity of thought. Because John Boyega if you have
22 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
you speak as a parent. Well I’m not just a black man, and you’re not just a politician. None of us are just one flavour or one colour. If we were, we’d be onedimensional. And that’s what used to drive me mad as an up and coming actor. My agent and I, we’d get scripts and we were always asked to read the “black male” character. Or “the athletic type.” And that was just Crimewatch… But when a script called for a “black male”, it wasn’t describing a character. It was a describing a skin colour. A white man – or a caucasian – was described as “a man with a twinkle in his eye”. My eyes may be dark, but they definitely twinkle! (Ask the Mrs…) And I was like “I wanna play the character with a twinkle in his eyes!” So I got to a certain point in my career, and I saw that glass ceiling; I was very close to hitting my forehead on it. I was busy, I was getting lots of work, but I realised I could only play so many “best friends” or “gang leaders”. I knew I wasn’t going to land a lead role. I knew there wasn’t enough imagination in the industry for me to be seen as a lead. In other words, if I wanted to
Denzel Washington
star in a British drama like Luther, then I’d have to go to a country like America. Now some people might say “but back then, Britain hardly had any black detectives, so how could you expect us to have a TV show about one? How could you expect the BBC to have the imagination to put Luther on TV? … because it’s TELEVISION?! And the other thing was, because I never saw myself or my culture on TV, I stopped watching TV. Instead I decided to just go out and become TV. If I aspired to be on a level with the Denzil Washingtons, and the Robert de Niro’s, I had to reinvent myself. I had to transform the way industry saw me. I had to climb out of the box. In other words I didn’t go to America because I couldn’t GET parts. I went to America because I was running OUT of parts. They were all the same sort of parts. But 20 or 25 years ago there were a handful of casting directors, without whom I wouldn’t be here today: These people regularly auditioned me, they saw the twinkle in my eyes, and put me up for roles that definitely weren’t written for me or my type. At which point I’d like to add, the BBC was the broadcaster to give me my first break. In all honesty they’ve b e e n incredible to me, not to mention our country, and the WORLD. They also had the imagination. It’s that s a m e
imagination casting director Nina Gold had, when she cast the film Attack The Block. She searched the whole of London for raw talent, much of it diverse. She found John Boyega, a British African. Nina then put Boyega up to be the hero in the latest Star Wars blockbuster. Since when did the lead character in Star Wars come from Peckham? Since a woman with imagination became the casting director. It’s the vision of people like Nina, and those 5 original casting directors, that allows me to stand before you today. That, and the fact I refused to be pigeon-holed. I’m not gonna lie, it was really hard work. What all this taught me, is too often people get locked inside boxes. And it’s not a great place to be. Ask women, they’ll say the same thing. Or disabled people. Or gay people. Or any number of underrepresented groups. So today I’m asking the TV & film industry to think outside the box, and to GET outside the box. This isn’t a speech about race, this is a speech about imagination. Diversity of thought, (use the link below to read the remainder of the presentation.) http://deadline.com/2016/01/ idris-elba-posts-full-text-ofpowerful-diversity-speechonline-1201686614
Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards 2016
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he 2016 SAG Awards have wrapped up. Among the SAG awards winners are: Uzoamaka Nwanneka "Uzo" Aduba for her role in the comedy series "Orange is the New Black"; Idrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba for his roles in the television mini-series see BBN Show Biz Buzz on page 24
23 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
BBN Show Biz Buzz from BBN Show Biz Buzz on page 23
"Luther" and in the film "Beasts of No Nation" in a supporting role; Viola Davis for her leading role in the drama series "How To Get Away with Murder"; Dana Elaine Owens, professionally known as Queen Latifah, for her role in the special series "Bessie". Nominees for awards included the film "Straight Outta Compton", the comedy series "Key and Peele."
Viola Davis
Queen Latifah Idris Elba
FYI: Be On Alert RACE
- this film due out on February 19th highlights the achievements of Jesse Owens during the 1936 Berlin Olympic Stephan James Games.
UNDERGROUND - centers on a group of slaves planning a daring 600-mile escape from a Georgia plantation. Along the way, they are aided by a secret abolitionist couple running a station on the Underground Railroad as they
attempt to evade the people charged with bringing them back, dead or alive. View the series on WGN America. Aldis Hodge
Uzo Aduba
I HAVE NO EVERYTHING HERE - The album recorded at Malawi's Zomba prison by 14 prisoners and two guards filled with songs of lessons and loss, sin and forgiveness has been nominated for a Grammy Award. (https:// zombaprisonproject.bandcamp.com/ album/i-have-no-everything-here).
24 February 2016 Bl Blac Black ack k Business Busi Bu sine ness ss News New ewss ww www www.blackbbusinessnews.net w bl blac ackb kbbu busi sine ness ssne new w 1-323-291-7819
Jesse Jackson: Hollywood, it's Time to Flip the Script on Diversity By Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.
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or the second year in a row, no actor or actress of color has been nominated for an Academy Award. That is a shameful streak. But the growing outcry over the whitewashing of the prestigious golden statue and the industry it celebrates is a sign of at least some progress. There’s a new consciousness emerging. Twenty years ago when the Rainbow PUSH Coalition protested the almost total lack of Oscar diversity — only one out of 166 nominees was African American in 1996 — our efforts were met largely with indifference and ridicule by even some of the very minority performers we were championing. Many of the same people, who fought so hard for a King Holiday and to Free Mandela, were not willing to free themselves. But the times they are a-changing. Today, some of the biggest names in show business — black and white — are speaking up and out about what amounts to Hollywood Apartheid. They are stars such as Jada Pinkett Smith, Spike Lee and Danny DeVito, who recently told the Associated Press that “we’re living in a country that discriminates” and that the nomination process was an “example of the fact that even though some people have given great performances in movies, they weren’t even thought about.” And today, an African-American woman, Cheryl Boone Isaacs,
heads the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has announced sweeping changes meant to diversify its overwhelmingly white and male membership. The changes include a commitment to double the number of women and minorities in the academy by 2020. I applaud President Boone Isaacs and the 51-member board of governors. But the lack of diversity starts long before the stars pose and parade on the red carpet come Oscar night. The people who can “greenlight” a film, the people who make the key decisions about what and who the world will see at the local multiplex, are almost all white and all male. The Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA reviewed the top 200 theatrical film releases in 2012 and 2013 and found that 94% of the film studio heads were white, according to the center’s "2015 Hollywood Diversity Report:Flipping the Script." Film studio senior management was 92% white and 83% male; studio unit heads were 96% white and 61% male. The story and the color was much the same in television. TV network and studio
heads were 96% white and 71% male. “From the earliest days of the industry,” the report says, “white males have dominated the plum positions in front of and behind the camera, thereby marginalizing women and minorities in the
creative process by which a nation circulates popular stories about itself.” “What’s new,” the report adds, “is that business as usual in the Hollywood industry may soon be unsustainable.” By midcentury, America will be a majority minority country. But it is already clear that diversity is good for business. Films with diverse casts, according to the Bunche Center report, enjoyed the highest median global box-office receipts and the highest median return on investment. Indeed, the movie that broke box office records around the world in 2015, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, stars a white woman and a black man. Open your eyes, Hollywood. It’s time to flip the script. http://www.usatoday.com/story/ life/movies/2016/02/01/jessejackson-hollywood-oscarsdiversity/79614066/
25 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
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re you a Small Business interested in selling your product or services to Metro or to Prime Contractors that do business with Metro? Would you like to learn how to win contracts as a Prime Contractor through SB Prime, Metro's exciting set-aside initiative? If so, we invite you to come grow with us and learn about Metro Connect. Start now and register for a How to Do Business with Metro Workshop. Metro staff will show you how to take advantage of the vast array of products, services and transportation related opportunities projected over the coming weeks, months and year. As an added bonus, Metro's procurement staff will host informal interviews with firms before the workshop, starting at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 8, 2016 8:30 a.m.: Registration 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.: One-on-One with Contract Administrators and Continental Breakfast 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.: Program
Metro Headquarters 3rd Floor, Board Room, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Topics: Highway Project Update, Procurement Update, Certification Update, Small Business Prime Update, LA SAFE/511 Next Generation Update To learn more about how Metro Connect's Small and Disadvantaged Business Certifications can help open the door to contracting opportunities with Metro visit Metro Vendor Portal. For further questions, please contact Marisela Villar at VillarM@metro.net or via phone at 213.922.2235.
26 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
THE WHITE HOUSE PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION NATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH, 2016
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merica's greatness is a testament to generations of courageous individuals who, in the face of uncomfortable truths, accepted that the work of perfecting our Nation is unending and strived to expand the reach of freedom to all. For too long, our most basic liberties had been denied to African Americans, and today, we pay tribute to countless good-hearted citizens -- along the Underground Railroad, aboard a bus in Alabama, and all across our country -- who stood up and sat in to help right the wrongs of our past and extend the promise of America to all our people. During National African American History Month, we recognize these champions of justice and the sacrifices they made to bring us to this point, we honor the contributions of African Americans since our country's beginning, and we recommit to reaching for a day when no person is judged by anything but the content of their character.
From the Revolutionary War through the abUnderground Railroad olitionist movement, to marches from Selma to Montgomery and across America today, African Americans have remained devoted to the proposition that all of us are created equal, even when their own rights were denied. As we rejoice in the victories won by men and women who believed in the idea of a just and fair America, we remember that, throughout history, our success has been driven by bold individuals who were willing to speak out and change the status quo. Refusing to accept our Nation's original sin, African Americans bound by the chains of slavery broke free and headed North, and many others who knew slavery was antithetical to our country's conception of human rights and dignity fought to bring their moral imagination to life. When Jim Crow mocked the advances made by the 13th Amendment, a new generation of men and women galvanized and organized with the same force of faith as their enslaved ancestors. Our Nation's young people still echo the call for equality, bringing attention to disparities that continue to plague our society in ways that mirror the non-violent tactics of the civil rights movement while adapting to modern times. Let us also not forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could make our voices heard by exercising our right to vote. Even in the face of legal challenges, every eligible voter should not take for granted what is our right to shape our democracy.
28 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Special Focus - Black Hisotry Month We have made great progress on the journey toward ensuring our ideals ring true for all people. Today, African American high school graduation and college enrollment rates are at an all-time high. The AfricanAmerican unemployment rate has been halved since its Great Recession peak. More than 2 million African Americans gained health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act. The incarceration rates for African-American men and women fell during each year of this Administration and are at their lowest points in over two decades. Yet challenges persist and obstacles still stand in the way of becoming the country envisioned at our founding, and we would do a disservice to all who came before us if we remained blind to the way past injustices shape the present. The United States is home to 5 percent of the world's population, but 25 percent of the world's prisoners -- a disproportionate number of whom are African American -- so we must find ways to reform our criminal justice system and ensure that it is fairer and more effective. While we've seen unemployment rates decrease, many communities, particularly those of color, continue to experience significant gaps in educational and employment opportunities, causing too many young men and women to feel like no matter how hard they try, they may never achieve their dreams. Our responsibility as citizens is to address the inequalities and injustices that linger, and we must secure our birthright freedoms for all people. As we mark the 40th year of National African American History Month, let us reflect on the sacrifices and contributions made by generations of African Americans, and let us resolve to continue our march toward a day when every person knows the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 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 February 2016 as National African American History Month. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA 29 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Special Focus - Black Hisotry Month
OP-ED:How Will We Judge Obama? By Erin Aubry Kaplan
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ho was Obama, and how will he be remembered? Now that he's on his way out — the Iowa caucuses being the official prelude to a new political era — the consensus that's been building is that although Obama more than qualifies as successful, he has not been transformational. He has not fulfilled the early promise of change. That hoped-for change was not just political but also spiritual — it was supposed to finally forge One America across racial lines. But the racial lines have held. The clearest evidence of this is that from the beginning, Obama has always meant something different to black people than he does to everyone else. New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow recently said what's been obvious to me for a long time: Obama's legacy among black people, especially young people, will be immeasurable. Simply negotiating the space of the presidency for two terms, Blow wrote, will bolster blacks' selfimage for generations to come. But that is only part of the picture, and not the most important part. (The title of Blow's column, “The Other Obama Legacy,” acknowledges as much.) Chiefly white opponents of the first black president view him as immeasurable in another way: an utter failure, an abomination or something worse. Such acrimony is why Obama's presidency has not been transformational. Transformation requires something big and deep — it's an embrace from a constituency beyond black folks, a constituency
Obama didn't, couldn't fully win. doing the judging. It's a constituency that includes The gaze of white supremacy Congress. prevails. No matter how much Obama has always struck me as Obama resonates with black a lonely guy — a towering historical folks — no matter how much he figure who at the same time was has transformed us — it is his simply another black man trying resonance, or lack of it, among to find his way in a hostile white whites that is assumed to matter environment. In this way he followed more. Black support is a given, in the modern folk-hero tradition of the reasoning goes; white buy-in Jackie Robinson and other gifted is the brass ring that will ultimately black “firsts” whose main task, determine Obama's importance. besides playing baseball or being This is an example of the distinctly president, was to overcome overwhelming odds and gain acceptance in the face of racial adversity. Much of what we call polarization in the Obama era is really just evidence of this old dynamic. These divisions extend to the very foundation of an American racial and s o c i a l hierarchy that Barack H. Obama, 44th President of the has endured United States Of America for 400 years. The media consistently ignore it because they unequal nature of integration, and have been trained not to name race integration is really what Obama (or its corollary, racism) as a factor in was trying to effect as president anything. But how Obama is judged, and before that, as a candidate with what he will ultimately mean to the his One America campaign. But, American people, depends less on Jackie Robinson notwithstanding, his intrinsic qualities and his record United States history is littered with than on which American people are failures of integration, and black
30 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
"…Obama's legacy among black people, especially young people, will be immeasurable."
