BBA News March 2009

In This Issue…5 Cover Story: A Moment of Joy 6 Campaign and Election Refl ections12 Down Market Opportunities18 Global Women Leaders Recognized30 Mayor Discusses City’s Economic Challenges31 Small Business Administration

March 2009

Black Business NewsSPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE LIMITED EDITION

Now On Sale!A commemorative limited-edition magazine, unlike any other special tribute

issued to recognize the election of Barack H. Obama as the 44th President of the

United States of America, has been published by the Black Business Association.

Hurry! Buy Your Copy Today - Quantities are limited!

To order your copy, call the BBA office at

(323) 291-9334 or email to: [email protected]

Pres. Obama Has His... You Get Yours!

President’s MessageEarl “Skip” Cooper, IIPresident/Chief Executive Offi cer

Now is the Time to “Tear the Roof Off ”

3 March 2009 Black Business News www.bbala.org

2009 EventsJune

•Annual Awards DinnerTBD

•Trade Mission to Washington, DCSeptember

•Black Busines Day Conference and Luncheon

October•Black Busines Day

Conference and Luncheon• Call for information •

323-291-9334

Realizing the enormous challenges and opportunities that we all face

generates arguably the most exciting times in recent history. Whether you are involved in arts and entertainment, sports, fi nance, industry or environ-mental concerns, there exists a huge amount of access where everyone will-ing can make a positive difference.

The access doors are becoming more transparent, due in some part to the growth of women taking the helm as captains of industry. The large num-ber of women owning and operating small business concerns, as well as the number of female executives head-ing public and private corporations, is making a signifi cant impact on how effective open door best practices are being implemented in a wide array of business environs.

Never before in the history of our country have women been so visible in making decisions and calling the shots. The workforce itself is predominated by women of all colors. I am excited to celebrate March as Women’s History Month because it drives home the al-most tangible reasons for understand-ing that inclusion is becoming increas-ingly more real in America.

It has been less than nine months since we lost some great business warriors who made a difference in how industry views the twenty-fi rst century woman. Mary Ann Mitchell, founder and chief executive offi cer of com-puter consulting fi rm CC-OPS, posi-tively changed how men view women in technology. Public Relations maven Pat Tobin, founder and president of her namesake fi rm, positively changed how corporate America now readily ac-

cepts a public relations fi rm headed by a woman. Dr. C. Diane Howell, pub-lisher of Northern California’s Black Business Listings (BBL), made a highly signifi cant economic impact for smaller black business enterprises by found-ing and producing the successful Black Expo in Oakland for more than fi fteen years.

I am looking forward to these “tear-ing the roof off” type of milestones to reveal some of the most creative busi-ness leaders to date. Why? Because these are the very times that call for it, where ready, willing and prepared lead-ers are in high demand. As reader and supporter, Chuma Okoli, says:

“I believe that one of the prime laws of life is the constancy of Change.

So when Barack Obama was in-augurated as the 44th President of the United States, I knew that fi nally Change has once again fulfi lled its commitment upon us.

Following the era of political tyr-anny, social rot and fi nancial decay of the last eight years, I believe that the days ahead hold for us an era of renewal and regeneration, as Ameri-cans and citizens of the world. I be-lieve the days ahead will usher in a chance for us to rediscover ourself as connected to each other with com-mon dreams and expectations.

The days ahead would dissipate the oppressive clouds of fear and doubt about our lives, and reveal sunshine of opportunities for us to encounter our potentials to its fullest. The days ahead under the leader-ship of President Obama, I believe, would launch our self-esteem into the orbit of complete racial liberation,

realizing the fact that our origins are divine and our triumphant destination inevitable.

I believe that this change has thrust back the baton of destiny into our hands, and that prosperity will escort us in this race.

I thank God for this benevolent change.”You are encouraged to take time to

review the special Women’s History Month section in the month’s Black Business News, along with the wealth of other useful information contained in this publication.

Also visit our business website (www.bbala.org) for procurement opportuni-ties and business news. On behalf of the BBA’s Board of Directors and its members, I am greatly appreciative for your interest in the growth of African American business.

Black Business AssociationP.O. Box 43159, Los Angeles, CA 90043

323-291-9334 Fax: [email protected] www.bbala.orgPUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Earl “Skip” Cooper, IIPRODUCTION MANAGER

Narishima OseiCONTRIBUTING WRITERS

T. Fins ▪ R. Gnaizda ▪ C. Collins PHOTOGRAPHY

Ian Foxx ▪ Sabir • N. Osei • N. VernonLAYOUT/TYPESETTING

Lion Communications

Copyright © 2008 by Black Business Association.All Rights Reserved.

BBA BOARD OF DIRECTORSTed Davis, Chairman

IsComp Systems, Inc.Nathan Freeman, Vice Chairman

Figueroa Media Group, Inc.Eugene Jones, Secretary NVA Financial Group, Inc.Kevin M. Caliup, Treasurer

AIA/E-World StrategyNarishimah Osei, Parliamentarian

Osei & AssociatesGwen Moore, Director GEM Communications

Candida Mobely-Wright, Director Voices, Inc.

Angela Walton, Director Melador Technologies, Inc.

Angela Reddock, Esq., Legal CounselSTAFF

Earl “Skip” Cooper, II, President/CEOKesha Vontreese, AdministratorCOMMITTEE COORDINATOR

Starlett Quarles, urban X marketing

CORPORATE PARTNERSAEG Worldwide

AT&TAmerican Honda Motor Company

Bank of AmericaThe Boeing Company

California LotteryCitibank

Coca-Cola EnterprisesComerica Bank

Department of Water & PowerFannie Mae IBM

Kaiser Permanente LAEDCLos Angeles World Airports

Northrop Grumman CorporationRaytheon Company

S.C.R.P.C.Sempra Energy

Southern California EdisonSwinerton Builders

Toyota Motor Sales, Inc.Turner Construction Company

Union Bank of CaliforniaUSBank Verizon

Walt Disney CompanyWashington Mutual

WellPointWells Fargo Bank

Lyceum Management Services, Ex Offi cioHollis Smith, Ex Offi cio

Paulette Williams, Ex Offi cio AFFILIATES

African American Unity CaucusAssociation of Black Women Entrepreneurs

Black Women’s NetworkCalifornia Black Chamber of Commerce

The Greenlining InstituteMinority Business Enterprise Legal Defense &

Education FundNational Black Business Council

The National Association of African American Chambers of Commerce

The National Black Chamber of CommercePan African Film & Arts Festival

Recycling Black Dollars

Over 35 years of serviceFounded 1970 In This Issue…

3 President’s MessageActivist’s stance required for businesses to achieve needed change.

5 Cover Stories: Economic Recovery

BBA at PERAB signing

6 California State BudgetBipartisan effort to fi nd solutions, save jobs

7 Stimulus PlanRev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. discusses the Stimulus Plan.

17 Boosting Consumer Credit 8 Women’s History Month Tribute Section

•Profi les•White House Council on Women and Girls•Young Entrepreneur•All Female African American Flight Crew

19 Nominate Awardees for BBA Annual Dinner28 Africa Focus

•2010 World Cup tickets now on sale.•Whole Planet Foundation promotes Microloans.

31 Marketing to African Americans39 Twitter Marketing43 SBA News

$28 billion in Small Business Credit

51 Calendar Events around California, the nation, and the worldColumns

22 - Financial Management Atty. Caprice Collins42 - Wendy’s World Wendy Gladney

Cover photo by Walter E. Lamar


CONFERENCE & AWARDS LUNCHEON

Salute to Black Women

Over 38 years of serviceFounded in 1970

PRESENTS

SPECIAL SECTION

Economic Recovery:

BBA at Executive Recovery Advisory Board Initiation and Recovery Initiatives

Earl “Skip” Cooper, II, President /CEO of the Black Business Asso-

ciation (BBA), headquartered in Los Angeles, attended the Executive Order Signing Ceremony in the White House establishing the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board (PERAB). The signing, by President Barack H. Obama, took place on Friday, February 6, 2009, in the East Room of the White House.

Also in attendance representing Southern California was Ms. Rosalind Pennington, President of the National Black Business Council (NBBC) and Mr. Ezekiel Patten, President/Founder, Patten Energy Enterprise.

The President made remarks to an audience of small business, women, people of color business owners and labor organizations before signing the Executive Order to create the Presi-dent’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will provide insight to the President and appropri-ate staffers as plans are formulated for economic recovery.

The new Economic Recovery Advi-sory Board will be charged with offering independent, nonpartisan information, analysis, and advice to the President as he formulates and implements his plans for economic recovery.

The PERAB will provide regular brief-ings to the President, Vice President and their economic team. The PERAB will be established initially for a two-

year term, after which the President will make a determination on whether to continue its existence based on its continued necessity.

Detailed information on PERAB and other programs established by the Obama administration is available on the White House website at www.white-house.gov. At this site citizens are also invited to and are able to submit their opinions and comments on the issues facing our nation.

A video replay of the announcement and signing ceremony is available at http://www.cspan.org/Watch/watch.aspx?MediaID=HP-A-15203 (or search the CSPAN site using “President’s Economic Recovery”). Information on the Economic Recovery program may be found on www.whiteouse.gov. Also review the information in the boxes on this page.

The BBA congratulates President Ba-rack Obama for the decisive actions he is taking to move the nation forward in the area of job creation and long-term economic growth.

We encourage our members, other business owners and the community at large to be proactive with President Obama as he works to deliver on his campaign promises and address the


Economic RecoveryWebsites

The websites shown here have been created to provide Califor-

nians with information on the Ameri-can Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. The websites will provide the information on how the funding will be used in California.

The State’s website is: www.recovery.ca.gov

The Caltrans website is:www.dot.ca.gov/Recovery

MBDA EconomicRecovery Actions

MBDA’s Capital Access Initiative focuses on identifying and imple-menting innovative fi nancing solu-tions for minority business enterpris-es (MBEs) in the current economic and fi nancial environment. As part of this Initiative, MBDA held its fi rst Stakeholders’ Meeting in February 2009 to discuss fi nancing issues im-pacting minority fi rms and to identify major areas for public and private sector partners to work jointly to in-crease the fl ow of capital to MBEs. The second Stakeholders’ Meeting will be held on March 18, 2009 at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, DC 20230. The discus-sion will focus on accessing TARP Funds, utilizing minority-owned banks, mezzanine fi nanciers and other equity funds that serve the mi-nority-owned fi rms. The discussions from the meeting will serve as the framework for our upcoming Capital Access Forum scheduled for May 11-12, 2009 in Washington, DC.

In addition, MBDA will commission the development of a research study on innovative fi nancing solutions for MBEs. The research study will draw from current research on capital ac-cess and use, existing government programs, and new programs that result from private and public sector collaboration. The study is expected to be released at the National Mi-nority Enterprise Development Week Conference in Washington, DC, September 2009.

vital challenges of our nation.For more information on the Black

Business Association (BBA) visit www.bbala.org or contact the BBA offi ce at, (323) 291-9334, P.O. Box 43159, Los Angeles, CA 90043.

California:Historic Bipartisan Budget Provides Real Solutions, True Systemic Reform and Creates Jobs for Californians

Based off of his “four-legged stool” blueprint, Governor Arnold

Schwarzenegger signed an historic budget package to solve California’s $42 billion defi cit that takes the neces-sary steps to reduce spending, bring in new revenue, improve our business climate and create jobs, and make gov-ernment more effi cient. Additionally, the Governor today used his line item veto authority to achieve nearly $1 billion more in General Fund (GF) savings for the state.

The bipartisan budget package signed today includes meaningful and lasting reforms for California that will strengthen our rainy-day fund, open up primary elections and eliminate legisla-tive pay raises during defi cit years.

“We have achieved a great victory for California today. By staying focused on what was best for the people of our state and not the special interests, we were able to come together and solve our $42 billion defi cit and also fi nd meaningful and lasting solutions to our broken budget system,” said Gover-nor Schwarzenegger. “During a down economy and facing an historic budget defi cit we had to make some very diffi -cult decisions, but I am very proud that California is back on the best path for-ward. We will continue to work with our most important partners - the people of our great state - to ensure we nev-er again face the kind of catastrophic budget scenario we experienced this year.”

On top of the $14.9 billion in spend-ing reductions in the budget, the Gov-ernor used his line item veto power to save the state an additional $957 mil-lion from the 2009-10 budget GF. This includes: at least a 10 percent reduc-tion to most of the Constitutional Of-fi ces; replacing GF appropriations with federal funds we otherwise would not receive for higher education; and, fi nd-ing additional savings within the Cali-fornia Department of Corrections and

Rehabilitation (CDCR). The reduction from most Constitu-

tional Offi cers’ budgets will achieve $47 million in savings. This refl ects equity among all executive branch agencies for the state employee compensation reductions within the budget through furloughs, elimination of positions, overtime reform and reducing paid state holidays. The Constitutional Offi cers will have the fl exibility to implement the savings within their own offi ces.

