Upgrade Your Life 2011!
January 3rd
10am - 2pm
American InterContinental University
130 S. Franklin St. Chicago
FREE! Open to public!
U-p-g-r-a-d-e Your Life!
(Like you do your cell phone)
We pay more attention to our electronic gadgets in our lives
than we do to the people, places and things that keep us stuck!
What issue needs to be resolved in your life?
Relationships, Finances,Under-Employment, Spirituality?
Whatever your challenge is, it is something that can be resolved
or at least get a handle on. This session allows you to examine the
possibilities of MOVING FORWARD and Upgrading Your Life
so that you can begin to experience life on a more joyful level!
Higher Learning Network,NFP offers proven methods and techniques
that will assist you in the process. The best part: it's FREE!
Your facilitator will be Shelomith Yisrael aka Zelda Robinson,
Intl. Speaker/Trainer/Author/Media Consultant.
You may know her from radio/tv/print (WJPC, WNUA, V103, WGCI, Gospel Radio 1390AM, CLTV Traffic, NOIR Woman News,
Higher Learning Network TV Show, etc.)
She's spoken around the world, and now she'll be training right here in Chicago!
Reserve your space for the
January. 3rd - 10am-2pm
Life Changing Session at
American Intercontinental University
130 S. Franklin St.,
Chicago! USA
You can come and be a part of this
ground breaking, life changing
session at the beginning,
or come on your lunch hour!
You will be welcomed!
Bring a friend and receive a gift!
Limit to first 40 registrations!
Raffle! Prizes! Free Tickets!
DVD's, CD's and more!
The only thing you need to bring is:
1. You
2. Pen/Paper
3. Open Mind!
RSVP
Info@HigherLearningNetwork.org
Looking forward to the possibilities!
2011 is your year of leaven!
____________________________________
______________________________________________
Radio
www.WeightMattersRadio.com
Television
CREATE Your Own Job!
Using Your Natural God Given Gifts, Talents & Abilities!
see VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77z2XXxW0Pc
**********
Chicago - Sundays @ Midnight Channel 19
Wisconsin - Minnesota Channel 7
**Sundays Midnight Ch. 19 Chicago**
Friday, December 31, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
upgrade your life 2011
Free Seminar January 3rd, 2011
details
www.HigherLearningNetwork.org or www.ZeldaSpeaks.com
click on CALENDAR!
details
www.HigherLearningNetwork.org or www.ZeldaSpeaks.com
click on CALENDAR!
Monday, December 6, 2010
2011 is here! will you be left behind?
Technology is here, and constantly growing.
Be sure and pick up your copy of the latest copy HOT OFF THE PRESS!
N'Spirational Conversations 365 Days of Empowerment!
Unless you are up to date, in some fashion you’re going to be left behind, like I was. That’s why you must connect with those who are, like Social Media Expert/Master Blogger, Professor Sy Bounds.
I never would have purchased a Smart Phone until Sy informed me that we could produce LIVE TV Shows just by streaming, while we were taping in the studio. I had no idea I no longer had to switch back and forth from a regular cell phone to a camera, just to take a photo or capture video for our blogs and websites.
Working with today’s youth, you’ve got to stay abreast of trends. Working with youth will keep your mind refreshed and help you see life from a different perspective.
Join Professor Sy Bounds for a life changing experience. He has shown myself and many of my colleagues how to earn passive income, just by having a blog! Email SyBounds@yahoo.com, and tell him I sent you! Get connected!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
know who made your way possible...
The Duke's Music and Race in America
Black, Brown, and Beige
Duke Ellington’s music and race in America.
by Claudia Roth Pierpont
Source: TheNewYorker.com
The basement club was cramped, and the bandstand was so small that, by the drummer’s measure, it could hardly hold a fight. The clientele included mobsters, musicians, and star performers from the nearby Broadway shows, slipping in among the crowd from the time the band appeared, at about ten o’clock, straight on “until.”
The banjoist who provided the schedule could elaborate no further about how long the night went on: “Until you quit. Until period.” After 3 A.M., you couldn’t get a seat.
In the fall of 1926, the craze for Negro music was already sending savvy white New Yorkers up to Harlem, but the Kentucky Club, on West Forty-ninth Street, had the hottest band in town. Trumpets, trombone, saxes, clarinet, tuba, banjo, and drums—nine or so players, huddled on the stand beneath the pipes that ran along the ceiling, plus the handsome young piano player who led the group while
dancers surged around him on the floor.
But the band did more than keep the temperature high and the dancers moving; its arrangements were so startling that even a familiar number like “St. Louis Blues” sounded new. Variety capped a gushing review of the “colored combo” by noting that the club’s patrons—transfixed “jazz boys” and civilians alike—spent a remarkable amount of time just sitting around and listening.
Now that's food for thought!
Who will you make a way possible?
Sunday, June 20, 2010
empower a Father!
A store that offers fathers for those who don’t have them has just opened in Chicago,
where anyone of the female species may go to choose a father.
Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:
WELCOME TO THE Father Store!!
You may visit the store ONLY ONCE!
There are six floors and the attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights.
There is, however, a catch... ! You may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may choose to go up floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!
Happy Shopping!!!!
A woman goes to the Father Store to find a father
On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
Floor 1: These fathers have children and take care of them.
If you’re looking for a man who loves children, this is a good choice.
The second floor sign reads:
Floor 2: These fathers have children, but are not with the mother, who has the children,
but he still takes care of them. This is a good choice also.
The third floor sign reads:
Floor 3: These fathers are single parent fathers, and looking for a woman with children to make blended family. Great choice!
"Wow," she says, these are great choices, but I don’t want to stop here, there may be something better! She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads:
Floor 4: These men are fathers with no children and looking for women with no children.
They are very good looking, sensitive and patient.
"Oh, My God!" she says to herself, "I can’t do this alone! I need help!
Too many good choices. Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads:
Floor 5: These fathers look like Denzel, Samuel L. Jackson and
Richard Gere all rolled up into one.
They are simply drop-dead fine, love to help with the housework, homework
and massaging your feet!
Did I mention they are all very romantic?
They love to give flowers, write love letters, work long hard hours just to give
you and the kids everything you need and desire.
A woman never satisfied, she has to try the last floor because if it gets better than this,
she has to know about it.
After she reaches the last floor, the sixth floor, the sign reads:
Floor 6:
You are visitor 20, 130, 214 to this floor.
There are NO fathers on this floor.
They are all on the first five levels.
This floor exists solely as proof that most women think they know what they want,
but maybe not really sure due to what eveyone tells us what we want, desire,
deserve, etc. We really don’t know what we want,
thereby making it hard to please a woman with or without children.
So please be very grateful for the father in your life!
At least he’s there and you don’t have to go looking for him.
And if you do have to go looking for him, you probably know where he is.
If you can’t find him, spend some time with yourself, so when the right man/father/father figure shows up in your life, you can appreciate him on whatever level he’s on.