people know those failures well. We've lived them. With Obama, we braced ourselves for the resistance and the blowback that happens when any black person tries to assert his or her authority — or even competence — in a setting where few or no black people have asserted it before. We figured that a first of Obama's magnitude was really going to catch hell, and we were right; a nasty battle that had been fought in schools and at lunch counters was suddenly being fought in the most rarefied public space of all, the White House. The battle has been metaphorically bloody and mostly painful to watch. Obama's policy
victories, his sparkling turns in front of the camera and on social media, his manifest intelligence, his cool could never counterbalance the open and endless scorn of the tea party faction that has ruled the Republicans, and a good part of public opinion about Obama. This influential faction did not merely criticize Obama, it sought to humiliate him. It was personal. Being black has to be understood as a collective experience, and for all the early talk about how black he was or wasn't, Obama claimed his place in the tribe. That place is part of what has made him a folk hero to black folks; he is a first and a fellow traveler. He is us. Whether we liked
him or not, Obama took on the job of representing and reflecting black folks' ambitions, our strengths, our forbearance and, yes, our uncertainties and failures, which include overcompromising in order to make it in a white world that sees us as “less than.” For eight years black Americans have followed Obama's efforts closely, in a way white people couldn't. We never believed he would be transformational. If Obama is remembered as a president who improved the nation's numbers and broke the healthcare logjam, that will be triumph enough. The real mechanism of transformation is love, the ultimate solution for our racial crises advocated by Obama's forebears Martin Luther King Jr. and James Baldwin. That kind of embrace will have to wait for another era. www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oekaplan-obama-legacy-20160202-story. html
31 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Special Focus - Black Hisotry Month
Carter G. Woodson by Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President (reprint from BBN February 2014)
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n the fall of 1870, a handful of students made their way through the northwest quadrant of the nation's capital, and through the doors of D.C.'s "Preparatory High School for Colored Youth," the country's first public high school for African American children. There, in the shadow of the American Civil War, and dawned with the spark of reconstruction, a converted basement-turned-classroom in the lower floor of Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church bore the seeds of Dunbar High School, which would become one of the country's preeminent institutions for African American educational achievement. The students and teachers who graced its hallways would be heard through the years in the halls of Congress, in the highest ranks of the U.S. military, at the heart of our civil rights movement, and in the upper echelons of medical and scientific study. One such voice was that of Carter G. Woodson; a journalist, author, historian, and co-founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). It was through his work with the ASNLH that Woodson spearheaded the celebration of "Negro History Week" in America, which served as the precursor to Black History Month, which was officially recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976. The son of former slaves, Woodson grew up poor, and unable to attend school regularly. Still, he managed to master scholastic fundamentals on his own. After entering high school at the age of 20, he earned his degree in 2 years and continued
on with an impressive academic career earning a bachelor's degree from Berea College in Kentucky, a post as a school supervisor in the Philippines for nearly five years, a master's degree in 1908 from the University of Chicago, and his Ph.D. in history from Harvard University in 1912. After Harvard, Woodson moved to Washington, D.C. and joined the Dunbar High School staff, which at that point was called the "M Street School." He taught there for years until joining the faculty at Howard University, where he began teaching Howard's first ever black history courses. Carter Woodson spent his career promoting the importance of black history as part of the American story, and in context of the birth and evolution of global civilizations. With the publication of The Journal of Negro History, the formation of the ASNLH, and the inception of Negro History Week, Woodson is often cited as the "father of black history," and one of the earliest champions of African American empowerment through historic learning. Woodson taught us that, "those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history." It was his belief that a thorough and prideful understanding of our history as Americans, and a full grasp of the contributions of black people would provide us the foundation and vision we need to confidently contribute to society, and reach our full potential.
I was struck by Carter Woodson's story both as we observe Black History Month at the White House, and as I reflect on the tangential story of another Dunbar faithful. My father, Dr. James E. Bowman, who would be 91 years old today, attended Dunbar and graduated at the age of 16, decades after Mr. Woodson had moved on, and amidst another era of struggle and restructuring in America. He would later become a renowned pathologist and expert in genetics and inherited disease, as well as the first African American resident at St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago, and the first African American to receive tenure at the University of Chicago Division of Biological Sciences. Like Mr. Woodson, and so many others over the years, my dad broke down barriers throughout his life and career, and left us a world better than the one he found. Today, Dunbar struggles against many of the same economic, social, family, and scholastic barriers to success that face so many schools in America, and which leave too many children fighting for the chance they deserve. But we can certainly learn from Carter Woodson, that we need only look to our past to understand our capacity
32 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
National Museum of African American History and Culture will Open this September
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he Smithsonian today announced that the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) will open to the public on Saturday, September 24, 2016. The opening will be the focus of a week-long celebration that begins
for forging our own destiny in the face of unrelenting challenges. The strength of our future as a country, as always, lives in the hearts and minds of our young people, and I can think of no surer vessel in which to place our faith. Carter G. Woodson is buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland-Silver Hill, Maryland, and his D.C. home is preserved as a National Historic Site. www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/02/05/ champion-african-american-historycarter-g-woodson
with a dedication ceremony on September 24th and will include extended visiting hours and a three-day festival on the National Mall showcasing popular music, literature, dance and film. Also planned are events co-hosted by other museums around the country and the world. “After 13 years of hard work and dedication on the part of so many, I am thrilled that we now have this good news to share with the nation and the world,” said Lonnie Bunch, the museum’s founding director. “In a few short months visitors will walk through the doors of the museum and see that it is a place for all people. We are prepared to offer exhibitions and programs to unite and capture the attention of millions of people worldwide. It will be a place for healing and reconciliation, a place where everyone can explore the story of America through the lens of the African American experience.” “We look forward to the opening of this enormously important new museum,” said David Skorton, Smithsonian Secretary. “The
NMAAHC furthers the Smithsonian’s commitment to telling America’s story in all its dimensions.” Please be advised that at this time many details about the grand opening remain to be decided. When more details and information become available, it will be posted on our website, www.nmaahc. si.edu. The NMAAHC’s 400,000 squarefoot building on the National Mall is located on a five-acre site on Constitution Avenue NW between 14th and 15th streets NW adjacent to the Washington Monument and across 14th Street from the American History Museum. The museum consists of five levels above ground and four below. The museum will have exhibition galleries, an education center, a theater, auditorium, café, and gift shop, as well as staff offices. Visit our museum website to view the digital displays, learn about events leading up to the opening day and make a contribution toward the remaining $40 million needed to complete development of this most important new institution.
33 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Special Focus - Black Hisotry Month
Google Cultural Institute Making Rare Historical Artifacts Digitally Accessible By Lilly Workneh, Senior Black Voices Editor, The Huffington Post
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n recognition of Black History Month, the Google Cultural Institute
( w w w. g o o g l e . c o m / culturalinstitute/home)
is providing a unique virtual experience to better explore and pay tribute to black history. On February 1st, the online institute, which boasts an impressive collection of digital artwork contributed by museums, will release more than 4,000 new items that document different moments throughout the history of black America. The new experience will come with over 80 exhibits and three President Lyndon B. Johnson and Martin Luther King shake hands at the White expeditions -- immersive House on August 6, 1965, the day the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. virtual reality journeys GOOGLE CULTURAL INSTITUTE to cultural hubs like the jazz scene in New Orleans. Street Mountaintop” speeches, as well the collection by digitizing portions views will virtually transport users as photographs of King's first of their archives. One exhibit to culturally significant locations handshake at the White House with pays tribute to masterminds like across the country like the President Lyndon B. Johnson on Alvin Ailey and Martha Graham, Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, the day the Voting Rights Act was who played an important role in Alabama, and the Museum of signed into law in 1965. the journey of black dancers and African American History in New Historical institutes like the helped to highlight their work in England (www.maah.org). National Museum of African contemporary dance. Meanwhile, new digital artifacts American History and Culture Also among the artifacts is a letter include historically relevant items (http://nmaahc.si.edu) and the Fredrick Douglass wrote to his like the original manuscripts of Schomburg Center For Research slave master in 1857. "I love you Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have In Black Culture (www.nypl.org/ but I hate slavery," Douglass wrote, a Dream" and "I've Been to the locations/schomburg) contributed to going on to explain why he felt the 34 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Fredrick Douglass wrote this letter addressed to his slave master, Hugh Auld, in 1857. GOOGLE CULTURAL INSTITUTE
need to stay in touch with his former master even after he escaped. These new additions document critical moments of black history in interactive and innovative methods. They provide us with unprecedented new ways to help ensure these important moments and markers of history are not forgotten -- not only in February, but year-round. “Everyone should have access to history; everyone should be able to follow it, learn from it, explore it and revel in it," Lonnie G. Bunch, founding director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, told The Huffington Post. Bunch said the better we're able to understand our past, the better we'll be able to work towards a brighter future. "This is something worth celebrating," he said. ď ƒ www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/google-black-historymonth_us_56ae1538e4b077d4fe8e6965
Edmund Pettus Bridge GOOGLE CULTURAL INSTITUTE
Special Focus - Black History Month
Five Little-Known Facts About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture
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r. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an extraordinary man of many talents and has left behind an enormous legacy. Below you will find five little-known facts about the life and work of King.
1. Martin Luther King, Jr. was actually named Michael when he was born. In 1934, his father traveled to Germany and was inspired by the Protestant Reformation leader, Martin Luther. Upon his return, Martin Luther King, Sr. changed his and his five-year-old son’s names.
2. King was an extraordinary
student. He skipped two grades and entered college at the age of 15. He was admitted to Morehouse College in 1944 and graduated in 1948 with a BA in Sociology. The Morehouse president, Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, became an inspirational figure in King’s life. King continued his education at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania. There he was elected student body president and graduated valedictorian of his class in 1951. He enrolled in Boston University’s doctoral program and was awarded his Ph.D. at the age
of 25. While in Boston, King met Coretta Scott and became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. P h o t o : Martin Luther King Jr. is Arrested for Loitering Outside of a Courtroom Where his Friend Ralph Abernathy is Appearing for a Trial, Montgomery, A l a b a m a S o u r c e : Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
3. Although King stood firm in his beliefs toward a nonviolent movement, he was still arrested nearly 30 times. His charges (often times dramatized) ranged from civil disobedience to traffic violations. See more on his arrests here.
4. King survived an assassination attempt a decade before his death. On September 20, 1958, King was in Harlem for a book signing. People lined up at Blumstein’s department
36 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Martin Luther King Jr. is Arrested for Loitering Outside of a Courtroom Where his Friend Ralph Abernathy is Appearing for a Trial, Montgomery, Alabama Source: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
store to have their copies of Stride Toward Freedom signed. A young woman named Izola Ware Curry approached Dr. King and asked him if he was really Martin Luther King Jr. After he replied “yes,” she thrust a seven-inch letter opener into his chest. Curry claims she had been after him for five years. The stab wound just missed his heart and King underwent hours of emergency surgery. The doctors told him that if he had so much as sneezed, he would not have survived. During recovery, King issued a statement affirming his nonviolent beliefs and stated he had no malice feelings towards his attacker. It was later found that Curry was mentally ill and King decided to not press charges against her.
5. After his death, the King family filed a civil case against the US government and won. On December 8, 1999, twelve jurors reached a unanimous decision that King’s death was a result of a conspiracy. The trial took place in Memphis, TN, and included four weeks of testimony and over 70 witnesses. The jury was convinced by the evidence and reached a verdict after only an hour of deliberation. Overwhelming evidence showed James Earl Ray was not the actual shooter but was set up to take the blame. After the evidence showed Ray did not pull the trigger, local, state and federal U.S government agencies, and the Mafia were to blame.
The King family was awarded $100, which they donated to charity. To them, it was never about the money; they just wanted the truth out, and for justice to be served. Established in 1968 by Mrs. Coretta Scott King, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) has been a global destination, resource center and community institution for over a quarter century. Visit their site http://thekingcenter. org for more information. By Shannon C., Social Media Volunteer, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. http://nmaahc.tumblr.com/ post/137348553413/five-littleknown-facts-about-dr-martin-luther
Special Focus - Black Hisotry Month
Jake Simmons and Bass Reeves 'Most Feared' Black Men in Oklahoma By Jonita Mullins (edited by BBN) Mental Floss
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ithout a doubt, the “most feared” African American man during Oklahoma’s territorial days would have been U.S. Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves. The legendary lawman had few equals in law enforcement on the wild frontier.
Joseph Jacob Simmons Jr.
B
ut another African American who called Muskogee home has also been described as the “most feared black man in Oklahoma.” This was Joseph Jacob Simmons Jr., an oil tycoon who was once listed in Forbes Fortune 400. His considerable wealth gave him access to other wealthy and powerful people and helped Simmons become a powerbroker in the state. Known as Jake Simmons, he was born near Sawokla, Indian Territory in 1901. His father, a Creek Lighthorseman, owned a large ranch near the town that would eventually be named Haskell. His great-grandfather had been a slave of the Creek Indian tribe, and later became a chief as well as a leader for many of the freed Creek slaves. The elder Simmons, as a member of the Creek tribe, used the allotment system to build a prosperous cattle ranch. He and his several children took their land allotments in proximity to one another, creating the 1,000-acre spread. Jake Simmons grew up learning the value of hard work by herding cattle and mending fences for his father.
So prosperous was the Simmons ranch that it caught the attention of Booker T. Washington, and the noted educator visited the Simmons’ home while on a trip to Oklahoma. On his visit he convinced Jake to attend the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Washington would become a life-long friend and mentor to Jake Simmons. After graduating from Tuskegee in 1919, Jake worked for a time in Detroit, but soon returned to Oklahoma. In the 1920s, oil was discovered on his allotment. Haskell was experiencing an oil boom, and men such as J. Paul Getty were drilling in the area. Simmons entered the oil business and became arguably one of the most successful African Americans in the history of the oil industry. Simmons brokered oil leases in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Kansas and branched out into real estate, insurance and the cattle business. He worked with other successful oil men such as Frank Phillips, E.W. Marland and Henry Sinclair. His experience in brokering oil deals in Oklahoma led to his work in representing American oil companies in Africa. He partnered with Phillips Petroleum Company and Signal Oil and Gas Company to open up African oil fields in Liberia, Nigeria and Ghana. Simmons was the first black to be appointed to the National Petroleum Council in 1969. He was also active in the civil rights movement and served as president of the Oklahoma National Association for the Advancement
www.amazon.com/Staking-ClaimSimmons-African-American-Dynasty/ dp/0689117914
of Colored People. He fought for the rights of blacks in the courts, but was also a capitalist who believed
38 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
in creating jobs to help others. Simmons, who died in 1981, once said, “It is a waste of life for a man to fail to achieve when he has the opportunity.” Simmons certainly followed his own philosophy, for he achieved great success in his life and built a reputation that brought him respect throughout the state and around the world. Simmons' son J. J. "Jake" III was vice president of the family business before being recruited to work at the Interior Department during the Kennedy administration. He served as undersecretary of the Interior Department during the first Reagan administration and a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission in the 1980s and 1990s.[5] Donald, an economist, took over Simmons Royalty Company. Blanche was a social worker and Kenneth, a Harvard-educated professor of architecture at the University of California, Berkeley.