Higher education will receive federal funding to replace GFs in the amount of $255 million each to the University of California and California State Uni-versity systems. Additional savings of $400 million will come from CDCR through continued reforms and other cost saving measures that will not jeop-ardize public safety.

The budget includes temporary rev-enue increases totaling $12.5 billion through a one cent increase in the state sales tax, an increase in the ve-hicle license fee to one percent and an increase in the personal income tax that federal stimulus funding will likely help offset. The vehicle license fee will also include an additional ongoing 0.15 percent increase that will be dedicated to local law enforcement programs. Ad-ditionally, the state will bring in revenue through modernizing the state Lottery and bringing in $5 billion in 2009-10 that will offset the need for additional tax increases or program cuts.

With the budget asking Californians to pay more in taxes and also reduc-ing their services, the Governor fought hard to include needed economic stim-ulus to help create jobs and boost our economy. It includes incentives and gives a competitive edge to companies that are creating jobs for Californians and to encourage companies to expand in and relocate to California. Also, a “new hire” tax incentive will target small businesses that create new California jobs in the coming two years – when


we need them most. The package also provides for more public-private part-nerships and design build authority to create more jobs and build projects quicker and more cost-effectively for the taxpayer. As well as, incentives to lure television and movie production back to California.

Governor Schwarzenegger was also successful in his push to make gov-ernment more effi cient at a time when California families and businesses are doing the same. The budget includes fl exibility for categorical education funding allow local schools and districts to use it as they see best fi t to serve children and keep more money in the classroom. And the state will move for-ward this year to reorganize its IT func-tions to save an estimated $1.5 billion over the fi rst fi ve years and creates a new streamlined, cabinet-level offi ce for the state’s energy-related functions helping California focus on energy sta-bility and eliminating redundancy.

In addition to this, Governor Schwarzenegger delivered on one of his very fi rst campaign promises and was able to secure long-lasting reforms for California through this budget. In this budget the rainy-day fund, or the budget stabilization account, will be increased and reformed making budget spending more predictable and stable. Addition-ally, through this package, Californians will have the opportunity to enact true reforms for our state including open primaries to provide more moderate candidates and eliminating pay raises for elected offi cials when California is spending more money than it is taking in. The Governor has been fi ghting for these kinds of systemic reforms since before he was elected. Finally, these meaningful structural changes to put California back on track will go before voters – and the Governor intends to form a partnership with the people to pass these ballot initiatives.

Economy:The No Nothings at the Stimulus Plan by Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., Rainbow/PUSH Coalition

The President has signed the historic recovery bill – pumping $787 billion

into the economy in an effort to create 3.5 million jobs. With unemployment spreading, home foreclosures rising, poverty spreading, it will come none too soon.

Meanwhile Republicans in the Con-gress are declaring that they are “back.” They believe that by spurning Obama’s invitation for bipartisan cooperation, and refusing to support the bill, they’ve recovered their identity.

What would they do? They claimed that the bill was too big, and that it had too few tax cuts for upper income Ameri-cans. Their Senate leader supported a plan introduced by Senator De-Mint that was half the size of Obama’s plan, all tax cuts, and featured mak-ing the Bush tax cuts perma-nent two years from now.

And they railed at the g o v e r n m e n t spending. “It’s not a stimulus bill. It’s a spending bill,’’ said Senator John McCain, apparently unaware that the whole idea of a stimulus is to spend money to put people to work. “In the history of mankind,” no “federal, state or local” government has ever “created one job,” claimed newly anointed Re-publican Party leader Michael Steele, who apparently has never served in the military.

In the end, the recovery plan passed


with not one Republican vote in the House and only three in the Senate. And those votes had to be won by mak-ing the plan smaller – cutting some of the vital relief to states and localities to limit layoffs of police and teachers – and adding more tax cuts, includ-ing the fi x of the Alternative Minimum Tax which every sensible economist warned would provide far fewer jobs for the dollar than direct spending.

But Republicans celebrated their de-feat because they believe they’ve put

a marker down for the future. After cel-ebrating George Bush who doubled the national debt with irresponsible top end tax cuts, a costly and unfunded war abroad and wasteful spending at home, Republicans have decided suddenly to become the party of small government and balanced budgets again.

Problem is that this position doesn’t make sense at the moment the coun-try faces the worst economic downturn

since the Great Depression. And it won’t make sense in the future either.

The fact is that this country has basic needs that must be attended to long term. We need to build a public social contract – starting with afford-able health care for all – to replace the private promises now shredded by the corporations. We need to invest in the world class education system – from pre-Kindergarten to affordable college – if we want to be a high wage society in a global economy. We need to build a 21st century infrastructure – from mass transit to fast broadband, new water systems and electronic grids – if we want an effi cient economy for busi-ness to thrive.

All that costs money. All has been starved over the last de-cades when conservatives argued that tax cuts for the wealthy would create a more p r o s p e r o u s society than critical public inves tment . Now that the wizards of Wall Street have gambled away some $8 trillion betting that housing prices would never fall, we’ve learned that private specu la t ion can waste a lot more mon-ey than gov-

ernment does. It’s going to take more than this one

bill to get the economy going. The administration now must deal with the housing crisis, and with reorganizing the banking sector. And it will most likely have to come back for another stimulus bill next year, for this one is probably too small to lift us out of the hole we are in.

see No Nothings page 25


Women’s History Month Profi les:

Black Women In LeadershipHatshepsut (Maatkare) Pharaoh of Kemet (Ancient Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty (1472-1458 BCE)

Widow of Thutmosis II, Hatshepsut ruled fi rst as regent for his minor

son and heir, and then as Pha-raoh, a female Horus. Her titles include “King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Maatkare, Daughter of Re.”

She is de-picted in a fake beard and with the objects that a Pharaoh is usually depicted with, and in male attire, after a few years of ruling in female form. She reported herself heading up a military campaign and going on a journey to the Land of Punt. She disappears suddenly from history, and her son apparently ordered the de-struction of images of Hatshepsut and mentions of her rule.

Queen Nzinga (1583-1663)

In the sixteenth century, the Portug-ese shifted their slave-trading activi-

ties to the Congo and South West Af-rica. Here, the Portugese encountered the brilliant and courageous Queen Nzinga, who was determined never to accept the Portugese conquest of her country, was an exceptional states-woman and military strategist, she ha-rassed the Portugese until her death, at age eighty, December 17, 1663.

She is renowned for the guerilla

tactics she employed for resisting the technologically superior Portugese army. She was a brilliant strategist and, although past sixty, led her warriors herself never surrenduring.

Her death accelerated the Portugese occupation of the interior of South West Africa, fueled by the massive expan-sion of the Portugese slave trade.

Harriet Tubman (1820-1913)

In 1844, Araminta Harriet Greene mar-ried John Tubman, who was a free

man. She escaped slavery in 1849 and traveled north. Following her escape she devoted her life to fi ghting slav-ery, helping slaves and ex-slaves, and championing the rights of women.

Over the course of 10 years, and at great personal risk, she led over 300 hundred slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad, a secret net-work of safe houses where runaway slaves could stay on their journey north to freedom. Harriet became known as the “Moses of her people.” She later be-

came a leader in the abolitionist move-ment, and during the Civil War she was a nurse, scout, and a spy for the federal forces in South Carolina. After the war, she lived in Auburn, New York, where she founded the Harriet Tubman Home for Aged Negroes and worked for the voting rights of blacks. She died March 10, 1913 in New York.

Shirley Chisholm (1924-

2005)

Shirley Chisholm, the fi rst African-American woman elected to the

U.S. Congress and the fi rst to campaign for the presidency, was a passionate and effective advocate for the needs of minorities, women and children and has changed the nation’s perception

about the capabilities of women and African-Americans.

A New York City educator and child care manager, Chisholm saw the prob-lems of the poor every day, and in the 1950s this led her to run for and win a seat in the New York State Legislature. In 1968 she was elected to Congress from the new 12th District. There she supported improved employment and education programs, expansion of day care, income support and other pro-grams to improve inner city life and op-portunity. She advocated for the end of the military draft and reduced defense spending. In 1970 she published her fi rst book, Unbossed and Unbought.

She served in Congress until 1982 and in 1972 entered several Demo-cratic presidential primaries, receiving 151 delegate votes for the presiden-tial nomination. Her second book, The Good Fight, was published in 1973.

Barbara Jordan (1936-1996)

Barbara Jordan was the fi rst Black woman to serve in the U.S. Con-

gress from the South. Throughout her school days she was an honor student


Black Women In Leadership

and excelled in debating. She earned degrees in Political Science and His-tory from Texas Southern and in Law from Boston University. She initiated her political service in 1962 and was elected a State Senator in 1967 be-coming the fi rst Black woman in the Texas Legislature and the fi rst Black to serve since 1883. She ran for and was elected to Congress in 1972. Both as a state senator and as a U.S. Congress-man, she sponsored bills that cham-pioned the cause of poor, Black, and disadvantaged people including spon-soring legislation to broaden the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to extend its author-ity to those states where minorities had been denied the right to vote or had had their rights restricted by unfair registra-tion practices, such as literacy tests. Ms. Jordan was chosen as a keynote speaker for the Democratic National Convention in 1976, and again in 1992. She was the fi rst Black selected to key-note a major political convention.

Michaëlle JeanHer Excellency the Right Honour-

able Michaëlle Jean is the 27th and current Governor General of Can-ada, appointed by Queen Elizabeth II in September 2005. She is Canada’s fi rst Black Governor General. The Gover-nor General of Canada is the vice-regal representative in Canada of the Queen of Canada (Queen Elizabeth II), who is the head of state, and governs in the name of and as representative of the monarch. There is no specifi c term for

from Black Women page 9

this offi ce.Jean fl ed Haiti with her family from

Dictator François Duvalier’s regime in 1968. The Jean family settled at Thet-ford Mines, Quebec. As a student at the

University of Montreal, Jean received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Italian and Hispanic languages and literature and, from 1984 until 1986, taught Italian studies while completing a Master of Arts degree in comparative literature. Jean attended the University of Flor-ence, the University of Perugia, and the Catholic University of Milan to continue her studies in language and literature. Besides French and English, Jean is fl uent in Spanish, Italian, and Haitian Creole and can read Portuguese.

The Governor General, who has cho-sen to make youth one of the focuses of her mandate, spoke with close to 300 university students, senators, fed-eral ministers and community leaders in the fi rst-ever student forum on the abolition of slavery and anti-racism held by a Canadian governor general. www.gg.ca/gg.

Amina Salum Ali

Her Excellency Madam Amina Sa-lum Ali is the fi rst female Ambas-

sador Extraordinary and Plenipotentia-ry, African Union Mission to the United States. Prior to her appointment, Amina Salum Ali was one of the long serving cabinet ministers in Zanzibar (United Republic of Tanzania) and served as deputy minister for fi nance in the URT government.

Ambassador Ali is known for her aca-demic and political attributes. She holds an MBA in Marketing from the Univer-sity of Pune, India; a BA in Economics from the University of New Delhi, India; a Diploma in Financial Management from the Indian Institute of Finance Management in Pune, India; and a Di-ploma in Market Research and Export Promotion from Prodec Program, Uni-versity of Finland. She has served in government and leadership positions for many years.

As the spokesperson of the African Union in the USA, Ms. Ali represents over 900 million people in more than 53 independent nations and other ter-ritories; land area of 30.4 million square kilometers, which is more than three times the size of the United States; and a richly endowed continent with min-eral reserves and ranks fi rst or second in quantity of world reserves of bauxite, cobalt, industrial diamond, phosphate rock, platinum-group metals (PGM), vermiculite, and zirconium.

Susan E. RiceThe Honorable Susan Rice is the

United States Ambassador to the United Nations and a member of the Cabinet of President Barack H. Obama. Rice was born in Washington, DC. She was a three-sport athlete, student coun-cil president, and valedictorian at Na-tional Cathedral School in Washington, DC. Rice attended Stanford University, where she received a Truman Scholar-ship, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1986. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, Rice attend-ed New College, Oxford, where she earned a Masters in Philosophy in 1988 and Doctor of Philosophy in 1990.

see Black Women page 14


President Obama Creates the White House Council on Women and Girls

President Barack Obama has signed an Executive Order cre-

ating the White House Council on Women and Girls. The mission of the Council will be to provide a co-ordinated federal response to the challenges confronted by women and girls and to ensure that all Cab-inet and Cabinet-level agencies consider how their policies and pro-grams impact women and families. The Council will be chaired by Valer-ie Jarrett, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor, and will include as members cabinet-level federal agencies. The Executive Director of the Council will be Tina Tchen, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Offi ce of Public Liaison at the White House.

