BBN January 2017 by Black Business News Group

Publisher's Message

s we begin a new year, I want to challenge the African American business community with several thoughtprovoking considerations. Our focus for being business owners has been missing certain vital components that have made sustainability more than a challenge. This is the time and the wakeup call with our new year; we also have a new president, Donald Trump, along with a new administration. Because of the many looming uncertainties with this new administration, more than ever before, we should work towards identifying opportunities by building on the momentum started by those men and women who championed Civil Rights and the need for African Americans to fully participate in the American economic Pubisher/Chief Executive Officer process. There have been many African Americans that have made a positive contribution to Blacks in America, most notably, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King’s vision to bring equality as it relates to civil rights has been one of the most historic in the history of this nation. His dream was not about entitlements, but about equitable access to opportunities for all Americans, which includes people of color. The power of racism boils down to who controls the money. We need to educate our up and coming Millennials and young entrepreneurs with the mindset of “creating our own economic opportunities,” by leveraging the groundwork established by Dr. King, President Barak Obama and others. It’s about hard work and commitment and not self entitlements, which unfortunately plagues the mindset of so many young people today. Black buying power last year totaled $1.3 trillion. But sadly, the majority of that revenue spent, was spent with companies that are not owned or employ African Americans. The need for us to create our own opportunities is growing greater each year, especially as it relates to the current climate in America. A prime example of an untapped area of opportunity by us that is being exploited by corporate America, is how mainstream relies heavily upon African American Millennials as the trendsetters for fashion, social media, in that African American Millennials are the biggest users of Social Media, and African Americans overall watch more television that any other group of people in this country. Do you understand that Black Millennials drive and determine what sells, who will sell it and for how much? But how many of them are being paid for this? How many have a stake in these companies that market and sell $1.3 trillion in products and services? Unfortunately there are far too many of us unaware of how we are used to increase profits, without us getting a fair market share of our creativity and innovation. Perhaps we need to stop watching so much television, and become the drivers of starting our own programming and advertising firms that market to

Earl “Skip” Cooper, II

Black Business News Group P.O. Box 43159 Los Angeles, CA 90043 USA 1-323-291-7819 Fax: 1-323-298-5064

www.blackbusinessnews.net PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Earl “Skip” Cooper, II

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Sarah Harris Dean L. Jones Phyllis Dixon

ENTREPRENEUR EDITOR Kim Anthony

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Linda Ware

PRODUCTION MANAGER Narishima Osei

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dean Jones Linda Ware Ralph D. Sutton Timothy Lester, Jr. Veronica Hendrix Giavanna Foster P. Yvette Thomas Aman Williams LaSandra Stratton

GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Harris Tia Robinson

STORY EDITORS Wanda Flagg Jennifer Marie Hamilton

PHOTOGRAPHY Ian Foxx Sabir Narishima Osei

PUBLIC RELATIONS CarVer Communications

CONTENT ADMINISTRATOR La Sandra Stratton

LAYOUT/TYPESETTING Lion Communications Copyright © 2016 by Black Business News All Rights Reserved. The posting of stories, commentaries, reports, documents and links (embedded or otherwise) on this site does not in any way, shape or form, implied or otherwise, necessarily express or suggest endorsement or support of any of such posted material or parts therein. 

see Publisher's Message on page 63 3  December 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

About

ABOUT THE BLACK BUSINESS NEWS GROUP… The mission of The Black Business News is to inspire and inform public and private sector industry representatives on the importance of smart small business growth. As a versatile source of socioeconomic development activity news, the publications of the Black Business News Group impart current local, national and international industry and social trends and news affecting small businesses across the United States of America (USA), providing guides to greater access to financial capital, management efficiencies, business education, mentorship opportunities and social media networks. The goals of the Black Business News Group include:

2017 Black Business Association Upcoming Events

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promoting USA-based black-owned business enterprises to a world wide audience.

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oﬀering business growth enhancing information on education, exhibitioning, international trading, technology, industry trends, and more.

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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.

Salute to Black Music

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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

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Contents

Black Business News…January 2017 3

62 64

Publisher's Message

Government 9

12 16 18

The Obama Administration Digital Transition: Moving Forward Obama Stakes His Africa Legacy On Economic Growth Get Ready for Hannover Messe 2017! Jeanette J. Epps First Black Woman to call NASA International Space Station Home

Sitting Too Much Ages You by 8 Years Obama, Spending Power Drives Consumer Conﬁdence among Blacks

Community/Public Interest 78 78 79 81 82 83 85 86

Why I Broke With Tradition, by U.S. Senator Cory Booker New Design for $100 Coin 4-year-old has Already Read 1,000 Books "Life on the Other Side of You," by Major General (Retired) Barrye L. Price Bishop Eddie Long Dies Curtis Owens, 78, Former Health Care Executive Dies Pat Means Turning Point Magazine Founder Succumbs Jewel Plummer Cobb, 92, Dies

International 90 91

12 20 21

President Obama Has Now Granted More Commutations than Any President in this Nation’s History Are You Ready to be a Provider to the US Military?

Entertainment 24

BBN Show Biz Buzz

Editorials/Perspectives 26

92 93

President Barrow Names Woman VicePresident AU's Dlamini-Zuma Speaks Out On Donald Trump's Administration Namibian Tribes sue Germany AGOA Treaty Facing Possible Repeal in Trump Administration

Columns 74 94 101 129 132 133

Take A Look! African Stock Exchanges Shopping Gallery Books to Consider... BBA Master Planner Resource Vault

Dr. King held a Mirror up to a Nation's Values

Business 28 30 34 36 42 43 44

Why 2017 is the Year of the Bot Obama’s Farewell Speech is Remarkably Relevant for Africa Blockchain is Eating Commerce Amazon Launches "Amazon Go" Tuning Into Voice Search Sisters the Youngest to Own a BeautySupply Store Activists Relate to King's Shift from Dreamer to Radical 5  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Government

Thank You I wanted to say one final thank you for the honor of serving as your 44th President. By President Barack H. Obama

y fellow Americans, It's a long-standing tradition for the sitting president of the United States to leave a parting letter in the Oval Office for the American elected to take his or her place. It's a letter meant to share what we know, what we've learned, and what small wisdom may help our successor bear the great responsibility that comes with the highest office in our land, and the leadership of the free world. But before I leave my note for our 45th president, I wanted to say one final thank you for the honor of serving as your 44th. Because all that I've learned in my time in office, I've learned from you. You made me a better President, and you made me a better man. Throughout these eight years, you have been the source of goodness, resilience, and hope from which I've pulled strength. I've seen neighbors and communities take care of each other during the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes. I have mourned with grieving families searching for answers -- and found grace in a Charleston church. I've taken heart from the hope of young graduates and our newest military officers. I've seen our scientists help a paralyzed man regain his sense of touch, and

wounded warriors once given up for dead walk again. I've seen Americans whose lives have been saved because they ﬁnally have access to medical care, and families whose lives have been changed because their marriages are recognized as equal to our own. I've seen the youngest of children remind us through their actions and through their generosity of our obligations to care for refugees, or work for peace, and, above all, to look out for each other. I've seen you, the American people, in all your decency, determination, good humor, and kindness. And in your daily acts of citizenship, I've seen our future unfolding. All of us, regardless of party, should throw ourselves into that work -- the joyous work of citizenship. Not just when there's an election, not just when our own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetime.

I'll be right there with you every step of the way. And when the arc of progress seems slow, remember: America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word 'We.' 'We the People.' 'We shall overcome.' Yes, we can. STAY IN TOUCH! And if you'd like to stay connected, you can sign up using the following link to keep getting updates from me (https://go.obama.org/page/signup/ keep-in-touch?utm_medium=email&utm_ source=wh&utm_campaign=20170118_ WH&source=20170118_WH). 

https://obamawhitehouse.archives. gov/blog/2017/01/19/thank-you

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The Obama Administration Digital Transition: Moving Forward Summary: Here's the latest on how you can continue to follow and engage with President Obama, the First Lady, and other Obama White House oﬃcials moving forward. By Kori Schulman

ver the past eight years, the President, the First Lady, and the Obama White House have used social media and technology to engage with people around the country and the world on the most important issues of our time. From the very beginning, our mission has been to reach people on the channels and platforms where they already spend their time. This work began before President Obama took office in 2009, and, now, this work will continue. As this Administration draws to a close, we wanted to share how you can continue to follow and engage with President Obama, the First Lady, and other Obama White House officials, as well as how you can find content posted over the past eight years after January 20, 2017. Moving forward, the President and First Lady can be followed on familiar handles: @BarackObama and @MichelleObama. In October, we laid out plans to preserve and pass on the digital legacy of the Obama administration and have been working to ensure this unprecedented digital transition meets three key goals. First, we are preserving the material we’ve created with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Second, we are working to ensure these materials continue to be accessible on the platforms where they were created, allowing for continued access to the content posted over the past eight years. Finally, we are working to ensure that the next White House and future administrations can continue to use and develop the digital channels we have created to connect directly with the people they serve. We are grateful to the people around the country and the world who have engaged with us online over the past eight years. We listened to you, we learned from you, and we strove to create opportunities for you to play an active role in your government by fulfilling the most important role in our government: the role of citizen.

Where You can Access Archival Obama White House Content

After January 20, 2017, materials will continue to be accessible on the platforms where they were created, allowing the public continued access to the content posted over the past eight years.

STAY IN TOUC

With Barack & M

ichelle Obama.

: https://go.o bama.org/pa ge/ signup/keep -in-touch?u tm_ medium= email&ut m_ s o u r c e = w h & u t m _ campaign =2017011 8_ WH&source=20 170118_WH Check In:

https://obamawh itehouse.archives . gov/blog/2017/0 1/19/thank-you

WhiteHouse.gov becomes ObamaWhiteHouse.gov The Obama White House website – which includes press articles, blog posts, videos, and photos – will be available at ObamaWhiteHouse.gov, a site maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), beginning on January 20, 2017. If you are looking for a post or page on the Obama administration’s WhiteHouse.gov from 2009 through 2017, you can ﬁnd it by changing the

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see page 10

Government Follow the Obamas from page 9

URL to ObamaWhiteHouse.gov. For example, after the transition, this blog post will be available at ObamaWhiteHouse.gov/obamaadministration-digital-transitionmoving-forward. Archived content posted to these social media accounts during the Obama administration will be maintained by NARA at the following handles: President Obama: @POTUS on Twitter will be archived at @POTUS44; Facebook. com/POTUS will be archived at Facebook.com/POTUS44;

Medium.com/@PresidentObama will be archived at Medium.com/@ POTUS44. First Lady Michelle Obama: @ FLOTUS on Twitter will be archived at @FLOTUS44; @MichelleObama on Instagram will be archived at @MichelleObama44; Medium. com/@FLOTUS will be archived at @FLOTUS44.

How You can Keep Following the President and First Lady: After January 20, 2017, the following accounts will be used by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama:

President Obama: @ BarackObama on Twitter; Facebook.com/BarackObama; Instagram.com/BarackObama. Obama Presidential Center: you can follow @ObamaFoundation on Twitter. First Lady Michelle Obama: @MichelleObama on Twitter; Instagram.com/MichelleObama; Snapchat: MichelleObama; Facebook.com/MichelleObama.  https://obamawhitehouse.archives. gov/blog/2017/01/17/obamaadministration-digital-transitionmoving-forward

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Government

President Barack Obama shakes hands with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta during the Global Entrepreneurship Summit at the United Nations Compound in Nairobi on July 25, 2015. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Obama Stakes His Africa Legacy On Economic Growth By Grant T. Harris

frica boasts three of the ten fastest-growing economies in the world and has the world’s fastest-growing middle class. Not enough U.S. investors appreciate these developments but, over time, they will. Similarly and, also over time, President Obama will be remembered for making trade and investment a cornerstone of U.S. relations with Africa. To be sure, engagement with the continent is not new. President Clinton secured the African

Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which gave qualifying African countries duty-free access to U.S. markets, helping to grow their exports while incentivizing good governance. President George W. Bush later created the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which saved countless lives by helping African countries combat HIV/AIDS. For his part, as the ﬁrst AfricanAmerican President and the son of a Kenyan father, President

Obama faced massively overblown assumptions regarding his stance towards Africa. Grand expectations of new foreign aid programs were particularly unrealistic given that he inherited two active wars and an economy in deep recession. Yet building a presidential legacy is about recognizing a unique moment in time, and rising to the challenge it puts forward, despite the limitations. And that is precisely what President Obama did by staking out a serious trade and investment agenda

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with respect to Africa. He saw the opportunity presented by a young, entrepreneurial demographic eager to work hard and take risks, but also the constraints holding them back, including poor access to ﬁnance, skills training and even basic inputs like electricity. He recognized not only how supporting this economic momentum could transform the

economic governance and investment climates, while redoubling U.S. government efforts to encourage American companies to seize trade and investment opportunities. Moving from rhetoric to action, the Administration sought to tackle key challenges that constrain both Africa’s economic potential and U.S. investor interest. One critical area is energy: Twothirds of Africans lack access to electricity, which hinders everything from studying at night, to refrigerating vaccines, to running a factory uninterrupted. P r e s i d e n t O b a m a galvanized international attention through his Power Africa initiative, President Barack Obama talks with June Muli, head of Customer setting the Care at M-Kopa, about solar power on July 25, 2015 on the ambitious goal of sidelines of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit at the United doubling energy Nations Compound in Nairobi. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) access, and region, but also how it could create so far leveraging over $54 billion U.S. investment opportunities—and in global commitments toward not just jobs in China or elsewhere. that end. A key component of Indeed, President Obama was Power Africa is focusing all U.S. uniquely positive in his vision tools—including matchmaking, of Africa’s economic potential, financing and advocacy—on explicitly focused on trade and specific transactions… a concept investment rather than aid, and as revolutionary as it is unsexy. distinctively full-throated in calling Some have clamored for faster for U.S. investors to not miss out on results, forgetting that Rome was Africa’s growth. not electrified in a day; in fact, it The first move was to paint a takes an average of seven years clear vision of Africa’s commercial to develop and construct a thermal possibilities. In 2012, President power generation project in Africa, Obama set out a new strategy for according to the Africa Finance U.S.-Africa relations, stating that Corporation. Africa can be the “world’s next At that same time, the President major economic success story.” The created the Trade Africa program strategy emphasized strengthening to directly address infrastructural

barriers to economic integration, and ensured that his Young African Leaders Initiative specifically supported young entrepreneurs. Across the board, he asked U.S. agencies to step up their game— and they did. For example, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation has tripled its portfolio in Africa since 2009, committing $7 billion in financing and insurance and catalyzing another $14 billion in investments. Through these initiatives, President Obama did not only reach out to African leaders; he made the case directly to U.S. business leaders that it was in their self-interest to get more involved in Africa. He set a new bar for engagement, bringing together African and American government and business leaders on multiple occasions; participating in a CEO forum in Tanzania in 2013; highlighting a Business Forum during the first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in 2014 (which generated $37 billion to support Africa’s economic growth, including $14 billion in private-sector deals and commitments); co-hosting a Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Kenya in 2015; and attending another U.S.-Africa Business Forum in New York City last year. Moreover, his Doing Business in Africa Campaign made sure this was not just empty talk; it marshaled billions in financing, dramatically stepped up trade missions, and doubled the presence of U.S. commercial officers in Africa. This progress is significant, relatively speaking: From 2008 to 2015, U.S. direct investment in Africa increased by more than 70% on a historic-cost basis. Yet in absolute terms, we have a long way to go, not least because we face immense competition from other large economies. For example, Chinese President Xi Jinping

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Government Obama Africa Legacy from page 13

promised $60 billion at a recent Chinese summit with African heads of state (and years ago made a strong statement by visiting Africa on his ﬁrst trip abroad as president). India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fresh from his own trip to Africa, where he shored up several energy and trade deals. The European Union, too, is locking in trade agreements. Hopefully, the historic bipartisanship on U.S.Africa policy will continue. Both Presidents Bush and Obama worked with Congress to renew AGOA, while

President Obama expanded and deepened President Bush’s work on health. The Trump Administration has an opportunity to build on President Obama’s eﬀorts to help U.S. companies add to—and beneﬁt from—Africa’s economic growth. In any event, while President Obama’s initiatives may not live on in their current incarnations, they have indisputably bent the arc of U.S.-Africa policy toward serious commercial engagement with the continent.  https://medium.com/@WhiteHouse/president-obama-onhis-approach-to-counterterrorism-over-the-last-eight-yearsb8a7c55cb422#.728efjwe1

President Barack Obama delivers remarks at a reception celebrating the reauthorization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) at the White House July 22, 2015. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Quote of Note “…So, you see, that's what our democracy demands. It needs you. Not just when there's an election, not just when your own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetime. If you're tired of arguing with strangers on the Internet, try talking with one of them in real life. If something needs fixing, then lace up your shoes and do some organizing. If you're disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself. Show up. Dive in. Stay at it.…”

Barack Obama Farewell Address 2016 https://www.whitehouse.gov/farewell

STDA released its FY 2016 Annual Report (www.ustda.

gov/news/press-releases/2017/ us-trade-and-development-agencyreleases-2016-annual-report), which

highlights its successful eﬀorts opening emerging markets for the export of U.S. goods and services while promoting sustainable development abroad. "The Annual Report articulates how USTDA's programs enable

U.S. companies to create partnerships with emerging markets and, most importantly, introduce U.S. solutions that can meet development challenges in those markets," - Director Zak The Report includes USTDA's toolkit (www.ustda.gov/sites/default/

programs are creating jobs at home while advancing economic growth abroad. The stories highlight publicprivate partnerships that are: • Deploying solar power generation in Jordan • Strengthening aviation safety and files/USTDA%202016%20Annual%20 security in Brazil Report_Agency%20Toolkit.pdf) and • Supporting integrated smart cities features success stories that across India demonstrate how the Agency's

UPCOMING USTDA EVENTS Global Smart Grid Regulatory Reverse Trade Mission Date: January 28 - February 4, 2017

Cities: San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA

USTDA is hosting the Global Smart Grid Regulatory Reverse Trade Mission. It will provide U.S. companies with opportunities to meet with over 20 utility executives and regulators from 9 high-growth emerging markets who are investing in advanced technology solutions for their electricity grids. The delegation will include Minister and C-level executives from the following countries: Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, South Africa, and Turkey

Global Smart Grid Business Brieﬁng Date: February 2, 2017

City: San Diego, CA

As part of the Global Smart Grid Regulatory Reverse Trade Mission, there will be a Breakfast Business Brieﬁng. This event will provide a forum for high-level representatives from distribution companies around the globe, including Brazil, South Africa, Colombia, Nigeria, and Panama, to share information with U.S. companies on their needs, upcoming procurements and plans for grid development.