Thank you for shopping at the Father Store. Watch your step as you exit the building, and have a Faith Filled Fantastic day! Please send this to everyone you know for a good laugh and to all the women who can handle the truth! If you see a community of fathers, give thanks for it! We can’t do it alone, so let’s stop pretending we can. We all need MALE energy to balance out FEMALE energy! He’s the yin, we carry the yang!
Stay on purpose,
stay empowered!
Stay tuned to MEN on Higher Learning, Ch. 19 Chicago. http://MENonHigherLearning.blogspot.com
where anyone of the female species may go to choose a father.
Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:
WELCOME TO THE Father Store!!
You may visit the store ONLY ONCE!
There are six floors and the attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights.
There is, however, a catch... ! You may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may choose to go up floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!
Happy Shopping!!!!
A woman goes to the Father Store to find a father
On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
Floor 1: These fathers have children and take care of them.
If you’re looking for a man who loves children, this is a good choice.
The second floor sign reads:
Floor 2: These fathers have children, but are not with the mother, who has the children,
but he still takes care of them. This is a good choice also.
The third floor sign reads:
Floor 3: These fathers are single parent fathers, and looking for a woman with children to make blended family. Great choice!
"Wow," she says, these are great choices, but I don’t want to stop here, there may be something better! She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads:
Floor 4: These men are fathers with no children and looking for women with no children.
They are very good looking, sensitive and patient.
"Oh, My God!" she says to herself, "I can’t do this alone! I need help!
Too many good choices. Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads:
Floor 5: These fathers look like Denzel, Samuel L. Jackson and
Richard Gere all rolled up into one.
They are simply drop-dead fine, love to help with the housework, homework
and massaging your feet!
Did I mention they are all very romantic?
They love to give flowers, write love letters, work long hard hours just to give
you and the kids everything you need and desire.
A woman never satisfied, she has to try the last floor because if it gets better than this,
she has to know about it.
After she reaches the last floor, the sixth floor, the sign reads:
Floor 6:
You are visitor 20, 130, 214 to this floor.
There are NO fathers on this floor.
They are all on the first five levels.
This floor exists solely as proof that most women think they know what they want,
but maybe not really sure due to what eveyone tells us what we want, desire,
deserve, etc. We really don’t know what we want,
thereby making it hard to please a woman with or without children.
So please be very grateful for the father in your life!
At least he’s there and you don’t have to go looking for him.
And if you do have to go looking for him, you probably know where he is.
If you can’t find him, spend some time with yourself, so when the right man/father/father figure shows up in your life, you can appreciate him on whatever level he’s on.
Thank you for shopping at the Father Store. Watch your step as you exit the building, and have a Faith Filled Fantastic day! Please send this to everyone you know for a good laugh and to all the women who can handle the truth! If you see a community of fathers, give thanks for it! We can’t do it alone, so let’s stop pretending we can. We all need MALE energy to balance out FEMALE energy! He’s the yin, we carry the yang!
Stay on purpose,
stay empowered!
Stay tuned to MEN on Higher Learning, Ch. 19 Chicago. http://MENonHigherLearning.blogspot.com
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Can'f Find a job?
Create Your Own!
How To Create Your Own Job Using the Internet will be WEd. 12th
6-9pm
RSVP
Zelda@higherlearningnetwork.org
How To Create Your Own Job Using the Internet will be WEd. 12th
6-9pm
RSVP
Zelda@higherlearningnetwork.org
Monday, April 26, 2010
BEEP Building Employment & Entrepreneurial Partnerships
We were all blessed with the opportunity to hear the MASTERS of their professional
explain to the community how to take control of their lives.
Master Blogger/Professor Sy Bounds, John Porter Jr., Jim (Tea Manufacturer) and Motivational Speaker Mr. Encouragment brought down the house.
If you missed this one, mark your calendars for the next one
Wed. May 12th 6-9pm We will be streaming LIVE on www.HigherLearningNetwork.org
email: HigherLearningNw@gmail for your seat in Chicago Downtown location.
MUST HAVE PRINTED CONFIRMATION TO ATTEND. Limited seating!
Until then, enjoy photos and video below!
explain to the community how to take control of their lives.
Master Blogger/Professor Sy Bounds, John Porter Jr., Jim (Tea Manufacturer) and Motivational Speaker Mr. Encouragment brought down the house.
If you missed this one, mark your calendars for the next one
Wed. May 12th 6-9pm We will be streaming LIVE on www.HigherLearningNetwork.org
email: HigherLearningNw@gmail for your seat in Chicago Downtown location.
MUST HAVE PRINTED CONFIRMATION TO ATTEND. Limited seating!
Until then, enjoy photos and video below!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
the art of the fart...
Old Fart Pride
I'm passing this on as I did not want to be the only old fart receiving it. Actually, it's not a bad thing to be called, as you will see.
Old Farts are easy to spot at sporting events; during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, Old Farts remove their caps and stand at attention and sing without embarrassment. They actually know the words!
Old Farts remember World War II, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Normandy, and Hitler. They remember the Atomic Age, the Korean War, The Cold War, the Jet Age, and the Moon Landing. They remember the 50-plus Peacekeeping Missions from 1945 to 2005, not to mention Vietnam.
If you bump into an Old Fart on the sidewalk he will apologize. If you pass an Old Fart on the street, he will nod or tip his cap to a lady. Old Farts trust strangers and are courtly to women
Old Farts hold the door for the next person and always, when walking, make certain the lady is on the inside for protection.
Old Farts seldom brag unless it's about their children or grandchildren.
This country needs Old Farts with their work ethic and sense of responsibility.
We need them now more than ever.
Pass share to all the Old Farts you know.
Click on photo to enlarge
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
self employment expo!
If you missed this one, you'll have to wait until the fall!
It was so enlightening to see so many people come out and get the resources needed to begin their journey as an Entrepreneur!
Congrats to all those who stopped at the Higher Learning Network Booth to get FREE Grant Money Information, Self Publishing, etc. So looking forward to having you as NEW Authors on Higher Learning Network TV Show!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
getting help when you need it takes courage...
It doesn't make you weak because you need help. That's the work of the ego!
Seek help when you need it, and when you don't, share it with others.
Everyone is suffering in this economy. Help someone help themself.
Spread the word!
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Funds Available to States to Improve Participation in Summer Food Service Programs
In an effort to address childhood hunger and its impact on child development, health and learning, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), are notifying states that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) can be used to assist families through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
Through this unprecedented collaboration, ACF and FNS are joining forces to help communities provide children with adequate, nutritious meals during the summer. The notice sent to States includes an explanation of how resources under the TANF Emergency Fund provided by the Recovery Act can be used to cover portions of costs associated with running a summer food service site that are not otherwise reimbursed. States can seek 80 percent reimbursement through the Fund for a range of expenditures including the cost of compensation for staff support to provide supervision and programming at summer feeding sites, transportation services to transport food and/or children to feeding sites, recreational activities to attract more youth to program locations and meal preparation costs that are not otherwise reimbursed under the SFSP.