The Life and Times of U.S. Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves
O
ver his 32-year career as a Deputy U.S. Marshal, Bass Reeves arrested 3,000 felons, killed 14 men, and was never shot himself. His reputation for persistence, his total fearlessness, his skills with a gun, and his ability to outsmart outlaws struck terror into lawbreakers in what we now call Oklahoma. Although other colorful characters made their way into our pop culture, Bass was the real badass of
U.S. Marshall Bass Reeves
the Old West. Bass Reeves was born a slave in Arkansas in 1838. His slavemaster, William S. Reeves, moved the household to Texas in 1846. When the Civil War broke out, William Reeves' son George was made a colonel in the Confederate army and took Bass to war with him. At the most opportune moment, Reeves escaped while George was sleeping and took off out west for Indian Territory. Reeves went to live among the Creek and Seminole Indians. He learned their customs and languages and became a proficient territorial scout. Reeves eventually procured a homestead in Van Buren, Arkansas, where he was the first black settler. He married Nellie Jennie, built an eight-room house with his bare hands, and raised ten children—five girls and five boys. Life was good, but it was about to change for Bass Reeves. The state of Oklahoma at the time was two different territories: Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory. Indian Territory was where the Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, and Chickasaw tribes who were forcibly removed from their homes were resettled following the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
But they weren't the only citizens of Indian Territory. There were also former slaves of the tribes, freed and made tribal members after the Civil War, settlers from the East (both black and white) who sharecropped tribal property, and a good measure of outlaws fleeing from civilization. Indian territory was attractive to lawbreakers because of its peculiar judiciary arrangement: The tribal courts had jurisdiction only over tribal members. Non-Indians were under the jurisdiction of federal courts, but there were few marshals to supervise a very large area. In 1875, “Hanging Judge” Isaac C. Parker was made the federal judge of Indian Territory. One of his first acts was to make James Fagan a U.S. Marshal and order him to hire 200 deputies. Fagan knew of Reeves and his ability to negotiate Indian Territory and speak the languages, so Reeves was named the first black Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi. As such, he was authorized to arrest both black and white lawbreakers. Reeves was well aware of the historic precedent, and took his responsibilities seriously. Reeves was 38 years old at the time, 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighed 180 pounds, and rode a large see Most Feared Black Men on page 40
39 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Special Focus - Black Hisotry Month Most Feared Black Men from page 40
horse. He cut an imposing figure as he patrolled the 75,000 square miles of Indian Territory. He quickly gained a reputation as a tough and fearless lawman who managed to bring in outlaws thought to be invincible. Reeves traveled the long circuit with a wagon, cook, and often a posse. He carried chains to secure prisoners to the wagon, as he sometimes had a dozen or more by the time he returned to Ft. Smith, where Judge Parker held court. In 1889, after Reeves was assigned to Paris, Texas, he went after the Tom Story gang for their long-term horse theft operation. He waited along the route Tom Story used, and surprised him with an arrest warrant. Story panicked and drew his gun, but Reeves drew and shot him dead before Story could fire. The rest of the gang disbanded and were never heard from again. Reeves approached the three murderous Brunter brothers and handed them a warrant for their arrest. The three outlaws laughed and read the warrant, and in the split second they all took their eyes off Reeves, he managed to draw his gun and kill two of them, and immediately disarmed and arrested the third.
Although Reeves was a skilled frontiersman and spoke several languages, he had never learned to read. Once, when two potential assassins forced Reeves off his horse, he asked them for one last request - that someone read him a letter from his wife. When the outlaws were momentarily distracted by the piece of paper they were handed, Reeves drew his gun and turned the situation around. The second outlaw dropped his gun in surprise, and they were both arrested. Reeves used the "piece of paper" ruse several times in his career to distract felons to similar ends. Reeves was arrested himself in 1887, and charged with murder in the death of his posse cook, William Leach. Brought to trial before Judge Parker, he testified that he shot the cook by accident while cleaning his gun, and was acquitted. The marshal was famous for fairmindedness and was impossible to bribe or corrupt. In 1902 he arrested his own son, Benny, for murdering his wife (Reeves' daughter-in-law). Benny had fled to the badlands after the crime, and no other marshal was willing to pursue him. As distasteful as the task was, Reeves brought him back, and Benny served twenty years at Leavenworth. Oklahoma became a state in 1907, and Reeves' commission as
marshal ended. He was 68 years old by then, but took on another position with the Muskogee Police Department, which he kept until his health began to fail. Reeves died of Bright's disease in 1910. In his 32 years as a Deputy U.S. Marshal, Reeves had seen bullets fly through his clothing and hat, but was never injured by an outlaw. His record of 3,000 arrests dwarfs the arrest records of better known Old West lawmen such as Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and Wild Bill Hickok. The story of Bass Reeves is sometimes cited as the inspiration for The Lone Ranger. It also may have been an inspiration for the film Django Unchained. The 2010 straight-to-video movie Bass Reeves (www.imdb.com/title/ tt1586701) is a fictionalized account of the lawman's life. In 2011, the bridge that connects Muskogee and Fort Gibson in Oklanahoma was named the Bass Reeves Memorial Bridge. Once asked why he spent so much effort enforcing the "white man's laws," Bass reportedly replied, "Maybe the law ain't perfect, but it's the only one we got, and without it we got nuthin'." http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/ simmons-was-most-feared-black-man-inoklahoma/article_64bc7f5f-e254-5c64a67a-e5fa52566d36.html http://mentalfloss.com/article/33537/lifeand-times-deputy-us-marshal-bass-reeves
Bass Reeves (front row left with cane) Muskogee, Indian Territory. White and Black policemen. c1900 Photo courtesy of Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma Library 40 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Special Focus - Black Hisotry Month
Celebrate Black History Month for 28(29) Days
N
ow in its eighth year, AT&T 28 Days (http://28days.att. com) is a project close to all of our hearts at AT&T. We're proud to put a special focus on celebrating how African-Americans have impacted our culture and highlighting those we believe will have an impact in the future. Our century-long history of innovation is a story about people from all walks of life and all kinds of backgrounds coming together to improve the human condition. When you look through our Moments that Matter (http://28days.
att.com/att-28-days-moments-thatmatter) visual album, you will see
many images that speak directly to that heritage of diversity at AT&T. But celebrating our history is just part of what 28 Days is about. We also want to shed light on the people, tools and resources within the African-American community supporting constructive change across the globe. To that end, we asked modern-day, black pioneers to share how they navigate through a world moving at the pace of technology and innovation. You can read their tips and insights in The Framework (http://28days.att.com/ att-28-days-framework).
AT&T 28 Days Contest AT&T 28 DAYS invites you to celebrate Black History Month by sharing your Moments That Matter for a chance to win a Tech Makeover prize pack of Sansung products! HERE'S HOW TO ENTER: • Sign into your Twitter or
Instagram account. • Submit an original photo that represents a moment that mattered to you, with a brief description and/or caption explaining why. • The tweet or post MUST also include the hashtags of #ATT28Days and #contest to be considered a valid entry. One grand prize winner will receive: • One (1) Samsung® Galaxy S6 Edge 64 GB; • One (1) Samsung® Gear S2 Classic Smartwatch; • One (1) Samsung® Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 32GB (WiFi); and • One (1) Samsung® Gear VR Innovator Edition for S6 Nine (9) finalists will receive: • One (1) gift card each, valued at $200.00. And, finally, at AT&T, we are committed to the idea of inspiring mutually beneficial connections throughout the year. That is why we partner with organizations such as those featured in Network Support (http://28days.att.com/att-28-daysnetwork-support#sthash.DUHPBGr4. dpbs) on local and national initiatives
and programs. I encourage you to explore our connections within your community. Chances are if you are focused on a making a difference, AT&T is supporting an organization that can help you along the way. Communication and access to information in all its forms is a critical catalyst of change whether at the local, national or global scale. We at AT&T are proud to support the extraordinary efforts and achievements of all of the communities we serve and are excited about the unfolding history all around us. Find all of the details on AT&T 28 Days at http://28days.att.com/ contest#sthash.kyOJjcGI.dpbs. Enjoy. http://28days.att.com/
41 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Special Focus - Black Hisotry Month
I Am Somebody I Am Somebody I May Be Poo But I Am Somebody I May Be You But I Am Somebody I May Be On But I Am Somebody I May Be Sm But I Am Somebody I May Make A But I Am Somebody My Clothes A My Face Is D My Hair Is Di But I Am Somebody I Am Black Brown White I Speak A Dif But I Must B Protected Never Reject I Am God's Child I Am Somebody Rev. William
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ung
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A Mistake
Are Different Different ifferent
fferent Language e Respected
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H. Borders
"Our Ancestors prayed for 389 years to place a person of color in the White House. They led over 200 slave revolts, fought in 11 wars, one being a civil war where over 600,000 people died. Our mothers fought and were killed for women’s suffrage, our grandparents were lynched for the civil rights bill of 1964 and the voting rights act of 1965‌my father never had the opportunity to vote and I believe it is my sacred duty to pull the lever for every member of my family who was denied the right to vote. I will not allow narrow-minded ministers or regressive politicians the satisfaction of keeping me from my sacred right to vote to shape the future for my grandchildren." — Rev. Otis Moss, Jr.
"If the door is not open you have to make your own door." - Judith Jamison
Special Focus - Black Hisotry Month
uring a time of strict enforcement for where blacks could live and play South Central Avenue was the focal point of the African-American community in Los Angeles, California, during the 1920s through the 1940s. Out of this a partied restrictive local government the Dunbar Hotel, originally known as the Hotel Somerville was
D
the most prestigious hotel in LA's African-American community. In the early 1930s, a nightclub opened at the Dunbar, and it became the center of the Central Avenue jazz scene in the 1930s and 1940s. The Dunbar attracted a variety of the legends of the time from Boxing Champion Joe Louis, Louis Armstrong, Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, Josephine
The hotel was built in 1928 by John and Vada Somerville, socially and politically prominent black Angelinos. Dr. John Somerville was raised in Jamaica. When he arrived in California in 1902, he was shocked by the lack of accommodations for people of color on the West Coast. Black travelers usually stayed with friends or relatives. Regardless of income, unlucky travelers usually had to room in "colored boarding houses" that were often dirty and unsafe. Somerville was the first black man to graduate from the USC dental school. In 1912, he married Vada Watson, the first black woman to graduate from USC's dental school.
developed and built in 1928. The Dundar Hotel was known for its first year as the Hotel Somerville, where upon its opening, it hosted the first national convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1930, the hotel was renamed the Dunbar, and it became
Baker, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Lena Horne, W. E. B. Du Bois, Ray Charles, and Thurgood Marshall. Even boxing legend heavyweight champion Jack Johnson ran a nightclub at the Dunbar in the 1930's.
Unlike any project underway today, this hotel was built entirely by black contractors, laborers, and craftsmen and financed by black community members. Prior to 1928, the black community in Los Angeles had been centered on 12th Street and Central Avenue, near Downtown Los Angeles.
THE DUNBAR HOTEL Los Angeles History
44 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
S Somerville ill was the th firstt tto b build ild a major structure so far south in the 42nd Street neighborhood, and soon other businesses followed. Somerville entered a quarter million dollar indebtedness and bought a corner lot at 42nd and Central where this four story hotel was built. The Hotel Somerville boasted 100 guest rooms, 60 private baths, and assorted public rooms, all dressed with $35,000 worth of custom furniture. The opening gala in June 1928 brought out over 5,000 people. Like most grand hotels, there were numerous businesses within the building (many run by women). Over the years these included a 100 seat dining room, bar, popular café, flower shop, nightclub, barbershop, ladies' hairdresser, and a stenographer's office. The Somerville's were a power couple -- successful dentists, developers, tireless advocates for black Angelinos, and the founders of the L.A. chapter of the NAACP. As the Great Migration brought more black people to L.A., the city cordoned them off into the neighborhood surrounding Central Avenue. Despite boasting a large population of middle and upper
l bl k families, f ili th till class black there were still no first class hotels in Los Angeles that would accept blacks. Sadly, the fall of the stock market crash in 1929, Somerville was forced to sell the hotel to a syndicate of white investors. The passing of the hotel from its original black ownership was a disappointment for a community that viewed the hotel as a symbol of black achievement. The hotel was renamed the Dunbar in 1929, in honor of poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar. In 1930, the hotel was purchased for $100,000 by Lucius W. Lomax, Sr. (1879-1961), thereby restoring ownership to an African-American, and the hotel once again became the gem of black Los Angeles. It was not until February 1931 that the Dunbar was issued a permit to conduct a cabaret in the dining room. In general, Central Avenue was the heart of the African-American community in Los Angeles, with the best rhythm and blues and jazz music scene in America. A number of jazz legends regularly performing on Central Avenue included Charles Mingus, Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Teddy Edwards,
Eric Dolphy, Charles Lloyd, Frank Morgan, Sonny Criss, James Newton, and Buddy Collette. In fact, Collette was a pioneer civil rights activist, working to desegregate the musicians' union of Los Angeles, where Gerald Wilson, Frank Sinatra, Nat 'King' Cole, and saxophonist Benny Carter were some of his early supporters. Buddy Collette also helped organize a concert and rally protesting government repression of the African American singer, actor, and political activist Paul Robeson. Just as racial segregation had created a need for the Dunbar, racial integration in the 1950s eliminated the need. Duke Ellington, who had previously kept a suite at the Dunbar, began staying at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, and others followed. But, as the many barriers against integration began to collapse in the late 1950s, so did the Dunbar Hotel. In 1974, the Dunbar was designated as an Historic-Cultural Landmark (no. 131) by the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission. The plaque called the hotel “an edifice dedicated to the memory and dignity of black achievement.” It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Today, the Dunbar Hotel displays plenty of hints of past glory as a nice brick building that actively houses seniors. As you walk in the elegant Spanish style courtyard entrance there is an inlaid stone reading "Hotel Somerville," the structure's original name. There is a neon sign reading "Hotel Dunbar" and two historical markers covered by green leaves and branches. The hotel is surrounded by the Somerville Apartments, a subsidized housing complex named after the hotel's founder.