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Government

Get Ready for Hannover Messe 2017! by Jana Dorband is Senior Investment Specialist at the U.S. Embassy Berlin

annover Messe 2017 – the world’s leading trade fair for industrial technology – is just around the corner. Once again, the United States Investment Pavilion will provide a platform for U.S. economic development organizations to showcase their regions to thousands of potential investors. More information, including pricing and registration information, can be found on our flyer (www.selectusa. gov/servlet/servlet.FileDownload?file=015t0000000LLlR). The official lead theme in 2017 will be “Integrated Industry – Creating Value” (www.hannovermesse. de/en/news/key-topics/integrated-industry/index-2.xhtml), drawing attention to the long-term impact of the fourth industrial revolution on issues beyond mere production technologies. Key questions on the agenda will include: • What are the long-term benefits we gain from digitalization? • How will companies adapt to the new technologies? • What are the implications for the workforce, for training and for education? • What partnerships do we need to forge – across industry sectors, between businesses and government and between countries – to further advance technological change? Last April, President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined the stage to officially open Hannover Messe 2016. Many of us sat in the audience that night and witnessed what was truly a historic moment. For the first time in the fair’s 69-year history, the United States served as the official Partner Country. President Obama was the first sitting U.S. president to attend the show. The U.S. delegation was the largest it has ever been – over 350 U.S. companies and research institutions, including 200+ small and medium-sized companies, and 90+ U.S. economic development organizations (EDOs). Partner Country status afforded U.S. pavilions maximum exposure to over 200,000 visitors, 6,000 EDOs and industrial exhibitors, and thousands of journalists and bloggers across 27 exhibit halls. Our SelectUSA team coordinated the Investment Pavilion, which was the heart of the U.S. presence at the show and provided EDOs with a unique platform to meet and engage with international investors and our own team of investment specialists from around the world.

"Hannover M esse – the world’s leadin g industrial technology trad e show – will take place on A pril 24 – 28 2017. SelectUS A will again lead a robust delegation to the event, a nd host the U.S. Investmen t Pavilion in Hall 3." “This ffair “Thi i gave us a very good d opportunity t it to t develop FDI leads with companies we never would have identified with other methods.” –Appalachian Partnership for Econ At Hannover Messe 2016, we witnessed first-hand how the digital age has revolutionized manufacturing, turning traditional production sites into “smart factories.” This year’s focus on creating value underlines once again that Hannover Messe is more than just a trade show. It has convening power for decision makers around topics that will shape the future of our economies and our global competitiveness. As Secretary Penny Pritzker pointed out at the event’s 2016 Economic Forum: “[I]n a globalized economy, the separate pursuit of our visions is insufficient. Advanced manufacturing relies on highly integrated processes and supply chains that transcend international borders.” There is no better place to forge these alliances than Hannover Messe. Whether you are a company or an EDO – if you want to participate in the new age of manufacturing, you can’t afford to miss this opportunity. Show the world what you have to offer and join the 2017 U.S. delegation to Hannover! Please contact the SelectUSA team or Ethan Carter with Hannover Fairs USA with any questions or for more information. We look forward to working with you.  https://blog.trade.gov/2017/01/09/get-ready-for-hannovermesse-2017/

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Government

Jeanette J. Epps First BlackWoman to call NASA International Space Station Home by Carolyn M. Brown

stronaut Jeanette J. Epps is on a mission to space that will make her the first African American woman to work as a crew member on the International Space Station (ISS). She’s also the 13th woman to call ISS home since the space station was founded in 1998. NASA recently announced that Epps will serve as a flight engineer in May 2018 on Expedition 56 with veteran astronaut Andrew Feustel, and will stay on board for Expedition 57, spending six months there, according to a press release. NASA has sent 14 black astronauts, three of them women, traveling into space in its history. Although many of those astronauts flew missions to the International Space Station, none of them stayed aboard. Mae Jemison is the first black female astronaut under the NASA space program and the first black woman to travel in space when she went into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992. She was followed by astronaut Stephanie Wilson, while Joan Higginbotham was the third black woman to venture into space. Feustel and Epps will join a long and distinguished line of astronauts who have crewed the International Space Station since November 2000. “Each space station crew brings something different to the table, and Drew and Jeanette both have a lot to offer,” said Chris Cassidy, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, in a press statement.

NASA’s 20th astronaut class from a pool of 3,500 applicants in 2009. The former NASA G r a d u a t e S t u d e n t Researchers Project fellow also holds a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland. Astronaut Jeanette After completing J. Epps g r a d u a t e school, she went on to work in a research laboratory for more than two years, co-authoring several patents, before being recruited by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, according to her bio. She spent seven years as a CIA technical intelligence oﬃcer before being selected as a member of the 2009 astronaut class. Epps served as an aquanaut aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory during the NEEMO 18 undersea exploration mission. It began on July 21, 2014, and lasted nine Astronaut Mae Jemison days. NASA’s announcement “The space station will beneﬁt from came just days before the recent having them on board.” widespread release of the movie Hidden Figures, which tells the story NASA’s Modern Figures Epps has been working toward of three black women who played traveling to space since she became pivotal roles in NASA’s successful one of just nine people chosen for attempt to put astronaut John Glenn into orbit in 1962. NASA’s

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Astronaut Jeanette J. Epps

Katherine Johnson receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

Astronaut Jeanette J. Epps

Mary Jackson

Modern Figures initiative (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=sc7TGp2Fhls),

which features Epps in a video, serves to highlight the stories of Hidden Figures’ Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan and to encourage young girls and women to pursue STEM careers. 

www.blackenterprise.com/ technology/jeanette-j-epps-nasaspace-station

Dorothy Vaughan

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President Obama Has Now Granted More Commutations than Any President in this Nation’s History byNeil Eggleston, Counsel to the President

oday (January 17th), 273 individuals learned that the President has given them a second chance. With today’s 209 grants of commutation, the President has now commuted the sentences of 1,385 individuals – the most grants of commutation issued by any President in this nation’s history. President Obama’s 1,385 commutation grants – which includes 504 life sentences – is also more than the total number of commutations issued by the past 12 presidents combined. And with today’s 64 pardons, the President has now granted a total of 212 pardons. Today, 209 commutation recipients – including 109

individuals who had believed they would live out their remaining days in prison – learned that they will be rejoining their families and loved ones, and 64 pardon recipients learned that their past convictions have been forgiven. These 273 individuals learned that our nation is a forgiving nation, where hard work and a commitment to rehabilitation can lead to a second chance, and where wrongs from the past will not deprive an individual of the opportunity to move forward. Today, 273 individuals – like President Obama’s 1,324 clemency recipients before them – learned that our President has found them deserving of a second chance. While the mercy the President

has shown his 1,597 clemency recipients is remarkable, we must remember that clemency is an extraordinary remedy, granted only after the President has concluded that a particular individual has demonstrated a readiness to make use of his or her second chance. Only Congress can achieve the broader reforms needed to ensure over the long run that our criminal justice system operates more fairly and eﬀectively in the service of public safety.  www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2017/01/17/presidentobama-has-now-granted-morecommutations-any-presidentnations-history

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Government

What the US Military is Looking for. Are You Ready to be a Provider?

very year, the U.S. Combating Terrorism Technical Support Oﬃce (http://www.tswg.gov) puts out a "Broad Agency Announcement" that describes technologies that it wishes it could purchase, but which don't yet exist. It's a sort of to-do list for technologists and engineers, and it can turbocharge research in these areas. The agency issued its latest draft

in November 2016, and it includes some doozies. Among the items described are a wireless recharging station for drones in flight, a lowpower mini-spy camera that can be worn on the body, and a portable scanner that can find tunnel entrances under a floor or behind walls. None of these technologies are easy to create, and that's the point. As a whole, the list speaks

to the tech priorities of a U.S. military faced with new demands in both its counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts. Today's military officials want to gather as much intelligence as possible through technology, to reduce their use of force and target it more efficiently.  http://www.tswg.gov/

https://events.cttso.gov/ThreatDay 21  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Use Your Senses to Spot a Gas Leak To help keep your community safe and secure, use your senses of sight, hearing or smell to alert you to any of the following signs of a natural gas leak. LOOK

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SUSPECT A GAS LEAK

• A damaged connection to a gas appliance

• Remain calm

• Exposed pipeline after an earthquake, ﬁre, ﬂood or other disaster

• Don’t light a match, candle or cigarette • Don’t turn electrical appliances or lights on or off or use any device that could cause a spark • Natural gas leaking from a plastic pipe can create static electricity which can ignite the gas • Immediately evacuate the area, and from a safe location, call 800-427-2200, 24 hours a day, seven days a week; or call 911

• 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

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.

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BBN Show Biz Buzz By Linda Ware

2017 Golden Globe Awards

he Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s annual Golden Globe Awards have enabled the non-proﬁt organization to donate more than $23.9 million in the past twenty-seven years to entertainment-related charities, as well as funding scholarships and other programs for future ﬁlm and television professionals. Winners of the Golden Globe awards: • Best picture in the drama category: Moonlight • Supporting actress in a drama: Viola Davis (Fences) • Lead actress in a TV comedy: Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish" • Best actor in a musical or comedy TV series: Donald Glover (Atlanta) • Best comedy series: Atlanta Nominated for the Golden Globe awards was: Mahershala Ali, Supporting Actor, Moonlight; Octavia Spencer, Supporting Actor, Hidden Figures; Anthony Anderson, Supporting Actor, Black-ish; Kerry Washington, Best Actress in a limited series/ made-for-tv movie, Confirmation; Courtney B. Vancce, Best Actor in a limited series/ made-for-tv movie, The People vs O.J. Simpson; Thandie Newton, Supporting Actress in a limited series/made-for-tv movie, Westworld; Issa Rae, Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series – Musical or Comedy, Insecure; and Black-ish, the television series.  www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-

golden-globes-news-story-20170108-story.html

Screen Actors Guild 2017 Award Nominations

auded by critics for its style, simplicity and genuine warmth, the Screen Actors Guild Awards® presented by SAG-AFTRA, which made its debut in 1995, has become one of the industry’s most prized honors. The only televised awards shows to exclusively honor performers, it presents thirteen awards for acting in film and television in a fast moving two hour show which airs live on TNT and TBS. The awards focus on both individual performances as well as on the work of the entire ensemble of a drama series and comedy series, and the cast of a motion picture. These honors are fundamental to the spirit of the Screen Actors Guild Awards because they recognize what all actors know –

Denzel Washington, Viola Davis that acting is a collaborative art. Nominated for the Screen Actors Guild awards: Fences, Best Motion Picture Cast; Moonlight, Best Motion Picture Cast; Hidden Figures, Best Motion Picture Cast (Winner); Denzel Washington, Best Actor, Fences (Winner); Mahershala Ali, Supporting Actor, Moonlight (Winner); Viola Davis, Supporting Actress, Fences (Winner); Octavia Spencer, Supporting Actress, Hidden Figures; Naomi Harris, Supporting Actress, Moonlight; Black-ish, Best TV Comedy Cast; Anthony Anderson, Best Actor TV Comedy, Black-ish; Tituss Burgess, Best Actor TV Comedy, Unbreakable Kinny Schmidt;

24  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Uzo Aduba, Best Actress TV Comedy, Orange is the New Black; Sterling K. Brown, Best Actor TV Drama, This is Us; Thandie Newton, Best Actress TV Drama, Westworld; Sterling K. Brown, Best Actor TV Movie/Miniseries, The People vs OJ Simpson; Courtney B. Vance, Best Actor TV Movie/ Miniseries,The People vs OJ Simpson; Kerry Washington, Best Actress TV Movie/ Miniseries, Confirmation; Audra McDonald, Best Actress TV Movie/ Miniseries, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill.  http://www.sagawards.org

Oscar Nominations for 2017

uring a dinner at his home in 1927, M-G-M studio chief Louis B. Mayer and his guests talked about creating an organized group to benefit the film industry. A week later, 36 invitees from all the creative branches of the film industry dined at Los Angeles's Ambassador Hotel to hear a proposal to found the International Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Articles of incorporation were soon presented and officers were elected with Douglas Fairbanks as president. One of the first Academy committees was the Awards of Merit. The seven-person committee suggested to the Board that awards be presented in 12 categories. The Oscars were broadcast internationally for the first time in 1969; now the show reaches movie fans in over

200 countries. Nominated for the Oscars in 2017 are: Denzel Washington, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Fences; Ruth Negga, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Loving; Mahershala Ali, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Moonlight; Viola Davis, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Fences; Octavia Spencer, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Hidden Figures; Naomi Harris, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Moonlight; I Am Not Your Negro, Best Documentary (Feature); 13th, Best Documentary (Feature); O.J.: Made in America, Best Documentary (Feature); Fences, Best Motion Picture; Hidden Figures, Best Motion Picture; Moonlight, Best Motion Picture; Fences, Best Writing (Adaptive Screenplay); Hidden Figures, Best Writing (Adaptive Screenplay); Moonlight, Best Writing (Adaptive Screenplay)  www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2017

Sprint Invests in Jay Z's Z Tidal

ecently t h e news b k the th Sprint S i t had h d purchased h d 33% of Jay broke Z's Tidal streaming service for a reported $200 million. Jay Z reportedly purchased Tidal, a Scandinavian company, for $56 million two years ago.

Ruth Negga

www.forbes.com/sites/ zackomalleygreenburg/2017/01/24/sprintsinvestment-in-jay-zs-tidal-prelude-to-a-biggerdeal/#683c234a70b2

25  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Editorial

Dr. King held a Mirror up to a Nation's Values

ow should Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday be celebrated? It should be celebrated in many different ways. Dr. King was an intellectual who reflected seriously and critically on the dilemma facing AfricanAmericans, people of color generally and poor people specifically — of all races.

He was also an activist. He didn’t get bogged down in the paralysis of analysis. The choices he saw available to the oppressed were threefold: The first option was to respond to institutional violence with violence. But he didn’t see that as moral, practical or able to really address and solve their problems. In fact, he saw it as

counterproductive. Secondly, the poor and people of color could just endure injustice and essentially do nothing. Again, he didn’t see that as moral or practical, and he thought that such repression would eventually explode into violence. The final choice, the one he recommended, was nonviolent active resistance. He brought thought and action together morally and practically as the best way to bring about structural change. Dr. King’s birthday also allows us to hold up a mirror and reflect on the nation’s commitment to human rights, democracy and justice. Dr. King believed in human rights for all human beings, and he believed that it should be measured

26  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

by one yardstick. He believed people should and could learn to live together and find the joy and benefit of such diversity. These benefits are all around us in sports, entertainment, the press, business, our work places and the professions. This mixture of ideas, experiences and perspectives helps all of us to grow, see and feel things we never have thought, saw or felt before.

