57Recent Stories
Beyond the Rhetoric : The Night I Met Fred Hampton
It was a typical Monday afternoon during my senior year at the University of Wisconsin when my fellow linebacker, John Borders, prompt down next to my seat. John informed me that he had made another deal with Professor Rosenstein.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Veterans Deserve Better Educational Opportunities
As a veteran who served my country, I feel strongly that others who serve are entitled to leave the military with an education and get further educated so they can advance in civilian society. It’s one of the most important things we can do to support the men and women who would die to protect us.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Congressional Black Caucus – Time for a Game Plan
The new 116th Congress has more Black participation than ever before. There are 55 members of the Congressional Black Caucus. There are two Black elected officials who chose not to belong – Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and Congressman William Hurd of Texas. They see the Caucus as a Democratic association and they are Republicans. We wish they would reconsider. It is important that the Caucus is bi-partisan.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Black Federal Procurement Levels Have Yet to Bounce Back
As the George W. Bush Administration ended Black procurement was coming in at 8.0%. During the Obama Administration levels fell consistently. As President Trump entered the White House levels were at 1.8% and falling. Today, the levels have yet to turn around. For first half of Fiscal Year 2019 (October 1 – March 31, 2019) the average is 1.3%. Hopefully, we have now hit bottom and the subsequent reports will show an upward trending consistent with an improved economy.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Homestead Act of 1862 – Closest Thing to Reparations, Part III (FINAL)
As we stated in the previous two parts, American descendants of the vicious American Holocaust known better as Slavery gathered immense portions of land. The great Booker T. Washington would encourage freed slaves to work the land that they owned and invest profits from it and build an economic infrastructure to help empower ourselves after slavery. It appears that too few listened to his advice or admonition. Most freed slaves and their descendants who received these precious acres of land by way of the Homestead Act of 1862 and through means of inheritance were destined to lose the land.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Meet National Black Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta
The NBCC is dedicated to economically empowering and sustaining African American communities through entrepreneurship and capitalistic activity within the United States and the Black Diaspora. NBCC provides resources to support the development of startups and established minority & women owned businesses.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Bernie Sanders – Mysterious and maybe Dangerous
Bernie Sanders just won’t go away. He stays in the political limelight no matter who wins the presidency or which party, Democrat or Republican controls Congress. He is a declared Independent, yet he caucuses with the Democrats.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Providing Match Makers Throughout the Black Diaspora – Way Cool!
During the mid-1990’s we began sponsoring exploratory or fact-finding trips to nations in the Caribbean and West Africa. Then we expanded to East Africa and South America, i.e. Brazil. After getting comfortable and understanding the “Export/Import” challenges, we dared to start doing formal Trade Missions. During Thanksgiving week in the year 2000, we took 84 Black owned businesses to Rio de Janeiro for an aggressive Match Making event.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Kamala Harris Announces Her 2020 Campaign
Kamala Harris is wasting no time with her political career. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 and has already set her immediate target – the presidency of the United States. On January 26, she formally announced her campaign. The setting was in Oakland, California where she was born in 1964.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Blacks Need to Challenge the Shutdown
When America gets a “cold” Blacks will come down with “pneumonia”. That is why we are going to suffer from the current federal shutdown more than any other segment of the United States population. Yet, Blacks in general look at this calamity like it isn’t any of our business. Our people, we better wake-up i.e. SNAP OUT OF IT! While our elected officials on Capitol Hill are playing games like it is fun, millions of families – particularly Black families are heading to financial disaster. A disproportionate number of federal employees are Black. A major portion of Blacks doing government business is the sector doing federal contracting and subcontracting. They are in the way of this “Economic Freight Train”.