45 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Special Focus - Black Hisotry Month
This Photo of Obama and a Little Visitor at a Black History Month Celebration is Remarkable By Janell Ross
Clark Reynolds, 3, is greeted by President Obama during a Black History Month Celebration held Feb.18, 2016, at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Pete Souza/White House)
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or 3-year-old Clark Reynolds, Thursday began like most others. Morning preparations gave way to hours at school and then a visit to his mother's office to change into a suit and tie. Clark's mother, Nichole Francis Reynolds, is a former congressional staffer who now works in the private sector. Friends had secured an invitation for Francis Reynolds and her son to the White House's Black History Month celebration, the final gathering of its kind while the first black president remains in office. But Francis Reynolds had told Clark only that he had earned a special treat. He is, after all, only 3. What Clark does know is the president's name, his face when he sees Obama on TV and the sound of President Obama's voice when it comes through the satellite radio in his dad's car. Then, there's Clark's favorite book, the one that he almost always picks when it's reading time. Clark has been through the "The White House Pop-Up Book" by Chuck Fischer so many times that, almost as soon as Clark and his mother walked onto the White House grounds
Thursday, Clark knew where they were. He was excited. And once inside, he was in open awe. This, as Clark put it, is where the president lives. He met Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.). Someone snapped a photo of Clark and the first lady. Somehow, Clark made his way to the front of the a rope line as President Obama worked his way across the room. Then, Obama noticed Clark, too, touched Clark's cheek and bent down to exchange words while he straightened Clark's tie. As we near the end of President Obama's second and final term, it can be hard to remember what the picture of Clark above -- snapped this week by Pete Souza, chief official White House photographer -- so ably captured. Most of us are by now aware that Obama's election was never the evidence of an entirely new and different America. It was never the proof that race had ceased to matter in elections or so many other aspects of American life. And, the notion of the central role white voters played in putting the nation's first black president in office was so often and casually repeated that larger and more accurate truths about American life were obscured. What remains in the inevitably imperfect residue of the Obama years is this thing, visible to even the most jaundiced of political eyes, in the face of a boy who visited the White House for the first time Thursday. Whatever the Obama administration's victories and defeats, its achievements and its failures -- and those that remain to come -- one look at this little boy standing behind a White House rope line, shirttails untucked, jacket buttoned and tie somehow looped over said rope, really makes one thing clear: Our collective notion of what is feasible in the United States forever changed between February 2008 and February 2016. The look in Clark's eyes offers one half of America's current story. A country once determined to import and enslave black Americans is now, indeed, led by one. That is a transformation so profound and complex that when another young black child, Jacob Philadelphia, visited the White House in 2009 and asked the then-new president if they have the same
46 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Remarks by President Obama After Meeting with African American Faith and Civil Rights Leaders February 18, 2016
W
ell, as we commemorate Black History Month, we’ve got some history makers around the table here today. Some are legends, like Congressman Lewis and Reverend
C.T. Vivian. I would not be here were it not for the battles that they fought a generation ago. But we’ve also got some young people here who
hair. Obama bent down and advised Jacob to find out. The answer -- yes -- said much more to Jacob, the millions of Americans who have seen the Souza photo of that moment since. It said, I am like you (www.
is our president. Still, this remains a country where children who look like Clark, but are perhaps a decade older, are widely regarded as a menace. They are to be feared and contained. Obama's touch says, this child is precious and valuable because of who he is and what he can become. But when Obama said as much -- telling reporters in 2012 that if he had a son, that son would look like Trayvon Martin -- a good portion of America reacted as if that reminder was itself an extreme affront. On Thursday, before Clark left the White House, President Obama inscribed Clark's favorite book. Clark's mother brought it along. The inscription reads: "To Clark -- Dream big dreams! Barack Obama."
nytimes.com/2012/05/24/us/politics/indelible-image-of-aboys-pat-on-obamas-head-hangs-in-white-house.html?_ r=2&smid=tw-nytimespolitics&seid=auto). You are like me.
The most powerful elected office in the world is mine and is truly possible for all of us. Obama reportedly gave the photo a permanent and special home in the White House. But then, there is Obama's tender touch on Clark's cheek this week (www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/postpartisan/post/photo-speaks-volumes-about-obama-andrace/2012/05/24/gJQA2T2lmU_blog.html?tid=a_inl). It is
another remarkably familiar gesture between strangers which also reveals something deep and true. It speaks to the other half of America's current story. Obama
see Remarks on page 48
www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/20/ this-photo-of-obama-and-a-little-visitor-at-a-black-historymonth-celebration-says-a-lot/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_ optimist
47 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Special Focus - Black Hisotry Month
are making history as we speak. People like Brittany, who served on our Police Task Force in the wake
about how we, in addition to the legislative actions that can be -- that are taken, how we as an administration can continue to consult with these organizations, local municipalities, sheriffs’ offices to implement some of the reforms and recommendations that have
of Ferguson, and has led many of the protests that took place there and shined a light on the injustice that was happening. People like DeRay Mckesson, who has done some outstanding work mobilizing in Baltimore around these issues. And to see generations continuing to work on behalf of justice and equality and economic opportunity is greatly encouraging to me. And a lot of the discussion here today focused on the possibilities of completing criminal justice reform. We’ve seen some outstanding bipartisan support, both in the House and the Senate. We want to see if we can get that across the finish line this year. We talked
already been put forward by the task force, but also how we can use our administrative actions to encourage reform. And Attorney General Loretta Lynch has been all on top of this, and has been very focused on how we can make sure that the Justice Department and the FBI are not only identifying areas where there are problems in the equal application of the law, but how the Justice Department and the FBI can be models for how we approach some of these issues. We also had a chance to talk about education and the ways in which we want to ensure that we break this school-to-prison pipeline, and start creating a school-to-college-to-
Remarks from page 48
jobs pipeline. It has to start early. It means that we make sure that we have a culture in all of our schools that values diversity, values people from different cultures, that is encouraging teachers to understand how to best approach kids who may not have all the advantages that others do and to nurture them in an effective way. All of these things require resources, and so we tried to describe for these organizations how our budget is reflective of many of these priorities. But overall, what I am most encouraged by is the degree of focus and seriousness and constructiveness that exists not only with existing civil rights organizations, but this new generation. They are some serious young people. I told them that they are much better organizers than I was when I was their age, and I am confident that they are going to take America to new heights. My job is just to make sure that I’m listening to them and learning from them a little bit. And hopefully, working together across divides of race and party, we can make sure that we’re living up to our highest American ideals. There’s no better way for us to celebrate Black History Month. Thank you so much, everybody.. www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2016/02/18/remarks-presidentafter-meeting-african-american-faithand-civil-rights
48 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
www.facebook.com/pages/Los-Angeles-Worlds-Fair/543396465697684
www.laworldsfair.org 49 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Estonia's Plan for Anyone to be a Citizen, Digitally: Here's Why Thousands are Signing Up By Kalev Aasmae
O
ne year into its e-residency plan to offer people who are not Estonian citizens or residents a digital identity, the project's head, Kaspar Korjus, is quietly satisfied with the results. "Already by May, we had attained the objective we had set for the whole year [of 2,000 e-residents]. In July, the government set a new, higher goal: to have 5,000 e-residency applications by the end of the year. As of today, 7,600 people from 121 countries have applied for e-residency and are using Estonian e-services, mostly for entrepreneurial purposes," he says. E-residents have created 240 new companies and 530 entrepreneurs use e-residency to administer their companies. "This means that we've outperformed our initial goals almost fourfold," he added. Estonian e-residency is a transnational digital identity, available to anyone in the world interested in administering a location-independent business online. E-residency is based on Estonian X-Road middleware and enables access to many of the secure digital services that the citizens of Estonia have been using daily for almost a decade. It is possible to apply for
e-residency online. If, after a careful background check, it is granted, a special smart ID card can be collected at one of the 38 Estonian foreign representations or the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board service points. Future e-residents just have to
built on the same state-of-the-art technology, including 2,048-bit public-key encryption. Both smart ID cards contain a microchip with two security certificates: one for authentication and another for digital signing. Using these solutions with their
present a valid passport and provide officials with some biometric data, such as fingerprints. An e-resident's smart ID card differs from that given to Estonian citizens in that it is not a form of physical identification or a travel document, nor does it display a photo. Other than that, the cards are very similar, and the services are
smart ID card, e-residents can sign documents digitally, verify the authenticity of signed documents and encrypt and transmit documents securely. Potentially, the most valuable service for the e-resident and also for Estonia is the opportunity to establish an Estonian company online. For that, the e-resident needs
50 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Digital Citizenship from BBN Show Biz Buzz on page 50
only a physical address in Estonia, which where necessary can also be obtained via an external service provider. With internet-based solutions the e-resident can administer his or her company from anywhere in the world and conduct e-banking and remote money transfers. At the end of the year, Estonia's
Ministry of Interior announced a new initiative that will soon enable e-residents to open a bank account without physically visiting a bank in Estonia. As well as the financial institutions in question using additional measures to identify the e-resident, other restrictions and precautions will be applied to ensure the safety of all parties and to comply with various international agreements. The Ministry of the Interior's idea to give foreigners their own Estonian ID cards was conceived eight years ago, but the project was finally launched in December 2014, when Edward Lucas, a UK journalist, became the country's first official e-resident.
Project director Korjus had joined the project just a few months earlier. With an MSc in e-business and innovation from the UK's University of Lancaster, he already has some serious experience in the field, having worked as a cloud business manager for the local subsidiary of Swedish telco TeliaSonera. Now he is running what he describes as "the coolest governmental startup in the world". Initial concerns about criminals taking advantage of the new concept have not proved justified. "During the first year of the project, we've only had to reject about one percent of the applications, and as far as I know we haven't had to cancel anyone's e-residency yet," he said. For 2017, the goal for new e-citizens has been raised to 25,000, and ambitions for the more distant future are even higher. When the program was launched in 2014, one of the masterminds behind it, the deputy secretary general for communication and state information systems, Taavi Kotka, announced publicly a rather bold goal: to have 10 million e-residents by 2025. Korjus says this plan hasn't been abandoned. "It's still valid as a vision. If we're to discuss how to reach 10 million by 2025, we have to remember that it's normal for startups to reach bigger growth often four to five years after the launch. It also took five years for the Estonian ID card to be fully embraced, before it was widely used and before services were built
on it," he says. "It's only a year after we started the program, and it's still in the beta stage. This means that we're encouraging people to use the service but it's still in the development phase." The key to success lies in engagement with the private sector. "The more e-residents we have as customers, the more attractive the e-residency platform is for the private sector, and the more interest there is to build services on that platform," Korjus says. "Our goal is to increase the number of e-residents by developing e-residency as a product to be more user-friendly and, through that, also to grow the private sector's interest in it." Korjus explains that partners from the private sector can be divided in two groups: service providers like banks, notaries and virtual-office service providers; and developers who need secure authentication or digital signing to provide services for their customers. "For example, we have equity crowdfunding platform Fundwise, which helps e-residents invest securely in international startups. In the near future, we are going to have a co-operation with a new investing platform built for startups, called Funderbeam, and also with Teleport, which is a startup that helps professionals find living and working environments most suitable for them in the world," he says. Recently, a new business network built for e-residents, called eResNetwork, was launched. And there was an announcement from Nasdaq that it is interested in developing secure services in cooperation with Estonia. www.zdnet.com/article/estoniasplan-for-anyone-to-be-a-citizendigitally-heres-why-thousands-aresigning-up/?tag=nl.e232&s_cid=e2 32&ttag=e232&ftag=TRE6a12a91
51 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
WATTS AREA MINISTERS (WAM) BUILDS COALITION FOR HAMBRICK HAROLD HAMBRICK (1943-2014) had such a positive and powerful impact on the nation, particularly the Watts Community, that the Watts Area Ministers deemed it altogether fitting and proper that a particular place be designated HAROLD HAMBRICK SQUARE. Some of Harold's affiliations were: • Member of the South Central Multi-Purpose Health Service Center which became known as the Watts Health Foundation where he served as Vice President of Public Affairs; • Strong promoter of the Watts Summer Festival, Black Business Association, Recycling Black Dollars; • Increased the profile of the Watts Christmas Parade; • The Watts Martin Luther King Breakfast; • Watts United Credit Union and of course; • The Watts Coffee House. Harold was a powerful participant in the forming of the Watts Area Ministers, Inc. in which he referred to himself as a soldier. With all of that in mind, The Watts Area Ministers set out to build a coalition of persons and organizations to support the effort get a place in Watts designated in honor of Brother Hambrick. The dedication is scheduled for Friday, February 12, 2016 on the South East Corner of 103rd. Street and Compton Avenue in Watts beginning at 10:00 A.M. The supporting members of the coalition include 483 petition signers; the Harold Hambrick Family, the Honorable Joe Buscaino,Councilman; the Honorable Janice Hahn, Congresswoman; the Honorable Mike Gipson, Assemblyman and of course, the Pastors and Churches of the Watts Area Ministers, Inc. The public is invited. Reginald Pope rapope2014@aol.com
52 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
BBN Biz Notes By Black Business News Staff
Corporations and NonProfit Work Together to Add Coders to the South African Work Force
M
artha Phora matriculated with grades good enough to get her into an IT college. But like many young South Africans, her dream came to an abrupt end when she could not afford the fees to continue studying. Then WeThinkCode (WTC) (www. wethinkcode.co.za) came along. A non-profit organisation, it raised R10 million to establish a no-fee school to train people with aptitude for computer coding and place them in an institution with a full-time job. The organisation tries to remove barriers such as lack of finance and education. It has has encouraged people in rural areas to apply. For example, Phora is from rural Dalton in Limpopo. WTC uses a free online game called BornToCode to vet applicants. Those who crack it, get a spot in boot camp. According to co-founder Camille Agon, more than 25,000 test submissions were received. Among them, Phora's. She eventually joined the 2% of applicants who demonstrated the ability to problem-solve. Arlene Mulder, co-founder, says, "Many people living in rural areas demonstrate the ability to problem solve, given the daily obstacles they have to overcome." An aptitude to solve problems does not depend on education, she says. "This is why we made it such that
anyone from the age of 17 to 35 can apply to WeThinkCode. You don't even need a matric pass to apply." Agon says the curriculum taught at WTC (which is SETA accredited) is structured on a similar initiative based in France. "Here, we're not teaching you code. We're teaching you how to learn. In a few years time, Java might be obsolete. What then? We believe if we teach you how to handle code, you'll be able to problem solve in any [programming] language," says Agon. "We've partnered with several companies in the mainstream private sector, who all have a need for coders in their firms. So, not only have they funded us, they've also got positions waiting for those who make it through the exams," says Agon. Phora says, "I have sacrificed my time, my social life and everything else to succeed at this. Opportunities like this don't come around [often] in South Africa." Phora is now 25 years old. Her plan is eventually to return to her home and mentor African women to
take up positions in technology. According to Agon, there are at least 70,000 positions for coders in South Africa and perhaps as many as half-a-million. In return for the no-fees education, graduates do an internship with the corporate sponsors. "It works out for everybody. The private sector has a desperate need for coders; our students have a need to be skilled coding professionals with a job, and we have the programme and space to train them." The exact details of graduates' employment contracts were not available, as the programme was still in its inaugural boot camp phase and graduation would only occur in 2018. Those who pass boot camp will enter the programme and be taught, among other things, algorithms, artificial intelligence, database design and cyber security. Mulder says, "We can't wait around for someone else to solve this problem. We are that someone else." http://allafrica.com/ stories/201602151776.html
53 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
T
here are a variety of ways an entrepreneur can approach finding a potential investor. In our new "Financing Your Venture: Angel Investment" video, veteran investor Ian Sobieski describes the many strategies entrepreneurs use to find the investor that is right for their company. The series consists of 6 video presentations available on demand. • Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists • What you need to know about Angel groups • Finding an Angel Investor • Your First Meeting with an Angel Investor • Negotiating the Deal • Communicating with your Investor Use the link below or visit the Kauffman Founders School website (www.entrepreneurship.org/ founders-school.aspx?nav=universal)
to access the Angel Investor video series and other information videos available free of charge.
http://www.entrepreneurship. org/Founders-School/ Financing-Your-VentureAcquiring-Angel-Investment/ Finding-an-Angel-Investor. aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_ medium=email&utm_campaign=fo undersschool12_09_15&_cldee=b Glvbi5jb21tQGhvdG1haWwuY29t
55 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Targeting 14% of the Country This Month: African-American Buyers By Heather Fletcher
B
lack History Month seems like a good time to explore African-Americans’ buying power of $1.4 trillion by 2019, according to Nielsen, as well as where the 9.4 million households spend their money, as tallied by JF Direct Marketing. “African-Americans are the most influential and sought-after minority in the U.S.,” the mailing list provider told Target Marketing via email on Tuesday. “Although no longer the largest minority, African Americans lead all other minorities (except Asians) in income and education, [with] median income at $35,255 and education improving every year with increasing college graduates that are expanding the middle class.” More African-Americans are moving into higher income brackets than the general population, and some
of the growth offers insight into how to target them as consumers.