When Clemson and Alabama played for the national college football championship, whites and blacks played harmoniously together and fans cheered side-byside. Both Southern teams had black quarterbacks. In many ways it was the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bowl. He knew that we had learned to survive apart, but he challenged us to do a much harder and more gratifying thing: to learn to live together. I shall never forget our Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) staff meeting and being with Dr. King on his last birthday. He had convened Native Americans, Appalachian whites, blacks from the Deep South, Latinos from Texas and California, Jewish allies from New York and others to work on the Poor People’s Campaign. Why poverty? He certainly struggled and suffered to advance a racial agenda — the 1964 Civil Rights Act to bring down the cotton curtain of legal apartheid in the South and the 1965 Voting Rights Act to allow African-Americans to vote without discrimination. But he saw the crisis as deeper than merely race. He

also saw caste, which was the moral and economic common ground where black, brown, yellow, red and white, male and female, could fight together for the common good. He believed poverty was a weapon of human destruction. He saw the War in Vietnam stealing resources from the War on Poverty at home. He was planning a Poor Peoples’ Campaign to challenge the nation to choose bread over bombs. He argued that a bomb dropped in Vietnam was exploding in urban America because of neglect of the poor. Dr. King wanted a floor beneath the poor that no American would fall below. He saw that the keys to peace and tranquility were economic security, jobs, education, health care, housing, justice and mercy. Beyond analyzing the problem, Dr. King was acting. He and we were putting our bodies on the line — that is, we were willing to be beaten, die and go to jail, and we went many times. We were demanding that Congress choose healing at home over killing abroad. Dr. King would be heartbroken to see the top priority of the new administration is making affordable health care harder to get, focusing on “law and order” over justice, advocating a nuclear build-up rather than continuing the reduction of nuclear weapons, and promoting incivility in our politics over civility and civil and human rights. Our challenge today is to not let Dr. King’s rationality and action die.  www.rainbowpush.org

27  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Business

Why 2017 is the Year of the Bot By Vivek Wadhwa

ots are already here. These will be the most amazing technology advances we see in our homes (and oﬃces) in 2017. Among the bestsellers of the holiday season were Amazon.com’s Echo and Google Home. These bots talk to their users through speakers, and their built-in microphones hear from across a room. When Echo hears the name “Alexa,” its LED ring lights up in the direction of the user to acknowledge that it is listening. It answers questions, plays music, orders Amazon products and tells jokes. Google’s Home can also manage Google accounts, read and write emails, Amazon Echo and keep track of calendars and notes. Google and Amazon have both opened up their devices to third-party developers — who in turn have added the abilities to order pizza, book tickets, turn on lights and make phone calls. We will soon see these bots connected to health and ﬁtness devices so that they can help people devise better exercise regimens and r e m e m b e r to take their medicine. And they will control the dishwasher

and the microwave, track what is left in the refrigerator and order an ambulance in a case of emergency.

Cognification Long ago, our home appliances became electrified. Soon, they will be “cognified”: integrated into artificially intelligent systems that are accessed through voice commands. We will be able to talk to our machines in a way that seems natural. Microsoft has developed a voice-recognition technology that can transcribe speech as well as a human and translate it into multiple languages. Google has demonstrated a voicesynthesis capability that is hard to differentiate from human. Our bots will tell our ovens how we want our food to be cooked and ask us questions on its behalf.

Deep Learning Going On Here This has become possible because of advances in artiﬁcial intelligence, or A.I. In particular, a ﬁeld called deep learning allows machines to learn through neural networks — in which information is processed in layers and the connections between these layers are strengthened based on experience. In short, they learn much like a human brain. As a child learns to recognize objects such as its parents, toys and animals, neural networks too learn by looking at examples and forming associations. Google’s A.I. software learned to recognize a cat, a furry blob with two eyes and whiskers, after looking at 10 million examples of cats. It is all about data and example; that is how machines — and humans — learn. This is why the tech industry is rushing to get its bots into the marketplace and are pricing them at a meager $150 or less: The more devices that are in use, the more they will learn collectively, and the smarter the technology gets. Every time you search YouTube for a cute cat video and pick one to watch, Google learns what you consider to be cute. Every time you ask Alexa a question and accept the answer, it learns what your interests are and the best way of responding to your questions. By listening to everything that is happening in your house, as these bots do, they learn how we think, live, work and play. They are gathering massive amounts of data about us. And that raises a dark side of this

28  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Kuri

technology: the privacy risks and possible misuse by technology companies. Neither Amazon nor Google is forthcoming about what it is doing with all of the data it gathers and how it will protect us from hackers who exploit weaknesses

in the infrastructure leading to its servers.

Connectivity Concerns Of even greater concern is the dependency we are building on these technologies: We are

beginning to depend on them for knowledge and advice and even emotional support. We surely don’t need to worry yet about our bots becoming smarter than we are. But we already have cause for worry over one-sided relationships. For years, people have been confessing to having feelings for their Roomba vacuum cleaners — which don’t create even an illusion of conversation. A 2007 study documented that some people had formed a bond with their Roombas that “manifested itself through happiness experienced with cleaning, ascriptions of human properties to it, and engagement with it in promotion and protection.” And according to a recent report in New Scientist, hundreds of thousands of people say ‘Good morning’ to Alexa every day, half a million people have professed their love for it, and more than 250,000 have proposed marriage to it. I expect that we are all going to be suckers for our digital friends. Don’t you feel obliged to thank Siri on your iPhone after it answers your questions? I do.  http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/ technology/why-2017-is-the-year-of-thebot/ar-BBy0F3D?ocid=spartandhp

29  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Editorial

Obama’s Farewell Speech is Remarkably Relevant for Africa By Bitange Ndemo

watched President Barack Obama’s farewell speech to the American people last week and concluded that the speech wasn’t just meant for Americans after all. He spoke to the world. In this column, I will I try to give it an African context. He began his speech by thanking Americans for giving him an opportunity to serve them, telling the American people that they:

and as you will later learn from his speech, the courage to share credit with those you work with. In thanking his staff, he acknowledges the trust he had in them that they would take up responsibility in their dockets. This reveals another aspect of leadership, that a

are what have kept me honest, kept me inspired, and kept me going. Every day, I learned from you. You made me a better president, and you made me a better man. You can read volumes of books on leadership and you will still not come up with a common definition. Some say a leader has to have vision and charisma but this is academic nonsense. That is why you see African leaders gloriously refer to Former Information and Communications Permanent Secretary, Dr Bitange Ndemo, the first prime minister of meets then US Senator Barack Obama and Ms. Obama in 2006 during the future Singapore Lee Kuan Yew’s US president's visit to Kenya. PHOTO | US EMBASSY | COURTESY leadership in their speeches. They even promise to follow his footsteps yet rarely leader is merely the first among equals. He or she is but emulate any of his deeds. part of a team, in spite of the many differences that exist Clearly, there is a disconnect between the views of among people. After elaborating the achievements in consultants attributing success to a well-laid-down his administration, he acknowledged those who made vision when the ordinary folks just need honesty in it possible for his administration to succeed: public affairs. But that’s what we did. That’s what you did. You THE COURAGE TO SHARE CREDIT were the change. You answered people’s hopes, Leadership, as Obama has elaborated, entails and because of you, by almost every measure, honesty, inspiration, the humility to learn from followers America is a better, stronger place than it was 30  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

when we started. Even though the Republican President-elect Donald Trump refers to Democrats as enemies, Obama was respectful in his speech praising his country’s democratic traditions. In 10 days, the world will witness a hallmark of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power from one freely elected president to the next. I committed to Presidentelect Trump that my administration would ensure the smoothest possible transition, just as President Bush did for me. Because it’s up to all of us to make sure our government can help us meet the many challenges we still face. These smooth transitions in America are a stark contrast to African regime changes, which are often characterised by bitter disputes, intransigence and violence. Good examples include what is currently going on in the Gambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan. Even in some of the more democratic countries of Africa, leaders refuse to acknowledge their opponents in a well-mannered way.

QUARRELLED AND COMPROMISED What this shows is that we in Africa have failed to see our common purpose and destiny irrespective of our differences. Yet it is by recognising these that we shall fully exploit our potential. In my view, Obama was also projecting his message to Africa when he said: But that potential will be realised only if our democracy works. Only if our politics reflects the decency of the people. Only if all of us, regardless of our party affiliation or particular interest, help restore the sense of common purpose that we so badly need right now. It is what we need today in Kenya to lower the anxieties we have for the general election in August. Perhaps the greatest lesson for Kenya from the speech

Presidents Obama and Kenyatta is the understanding of the ethos of democracy, which Obama said “does not require uniformity.” According to him, our founders quarrelled and compromised, and expected us to do the same. But they knew that democracy does require a basic sense of solidarity – the idea that for all our outward differences, we are all in this together; that we rise or fall as one. I am hoping that all political parties will seriously see the wisdom of these words and dispense with the differences that may tear our country apart. This also applies to many other African countries where compromise is a taboo. The purpose of leadership is to serve, to make people’s lives better, a fact that Obama emphasised in the following terms: Our democracy won’t work without a sense that everyone has economic opportunity. Today, the economy is growing again; wages, incomes, home values, and retirement accounts are rising again; poverty is falling again… The unemployment rate is near a 10-year low. The uninsured rate has never, ever been lower. That, after all, is why we serve – to make people’s lives better, not worse. It bothers me to see our leaders criss-cross the country as the doctors' strike continues and the patients continue suffering. If indeed their role is to serve, let them suspend campaigns, put doctors in the room and

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see page 32

Editorial

Relevance to Africa

from page 31

strike a deal because at this rate, many voters will die.

INTERESTS OF THE POWERFUL It is clear that both sides of the political divide are not interested in solving the crisis posed by the doctors’ strike. The government, as usual, is bullish. The opposition, on the other hand, has failed to offer workable solutions and use its leverage to request the doctors to stand down. Instead, it is capitalising on the strike for political gain. In this bonfire of vanities, poor Kenyans continue to die. Good leaders have the courage to recognise their failures. Obama noted that when the economy doesn’t work as well, a few prosper at the expense of a growing middle class. But stark inequality is also corrosive to our democratic principles. While the top one per cent has amassed a bigger share of wealth and income, too many families, in inner cities and rural counties, have been left behind – the laid-off factory worker; the waitress and healthcare worker who struggle to pay the bills – convinced that the game is fixed against them, that their government only serves the interests of the powerful – a recipe for more cynicism and polarisation in our politics. I need not elaborate on the growing gap between the rich and poor in developing countries, with Kenya being on top of the list. Yet Obama knows what needs to done for a better future. As he put it: And so we must forge a new social compact – to guarantee all our kids the education they need; to give workers the power

to unionise for better wages; to update the social safety net to reflect the way we live now and make more reforms to the tax code so corporations and individuals who reap the most from the new economy don’t avoid their obligations to the country that’s made their success possible…. For if we don’t create opportunity for all people, the disaffection and division that has stalled our progress will only sharpen in years to come. We all know too well that if we don’t create opportunity for our youth, our division will only worsen.

SPLINTERING OF MEDIA The outgoing US leader enumerated a number of issues that he considers a threat to democracy including race relations, media and lack of evidence-based ideas. As he spoke on race relations, his speech mirrored our tribalism which he said was a threat to democracy and:

– all this makes this great sorting seem natural, even inevitable. And increasingly, we become so secure in our bubbles that we accept only information, whether true or not, that fits our opinions, instead of basing our opinions on the evidence that’s out there. There are great lessons for Kenya and several other African countries in this statement. The media, and especially vernacular stations and social media, with its parochial, chauvinistic views, will tear us a part unless we build a consensus on how to manage it especially this election year. He noted the increasing trend where politics of ideas and compromise is under threat saying it: represents a third threat to our democracy. Politics is a battle of ideas; in the course of a healthy debate, we’ll prioritise different goals, and the different means of reaching them. But without some common baseline of facts; without a willingness to admit new information, and concede that your opponent is making a fair point, and that science and reason matter, we’ll keep talking past each other, making common ground and compromise impossible.”

remains a potent and often divisive force in our society….. Going forward, we must uphold laws against discrimination – in hiring, in housing, in education and the criminal justice system. That’s what our Constitution and highest ideals require. But laws alone won’t be enough. Hearts must change. If our democracy is to work in this increasingly diverse nation, each one of us must try to heed the advice of one of the great characters in American fiction, Atticus Finch, who said, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

Although he was taking a jibe at Trump, the message resonates well with the Kenyan situation, where politicians have failed to articulate issues by hiding in tribal bubbles.

On media: The rise of naked partisanship, increasing economic and regional stratification, the splintering of our media into a channel for every taste

a remarkable, beautiful gift. But it’s really just a piece of parchment. It has no power on its own. We, the people, give it power – with our participation,

CRIMINAL LEGISLATORS Another lesson for Kenyans in the speech is on constitutional matters that we have left to politicians. Obama had some wise words on this noting that the American constitution is:

32  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

and the choices we make. Whether or not we stand up for our freedoms. Whether or not we respect and enforce the rule of law. It is our responsibility to see to its fullest implementation. Burying our heads in the sand only worsens matters. In the coming election, we must stand up to weed out criminal legislators who give leadership a bad name. That is how we can get leaders who will have our interests at heart. Quoting from George

ties when we define some of us as more American than others; when we write off the whole system as inevitably corrupt, and blame the leaders we elect without examining our own role in electing them. We are clearly to blame when we elect bad leaders from the cartels that malign well-meaning public servants in order to exploit a dysfunctional system. We have seen the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMIS) that has effectively served many h countries denigrated in Kenya c just ju to open up opportunity to steal public funds. Unfortunately, s the t gullible public cheers on.

O ORDINARY PEOPLE GET IINVOLVED While talking about his fformative years in Chicago, President Obama raised one P of the key issues that has o b bedevilled our potential to ssucceed: expecting change w without involvement, our failure tto take on leadership. Here he ssaid: IIt was on these streets where I witnessed the power of ffaith, and the quiet dignity of working people in the face w of struggle and loss. This is o where I learned that change w only happens when ordinary o people get involved, get p engaged, and come together e tto demand it. Washington’s W hi t ’ ffarewellll speech h on ties that bind America, President Obama said, We weaken those ties when we allow our political dialogue to become so corrosive that people of good character are turned off from public service; so coarse with rancour that Americans with whom we disagree are not just misguided, but somehow malevolent. We weaken those

In concluding his remarks, Obama touched on our weakest link in democracy noting that democracy needs us: Not just when there’s an election, not just when your own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetime. If you’re tired of arguing with strangers on the internet, try to talk with one in real life. If something needs

fixing, lace up your shoes and do some organising. If you’re disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself. Show up. Dive in. Persevere. Sometimes you’ll win. Sometimes you’ll lose. Presuming a reservoir of goodness in others can be a risk, and there will be times when the process disappoints you. But for those of us fortunate enough to have been a part of this work, to see it up close, let me tell you, it can energise and inspire. And more often than not, your faith in America – and in Americans – will be confirmed. We must not just leave all protests to Boniface Mwangi to organise. It is for all of us to do our part. We have a chance in 2017 to judge, not through selfish interests, but by evaluating ideas from those seeking to lead us in the coming years. Chris Hadfield said, “Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It's about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others' success, and then standing back and letting them shine.” Obama laid the groundwork so that others can succeed. Let our leaders aspire to emulate this great man. 

About: Bitange Ndemo is an associate professor at the University of Nairobi’s Business School and a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communications. http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/ blogs/dot9/ndemo/22744863519282-mfkwlvz/index.html

33  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Business - E-Commerce

Blockchain is Eating Commerce By Mike Ferranti

lockchain is a technology that has the potential to become a disruptive force in the ever-more digital economy. Its potential value — coupled with friends, clients and business partners asking about it — led me to publish this outline and answers to many of the questions I've been ﬁelding. It’s something every Data Athlete will want to understand.

Blockchain Starts With Bitcoin Blockchain is essentially a distributed database, which means it’s like the database you know that lives on your server or in the cloud — except that it’s spread copies of itself around the Internet or network. A distributed database has the beneﬁts of fault tolerance and transparency — more than one “node” on the network has a copy of the data. Blockchain also utilizes strong cryptography that prevents changes to the transactions content — they are permanent. These characteristics were developed to support the exchange

of Bitcoin, the now famous c r y p t o currency that is being used worldwide to facilitate a myriad of transactions. Bitcoin (https:// b i t c o i n . org) is said to concern b a n k i n g institutions a n d governments alike — as its decentralized nature means no one nation owns or controls it. Bitcoin and its underlying Blockchain are like the “MP3 of currency” in the early ’90s. Bitcoin.org summarizes the power of its decentralization: “Sending Bitcoins across borders is as easy as sending them across the street. There are no banks to make you wait three business days, no extra fees for making an international transfer, and no special limitatons on the minimum or maximum amount you can send.” So in order for Bitcoin to be a “free” and universal currency, it could not be centrally managed or controlled; hence, blockchain was created ﬁrst — Bitcoin actually started the following year. Furthermore, each and every Bitcoin has a copy of every transaction/exchange it was ever involved in. All of the data on that chain is distributed to every blockchain-distributed journal (or database) across the Web.

What Is Blockchain Used for

Today? Blockchain’s most prevalent usage is in Bitcoin. But remember, it’s an encrypted, distributed database. And so, blockchain (www.blockchain.com) technology also securely moves and stores host money, titles, deeds, music, art, scientific discoveries, intellectual property and even votes. As a (distributed) database that is as open, borderless and secure, blockchain continues to find new uses, and has been adopted by every major technology company. IBM, for example, made an early investment in blockchain technology and IBM Blockchain (www.ibm.com/ blockchain). “Blockchain technology also securely moves and stores host money, titles, deeds, music, art, scientific discoveries, intellectual property and even votes.”