“The purpose of this Council is to ensure that American women and girls are treated fairly in all mat-ters of public policy,” said President Obama. “My Administration has al-ready made important progress to-ward that goal. I am proud that the

fi rst bill I signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act. But I want to be clear that issues like equal pay, family leave, child care and others are not just wom-en’s issues, they are family issues and economic issues. Our progress in these areas is an important mea-sure of whether we are truly fulfi ll-ing the promise of our democracy for all our people. I am confi dent that Valerie Jarrett and Tina Tchen will guide the Council wisely as its members address these important issues.”

The White House Council on Women and Girls will ensure that agencies across the federal gov-ernment, not just a few offi ces, take into account the particular needs and concerns of women and girls. The Council will begin its work by asking each agency to analyze their current status and ensure that they are focused internally and external-ly on women.

In particular, the Council will work

to enhance, support and coordinate the efforts of existing programs for women and girls. The Council will also work as a resource for each agency and the White House so that there is a comprehensive ap-proach to the federal government’s policy on women and girls. The pri-orities will be carried out by working closely with the President’s Cabinet Secretaries and relevant agency offi ces that focus on women and families.

During its fi rst year, the Council will also focus on the following ar-eas:• Improving women’s economic se-curity by ensuring that each of the agencies is working to directly im-prove the economic status of wom-en. • Working with each agency to en-sure that the administration evalu-ates and develops policies that es-tablish a balance between work and family. • Working hand-in-hand with the Vice President, the Justice Depart-ment’s Offi ce of Violence Against Women and other government of-fi cials to fi nd new ways to prevent violence against women, at home and abroad. • Finally, the critical work of the Council will be to help build healthy families and improve women’s health care.

The White House Council on Women and Girls will meet regu-larly, and will serve as a forum for all involved agencies to focus on women.

Initial members of the Council in-

First Lady Michelle Obama joins in the applause at the Executive Order sign-ing ceremony in the East Room of the White House, creating the White House Council on Women and Girls.

White House Photo/Pete Souza

see Women & Girls page 12

White House Council

clude:The Secretary of State; The Secretary of the Treasury; The Secretary of Defense; The Attorney General; The Secretary of Interior; The Secretary of Agriculture; The Secretary of Commerce; The Secretary of Labor; The Secretary of Health and Human Services; The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; The Secretary of Transportation; The Secretary of Energy; The Secretary of Education; The Secretary of Veterans Affairs;The Secretary of Homeland Security; The United States Ambassador to the United Nations; The United States Trade Representative; The Director of the Offi ce of Management and Budget;The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency;The Administrator of the Small Business Administration; The Director of the Offi ce of Personnel Management; The Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors; The Director of the National Economic Council; and The Director of the Domestic Policy Council.

In addition to the initial list of mem-bers, the President may designate additional heads of other Executive Branch departments, agencies, and offi ces.

Follow the actions of the White House Council on Women and Girls at the White House website www.whitehouse.gov

from Women & Girls page 11

Young Woman Entrepreneur Tackles Bookstore Retailing

Aprilia Morales invites you to visit Malik’s Books in the African Marketplace on the second level of the Baldwin Hills-Cren-shaw Mall, Crenshaw and King Blvd., in Los Angeles. Open seven days a week to meet your personal, business and gifting needs. See the store ad on page 37.


Research has shown that women business owners think a little dif-

ferently, and that is defi nitely the case with Aprilia Morales, co-owner with her husband Malik of Malik’s Books.

Morales, a Los Angeles-area native, got involved with the 17-year-old Bald-win Hills/ Crenshaw Plaza book store three years ago, and it has not been the same since.

One of the key differences the entre-preneur has made to the bookseller is to bolster its children’s book section.

“We have the largest African Ameri-can kid’s section in Los Angeles. We have more than 1,000 book (titles),” claims Morales, crediting her husband with teaching her about the business of books. “I wanted to empower kids read-ing,” said the entrepreneur, who noted that the majority of the books featured in the children’s collection are written by local authors like Brenda Roberts, a professor at Cal State University Northridge.

In addition to carrying a large se-lection of children’s books, Morales said she takes the book store to local schools once a month. During these events, youngsters have an opportuni-ty to meet some of the authors as well as hear and learn poetry.

And for those who want a little more, Morales has instituted monthly writing workshops at the store that give youth ages 7 to 14 the chance to develop their skills.

“They come in and read a Chapter or two out of the chosen book for the month, then they have to write a short story to be critique, and we do this all in an hour. We critique out loud so that everyone can understand what has to be corrected,” explained Morales, who pulled the idea for the writing work-shops from her own childhood.

“I did this, when I was young, and it helped me a great deal. So this was my opportunity to implement it in the book-store,” said Morales, who has never been a teacher, but has always given away books instead of toys as gifts to children.

In addition to feeding her passion to help young people fulfi ll their potential, focusing on children has been a good move for the bottom line at Malik’s Books.

Ultimately, Morales wants to expand the book section at Malik’s, which will in turn allow more writing workshops and tutoring session to be held. It will also satisfy her passion to help young people fulfi ll their creative potential.

By Thia Fins

Malikbooks African Marketplace

Second LevelBaldwin Hills/Crenshaw Mall

Los Angeles

Visit our On-line Books Tour @www.Autographbooks.com


First All Female African-American Flight Crew

African-American women continue to demonstrate professionalism,

intelligence and unlimited potential as they contribute to our overall struggle for unlimited freedom, access and op-portunity in America . The women on Flights 5202 and 5106 (a jet owned by Atlantic Southeast> Airlines) have proven that African-American women can do anything if just given a fair op-portunity.

They made history on Thursday, February 12, 2009 as the fi rst all Afri-can American female crew. The team operated fl ight 5202 from Atlanta to Nashville and fl ight 5106 from Nash-ville back to Atlanta. The crew included Captain Rachelle Jones (2nd on right), First Offi cer Stephanie Grant (1st on left), Flight Attendant’s Robin Rogers and Diana Galloway.

Her career posts include the National Security Council, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. Dr. Rice is the second youngest and fi rst African American woman US Representative to the UN.

Barbara LeeCongresswoman Barbara Lee was

fi rst elected to represent Califor-nia’s 9th Con-gressional Dis-trict in 1998. A member of the House Appro-priations Com-mittee, Con-g r e s s w o m a n Lee also serves on the Foreign Affairs Commit-tee on the sub-

committees on Western Hemisphere and Africa and Global Health.

Congresswoman Lee was sworn in as the Chairwoman of the Congressio-nal Black Caucus (CBC) on January 6, 2009. The 42-member CBC is one of the longest standing caucuses in Con-gress.

Her accomplishments include pro-moting effective, bipartisan legislation to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and bringing treatment to the infected; au-thoring or co-authoring every major piece of legislation dealing with global AIDS issues since she was elected to Congress, including legislation that cre-ated the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and the position of Special Advisor for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, and she is a co-author of legislation recent-ly enacted that re-authorizes PEPFAR and US global tuberculosis and malaria programs at a cost of $48 billion over 5 years; recognition in 2005 by the House of the goals of National Black AIDS Awareness Day; and passage of legislation she authorized to allow di-vestment from companies doing busi-ness in Sudan.

Black Women In Leadershipfrom Black Women page 10 Karen Bass

The Honorable Karen Bass is the fi rst African American women to be

elected Speaker of the Assembly for the California State Assembly and is the fi rst African American woman in the country to serve in this powerful state legislative role. Ms Bass represents the 47th district in California. She has been a State Assembly Member since 2005.

During her fi rst term she was ap-pointed to Majority Whip. In her second term, she was appointed Majority Floor Leader, making her the fi rst woman and the second African American to serve in the position. As the chair of the California Assembly Select Committee on Foster Care, she lead the effort to secure more than $82 million and to im-plement a host of new laws to help im-prove the state’s Foster Care System.

She has created state laws providing H e a l t h y F a m i l i e s Insurance Coverage to help p r e v e n t c h i l d r e n from go-ing with-out health insurance; establish-ing a small business policy that removes red tape by preventing businesses from fi lling out duplicate certifi cation forms for the city and state; and providing more than $600 million for Los Angeles Unifi ed School District.

Bass created the People’s Council in order for constituents in the 47th As-sembly District to get involved in the political process. Before her political career, she founded and ran Commu-nity Coalition, a community based so-cial justice organization in South Los Angeles to empower residents to get involved in making a difference. Today, the organization is considered a model to engage the community throughout the country.


Change is the theme for 2009, and nowhere is the evidence of change

more visible than when you consider women. For years people like Fannie Lou Hamer, Shirley Chi-solm, Bar-bara Jordan, Patricia Har-ris, Oprah Winfrey and Janice Bry-ant How-royd have blazed trails of change in America.

As we cel-ebrate wom-en’s history month in March 2009, it is a quite appropriate time to take a look at the state of women as entrepreneurs.

According to the most recent Census numbers, there are 6.5 million female-owned companies, which represents about 28 percent of America’s non-farm businesses. These enterprises employ more than seven million people.

There are also 7,231 women-owned businesses with 100 or more employ-ees and these fi rms generate $274 bil-lion in gross receipts.

California can lay claim to having the most women-owned companies within its borders at 870,496 or 13 percent New York is second with 505,077 or 8 percent of all businesses, and Texas is third in number of businesses with 468,705, accounting for 7 percent of all businesses.

Minority women owned a larger per-centage of businesses compared to non-Hispanic white women, and at 46 percent (of Black fi rms), African Ameri-can women controlled the biggest share of companies.

By Thia Fins

The State of Black Women as Entrepreneurs

Linda Johnson RiceChairman/CEO, Johnson

Publishing Company

First Lady of the United States of America Michelle L. R. Obama


Financial Program to Boost Consumer Credit Launched

The Federal Reserve has rolled out a much-awaited $200 billion program

to spur lending for cars, credit cards, education and small businesses.

The program has the potential to generate up to $1 trillion of lending for businesses and households starved for credit, which is the lifeblood of the economy. “We should see immediate benefi ts” from the program, said Fed-eral Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

The Term Asset-Backed Securi-ties Loan Facility (TALF) was fi rst an-nounced late last year and originally scheduled to start in February.

Under the program, the Federal Re-serve will buy securities backed by different types of debt including credit card, auto, student and small business loans. The credit crunch — the worst since the 1930s — has made it much more diffi cult for people to obtain such fi nancing, and those who do can be

socked with high rates. Participants — companies and in-

vestors that pledge eligible collateral to back the loan — must request the new government loans by March 17. The Federal Reserve will provide a fi rst round of three-year loans on March 25.

“The TALF is designed to catalyze the securitization markets by provid-ing fi nancing to investors to support their purchases of certain AAA-rated asset-backed securities,” the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department said in a joint statement. “The TALF will assist lenders in meeting the bor-rowing needs of consumers and small businesses, helping to stimulate the broader economy.”

The Federal Reserve plans to keep the program running through Decem-ber but said it could be extended.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner

announced an expansion of the Fed’s program on Feb. 10, saying it also will include support for commercial mort-gage-backed securities. The central bank said teams from Treasury and the Fed are analyzing the right terms for the commercial real-estate component.

The Fed and Treasury currently antic-ipate that securities backed by car fl eet leases as well as certain equipment — including for heavy construction and for agriculture — will be eligible for Fed funding in its April operation.

Participants in the second round of funding must request the government loans by April 7, which the Fed will dis-burse on April 14.

The program, the Fed said, will re-main focused on securities that will have the greatest impact to aid the troubled economy and shaky fi nancial markets and that can be added at a low risk to the government.

Prior to the fi nancial crisis, banks relied heavily on packaging loans into securities and selling them to fund ad-

see Consumer Credit page 26

California:57 Projects Expected to Create Over 11,000 New Jobs in California

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced the 57 projects

that are fi rst in line to receive infrastruc-ture-focused federal economic stimulus funding in California. Totaling $625 mil-lion in funding, these 57 projects were voted on and announced by the Cali-fornia Transportation Commission. The West Merced Overhead Project is ex-pected to help boost the local economy and create over 800 jobs – while the 57 projects are expected to create over 11,000 new jobs throughout California.

“When President Obama made infra-structure projects a priority, we imme-diately took action – and are working around the clock to pump this money into our economy to create jobs as quickly and effi ciently as possible,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “President Obama was absolutely right to invest federal economic stimulus funding in our nation’s ailing infrastructure – and I made sure California was prepared to jump on this opportunity because we

know fi rst-hand it’s an effective way to provide a shot to the arm for our econ-omy and put thousands of Californians back to work.”