Here’s advice from Nielsen and JF Direct Marketing: Think STEM. “Contributing to the overall rise in African-American mean incomes is blacks’ participation rate in STEM (science, technol-
ogy, engineering and mathematics) careers,” says Nielsen in its “African-American Consumers: The Untold Story, 2015 Report.” (www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/reports/2015/increasingly-affluent-educated-and-diverse--african-americanconsumers.html) Medical professions
are also seeing increased diversity. Higher earnings mean more need for the following goods and services, according to the study: “The income-consumption curve shows that as African-American incomes rise, their increase in spending on certain categories outpaces that of the total population. Categories where higher-income African-Americans outspend the total population in terms of percentage of income include future-oriented categories, such as insurance policies, pensions and retirement savings. Additionally, 4.5% of African-Americans
earning $70,000-plus make cash contributions — compared to 3.9% of the total population.” General Spending. African American households spend on these categories, according to JF Direct: consumer publications, family vacations and travel, gen-
eral merchandise, gift catalogs, fundraising, insurance, health and nutrition, credit cards, clothing, sweepstakes, contests and lotteries, sporting equipment, children’s books, computer software and hardware, and business and home office products. Think Millennial. “The average age of African-Americans is 31.4 years, compared to 39 years for the non-Hispanic White population or 36.7 years for the total population,” reads the Nielsen report. Think Family. Family bonds are important to many African-Americans. According to Nielsen’s study: “On average, African-Americans have 23% more young children in the household and spending levels reflect that demographic. Entertaining is also very important in the African- American community. Annual events, such as family reunions, cultural festivals and alumni gatherings connect blacks in a unique way that focuses on fellowship and is cross-generational. African- American households spend more on basic food ingredients and beverages than non-Hispanic whites, and also value the food preparation process more. Other popular spending categories include fragrances, personal health and beauty products, household care and cleaning products.” Think Brand Loyalty, and Earn It. “African-Americans earning
56 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
$100,000-plus say they will pay extra for a product that is consistent with an image they want to convey,” says the Nielsen study. However, these consumers are paying attention to headlines like this one from March 2015 in Momentology: “Why Do Most Brands Stay Clear of Black History Month?”
Welcome to More.
(www.momentology.com/5339-whydo-most-brands-stay-clear-of-blackhistory-month) Brands like Macy’s
are paying attention, with celebrations including “film and televi-
Open the door to a hotel you don’t just visit. You own it.
sion actress Jurnee Smollett-Bell [leading] panel discussions with other emerging stars, focused on the influence and impact of black culture on all facets of American life.” The Academy Awards … not so much.g.
Choice Hotels® is committed to achieving more diversity in hospitality with exclusive incentive programs designed to reduce up front costs and provide more support to minority hotel developers. And our commitment doesn’t stop there. Choice Hotels promotes and pursues diversity at all levels, ranging from our workforce to our hotel guests, from our suppliers to entrepreneurs looking to create wealth. Like you. Open the door to hotel ownership opportunities with Choice Hotels. Because you’re not in business for less. You’re in it for more. www.choicehotelsdevelopment.com/#&panel1-2
http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/article/ targeting-14-of-the-countrythis-month-african-americanbuyers/#utm_source=today-%40target-marketing&utm_ medium=newsletter&utm_ campaign=2016-02-03&utm_con tent=targeting+14%25+of+the+c ountry+this+month%3A+africanamerican+buyers-2
57 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Faison Wealth & Retirement Regina Faison Wealth Manager/Registered Principal* 3070 Bristol Street Suite 500 949-200-8212 714-329-7184 regina@faisonwealth.com www.faisonwealth.com
Social Security Claiming Strategies for Married Couples Deciding when to begin receiving Social Security benefits is a major financial issue for anyone approaching retirement because the age at which you apply for benefits will affect the amount you'll receive. If you're married, this decision can be especially complicated because you and your spouse will need to plan together, taking into account the Social Security benefits you may each be entitled to. For example, married couples may qualify for retirement benefits based on their own earnings records, and/or for spousal benefits based on their spouse's earnings record. In addition, a surviving spouse may qualify for widow or widower's benefits based on what his or her spouse was receiving.
Two popular claiming strategies that have been used to boost Social Security income were recently eliminated by new rules contained in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. However, depending on your age, you may still have a limited window to take advantage of these strategies before the new rules take effect.
Two popular claiming strategies that have been used to boost Social Security income were recently eliminated by new rules contained in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. However, depending on your age, you may still have a limited window to take advantage of these strategies before the new rules take effect. Both can be used in a variety of scenarios, but here's how they generally work.
File and suspend Who may still be able to use this strategy: You may be able to use this strategy if you reach age 66 by April 2016 and file your suspension request by April 29, 2016. Under the new rules, effective for suspension requests submitted on or after April 30, 2016 (or later if the Social Security Administration provides additional guidance), a worker who has reached full retirement age (currently age 66) can file an application for retirement benefits, suspend it, and accrue delayed retirement credits (up to age 70), but no one can collect benefits on the worker's earnings record during the suspension period. Generally, a husband or wife is entitled to receive the higher of his or her own Social Security retirement benefit (a worker's benefit) or as much as 50% of what his or her spouse is entitled to receive at full retirement age (a spousal benefit). But here's the catch: under Social Security rules, a husband or wife
who is eligible to file for spousal benefits based on his or her spouse's record cannot do so until his or her spouse begins collecting retirement benefits. However, there is an exception--someone who has reached full retirement age but who doesn't want to begin collecting retirement benefits right away may choose to file an application for retirement benefits, then immediately request to have those benefits suspended, so that his or her eligible spouse can file for spousal benefits. The file-and-suspend strategy is most commonly used when one spouse has much lower lifetime earnings, and thus will receive a higher retirement benefit based on his or her spouse's earnings record than on his or her own earnings record. Using this strategy can potentially boost retirement income in three ways. 1. The spouse with higher earnings who has suspended benefits can accrue delayed retirement credits at a rate of 8% per year (the rate for anyone born in 1943 or later) up until age 70, thereby increasing his or her retirement benefit by as much as 32%. 2. The spouse with lower earnings can immediately claim a higher (spousal) benefit. 3. Any survivor's benefit available to the lower-earning spouse will also increase because a surviving spouse generally receives a benefit equal to 100% of the monthly retirement benefit the other spouse was receiving (or was entitled to receive) at the time of his or her death. Here's a hypothetical example. Leslie is about to reach her full retirement age of 66, but she wants to postpone filing for Social Security benefits so that she can increase her monthly retirement benefit from $2,000 at full retirement age to $2,640 at age 70 (32% more). However, her husband Lou (who has had substantially lower lifetime earnings) wants to retire in a few months at his full retirement age (also 66). He will be eligible for a higher monthly spousal benefit based on Leslie's work record than on his February 22, 2016 Page 1 of 2, see disclaimer on final page
58 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
own--$1,000 vs. $700. So that Lou can receive the higher spousal benefit as soon as he retires, Leslie files an application for benefits, but then immediately suspends it. Leslie can then earn delayed retirement credits, resulting in a higher retirement benefit for her at age 70 and a higher widower's benefit for Lou in the event of her death.
File for one benefit, then the other
For more information about your options and the benefit application process, contact the Social Security Administration at (800) 772-1213 or visit www.socialsecurity.gov. Every situation is unique, so these strategies may not be appropriate for all couples. When deciding when to apply for Social Security benefits, make sure to consider a number of scenarios that take into account factors such as both spouses' ages, estimated benefit entitlements, and life expectancies.
Who may still be able to use this strategy: To file a restricted application and claim only spousal benefits at age 66, you must be at least age 62 by the end of December 2015. At the time you file, your spouse must have already claimed Social Security retirement benefits or filed and suspended benefits before the effective date of the new rules. If you were born in 1954 or later, you will not be able to use this strategy because under the new rules, an individual who files a benefit application will be deemed to have filed for both worker and spousal benefits, and will receive whichever benefit is higher. He or she will no longer be able to file only for spousal benefits and will not be able to switch from one benefit to another at a later date. A second strategy that can be used to increase household income for retirees is to have one spouse file a restricted application for spousal benefits at full retirement age, then switch to his or her own higher retirement benefit later. Once a spouse reaches full retirement age and is eligible for a spousal benefit based on his or her spouse's earnings record and a retirement benefit based on his or her own earnings record, he or she can choose to file a restricted application for spousal benefits, then delay applying for retirement benefits on his or her own earnings record (up until age 70) in order to earn delayed retirement credits. This may help to maximize survivor's income as well as retirement income, because the surviving spouse will be eligible for the greater of his or her own benefit or 100% of the spouse's benefit.
This strategy can be used in a variety of scenarios, but here's one hypothetical example that illustrates how it might be used when both spouses have substantial earnings but don't want to postpone applying for benefits altogether. Liz files for her Social Security retirement benefit of $2,400 per month at age 66 (based on her own earnings record), but her husband Tim wants to wait until age 70 to file. At age 66 (his full retirement age) Tim applies for spousal benefits based on Liz's earnings record (Liz has already filed for benefits) and receives 50% of Liz's benefit amount ($1,200 per month). He then delays applying for benefits based on his own earnings record ($2,100 per month at full retirement age) so that he can earn delayed retirement credits. At age 70, Tim switches from collecting a spousal benefit to his own larger worker's retirement benefit of $2,772 per month (32% higher than at age 66). This not only increases Liz and Tim's household income but also enables Liz to receive a larger survivor's benefit in the event of Tim's death.
Things to keep in mind • Deciding when to begin receiving Social Security benefits is a complicated decision. You'll need to consider a number of scenarios, and take into account factors such as both spouses' ages, estimated benefit entitlements, and life expectancies. A Social Security representative can't give you advice, but can help explain your options. • Using the file-and-suspend strategy may not be advantageous when one spouse is in poor health or when Social Security income is needed as soon as possible. • Delaying Social Security income may have tax consequences--consult a tax professional. • Spousal or survivor's benefits are generally reduced by a certain percentage if received before full retirement age.
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES Regina L. Faison *Wealth Manager/Registered Principal Faison Wealth & Retirement Services C/O Woodbury Financial Services 3070 Bristol Suite 500 Costa Mesa, CA 92626 Office Direct -949-200-8212 * Efax - 949-556-9806 * Regina cell - 714-329-7184 Customer Service Email- service@faisonwealth.com Ph# - 949-939-1194 Website - http://faisonwealth.com "Helping businesses and individuals achieve their life goals" *Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC and Registered Investment Advisor. Woodbury Financial Services P.O. Box 64284*St. Paul, MN 55164*-800-800-2638. Insurance offered through Faison Wealth and Retirement Services is not affiliated with Woodbury Financial Services, Inc. Faison Wealth and Retirement Services and Woodbury Financial are not affiliated entities.
Page 2 of 2 Prepared by Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. Copyright 2016
59 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
RIO 2016 OLYMPIC OPPORTUNITIES Stay Current through the Olympic Newsletter: http://www.export.gov/brazil/games/eg_ br_080260.asp Current tenders can be found at: http://portaldesuprimentos.rio2016.com/en/ status/of/the/bids For information on the Games visit http://export.gov/ brazil/games/index. asp www.export.gov/ brazil/games/eg_ br_080260.asp
Black Business Association is joining forces with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and a number of other businesses and community organizations to help promote safe driving through
Sell Your Products & Services on
It Can Wait. http://itcanwait.com 65 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
cbcc@calbcc.org | 916-463-0178| www.calbcc.org
Abbey Creek Vineyard moved his operation into North Plains, Oregon. Today he is literally an earth to glass winemaker. / The first official Abbey Creek Vineyard label was released in 2008 and named as such after the creek that meanders throughout the 50 acre property. The 10 acres of vineyards consist mostly of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer with a recent addition of Gamay Noir and Albarino. Wines range from $20;00 to $35.00 a bottle and may be ordered online. Also order De Cabron Chilis, a collection of unique, flavor driven hot sauces from Brazil that are ideal with a great range of foods and our wine.
Red, White & Black
B
orn from Haitian immigrant parents and a transplanted New Yorker, Bertony Faustin has found not only his family, but his destiny in Oregon wine country. A physical trainer by trade, Bertony started his wine career like many, somewhat by accident. Noting his in-laws had a small vineyard, he began exploring the potential of making his own wine and gradually launched Abbey Creek Vineyard. Always a student and innovator, Bertony dug in and learned a great deal from neighbors and friends. Abbey Creek Vineyard grew enough in production to warrant it's own tasting room and winery so Bertony
Red, White & Black is a passion project and the brainchild of Bertony. The purpose of Red White & Black is to tell the story of minority winemakers in Oregon. To highlight those people who are deeply entrenched, have their livelihood on the line but somehow are missed by the press and not often included openly in the larger Oregon wine community. This is to tell the story of what life is like, what hurdles, acceptances, challenges and opportunities exist. To share what it is like to be a person of color or LGBT in a generally white, high brow industry. Red, White & Black is an independently produced documentary funded by sweat, a can do spirit and our community. www.abbeycreekvineyard.com www.facebook.com/abbeycreekvineyard
69 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Run. Hide. Fight. Surviving An Active Shooter Event RUN When an active shooter is in your vicinity: • If there is an escape path, attempt to evacuate. • Evacuate whether others agree to or not. • Leave your belongings behind. • Help others escape, if possible. • Prevent others from entering the area. • Call 911 when you are safe.