Blockchain 2.0 — Triggered, Programmatic Transactions Blockchain 2.0 is the rapid evolution of blockchain, and where blockchain offers the potential for transformation of the way we engage in commerce and business at an Internet scale. Remember, blockchain is a distributed, cryptographically secured database. It makes sense that an evolution would allow programming code, or chain code, to manipulate the transactions in a blockchain — and that’s exactly what has happened. In one example, SAP is using blockchain software to let patients share electronic medical records with doctors or drug makers for a specific time period, such as during medical care or a study. In another example, they designed a system for farmers’ weather insurance. It pulls rainfall data from sensors in the field, then automatically informs insurers if there’s a drought that would trigger

34  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

a payout. SafeShare Insurance now offers blockchain-based insurance for the sharing economy. And it’s underwritten by Lloyd's of London. The possibilities of blockchain are manifold. So blockchain is allowing parties of all kinds to conduct business, and track each step (or transaction) in a secure and universally accessible ledger. The Internet of Things, AI and Blockchain Blockchain also is being integrated with IoT, or the Internet of Things. This means sensors and devices everywhere can trigger “transactions” to be logged as part of a complex supply chain or workflow. One example is a ship bringing perishables to a market abroad. The container in which the perishables are being transported can have a sensor that monitors the temperature. When it goes below a certain temperature, the transaction can be programmatically voided. Because every blockchain transaction has a time-date stamp, the receivers of those goods will know they were credited for the spoiled goods. They’d also know the location and time, down to the minute they were no longer viable. All parties to the transaction could have their responsibilities laid out in simple logic, formerly locked up in a paper contract. The terms of the contract are automatically executed and the next steps, all the way down to the replacement items being shipped at no charge, could be triggered. Artificial Intelligence can also play a role in determining what the next step or transaction in the chain would be. For example, IBM Watson may soon be able to

determine the rate of depletion of a key item in a bill of materials in manufacturing. Predicting when the supply of the required material needed will run out, it can trigger a purchase transaction with a vendor who supplies it. It can even monitor the pace at which the goods travel by ship, rail or truck to the factory. In a more consumer-friendly case, your fridge could make a blockchain entry at Amazon to place an Amazon Fresh (www.amazon.com/AmazonFresh/ b?ie=UTF8&node=10329849011)

order for the eggs that are almost out — and then credit you and reorder replacements when your eggs break in transit. “... your fridge could make a blockchain entry at Amazon to place an Amazon Fresh order for the eggs that are almost out — and then credit you and re-order replacements when your eggs broke in transit.”

Blockchain and E-commerce Now imagine shopping online to buy an organic Thanksgiving turkey. With a blockchain of their product catalog, you could see where the turkey was raised, how old it was, and even where it’s moved throughout its entire history, along with dates. Now, if the rest of the supply chain used participated with this blockchain, throughout the life of the turkey, you might see the feed it consumed, where the feed came from, and what ingredients were in it. Each transaction in this fresh turkey blockchain contains the previous state of the turkey, so you’d know the date it was killed and butchered — possibly right through to its delivery to your Thanksgiving table. Not a foodie? What if the toys

you buy for your children were integrated on a blockchain to the factory where they were produced in China, and the manufacturing process was integrated, too … such that you can see it contained lead paint? These examples are just the beginning. Many individuals are uncomfortable buying real estate outside of their home country. But what happens if all of the real estate, deeds, and insurance are integrated into a single, secure blockchain implementation? Disputes over land ownership, encumbrances or liens, and taxes past due are all there and irrevocable. They can all be published on the Web, negating the need for countless copies of esoteric forms and documents, and the long slog to complete a transaction. This ushers in a more frictionless age for commerce of all types.

Blockchain Is Another Step Toward a More Frictionless Future Blockchain and its integration into the enterprise are happening at a fast pace. Blockchain is said to have already “eaten” Wall Street, banking, insurance and international commerce. Soon, it will ﬁnd it’s way into applications for your e-tail and retail businesses. When they are raised as a way of facilitating business with your suppliers, distributors or your endconsumers — let them know you know that a blockchain is a cryptosecured, distributed database that can integrate code to log, trigger and track related transactions with a permanent history shared by all parties. Put blockchain to work, and learn how to change and improve your business, and maybe take a small step toward changing the world around you.  www.targetmarketingmag.com/post/ blockchain-eating-commerce/all

35  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Business - Retail

Amazon Launches Completely Revolutionary Take on Retail with "Amazon Go" byRob Stott

(www. a smartphone, an a m a z o n . c o m / Amazon account the free b?node=16008589011#) and mazon

is a physical retail store that looks and feels like a normal grocerytype store, except for one major diﬀerence: There are no cashiers and no checkout lines. The store will be built with shopping technology that, through an app, lets the shopper enter the store, pick up and put back items, and walk out. That’s it. “Our checkout-free shopping experience is made possible by the same types of technologies used in self-driving cars: computer vision, sensor fusion and deep learning,” Amazon explained on its website. “Our Just Walk Out technology automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. When you’re done shopping, you can just leave the store. Shortly after, we’ll charge your Amazon account and send you a receipt.” The company will launch the convenient convenience store with one location in Seattle early 2017. The space will be roughly 1,800 square feet (a little smaller than your typical 7-Eleven), and will carry everything from readymade breakfast, lunch and dinner (cooked up by Amazon’s on-site chefs), to grocery essentials like eggs, milk, cheeses, chocolate, etc. The only thing the customer needs in order to shop at Amazon Go is

Amazon Go app.

Simply Simple The shopping experience at Amazon Go is one that every single retailer needs to take note of. While the product is akin to a local quick-mart with food items, the concept can be applied across a wide range of industries, and that’s likely what Amazon is ultimately gunning for. And considering how much of its revenue comes from electronics (more than 75% in 2015), it’s safe to assume that a Radio Shack replacement could be on the way next. Doomsday-for-retail predictions aside, there’s a ton to be learned here from what Amazon is doing. It’s simplifying the retail experience for the consumer. Amazon understands why its online business has been so dominant, and it’s now applying that same strategy to brick-and-mortar. It all boils down to simplicity. Consumers want a simple shopping experience; one that doesn’t cause stress or take up too much time from their day. At retail, stress and timeconsuming typically apply to the checkout process — especially now that we have these chip cards that take longer than ever to complete the transaction with. If you can remove the checkout process, you take out all of the

stress of having to dig for one’s wallet and have items individually rung up, or missing barcodes that require a walkie-conversation to ﬁgure out the price. The consumers can literally walk into a store, ﬁnd whatever it is that they’re looking for, and walk out. That’s simplicity, and that’s what Amazon is doing right. The one exception to this rule, always, is the showroom experience. It might be a smaller percentage now than ever before, but consumers are always going to want to see a product — especially larger electronics — before they spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on them. So the showroom will always have its place in this industry. But that stated, retailers already have a lot to learn from the e-commerce giant in regard to successful online retailing. Amazon, now, is about to start a whole new chapter on the physical shopping experience. And any smart retailer is going to pay close attention.  www.targetmarketingmag.com/ article/amazon-launches-completelyrevolutionary-take-retail-amazon-go/

36  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (ELI) acknowledges all of the Certified Ice House Facilitators trained from around the world this year including the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia, Mexico, South Africa, and Ireland. Onsite and public trainings were conducted in partnership with city governments, nonprofits, foundations, national associations, community colleges, high schools, and universities. We invite you to kick off the new year right and join us to develop your own entrepreneurial mindset at our next training in February 2017 hosted by UCLA. Seats are filling fast! Join us to develop your own entrepreneurial mindset as well as learn how to implement Ice House in your organization and community. All participants become certified to facilitate the Ice House Entrepreneurship Programs in their classroom, organization, or community. Register here: https://elimindset.com/events/facilitator-training-feb-15-17-2017/?utm_source= January+2017+Newsletter&utm_campaign=January+2017+Newsletter&utm_medium=email. February 15-17, 2017. The University of Los Angeles California will be our host. Hotel block ends this Saturday, January 14th. Save on your hotel and reserve now!

We told you that one of our resolutions for 2017 was to refresh and renew a home for you on entrepreneurship. org. We are thrilled to share that those updates have been made and are live. So what’s new? In short, we’ve made changes to the navigation and usability as well as added features to allow you to truly customize your learning. Additionally, to make the site feel like a home for you, we’ve changed the name to Kauﬀman Entrepreneurs. We hope you enjoy it!

Visit the site here: www.entrepreneurship.org

37  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Business

Kauﬀman Foundation: Economic Development Strategy for the New Year By Victor Hwang, VP Kauﬀman Foundation

ith the advent of the new year, I want to share the new direction that Kauffman is moving. Our overarching goal is to reverse national trends by increasing rates of entrepreneurial starts and successes. Our strategy to get there has four main pillars. First, entrepreneurial education. The ways that people learn are changing fast, and entrepreneurship education needs to change too. To address this, we are building an immersive, interactive community for entrepreneurs to learn from one another and better solve problems together. As a first step, we are integrating Kauffman resources that have previously been disparate—namely FastTrac (over 200,000 alumni http://fasttrac.org), 1 Million Cups (over 100 cities www.1millioncups.com), Founders School (www.

kauffman.org/what-we-do/programs/entrepreneurship/ kauffman-founders-school), and the entrepreneurship.

org website—into a single community. Our ultimate vision is that people who are starting or building their companies anywhere can easily access the best learning opportunities, whether online or offline, structured or unstructured, internally sourced or externally created by other organizations. Stay tuned, we’ll have a lot more to share in the coming year. Second, entrepreneurial ecosystems. One of the major recent trends in entrepreneurship is the increasing importance of “ecosystems.” It’s based on the realization that entrepreneurs thrive best in supportive, interconnected, pay-it-forward communities, rather than isolated silos. However, “ecosystem thinking” is still a fuzzy concept. It’s missing the common vocabulary, tools, and metrics of a true discipline. So that’s what we’re tackling at Kauffman—we want to help professionalize the discipline of ecosystembuilding. We’re gathering exemplary ideas, experiences, and data from around the world. Then we’re synthesizing them into a “Kauffman Playbook” that will be universally available, easily implementable for practitioners, and continually refreshed. We’re

convening a major conference on building ecosystems: our ESHIP Summit in June 2017 (www.kauffman. org/what-we-do/ events/the-eshipsummit). We’ll

announce new experiments on ecosystem-building too. Third, market gaps. While new technologies have created great entrepreneurial opportunities, there are still many who have been left out. The market leaves huge gaps. Research shows that certain segments

of society face bigger barriers to entrepreneurship, whether such barriers are socioeconomic, demographic, sectoral, or geographic (including in Kansas City and the Midwest). We’ve already started tackling these gaps in our Kauffman Inclusion Challenge, which awarded $4.3 million this past year to 12 outstanding national organizations that are trying new ways to address systemic gaps for women and minority entrepreneurs. We will expand this work in years to come, targeting other barriers, working with a variety of

38  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

partners, and experimenting with new techniques. Our ultimate vision is that entrepreneurs with great ideas should face “zero barriers to start up.” Finally, big ideas. We’re not fulfilling our potential if

we’re not translating pathbreaking ideas into practical action. Kauffman has a special role in advancing two essential aspects of society: entrepreneurship and education. In this light, I think of Kauffman like DARPA. We’re no different than a venture fund or a research agency that has been charged with generating practical impact by convening great people, finding bold new ideas, and funding them smartly. Kauffman should be the “mecca” for engaging the best thinkers and doers in our field. We are in the fortunate position of being able to take ambitious, creative, risky, longterm bets. But we need to do so with discipline. That means a consistent strategic narrative, industryleading research, rigorous portfolio management, streamlined processes, measurable data, and syndication with great partners. Our goal in entrepreneurship is that if someone comes up with a breakthrough idea to help entrepreneurs, Kauffman should be their first call, always. One of the sayings I learned from design thinkers at Stanford is “one should never go hunting alone.” That means you need a team. With the new year, we are unifying our internal teams in entrepreneurship programs, research, and policy. This is a big deal for us, because it means we are strengthening the linkage between our amazing research capabilities and practical outcomes for entrepreneurial success. I’m grateful to the talented research and policy associates who have helped shape this new, critical path forward. In addition, to go after these ambitious strategies, we are building our team. We are still looking for killer

talent to join Kauffman in research/policy, ecosystem building, and more. Check out our careers page (www.kauffman.org/who-we-are/careers-at-the-kauffmanfoundation), which is updated frequently.

As a final note, we need your help. I remind our team constantly that entrepreneurship happens on the ground. That means you. Entrepreneurship is bottom-up, where the micro interactions of millions of individuals shape macro effects in the world. Our work must be entrepreneur-centric. That’s why we have started to increase our engagement with practitioners, even reinventing our RFP process from scratch. That’s why we are implementing design thinking, so that we

are attuned to the real needs of real people generating real impact. That’s why we hit the road recently to talk with genuine entrepreneurs and ecosystem-builders in the Heartland. So, Kauffman can’t do it alone. We need your boldest ideas. We need your courageous experiments. We need your creative stretching. And we need your brave patience and good faith. Together, as Mr. Kauffman said, there is nothing we can’t conquer. 

Edited by BBN Staﬀ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/kauﬀman-foundationnew-year-strategy-team-victor-hwang?_cldee=bGlv bi5jb21tQGhvdG1haWwuY29t&recipientid=contactc5fd32cf10cfe311992e3cd92beec6c8-7fe16ac672c04 2c9b49203e9d41184cc&esid=13b96656-dcd8-e611941a-00155d029400

39  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

2017 Book World Prague

Exhibit 5 Titles at the 2017 Book World Prague for $200

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40 ï&#x201A;± January 2017 ï&#x201A;± Black Business News ï&#x201A;± www.blackbbusinessnews.net ï&#x201A;± 1-323-291-7819

Discover Central ntral & Eastern Europe with U.S.Comme U.S.Commercial Service

The U.S. Commerce Department is pleased to offer an opportunity to promote U.S. pet products in the Czech Republic at the FOR PETS Prague trade fair. A presentation on current trends in the U.S. pet market, featuring selected U.S. products, will take place on Friday, April 7, 2017. The fair, targeting Czech pet products importers and distributors, will be held at the Prague Letnany fairgrounds. U.S. company participants in the presentation will receive: x

An introduction to your U.S. company and its products/services.

Your company will be featured on U.S. Commercial Service web pages and in social media.

A list of Czech pet products importers/distributors.

$100 discount for potential follow on matchmaking services with CS Prague.

Registration Deadline March 15th, 2017 Fee $100 For more information contact Veronika Novakova Commercial Specialist Veronika.Novakova@trade.gov Tel: 00420 257 022 437

The 7th FOR PETS show will cover a wide range of pet products ranging from pet foods to pet cosmetics and services. It will be held concurrently with FOR FAMILY fairs. The combined fairs attract over 30,000 visitors each year.

41  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Business - Marketing

Tuning Into Voice Search By Amanda G. Watlington, Ph.D.

ave you met Siri, Cortana or Alexa yet? If you haven’t, you will soon. Perhaps you’ve used Google Voice or Amazon Echo. The market for voice-activated search is poised to explode. Users are rapidly embracing this technology. I expect that we will see rapid adoption, because voice-activated search doesn’t have a huge user learning curve and the devices are increasingly affordable. It’s their simplicity of use that will drive rapid adoption. The big question for search marketers is: What must be done to make sure that a site comes up in answer to voice search queries? This is both a simple and difficult question, but one that must be addressed. In previous posts, I have urged site owners to prepare their sites for mobile search. My admonitions have been to increase site speed and to make sure that the site is mobile-compatible. This is the underlying technical architecture needed for search success in 2017. Faster is better, and not to be fast and mobileready is to be left behind from a technical standpoint. Unfortunately with search, no matter how wonderful the content and offering is on a site, technical miscues can doom it to obscurity. With the technology challenges met, it is time to turn to the offering itself, and this is where voice search enters the picture. Voice search is all about the user, the user’s intent and the user’s challenges in articulating the query.

Voice Search Adoption Will Be Faster Than Mobile Voice-activated programs have been in the technology marketplace for a number of years. They are finally maturing. We have technology so simple to use that it is prudent to safeguard it from toddlers likely to place orders on their parents’ Amazon accounts. Estimates suggest that one in five consumers use voice search on a mobile device. Younger users have adopted the technology faster and use it more often than older users. As mobile searches increase, so too will voice searches. However in my opinion, the proliferation of voiceactivated devices with search capabilities will add a booster rocket to

the adoption rates and the volume of searches.

How Can Search Marketers Respond? The key to an effective response is to ensure that your content addresses the questions a user might pose. This may require rethinking your content approach. Most SEOs have used keyword-based strategies for search. These have been quite effective; however, in the future they must be linked to what the user wants. This requires an inside-out process. Content must be able to answer the types of questions users pose. Where, when, why, how, and what are often starting cues for a voice search. Searches for directions are “where is” something; events are the answer to “when is” queries; “why” and “how” are often signals for factual information. There are a number of other signals — best, near, open, etc. An individual searching on a voice-activated device is unlikely to search for a giant head term — computer. The user is much more likely to pose a question that would fall into the realm of long-tail search. As site owners create content, they should carefully consider if the content does address these cues and what other questions might a user ask. This will result in voicesearch-relevant content. If you haven’t already done it, now is the time to implement structured data on your site. This provides a framework for the presentation of data in a format easily consumed by search engines and returned in answer to voice queries.

