---45th Anniversary of Voting Rights Act Signing---
On August 6, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) commemorated the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act, a bill that remains a cornerstone feature of American democracy.  The Act is widely considered one of the most successful and effective civil rights statutes ever passed by Congress and continues to play an important role in combating ongoing voting discrimination throughout our nation. This  anniversary follows the recent filing of three lawsuits that take aim at a core provision of the Voting Rights Act — the Section 5 pre-clearance provision.  That provision requires that certain states with long histories of voting discrimination obtain federal approval before implementing new voting laws or practices.  Throughout the life of the Act, hundreds of discriminatory voting changes have been blocked by this important Section 5 provision and ultimately thousands of Americans have had the obstacles to their voting rights removed.  Awareness of the Voting Rights Act stops many who would otherwise seek to continue discriminatory actions. "The strength of our democracy turns on continued enforcement of the Voting Rights Act," said John Payton, LDF Director-Counsel and President. Payton noted that "the 45th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act is a moment to observe the great progress that has been made while recommitting ourselves to confront the ongoing challenges that remain and the vital protections that help us combat them." LDF played a central role in Congress's recent 2006 reauthorization of Section 5 and other provisions of the Act.  During that process, Congress developed an extensive record demonstrating that discrimination persists in many places around the country.  

Hilda L. Solis

J.C. Watts

Business World Index

---Focus on employment---
Here is an excerpt from U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis’ statement the July 2010 Employment Situation report released today: "This past July, the economy gained 71,000 jobs in the private sector.  Overall, employment declined by 131,000, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 9.5 percent.  This year we've seen the creation of 630,000 private sector jobs – steady growth averaging 90,000 new private sector jobs each month, which tracks closely with what the Council of Economic Advisors had predicted earlier this year. While this private sector job growth is encouraging, the large number of Americans without a job reminds us we need to continue working to create jobs and grow the economy.  When President Obama came into office, he inherited an economy that was losing as many as 750,000 jobs each month. Even as the economy makes progress, this administration is aware of how much further we still have to go.  We know that economic prosperity and educational success go hand in hand. We must work to ensure that teachers across the country can stay in the classroom and that cops, firefighters and teachers stay on the job.”
  
---Former Congressman J.C. Watts joins Joint Center's Board of Governors---The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, one of the nation's leading research and public policy institutions, announced the election of former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts, Jr. to its Board of Governors. Watts, who is the chairman of the J.C. Watts Companies in Washington, DC, served in Congress from 1995 to 2002, and in 1998 was selected by his peers to serve as chairman of the Republican Conference, the fourth-ranking leadership position in the majority party.  "Over the past four decades the Joint Center has done enormously important work to make America a better place for all its citizens, and today it continues to play a critical role in the policy making process," said Mr. Watts.  "I value this opportunity to build on the Joint Center's influence and increase its impact in empowering all Americans to achieve their dreams." As head of J.C. Watts Companies, Mr. Watts has built a diverse business organization that includes the nation's first African-American owned John Deere dealerships; CLS Group, a project management firm with construction and engineering operations; and Watts Partners, a public affairs consulting company.  He currently advises several major companies, including John Deere, and serves on the Board of Directors of Dillard's.  He also created the J.C. and Frankie Watts Foundation to focus on urban renewal and other charitable initiatives.

---Minority Business Ownership increasing at more than twice the national rate---The number of minority-owned businesses increased by 45.6 percent to 5.8 million between 2002 and 2007, more than twice the national rate of all U.S. businesses, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In addition, the number of women-owned businesses increased 20.1 percent during the same period. The total number of U.S. businesses increased between 2002 and 2007 by 18.0 percent to 27.1 million.