HIDE If evacuation is not possible, find a place to hide: • Lock and/or blockade the door. • Silence your cell phone. • Hide behind large objects • Remain very quiet. Your hiding place should: • Be out of the shooter's view. • Provide protection if shots are fired. • Not trap or restrict your options for movement.
FIGHT As a last resort, and only if your life is in danger: • Attempt to incapacitate the shooter. • Act with physical aggression. • Improvise weapons. • Commit to your actions.
REMEMBER • • • •
Try to be aware of your environment. Always have an exit plan. Know that in an incident like this, the event is unpredictable and may evolve quickly. The first responders on the scene are not there to evacuate or to tend to the injured; they are well trained and are there to stop the shooter.
911 When Law Enforcement arrives: • Remain calm and follow instructions. • Keep your hands visible at all times. • Avoid pointing or yelling. • Know that help for the injured is on its way. Your actions can make a difference for your safety and survival
BE AWARE! BE PREPARED! From the video Surviving An Active Shooter Event prepared by Homeland Security www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VcSwejU2D0
Business Leader!! Don't miss your chance to be honored as one of America's fastest-growing companies.
Get the recognition your company deserves. Apply for the Inc. 5000 and reap the rewards. www.inc.com/inc5000apply/apply.html?CID=em13_2016e1img
Your company has grown and achieved great things—but has your performance been Inc. 5000-worthy? There's only one way to find out. Apply for this unrivaled honor t o d a y . If you qualify, you could find your company on our prestigious list of fastest-growing companies in America.
71 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) Awards - APPAREL/TEXTILE Deadline to Apply: February 29, 2016
J
oin the 40 trade associations and 73 other non-profit industry groups that have benefited from Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) funding. MDCP awards of up to $300,000 each are available for projects undertaken to develop foreign markets so that U.S. companies can increase exports. www. export.gov/MDCP Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) awards include financial and technical assistance from the International Trade Administration (ITA) to support projects that enhance the global competitiveness of U.S. industries. An MDCP award establishes a partnership between ITA and non-profit industry groups such as trade associations and chambers of commerce. Such groups are particularly effective in reaching small- and medium-size enterprises. The non-profit groups compete for a limited number of MDCP awards by proposing innovative projects that generate exports that create or sustain U.S. jobs. Industry groups pledge to pay a minimum of two-thirds of the project cost and to sustain the project after the MDCP award period ends. On average from 1997 through 2014, projects generated $335 in exports for every $1 of MDCP awards made. Funds may be expended over a minimum of three years at whatever rate makes sense for the project undertaken. The project period may not exceed five years. The principal measurement of performance is exports generated by MDCP project activity. The first MDCP awards, totaling over $2 million, were made in fiscal 1993. While MDCP financial assistance awards go to trade associations and other non-profit industry groups, the ultimate beneficiaries of MDCP-funded projects are individual U.S. businesses and the U.S. workers they employ. The average MDCP project lasts over three years and generates over $96 million in exports, or about $32 million per year (96/3=32). On average, one U.S. job is created or sustained for every $180,000 in exports. Accordingly, the average MDCP project creates or sustains 178 U.S. jobs per year ($32,000,000/$180,000=178).
Who is Eligible to Apply? An MDCP partnership with a group representing a U.S. industry is a great opportunity to help indirectly numerous private companies in an industry. So industry groups are generally eligible to apply for an MDCP award. Such groups by their very nature and composition allow an MDCP partnership with ITA to benefit an entire industry. By contrast, such a partnership with a private enterprise would not have the same industrywide benefit. So, although a private enterprise might be found to be eligible if it could prove that no industry group represented its interests, its MDCP proposal would probably be viewed to benefit one company, the MDCP applicant, first and foremost rather than having a more generalized benefit to the entire industry. Here is a list of some of the types of organizations most often found to be eligible to apply for an MDCP award. Trade associations, State departments of trade, Regional associations of trade and economic development, World Trade Centers, Chambers of commerce, Small business development centers, on-profit industry organizations Learn more about MDCP eligibility and the documentation required for an eligibility determination request at: www.export.gov/mdcp MDCP awards are not grants, but rather cooperative agreements. Like a grant, a cooperative agreement includes financial assistance for the recipient organization. But unlike a grant, the recipient or "cooperator" does not undertake its project alone. A team of ITA professionals assist.
Other Relevant Financial Assistance Programs • Small Business Administration's (SBA) State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) Grant Initiative: SBA makes grants to state export agencies (STEP), however, SBA does not make grants to individuals, businesses, or industry groups. SBA does have some loan guarantee and other programs that you can explore at the SBA link above. • Sometimes state government agencies offer financial assistance to industry groups or individual companies for export promotion and other competitiveness enhancement undertakings. The State International Development Organizations maintains a list of state agencies, some of which may offer financial assistance. • USTDA grants are usually limited to market feasibility studies and only in developing markets. • U.S. Department of Agriculture: USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service runs programs that are similar to MDCP but which focus on agricultural products. The two most prominent and programs are the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development program. • Grants.gov Eligibility: Grants.gov allows organizations to electronically find and apply for more than $400 billion in federal financial assistance. • Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: CFDA is supposed to be a comprehensive listing of all federal assistance available to the public. This includes financial assistance such as MDCP
Black History Month
FOR
OR ANY SPECIAL OCCASION
www.nubianskin.com/us www.nubianskin.com/us/lace-collection
www.nubianskin.com/us/ online-gift-voucher-us.html 79 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
3 Quick Ways to Become More Interesting and Unforgettable A simple technique that in seconds can transform the dullest company, product, or person into a story that people remember. By Geoffrey James
S
ince before recorded history, humans have been a storytelling species. For millennia, stories have told us how to survive in a hostile world. The ability to hear and remember a story is literally part of our DNA. In business, we remember stories, especially those that help us better understand ourselves and our world. The most memorable ads, companies, and people all possess such stories. That's why it's sad and ironic that when asked, "What does your company do?" most people blurt out a dull fact like, "We make widgets." Or, if they work in marketing, they might tart it up like so: "We're the industry-leading maker of state-ofthe-art widgets."
Boring. So boring. People--even the biz-blabbers-know that they could make their company sound interesting if they could only figure out how to turn those bland facts into a meaningful story. Well, I'm telling you today that, not only can you make your company interesting, you can easily turn whatever you or your company does into a story that people will remember for years. And they'll remember you, too, because you told them a memorable story. The technique is both incredibly easy and completely foolproof. It's the closest thing to a magic bullet of marketing that I've ever heard. And
did I mention that it was easy? To make your company and yourself unforgettable, you use these three incredibly simple phrases (the parts shown in the brackets are what you customize to fit your company): • You know how when you're trying to [accomplish some goal], you run into [an annoying obstacle]? • Well, my company does [something different]. • As a result, you get [the goal you were seeking and something extra].
The formula works every time. Let's start with a company that everyone already knows: Uber. Suppose Uber didn't yet exist and you were just starting a ride-sharing service. You're on a plane, sitting next to an attractive person who asks: "So, what does your startup do?" You could say, "We're launching a ride-sharing service" (snooze) or "We're a state-of-the-art disruptive innovator using GPS and instant transactions to revolutionize the transportation industry" (big snooze). Or you could say: "Well, you know how when you need to get a ride somewhere and you call a taxi, it always ends up costing more than you thought it would? Our app lets regular people bid against one another to give you a ride at a fixed price in their own car. As a result, you know right up front exactly how much it will cost
and that you're getting the best possible deal." Now, that's memorable to anybody who's ever fumed over a taxi fare (which is almost everybody). That was an easy test, because Uber is an exciting idea. Let's try the same formula with a company whose product is spectacularly boring. For example, suppose your company makes the little plastic swords that hold cherries for mixed drinks. You're at a wedding, again sitting next to a very attractive person, who asks: "So, what do you do for a living?" You could say: "My company makes plastic drink swords" (cricket noises) or "We're the industry leader in the rapidly expanding marketplace for plastic drink swords" (attractive person runs for the nearest exit). Or you could say: "You know how sometimes you finish a cocktail and there's a cherry at the bottom mixed in with the ice? And you really want the cherry, but to get that cherry you'd have to fish for it with a fork or dump the tumbler into your plate? Well, we make those little sword things that keep the cherry in the drink but let you eat that cherry whenever you want it, without having to do something that makes you look like a crazy person." Do you see what's going on? Those three magic phrases force you to talk about what your company does from the perspective of what that means to your customer. They not only create a story, but they create a story that's meaningful. And because people are hardwired in their DNA to remember stories that mean something to them, they'll remember what you said as well as who you are. Heck, they might even pull out their checkbooks right then and there. www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/3-shortphrases-that-make-you-unforgettablefirst-90-days.html
81 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Small Business Investment Companies (SBIC)
favorable rates through the federal government. •And the national economy benefits as the small businesses financed by SBICs continue to create jobs and generate tax revenues.
Where can I learn more? Visit the SBIC Program pages ( w w w. s b a . g o v / c o n t e n t / s b i c program-overview-0), including the FAQ, for more information about the SBIC Program. Still have questions? Email askSBIC@sba. gov.
D
id you know that the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program has been helping high-growth small businesses get financing since 1958? That's right – for more than 50 years, SBICs have facilitated the flow of long-term capital to America’s businesses. There are thousands of small business success stories, but here are a few you probably recognize: Costco, Apple and Staples – just to name a few.
funds (the SBICs) that finance small businesses.
How does it work?
What are the perks?
SBA doesn't finance businesses directly. For the SBIC program, the Small Business Administration (SBA) partners with private investors to capitalize professionally-managed investment
•Small businesses can receive equity capital, long-term loans and expert management assistance. •Investment managers can add to their own private investment capital with funds borrowed at
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http://trayvonmartinfoundation.org 82 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business The startup is available nationwide and works with a network of 600 attorneys, counselors, and financial professionals across the country by LaSandra Stratton that are able to connect with families who need their help. heck out what these firms To date, Wevorce says it has and organizations have processed over $40 million in to offer for your personal interests, personal wealth assets through its platform. building, and business expansion Wevorce's services start at $749. The average cost of a divorce in opportunities. the US is $27,000.
Technology:
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www.wevorce.com
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evorce is a startup that has the goal of "[making] every divorce amicable." We empower you to resolve your divorce at your own pace, connecting you with free tools, community, and professionals to provide the support you need. Wevorce's web-based platform allows couples to go through a collaborative divorce—one in
which both partners work together to decide how to split assets and figure out how to coparent. It's a way to ensure that neither party is too disappointed when they finally sign the divorce papers.
www.silk.co
3. Invite others to edit or publish data to your Silk. Then share your Silk with a limited group or the world. Silk Public is Free. Silk for Teams is Free for a limited time. Silk Premium (lots of special features) is negotiated.
www.olloclip.com/shop/ lenses/iphone6-4-in-1
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ake pictures worth 1,000 likes with the perfect social media accessory. The awardwinning 4-in-1 Lens for iPhone 6/6s & iPhone 6/6s Plus delivers the
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ilk is a place to publish your data. Each Silk contains data on a specific topic. Anyone can explore a Silk and create interactive visualizations. Silk lets anyone create interactive data visualizations, publish websites, and tell interactive stories. With Silk, anyone can build and publish an impact report, an aid map, a project report, a data visualization, a photo gallery or a program guide - in minutes. Silks require no downloads, no apps or no plug-ins. All Silks are responsive and work on mobile devices. Data and visualizations automatically updated via Google Sheets. The Silk process: 1. Input data manually or via a spreadsheet upload. 2. Use Silk's visualization tools to make your data understandable and beautiful
Wevorce's website has five modules, including those that deal with child custody and financials. The last step wraps everything into a legal document for the couple. Suicide in the USA
most versatile and premium mobile lens experience in a compact, easy-to-use design. It features four advanced optic quick-change lenses (Fisheye, Wide-Angle, Macro 10x & 15x) that weigh in at less than an ounce. The 4-in-1 Lens enhances your field-of-view beyond iPhone’s built-in camera. The Fisheye and WideAngle lenses enable you to capture more - ideal for photographing panoramic landscapes or a snapping a selfie with a group of friends. Access the Macro lenses by unscrewing the Fisheye and Wide-Angle
84 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
lenses to photograph crisp closeups and get detail-oriented beyond the naked eye. Our pocket-sized, award-winning design now works on both front and rear-facing cameras; so you can let your photos and selfies run wild. Plus, it comes with 3 wearable pendants because the best camera is the one that’s always with you.
a new program called Holo Studio (www.facebook.com/holostudio) , which lets you create your own holograms and then 3D print them. A quadcopter was created during the presentation to show off how the technology works. Yes, it can actually fly! Windows Holographic will be available within the Windows 10
everyone has a transparent view of all that’s going on. Private Channels: For sensitive information, create private channels and invite a few team members. No one else can see or join your private channels. Direct Messages: To reach a colleague directly, send them a Direct Message. It's completely
w w w. m i c r o s o f t . c o m / microsoft-hololens/en-us
timeline. Search on Microsoft AR and visit the website from time to time to be ready to order and create the future.
private and secure.
D
uring the January 2016 Windows 10 Live Event, Microsoft revealed the Windows Holographic, a new project that uses holograms to immerse users in digital content. Microsoft's holographic technology works with a new device called Microsoft HoloLens (www.
microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens/enus), a fully untethered device that
uses see-through lenses, spatial sound, and advanced sensors. It features a third processing unit (called "Holographic Processing Unit") in addition to a CPU & GPU. Windows Holographic also uses
https://slack.com Slack is a messaging app for teams that is on a mission to make your working life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.
Structures Channels: Organize your team conversations in open channels. Make a channel for a project, a topic, a team, or anything—
Drag, drop, and share your files. Not just your messages, but all your files, images, PDFs, documents, and spreadsheets can be dropped right into Slack and shared with anyone you want. Add comments, star for later reference, and it’s all completely searchable. If you use any services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Box, just paste the link and that document is immediately in sync and searchable too. Submitted by LaSandra Stratton, Chief Content Administrator of the Black Business News.