One More Tip Here is a bonus tip — extra credit, if you will. Years ago, many sites included FAQ pages. They fell out of fashion, but it is time to dust them off, make sure that they are up-to-date, linked into the site structure (not orphaned, as happens with older, unloved content), and the SEO reviewed to make sure it isn’t outdated. These pages often provide just the type of information a user wants and seeks on a voice-activated device. Voice search will change how we search. Instead of keying in keywords, we can expect search to become more conversational. If we expect to succeed, we need to think about engaging in an informative conversation with our site users.  www.targetmarketingmag.com/post/tuning-into-voicesearch/#utm_source=today-%40-target-marketing&utm_ medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=2017-01-17&utm_content=tu ning+into+voice+search-1

42  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Business

These Two Sisters Become the Youngest to Own a Beauty-Supply Store By Jessica Mitei

Kayla Davis and Keonna Davis owners of KD Haircare Supply

ost of the time when we think of business in Kenya we think of doing it when we are older. But entrepreneurship has no age. And these teen sisters are proof, 19-year-old Kayla Davis and 21-year-old Keonna Davis opened KD Haircare Supply in March of last year. KD Haircare Supply is a beauty store dedicated to the celebrating and catering to black women. Internationally, Korean entrepreneurs are major stake holders in black hair care supply business and the Davis sisters were frustrated by the lack of black people within the black hair care industry as well as being unable to find jobs the sisters decided to go into business. The store has a physical location in Moreno Valley, California but also has an online presence that allows you to shop for everything from make-up to hair care products.

And the market has welcomed them with open arms. “The community has been extremely supportive. It’s like we’ve gained another family! Everyone we’ve [come] across has been very proud of us and inspired by us. Overall, we are very grateful.” The Davis sisters told The Root during an interview. The girls also express that they believe black women can express their beauty in any shape or form and they want to cater to all of those shapes and forms “We feel that women should be able to wear their hair in any shape, way or form that they are comfortable. We decided on a natural and weave storefront [because] that is who we are. Both [of us] are natural, but [one wears] weaves as [a] protective style, and the other is natural who dyes her hair but wears it natural. So we haven’t considered the debate

because we are who we are and we hope other women will appreciate their hair, whether natural, weaved or dyed, as long as they are comfortable.” The Davis sisters told The Root during an interview. In addition, the Davis girls’ success is something they want to be an example for others and want to teach the importance of following your dream and never giving up. Similar to the Davis sisters entrepreneurs like Michelle Ntalami of Marini Naturals and Suzie Wokabi of Suzie Beauty are leading the charge to make industries that cater to black people bring wealth to black people as well. Hopefully, Kayla and Keona Davis’ ambition inspire more young women in Kenya and the world over to go into business and use entrepreneurship as a means to achieve their dreams.  www.zumi.co.ke/meet-two-youngest-blackgirls-beauty-industry

43  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Editorial

Activists Relate to King's Shift from Dreamer to Radical By By Errin Haines Whack, Associated Press

or Abdul Aliy-Muhammad, the kind of vision, we end the possibility riots," King said in June 1967. Martin Luther King Jr. he for change before we even have the Today's young activists say King's learned about as a child was conversation. In that sense, they harsher words resonate just as a man of love, peace and racial really are carrying the torch." much as his methods of peaceful harmony, a gifted orator. Fifty years ago this month, King protest. It wasn't until Aliy-Muhammad retreated to the Caribbean with "We do King a disservice when became an activist that he came to know, and appreciate, the King who decried the Vietnam War as "unjust" and made a firm, insistent case for economic justice for black Americans. "There is a Martin Luther King that is important to the resistance movement that we don't hear about," said the 33-year-old co-founder of the Black and Brown Workers Collective in Philadelphia. "We always hear about love and forgiveness. ... There was also a King who was radical." Younger black activists Montgomery Bus Boycott - Blake Bailey (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khs6uT2e1ls) say they prefer the pointed, more forceful King to the Nobel his wife, Coretta, and a few friends we try to tell a flat story of turning Prize-winning pacifist who preached to write his final book, "Where the other cheek," said 31-yearlove over hate as he led nonviolent Do We Go From Here: Chaos old Charlene Carruthers, national marches across the segregated or Community?" In the book, director of the Black Youth Project South. They like the fact that the published in June 1967, King 100 in Chicago. "It was never urgency in King's demand for argued for racial equality for black simply that." equality in the years just before his Americans through the wholesale As Carruthers sees it, "agitation" assassination in 1968 is in keeping embrace of social and economic was the core of King's work. "Their with the tenacious nature of today's reform. agitation shows up differently than Black Lives Matter rallying cry. During the book's promotional how our agitation shows up today. "Then as now, it was about tour, King spoke out against the However, I think King's work and promises not translating into Vietnam War and criticized U.S. the work we do are part of the larger substantive transformation," said leaders for allowing slum conditions tradition of black radical resistance." Princeton University professor to persist in the cities. "Everyone is In an August 1967 speech to the Imani Perry. "The questions young worrying about the long hot summer Southern Christian Leadership people are asking and the way with its threat of riots. We had a long Conference, King pointed out they're challenging the status quo cold winter when little was done disparities in unemployment, are important. If we don't have that about the conditions that create housing, education and infant 44  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Dr. King preaching to congregation during the Montgomery Bus Boycott http://katie-english.blogspot.com/2010/11/montgomery-bus-boycott-newsarticle.html mortality. He called for black Americans — then barely a century out of bondage — to "assert our dignity and worth." "The job of arousing manhood within a people that have been taught for so many centuries that they are nobody is not easy," King told the audience. "Psychological freedom, a firm sense of selfesteem, is the most powerful weapon against the long night of physical slavery." King fought to end public segregation and fought for the right to vote. But he also advocated for a living wage and worked to close the employment gap for blacks and spoke out against discrimination in policing — to which rioting was a common response. King reacted to the Feb. 29, 1968, release of the report by the National Advisory Commission on Civil

Disorders, also known as the Kerner Commission, by noting that the solutions suggested "have been made before almost to the last detail and have been ignored almost to the last detail." It is a familiar climate for some working in the Black Lives Matter movement, who see their efforts in cities like Ferguson, Missouri, Chicago, Baltimore and Cleveland on a continuum that reaches back to King. They identify with the fact that King was only 26 when he was thrust into a leadership role in the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott. When he was killed at 39 in 1968, before he could launch his Poor People's Campaign, King was still far younger than civil rights establishment figures such as A. Philip Randolph and Adam Clayton Powell.

Remembering King as a c o m m u n i t y organizer places his movement a l o n g s i d e contemporary activism, said Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Errin Haines Whack Matter. "He was really focused on poor black people," Cullors, 33, said. "Let's remember the King who was invested in changing the country that he loved so much, who called out elected officials who continued to endanger black people."  www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ activists-relate-to-kings-shift-fromdreamer-to-radical/ar-AAlU9iI?li=AA4Z nC&ocid=spartandhp

45  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

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, February 22, 2017 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.

48  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Business

How to Write Better Marketing Copy

s a business owner or manager, you probably spend a lot of time thinking about where and how to market your business. If you're like most entrepreneurs and executives, however, you don't spend nearly enough time thinking about what you should say when you do it. "I get asked all sorts of speciﬁc, technical questions by prospects, such as, 'How do I improve my SEO?' … What I never get asked is, 'How do I write great copy?'" says Entrepreneur.com contributor and writing consultant Han-Gwong Lung. "This is a shame, because copywriting is the one marketing tool that will never change." So, what's the secret to good copy? According to Lung, it's copy that clearly and quickly communicates three things: • I do the job you need to get done. • I specialize in that job. • I do that job so well that my customers love working with me. "Go straight into the meat of the matter by making sure they walk away with this information," Lung says. Whether you're writing an ad, an email, or a web page, make sure you include a call to action (CTA), too. "If I had to pick [a CTA] to bet my life on … it would be something like 'Join Free' or 'Try it out for 1 month FREE' because free value is priceless," Lung concludes. "Everyone likes free stuﬀ! And everyone wants to work with a generous person." 

Welcome to More.

Open the door to a hotel you don’t just visit. You own it. 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

www.successfulmeetings. com/Strategy/SM-How-To/ How-to-Write-Better-MarketingCopy/?cid=eltrHowto&eid=lion. comm@hotmail.com 54  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

58  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

www.blackenterprise.com/events/women-of-power-summit

www.paﬀ.org 59  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Business - Health

Sitting Too Much Ages You by 8 Years By Alice Park

But exercise can counteract it, a new study finds

itting too much during the day has been linked to a host of diseases (http://time.

com/4454112/sitting-down-heartdisease-diabetes-death), from obesity

to heart problems and diabetes, as well as early death. It’s not hard to understand why: being inactive can contribute to weight gain, which in turn is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke, hypertension and unhealthy blood sugar levels. On top of everything else, sitting has detrimental effects on cells at the biological level, according to a new report published in the American Journal of Epidemiology (https:// academic.oup.com/aje). In the new study, scientists led by Aladdin Shadyab, a postdoctoral fellow in family medicine and public health at the University of California San Diego,

traced sitting’s impact on the chromosomes. They took blood samples from nearly 1,500 older women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative, a long-term study of chronic diseases in postmenopausal women, and focused on the telomeres: the tips of the tightly packed DNA in every cell. Previous studies have found that as cells divide and age, they lose bits of the telomeres, so the length of this region can be a marker for how old a cell (and indirectly the person the cells belong to) is. The researchers compared telomere length to how much the women exercised, to see if physical activity affected aging. Earlier studies have also looked at telomere length and exercise. But they relied on asking people to report on their activity levels, a process that’s often inaccurate. Shadyab instead relied on more objective recordings of physical activity from accelerometers that the women wore for one week. Initially, he did not find any relationship between telomere length and physical activity levels. But when he focused on the women who did not meet the recommended 30 minutes of moderateto-vigorous physical activity daily, he began to see some

interesting trends. Among women who didn’t get the daily half hour of exercise, those who spent more time sedentary (about 10 hours or more) had shorter telomeres than those who spent less time sitting everyday. The amount of shortening added up to about eight years of aging, the scientists estimated—meaning that inactive women who spent more time sitting were about eight years older, on average, than those who were inactive but spent less time sedentary. Women who got the recommended amount of daily exercise showed no association between how much time they spent sitting and their telomere length, suggesting that physical activity might counteract the shortening that occurs with aging. “Our results suggest that the combination of being sedentary and not engaging in enough physical activity to prevent the telomeres from shortening leads to the shorter telomere length,” says Shadyab. “Women who did not meet the physical activity guideline and were sedentary for at least 10 hours a day were biologically older; their cells are aging faster than those of women who were less sedentary.” Exactly how much physical activity is needed to negate the aging effects of sitting on the cells isn’t clear yet. But Shadyab’s study shows that sedentary behavior has potentially aging effects on the cells, and exercise may be one way to combat that aging process.  http://time.com/4637898/sittingaging-sedentary/

62  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Publisher's Message

from page 63

mainstream. We are in a unique position to change this. The Civil Rights movement by Dr. King and others continues today and has provided us with the platforms that provide access to education, voting rights, and resources. There are African Americans serving in senior executive positions and leading Fortune 500 companies as their CEOs, COOs and CFOs; in addition to powerful positions in the public sector. However, African Americans in the public and private sectors need to focus more on helping their own. We see everyday other ethnic groups always make special eﬀorts to help their own in business, employment, ﬁnance, etc. This is major role of our “wakeup” call. We must be more supportive of each other as a culture if we are truly to move forward as a people As many of has seen in the movie, “Hidden Figures,” based on the true and untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (depicted by actress Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (depicted by actress Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (depicted by actress Janelle Monáe) these brilliant Black women working at NASA, who served as the brains and driving force behind one of the greatest operations in history, the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. These Black women crossed all gender and race lines to inspire future generations about the importance of dreaming big, and preparing oneself to achieve their dreams. While the movie does a great job in showing the struggles against racism that these dynamic Black women had to endure. It should also be noted, that African American males employed by the aerospace industry also faced racism and

discrimination in this field during the 1950’s and throughout the 1960’s. As President and CEO of the Black Business Association (BBA), headquartered in Southern California, one of our long time BBA members, Bill Freeman, President and CEO of Freeman Alternative Staffing Resources, worked in the aerospace industry during that same period; along with other outstanding African American men, likewise they faced similar challenges of institutional racism in the workplace. He can attest to the important roles and major contributions made by many African American men in the early years of the aerospace industry that have been unsung for the most part. Having gone full circle from this agency that practiced racial discriminatory practices, to where decades later the nation’s first Black President, Barak Obama’s, appointed the first Black director of NASA in its history, Maj. Gen. Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., (USMC-Ret.). African Americans should be proud of the strides and achievements made in aerospace, engineering, sciences and many others – the footprint of African Americans in our society and globally, spans beyond just being successful entertainers, and professional athletes – a message we need to continuously repeat to future generations. As African Americans we have survived through some of thenmost difficult times throughout American history. However, given the political quandary we are witnessing today, there is no question that our country is very much divided. Be that as it may, it is time for accountability to one another, by maximizing our resources to create better opportunities to sustain ourselves for future generations. What do I mean by this? We must foster a stronger commitment as African Americans, for our fellow

African Americans. We must be our brothers (and sisters) keeper. We would be so much better off if we put forth the extra effort to help those of our own ethnicity, just as we see other ethnicities working cooperatively with each other to further their economic empowerment for their future. One of our staff writers reminds me often that “although you can’t

Maj. Gen. Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., (USMC-Ret.) change the rules, you can certainly make them work for you once given some logical thought, research and planning.” The price is too high to allow others to define who we are, and what we can accomplish. I know that this is one decision that belongs to the Almighty God, and not man. Now is the time to begin the process of defining a different mindset and a willingness to work together, not allowing ourselves and others to bring division within our African American communities and families. The Black Business News Group and the Black Business Association are here to support your business.

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www.bbala.org

Business - Editorial

Obama, Spending Power Drives Consumer Confidence among Blacks By Stacy M. Brown

espite a plethora of economic and social challenges, AfricanAmericans remain among the most optimistic consumer groups in the nation’s economy. A recent report by the market research firm, Packaged Facts (www.packagedfacts.com), revealed that nearly half (47%) of AfricanAmericans believe they will be better off financially 12 months from now. The report, titled, “AfricanAmericans: Demographic and Consumer Spending Trends,

10th Edition,” (www.packagedfacts. com/African-AmericansDemographic-10293172) found that

just 37% of ‘other Americans’ are as optimistic. Also, revealed in the report, affluent Black Americans hold especially strong convictions about how their financial future will unfold, although the abiding optimism of African-Americans transcends income levels. “For African-Americans, optimism is not tied to their affluence or wealth, but to their faith,” said Princess Jenkins, an entrepreneur and

founder of the nonprofit “Women in the Black,” an organization that assists female entrepreneurs. Jenkins also owns the Brownstone Lifestyle Boutique in New York (www.thebrownstonewoman.com) . “We have survived yet another inescapable era and come out on the other side of it better, brighter, informed and with affordable health coverage for our families.” Jenkins continued: “I have benefited from the consumer optimism shared by those in the Packaged Facts report because, in the aftermath of the presidential

64  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

renewed optimism among AfricanAmericans based on their pride in the election of the country’s first Black president. A Packaged Facts analysis of trends in the consumer confidence index of Simmons National Consumer Study (http:// simmonssurvey.com) data has found a factual basis for this hypothesis. In 2007, Blacks were less likely than other Americans to be ranked as “highly confident” consumers (20% vs. 25%). insights/reports/2016/q2-2016By 2009, the year after the election consumer-confidence-report.html) of President Obama, the positions showed that the spending power of of each segment had reversed, African-Americans has exceeded as 26% of Blacks and just 17% of $1 trillion. other Americans were classified as The spending power is just one “highly confident” consumers. reason for the optimism, Packaged By 2013, following the re-election Facts noted. of President Obama, 42% of Black The reasons for the steadfast consumers were rated as “highly confidence of African-American confident” compared to just 28% of consumers are many and complex, other American consumers. the report’s authors said. More recent trends suggest that To begin, despite the growing the Obama effect may in fact have chasm between the very rich and been in play in recent years, at the rest of American society, there least when it came to boosting the are strong empirical reasons for optimism of Black consumers. African-Americans to believe that The proportion of Africanupward mobility remains achievable American consumers categorized for them. as “highly confident” fell from 42% Key social and economic in 2014 to 38% in 2015 and 31% indicators point to a significant in 2016. Nevertheless, as the increase in the number of middle- Obama administration nears its and higher-income African- end, African-Americans remain Americans over the past decade. more likely than other consumers During this period, the number of to have a high degree of consumer African-American households with confidence (31% vs. 27%). an income of $100,000 or more “I work with African-American jumped 83%, while the number entrepreneurs each day who believe of African-Americans employed that they can create opportunity and in management and professional generate profit. Words like hustle, occupations grew from 3.8 million ingenuity, faith, and luck almost to 4.8 million, an increase of 26%. always trump fear and pessimism,” There are now nearly two million said Lyneir Richardson, the Blacks who earn at least $75,000 director of the Center for Urban annually. Entrepreneurship and Economic The confidence of Black Development (www.business. consumers may also stem from the rutgers.edu/cueed), a research “Obama effect,” a phenomenon and practitioner-oriented center that among other things sparked at Rutgers Business School in election, Blacks feel that the economic growth engines put in place under the eight years of President Barack Obama have started to pay off.” Jenkins said that Black people have rode the economic downturn, the fall of Wall Street, the threatened closure of the auto industry and the mortgage crisis and have finally emerged on the other side and the cloud has lifted. The 2016 Nielsen Consumer (www.nielsen.com/us/en/ Report

