---The
National Black Chamber of Commerce Annual Convention,
August 16-18, 2001---
The National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) will hold
its Ninth Annual Convention from August 16 to August 18,
2001 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C.
With the theme "eCommerce - Building Global Bridges",
the convention brings together the best and the brightest
in a shared working celebration of the tremendous potential
of African-American businesses to thrive in the Internet
economy. With more than 64,000 members and affiliates
throughout America, the National Black Chamber of Commerce
is the world's leading advocate for Black business development.
The Convention will be the high-tech "equalizer"
for Black businesses in the rapidly evolving Internet
age. Attendees will have the opportunity to: (1)
Partner with major corporate e-commerce players (2)
Create alliances with complementary small and medium businesses
to develop niche markets through the power of combined
resources (3) Develop strategic relationships with
university business and internet technology departments
(4) Access existing government programs designed
to assist minority businesses making the transition to,
or expanding, e-commerce operations (5) Participate
in effective strategies to shape government e-commerce
policy and regulations and (6) Improve access to
proven and emerging Internet technology. Business owners
will meet top private and public procurement officers
- including representatives from Compaq and Verizon, SBC
Communications, Ford, Chevron, GM, Texaco, Sprint and
Daimler Chrysler. Business owners can make face to face
contacts and develop opportunities for contracts. Conference
Registration: Full convention registration
(including all events) after August 8th is $300 per person
($250 per person if you register before August 8). To
register go to http://www.nationalbcc.org,
and click on "Events". Then you will be prompted
for a password. The password is "newswire" without
the quote marks in all lowercase letters. For more information
on the conference, contact Kay DeBow via email: kdebow@nationalbcc.org
or call (202) 466-6888.
--- Hector Barreto Jr.: New Administrator
of Small Business Administration----
The U.S.
Senate confirmed President Bush's nomination of Hector
V. Barreto Jr. as the 21st Administrator of the U.S.
Small Business Administration. Barreto, a Hispanic businessman
from Los Angeles with strong ties to national Hispanic
business organizations and a securities broker-dealer,
was a co-chairman of the Bush/Cheney 2000 campaign in
California. He is founder of Barreto Insurance and Financial
Services, Inc. He is active in both business and community
organizations, serving as a vice chairman of the board
of directors for the United States Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce (USHCC) and chairman of the USHCC's Legislative
Committee.
---State of U.S. Hispanics----
The Board of Directors of the Hispanic Business Roundtable
(HBR) and The Latino Coalition (TLC) released the results
of the first comprehensive national survey of U.S. Hispanics
taken since U.S Census declared Latinos the largest
minority in the country. The survey showed the most
important issue affecting U.S. Hispanics is discrimination,
followed closely by quality of education. Tied for third
place were jobs/unemployment and immigration. "One
gets a sense when you read this survey that Latinos
across the country feel they are being left behind.
That explains why their number one issue is discrimination,"
said TLC President Robert Deposada. "Of course,
you will feel discriminated when you are three times
as likely to be uninsured as the rest of the population.
Of course, you would feel that way when your schools
are failing your kids, and when only a third have savings
for their retirement. This is a recipe for failure and
dependency, and Latinos strongly believe that this has
to stop. The survey shows Latinos support necessary
reforms to make the system more responsive to their
needs and concerns." The survey shows only 35 percent
of Latinos have $5,000 or more saved or invested for
their retirement. By a margin of 58 percent to 38 percent,
Latinos have a negative opinion of the local public
school system. The survey also showed: 49 percent regularly
access the internet, 56 percent own credit cards , 72
percent regularly watch Spanish-language television
while 66 percent regularly listen to Spanish radio.
By a two-to-one margin Hispanics classify themselves
as pro-life (63 percent) versus pro-choice (29 percent)
On the political side, 54 percent have a favorable view
of Democrats in Congress compared to 23 percent who
have a favorable view of Republicans in Congress. With
regards to the President, 47 percent have a favorable
view of George W. Bush For more information on this
survey, contact Robert G. Deposada of The Latino Coalition,
202-546-0008.
---30th Annual Rainbow/Push Conference---
Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Founder and President of
the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition will host the 30th Annual
Rainbow/PUSH and Citizenship Education Fund Conference
on August 8-12, 2001 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151
E. Wacker Drive. The conference, entitled 'One Big Tent:
Pursuing the American Dream', is the national conclave
of the organization's achievements in the areas of civil
rights, human rights, politics, entertainment and corporate
America. Check listings for a special BET program on
this event, to be aired on August 8.
----Congressman Fattah calls on
Education Secretary Paige ---
Saying that he did not believe the National Assessment
of Educational Progress 2000 report card is a true indicator
of the state of public education in our country today,
Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) called on U.S. Secretary
of Education Rod Paige to respond to the questions that
remain unanswered from the report's findings. The report,
documenting the math scores of 4th, 8th and 12th graders
nationwide, showed glaring disparities in the performance
of white students versus that of African-American and
Hispanic students. Congressman Fattah wrote a letter
to Secretary Paige today specifically asking: "How
many of the African-American and Hispanic students in
this report had access to a certified teacher who majored
in math throughout the years in which this study was
being compiled?" and "How many of the African-American
and Hispanic students have ever had access to a certified
teacher who majored in math?" "I find it very
difficult to be pleased with the number of students
who have achieved proficiency when, at the same time,
we fail to address the specific reasons that the majority
of other students have not," wrote Congressman
Fattah.
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