85 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
Celebrating African American Women in Dance
First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks prior to student performances following a day-long dance workshop for local students in celebration of Black History Month highlighting the contributions African American women have made to dance, in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 8, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
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n February 8th, First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a day-long dance workshop for local students to highlight the contributions African American women have made to dance. The students were joined by iconic leaders in dance, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Judith Jamison, Debbie Allen,
the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Virginia Johnson, and Hip-Hop choreographer Fatima Robinson. Each of these women have played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of African American women and girls in dance. You can watch the workshop and performance here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OubT0-q568.
www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/ food/a-healthful-legacy-michelleobama-looks-to-the-future-of-letsmove/2015/05/03/19feb42c-b3cc11e4-886b-c22184f27c35_story. html
88 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Students perform following a day-long dance workshop in celebration of Black History Month highlighting the contributions African American women have made to dance, in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 8, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
Students perform following a day-long dance workshop in celebration of Black History Month highlighting the contributions African American women have made to dance, in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 8, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
"Our responsibility as citizens is to address the inequalities and injustices that linger, and we must secure our birthright freedoms for all people. As we mark the 40th year of National African American History Month, let us reflect on the sacrifices and contributions made by generations of African Americans, and let us resolve to continue our march toward a day when every person knows the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." President Barack Obama
89 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest-Obituary
Remembering Maurice White the Historian By Dwayne Wong (Omowale)
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ith Maurice White's recent passing I find myself reflecting not only on what White meant as an artist, but also what he meant for black people; a people that are in many ways still struggling with the question of our identity and precisely who we are as a people. Earth, Wind and Fire is a few decades before my time, but I know of them from my mother who is a huge fan. Their music is amazing in its own right, but the thing that really attracted me to the group was that they were African and unashamed of it. They wore Afros and dressed in ways to express their African ancestry. White had stated, "We wanted to maintain our African roots in dress." Aside from African dress, White also utilized the kalimba, which is an African instrument. White explained, "The kalimba represented my link to Africa. It was my way of taking part of that culture and spreading it all over the world. Nowhere was this focus on African roots more apparent than in the band's association with Egypt. The influence of Egypt can be seen on the album covers of Earth, Wind and Fire. They frequently used images of Egyptian pyramids, ankhs, pharaohs, and the eye of Horus. In paying tribute to Maurice White most people will think of White the musician, but I also want to bring attention to White the historian who was attempting to show African Americans that we are a people with a rich history. In an interview with Vibe, White explained: Egyptology was something that
I, personally was studying. I wanted to prove to black people that they had something to be proud of. I went to Egypt three times, took the band once. In an earlier interview with Jet magazine, White spoke of how studying African history led him to studying Egypt: That led me back to Africa and the most interesting part was Egypt. In America we're only aware of the first two hundred years, but our roots go back to Africa. That is the unique legacy that Maurice White left behind that most appeals to me. He left a message that we are African people and that we should never be ashamed of that. There was a certain unapologetic manner in which White approached his African identity that few contemporary artists had. It wasn't enough for White to entertain audiences with his music, but he also saw his music as a sort of spiritual and educational experience. In doing so he brought African Americans closer to our African roots. He reminded us that we are "Children of Afrika." (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Up4SkY3jUx0) http://www.huffingtonpost. com/dwayne-wong-omowale/ remembering-maurice-white-thehistorian_b_9090250.html
90 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Maurice White, the Earth, Wind & Fire leader and singer who co-wrote such hits as "Shining Star," "Sing a Song" and "September," has died, according to his brother, EWF bassist Verdine White. He was 74. www.cnn.com/2016/02/04/entertainment/ maurice-white-earth-wind-fire-dies-feat/index. html 91 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
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.
• • •
•
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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/ 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 lastest issue of The Exchange Magazine www.nse.co.ke/media-center/ecommunique/exchange-magazine/ category/50-free-version.html
95 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
USTDA Strengthens Efforts to Promote Value-Based Procurement in Ethiopia www.ustda.gov
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oday, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a grant to Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), Ethiopia's national power generation and transmission company, to provide technical assistance under the Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value (GPI). The grant will fund a senior procurement advisor to help EEP
procurement p r a c t i c e s , including the use of life-cycle cost analysis, in its tender processes. In October 2015, USTDA and its GPI partner, the George Washington University Government Procurement Law
achieve value for money in publicly funded energy projects, including those that support President Obama's Power Africa initiative, which aims to increase electricity access in Ethiopia and across subSaharan Africa. "USTDA and EEP are looking forward to working together under this exciting phase of the GPI," said Lida Fitts, USTDA's Acting Regional Director for sub-Saharan Africa, who signed the grant alongside EEP CEO Eng. Azeb Asnake. "EEP's commitment to incorporating valuebased procurement methods into their public tenders will help them achieve better outcomes from those tenders, leading to better quality and more reliability in the energy sector." The grant builds on USTDA's efforts to help the Government of Ethiopia establish best-value
Program, provided training (www.ustda.gov/
policies in public procurement can support sustainable infrastructure development, increase access to
news/press-releases/2015/ ustda-launches-best-valueprocurement-trainingethiopia) to 50 procurement
officials from EEP, the Public Procurement and Property Administration Agency, and other federal entities. This April, USTDA will host a group of senior Ethiopian officials in the United States to highlight U.S. federal, state and municipal examples of best value and life-cycle cost analysis in the procurement process. The goal of the GPI (www.ustda. gov/program/global-procurementinitiative-0) is to advance partner
countries' capacity to carry out effective infrastructure procurements. In Ethiopia, the use of international best practices and
energy and enhance economic growth.
About USTDA: The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/ render?ca=a25ebe4e-a9e9-468f-bea39f4c583f0456&c=9db8cd10-fda6-11e4-ae2fd4ae5292c973&ch=9eabb890-fda6-11e4-af7dd4ae5292c973
96 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
Google to Launch Campus for Startups in São Paulo By Angelica Mari for Brazil Tech
G
oogle will launch a digital entrepreneurship hub in the Brazilian city of São Paulo mid-February 2016. The venue will be a mix of coworking space, new venture accelerator and networking center, while also offering courses and seminars to those interested in the digital startup scene. Dubbed Google Campus, the São Paulo building is the company's first startup community hub in South America and sixth globally. The Brazilian center will be led by André Barrence, who previously managed Seed, one of the country's highest-profile government-backed startup acceleration schemes (www.
campus has produced startups such as Waze (www.waze.com), which ended up getting bought by Google. According to the web giant, companies created within its Campuses have generated some
5,000 jobs. http://www.zdnet.com/article/ google-to-launch-campus-forstartups-in-sao-paulo/?tag=nl. e232&s_cid=e232&ttag=e232&ftag =TRE6a12a91
Upcoming Event from the Africa-USA Chamber of Commerce & Industry
zdnet.com/article/minas-gerais-kicksoff-multimillion-dollar-tech-startupprogram), which got restructured
(and nearly canned) following the change of governor at the state of Minas Gerais. According to the company, the new venue will start operations after Carnival in mid-February. Interested parties can sign up online for a chance to get picked to become a member and use the facilities, which will be free of charge (www. campus.co/sao-paulo/pt). It is not yet known who will be doing the selection of the São Paulo venue's initial tenants, since Google doesn't tend to do that directly. Other Campuses are located in London, Madrid, Seoul, Warsaw and Tel Aviv. The latter
2016 Annual Pan African Global Trade and Investment Conference September 16-17, 2016 Carson Community Center Carson, CA Contact for more information: Al Washington, Exec. Director 626.243.3614 alwashington@africa-usa.org
97 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
AfDB Launches USD 500 million Green Bond Transaction due December 2018
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he African Development Bank (AfDB) has recently launched a USD 500-million 3-year Green Bond transaction, with issue priced at Mid-Swaps plus 14 bps, equivalent to a spread of 18 bps over the UST 1.250% December 2018. This represents AfDB’s return to the USD Green Bond market following two successful Swedish Krona transactions executed in 2014 and its USD 500 million 3-year Green Bond issued in October 2013. AfDB has taking advantage of global focus on the COP21 conference held in Paris, to highlight its commitment to leveraging climate finance to support African countries in their adaptation and transition towards green growth. As described in its Green Bond framework reviewed by the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research, Oslo (CICERO), the proceeds of the Green Bond will support the financing of low carbon and climate resilient projects in line with AfDB’s ten year strategy. Eligible projects to be financed by the bond include climate change mitigation and adaptation projects in the field of renewable energy generation and energy efficiency, biosphere conservation, waste management, fugitive emissions and carbon capture, urban development and
low carbon transport or water supply and access. According to AfDB Treasurer, Hassatou N’Sele, “We recognize that climate change is one of the biggest threats to the success of the AfDB Group development mandate for Africa, and this is why environment and climate change are mainstreamed in all our activities. We have invested more than USD 7 billion in climate finance over the past four years, and are committed to triple our annual climate financing to reach USD 5 billion a year by 2020. We have a strong green bond framework and are committed
to help Africa gradually transition to green growth”. Keith Werner, Chief Treasury Officer, AfDB, also noted that “After completing two very successful USD benchmark transactions in 2015, this was a great way to finish off the year. Our dedicated green investor base again showed their strong support for AfDB’s role in helping African countries to address climate change, and it was perfect considering the backdrop of the COP21 conference taking place in Paris”. http://africanleadership.co.uk/afdblaunches-usd-500-million-green-bondtransaction-due-december-2018/
98 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
Meet Siza Mzimela – The First Black Woman To Own an Airline By Robert Stitt
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he United States prides itself on being a land of opportunities, and in many ways it is. We look at countries like South Africa, which not long ago was segregated through the laws of Apartheid, and we are glad that we are so much further along than the land of the great Nelson Mandela. However, every now and then we need to stop and ask ourselves just how far along we really are, and we have to wonder if many of the once oppressed countries we helped free are not passing us up in the area of
civil rights and opportunity. For example, one thing that South Africa now has that America does not is a black female owner of an airline. According to Timeslive, the country’s newest airline, Fly Blue Crane, was started by the company’s CEO, Siza Mzimela, a Black woman who saw a niche market and decided to capitalize on it. “We aim to make our mark serving the increasingly commercially significant provincial and regional capitals. Our aim in the coming years is to make air travel an altogether better and more rewarding experience in Southern Africa‚” she said. Mzimela had the vision of giving customers what they truly want in airline travel, which she realized was more than just low fares, but reliability and consistency. Theunis Potgieter‚ the company COO, noted that customers want consistency, frequency, professionalism, and reliability‚ as well as softer touch-points which
include complimentary quality meals.” One of the ideas Mzimela had to accomplish this was to stick to one type of aircraft, a 50-seat Embraer Regional Jet 145 (ERJ). By using just one aircraft type with the same configuration, the crews will be able to use interchangeable parts, the same tools, and so forth. Jerome Simelane, the airline’s Commercial General Manager said, “By using what we have learned over the years about international airline best practice‚ we have also created a cost structure which allows us to offer competitive fares without cutting any corners on quality‚ safety and reliability.” During the initial phase of the airline, the flights will originate from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and fly to other cities in South Africa – Bloemfontein, Kimberley, and Nelspruit. According to the airline’s details, flights will go to Bloemfontein five times a day during the week‚ twice on Saturdays, and three times on Sundays. Kimberley will be served three times a day during the week, once on Saturdays, and twice on Sundays. Flights to Nelspruit will leave twice daily Monday to Friday‚ with one flight on Saturday and one on Sunday. http://financialjuneteenth.com/ meet-siza-mzimela-the-first-blackwoman-to-own-an-airline/
99 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
Thabo Mbeki to Meet US Officials on Illicit Financial Outflows from Africa
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ollowing the request by African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of States and Governments for the Chair of the High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) from Africa to continue to lead advocacy efforts both regionally and globally on the issue, the Chair of the Panel, Mr. Thabo Mbeki, Former President of the Republic of South Africa will be making an official visit to the United States of America between February 16-19, 2016. The request came in the form of the Special Declaration on IFF which was promptly passed by the Assembly upon their endorsed acceptance of the High Level Panel Report on Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) from Africa at the 24th African Union Summit held in January 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In a move that was both swift and unanimous, the Assembly of African Heads of States demonstrated a full understanding of the concerns raised by illicit Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, chair of the High Level Panel on Illicit Flows and the panel vice-chair. Abdalla Hamdok, Deputy Executive financial outflows leaving Africa and noted Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). Photo: UN that "all forms of IFF including tax evasion Economic Commission for Africa by multinational corporations and money laundering constitute a drain on the resources required Subsequently, Mr. Mbeki will also hold meetings with for Africa’s development." The Special Declaration representatives of the civil society, private sector and also delivered several other mandates including the academia. effective dissemination of the Panel’s findings and This being the first of several global advocacy visits and recommendations by the Chair and members of the activities, Mr. Mbeki and the delegation will undertake Panel. Besides leading the advocacy work, Mr. Mbeki further consultations in Europe with the European was further tasked with helping to increase cooperation Union (EU), the Organisation for Economic Cobetween Africa and its external development partners operation and Development (OECD) and members in order to promote a better global understanding of the of the British government, among others. The High scale of the problem for African economies. Level Panel made visits to these same countries During his visit, the Chair of the Panel and and institutions during their consultations before the his delegation will be holding consultations and release of the report. The aim of these visits therefore undertaking advocacy with various stakeholders in the is to deliver the Panel’s findings post-release and to United States, including: the United States government encourage the adoption of relevant global policies, entities relevant to addressing IFF from Africa, the including safeguards and agreements to redress the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank situation of IFF. officials, as well as the international Diplomatic Download the Report here: www.uneca.org/ Corps. He will also be speaking to the Economic and publications/illicit-financial-flows. Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations http://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00041329.html (UN), as well as African Ambassadors to the UN. 100 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Download the Zambia-USA Chamber of Commerce App from the
Apple App Store or
Google Play Store Search: "Zambia USA Chamber"
Find links to the chamber website and facebook page, and embassies; access business resources; receive breaking news; view relevant video presentations; communicate via Twitter, smartphone and e-mail.
www.zambiausachamber.org
101 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
LATIN AMERICA SURGING AS THE NEXT BUSINESS FRONTIER Friday, March 4, 2016 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Reception to follow. Korn Convocation Hall UCLA Anderson School of Management 110 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095 Free to attend for UCLA students and faculty. General Admission: $45 includes parking and sandwich lunch. The 2016 Latin American Business Conference will bring together respected and influential private and public sector leaders across multiple industries and disciplines to forecast what is to come as Latin America considers its future and returns to stronger economic growth; diversifies its industries and exports beyond commodities; stimulates innovation and technology advancements; leverages trade integration; and continues in its social transformation to become the next business frontier. Register Now https://s01.123signup.com/servlet/SignUpMember?PG=1535459182300&P=15354591911420351200
102 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
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 103 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
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International
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
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 106 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
GHANA—2016 CULTURAL HOME GOING & BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY TOUR Come join me on a magnificent journey through the amazing lands of West Africa. Experience Ghana in all of its splendor - from the mélange of its traditional and modern history, to the diversity of its culture and languages, to the warmth and hospitality of the Ghanaian people.