Newark, New Jersey. Still, it’s vital that AfricanAmericans continue to keep their money flowing within the community, said Samson Adepoju, the founder and CEO of Salon Your Way in New York (www.facebook. com/salonyourway). “African-Americans should invest part of their money back into local Black businesses and, if there isn’t one in a particular area, start one up,” Adepoju said. “Financial education is crucial and a lot of our money can be invested in stocks and bonds. Rather than spending $350 on a pair of Air Jordan’s, why not buy Nike stock, which is about $50 per share? That way, you can actually own a piece of Nike,” he said. Despite the optimism, some have expressed caution, because there’s still a large swath of the Black community that’s unemployed or underemployed. “It’s a little troubling to see such strong optimism from the AfricanAmerican community while our unemployment rate has grown to 14.1%,” said Steve Burton, who started his first E-Commerce business at 18, which allowed him to invest in music. Burton, who started a business to license music for television shows and movies for FX, Disney, Lifetime and BET, owns PerfectTux.com. “I believe that we are in a time where African-Americans are starting to realize the impact of their own buying power and the importance of spending wisely, building wealth, and starting businesses,” said Burton. “These factors would lead to optimism that transcends income levels, because when you know better, you do better.”  www.blackpressusa.com/obama-spendingpower-drives-consumer-conﬁdenceamong-blacks (Graphic) www.birminghamtimes.com/wpcontent/uploads/2017/01/Consumer_pix.png

65  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

From: Cornell William Brooks, President and CEO, NAACP

ne of the most troubling prospects for 2017 is the nomination of Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions for Attorney General. Senator Sessions stands against everything that you and I fight for: He's spoken out against the Voting Rights Act, and has described the work that the NAACP and ACLU do to protect civil rights as "un-American." We must do all we can to prevent him from rolling back the rights and protections our parents and grandparents worked so hard to gain, and we've worked so hard to preserve. Please make a donation today — even $4 can make a real difference — to help us fight back in 2017. The Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States. And our president-elect has appointed Jeff Sessions, a man who's actively threatened to strip us of our rights throughout his career. Can we trust someone with our rights — and our lives — with a track record like this? • Sessions was denied appointment as a federal judge because of racist comments he made to a colleague. • He opposed and criticized the removal of the Confederate flag from public spaces. • He once joked that he approved of the Ku Klux Klan until he learned its members smoked marijuana. Too many of our brothers and sisters have sacrificed for the rights we have today. We're ready to battle for our rights in 2017 — and we need your support. P l e a s e contribute what you can right now and help us resist: http://action.naacp.org/StopSessions

67  December 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

www.nubianskin.com/us

Sell Your Products & Services on

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

It Can Wait.

http://itcanwait.com

FOR

M.L.King Day

OR ANY SPECIAL OCCASION

Business Technology:

Take A Look! by LaSandra Stratton

heck out what these ﬁrms and organizations have to oﬀer for your personal interests, personal wealth building, and business expansion opportunities.

Video Wiki Information Source

iki.ezvid.com is a free-touse source of thoroughly researched, authoritative information. Video is our primary medium of communication, but each wiki also contains text, images, data, and links to third-party information sources. We are focused on the concise transfer of knowledge to our users. Ezvid Wiki provides useful, unbiased information and actionable guidance to hundreds of millions of users around the world, in thousands of knowledge categories. We do believe that for many queries, Wikipedia provides the most authoritative and useful response. That's one reason we support the Wikimedia Foundation

(https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/ Home).

But our questions that are without

website aims to answer on the Internet in ways accessible to anyone, technical jargon or

unnecessary digression. To this end, we’ve built our own best-ofbreed video wiki creation e n g i n e , based on our massively p o p u l a r video editing software Ezvid (www. ezvid.com), currently in use by millions of Windows users around the world. Using our unique set of core competencies, we have developed tens of thousands of wikis, and assisted millions of people with their own research by communicating knowledge through video. Information provided by Ezvid Wiki is general in nature and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. All reviews of third party products and services are provided as journalistic opinions only. Ezvid Wiki's content is created by a team of professional researchers, writers, and narrators, who collaboratively research and edit each individual knowledge category. To ensure editorial neutrality, we don't currently publish the names of individual contributors, however, you can reach the editorial team by contacting us (https://wiki.ezvid.com/ contact). If you’re ready to contribute, please contact us to get started with your own video wiki.  https://wiki.ezvid.com/

W7 Ultrathin

OLED TV

he all-new LG W7 OLED is like no TV you've ever seen. It requires a wall. When attached to that wall, it protrudes no further than a couple of coins stacked together: just 3.85 mm. That's 0.15 inch, so thin you'd never notice it from the side. The 65-inch model weighs just 18 pounds and the 77-incher weighs 27. LG includes a special ﬂushmounting plate, the top of which screws into the wall as usual, while the bottom sticks to the wall with magnets. With LCD-based televisions, going ultrathin often means sacriﬁcing image quality, but according to LG the W7 will share the same image quality as its other 2017 OLED TVs. OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode, a display technology found in phone and laptop screens. The W7 integrates connections and a power supply courtesy of a separate speaker bar. The bar connects to the wall-mounted portion of the TV via ribbon-thin, proprietary cable (up to 82 inches long) that carries video information

74  December 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

and power. The backside of the bar houses HDMI and other inputs, into which you'll plug your gear. The speaker bar handles Dolby Atmos and even has little pop-up speakers, but lacks surround speakers and a subwoofer. LG will begin shipping the W7 this March.  www.cnet.com/products/lg-w7-series/preview/id=22879832 233920783794305160720838

educational experiences that transform leaders, stunning conferences that inspire and prompt action, and innovative labs that incubate and accelerate corporate innovation and social impact projects. At Singularity University, we are working to facilitate a future of endless possibilities that is free from global problems. We believe that by catalyzing an exponentially transformed, engaged, and activated community of inspired solvers, startups, corporations, development organizations, governments, academic institutions, and investors, we can better address systemic problems we face globally today.  @singularityu

ur mission is to educate, inspire, and empower leaders to apply exponential technologies to address humanity's grand challenges. Singularity University (https:// su.org) is a global community using exponential technologies to tackle the world’s biggest challenges. Our learning and innovation platform empowers individuals and organizations with the mindset, skillset, and network to build breakthrough solutions that leverage emerging technologies like artiﬁcial intelligence, robotics, and digital biology. With our community of entrepreneurs, corporations, development organizations, governments, investors, and academic institutions, we have the necessary ingredients to create a more abundant future for all. Singularity University is where the necessary ingredients for exponential impact come together as one. You are — or could be — one of those critical ingredients. Your journey is our journey — and we are here to help you and your initiatives be exponential. We serve these audiences with a range of products to help them understand rapidly accelerating technologies and how to apply them to positively impact billions of people. Our products include custom

Submitted by LaSandra Stratton, Chief Content Administrator of the Black Business News.

Coming to your e-mail box.

Read Back Issues at:

https://issuu.com/blackbusinessnews

75  December 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Community/Public Interest record indicates that he won’t. He will be expected to defend the rights of immigrants and affirm their human dignity, but By U.S. Senator Cory Booker his record indicates he won’t. His record indicates oday I broke with Senate that as Attorney General tradition and testified he would obstruct against the nomination of the growing national one of my colleagues, Senator bipartisan movement Jeff Sessions. I believe that in toward criminal justice the choice between standing with reform. Senate norms or standing up for His record indicates what my conscience tells me is best that we cannot count on for our country, I will always choose him to support state and conscience and country. Senator Cory Booker national efforts toward Senator Sessions has not bringing justice to a demonstrated a commitment to a justice system that people on both sides of the aisle central requirement of the job as Attorney General— readily admit is biased against the poor, drug addicted, to aggressively pursue the congressional mandate of civil rights, equal rights, and justice for all. In fact, at mentally ill, and people of color. The next Attorney General must bring hope and numerous times in his career, he has demonstrated a healing to our country, and this demands a more hostility toward these convictions, and has worked to courageous empathy than Senator Sessions’ record frustrate attempts to advance these ideals. If confirmed, Senator Sessions will be required to demonstrates. Jeff Sessions should not be our next Attorney pursue justice for women, but his record indicates that General—I oppose his nomination and hope you will he won’t. He will be expected to defend the equal rights of gay join me in speaking out.  and lesbian Americans, but his record indicates that he www.facebook.com/corybooker/ videos/10156438984357228 won’t. He will be expected to defend voting rights, but his

Why I Broke With Tradition

New Design for $100 Coin

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lady-liberty-depicted-as-woman-ofcolor-on-us-currency/ar-AAlPlJl?li=AA4ZnC&ocid=spartandhp

or the ﬁrst time in American history, Lady Liberty will be portrayed as a woman of color on United States currency. In celebration of the U.S. Mint and Treasury's 225th

anniversary, the new $100 coin was unveiled on Thursday, January 12th featuring Lady Liberty as a black woman. Since the passage of the Coinage Act in 1792, all coins are required to feature an "impression emblematic of liberty," in either words or images. Until the new coin designed by Justin Kunz was unveiled, Lady Liberty had always been depicted as a white woman. "As we as a nation continue to evolve, so does liberty's representation," said Elisa Basnight, U.S. Mint Chief of Staff, at a ceremony unveiling the new coin (www.yorkcast. com/treasury/events/2017/01/12/mint225). "We live in a nation that affords us the opportunity to dream big and try to accomplish the seemingly impossible." The new 24-karat gold coin, which is set to be released in April and is meant primarily for collectors, is one of a series of new, diverse commemorative coins the Mint will unveil in the coming years. Future depictions of Lady Liberty, according to the Mint, will also feature designs to represent Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Indian Americans, and others "to reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of the United States."

78  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Community/Public Interest

4-year-old "Librarian for the Day" has Already Read 1,000 Books By Mary Bowerman

Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, and 4-year-old Daliyah Marie Arana of Gainesville, GA as "Librarian For The Day."

4-year-old Georgia girl with a voracious appetite for reading was given a chance to be “Librarian For the Day” at the Library of Congress this week. Daliyah Marie Arana of Gainesville, Ga., has read more than 1,000 books, the Gainesville

Times reports. On Wednesday, January 13th, Daliyah visited the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and was named “Librarian For The Day.” The four-year-old roamed the hallways with Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress, who

tweeted photos of Daliyah sitting in her desk. Daliyah’s mother told the the Gainesville Times, that her daughter joined Georgia’s “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten,” almost two years ago and started paving her way through books. “She was about 2 1/2 when we signed her up for it,” Haleema Arana told the Times. “Most of the kids she graduated the program with were a little bit older.” Haleema Arana told the Washington Post, that her daughter was invited to spend the day with Hayden after she reached out to see if there was any way to enhance Daliyah's experience at the library. “She just kept saying how the Library of Congress is her most favorite, favorite, favorite library in the whole wide world,” Haleema Arana told the Washington Post.  www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/ this-4-year-old-has-already-read-1000books/ar-AAlO5Xb?li=AAk6ORB&ocid=sp artandhp https://twitter.com/LibnOfCongress/ status/819187408814149632

79  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Community/Public Interest

"Life on the Other Side of You," A Study of Life, Death and Renewal By Major General (Retired) Barrye L. Price

n his newly released book, LIFE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF YOU: A Study of Life, Death, and Renewal, Major General (Retired) Barrye L. Price shares the complexities and nuances of life after losing a spouse.

friends, troops, and church congregants) around his spouses’ bout with cancer. The simplicity of the spiritual journey associated with this story, shows how although tragic circumstances, it will teach us about faith. The story is written in an engaging, sometimes appropriately humorous style; and then later, with the power and emotion that will bring the strongest person to a level of serious introspection. Barrye’s choice to save his summary of the phenomenal lessons learned, are heartfelt, sincere and powerful drawn from the story, was clever and well-executed. When I finished the book, I was ready to get the lessons at the end. I am sure that there will be some people, especially those who have lost a spouse, or are helping those who lost a spouse, can find inspirational hope and courage to continue. ”Life on the Other Side,” is a great read for everyone, and a must read for those who are helping those suffering from the tragedy of cancer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Army Brigadier General (Retired) Michael J. Meese, Ph.D. says that “Life on the Other Side” is excellent on many different levels. It shares the journey of a love story, which in essence is a story of two great love stories. It captures the strength and great emotion that comes from the tragedy, victory, relapse, small triumphs, and finally final heartbreak of cancer. As heart wrenching as cancer can be, Price is able to pour his heart and the hearts of others within the inner circle (made up of close friends, colleagues, and church leaders; and the outer circle of supportive but confused

Major General (Retired) Barrye Price, a native of Gary, Indiana, is a 1985 Distinguished Military Graduate of the University of Houston's College of Business Administration. He earned a Master of Arts Degree in History in 1994 from Texas A&M University; and in 1997 he became the first African-American to obtain a doctorate from the Department of History in the 139year history of TAMU. In 2004, he earned a Master of Science Degree in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University. In June 2016, he retired from the U.S. Army following 31 years of service. For more information about the author, or to purchase the book online, please visit amazon.com/author/ barryeprice. To set up interviews with the author, please contact Florita Bell Griffin, Ph.D., ARC Communications, LLC., Public Relations Officer and Author Agent at Tel: 202750-1672 or Email: fbgriffin@arcculturalart.com.  www.amazon.com/author/barryeprice

81  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Community/Public Interest - Obituary

Bishop Eddie Long Dies of Aggressive Form of Cancer By Ellen Eldridge, Ty Tagami, Shelia Poole

ew Birth Missionary Baptist Church’s senior pastor Eddie L. Long has died, according to the church. He was 63 years old. "Today it is with great sadness I announce that our bishop has transitioned,” Bishop Christopher C. Smith said. The expectant crowd, many already informed by social media and text messages, wailed and shrieked at the official announcement. "He's no longer in pain,” Smith continues. "He's no longer dealing with the complications that he had to deal with." A statement released by the church Sunday morning confirms Long died early Sunday after “a gallant private fight with an aggressive form of cancer.” A memorial service for Eddie Long is planned Jan. 25 at his church There had been much speculation about Long’s health after he posted a video last year of him looking extremely thin. He never publicly disclosed the nature of his illness.

Twelve-year church member Nia Pillow, 20, said Long was more than a bishop to her. The film artist and cinematographer said he helped launch her on her career path when she was 13 and asked to help operate the church cameras. People thought she was too young, she said. "Everybody said no, but Eddie Long said ‘yes," Pillow said. The statement adds Long maintained his commitment to God as he proclaimed that cancer would not kill his faith nor his spirit. Long was absent at several services during recent months but was present during Christmas and New Year’s Eve services. First Lady Elder Vanessa Long, Bishop Long’s wife of 27 years said she is confident through her belief in God that her husband is now resting in a better place. “Although, his transition leaves a void for those of us who loved him dearly, we can celebrate and be happy for him, knowing he’s at peace,” she said. Long delivered his final message to New Birth as the church ushered

in 2017. “He told the church that God was already working in our favor and what we have been praying for was already manifested,” the statement says. Aaliyah Butler, 41, said Long had helped her personally. The mother of four, who was leaving the church with her young daughter Sunday after the announcement of Long's death, said he "mentored" her oldest son, now grown, when he was younger and had gotten into "some trouble." Long talked to the boy, Butler said, "and I think his mentorship helped lead him on a direct path." Now, 24, her son is trying to start his own used car sales business. Long is survived by his wife, First Lady Elder Vanessa Long, four children: Eric, Edward, Jared and Taylor; and three grandchildren.  www.ajc.com/news/local/bishop-eddie-longdies-aggressive-form-cancer-church-says/ K7oodHbeXnjyOc3JgVuyVI/

82  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Community/Public Interest - Obituary

Curtis Owens, 78, Former Health Care Executive Dies By Ayana Jones

Curtis Owens, a former health care executive, died on Sunday, December 25, 2016. He was 78. He was born on Oct. 18, 1938 to the late Curtis Owens and Sara Ames Owens. He became achievement-oriented at an early age. By the time he graduated from the Benjamin Franklin High School in 1957 he had lettered in four sports including baseball, football, basketball, and track and field. He earned All-Public honors in football and track and field. In 1962, Owens received his bachelor’s degree in education from Central State University and the same year earned certification in corrective therapy from the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. Commissioned as a medical administrative officer in the United States Army, Owens was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant and received an honorable discharge in 1964. He enrolled at Temple University and was awarded a master’s degree in public administration in 1970.