“During these difficult economic times, it is more important than ever to work together across federal, state, and local offices to support children in need. We look forward to these Recovery Act dollars supporting children this summer since the lack of nutrition for children during summer recess can lead to long term concerns such as illness and other health issues throughout the school year,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, Carmen R. Nazario. “HHS and USDA are working diligently to help ensure that TANF funds are available to states to expand participation in the SFSP and ensure that children return to school healthy and ready to learn.”
“One of our priorities for reauthorization of Child Nutrition Programs is strengthening the SFSP so that children aren’t left out just because school is out. Increasing access to more nutrient-rich foods for our Nation’s disadvantaged children is no simple task,” said USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon. “It requires government agencies, the private sector, non-profits and local communities to collaborate to ensure children get the proper nutrition that will help end childhood hunger.”
The Summer Food Service Program was created to ensure that children in lower-income areas can continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations when they do not have access to school lunch or breakfast. SFSP encourages communities to provide complete, wholesome meals for children that are served in safe, supervised locations where children can enjoy activities and playing with other children.
For more information and guidance on the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund please visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/.
For more information about the SFSP please visit
www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer
Seek help when you need it, and when you don't, share it with others.
Everyone is suffering in this economy. Help someone help themself.
Spread the word!
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Funds Available to States to Improve Participation in Summer Food Service Programs
In an effort to address childhood hunger and its impact on child development, health and learning, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), are notifying states that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) can be used to assist families through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
Through this unprecedented collaboration, ACF and FNS are joining forces to help communities provide children with adequate, nutritious meals during the summer. The notice sent to States includes an explanation of how resources under the TANF Emergency Fund provided by the Recovery Act can be used to cover portions of costs associated with running a summer food service site that are not otherwise reimbursed. States can seek 80 percent reimbursement through the Fund for a range of expenditures including the cost of compensation for staff support to provide supervision and programming at summer feeding sites, transportation services to transport food and/or children to feeding sites, recreational activities to attract more youth to program locations and meal preparation costs that are not otherwise reimbursed under the SFSP.
“During these difficult economic times, it is more important than ever to work together across federal, state, and local offices to support children in need. We look forward to these Recovery Act dollars supporting children this summer since the lack of nutrition for children during summer recess can lead to long term concerns such as illness and other health issues throughout the school year,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, Carmen R. Nazario. “HHS and USDA are working diligently to help ensure that TANF funds are available to states to expand participation in the SFSP and ensure that children return to school healthy and ready to learn.”
“One of our priorities for reauthorization of Child Nutrition Programs is strengthening the SFSP so that children aren’t left out just because school is out. Increasing access to more nutrient-rich foods for our Nation’s disadvantaged children is no simple task,” said USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon. “It requires government agencies, the private sector, non-profits and local communities to collaborate to ensure children get the proper nutrition that will help end childhood hunger.”
The Summer Food Service Program was created to ensure that children in lower-income areas can continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations when they do not have access to school lunch or breakfast. SFSP encourages communities to provide complete, wholesome meals for children that are served in safe, supervised locations where children can enjoy activities and playing with other children.
For more information and guidance on the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund please visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/.
For more information about the SFSP please visit
www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Lost Jewish tribe 'found in Zimbabwe'
The rediscovery of an ancient relic has helped
bring the world's attention to the Lemba people
- a Zimbabwean group who claim Jewish ancestry,
writes the BBC's Steve Vickers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/africa/8550614.stm
bring the world's attention to the Lemba people
- a Zimbabwean group who claim Jewish ancestry,
writes the BBC's Steve Vickers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/africa/8550614.stm
Sunday, March 7, 2010
YJC Spring Job Fair
Need a job? Don’t miss the YJC’s Spring Job Fair on Thursday, March 11th,
from 1-4 PM at the Evanston Public Library, located at 1703 Orrington Avenue
in Evanston (at the intersection of Orrington and Church, across the street from
the Hotel Orrington)
The event will feature a dozen local employers with retail and hospitality positions.
The job fair is open to all job-seekers 16 and up. The event will end promptly at 4 PM.
All interested job-seekers should arrive by 3:30 PM. Resume and appropriate
interview attire strongly recommended.
EMPLOYERS INCLUDE: Lowe’s, Payless, Rimland NFP, Manpower, Marshall’s, Mather Lifeways,
Food 4 Less, Home Instead Senior Care, Levy Security, Aerotek, & UPS!
For more information on the event, please contact Jordan Burghardt
at 847-864-5627 x22 or by email at jburghardt@youthjobcenter.org
Now is the time to find that summer or camp job. Don’t wait till May! It will be too late!
Jordan Burghardt
Employment Outreach Coordinator
Youth Job Center of Evanston
1114 Church Street
Evanston, IL 60201
Office 847-864-5627 ext. 22 | Fax 847-864-3098
jburghardt@youthjobcenter.org
from 1-4 PM at the Evanston Public Library, located at 1703 Orrington Avenue
in Evanston (at the intersection of Orrington and Church, across the street from
the Hotel Orrington)
The event will feature a dozen local employers with retail and hospitality positions.
The job fair is open to all job-seekers 16 and up. The event will end promptly at 4 PM.
All interested job-seekers should arrive by 3:30 PM. Resume and appropriate
interview attire strongly recommended.
EMPLOYERS INCLUDE: Lowe’s, Payless, Rimland NFP, Manpower, Marshall’s, Mather Lifeways,
Food 4 Less, Home Instead Senior Care, Levy Security, Aerotek, & UPS!
For more information on the event, please contact Jordan Burghardt
at 847-864-5627 x22 or by email at jburghardt@youthjobcenter.org
Now is the time to find that summer or camp job. Don’t wait till May! It will be too late!
Jordan Burghardt
Employment Outreach Coordinator
Youth Job Center of Evanston
1114 Church Street
Evanston, IL 60201
Office 847-864-5627 ext. 22 | Fax 847-864-3098
jburghardt@youthjobcenter.org
the color of money...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/31/AR2009123103495.html
when you empower others, you automatically empower others...
congrats to Laura Washington Announced as Woods Fund President
Activist Journalist Laura Washington Selected as New Woods Fund of Chicago President
The Woods Fund of Chicago board announced today that it has selected longtime board member
and journalist Laura S. Washington as its new president.
Washington brings to the Woods Fund more than two decades of diverse experience in print and
broadcast journalism, urban affairs and social justice issues; 12 years of nonprofit management
experience; and numerous awards and honors for her exemplary journalism and civic activism.
“After an extensive search that included over 200 candidates from all over the country, we selected
Laura Washington, one of our nation’s leading experts in social justice issues, and someone with
deep experience in Chicago’s civic, nonprofit, academic and political communities,” said
Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Chairman of the Woods Fund Board of Directors.