$3,500* USD June 18—30, 2016 Dominique DePirma
13 Days and 9 Nights with Airfare *Double Occ.
x x x
x x x
CULTURAL EXPERIENCE AWAITS YOU Experience Accra’s colonial and contemporary architecture See the colorful harbor below the Cape Coast Castle Follow the path that the slaves took from the dungeons to the “door of no return” Participate in a African Naming Ceremony Learn about the mighty Ashanti Kingdom Shop for authentic arts and crafts
Host –Front Page 102.3 KJLH African Focus Cultural Ambassador
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES xSolar Energy xWaste management xAgriculture and farming xOil and gas xICT xFood production xTransport services xReal estate xTourism xParticipate in 2 Business
Opportunity Workshops Cape Coast Slave Castle
Relax at an ocean front resort
ORGANIZED BY
Phone: 310.676.7300
Visit www.africanfocus.org Email: afstours@africanfocus.org
Shopping Gallery
@EleVenbyVenus elevenbyvenus.com
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 www.carolsdaughter.com
.com
Find us at: https://nubianskin.com, www.nubianskin.com/us and 15 Nordstrom stores in the USA
Empowering Women. Embracing our Colour.
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 113 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Collection Bed, Bath & Beyond
http://bsmith.com/shop
http://marvin-sin.squarespace.com
This magnificent handcrafted concert grand is a "Best of" in terms of sound, new technology, beauty, and construction. Massively well-built to withstand the rigors of intense concert performances without compromise, the SHADD Concert Grand is a coveted treasure for pianists and collectors. With a rich voluminous sound that performs true to all genres of music, this phenomenal instrument has a rare diversified ability to play from the softest whisper with pure clear sound to a major roar with a bass section exuding an abundance of power and resounding singing sensations.
www.shaddpianos.com
Baron's Painting & Decorating Service Baron Williams
30 Years of Experience in the Greater Los Angeles Area Specializing in Exterior and Interior Painting, Tiling, Linoleum Flooring,
Cultural Interiors West &
Cordially Invited Cultural Interiors West 5573 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019
& Wall Paper
"I will paint any one story building or house for $2,500 satisfaction guaranteed."
1-323-490-3774
Experience our exciting array of products from Cards to Cupcakes, African Masks, Asian Teacups, Healthy Herbal Teas, Gourd Purses, Candles, to Furniture Hope to see you soon!!! In the meantime visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/CulturalInteriors-West/140688362658236
116 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
New Location Leimert Park Village 3347 W. 43rd Street Los Angeles, CA 90008 1-323-299-6383 www.zambezibazaar.com shop@ zambezibazaar.com
117 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
ZIMBABWE GALLERY 1-484-459-6625 zimbabwegallery@yahoo.com www.shonasculpture.com @ZimbabweGallery www.facebook.com/Zimbabwe Gallery
PHIPPS PLAZA 3500 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA 30326
GREENBRIAR MALL 2841 Greenbriar Pkwy SW, Atlanta, GA 30331
Shop for all of the NoMu products at: https://shop.nomu.co.za and www.amazon.com
Locations: Downtown Culver City: 9537 Culver Blvd. 310-202-5453 City of Compton: 2600 E. Alondra Blvd. 310-638-7871 www.honeyskettle.com Open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm
118 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
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
Krispy Kruchy Chicken is in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, Los Angeles. Krispy Krunchy Chicken is a cajun-style chicken (bone-in and tenders), served fresh, never frozen and fried in zero trans fat oil. Their menu also includes signature dishes of Traditional Wings; Krispy Wings; Cajun Sweet & Sour Wings; Cajun Tenders; Red Beans and Rice; Jambalaya; Boudin Bites (Cajun rice balls); Krispy Shrimp and Honey Butter Biscuits. For additional information, please call Krispy Kruchy at 1-323-293-3332 or visit www. krispykrunchy.com. 121 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Parker House Sausage (www.parkerhousesausage. com) was started by Chicago entrepreneur, Judge H. Parker who came to Chicago from Montgomery County, Tennessee with little more than the conviction that there was a potential market for homemade sausage products prepared according to his mother’s recipes. By 1919 Judge Parker began selling his unique blend of herbs and spices mixed with flavorful, savory sausage from a horse drawn cart on a retail basis. Recognized as one of the oldest family owned businesses in the U.S. In 2014 Parker House expanded its product line to include chicken products including breakfast sausage, hot links, and smoked sausage.
SHOP ONLINE! //shop.parkerhousesausage.com
We invite you to browse through our store and shop with confidence. Need a dinner idea. Go to the Recipe Page on our website. Thanks for visiting!
Ma's Best is a bakery specializing in the production of home-style yeast rolls and baked products. www.facebook.com/masbestrolls/#!/masbestrolls/?tab=page_info#!/masbestrolls/info
Try all 3 flavors!
In your local grocery store or shop online for syrups, recipes, and books. Learn about our special projects and join the recipe contest.
MICHELE FOODS, INC. 1-708-331-7316 www.michelefoods.com
128 February 2016 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 Gift of Books and Music Come see our unsurpassed collection of books, music, videos, children’s books, and games!
1-323-294-0324
www.esowonbookstore.com //esowon.booksense.com for Calendar of Events
129 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
BBA Master Planner of African American entrepreneurs and the government agencies and corporate entities that provide positive supports for African American businesses. For particiation information visit www.bbala.org.
June
BBA Annual Awards Dinner Taking place at the LA Hotel Downtown, the awards dinner will highlight the achievements of African American entrepreneurs and the government agencies and corporate entities that provide positive supports for African American businesses. For particiation information visit www.bbala.org. ď ƒ
March
BBA Salute to Black Women Taking place at the LA Hotel Downtown, the business conference, vendor faire and awards luncheon will be presented using the theme "Working to Form a More Perfect Union." For particiation information visit www.bbala.org.
May
BBA Procurement Exchange Summit Taking place at the LA Hotel Downtown, the awards dinner will highlight the achievements
Books to Consider
Books to Consider... Our Black Year:
experiment. Drawing on economic research and social history as well as her personal story, Maggie Anderson shows why the black economy continues to suffer and issues a call to action to all of us to do our part to reverse this trend. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0078XE0FS/ ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1 www.authormaggieanderson.com/home.html
One Family's Quest to Buy Black in America's Racially Divided Economy by Maggie Anderson
M
aggie and John Anderson were successful African American professionals raising two daughters in a tony suburb of Chicago. But they felt uneasy over their good fortune. Most African Americans live in economically starved neighborhoods. Black wealth is about one tenth of white wealth, and black businesses lag behind businesses of all other racial groups in every measure of success. One problem is that black consumers--unlike consumers of other ethnicities-choose not to support blackowned businesses. At the same time, most of the businesses in their communities are owned by outsiders. On January 1, 2009 the Andersons embarked on a yearlong public pledge to "buy black." They thought that by taking a stand, the black community would be mobilized to exert its economic might. They thought that by exposing the issues, Americans of all races would see that economically empowering black neighborhoods benefits society as a whole. Instead, blacks refused to support their own, and others condemned their
The Coming A Novel by Daniel Black
D
aniel Black is at the top of his literary game with The Coming, a novel that National Book Award-winning author Charles Johnson (Middle Passage) calls "powerful and beautiful" and "a work to be proud of." Lyrical, poetic, and hypnotizing, The Coming tells
ory of a people's capture and sojourn from their th the story homelandacross the Middle Passage--a traumatic trip that exposed the strength and resolve of the African
132 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
spirit. Extreme conditions produce extraordinary insight, and only after being stripped of everything do they discover the unspeakable beauty they once took for granted. This powerful, haunting novel will shake readers to their very souls. (less) http://www.amazon.com/The-Coming-Daniel-Black-ebook/ dp/B0122RZW88
The Meaning of Freedom: And Other Difficult Dialogues by Angela Davis
W
hat is the meaning of freedom? Angela Y. Davis' life and work have been dedicated to
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0872865800/ ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957 &creativeASIN=0872865800&linkCode=as2&tag=forh ar-20&linkId=BHTPLANJYJCFG5QH
Salim Ahmed Salim: Son of Africa Edited by Jakkie Cilliers
T
his book catalogues the life of one of Africa’s greatest modern leaders, Salim Ahmed Salim. Spanning more than seven decades, Salim’s story is one of tenacity, compassion and perseverance. In his youth, Salim actively engaged in the politics of the day in Zanzibar and helped shape the newly independent United Republic of Tanzania. He went on to serve his country in various capacities as a diplomat, prime minister and statesman. He later became Africa’s top diplomat, heading the then Organization of African Unity for an unprecedented three successive terms. His commitment to Tanzania and Africa continued thereafter through his work for African think tanks and the African Union. E d i t e d by Jakkie Cilliers with a foreword by Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African U n i o n Commission This book Salim Ahmed Salim: was made Son of Africa p o s s i b l e through the contributions of the African Union, the Institute for S e c u r i t y Studies, the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation. The ISS is also grateful for support from the members of the ISS Partnership Forum: the SALIM AHMED SALIM: SON OF AFRICA
examining this fundamental question and to ending all forms of oppression that deny people their political, c u l t u r a l , and sexual freedom. In this collection of twelve searing, previously unpublished speeches, D a v i s confronts the interconnected issues of power, race, gender, class, incarceration, ncarceration conservatism, conservatism and the ongoing need for social change in the United States. With her characteristic brilliance, historical insight, and penetrating analysis, Davis addresses examples of institutional injustice and explores the radical notion of freedom as a collective striving for real democracy— not a thing granted by the state, law, proclamation, or policy, but a participatory social process, rooted in difficult dialogues, that demands new ways of thinking and being. "It is not too much," writes Robin D.G. Kelly in the introduction, "to call her one of the world's leading philosophers of freedom." The Meaning of Freedom
articulates a bold vision of the society we need to build and the path to get there.
Edited by Jakkie Cilliers
133 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
governments of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the USA. www.issafrica.org/uploads/Book-2015-Salim.pdf
Shocking the Conscience: A Reporter's Account of the Civil Rights Movement By Simeon Booker
W
ithin a few years of its first issue in 1951, Jet, a pocket-size magazine, became the "bible" for news of the civil rights movement. It was said, only half-jokingly, "If it wasn't in Jet, it didn't happen." Writing for the magazine and its glossy, big sister Ebony, for fifty-three years, longer than any other journalist, Washington bureau chief Simeon Booker was on the front lines of virtually every major event of the revolution that transformed America. Rather than tracking the freedom struggle from the usually cited ignition points, Shocking the Conscience begins with a massive voting rights rally in the Mississippi Delta town of Mound Bayou in 1955. It's the first rally since the Supreme Court's Brown decision struck fear in the hearts of segregationists across the former Confederacy. It was also Booker's first assignment in the Deep South, and before the next run of the weekly magazine, the killings would begin. Booker vowed that lynchings would no longer be ignored beyond the black press. Jet was reaching into households across America, and he was determined to cover the next murder like none before. He had only a few weeks to wait. A small item on the AP wire reported that a
Chicago boy vacationing in Mississippi was missing. Booker was on it, and stayed on it, through one of the most infamous murder trials in U.S. history. His coverage of Emmett Till's death lit a fire that would galvanize the movement, while a succession of U.S. presidents wished it would go away. This is the story of the century that changed everything about journalism, politics, and more in America, as only Simeon Booker, the dean of the black press, could tell it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AIMNB10/ ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1
Black Man's America By Simeon Booker This book begins in the rear of a bus going from Atlanta to Birmingham on Mother's Day, 1961. The narrator is a Negro reporter, the Washington bureau chief for Ebony, Jet, Tan, and Negro Digest, and he is covering the first Freedom Ride. White toughs came on board; he stayed where he was and poked a hole in his newspaper in order to watch them maul the demonstrators. ""I wanted to shout and run,"" he says, but he stayed to observe. Next he moves to a riot after a football game, and here the whites are the ones getting mauled, but his feelings were much the same. On he goes from Mississippi to Harlem, and everywhere he conveys the same fascination, frustration, horror, and helplessness in the face of passionate hatred of those of different color. There is some hope displayed here, in portraits of men like Dr. King, James Farmer, and, perhaps surprisingly, Robert Kennedy, but the emotions persist even when on the last page he asserts that ""the power of love and brotherhood is the real strength of mankind."" Does Mr. Booker really believe this power can be achieved, after all he has witnessed, or is he merely clinging to such sentiments because there are no bearable alternatives? Each reader must make up his own mind about that, and he is likely to find it a more disturbing question than it would have been before he picked up this book. www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/simeon-booker/ black-mans-america
134 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Resource Vault Media/Information Africa Interactive Multimedia Press/Content Agency in Africa www.africa-interactive.com Africa World Press Books www.africaworldpressbooks.com African Trade Magazine www.africantrademagazine.com African Vibes Magazine www.africanvibes.com The Africapitalist www.tonyelumelufoundation.org/ africapitalisminstitute/africapitalist-magazine The African World www.theafricanworld.tv Africast TV www.africast.tv Afritorial www.afritorial.com www.facebook.com/Afritorial AllAfrica http://allafrica.com Black Wall Street Times http://bwstimes.com Black Business News Group www.blackbusinessnews.net Black Children's Books and Authors http://blackchildrensbooksandauthors.tumblr.com BlackPast.org www.blackpost.org Black Press USA www.blackpressusa.com BridesNoir www.bridesnoir.com The Chocolate Voice www.thechocolatevoice.com CuisineNoir www.cuisinenoirmag.com DiasporaVoice www.blogtalkradio.com/diasporavoice Publish Africa http://wow.gm/publishafrica Rock Me Africa //rockmeafrica.com YouTube Educational Channels http://teacherswithapps.com/197-educational-youtube-channels-know World Library www.worldlibrary.org
Africa Leadership Forum http://africaleadership.org The African Union www.au.int/en Black Business Association www.bbala.org CauseCast www.causecast.com www.causecastfornonprofits.com 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 Disrupt Africa http://disrupt-africa.com/ The Exchange Magazine www.nse.co.ke Silicon Harlem http://event.siliconharlem.net Ventures www.ventures-africa.com United Nations http://webtv.un.org
U.S. Government
Commerce Department www.doc.gov International Trade Administration http://trade.gov Minority Business Development Agency www.mbda.gov Power Africa www.usaid.gov/powerafrica Small Business Administration www.sba.gov State Department www.dos.gov Trade Africa www.usaid.gov/tradeafrica White House www.whitehouse.gov
Organizations 136 February 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819