Owens entered into the local and national health care community in 1966 with an appointment as an administrative assistant of Personnel and Purchasing at the Mercy Douglas Hospital. His career objectives lead him to accept a position as operational and research analyst at the General Electric Company where he was required to investigate, evaluate and develop unique health care delivery systems. In 1968, he was able to successfully utilize this experience by filling a number of health care management positions at Temple University’s Health Science Center. In 1971, he was appointed project director to provide community-based health care for the medically underserved. With the collaborative efforts of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (now Department of Health and Human Services) and Temple University, Owens led the development and establishment of several community-owned health care organizations, such as Comprehensive Health Management Corporation, Comprehensive Health Services Plan, and Comprehensive Mental Health and Mental Retardation. At the point of Comprehensive Health Services Plan’s greatest capacity, it offered employment to 534 Philadelphians and provided managed health care services to more than 65,000 program participants. The Comprehensive Health Service Plan became the largest minority corporation in the

state of Pennsylvania. Owing to Owens’ stewardship at Comprehensive Health Services Plan, he was invited to participate in the broader health spectrum. In 1974, he became president of the National Association of Community Health Centers. In 1975, he was appointed vice president of the Health Federation of Philadelphia and member of the Philadelphia Block Grant Commission. In 1976, he became a founding member of Philadelphia Mercy Douglas Human Service Corporation. In 1980, he was appointed to the Mayor’s Commission on Health for the ‘80s and became a recipient of the Mayor’s Award in 1981. In 1982 under Owens’ leadership, the Pennsylvania State Senate cited Comprehensive Health Services Plan as one of five community health centers to plan and implement innovative health care services in Philadelphia. Owens was also a recipient of Philadelphia’s coveted bowl. The energy that Owens provided as president and CEO of the Comprehensive Health Services Plan for more than 17 years marked a high point in his career in Philadelphia. It was in this role that he took an incubator grassroots community organization with a prototypical HMO format and developed it into a $167 million business and a model that served as the template for HMOs across the country.

83  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

see page 84

Curtis Owens

from page 83

Owens was also president and CEO of Watts Health Foundation, Inc., which did business as UHP Healthcare where he administered and directed the corporation toward comprehensive and quality health care management and services. UHP Healthcare had annual revenues of approximately $227 million with a network that consisted of approximately 100,000 memberships and more than 5,200 physicians/medical specialists, 54 medical groups and 80 affiliated hospitals. Owens appointment was made to strengthen the health care organization’s operations and services within southern California‘s five county regions. “Curtis Owens’ work and integrity is exemplary and the Watts Health Foundation should be proud to have such a leader representing them,” said the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., founder and president of Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. “Curtis had a long history in the health care field dating back to the founding of the Watts Health Foundation. His combined experience was an invaluable asset to the community.” Owens’ Philadelphia deeds went beyond the health community. He discovered the late Philadelphia songstress/writer Linda Creed; served as vice chair of the Family of Leaders under the tutelage of Philadelphia’s senior patriarch, Samuel L. Evans; coordinated the principle leadership and lobbying efforts on behalf of minority ownership of Philadelphia cable television; and became vice president of the Wade Cable initial franchise application. While Owens published, consulted and served on public, private and governmental boards and commissions, the achievement

that most validated his life’s mission while in Philadelphia was having been chosen as a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Merit from the U.S. Congress for lifetime performance and commitment to human service. He was also noted in the first edition of Who’s Who in Black America and was the recipient of the key to the city of San Francisco. It was against this backdrop of local successes that Owens left Philadelphia to pursue a new career in Los Angeles. A measure of how well he was received and gained the affection of Los Angelinos was manifested by his having been appointed president of the African American Unity Center and designated Committee Chair for the late Mayor Tom Bradley and his wife Ethel’s foundation. As an example of the depths of his community relationships it should be noted that he was requested to participate in the eulogizing of Melvin Franklin (David English), the late bass singer of the Temptations and he served as a pall bearer for the late Sugar Ray Robinson. Prior to being appointed as CEO and president of the Watts Health Foundation, Owens served at the behest of the Jackson Sr. as director of the Los Angeles Trade Bureau and served on a volunteer basis

as chairman of Wall Street West for Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. These experiences provided an opportunity for Owens to utilize his extensive administrative, fundraising, political and technical skills in lending support and giving direction to the promotion of minorities’ business partnerships with mainline corporate America. He was cited in Black Enterprise, June 2004 edition for his business accomplishments and in 2014 he was enshrined in Central State University’s Hall of Fame. Owens was a collective personality and reflected not only the legacy of his family, but that of the Afro-American experience. He derived his spiritual guidance from the Soka Gakkai International, a World Peace Advocacy Organization which has a seat on the United Nation’s World Peace Council. He was preceded in death by his wife, Edna Anderson-Owens and his sister, Yvonne Hale. He is survived by: his son, Curtis D. Owens; grandson, Tyler; and brother, Kenneth. A memorial service will be held on January 28th at 11 a.m.  www.phillytrib.com/obituaries/ curtis-owens-former-health-careexecutive/article_c95feb9b-00a757c5-a627-1b745cbed079.html

84  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Community/Public Interest - Obituary

Pat Means Turning Point Magazine Founder Succumbs By Danny J. Bakewell, Jr. Executive Editor

urning Point Magazine founder, Pat Means had been battling Brain Cancer for some time and had not been seen around the community for several months. As founder and president of Turning Point Ms. Means created a quarterly magazine and had established herself as a neweconomy entrepreneur and small business specialist. Her aggressive “can-do” entrepreneurial spirit has carried the company from its inception with a $2,000.00 investment to a nationally recognized small business and community development resource.

M s . Means cofounded Turning P o i n t Magazine with Kay Hixson after the 1 9 9 2 uprising in Los Angeles to address the lack of positive portrayals of African Americans in the media. Through Turning Point’s thirteen-year journey to become the only medium – print or broadcast – specifically targeting African Americans of influence in California, Ms. Means acquired full ownership of the publication in 1995. And in 2001, Turning Point Magazine expanded its message and services to a national audience. Knowing first-hand the obstacles that African American business owners face, this business trailblazer positioned Turning Point Communications as a viable vehicle to assist entrepreneurs keep abreast of the ever-changing business paradigm by creating

entrepreneurial development events such as the very successful annual National African American Business Summit and the Access to Success Business Tour®. Through her efforts, many small business owners have realized their dreams of becoming productive and profitable parts of the American economy. By the same gesture, Ms. Means provided a direct diversity vehicle for corporate America to reach the multi billion-dollar black small business market. Recognized as an advocate for minority small business, Ms. Means was appointed to the National Congressional Small Business Task Force by Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald. Ms. Means served as Chairperson of the Los Angeles 10th District Small Business Commission (appointed by City Council Member Martin Ludlow). She established and serves as board president of the TPC Foundation, Inc. and sat on the boards of the West Angeles Community Development Corporation, the Los Angeles African American Women’s Political Institute, Inc. (LAAAWPPI), the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce and the Wells Fargo Community Advisory Board.  https://lasentinel.net/pat-meansturning-point-magazine-foundersuccumbs.html

85  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Community/Public Interest - Obituary

Jewel Plummer Cobb, 92, Dies; Led a California Campus By Daniel E. Slotnik

ewel Plummer Cobb, who became the first black woman to lead California State University, Fullerton, after being passed over for the presidency of Hunter College — a decision that led to accusations of racism and sexism against the City University

of New York’s trustees — died on Jan. 1 at her home in Maplewood, N.J. She was 92. Her son, Jonathan, said the cause was complications of Alzheimer’s disease. When Dr. Cobb was appointed president of Fullerton in 1981,

she was widely reported to be the first black woman to head a major university in the western United States. She had previously been a dean at Rutgers University and at Connecticut College in New London, and before that had taught biology and had studied melanoma and cell physiology at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y. As president of Fullerton, Dr. Cobb oversaw a period of substantial growth as she aggressively pursued state and private financing. During her tenure, the university branch’s first on-campus housing was built; its schools of communication, computer science and engineering were established; and its enrollment increased. She retired in 1990. Dr. Cobb arrived in Fullerton after being considered for the presidency of Hunter College, in Manhattan, in 1979 in a contentious atmosphere. She was dean of Douglass College at Rutgers at the time and would have been Hunter’s first black president had she been appointed to succeed Jacqueline G. Wexler, who was retiring after nearly a decade as the college’s president. Initially, the CUNY trustees were also considering Robert S. Hirschfield, chairman of Hunter’s political science department, for the post. Robert J. Kibbee, the CUNY chancellor, recommended Dr. Cobb, but faculty members, students and alumni preferred Dr. Hirschfield, a popular figure on campus. Unable to choose between the two, and

86  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

with classes resuming, the trustees in September appointed an acting president. They also began to consider other candidates, including Donna E. Shalala, the assistant United States Housing Secretary, and Clyde H. Wingfield, executive vice president of the University of Miami. An outcry ensued. Supporters of Dr. Hirschfield said he had been overlooked against the wishes of the Hunter community. Supporters of Dr. Cobb, including black civic groups and a group of female scientists, argued that she had been rejected because of racism and sexism. They organized a protest at the college and circulated a petition to academics around New York City seeking to have her appointed. In December 1979, the board chose Dr. Shalala, though students and faculty members said she lacked academic experience. The New York Times later reported that political figures, including former Mayor Robert F. Wagner, had intervened on her behalf. The decision rankled Dr. Cobb, and she eventually went to California.

Once at Fullerton, she pushed for greater inclusion of minorities and women in science, technology, engineering and math and helped increase minority enrollment. Jewel Isadora Plummer was born in Chicago on Jan. 17, 1924. Her paternal grandfather was born into slavery and became a pharmacist after being freed. Her father, Frank V. Plummer, was a doctor, and her mother, the former Caribelle Cole, was a physical education teacher. Dr. Cobb was taught from a young age not to let her race or gender hinder her ambition. “I was raised to think that no career was out of bounds,” she once said. “It was always understood that my friends and I would go to college.” After graduating from high school, she attended the University of Michigan but, because black students were not allowed to live on campus there at the time, soon transferred to historically black Talladega College in Alabama. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology, then received a fellowship to New York University, where she was awarded a master’s degree and, in 1950, a doctorate in cell

biology. She returned to Chicago, where she taught and headed the tissue culture laboratory at the University of Illinois. In 1954 she married Roy R. Cobb and moved east, eventually becoming a biology professor at Sarah Lawrence. The marriage ended in divorce. Dr. Cobb was a dean at Connecticut College from 1969 to 1976, when she accepted the position at Douglass College. After retiring from Fullerton, she was president emeritus at California State University, Los Angeles, until 2004, when she returned to the East Coast. In addition to her son, she is survived by a granddaughter. Dr. Cobb received numerous honorary degrees and other honors, and Douglass and Fullerton both named student housing for her. The Fullerton building that bears her name was the campus’s first student residence.  https://mobile.nytimes. com/2017/01/11/obituaries/jewelplummer-cobb-92-dies-led-acalifornia-campus.html

Buy Black! Bank Black! Educate Black! Invest Black! 87  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

International

President Barrow Names Woman Vice-President by Deutsche Welle

loss and losing his mandate in January. After weeks of negotiations and an incursion by military forces assembled by a West African regional bloc, Jammeh ﬂew to Equatorial Guinea on Saturday.

Vice President Fatoumata Tambajang, Republic of Gambia

ambian President Adama Barrow's newly appointed vice president, Fatoumata Tambajang, is a former United Nations Development Program staﬀer who was instrumental in uniting Gambia's opposition parties against former President Yahya Jammeh. Tambajang became a controversial ﬁgure after telling "The Guardian" newspaper late last year that Jammeh, who took power in a coup 22 years ago, would be prosecuted for crimes committed by his regime. Shortly after her comments were published Jammeh backtracked on conceding his December 1 election defeat,

triggering a political crisis. She also argued for a national commission for asset recovery to recover land and goods Jammeh allegedly seized for his own gain. Tambajang was the ﬁrst cabinet member to be announced by the newly-inaugurated Barrow, who is still in neighboring Senegal amid fears for his safety. Government spokesman Halifa Sallah said the rest of Barrow's government would be unveiled on Tuesday. Ex-leader Jammeh dissolved the government, half of whom had already resigned, during a political crisis in which he refused to step down despite last month's election

As part of his deal to leave peacefully, he was assured immunity from prosecution and as Equatorial Guinea is not a member of the International Criminal Court he could not be extradited for crimes against humanity.

Diplomacy Avoided Bloodshed The UN said Monday that preventive diplomacy had avoided bloodshed, restored democracy and averted a "humanitarian disaster."  Ed. Black Business News https://blog.trade.gov/2016/12/05/putyour-company-at-the-export-startinggate/

90  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

International

AU's Dlamini-Zuma Speaks Out On Donald Trump's Administration By Carien Du Plessis

frican Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has warned that a Donald Trump's administration threatened global progress on climate change and women's rights. Africa should counter this by establishing the planned continental free trade area this year, she said. In her last speech at the opening of the AU executive council of ministers' meeting on Wednesday, DlaminiZuma said: "We seem to be moving towards a multipolar world as the US under the new administration threatens the consensus on climate change, attack hard-won women's rights and move towards protectionism. "Africa's only protection in these treacherous global waters is to honour the decision to commence its own Continental Free Trade Area in 2017," she said. Trump was inaugurated last week and has already indicated that he would cancel some of the free trade agreements the United States has entered into. Dlamini-Zuma said Africans should "revive and strengthen the spirit of pan-Africanism, unity and solidarity" if it wanted to achieve the goals set out in its 50-year plan, Agenda 2063. The free trade area is the ﬁrst target of this plan. Dlamini-Zuma said the continent was changing because it was witnessing a growing number of popular protests on wages, services, democratisation and free education. "Along with the over 50 elections held on the continent over the last four years, and the developments in the cities, towns and rural areas of Africa, shows a continent that too is fast-changing," she said. She said the elections showed that African countries were taking seriously the bringing of governments closer to the people, and that the transition of power, where it happened, were mostly

peaceful. "Where there was a problem, the continent stepped in to make it happen, to avert a crisis," she said. She cautioned, however, that the continent should do more to strengthen democracy. A dinner to conclude the AU gender summit on Tuesday night was used to say farewell to DlaminiZuma and to honour South African struggle stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who could not attend in person. One of the speakers said Dlamini-Zuma would be ﬁtting as president of South Africa. ANC Women's League president Bathabile Dlamini was also at the dinner, following the league's declaration of support earlier this month for Dlamini-Zuma to succeed President Jacob Zuma in December. The summit is set to conclude with the assembly of heads of state on Monday and Tuesday, when the elections for the new AU Commission chair will be ﬁnalised. 

http://allafrica.com/stories/201701260027.html

91  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

International

Namibian Tribes sue Germany Alleging Colonial Genocide

Ovaherero men, dressed in military fatigues to honour their fallen ancestors [Kuzeeko Tjitemisa/Al Jazeera]

Ovaherero and Nama tribes launch lawsuit against Germany for alleged killing of 100,000 people more than 100 years ago.

wo indigenous groups in Namibia have ﬁled a lawsuit against Germany accusing it of genocide committed by colonial rulers more than a century

ago. The suit was ﬁled in New York on Thursday by the Ovaherero and Nama people who seek compensation for what their ancestors suﬀered. They also want to be included in talks between Germany and Namibia on the issue. The two countries have been in discussions about a joint declaration on massacres carried out by German settlers during the 1900s, although Berlin has repeatedly refused to acknowledge that genocide occurred or to pay compensation. The dispute goes back to the late 19th and early 20th century when then South West Africa, now known as Namibia, was a German colony. The suit alleges from 1885 to 1903 about one-quarter of Ovaherero and Nama lands were taken without compensation by German settlers, with the explicit

consent of German colonial authorities. It also claims German authorities turned a blind eye to rapes by colonists of Ovaherero and Nama women and girls, and the use of forced labour. Tensions boiled over in early 1904 when the Ovaherero rose up, followed by the Nama - a rebellion crushed by German imperial troops. The lawsuit alleges that as many 100,000 Ovaherero and Nama people died in a campaign of annihilation led by German General Lothar von Trotha. Activists have presented correspondence from the German general to prove the genocide. Published documents also show victims were placed in forced labour camps and possibly experimented on. The lawsuit was filed under Alien Tort Statute, which does not usually cover foreign conduct unless it somehow "touched" the United States. A US-based non-profit group, Association of the Ovaherero Genocide, is one of the plaintiffs, along with Vekuii Rukoro, identified as the chief of the Ovaherero people, and David Frederick, chief and chairman of the Nama Traditional Authorities Association.  www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/namibiantribes-sue-germany-alleging-colonialgenocide-170106081606225.html

92  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

International

AGOA Treaty Facing Possible Repeal in Trump Administration By Njiraini Muchira

ub-Saharan Africa is concerned about the future of a trade pact with the United States after President Donald Trump said it only benefits the corrupt. President Trump's new policies may bring an end to the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). "Most of AGOA imports are petroleum products with the benefits going to national oil companies. Why do we support that massive benefit to corrupt regimes?" he said.There are now fears that his administration could repeal the Act. "AGOA was extended for 10 years, and my conviction is that trade policy between the US and sub-Saharan Africa will remain despite the statement. But we need to observe how things develop," said Richard Kamajugo, TradeMark East Africa senior director of trade and environment. Enacted in 2000 by the Bill Clinton administration, AGOA allows 39 eligible sub-Saharan Africa countries to export certain goods to the US market duty-free. It was renewed in September 2015 by then President Barack Obama, and is slated to expire in 2025. Repealing the treaty would be difficult considering that the US Congress must approve. The Act has been the cornerstone of US trade policy with Africa, and over 15 years it led to an increase in trade from about $20 billion to $100 billion in 2008. However, this figure declined to $36 billion in 2015. Low Trade According to analysts, the fact that non-oil and gas exports into the US under Agoa stood at $4.1 billion in 2015, representing just two per cent of the United States' total global trade, could have prompted President Trump to dismiss the Act as insignificant. The non-oil AGOA trade increased marginally from $1.4 billion in 2001 to $4.1 billion in 2015. Apart from oil and gas, textiles, manufacturing, agriculture and artefacts have benefited from the treaty. Utilisation of AGOA has been low, as just seven out of 39 African countries have taken advantage of the Act. "Most countries have not benefited from AGOA because of supply constraints. It is for this reason that oil-producing countries have been the main

beneficiaries, because it is a fairly mature product," said Mr Kamajugo. He added that scrapping the Act would not help, because it has benefited countries like Kenya, Botswana and Lesotho, which have seen the emergence of a vibrant textile sector. "Scrapping AGOA is not the solution. The solution is identifying the bottlenecks so that other countries can benefit," he said.

