DOES MAPLE HEIGHTS HAVE AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PLAN?

Does Maple Heights have an affirmative action plan?   (2)

Post by Maple Heights African American Gazette.

GIANT EAGLE MARKET DISTRICT TO HIRE 600, APPLY

Post by Maple Heights African American Gazette.

BLACK HISTORY FACT: ON THIS DATE IN 1941 FDR SIGNED THE FAIR EMPLOYMENT ACT

Post by Joe Madison - "The Black Eagle".

UNEMPLOYMENT IN MAPLE HEIGHTS

@Kathlee35244437 NOW LET'S TALK OHIO!! Cleveland Unemployment 10.4%, East Cleveland 10.2%, Lorian 10.3%, Maple Heights 9.8%, Youngstown 9.2%

— Kathleen Gibson (@Kathlee35244437) June 21, 2014

NEWSLETTER: MINORITY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS CONFERENCE, MARCH 15, 2014

Minority Professional Development Business Conference kicks off on Saturday March 15, 2014


10:00 AM - 5:00 PM and you're invited to take part in professional development seminars.


Kent State University
College of Business Room 100
800 E Summit St
Kent, OH 44240


 Come in your business attire
This will be a historic conference which will leave you empowered!

Tickets are $5, nonrefundable

Purchase Tickets at:   http://minoritybizconference.splashthat.com/

ABOUT THE NBMBAA Established in 1970, the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) is a nonprofit professional membership organization of minority graduates with MBAs, advance degrees, business professionals, entrepreneurs and graduate students. The NBMBAA is headquartered in Chicago, IL and encompasses 43 Chapters and 25 Collegiate Chapters. The organization focuses on five channels: education, career, leadership, entrepreneurship and lifestyle. Membership Benefits NBMBAA® offers exclusive access to special savings on computer equipment, air travel, car rentals, moving, credit cards and more. JOIN TODAY

NEWSLETTER: MARCH 7, 2014 NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE

Opening ReMARCs The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees criminal defendants the right to legal counsel. At no point does it state that representing counsel shall be penalized for upholding this basic principle. This certainly was not the case for John Roberts when he defended serial killer John Ferguson, convicted of killing eight people. In fact, Roberts earned Senate confirmation and became Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. However, punitive voting is precisely what occurred this week when the Senate rejected, 52-47, the nomination of Debo Adegbile to lead the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice – a decision based largely on his work as legal counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal when he worked as a lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF). While Adegbile never represented Abu-Jamal in any of his trials, he worked on legal briefs once the LDF took Abu-Jamal’s appeal based on blatant racial bias in the jury selection and instruction in the trial. In fact, the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with LDF’s arguments and overturned Abu-Jamal’s death sentence, giving him life imprisonment without parole. Adegbile is highly-regarded across the legal and civil rights communities. Earlier this year, the National Urban League joined 75 other organizations in a letter of support for his nomination. At that time, we called him “one of the preeminent civil rights litigators of his generation…a consensus builder…[who] has earned respect and admiration from a bipartisan set of colleagues, lawyers, and leaders…because of his principled and measured approach to issues.” We wholly stand by that today. Regardless of how anyone feels about Abu-Jamal, Adegbile upheld the principles and expectations of our justice system and did not deny a defendant the right to competent counsel. The Senate’s actions, on the other hand, are disappointing and disgraceful, and perhaps worst of all, puncture a precedent-setting hole in the very principles of our nation’s Bill of Rights.

To Be Equal “There are some Americans who, in the aggregate, are consistently doing worse in our society -- groups that have had the odds stacked against them in unique ways that require unique solutions…And by almost every measure, the group that is facing some of the most severe challenges in the 21st century in this country are boys and young men of color.” President Barack Obama

President Obama Rallies Help for Young Males of Color with “My Brother’s Keeper” Initiative  Last Thursday at the White House, I was on hand for one of the most inspiring and important Presidential announcements in recent history. In the aftermath of the killings of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis, and in response to data showing how badly the odds are stacked against millions of boys and young men of color in the United States, President Obama kicked-off “My Brother’s Keeper,” an unprecedented public-private initiative aimed at improving life outcomes and addressing opportunity gaps for the nation’s most vulnerable population. The President made the announcement before an audience of young males of color and a coalition of government, business, civic and philanthropic leaders. I was proud to be there to represent the National Urban League. In unusually personal terms, President Obama spoke about his own struggles with drugs and alienation as a young boy growing up without a father. He called on all Americans to do more to improve the prospects for young males of color who are less likely to graduate from high school and more likely to be unemployed or end up in jail than any other group in America.