Washington joins the Woods Fund as it implements a new core principle of racial equity. The Woods Fund
chose to recently incorporate a racial equity perspective into its grant making. The Fund plans to focus
on ways in which race and ethnicity shape power, access to opportunity, treatment and related outcomes
in metropolitan Chicago. The foundation hopes this practice will inform solutions that will eliminate inequalities.
“I am honored to lead this illustrious foundation as we embark upon this pioneering effort focusing on
racial equity,” Washington said. “The Woods Fund plays an instrumental role in empowering and
increasing opportunities for the less advantaged communities in Chicago. We are well positioned to
combat structural racism, a fundamental barrier to enabling work and eradicating poverty in these
communities.” Washington is widely recognized as one of Chicago’s most influential and respected
journalists. She currently writes a column for the Chicago Sun-Times and regularly appears on
National Public Radio, Chicago Public Radio and WTTW as an analyst and commentator on race,
politics and current affairs. She is also widely quoted and featured in national media, including Time
and Newsweek magazines, The New York Times, NBC Nightly News, the PBS News Hour and the BBC.
Washington launched her career in 1980 as a reporter at The Chicago Reporter. In the mid-1980s, she
served as Deputy Press Secretary to Mayor Harold Washington during his first and second terms.
Washington also worked as an investigative producer at CBS-2/Chicago and correspondent for
WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight.” She returned to The Chicago Reporter in 1990 and served for 12 years
as its editor, then publisher.
Washington’s academic career is equally extensive. She served as the Ida B. Wells-Barnett University
Professor at DePaul University and Fellow at DePaul’s Humanities Center from 2003 to 2009. She also
did stints as an instructor and lecturer at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University from
1987 to 2003. Washington earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s in journalism from Medill.
Washington begins her tenure on March 1, after eight years as a Woods Fund board member and
three years as its chair. She takes over for former President Deborah Harrington, who is retiring
from Woods after 10 years of distinguished service.
####
The Woods Fund of Chicago is a grant making foundation whose goal is to increase opportunities
for less advantaged people and communities in the Chicago metropolitan area. Woods supports
nonprofits in their important roles of engaging people in civic life, addressing the causes of poverty
and other challenges facing the region, promoting more effective public policies, reducing racism
and other barriers to equal opportunity, and building community and common ground.
Activist Journalist Laura Washington Selected as New Woods Fund of Chicago President
The Woods Fund of Chicago board announced today that it has selected longtime board member
and journalist Laura S. Washington as its new president.
Washington brings to the Woods Fund more than two decades of diverse experience in print and
broadcast journalism, urban affairs and social justice issues; 12 years of nonprofit management
experience; and numerous awards and honors for her exemplary journalism and civic activism.
“After an extensive search that included over 200 candidates from all over the country, we selected
Laura Washington, one of our nation’s leading experts in social justice issues, and someone with
deep experience in Chicago’s civic, nonprofit, academic and political communities,” said
Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Chairman of the Woods Fund Board of Directors.
Washington joins the Woods Fund as it implements a new core principle of racial equity. The Woods Fund
chose to recently incorporate a racial equity perspective into its grant making. The Fund plans to focus
on ways in which race and ethnicity shape power, access to opportunity, treatment and related outcomes
in metropolitan Chicago. The foundation hopes this practice will inform solutions that will eliminate inequalities.
“I am honored to lead this illustrious foundation as we embark upon this pioneering effort focusing on
racial equity,” Washington said. “The Woods Fund plays an instrumental role in empowering and
increasing opportunities for the less advantaged communities in Chicago. We are well positioned to
combat structural racism, a fundamental barrier to enabling work and eradicating poverty in these
communities.” Washington is widely recognized as one of Chicago’s most influential and respected
journalists. She currently writes a column for the Chicago Sun-Times and regularly appears on
National Public Radio, Chicago Public Radio and WTTW as an analyst and commentator on race,
politics and current affairs. She is also widely quoted and featured in national media, including Time
and Newsweek magazines, The New York Times, NBC Nightly News, the PBS News Hour and the BBC.
Washington launched her career in 1980 as a reporter at The Chicago Reporter. In the mid-1980s, she
served as Deputy Press Secretary to Mayor Harold Washington during his first and second terms.
Washington also worked as an investigative producer at CBS-2/Chicago and correspondent for
WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight.” She returned to The Chicago Reporter in 1990 and served for 12 years
as its editor, then publisher.
Washington’s academic career is equally extensive. She served as the Ida B. Wells-Barnett University
Professor at DePaul University and Fellow at DePaul’s Humanities Center from 2003 to 2009. She also
did stints as an instructor and lecturer at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University from
1987 to 2003. Washington earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s in journalism from Medill.
Washington begins her tenure on March 1, after eight years as a Woods Fund board member and
three years as its chair. She takes over for former President Deborah Harrington, who is retiring
from Woods after 10 years of distinguished service.
####
The Woods Fund of Chicago is a grant making foundation whose goal is to increase opportunities
for less advantaged people and communities in the Chicago metropolitan area. Woods supports
nonprofits in their important roles of engaging people in civic life, addressing the causes of poverty
and other challenges facing the region, promoting more effective public policies, reducing racism
and other barriers to equal opportunity, and building community and common ground.
empowered by women you don't even know...
Housewives League paved way for jobs, businesses
LARRY DAVIS
The Detroit News
Detroit's blacks in the 1930s pushed to make Detroit that better place they had hoped to find when they fled the South in the 1920s. Escaping overt racism and poverty, they arrived in Detroit and other Northern cities only to find themselves fighting for jobs, housing, education and first-class citizenship.
On June 10, 1930, 50 black women, led by Fannie B. Peck, wife of the Rev. William H. Peck, organized the Housewives League of Detroit and began a movement to promote economic growth in the black community.
The Housewives League -- a nonprofit sister group to the Booker T. Washington Businessmen's Association organized by her husband, the pastor of Bethel A.M.E. -- required members to support black businesses, buy black products and patronize black professionals, thus keeping black money in the black community. The effort received support from the NAACP and the Urban League.
Members, who had grown to 10,000 by 1934, picketed and boycotted, demanding that merchants employ blacks and sell black products. They also lectured and created exhibits emphasizing their position, issued Certificates of Merit to businesses that met the group's sanitary standards, gave tours and organized spending drives.
Their publications included the Semi-Annual Trade Guide that listed approved businesses, a calendar and a bimonthly Housewives League Bulletin. These publications were sometimes carried door to door during trade campaigns aimed at keeping black dollars in the community.
In addition, the group formed junior units for girls 5-15 in 1935, along with high school and college units for young men and women in 1946. They taught etiquette, scrapbooking, unity and achievement.
Betty Shabazz, who later married Malcolm X, was a member of a junior unit in Detroit.
The Housewives League became so popular that chapters sprang up in other cities, including St. Louis, Mo.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Frankfort, Ky.; Austin, Texas; and Baltimore, Md. In 1933 the leagues organized themselves into the Housewives League of America and Fannie Peck was elected president. Conventions were held in many states.