Nearly $565 million of this funding is targeted for projects in the State High-way Operations and Protection Pro-gram (SHOPP), including work on rural and urban highways for bridge pres-ervation and roadway safety. These projects are fi rst in line to receive in-frastructure-focused federal economic stimulus funding because protecting public safety is the highest priority and preserving the state’s investment in its highway system is highly cost-effective. The remaining $60 million of funding will go towards pavement preservation projects.

The scope of work for the West Mer-ced Overhead Project on State Route 99 includes replacement of the West Merced overhead structures to cor-rect structural defi ciencies and bring the sight distance up to standard. This

project will also provide vertical and horizontal clearances required by the railroad to these structures. Also in-cluded in the project, the Bear Creek bridges located on State Route 99 will be seismically retrofi tted.

Overall, estimates show California is expected to receive approximately $2.57 billion for highways, local streets and roads, freight and passenger rail, and port infrastructure projects from the American Recovery and Reinvest-ment Act (ARRA) signed by President Obama on February 17.

Prior to the passage of the Ameri-can Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AARA), the Governor aggressively pushed for infrastructure investment’s inclusion in the federal economic stim-ulus package and worked to ensure the Obama Administration had a clear pic-ture of the magnitude of infrastructure investment that could be made in Cali-fornia to immediately create jobs.

To view the California Transporta-tion Commission’s announcement and list of 57 projects fi rst in line to receive infrastructure-focused federal economic stimulus funding please visit the commission website at: http://www.caltrans.ca.gov/hq/paffairs/news/pressrel/09pr3.htm.


The Greenlining Institute’s 16th Annual Economic Summit“Coping With Crisis | Advancing Change”

Friday, April 3, 2009 8:30 am - 9:30 pmOur Lady of the Angels Center at Cathedral Plaza555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles (Downtown)

Join corporate leaders, economic development practitioners, civil rights activists, health advocates, philanthropists, students, academics, elected

officials, and more for this exciting and informative event.

• Special presentation honoring the legacy of Greenlining founders John C. Gamboa and Bob Gnaizda

• Acknowledge the beginning of a new era for Greenlining with Orson L. Aguilar, new Executive Director.

• Applaud The Greenlining “Big Brain” Award presention to Earl “Skip” Cooper, President/CEO, Black Business Association.

Confirmed speakers include: Richard Davis, CEO, US BankRandall Stephenson, CEO, AT&T

Senator Alex PadillaPaul H. Turner, West Angeles Community Development Corporation

Register Now: www.greenlining.org/summit.

Our Economic Recovery Plan

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BBAAdvertisers& MemberBusinesses


Membership:Nominations Are Open - You Name the Winners at the Annual BBA Awards Dinner?

It’s that time of year for Black Busi-ness Association (BBA) regular fi nan-

cial members to nominate candidates for the BBA Annual Awards Dinner. Time to assess your business experi-

ence and give your vote to those corpo-rations, agencies and individuals who served you and/or the community well in 2008.

As the access to opportunity has evolved for African American business over these last few years, the catego-ries in which corporations, government agencies and corporate representa-tives can excell have increased. The categories for 2008 include:•Government Agency Award

Agency most responsive in promot-ing BBA and Black economic develop-ment•Majority Corporation Award

Contributions to and support of the BBA, the Black business community and demonstrating a high level of re-sponsiveness to Black business enter-prise•Community Service Award

Support of and contributions to the African American community by com-munity based organizations•Purchasing Agent Award

Exceptional support in the purchase of goods and services from members of the BBA•Small Business Lender Award

Effective lending of capital to black-owned enterprises enabling expansion, retention, and attraction of fi rms.•Government Prime Contractor Award

Prime contractor most responsive in promoting the BBA and SBA African American 8(A) contractors•Advocate for Inclusion

Down Home Pot RoastSeafood GumboChicken/Chicken Sausage GumboSmokey's Rice & Beans

www.smokeyrobinsonfoods.com • [email protected]

Demonstrate effective growth in sup-ply chain management for black enter-prises•Black Business of the Year

BBA member business that exhibits

exceptional business growth while be-ing responsive to community service

needs•Supplier Diversity Award

Public or private sector entity that has demonstrated a proven supplier diversity program in the best interest of Arican American entrepreneurs•Corporate Service Award

Public or private entitiy support of and contributions to the African Ameri-can ommunity•Special Recognition Award

Corporations or individuals whose contributions and support of the BBA and Black Business community does not fi t any of the above categories.

The Nomination Ballot is on the BBA website - www.bbala.org. Your nomi-nation must be received in the BBA of-fi ce by March 31st. Call 323-291-9334 for detailed information.

35th Annual Black Business Association Awards Dinner • June, 2009

Technology:

Take a Look!by LaSandra StrattonCheck out what these fi rms and organi-zations have to offer for your personal interests, personal wealth building, and business expansion opportunities.

www.recovery.govRecovery.gov lets you, the taxpayer, fi gure out where the money from the American Recovery and Reinvest-ment Act is going. There will be dif-ferent ways to search for information. When the money is distributed by Federal agencies you’ll be able to see where it’s going -- to which states, to which congressional districts, even to which Federal contractors.

www.WUSA9.comThe US Census Bureau is hiring Cen-sus Takers in preparation for the 2010 census. Full- and part-time positions are available. Visit the website for de-tails and to download the application and test forms. Salary is $18.00 an hour.

www.africa-asia-confi dential.com

Africa-Asia Confi dential was founded in response to the growing political and economic relations between Af-rica and Asia and by the need to un-derstand the implications for Africa. It aims to get behind the headlines to analyse the real signifi cance of events, policies and bilateral relations between the two continents.

www.teachthepeople.com

Teach the People is a Facebook ap-plication that provides a platform for online education. Each instructor can upload documents, media, and online webcasts. The platform supports an integrated payment system that al-lows instructors to charge for their on-line lessons.


andComedy NightJoin the Fun!Share the Laughs!

Support the BBA Submitted by LaSandra Stratton

Quote of Note...“Civil Rights opened the windows.

When you open the windows, it does not mean that everybody

will get through. There are people of my generation who didn’t get through. We must creat our own

opportunities.”

Dr. Mary Frances Berry


Financial Management:

Your Team is on Your Sideby Attorney Caprice L. Collins

Estate Plan-ning is like

a team sport. In these turbulent economic times,

sometimes it may seem like you are go-ing it all alone. However, you’ll fi nd that bringing together a team of qualifi ed professionals will bring you peace of mind as you work towards your goals.

Before doing anything else, you must fi rst select the members of your team to help you achieve your goals. This team consists of the following professionals, depending on your goals:•A Qualifi ed Estate Planning Attor-ney. An estate planning attorney who focuses their practice in the area of es-tate planning is critical to helping guide you through the intricacies of the area. Whether you are just starting out in life or you are in your golden years, an estate planning attorney can help you make sure your assets are left to your heirs in the manner you desire. •A Financial Planner. A good fi nancial planner is important to make sure you are on track to achieve your retirement and other fi nancial goals.•An Accountant. A good accountant can help you navigate income tax is-sues and, if you have a business, can make sure the business adheres to ac-counting standards.•An Insurance Agent. An insurance agent can help you select the right coverage for your needs to shift risks you cannot afford to bear yourself. Life insurance can be particularly useful in estate planning.

Your estate planning attorney can work with you to identify your goals. Once you have identifi ed those goals, your estate planning attorney, working with the rest of your team, can build a game plan to get you to the fi nish line.

The hardest part is defeating inertia and picking up the phone. Once you take the fi rst step, your estate planning attorney will help guide you through the

process and may be able to make rec-ommendations on selecting the rest of your team, if you haven’t yet done so.

Now is a great time to get started. The combination of low asset values and low interest rates makes for un-precedented opportunities in your es-tate planning. Your team is waiting for you to call the fi rst play.

Attorney Caprice L. Collins is a member of the BBA, a Harvard Law School graduate, a mem-ber of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys and has been engaged in the practice of law for the last 29 years. For more informa-tion or to attend an upcoming seminar, call (310) 677-9787 ext. 5 or visit the fi rm website at www.collinslawgroup.com.

Support the

BBAOrder Your Copy Today by calling 614-481-7300 or visitthe product website at www.whoswhopublishhing.com.

Seating is Limited – Make Your Reservation Today!

Seminars will be presented at the

WWeessttcchheesstteerr--LLooyyoollaa LLiibbrraarryy7114 W. Manchester Avenue,

Los Angeles, CA 90045 Refreshments will be served!

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How to leave your spouse with enough assets to live on comfortably. Beneficiary designations filed years ago with banks that have since gone through mergers are simply lost. Are your beneficiary designations in order? How to cover your family’s financial obligations after your death. How to provide “Remarriage Protection” to safeguard assets for your children from outsiders.Have there been changes in YOU!

Caprice L. Collins is a top rated Harvard Law School trained attorney, fellow alumni with President Barack Obama and a noted speaker on Living Trusts and Estate Planning. Ms. Collins’ law practice is devoted exclusively to estate/business planning and Trust Administration. She is the only South Bay member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, a distinguished organization of attorneys recognized by Money Magazine and Suze Orman as a first choice for Estate Planning legal services. Her seminars are said to be “entertaining and easy-to-understand.”

Attend and Receive a Free One Hour Trust Review ($350 Value)

Call 310-677-9787 ext. 5 for information or go to www.collinslawgroup.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 21ST, 2009 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

WESTCHESTER-LOYOLA LIBRARY 7114 W. Manchester Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90045 (Light Refreshments Will Be Served)


No Nothings

Once the economy does recover, we’ll face a fundamental debate about the next economy. We can’t go back to the old version that was built on

bubbles and speculation and blew up in our faces. We’ve got to lay the basis of long term growth and shared pros-perity. And that will require a broader and sustained public commitment, with progressive taxes to pay for it.

Republicans have not caught up with this reality. They keep selling the same old song -- scorn for government and hosannas for lower taxes. Worse, they’ve imposed a herd mentality on their leaders so none dare stray far enough to think on their own. Republi-cans have put down a marker all right. One that shows they remain oblivious to the crisis we face and the long term choices we must make.

from No Nothings page 25

The 2009 Housing Finance Insti-tute™ (HFI) is providing you with

more opportunities for learning than in past years. The HFI team has updated existing courses and developed new ones to ensure you are kept informed of the latest market and policy changes.

Don’t miss out on these educational opportunities–register today at www.efanniemae.com (Training & Educa-tion/Housing Finance Institute). Get started by selecting the region you are interested in visiting. Or, if you are

unsure of the course or courses you would like to attend, simply select the course title that interests you to read a brief course description. Also review course fees.2009 HFI Session Locations

Pasadena, CA: Old Pasadena • Courtyard by Marriott • March 24 - 26Boston, MA: Metro Meeting Cen-• ters • May 19 - 21Chicago, IL: University of Chicago • – Gleacher Center • July 21 - 23

Support the BBA

This Task Force is targeted at raising the living standards of middle-class,

working families in America. It is com-prised of top-level administration policy makers, will hold regular meetings, and conduct outreach sessions with repre-sentatives of labor, business, and the advocacy communities. Vice Presi-dent Joe Biden, Task Force Chair, has opened www.AStrongMiddleClass.gov to receive your questions of and suggestions for theTask Force.

White House Task Force on Middle Class Working Families


CALIFORNIA:

Councilman Garcetti Lobbies Washington For Federal Funds

U.S. General Services Administration • Los Angeles World Airports5th Annual Opening Doors for Small Business Conference

“Providing Opportunities in a Challenging Economy”April 6-8, 2009 • Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles

Registration/Information: www.openingdoorscal.comIn fi scal year 2007, the federal government awarded $83 billion in contracts to small businesses. Open new doors to your share of the government marketplace by attending or exhibiting at this information-packed small business procurement conference intended to create an effective outreach environment for all small businesses! Through networking and matchmaking, workshops and exhibits, attendees will make lasting connections leading to business development and strategic partnerships in the pursuit of the billions of dollars in federal government contracts awarded to small businesses.The proposed 2009 agenda will feature workshops specifi cally designed to help small businesses fi nd new government marketplace opportunities in challenging economic times, as well as an enhanced, expanded matchmaking program that promises more productive appointments with federal and state agencies and prime contractors that are specifi cally "looking for" your product or service offering. You may register at the event’s website www.openingdoorscal.com.

Rose Cote, Business Outreach Coordinator, Business and Job Resources Center, Los Angeles World AirportsTel. (310) 417-6490 Ext. 1430 • Fax. (310) 649-3489

Los Angeles City Coun-cil President Eric Gar-

cetti joined a delegation of Southern California civic and business lead-ers on a trip to Washing-ton, DC where they advo-cated for federal funding for our region.