Export Processing Zones In East Africa, Kenya has been the main beneficiary of the treaty, which has given rise to the Export Processing Zones and offers the country a growing coffee and artefacts market. Repealing the Act would wipe out the EPZ sub-sector that employs about 40,000 Kenyans, and greatly reduce trade as textile and apparel products account for about 80% of Kenya's total exports to the US. The 2015 Economic Survey shows that Kenya's textile export to the US were worth $283.3 million in 2014. Other exports like coffee, titanium ore and artefacts accounted for $75.5 million. In 2014, Tanzania's exports to the US stood at $114 million. Statistics indicate that the value of exports has dropped from 18.8 per cent in 2000 to 4.1% in 2015. Uganda has not benefited significantly from AGOA as exports under the treaty dropped from $3.31 million in 2010 to $1.15 million in 2014. Rwanda earned $187,000 in 2014 and $435,000 in 2015, mainly from apparel and macadamia exports to the US market. The failure by many sub-Saharan countries to utilise the Act, which offers more than 6,500 products dutyfree access to the US market, has meant that only a few countries, mainly oil exporting nations, have been the key beneficiaries. Since enactment, Angola, South Africa and Nigeria have dominated exports to the US, accounting for almost 80 export. Angola and Nigeria have benefited by exporting oil and petroleum products, while South Africa has a more diversified product range of precious metals and stones, vehicles, iron and steel, machinery and agricultural products. http://allafrica.com/stories/201701240072.html

93  December 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.

• • • • •

• • •

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

94  December 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

International

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 95  December 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

International

oin us at the 2nd Annual Georgetown African Business Conference, on Saturday, February 4, 2017, in Washington, DC. Please refer to the ﬂyer above and the website for additional information and details on this event, at www.georgetownafricabusinessconference.com. This conference is one of the premier venues for exploring frontier opportunities in some of the world's fastest growing economies and leading emerging markets in Africa--this year's event will showcase the growth and impact of the private sector on the African continent; and draw attention to the role of governance in accelerating sustainable economic growth across the region. Hosted in a collaborative partnership by Georgetown's McDonough School of Business and the Walsh School of Foreign Service's African Studies Program, this annual African Business Conference has become one of the most anticipated events in the city dedicated to business and governance on the continent. Over 300 thought-leaders and decision makers representing global corporations and industry leaders, government agencies

and the diplomatic corps, SMEs and entrepreneurs; nongovernmental international development institutions and civil society nonproﬁt organizations; and think tanks and academia will convene under one roof to focus on this year's timely and insightful conference theme: “A Time for Ownership: The Future of Business and Governance in Africa”. Mr. Mukhtar Diop, the Vice President of the Africa Region at the World Bank, will be the conference’s morning keynote speaker. And highlevel speakers and panelists from Procter & Gamble, Standard Bank, NBA Africa, Nixon Peabody LLP, and Kosmos Energy, among others--will participate in engaging plenary sessions and interactive breakout panels on the latest developments on the contient and opportunities in various industries and sectors: including private equity, music and creative arts, banking and ﬁnance, information and communications technology, and tourism; are among other key sectors that will be addressed. We are looking forward to seeing you on February 4th.

96  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

International

Women & Finance Summit/Awards 2017: Scaling up Women’s Access to Finance!

he Amazons Watch Magazine invites you to participate in the Women & Finance Summit/Awards 2017, being organized as a platform for shinning the spotlight on the trends, opportunities and challenges facing Women in the quest to improve their economic status in the African society. The summit, with the Theme: Increasing Women’s Access to Finance: The Trends, Opportunities & Challenges, will bring together key stakeholdersfinancial institutions, companies and individuals- to showcase the trends and economic opportunities for women in Africa, while continuing the discourse in seeking out ways to further increase women access to finance, particularly in rural areas. Women over the years have been unfortunately and disproportionately burdened by work and poverty. They bear the main share of the burden with limited decision making powers, excluded from the political, economic, and social power structures. Today, the story

of the African woman is changing as a number of financial institutions, companies and individuals have stayed true in dedication and service to women in Africa, empowering women by increasing their access to financial services, improving their capacity to generate and control income and other key economic resources through training programmes. Remarkably, more of the Women in Africa have gradually become financially independent with the ability to manage loans, save and adopt certain financial responsibilities. This Summit therefore is a celebration of the phenomenal impact of the programmes, products and services of a select group of financial institutions, non-governmental

organisations, companies and individuals that support women empowerment objectives. There shall be opportunities for unique presentations/ showcase of some of innovative products and services aimed at empowering the African woman financially. The Summit is scheduled to hold at the Sandton Sun Hotel, Johannesburg-South Africa on February 23, 2017. For more details of the event log on to www.celdng.org and www. amazonswatchmagazine.com. To participate, kindly send an email to editor@ amazonswatchmagazine.com.  http://africanleadership.co.uk/womenﬁnance-summitawards-2017-scalingup-womens-access-to-ﬁnance/

97  January 2017  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!

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

Let Us Help You Grow Your Business to New Heights. To take your business to the next level, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s essential that you choose the right financial partner. At East West Bank, we offer all the products and services you expect from a big bank with the high level of personal attention you expect from a local bank. Our bankers have over 40 years of experience helping minority businesses reach their financial goals. We look forward to working closely with you to customize a financial solution tailored to your unique situation. For more information about East West Bank and our solutions for businesses, please call: 1.626.768.6729 www.eastwestbank.com

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Zumo Learning System with Tablet The Zumo Learning System provides an accessible learning environment for children of all abilities. Zumo helps children fall in love with STEM. • • • • • •

Includes a 7″ Tablet, Math Games and a Wireless Smart Toy, named Zumo Unique technology maps physical movements to touch screen gestures A suite of apps are included that are specially designed to enable tactile-based learning Designed for K-3rd graders for learning in the home or classroom Apps are customizable to the special needs of each child Zumo oﬀers many diﬀerent play experiences through apps already available on iTunes www.zyrobotics.com info@zyrobotics.com 102  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

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We're excited to announce the arrival of our brand new venture, The Africa Collection. To debut, we present “Moroccan Nights”, a limited edition, luxury lingerie and sleep wear collection inspired by and made in Africa. Inspired by the midnight sky and shadows of a balmy Moroccan night, Nubian Skin’s Moroccan Night collection conjures up the warmth and sensuality of Marrakesh asleep. As a brand, Nubian Skin’s mission has been “redefining nude”, with this collection the brand wants to challenge the way Africa is seen. “We are moving past the idea that producing in Africa meaning charity – this is a celebration of the excellence present throughout Africa in this case in the design and technical expertise to produce a luxury collection lovingly made in Morocco." The Moroccan Nights campaign is a true celebration of Africa – combining Saharan and SubSaharan, Traditional and Avant-garde, Ancient and Modern.

www.nubianskin.com/moroccan-nights/ 105  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

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

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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.

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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 F looring, &

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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

110  January 2017  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

111  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

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Buy Black! Bank Black! Educate Black! Invest Black!

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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. 116  January 2017  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.

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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!

ince people from all walks of life really enjoy Down South cooking, NFL Pro Reggie Kelly thought, why not bring a piece of the South to their homes. Reggie and his wife founded KYVAN® FOODS. KYVAN® Foods is a supplier to great customers like Kroger, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Firehouse Subs, Performance Foodservice, Hot Shots Distributing and more. As stated by Reggie, “It’s my goal to pass down to my kids (Kyla & Kavan) and to everyone the gift passed down to me… An Appreciation Of Good Food.” Thanks and God Bless! Website: http://kyvan82.com Shop Online: http://kyvan82.com/store Store Locator: http://kyvan82.com/storelocator

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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

124  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

The Plan Workbook Lays out a simpliﬁed step by step guide for parents to use, beginning from before their children are born, to plan the steps they will take to prepare African American boys throughout their developmental years all the way to manhood.

126  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net ness ne ssne news ws net  1-323-291-7819 1 32 3233 29 2911 78 7819 19

Eso Won Books African American Books 4327 Degnan Boulevard Leimert Park, Los Angeles

Give G 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

127  JJanuary 2017 201 0177  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Books to Consider

Books to Consider...

at a time. a F e a t u r e s interviews with: in John Lewis, J Congressman; C Cory Booker, U United States S Senator; Kerry K Kennedy, daughter o of Robert and Ethel K Kennedy; Iyanla V Vansant, author, life ccoach and television p personality; Harry B Belafonte, singer, ssongwriter, actor, a and social activist; P President Barack O Obama; and

At Mama's Knee:

Mothers and Race in Black and White

by April Ryan

n her ﬁrst book, The Presidency in Black and White, journalist April Ryan examined race in America through her experience as a White House reporter. In this book, she shifts the conversation from the White House to every home in America. At Mama’s Knee looks at race and race relations through the lessons that mothers transmit to their children. As a single African American mother in Baltimore, Ryan has struggled with each gut wrenching, race related news story to ﬁnd the words to convey the right lessons to her daughters. To better understand how mothers transfer to their children wisdom on race and race relations, she reached out to other mothers— prominent political leaders like Hillary Clinton and Valerie Jarrett, celebrities like Cindy Williams, and others like Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother, whose lives have been impacted by prominent race related events. At a time when Americans still struggle to address racial division and prejudice, their stories remind us that attitudes change from one generation to the April next and one child Ryan

President Jimmy Carter.  www.barnesandnoble.com/w/at-mamas-knee-april-ryan/112 3863735?ean=9781442265639#productInfoTabs

The Plot to Hack America: How Putin’s Cyberspies and WikiLeaks Tried to Steal the 2016 Election

by Malcolm Nance

n April 2016, computer technicians at the Democratic National Committee discovered that someone had accessed the organization’s computer servers and conducted a theft that is best described as Watergate 2.0. In the weeks that followed, the nation’s top computer security experts discovered that the cyber thieves had helped themselves to everything: sensitive documents, emails, donor information, even voice mails. Soon after, the remainder of the Democratic Party machine, the

129  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Books to Consider congressional campaign, the Clinton campaign, and their friends and allies in the media were also hacked. Credit cards numbers, phone numbers, and contacts were stolen. In short order, the FBI found that more tthan twentyfive state e election offices h had their voter registration s y s t e m s p probed or a attacked by tthe same h hackers. Western intelligence agencies t r a c k e d tthe hack to R Russian spy a agencies and d dubbed them tthe CYBER B BEARS. The m media was ssoon flooded with the stolen information channeled through Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. It was a massive attack on America but the Russian hacks appeared to have a singular goal—elect Donald J. Trump as president of the United States. New York Times bestselling author and career intelligence officer Malcolm Nance’s fast paced reallife spy thriller takes you from Vladimir Putin’s rise through the KGB from junior officer to spymaster-inchief and spells out the story of how he performed the ultimate political manipulation—convincing Donald Trump to abandon seventy years of American foreign policy including the destruction of NATO, cheering the end of the European Union, allowing Russian domination of Eastern Europe, and destroying the existing global order with America at its lead. The Plot to Hack America is the thrilling true story of how Putin’s spy agency, run by the Russian billionaire class, used the promise of power and influence to cultivate Trump as well as his closest aides, the Kremlin Crew, to become unwitting assets of the Russian government. The goal? To put an end to 240 years of free and fair American democratic elections.  www.amazon.com/Plot-Hack-America-CyberspiesWikiLeaks/dp/1510723323

We Are the Change We Seek: The Speeches of Barack Obama by E.J. Dionne Jr. and Joy-Ann Reid

e Are the Change We Seek is a collection of Barack Obama's 26 greatest addresses: beginning with his 2002 speech opposing the Iraq War and closing with his final speech before the United Nations in September 2016. As president, Obama's words had the power to move the country, and often the world, as few presidents before him. Whether acting as Commander in Chief or Consoler in Chief, Obama adopted a unique rhetorical style that could simultaneously speak to the national mood and change the course of public events. Obama's eloquence, both written and spoken, propelled him to national prominence and ultimately made it possible for the son of a Kenyan man and a white woman from Kansas to become the first black president of the United States. These speeches span Obama's career--from his time in state government through to the end of his tenure as president--and the issues most important to our time: war, inequality, race relations, gun violence and human rights. The book opens with an essay placing Obama's oratorical contributions within the flow of American history by E.J. Dionne Jr., columnist and Joy Ann Reid author of Why The Right Went

130  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Wrong, and Joy Reid, the host of AM Joy on MSNBC and author of Fracture.  https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Change-Seek-Speechesebook/dp/B01M3PY3MZ

The Obama Legacy Timeline: A Chronicle of the Greatest American Presidency by Walt F.J. Goodridge A week by week chronicle of every noteworthy bill, act, executive order, memorandum, nomination, appointment, overseas trip, commencement speech, summit, bi-lateral meeting, foreign leader hosting, town hall, press conference, State of the Union address, talk show appearance, presidential "first" and turkey pardoning in President Barack Obama's eight years in office! Includes the full transcript of Obama's Farewell Speech to the nation given on January 10, 2017.'  https://www.amazon.com/Obama-Legacy-TimelineChronicle-Presidency/dp/1541365062/ref=sr_1_ sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485731479&sr=8-1-spell&keywords= obama+legcy+time+line%3A+a+chronicle

Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America

by Michael Eric Dyson

oni Morrison h a i l s Tears We Cannot Stop as "Elegantly written and powerful in several areas: moving personal recollections; profound cultural analysis; and guidance for moral redemption. A work to relish." Stephen King says: "Here’s a sermon that’s as fierce as it is lucid… If you’re black, you’ll feel a spark of recognition in every paragraph. If you’re white, Dyson tells you what you need to know?what this white man needed to know, at least. This is a major achievement. I read it and said amen." Short, emotional, literary, powerful―Tears We Cannot Stop is the book that all Americans who care about the current and long-burning crisis in race relations will want to read. As the country grapples with racist division at a level not seen since the 1960s, one man's voice soars above the rest with conviction and compassion. In his 2016 New York Times op-ed piece "Death in Black and White," Michael Eric Dyson moved a nation. Now he continues to speak out in Tears We Cannot Stop―a provocative and deeply personal call for change. Dyson argues that if we are to make real racial progress we must face difficult truths, including being honest about how black grievance has been ignored, dismissed, or discounted. "The time is at hand for reckoning with the past, recognizing the truth of the present, and moving together to redeem the nation for our future. If we don't act now, if you don't address race immediately, there very well may be no future.".  www.amazon.com/Before-ForgetAcceptance-Against-Alzheimers/ dp/0553447157/ref=sr_1_1?ie= UTF8&qid=1479363806&sr=81&keywords=before+i+forget+book

Michael Eric Dyson

131  December 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

BBA Master P lanner March 201 7

BBA Salute to Back Women Business Conference The conference highlights the achievements of African American women entrepreneurs, offers workshops and a retail pavilion. For particiation information call 1-312-291-9334 or send an inquiry to mail@bbala.org 

June 201 7

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. 

132  January 2017  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 (news) -- 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 Black Then -- https://blackthen.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 United Nations -- http://webtv.un.org World Library -- www.worldlibrary.org

ausachamber.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

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

Culture/Arts Cultural Events/Content -- www.okayafrica.com

Commerce/Entrepreneurship African Success Stories -- www.risingafrica.org #IAMWANDA -- www.facebook.com/IamWANDAorg She Leads Africa -- http://sheleadsafrica.org

Organizations African Leadership Forum -- http://afrialeadership.org 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.zambi133  January 2017  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819