In the group's early decades their only source of money came from members' pockets, fundraisers, ads sold in their publications, and the sales of black newspapers, including the Pittsburgh Courier and Chicago Defender, said Lydia Hibbert, 81, a past Housewives president.
"We funded ourselves with patrons, not donations," Hibbert said.
During the Depression, the League's work was so successful that "in Chicago, Baltimore, Washington, Detroit, Harlem and Cleveland, (the League) relied on boycotts" to gain "an estimated 75,000 new jobs for blacks," wrote historian Jacqueline Jones in "Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow: Black Women, Work, and the Family from Slavery to the Present" (Basic Books, 1985).
Its impact was "second only to government jobs as a new source of openings," she added.
The League continued to work through the 1960s before fading out, ironically, just as the Black Power movement grew, Hibbert said.
"Integration diluted the buying power of black dollars," she said.
Dale Rich, MSU professor Darlene Clark Hine and the Detroit Public Library's Burton Collection contributed.
Additional Facts
Timeline
1930: Mrs. Fannie B. Peck founds Housewives League of Detroit on June 10.
1933: National Housewives League of America organizes in Durham, N.C.
1947: National Charter issued.
1949: Issues revised program outline, Trade Campaign Techniques and Purse-size Business Directory in Detroit.
1956: First national meeting in South Central Region in St. Louis, Mo.
1958: 25th anniversary celebration of National Housewives League in Durham, N.C.
1960: Joint sessions with National Business League and National Bankers Association in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1967: Arena J. Buggs elected president of the National Housewives' League of America Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1969: Gertrude Tolbert elected president in Washington, D.C.
Source: 34th annual meeting, National Housewives of America Inc. program (July 11-14, 1971)
Now that's power!
Pass it on!
LARRY DAVIS
The Detroit News
Detroit's blacks in the 1930s pushed to make Detroit that better place they had hoped to find when they fled the South in the 1920s. Escaping overt racism and poverty, they arrived in Detroit and other Northern cities only to find themselves fighting for jobs, housing, education and first-class citizenship.
On June 10, 1930, 50 black women, led by Fannie B. Peck, wife of the Rev. William H. Peck, organized the Housewives League of Detroit and began a movement to promote economic growth in the black community.
The Housewives League -- a nonprofit sister group to the Booker T. Washington Businessmen's Association organized by her husband, the pastor of Bethel A.M.E. -- required members to support black businesses, buy black products and patronize black professionals, thus keeping black money in the black community. The effort received support from the NAACP and the Urban League.
Members, who had grown to 10,000 by 1934, picketed and boycotted, demanding that merchants employ blacks and sell black products. They also lectured and created exhibits emphasizing their position, issued Certificates of Merit to businesses that met the group's sanitary standards, gave tours and organized spending drives.
Their publications included the Semi-Annual Trade Guide that listed approved businesses, a calendar and a bimonthly Housewives League Bulletin. These publications were sometimes carried door to door during trade campaigns aimed at keeping black dollars in the community.
In addition, the group formed junior units for girls 5-15 in 1935, along with high school and college units for young men and women in 1946. They taught etiquette, scrapbooking, unity and achievement.
Betty Shabazz, who later married Malcolm X, was a member of a junior unit in Detroit.
The Housewives League became so popular that chapters sprang up in other cities, including St. Louis, Mo.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Frankfort, Ky.; Austin, Texas; and Baltimore, Md. In 1933 the leagues organized themselves into the Housewives League of America and Fannie Peck was elected president. Conventions were held in many states.
In the group's early decades their only source of money came from members' pockets, fundraisers, ads sold in their publications, and the sales of black newspapers, including the Pittsburgh Courier and Chicago Defender, said Lydia Hibbert, 81, a past Housewives president.
"We funded ourselves with patrons, not donations," Hibbert said.
During the Depression, the League's work was so successful that "in Chicago, Baltimore, Washington, Detroit, Harlem and Cleveland, (the League) relied on boycotts" to gain "an estimated 75,000 new jobs for blacks," wrote historian Jacqueline Jones in "Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow: Black Women, Work, and the Family from Slavery to the Present" (Basic Books, 1985).
Its impact was "second only to government jobs as a new source of openings," she added.
The League continued to work through the 1960s before fading out, ironically, just as the Black Power movement grew, Hibbert said.
"Integration diluted the buying power of black dollars," she said.
Dale Rich, MSU professor Darlene Clark Hine and the Detroit Public Library's Burton Collection contributed.
Additional Facts
Timeline
1930: Mrs. Fannie B. Peck founds Housewives League of Detroit on June 10.
1933: National Housewives League of America organizes in Durham, N.C.
1947: National Charter issued.
1949: Issues revised program outline, Trade Campaign Techniques and Purse-size Business Directory in Detroit.
1956: First national meeting in South Central Region in St. Louis, Mo.
1958: 25th anniversary celebration of National Housewives League in Durham, N.C.
1960: Joint sessions with National Business League and National Bankers Association in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1967: Arena J. Buggs elected president of the National Housewives' League of America Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1969: Gertrude Tolbert elected president in Washington, D.C.
Source: 34th annual meeting, National Housewives of America Inc. program (July 11-14, 1971)
Now that's power!
Pass it on!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Black Everyday
Empower yourself by knowing yourself!
Check it out this month before it's over!
February 27 & 28, 2010 at Gorilla Tango Theatre
Site outlines the philosophy behind this year’s show:
http://blackeveryday-bsr.blogspot.com/
On the other side of the world, check this out!
Picasso: Presence Africaine for sale
This item sold at Swann Gallery 2008 Auction of Printed & Manuscript African Americana
for $4800.00 US plus commission
We are now offering one unframed copy in excellent condition
for $2600.00 US/free shipping
Presence Africaine
Congres des Ecrivains et Artistes Noirs
1956 LITHOGRAPHIC POSTER
66 x 47.5 cm
Pablo Picasso Vintage Lithographic Poster created for the
Congres des Ecrivains et Artistes Noirs (Congress of Black Writers and Artists)
at the Sorbonne.
This poster features one of the artist's etchings from the 1950 'Corps Perdu' Suite.
Edition size: 500. Printed by Mourlot, Paris.
artcetera
art dealer/publisher
po 131914,houston,tx 77219
713 270 4319
artcetera@aol.com
Check it out this month before it's over!
February 27 & 28, 2010 at Gorilla Tango Theatre
Site outlines the philosophy behind this year’s show:
http://blackeveryday-bsr.blogspot.com/
On the other side of the world, check this out!
Picasso: Presence Africaine for sale
This item sold at Swann Gallery 2008 Auction of Printed & Manuscript African Americana
for $4800.00 US plus commission
We are now offering one unframed copy in excellent condition
for $2600.00 US/free shipping
Presence Africaine
Congres des Ecrivains et Artistes Noirs
1956 LITHOGRAPHIC POSTER
66 x 47.5 cm
Pablo Picasso Vintage Lithographic Poster created for the
Congres des Ecrivains et Artistes Noirs (Congress of Black Writers and Artists)
at the Sorbonne.