Garcetti met with key national leaders, includ-ing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.

In addition, Garcetti joined a coalition of Californians in meeting a dozen Cali-fornia members of Congress.

"I attended a bipartisan meeting that not only brought together Republicans and Democrats, but Southern Califor-nians and Northern Californians to fi ght to ensure that our Golden State gets the federal resources we need in this

tough economy. In an impressive show of strength and unity, we fi lled a hear-ing room at the Cannon House Offi ce Building," said Garcetti. "Throughout the trip, we've discussed our need for funding that will help us keep people in their homes and allow cities to hire more police to keep our neighborhoods safe. Southern California is America's economic recovery engine -- we need our fair share of recovery funding."

ditional lending. That process has fi -nanced about 25 percent of all auto, student and other consumer loans in recent years, the Treasury Department said Tuesday, until the credit markets ground to a halt in October.

Anil Kashyap, a professor at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, said the program should make it easier for consumers to get loans. But he cautioned that the Fed’s willingness to fi nance some debt could distort the markets by making other debt securities that lack the govern-ment’s backing less attractive to inves-tors.

“We’d really rather the credit markets just work properly,” Kashyap said.

Consumer Creditfrom Consumer Credit page 26

Support the

BBA

State Wide News!

California Council of

Black Chambers▲▲▲

2009 SpringBlack Business Expo

May 16, 2009951-571-3258

www.ieblackbusinessexpo.com

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Market Your BusinessAdd your business to the

Bay Area Black Yellow Pages website directory.

Click on “add a business” atwww.bayareablackyellowpages.com

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The Black Business Resource And Networking Directory Presents:

Saturday, May 16, 2009

The Inland Empire 2009 Spring Black Business Expo

“Bringing Communities Together Through Business Connec

tions

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Moreno Valley Conference & Recreation Center

14075 Frederick St.Moreno Valley, CA 92553 (Alessandro Blvd. and Frederick St.)

10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

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Black Business Association (BBA) & California Black Chambers (CBC)

AFRICAN AMERICAN ENGAGEMENT COLLABORATION

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The New Townhouse6835 La Tijera Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90045

EVERY 2nd Thursday of Each Month

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Hosts of the new business resource websites:

International:

2010 World Cup Tickets Now on SalePrepare to Savor the Games in South Africa - www.sa2010.gov.za

The 2010 Fifa World Cup kick-off on 11 June 2010 in Johannesburg,

South Africa is still 475 days away, but for football fans around the world, an-other important date has arrived: tick-ets for the event are now on sale to the general public.

Of the 1.65-million World Cup tickets that Fifa has allocated to the general public, just over 570,000 have been set aside for Fifa member country support-ers, and 344,000 for tourists who book with Fifa-registered tour operators.

That leaves a total of 743,965 tick-ets that anyone, from anywhere in the world including South Africa, can apply to buy - as of now.

Fans can apply online, through www.fi fa.com.

All ticket orders will be entered into a random selection draw at the same time on 15 April 2009, regardless of whether they were submitted on the fi rst or the last day of the fi rst sales phase, which runs from 20 February to 31 March.Ticket Types and Prices

Fans have the choice of match-specifi c tickets for the 64 games to be played in the tournament, as well as team-specifi c ticket series that al-low them to follow the country of their choice. These range from three-game ticket series (for three games involv-ing the same country) to seven-game ticket series.

Tickets are available in four catego-ries, with prices that vary accordingly. Category 4 tickets are reserved exclu-sively for South African residents, and were priced the lowest to enable citi-zens of the host country who would not normally be able to afford World Cup tickets to see the games.

While seating may vary from venue to venue, Category 1 seats are gen-erally located alongside the pitch, and range in price from US$160 (for a group match) to $900 (for the fi nal). South Af-ricans paying in rands will pay R1,120

and R6,300 respectively for the same tickets, with a fi xed exchange rate of R7 to the dollar being applied.

Category 2 seats are generally lo-cated alongside Category 1 seats, in the corners, and range in price from US$120 (for a group match) to $600 (for the fi nal).

Category 3 seats are generally lo-cated alongside Category 2 seats, in the corners or behind the goals, and range in price from US$80 (for a group match) to $400 (for the fi nal).

Category 4 seats are located behind the goals, and range in price from R140 (for a group match) to R1,050 (for the fi nal).

There’s also an in-centive for people bound to wheelchairs to follow the World Cup live. The wheelchair category of tickets, re-served for those who require wheelchairs to attend matches, cost the same as Category 4 seats, regardless of where they are located

- and include a complimentary ticket for the person accompanying the tick-etholder to the match.Subsequent Ticket Sales Phases

Any tickets left over from the fi rst, “random selection” phase - or released by any of Fifa’s other customer groups - will be sold in a second, “fi rst-come-fi rst-served” sales phase running from 4 May to 16 November 2009.

Two more sales phases - a random selection followed again by a fi rst-come-fi rst-served phase - will follow the World Cup Final Draw, in which the 32 participating teams will be drawn into eight groups for the tournament. The fi rst of these sales phases will run from 5 December 2009 to 22 January 2010, and the second from 9 February to 7 April 2010.

Finally, if there are still any tickets left over, these will be sold in a “last min-ute” sales phase running from 15 April to 11 July 2010.

Foundation Supports Microloan Programs in Kenya, EthiopiaThe Whole Planet Foundation’s mis-

sion is to create economic partner-ships with the poor in those develop-ing-world communities that supply our stores with product. Through innova-tive assistance for entrepreneurship - including direct microcredit loans and tangible support for other community partnership projects - we seek to un-leash the energy and creativity of every human being we work with in order to create wealth and prosperity in emerg-ing economies.

Whole Planet Foundation, a private,


nonprofi t organization established by Whole Foods Market, provides grants to microfi nance institutions in Latin America, Africa and Asia who in turn develop and offer microenterprise loan programs, training and other fi nancial services to the self-employed poor.

Whole Planet Foundation is autho-rized to work in developing countries where Whole Foods Market sources products. Priority is given to projects that demonstrate fi nancial leverage and potential fi nancial sustainability over

see Foundation page 29

“A FEW NOTES ON AFRICA”

Africa-Asia Confi dentialAfrica-Asia Confi dential was founded in response to the growing political and economic relations between Africa and Asia – and by the need to understand the implications for Africa. It aims to get behind the headlines to analyse the real signifi cance for our readers of events, policies and bilateral relations between the two continents. Despite the growing plethora of free news available from the internet and other sources today, the need for reliable, trustworthy information is even greater. Check it out at www.africa-asia-confi dential.com.

Umojanet Terrestrial Network Feasibility Starts

The NEPAD e-Africa Commission has initiated a study on the feasibility of its Umojanet Terrestrial Network

– a key step in the development of a broadband infrastructure network for Africa. The six-month study will determine what the cost of the network in the various regions will be and focus on the fi bre-optic couplings that Umojanet will need to link to the 40,000km Uhurunet submarine cable. The study will cover 23 countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa regions.

The results will be presented to prospective investors in the NEPAD Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that will develop, own and operate the terrestrial broadband network. The SPV will lease or sell Umojanet services to licensed telecom operators in various countries. The e-Africa Commission is also seeking investors for its Umojanet and Uhurunet projects, ranging from telecoms companies to fi nancial investors who are willing to invest over 15 to 20 years. www.eafricacommission.org.

Economic Forecasts/ActionsBoth the IMF and World Bank have


time. We look for strategic partnership opportunities in areas of relative politi-cal stability.History of the Foundation

The Whole Planet Foundation, es-tablished in October 2005, represents a signifi cant expansion of Whole Foods Market’s mission to actively participate in our communities. With more than 270 stores and 54,000 Team Members, we now have the scale and scope to give back to the global community. The creation of this foundation directly con-nects Whole Foods Market customers and Team Members to the villages in developing countries that supply us with products. Establishing these com-munity partnerships will contribute to the economic well being of the commu-nities where we source products.Who is Served • What is the Service

Microcredit ignites the tiny economic engines of the rejected underclass of society. Once a large number of tiny engines start working, the stage can be

Foundationfrom page 28

set for bigger things.Microloans are small loans - usually

$200 or less - requiring no collateral or contract. They are offered to the poor-est of the poor, with a focus on women, wanting to fi nance self-employment projects that will generate income. Whole Planet Foundation is focusing efforts on the villages and rural com-munities that supply our stores with products such as tropical fruit, vegeta-bles, tea, and coffee. Giving the poor in these commu-nities access to credit through microloans will enable them to escape the vi-cious cycle of pov-erty by allowing them to use their own energy and creativity to help themselves. Proj-ects are active in Nyeri, Kenya and Oromia and Harrar, Ethiopia.

Whole Foods sources coffee from both regions.Why

The Whole Planet Foundation was born out of Whole Foods Market’s de-sire to give something back to those who have helped us succeed while focusing on the persistent problem of world poverty and hunger.

Contributions to the foundation may be given at www.wholeplanetfounda-tion.org.

scaled back their forecasts for African economic growth in 2009 with the IMF expecting growth of 3.25% and the World Bank expecting growth of 3.5%. The World Bank has approved a fi rst phase of reforms to increase the infl uence of developing countries within the World Bank Group, including adding a seat for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Corrupt Practices Settlement KBR and its former parent, Halliburton, were involved in the second largest settlement, US$ 579 million, under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act after paying more than US$ 180 million in bribes to Nigerian offi cials to secure the contract to build a gas liquefaction plant in Nigeria.

Flower Industry SuffersThe Tanzanian fl ower industry has been hard hit by the global economic crisis.

SEE YOU ON THE CONTINENT.

Enclosed is a: Check Money Order

Please include check or money order with registration and make checks payable to CBCC Foundation.

Mail to: CBCC Foundation/Leadership Congress2951 Sunrise Boulevard, Suite 175, Rancho Cordova, California 95742

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A Renaissance 21st Century Project

Presents the African American Leadership & Education Congress

March 27 & 28, 2009Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza • Sacramento, California

Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza 300 J Street

Sacrasmento, California 95814 (916) 446-0100 • www.ichotelsgroup.com

Single – $119.00 Double – $129.00 Please contact the Holiday Inn for reservations, and ask for the CBCC Leadership Congress rate. Room reservation deadline is March 8, 2009.

The Holiday Inn Hotel Sacramento Capitol Plaza-Downtown/Old Sacramento caters to both corporate and leisure travel and is set in the heart of vibrant & historic downtown Sacramento.

Our Sacramento Hotels Old Town has attractions you won’t want to miss. The hotel is located next to the Westfield Mall and Historic Old Sacramento. Make sure to check out The California Railroad Museum. Always remember - “Green is INN”!

• AT&T • Bicker, Castillo & Fairbanks• Comcast• Kaiser Permanente• Moneytree, Inc.• Pacific Gas & Electric

• Southern California Edison• State Farm Insurance• Wells Fargo Bank • Western States Petroleum partial list

Friday, March 27, 2009

10:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm Lunch (Plenary Session) Session 1 – The Importance of Accessing the Political Process

2:30 pm – 5:00 pm Session 2 – Reducing Crime Session 3 – Health Issues & the African American Family Structure Session 4 – Technology & Its Practical Applications in the Urban Environment

5:30 pm – 7:30 pm Leadership Reception

Saturday, March 28, 2009

7:00 am – 12:00 pm Registration

8:00 am – 10:00 am Breakfast (Plenary Session) Session 5 – The Role of the Church in Community Economic Development

10:30 am – 12:30 pm Session 6 – Affordable Home Ownership Session 7 – Community Wealth Building Strategies Session 8 – Improving the Delivery of Education

12:45 pm – 2:00 pm Closing Luncheon w/ Keynote

CBCC Members & Affiliates ........................................................... $75.00

Non-Members .............................................................................. $125.00

Students with ID (18-25 years old) ................................................. $15.00

1-Day CBCC Members & Affiliates ................................................. $50.00

1-Day Non-Members ...................................................................... $65.00

Friday Luncheon Only .................................................................... $40.00

Friday VIP Reception Only .............................................................. $30.00

Saturday Breakfast Only ................................................................. $25.00

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• California Board of Prison Terms• California Dept. of Health Service• California Legislative Caucus• California Real Estate Corporation• Govenor’s Office of Technology• Internal Revenue Service• Moneytree, Inc.• National Association of Realtors

• School Districts – Grant Joint Union High School, Oakland, Sacramento Unified, and San Francisco• Wells Fargo• Yadari Enterprises partial list


Marketing:

Don’t Bypass African-AmericansMarketers Make Mistake by Failing to Expressly Target Nearly$1 Trillion MarketBy Marissa Miley, [email protected]

In 2008, the country’s top marketers tapped Barack Obama as Marketer

of the Year. Many of those same mar-keters also cut spending directed at the African-American market.