This poster features one of the artist's etchings from the 1950 'Corps Perdu' Suite.
Edition size: 500. Printed by Mourlot, Paris.
artcetera
art dealer/publisher
po 131914,houston,tx 77219
713 270 4319
artcetera@aol.com
Sunday, February 7, 2010
will you do the same?
Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter.
She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again.
There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address.
She read the letter:
Dear Ruth:
I`m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit.
Love Always,
God
Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table.... 'Why would the Lord want to visit me?
I'm nobody special. I don't have anything to offer.'
With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets.
'Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner.'
She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents.
Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least.'
She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.
A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total twelve cents to last her until Monday...
Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.
'Hey lady, can you help us,lady?'
Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway.
A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags.
'Look lady, I ain't got a job, you know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda
Hungry and, well, if you could help us.. Lady, we'd really appreciate it.'
Ruth looked at them both.
They were dirty, they smelled bad and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.
'Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself.. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him.'
'Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway.'
The man put his arm around the woman's
Shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley.
As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart.
'Sir, wait!'
The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them.
'Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest...'
She handed the man her grocery bag.
'Thank you lady. Thank you very much!'
'Yes, thank you!' It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering
'You know, I've got another coat at home.
Here, why don't you take this one.'
Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's shoulders.
Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest..
'Thank you lady!
Thank you very much!'
Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front
door, and worried too.
The Lord
was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to offer Him.
She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.
'That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day.'
Dear Ruth:
It was so good to see you again.
Thank you for the lovely meal.
And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always,
God
She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again.
There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address.
She read the letter:
Dear Ruth:
I`m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit.
Love Always,
God
Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table.... 'Why would the Lord want to visit me?
I'm nobody special. I don't have anything to offer.'
With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets.
'Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner.'
She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents.
Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least.'
She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.
A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total twelve cents to last her until Monday...
Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.
'Hey lady, can you help us,lady?'
Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway.
A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags.
'Look lady, I ain't got a job, you know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda
Hungry and, well, if you could help us.. Lady, we'd really appreciate it.'
Ruth looked at them both.
They were dirty, they smelled bad and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.
'Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself.. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him.'
'Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway.'
The man put his arm around the woman's
Shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley.
As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart.
'Sir, wait!'
The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them.
'Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest...'
She handed the man her grocery bag.
'Thank you lady. Thank you very much!'
'Yes, thank you!' It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering
'You know, I've got another coat at home.
Here, why don't you take this one.'
Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's shoulders.
Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest..
'Thank you lady!
Thank you very much!'
Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front
door, and worried too.
The Lord
was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to offer Him.
She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.
'That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day.'
Dear Ruth:
It was so good to see you again.
Thank you for the lovely meal.
And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always,
God
Steppin Out with Money Matters
The Place to Be in Chicago
Wednesday, February 10th: Starting at 12:00 pm
Is Pearl's Place Restaurant at the Amber Inn
Find Out How You Can Lock In Market Gains Without Risking Your Principal.
Learn About Companies that Pay You To Invest With Them and So Much More.
Call and Reserve Seats Today for You and a Friend Toll Free 1 (800) 508-1451
Wednesday, February 10th: Starting at 12:00 pm
Is Pearl's Place Restaurant at the Amber Inn
Find Out How You Can Lock In Market Gains Without Risking Your Principal.
Learn About Companies that Pay You To Invest With Them and So Much More.
Call and Reserve Seats Today for You and a Friend Toll Free 1 (800) 508-1451
Sunday, January 24, 2010
self empowerment comes from within;;;
Sometimes you gotta go within, to find inspiration!
I promise you it's coming Spring 2010!
Email me for details and to get your DISCOUNT from Pre-Published price!
Zelda@ZeldaSpeaks.com or HigherLearningNw@yahoo.com
I promise you it's coming Spring 2010!
Email me for details and to get your DISCOUNT from Pre-Published price!
Zelda@ZeldaSpeaks.com or HigherLearningNw@yahoo.com
Friday, January 1, 2010
It's pretty hard when funds designated for...
Community businesses in our community goes unfunded!
91% of SBA Stimulus Loans go to White Small Businesses
SBA data show Black, Hispanic businesses shut out of stimulus loans http://www.targetmarketnews.com/storyid12210901.htm
By Aaron Glantz
New America Media
Loans handed out to struggling small businesses as part of President Barack Obama's stimulus package have largely shut out minority businesses -- especially those owned by Blacks and Latinos -- according to data provided by the federal government's Small Business Administration (SBA) to New America Media.
On June 15, the SBA, using money from the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, launched the ARC program, America's Recovery Capital, giving banks and credit unions 100 percent guarantees so they're taking no risk when they make loans of up to $35,000 to previously successful, currently struggling small businesses to help them ride out the recession.
Under the program, the borrower pays no interest and makes no payments for 12 months, then has five years to repay the loan. SBA charges no fees and pays interest to the lender at prime - the rate of interest at which banks lend to favored customers - plus 2 percent.
The Obama Administration does not report the racial breakdown of who's benefiting from these loans at Recovery.gov, but data obtained by NAM from the SBA found that of the 4,497 ARC loans where the race of the borrower was reported, 4,104 (over 91 percent) went to white-owned firms, 140, (3 percent) went to Hispanic-owned businesses, and 151 (3 percent) went to Asian- or Pacific Islander-owned businesses. Only 65, (1.5 percent) went to black-owned firms.
Overall, white-owned businesses received over $130 million in loans through the program, while Hispanic-owned businesses got $4 million and black-owned businesses less than $2 million.
In five states - Alabama, Arkansas, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Wyoming -- every single firm that received an ARC loan was white-owned. In eight other states, including Louisiana and Nevada, all but one loan went to a white-owned firm.
Civil rights groups and representatives of the minority business communities reacted with anger when told of NAM's findings.
"It's just horrendous," said Anthony Robinson, director of the Washington, D.C.-based Minority Business Legal Defense and Education Fund (MBELDEF). "During this economic recession, there is no recognition or sensitivity to the need to support and benefit people of color."
"The data raises troubling questions" and should trigger an investigation," says Oren Sellstrom of San Francisco's Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. "This should be a red flag for the SBA and the banks. It gives us the indication that something may be amiss and further explanation is warranted."
Census figures put black business ownership at 5 percent and Hispanic business ownership at about 7 percent -- more than double the numbers getting these SBA-backed loans.
At the SBA in Washington, spokesman Jonathan Swain argued racial disparities in the ARC loan program don't paint the full picture of the agency's lending practices. Many of the SBA's other loan products, he says, have large minority business participation. For example, he says, minority-owned businesses receive 29 percent of loans given through the SBA's regular lending program and 37 percent of Microloans doled out by the agency.