With advertisers chasing after niche markets such as mommy bloggers on tools such as Twitter, a “niche” worth $913 billion would seem the sort of market companies would be stumbling over each other to get to. Yet the Af-rican-American market has to continu-ally make the case that it’s a segment worth understanding, and one worth a dedicated portion of the ad budget.

African-Americans -- and the African-American market -- were surpassed in the past fi ve years by the growing His-panic sector, leading many marketers and the media to focus intently on the “next big thing” in the minority sector. According to Nielsen, total spending in Spanish-language media in the fi rst three quarters of 2008 was $4.3 billion, up 2.7% from the year before. Total spending on African-American media in that time period was $1.8 billion, down 5.3% from the same period in 2007. (Procter & Gamble was the largest spender in both categories.)

Still, the African-American segment has buying power of $913 billion, ac-cording to 2008 data from the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the Uni-versity of Georgia. That’s why African-American marketing experts are fl um-moxed that there is an implied question fl oating around the C-suites in the U.S.: Why bother targeting the demographic specifi cally?

Sales to be madePutting aside high-minded issues

such as diversity and multiculturalism, the simple answer is: to make money.

“It makes sense to address 40 million people who are African-American if you want to capture their consumer behav-

ior,” said Alfred Liggins, president-CEO of Radio One, pointing out that market-ers frequently target niche consumer segments such as new moms, outdoor enthusiasts and foodies. “Why is it an issue when you say that black people are a niche?”

The justifi cations marketers use are many, particularly in a recession: Tar-geting African-Americans costs too much; it takes dollars away from gener-al marketing; it does not add value. On a recent industry panel, Steve Stoute, founder-CEO of consulting/brand-ing fi rm Translation, suggested some brands do well with African-Americans precisely because they don’t market to the segment and are therefore seen as aspirational. (Mr. Stoute declined to participate in this story.)

Another justifi cation: “They speak English, don’t they?” mocked Pepper Miller, president of Hunter-Miller Group, an African-American market research and consulting fi rm. She said marketers typical-ly have this re-act ion b e -c a u s e of the s i g -nifi cant growth of the Latino market over the past couple of decades.

“That growth has become a catalyst for corporate America to embrace lan-guage as a cultural identifi er, not race,” she said. It’s easier, she said, to make the case that a group speaking a differ-ent language deserves a unique type of marketing.

African-Americans, on the other hand, because they share a common language with white America, are as-

sumed to share the same culture and same interests. Why bother with the research and expense when you can just recycle general-market advertising and maybe throw in a couple of black actors?

‘Profi tability and Buy-ability’“Step one is to recognize both the

profi tability and buy-ability of these market groups,” said Jason Chambers, author of “Madison Avenue and the Color Line.”

Of course, there are some marketers who recognize that. And perhaps it’s no coincidence that they are among the most successful brands in the U.S.

Najoh Tita-Reid, former director of multicultural marketing at Procter & Gamble, took the lead on the compa-ny’s “My Black Is Beautiful” effort before leaving t h e c o m -p a n y l a s t month. S h e p o i n t -ed to M c -D o n -ald’s and State Farm Insurance as two large corporations that have invested in the African-American market and met success.

“Do you believe one size fi ts all?” asked Carol Sagers, director-marketing at McDonald’s USA.

“Intuitively, you don’t.” “African-Americans have nuances in

lifestyle and nuances in language and culture that should be used to leverage communication,” she said. “McDonald’s believes in speaking to all our custom-ers, and speaking to them directly.”

African-American and BeyondBy speaking to African-Americans,

marketers can enhance their position-ing in the general market as well -- es-pecially considering how much of main-stream pop-culture gets its start in the African-American community.

For example, Ms. Tita-Reid said Mc-Donald’s “I’m Lovin’ It” campaign was

Pepper Miller

Najoh Tita-Reid

see Don’t Bypass page 33


Don’t Bypass

rooted in hip-hop culture, but had mes-saging that transcended race and eth-nicity and gained popularity around the world. “It’s worth leading with African-American insights,” Ms. Miller said. “When companies use these insights to develop their marketing strategies, communication strategies [and] me-dia plans, they have the most effective strategies not only reaching African-Americans, but the general market as well.”

State Farm has experienced this with its “50 Million Pound Challenge,” a sponsored weight-loss effort that be-gan in the African-American communi-ty. Since the program launched in April 2007, one million Americans have lost 3.5 million pounds.

“It now has a life of its own,” said Pa-mela El, VP-marketing for State Farm. “All races and ethnicities have joined the challenge.”

“We know through research ... that a way to connect to a different customer is to emotionally connect fi rst and help with that community.” In the pudding

The Selig Center estimates that black buying power will rise to $1.2 tril-lion in 2013 -- and that this number will translate to nearly 9% of the nation’s estimated buying power. “Why people continue to question this customer seg-ment continues to baffl e me,” said Mr. Chambers. “The proof is there.”

Of course, treating a market knock-ing on $1 trillion as one cohesive niche is over-simplifying things -- similar to making broad generalizations about Hispanics just because they speak Spanish. Yet it’s another mistake com-monly made when marketers do target African-Americans.

Published: February 2009 AdAge.com

from DON’T BYPASS on page 31

…black buying power will rise to $1.2 trillion

in 2013.

Quackenworth Publishing launched the offi cial site for the Witty Bitty

Bunch book series. The website, www.wittybittybunch.com, is targeted at chil-dren and parents of children 2 to 6 years of age and features animated stories, coloring and drawing activies, down-loadable digital books, and character-based games. The site is designed to be a co-viewing website encouraging interaction between parents and chil-

Quackenworth Launches WittyBittyBunch.comdren. What illustrates this is a feature that allows a child to receive a weekly message from their favorite character. “This feature encourages parents to be the gatekeepers of early literacy be-tween the character and the child.

Equal Housing Lender. © 2008 Countrywide Bank, FSB. Member FDIC. Trade/service marks are the property of Countrywide Financial Corporation, Countrywide Bank, FSB, or their respective affiliates and/or subsidiaries.

If you’re a Countrywide mortgage customer having a difficult time making your house payments, call one of our specially trained Home Retention Specialists. Countrywide wants to help you to keep your home. The sooner we can talk, the sooner we can try to help.

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Inc. 500|5000 Awards - Make the 2009 List

The Inc. 500 list of America’s fastest growing privately held companies

has been published by Inc. magazine

www.inc.com

since 1982. In 2007, the list expand-ed to the Inc. 500|5000, giving read-ers a deeper, richer understanding of the entrepreneurial landscape and capturing a broader spectrum of suc-cess.

For companies who make the list, Inc. will share their story with the world. The top 5,000 will be profi led on Inc.com, while the top 500 will be covered in the September 2009 issue of Inc. magazine.

The Inc. 500|5000 also recognizes the top 100 companies in every met-ropolitan area and industry area, as

well as categories such as Women Owned and Minority Owned business. All honorees are invited to our annual Inc. 500|5000 conference and celebra-tion.

You could be a winner!! But you can’t win if you don’t apply. Apply for the 2009 Inc. 500|5000 by April 15th at www.inc.com.

Shop with BBAAdvertisers &

Members


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Queen Aminah’s Clothing also offers Community Outreach Services:•Fashion Shows for Churches, Organizations and Civic Associations•Black History Presentations for Schools, Churches, Corporations and Government Agencies•Rites of Passage Programs for At-Risk Teen Girls, Teen Mothers, and Adult Women

African Marketplace BoutiqueCrenshaw-Baldwin Hills Mall, Crenshaw & King Blvd.

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3rd Annual Leimert ParkVillage Book Festival www.leimertparkbookfair.com

Saturday, June 6th • 10 am – 6 pmLeimert Park Village Theatre Parking Lot

(43rd Street & Degnan Blvd.)

Writers, storytellers, spoken word performers, poets, publishers, artists,

illustrators, booksellers & literary vendors

Special Highlights:•Four Presentation Stages

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Twitter is a micro-blogging platform. It lets you update your status and

lets the whole world know what you are up to. There are millions of Twitter-ad-dicts all over the world, and the number of active users has increased by 900% in the past year. Companies can also use it to promote themselves.

On Twitter you will have people “fol-lowing” you, and you will be “follow-ing” others. “Following” is being up-dated every time a new post is added to one of your contacts’ profi les. Being followed is the same; every time you have something to add, all your “follow-ers” will be updated. The more people that follow you, the more exposure your business will get. But it’s not about add-ing as many people as you can to your friends list. You need to be smart about building your follower base.

The problem is that many companies that try to market using Twitter don’t understand how this community works, and consequently their Twitter Market-ing efforts don’t pay off.

To help you avert this fate, the follow-ing steps will guide you in understand-ing what to do and what not to do to give your company huge exposure us-ing Twitter.Step 1: Import Your Contacts

Twitter allows you to to import con-tacts from Gmail, Hotmail and your own address book. Do it.Step 2: Make Sure that Your Profi le is Complete

Fill in all the fi elds (both required and optional) and include your website URL. You can also personalize your Twitter page to match your company’s branding.Step 3: Understand the Dynamics of Twitter

Twitter is a social tool, not a classi-fi eds site. These are some tips that will help you to get followers:• Don’t spam others about your spe-cials• Follow other users • Be active in the community (tweet and post comments about others’ tweets of-

Twitter Marketing: 7 Steps to Promote Your Business Using TwitterBy Zeke Camusio for Start-Up Nation

ten) • Only post useful and relevant informa-tion • Don’t tweet every 5 minutes. It be-comes annoying.

• Engage in conversations. Retweet (reply to others’ tweets) often • Don’t promote your company directly. Do it the smart way. For example, if you sell widgets, write a buyer’s guide about the kind of widgets that you sell and tweet about that blog post. That is useful information. Avoid tweets like “Great Widgets On Sale – Starting at

see Twitter on page 41


Eso Won Books African American Books

4331 Degnan Ave., Leimert Park, Los Angeles

“Give Books as Gifts to Friends & Family”

Check out our unsurpassed collection ofbooks, music, video, children’s books, and games!

323-294-0324 • www.esowonbooks.com//esowon.booksense.com for Calendar of Events

Books to Consider...How Obama Won, by Earl Ofari Hutchinson. In this political analyst

Hu tch inson , tells how the economy will shape and de-fi ne the suc-cess or failure of the Obama administration. He discusses the promises and the perils that lie ahead for the Obama administration.

Black Inventors: Crafting Over 200 Years of Success by Keith C. Holmes. Holmes set out to coun-ter the idea that Africans have contributed little to the devel-opment of the world’s science, technology and agricutural in-novations. This book proves that without the inventors, innovations, designers

and laborers of African descent, in Af-rica as well as throughout the the Af-rican Diaspora, western technology, as we know it today, would not exist. Published by Global Black Inventor Research Projects, Inc., the book is available through the website at www.globalblackinventor.com. E-mail in-quires about the book and the research project to [email protected] to Africa: A Journey of Discovery by Melvin J. Collier. Collier tells of his 14-year journey in excavating the buried history of his maternal grandmother’s family. This

fascinating trail of a seven genealogi-cal and historical journey of discovery that spans time and the distance from northern Mississippi to South Carolina to a specifi c region of West Africa. The DNA confi rma-tion crowns the achievement. Read excerpts and purchase the book at the website: www.MississippitoA-frica.com.

Mrs. Aprilia Moralles, proprietor of Malik’s Books, invites you to visit the shop in the African Marketplace on the second level of the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Mall, Crenshaw and King Blvd., in Los Angeles. Open seven days a week to meet your personal, business and gifting needs. See feature story on page 12.


Youdeserve every opportunity to succeed.

You are proud. You are committed. You are a leader. You are an ethnically diverse business owner, and you deserve a bankthat can help you fulfill your dreams. Union Bank of California’s Business Diversity Lending program recognizes this andoffers a variety of smart financing options and flexible, less restrictive lending requirements.Whether you need short-termfinancing to help run your day-to-day operations, or long-term financing for new equipment or building improvements,your dream of running a successful business is well within your reach.

This is not a commitment to lend. Financing subject to credit and any applicable collateral approval.Other restrictions may apply. Eligible borrowers must meet all criteria for the BusinessDiversity Lending program. Financing available to businesses located in California, Oregon orWashington.Terms and conditions subject to change.

welcome to youbankingSM

Invest in you®

©2008 Union Bank of California, N.A. Member FDIC

To see if you qualify, stop by your local branch,call 1-888-818-6060, or visit unionbank.com/diversebizloans

Crenshaw Branch: Karen Smith, Branch Manager, 3501W. Jefferson Boulevard, (323) 737-3483Ladera Heights Branch: Renee Givhan, Branch Manager, 6719 LaTijera Boulevard, (310) 342-1779

$9.99!” Step 4: Build Your Followers Base

There are many things that you can do to build your followers base:• Put a link to “Follow Me on Twitter” everywhere (your email signature, fo-rums, website, and business cards) • Every time you post on your blog, in-vite people to follow you on Twitter • Search for Twitter users whose fol-lowers base you would love to have for yourself. See who is following them and follow those users. They will follow you back. • See who is following your friends and follow them. • There are Twitter directories that are great to fi nd members who are likely to follow you. Examples include Just Tweet It and Twellow.

• Use Twitter’s search feature to fi nd profi les that interest you. Use Twitter’s RSS feed to be notifi ed every time a tweet containing a certain keyword is made. Step 5: Balance Your Followers/Fol-lowing Ratio Try to have a balance between people you follow and people that follow you. If a lot of people follow you and you don’t follow them, they will stop follow-ing you. If you are following plenty of people but just a few are following you, you’ll be seen as a spammer trying to grow your follower base as quickly as possible.

These are some ideas to keep both numbers balanced:• Grow slow. Instead of adding 200 new friends all of a sudden, add maybe 50 and wait for them to follow you back. Then follow another 50. • Use tools like Friend or Follow. This

tool lets you check who is following you whom you are not following. It also al-lows you to see who you are following who are not following you. This is the best way to balance your ratio in just a few minutes. • Avoid following others so they follow you, only to stop following them once they are on board following you. If you do this, you will be seen as a spam-mer.

from Twitter on page 39

Using Twitter

seeTwitter on page 53

Meeting Management:

Wendy’s Worldby Wendy Gladney

“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and fi nd that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” Diane Ackerman.

The question we must ask ourselves is when all is said and done, what

will the dash between the day we were born and the day we die stand for?

During the month of March we cele-brate and honor women from all walks of life. The purpose of highlighting women during this month is to bring recognition to the accomplishments and victories they’ve achieved in various fi elds such as, but not limited to…business, sports, politics, community, socially, humanity, and philanthropy. Globally March 8th represents “International Women’s Day.”

Studies have shown that women owned businesses employ more women today than traditional corpora-tions. Even if you are a man reading this article it should touch you because we all have a mother (and many were/are single parents), we have sisters, daughters, girlfriends and wives that all help with the bottom line in our homes. In economic times like these we have

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to really work hard at trying to stretch our dollars and help small businesses stay around. Whenever the opportuni-ty allows you to give back to a woman owned business, try and do so. I’m a small woman owned business that’s been around for approximately sixteen years with at least six women who work with or for me that depend on me keep-ing my doors open. So I openly thank everyone that supports the work we do in the community.

We encourage you to fi nd a way to give back to a woman in need this month. If you don’t know where to be-gin, we encourage you to learn more about Forgiving For Living, Inc. (www.forgivingforliving.com) 626.791.3849. Forgiving For Living helps women and girls who’ve experienced issues sur-rounded by abuse, abandonment and/or low self esteem to get their lives back on track.

“You gain strength, courage and con-fi dence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along….You must do the very thing you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt.

PSP’s Calendar of Events…LA MBOC Conference – March 18, • 2009GLAAACC Economic Gala Dinner – • March 19, 2009Joseph Business School Seminar – • April 18, 2009The PLUS Awards – April 25, 2009• CLBCF Conference – May 13–16, • 2009NBBC/Break the Cycle Reception – • June 11, 2009Joseph Business School Summit – • June 24 – 26, 2009

Give your all in all that you do. Then the PLUS won’t just be more, it will be the

difference!

Sincerely,

Wendy Wendy, a BBA member, is the founder and presi-dent of Personal Services Plus, Inc., an Event Management Company. Visit www.personalser-vicesplus.com . You can also hear Wendy on Dominique DiPrima’s “KJLH Radio Front Page” Friday Mornings @ 5:00am.

President Barack Obama’s Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Overview offers

full support for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s credit programs, au-thorizing SBA to support loan guaran-tees of $28 billion to small businesses.

The FY 2010 Budget Overview pro-vides a broad outline of the President’s budget priorities, including an appro-priation for SBA of approximately $700 million. The full budget proposal with account level appropriation details is scheduled for release in April.

The spending cited in the broad pro-posal would be in addition to the $730 million funding provided for SBA credit programs in the recently enacted Re-covery Act. That Act – for which most spending is targeted for use in 2009 and 2010 – authorizes SBA to raise guarantee percentages on some SBA loans to 90 percent, temporarily re-duce fees on SBA-backed loans, ex-pand funding for Microloans, and raise the maximum size of SBA-guaranteed surety bonds.

The bill outlines maximum authoriza-tion levels for SBA credit programs in

expectation of demand for those pro-grams. It sets a maximum of $17.5 billion for SBA’s 7(a) General Business Loan Guarantee program, $7.5 bil-lion for the 504 Certifi ed Development Company Loan program, $3 billion for the Small Business Investment Com-pany debenture program and $25 mil-lion for the Microloan program.

The bill also provides for $1.1 billion in direct disaster loans and provides for the launch of a pilot program to test the use of SBA-guaranteed loans as part of the agency’s response to disaster declarations.

Aside from those credit provisions, the proposal:

sustains funding for the agency’s • technical assistance and training programs

Government:

President’s Budget Overview Backs $28 Billion in Small Business Credit for Fiscal Year 2010

improves federal contracting • data and continues reviews of small business size standards to help improve targeting of federal contracting opportunities for small businessesmodernizes core agency informa-• tion systems, streamlines loan processes and enhances human capital resources

The Budget Overview also includes the Obama Administration’s Small Business and Community Bank Lend-ing Initiative. This expands small busi-ness credit availability and affordability by unfreezing secondary markets for small business loans as part of the larger plan to revive the fl ow of credit in the economy.


Self-Employed Women Balance Work, Family LifeStudy Compares Self-Employed Women To Wage-And-Salary Earners

Self-employed women are able to spend more time with their chil-

dren and families, compared to their wage-and-salary earning counterparts, according to a study released today by the Offi ce of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration. The study fi nds that self-employed women spend about 3.5 more hours per week in household activities than wage-and-salary earning women do, and six more hours than men do.

“Previous studies have established that women enter self-employment for reasons other than potential earn-ings and that life-style factors heavily infl uence their decision,” said Shawne McGibbon, Acting Chief Counsel for Advocacy. “This study documents that self-employed women’s time-use pat-terns are in fact different from those of wage-and-salary earning women. Self-

employed women spend less time on work-related activities and more time on household activities and child care.”

Advocacy released Self-Employed Women and Time Use, written by Tami Gurley-Calvez, Katherine Harper, and Amelia Biehl, at the National Women’s Business Council’s 2009 Women’s Business Summit in Washington, DC. The report used data from the Ameri-can Time Use Survey (2003-2006), sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Sta-tistics, and conducted by the U.S. Cen-sus Bureau.

The authors found that the largest differences in time use between self-employed women and men were in the area of secondary childcare, where a parent is at the same location as the child but is primarily engaged in some other activity such as work or house-

see Women Balance Work on page 48

Alberto G. Alvarado, DirectorLos Angeles SBA District Offi ce

Evaluating the Facility ScenariosFor the past 18 months, our stakeholders have identified the guiding principles for the Solid Waste Integrated Resources Plan (SWIRP) and told us what policies and programs will be needed to achieve the Zero Waste goals for the City of Los Angeles.

This March series of workshops will focus on what facilities will be needed to meet the goals of SWIRP.

We’ll be presenting several different scenarios to stakeholders that combine policies, programs and facilities:

service voids? What is missing that we need for the future? What are the population and waste projections for the City through 2030?

for managing their own waste streams? What small scale/local neighbor-hood based facilities would be acceptable?

capacity is left at existing facilities?

facilities will be needed?

material? For example, if recycling became mandatory for everyone, it will require new facilities (or additional capacity at existing facilities).

What you tell us will be extremely important for the foundation of the Phase 2

your help in identifying and planning facilities for the next 20 years. Invite your friends and neighbors and together let’s chart a zero waste future that will be environmentally safe and equitable for all of the City’s diverse communities.

If you need an interpreter (in any language), please let us know at least 72 hours in advance of the workshop you will attend and we will gladly make arrangements.

Start the path to zero waste by bringing your own reusable cup to the work-shop.

Remember… It’s not a Plan Without You!ALL OF US TOGETHER CAN MAKE ZERO!

All of us together can make ZERO!

City of Los Angeles

Department of Public Works

For More Information:

Contact: Ron Milo

213-473-4003

[email protected]

www.zerowaste.lacity.org

As a covered entity under Title II of the American Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities

East Valley Monday, March 23 - 7:00 p.m.

Van Nuys State Building

(Community Room)

6150 Van Nuys Blvd

Van Nuys, CA 91401

Park free in State Building garage

North CentralTuesday, March 24 - 6:00 p.m.

El Centro Del Pueblo

1157 Lemoyne St.

Los Angeles, CA 90026

WesternWednesday, March 25 - 6:30 p.m.

Felicia Mahood Center

11338 Santa Monica Blvd.


West ValleyThursday, March 26 - 7:00 p.m.

California State University, Northridge

Satellite Student Union Building

(Fernandeno Room)

9851 Zelzah Ave.

Northridge, CA 91330

Parking free in SSUB parking structure

(parking validated)

Downtown Daytime MeetingAll Areas WelcomeThursday, March 26 - 1:00 p.m.

Public Works Building

Room SB-7

1149 South Broadway


HarborTuesday, March 31 - 6:00 p.m.

Harbor Community

Development Corp. (HCDC)

707 West C Street

Wilmington, CA 90744

South Los Angeles Wednesday, April 1 - 6:30 p.m.

Expo Center

3980 South Menlo Ave.


March 2009 Workshops

Printed on Recycled Paper

SAVE THE DATE:

Citywide Zero Waste ConferenceSaturday, May 30, 2009

8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels


Watch & Support the Africa Channel!Time Warner • Channel 176

Don’t have the Africa Channel in your area? Call Time Warner at: 1-888-892-2253 and ask that the Africa Channel be broadcast to ALL regions of Califor-nia.

For information on the Africa Channel visit www.theafricachannel.com or send an e-mail inquiry to [email protected].

Zizini Safaris, Inc.Zizini Safaris provides the traveller with an unsurpassed and memorable experience of a lifetime in Tanzania.

We share with you the beauty of Tanzania; its rich natural resources, warm, friendly people, and a wealth of cultural experiences; offer the opportunity to gain an appreciation of the fl ora and fauna of these beautiful lands, which will evoke the need to protect and enhance these experiences for today and future generations.

Zizini Safaris, Inc.466 Old Craigville RoadCenterville,MA 02632(866) 948 ZIZI (9494)[email protected]

Listen toKDEE 97.7FMTh e California Black

Chamber Foundation’s Radio Station

LIVEon Your Computer

www.kdeefm.org

Tuesday, April 14th“For everyone interested in doing business with Metro”


Shop with BBAAdvertisers &

Members


Shop, Eat, Relax in Little Ethiopia Experience Africa in America

Culture, Retail,Entertainment

Fairfax Boulevardbetween Pico & Olympic in Los Angeles

Leimert ParkVillage

An African American Cultural, Retail, Foods & Entertainment Center.

Degnan Boulevardbetween

Crenshaw & Leimert Blvds.43rd Street-43rd Place

Los Angeles

Lucy FlorenceCulture Center

3351 W. 43rd St. Leimert Park Village

Los Angeles, CA 90008Shop our boutiquesEnjoy our Cuisine

Exquisite Venue for your Special Event

……

Tinashe @ the Boardroominside Lucy Florence

We are open daily! 1-6pmTote & Satchel HANDBAGS,

beautifully restored, one-of-a-kind vintage HANDBAGS,

the hottest DESIGNER SHOES,Cuff links, sterling silver jewelry,

and Italian handmade Murano glass JEWELRY.

Women Balance Work

hold chores. Moreover, they found that self-employed women also work about 10 fewer hours per week than self-employed men do. Interestingly, the authors also found that relative to men, higher-earning women are slight-ly more likely to enter self-employment than their lower earning peers are.

The Offi ce of Advocacy, the “small business watchdog” of the federal gov-ernment, examines the role and status of small business in the economy and independently represents the views of small business to federal agencies, Congress, and the President. It is the source for small business statistics pre-sented in user-friendly formats, and it funds research into small business is-sues.