"It's hard to look at the ARC program by itself," he told NAM. "It's just one tool in the tool box, just one tool in the array to help small business in these tough economic times."
One reason for the extremely low level of minority participation in the ARC loan program, he maintains, is that the Recovery Act specifically prohibits the agency from allowing an ARC loan to be used to refinance a regular SBA loan, which minority firms are more likely to have.
That explanation isn't enough for minority business and civil rights groups, however.
Sellstrom of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights isn't convinced by that argument. "You would think that minority owned firms could use $35,000 for a lot of uses other than paying down SBA loans."
Sellstom said SBA's response only underscores the need for further investigation. "It's often the case that the first explanation leads to further questions," he said.
Javier Palomarez, the president and chief executive officer of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, says the ARC loan program was poorly designed and "destined to fail."
When Congress was drafting the stimulus package, Palomarez said, his agency and other minority business groups argued the severity of America's recession should have led to the government handing out loans to struggling small businesses directly - rather than simply backing up loans from the very banks that caused the country's economic recession.
But the SBA and the banks lobbied against direct government financing of small business, he said, and so Congress devised a $35,000 loan program that requires a small business to wade through nearly the same paperwork needed to obtain one of SBA's regular $2 million loans.
Because of the paperwork and the small sums involved, "most banks don't want to participate in the loan program, and many of those that are participating are restricting applications only to long-term clients."
And those long-term clients often exclude small, minority businesses, which banks see as "risky."
"There's been a dramatic rise in the risk profile of small businesses," Palomarez said "and that is even more pronounced among minority entrepreneurs.
"African American and Hispanic entrepreneurs often self-financed their start-ups or expansions, meaning, that they tapped into their own net worth ... taking out home equity loans or second mortgages to invest in their communities and create jobs."
"These businesses did not get a bailout and, while the Administration has been generous with tax credits for struggling businesses, the banks that caused this problem are nowhere to be seen," he said.
James Ballentine, senior vice president of the American Bankers Association, told New America Media the banks have nothing to do with the racial disparities apparent in the stimulus' small business loans.
"When somebody comes to us, we don't look at their race," he said. "The can be red, white, brown, or green. The only thing we look at is their credit worthiness."
The main problem, Balletine, said, is "there's been a real lack of marketing and as a result, very few lenders have participated." He noted that in the six months since the ARC Loan program was first announced, the SBA has been able to underwrite fewer than 5,000 loans.
But Sellstrom of the Lawyers Committee says the bankers' analysis doesn't address the question of the racial inequities. The fact that there's been little marketing doesn't mean that nobody is being told about the opportunities. It just means that it's going on in less formal ways, and those informal channels are the ones that minority businesses are not privy to."
"The breakdown is that people of color are not present at the banks," added Anthony Robinson of MBELDEF." And the government that's pushing these benefits through are not sensitive to the fact that we are not involved in this distribution network.
"So to solve this problem we need to incorporate people of color into the distribution chain of banks, business, and government. Otherwise, the flaws of the system will only magnify the inequality that's at the center of our recession."
91% of SBA Stimulus Loans go to White Small Businesses
SBA data show Black, Hispanic businesses shut out of stimulus loans http://www.targetmarketnews.com/storyid12210901.htm
By Aaron Glantz
New America Media
Loans handed out to struggling small businesses as part of President Barack Obama's stimulus package have largely shut out minority businesses -- especially those owned by Blacks and Latinos -- according to data provided by the federal government's Small Business Administration (SBA) to New America Media.
On June 15, the SBA, using money from the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, launched the ARC program, America's Recovery Capital, giving banks and credit unions 100 percent guarantees so they're taking no risk when they make loans of up to $35,000 to previously successful, currently struggling small businesses to help them ride out the recession.
Under the program, the borrower pays no interest and makes no payments for 12 months, then has five years to repay the loan. SBA charges no fees and pays interest to the lender at prime - the rate of interest at which banks lend to favored customers - plus 2 percent.
The Obama Administration does not report the racial breakdown of who's benefiting from these loans at Recovery.gov, but data obtained by NAM from the SBA found that of the 4,497 ARC loans where the race of the borrower was reported, 4,104 (over 91 percent) went to white-owned firms, 140, (3 percent) went to Hispanic-owned businesses, and 151 (3 percent) went to Asian- or Pacific Islander-owned businesses. Only 65, (1.5 percent) went to black-owned firms.
Overall, white-owned businesses received over $130 million in loans through the program, while Hispanic-owned businesses got $4 million and black-owned businesses less than $2 million.
In five states - Alabama, Arkansas, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Wyoming -- every single firm that received an ARC loan was white-owned. In eight other states, including Louisiana and Nevada, all but one loan went to a white-owned firm.
Civil rights groups and representatives of the minority business communities reacted with anger when told of NAM's findings.
"It's just horrendous," said Anthony Robinson, director of the Washington, D.C.-based Minority Business Legal Defense and Education Fund (MBELDEF). "During this economic recession, there is no recognition or sensitivity to the need to support and benefit people of color."
"The data raises troubling questions" and should trigger an investigation," says Oren Sellstrom of San Francisco's Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. "This should be a red flag for the SBA and the banks. It gives us the indication that something may be amiss and further explanation is warranted."
Census figures put black business ownership at 5 percent and Hispanic business ownership at about 7 percent -- more than double the numbers getting these SBA-backed loans.
At the SBA in Washington, spokesman Jonathan Swain argued racial disparities in the ARC loan program don't paint the full picture of the agency's lending practices. Many of the SBA's other loan products, he says, have large minority business participation. For example, he says, minority-owned businesses receive 29 percent of loans given through the SBA's regular lending program and 37 percent of Microloans doled out by the agency.
"It's hard to look at the ARC program by itself," he told NAM. "It's just one tool in the tool box, just one tool in the array to help small business in these tough economic times."
One reason for the extremely low level of minority participation in the ARC loan program, he maintains, is that the Recovery Act specifically prohibits the agency from allowing an ARC loan to be used to refinance a regular SBA loan, which minority firms are more likely to have.
That explanation isn't enough for minority business and civil rights groups, however.
Sellstrom of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights isn't convinced by that argument. "You would think that minority owned firms could use $35,000 for a lot of uses other than paying down SBA loans."
Sellstom said SBA's response only underscores the need for further investigation. "It's often the case that the first explanation leads to further questions," he said.
Javier Palomarez, the president and chief executive officer of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, says the ARC loan program was poorly designed and "destined to fail."
When Congress was drafting the stimulus package, Palomarez said, his agency and other minority business groups argued the severity of America's recession should have led to the government handing out loans to struggling small businesses directly - rather than simply backing up loans from the very banks that caused the country's economic recession.
But the SBA and the banks lobbied against direct government financing of small business, he said, and so Congress devised a $35,000 loan program that requires a small business to wade through nearly the same paperwork needed to obtain one of SBA's regular $2 million loans.
Because of the paperwork and the small sums involved, "most banks don't want to participate in the loan program, and many of those that are participating are restricting applications only to long-term clients."
And those long-term clients often exclude small, minority businesses, which banks see as "risky."
"There's been a dramatic rise in the risk profile of small businesses," Palomarez said "and that is even more pronounced among minority entrepreneurs.
"African American and Hispanic entrepreneurs often self-financed their start-ups or expansions, meaning, that they tapped into their own net worth ... taking out home equity loans or second mortgages to invest in their communities and create jobs."
"These businesses did not get a bailout and, while the Administration has been generous with tax credits for struggling businesses, the banks that caused this problem are nowhere to be seen," he said.
James Ballentine, senior vice president of the American Bankers Association, told New America Media the banks have nothing to do with the racial disparities apparent in the stimulus' small business loans.
"When somebody comes to us, we don't look at their race," he said. "The can be red, white, brown, or green. The only thing we look at is their credit worthiness."
The main problem, Balletine, said, is "there's been a real lack of marketing and as a result, very few lenders have participated." He noted that in the six months since the ARC Loan program was first announced, the SBA has been able to underwrite fewer than 5,000 loans.
But Sellstrom of the Lawyers Committee says the bankers' analysis doesn't address the question of the racial inequities. The fact that there's been little marketing doesn't mean that nobody is being told about the opportunities. It just means that it's going on in less formal ways, and those informal channels are the ones that minority businesses are not privy to."
"The breakdown is that people of color are not present at the banks," added Anthony Robinson of MBELDEF." And the government that's pushing these benefits through are not sensitive to the fact that we are not involved in this distribution network.
"So to solve this problem we need to incorporate people of color into the distribution chain of banks, business, and government. Otherwise, the flaws of the system will only magnify the inequality that's at the center of our recession."
happy new year, new you, new yang!
Self-empowerment begins within! Within you! Yes, it's within your reach!
Happy New Year, New You, New Yang!
WE are the answer to all our problems.
We are sharing the answers with you, hopefully you'll do your part and spread the word to help keep our kids off the street doing something positive!
The Link & Option Center Debuts Live Talk Show on CAN-TV21
“The Community Link Live Talk Show” airs Fridays through April 1
The Link & Option Center (TLOC), a non-profit human services organization that services
at-risk children, adolescents and their families in Chicago and south suburban Cook County,
is pleased to announce the debut of its live, call-in program, The Community Link Live
Talk Show, airing Friday, Jan. 8 on CAN TV21.
For the next 13 weeks The Community Link Live Talk Show will air every Friday at 4 p.m.
and feature special guests including community leaders, local government officials, and staff
and students from TLOC. Ms. Twin Green, founding President and CEO of TLOC,
will be the show’s first guest.
“This talk show is just one way we can communicate TLOC’s mission to a wider audience
and showcase our programs to families who may not be familiar with us,” said Ms. Twin Green,
founding President and CEO of The Link & Option Center. “Through our organization, we hope
to provide children and their families with progressive opportunities for learning, mentoring,
academic support and vocational training.”
Ms. Green founded TLOC in 1995 in response to the struggles her 8-year old son was experiencing
in school. His lack of focus and direction, due to the separation between he and his father, was
taking him down a negative path filled with failing grades and delinquency. As she worked with
her son, she discovered that this was what she was meant to do: to inspire and help unfocused
youth to stay in school, rise above their situations and strive to achieve their fullest potential.
“While helping my son and other youth in similar situations, I saw a growing need for structured,
academic tutoring in the community,” said Ms. Green. “Eventually, the needs of the community led
The Link & Option Center to expand its programming from providing only educational support
to offering mentoring services, family-centered referral services, computer training, an alternative
to school suspension program, anger management, 6th District Court diversion, and Juvenile Justice
mental health counseling.
The Community Link Live Talk Show’s format will focus on programming and services The Link
& Option Center provides to the community, which includes: Excel Beyond the Bell (tutoring program);
Alternative to School Suspension and Intervention; TeenREACH After School Program; Mentoring;
Mental Health Juvenile Justice Counseling; Mentoring Children of Prisoners/Caregivers Choice;
6th District Court Diversion (Peer Jury); and Adult Probation Treatment Services.
For more information on The Link & Option Center or the Community Link Live Talk Show,
please contact (708) 331-4880. To schedule an interview with Ms. Green, please contact Melissa Schuler
at (646) 752-6427 or melissa@link-option.com.
Happy New Year, New You, New Yang!
WE are the answer to all our problems.
We are sharing the answers with you, hopefully you'll do your part and spread the word to help keep our kids off the street doing something positive!
The Link & Option Center Debuts Live Talk Show on CAN-TV21
“The Community Link Live Talk Show” airs Fridays through April 1
The Link & Option Center (TLOC), a non-profit human services organization that services
at-risk children, adolescents and their families in Chicago and south suburban Cook County,
is pleased to announce the debut of its live, call-in program, The Community Link Live
Talk Show, airing Friday, Jan. 8 on CAN TV21.
For the next 13 weeks The Community Link Live Talk Show will air every Friday at 4 p.m.
and feature special guests including community leaders, local government officials, and staff
and students from TLOC. Ms. Twin Green, founding President and CEO of TLOC,
will be the show’s first guest.
“This talk show is just one way we can communicate TLOC’s mission to a wider audience
and showcase our programs to families who may not be familiar with us,” said Ms. Twin Green,
founding President and CEO of The Link & Option Center. “Through our organization, we hope
to provide children and their families with progressive opportunities for learning, mentoring,
academic support and vocational training.”
Ms. Green founded TLOC in 1995 in response to the struggles her 8-year old son was experiencing
in school. His lack of focus and direction, due to the separation between he and his father, was
taking him down a negative path filled with failing grades and delinquency. As she worked with
her son, she discovered that this was what she was meant to do: to inspire and help unfocused
youth to stay in school, rise above their situations and strive to achieve their fullest potential.
“While helping my son and other youth in similar situations, I saw a growing need for structured,
academic tutoring in the community,” said Ms. Green. “Eventually, the needs of the community led
The Link & Option Center to expand its programming from providing only educational support
to offering mentoring services, family-centered referral services, computer training, an alternative
to school suspension program, anger management, 6th District Court diversion, and Juvenile Justice
mental health counseling.
The Community Link Live Talk Show’s format will focus on programming and services The Link
& Option Center provides to the community, which includes: Excel Beyond the Bell (tutoring program);
Alternative to School Suspension and Intervention; TeenREACH After School Program; Mentoring;
Mental Health Juvenile Justice Counseling; Mentoring Children of Prisoners/Caregivers Choice;
6th District Court Diversion (Peer Jury); and Adult Probation Treatment Services.
For more information on The Link & Option Center or the Community Link Live Talk Show,
please contact (708) 331-4880. To schedule an interview with Ms. Green, please contact Melissa Schuler
at (646) 752-6427 or melissa@link-option.com.
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