For more information and a complete copy of the report, visit the Offi ce of Ad-vocacy website www.sba.gov/advo.

from Women Balance Work on page 43

Four Season’s ProductionMulti-Cultural Multi-Purpose Multi-Functional Multi-Faceted

Manufacturing, Productivity, Growth & ExpansionEconomical Globalization Empowerment

“We’re Fired Up and Ready to Go”

Entrepreneurial Business DevelopmentDiversifi ed Subdivision Product-Mix

&Creating Jobs Across AmericaCity by City State by State

National and International Trade Exchange

“Yes We Can”“Something New and Excitingly Different on the ….Horizon”

Commercial Residential

Genell Brown, Artist DesignerOur Community Source Contact: Keasha L. Charles

888-988-8551 Phone & Fax

Ex-Im Bank AnnualConference

75th Anniversary Annual Conference “Export Finance: A Key to

Economic Recovery”April 16-17, 2009

Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC

Ex-Im Bank’s Africa team’s feature panel

“Africa: Opportunities in the Big 5” will explore commercial opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa with a special

focus on Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

Representatives from each coun-try’s mission in the United States will discuss projects in their homelands,

focusing on prospective U.S. sourcing and Ex-Im Bank fi nancing assistance.

For information: w w w. e x i m . g o v / n e w s / a n n u a l -conf/2009/index.cfm

One Day Mini Boot Campfor Contractors

The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) plans to bid in excess of $100 million of construction projects over the next 6-9 months, at several of its college campuses. With the passage of Prop J, there will be additional business opportunities. We are very interested in having you participate in these formal & informal contracts opportunities!

Contract Bidding with LACCDWednesday, March 18, 2009 5PM - 9PM

Workshop will cover key business concepts in the following areas: • Labor Compliance • Insurance and Bonding • Contracting and Bidding Process • Certification • Invoicing • Technical Assistance

You may attend if: • You are a licensed contractor with CSLB and been in business for at least one (1) year. • You want to bid Public Works construction contracts. • You want to build your capacity and take your business to the next level. • You have a strong interest to partner with LACCD.

We will teach you how to do business with the #1 Community College District in Southern Califor-nia. You will leave this workshop with the tools and know-how to bid and perform.

Plus get the latest list of projects coming up for bid.

Los Angeles Community College DistrictProposition A & AA Small Business Outreach Program

VEDC’s Procurement Assistance Center

Register today! Cost: FREEContact Sonya at 818-907-9922 x 235 or e-mail [email protected]

Class Location:Pierce College - CSB Conference Room (College Service Building - Next to bookstore) 6201 Winnetka AvenueWoodland Hills, CA 91371Parking - Admin/Visitor, Lot 1 (off Winnetka Avenue)or Lot 7 (off Victory Blvd.) Parking Permit Machine

Learn how to bid & win formal & informal contracts with LACCD!

CalendarMarch…10thEnergy Education and Career Opportunity SymposiumHere perspectives on growth trends, business opportunities and transferable professional skill sets needed in order to enter this dynamic and expanding market. The symposium will be held in the Sempra Energy Building, 555 W 5th Street, downtown Los Angeles, from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. RSVP required. Send e-mail response to [email protected] or call 818-591-9449. Members-$25 others $35. Parking is $6 in Per-shing Square.18thBuildLACCD Mini Boot CampOver the last year, over $2.5M worth of con-tracts were awarded to attendees of the Boot Camp. The FREE camp will be held in the CSB Conference Room at Los Angeles Pierce Col-lege in Woodland Hills from 5 pm to 9 pm. Call 818-907-9922 x235 for detailed information or to register.22ndBlack Marriage DayBlack Marriage Day was started to create cul-tural change in the Black community to rethink the way we look at marriage. Visit www.black-marriageday.com for details.April…3rdThe Greenlining Institute’s 16th Annual Economic SummitThe annual event will be held at the Center at Cathedral Plaza, 555 West Temple Street-Downtown Los Angeles. Confi rmed speakers include: Richard Davis, CEO, US Bank and Randall Stephenson, CEO, AT&T. The Green-lining Big Brain Award will be presented to Earl “Skip” Cooper, President/CEO, Black Business Association. Register Now at www.greenlining.org/summit.25thAfrican Goodwill Recognition Awards & Induction CeremonyThe awards ceremony to be held at the Veteran Auditorium Complex in Culver City showcases the challenges and accomplishments of men and women whose commitment in great mea-sure has given hope to the poor in Africa, the


Caribbean and in American inner cities. The event emphasis is on bringing communities and businesses together to continue the commit-ment in helping people in need.

The African Family Induction Ceremony ini-tiates eminent African Americans into African families in different African countries. The cere-mony serves as a conduit through which the ar-tifi cial barriers that exist between Africans and their relatives in the Diaspora may be erased and lays a foundation for the formation of a new African family that is inclusive of our cousins outside the geographical boundaries of current African continent.

For information on awardees and inductees as well as ticket information visit the website at www.africanfocus.org or call 310-676-7300.May…17th-20th14th Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference & Expo“Shifting Gears: New Markets, New Opportu-nities” will be held in Detroit, Michigan at the Detriot Marriott in Renaissance Center. The power confernce for entrepreneurs and pro-fessionals looking to fi nd new markets and new opportunities in these volatile economic times. Hundreds of deal makers are expected to attend—from aspiring business owners to top-tier professionals—all looking to build net-works and seek growth opportunities. Expect innovative sessions, high-powered speakers, and an early peek into the products, trends, and services you’ll need to know about to stay competitive. Find information and registration at www.blackenterprise.com/events/entrepre-neurs-conference.25thAFRICA DAYWorldwide celebration of African heritage. Check your local organizations for scheduled events.28thBBA’s Annual Awards DinnerCall 323-291-9334 for detailed information.June…27th-July 1st2009 Annual Conference - Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education FundThe conference will take place at the Hyatt Mc-Cormick Place, Chicago, Illinois. Get informa-tion or register at www.rainbowpush.org or call 773-373-3366.

29th-30thG8 Corporate Africa Infrastructure Investment Conference The conference will take place at the Royal Gar-den Hotel, Kensington in London. Get informa-tion at www.corporate-africa.com/nepad2008.July…22nd-25th13th Annual International African American Hotel Ownership / Multi-Cultural Tourism Summit & Trade ShowThe 4-day summit will take place at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa. Topics include means of becoming a hotel owner or investor and partici-pating in the tourism industry. Register at www.nabhood.com or call 323-291-9334 for detailed information.

For a complete listings of events around Southern California visit

SAVETHEDATECENTRAL.com

Send your event notice to:

Calendarat [email protected].

20th ANNUALLOS ANGELES

BLACKBUSINESS

EXPOMay 1-3,

2009LOS ANGELES CONVENTION

CENTERTOM BRADLEY (SOUTH)

HALL

323-290-4743

Name: Title: Company: Address:

City: State: Zip Code: Telephone: Fax: E-mail: URL: Type of Business: Year Established: W/MBE Certified by:

NAICS Codes: Briefly describe your products and/or services

New membership Renewal Membership

Select Type of Membership

Regular Member-$200 annual dues 51% African-American owned, Voting membership

Corporate Member-$2,500 annual dues Major corporation, Non-voting membership

Associate Member-$100 annual dues Non-business owner, Non-voting membership

Student Member-$25 annual dues Full-time registered student, Non-voting membership

Amount enclosed $

Payment type: credit card Visa MasterCard

Card #:

Signature Exp. Date / Fax Payment to: 323-291-9234

Payment type: check/money order—make payable to: Black Business Association Mail to: P.O. Box 43159, Los Angeles, CA 90043 USA

For information Call: 323-291-9334 Email: [email protected]

Website: www.bbala.org

MEMBERSHIPAPPLICATION

Please complete then submit this form with your payment. Please type or print.

Support the BBA 53 March 2009 Black Business News www.bbala.org

Open Supplier Certi fi cati on

ProcessThe Verizon Communications Corporation is seeking to identify a greater share of African American-owned and operated businesses to match to potential operating contracts. The data base that Verizon procurement management personnel are instructed to review is the California Public Utilities Commission Clearinghouse.

BBA members wanting to expand market opportunities with a telecommunication company should consider completing a supplier certifi cation application. To obtain an application go to the Internet web address www.cpuc.gov and visit the supplier diversity page for an online application.

The BBA encourages all members to participate in this process that works to create greater opportunities for all African-American owned and operated fi rms. Last year the California Verizon Company reported an annual spend with African American owned suppliers in excess of $40 million.

VVERACITY REALTY, INC.

“Dedicated to Truthfulness”

Let us see what we can do for you in both Commercial & Residential fi nance!

Jonathan Thompson, Commercial Broker Phone: 800-455-2142 Cell: 323-309-2885

Rhonda Thompson, Residential Loan Offi cer Phone 800-455-2142 Cell: 323-387-9439

CA Dept. of Real Estate, Real Estate Broker: 01781216*APR: Includes appraisal, title insurance, escrow, points & other loan cost is 6.487%

Step 6: Make it Worth-while to Follow You

Tweet interesting stuff. Every time you are about to post something, ask yourself “Is this something I would be interested in?” If the answer is no, chances are that your followers will feel the same way.Step 7: Learn from the Best

Find users with several hundred followers and learn from them. See what they are doing right and get ideas

Marketing Using Twitterfrom Twitter on page 41 from them.

Done right, Twitter Market-ing can lead to positive expo-sure for your business. Com-panies have been known to make tens of thousands of dollars from customers that found them through a Twit-ter account. Depending on your business, Twitter could be one of the most success-ful weapons in your Internet Marketing arsenal.

Source: www.startupnation.com/series/132/9334/twitter-marketing-

7-steps.htm


Reach Thousands Leaders in Business and Government

Black Business News

International Edition

Advertising Opportunities 1x 2x 3x 4xFull Page Color w/Feature Story $2,500 $2,250Full Page Color $2,000 $1,800 $1,600 $1,400Full Page B/W $1,500 $1,400 $1,300 $1,200Half Page Color w/Feature Story $1,250 $1,200 $1,150 $1,100Half Page Color $1,000 $ 875 $ 825 $ 775Half Page B/W $ 750 $ 725 $ 700 $ 675Quarter Page Color $ 500 $ 450 $ 400 $ 350Quarter Page B/W $ 350 $ 300 $ 250 $ 200Box Ad Color $ 350 $ 300 $ 250 $ 200Box Ad B/W $ 250 $ 225 $ 200 $ 175Business Card Ad $ 125 $ 100 $ 80 $ 60

RATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE For more information contact: Earl “Skip” Cooper, II at 323-291-9334 E-mail: [email protected]

Ad Type MeasurementsFull Page 7.50”x10”Half Page 7.50”x 5.0”Half Page 3.75”x10”Quarter Page 3.75”x 5.0”Eighth Page 5.0”x 3.0”Box 2.25”x 3.0”

YOUR LINK TO BLACK BUSINESS ENTERPRISE and the AFRICAN GLOBAL ECONOMIC COMMUNITY (GAEC)

The Black Business Association, SBA 2007 Journalist of the Year, is pleased to invite you to be an integral part of our publication. Black Business News - International. The Black Business News is the offi cial voice through which public and private entities advertise business and investment opportunities, gain access to a highly affl uent target market via outreach and advertising opportunities.

•Outreach to Black Businesses in the USA and around the world•Advertorial/Feature Story Advertising•Profi les and Business Listings•Classifi ed Ads and Bid Opportunities

Our readers are BBA members, Black business owners, corporate buyers, prime contractors, community organizations and elected offi cials, who all turn to the Black Business News for business development news and information to take their businesses to the next level of profi tability and success!

Don’t be left out of this door-opening publication.

Reserve Your Ad Space Today!Call 323-291-9334 • E-mail: [email protected]

Special Offer:50% Discount for Regular Financial BBA Members

Fall 2008USD$5.00

International Edition

ContentsCorporate Giving: EOY charitable

opportunities in health, education, hous-

ing, and more.

Tourism: Investment in Africa’s tour-

ism industry is active, vital and is evident

all across the continent.

Feature Articles: “Strategies For Constructisve Engagement with the African Diaspora”

“Diaspora Engagement: Remittances & Beyond”Investment Pro le: Moyo District

of the Republic of Uganda

Professional DirectoryCharitable Investments

Black Business NewsServing the Global African Economic Community

Rev. Leon R. Perry, III in Ghana with recently orpaned twins

see Corporate Giving page 21

At Comerica Bank, we choose to care about the dreams and visions

of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We choose to celebrate equality and

diversity among all people, and we’re dedicated to ringing the bells

of freedom. Choose to celebrate the dream with us.

Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender.

www.comerica.com

Choose to care.Choose to celebrate.

Choose to dream.

Crenshaw3825 Crenshaw Boulevard

Los Angeles

El Segundo2321 Rosecrans Avenue

El Segundo

800-888-3595

Wilshire-Crescent Heights6301 Wilshire Boulevard

Los Angeles

BBA News March 2009

Documents

Transcript of BBA News March 2009