CONFERENCE

Partner Spotlight TIME Magazine Highlights National Urban League Entrepreneurship and Job Training Programs Read the special feature on the un-and-underemployment crisis in America that ran in the February 24th issue of TIME Magazine highlighting National Urban League entrepreneurship and job training programs.

JOBSEEKERS: How to Get Your Resume to the Top and Avoid the Digital Black Hole Career Success Webinar Wednesday, March 12 12:30pm EST Applying to jobs but can’t quite catch the recruiters attention? Join the Urban League JobsNetwork and Aisha Taylor of TAYLORmade Consulting for tips on how to get your resume to the top of the pile. CLICK HERE to register today!

National Urban League Applauds Extension of Internet Essentials National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial today issued the following statement in response to the announcement by Comcast NBCUniversal that it will indefinitely extend its Internet Essentials program: “The National Urban League applauds Comcast NBCUniversal’s announcement that it will indefinitely extend its Internet Essentials program in an effort to improve the socio-economic outlook of communities of color. As a long-time proponent of universal broadband adoption, we recognize the nexus between technology-enabled opportunity and our mission to enable economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights. “As we contemplate broadband-enabled solutions that can prove useful in jumpstarting our economy and creating more opportunities for our communities, we look forward to working with Comcast NBCUniversal to help leverage the Internet Essentials program to drive job growth, create more opportunities for minority-owned businesses and improve education outcomes in underserved areas.”   LEARN MORE

Her Path to Success Begins Today Your gift provides the tools for her to overcome economic challenges and realize her dreams.

Knoxville Area Urban League Gets Boost with CDFI Certification The Knoxville Area Urban League (Knoxville, TN), with the City of Knoxville, announced its new community development financial institution (CDFI) certification at its annual membership meeting at the Holiday Inn at World’s Fair Park. “The Urban League has been quite tenacious as we worked with the U.S. Treasury to gain this certification,” said Phyllis Nichols, Knoxville Area Urban League President and CEO. “We’re working to achieve sustainable efforts for economic development. One tenet of our mission is community development and becoming a certified CDFI will allow the Urban League to provide capital to a target market not served by traditional institutions. “We will be able to strengthen our entrepreneurship training through partnerships and provide technical support to startups and expanding small and minority businesses.” VIEW THIS NEWSLETTER ONLINE

NEWSLETTER: NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE, DECEMBER 18, 2013

Opening ReMARCs Last week, I joined Rev. Al Sharpton along with other civil rights groups, retail executives and the Retail Council of New York State to unveil a newly-created "Customers' Bill of Rights" aimed at protecting customers from "shop-and-frisk" practices. The bill of rights, which is in direct response to several incidences of alleged racial profiling at major New York retailers, includes key practices for retailers to follow and informs customers of what they can expect when they visit store locations.  Several national retailers have agreed to post the bill of rights in their stores by next week. We initially gathered last month to discuss the issue of loss prevention and racial profiling during a retail forum that was attended by Mark Lee, CEO of Barneys and senior executives from Macy's, Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks, Lord & Taylor, Nordstrom, The Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy. The bill of rights is the result of our subsequent task force meetings and is the first collective action to address this issue. The statement at the heart of the bill of rights clearly articulates our position:  "Profiling is an unacceptable practice and will not be tolerated." We know that this issue is not isolated to New York.  Moving forward, we remain committed to working with the retailers to make recommendations on the creation of high standard, best-in-industry store security protocols and cultural sensitivity efforts that can be adopted by retailers across the country. To view a copy of the Customers' Bill of Rights, visit the Retail Council of New York State.

To Be Equal “Our victory in defeating apartheid was your victory too. We know that our pride in regaining our dignity is shared by you. To you, and to all of the American people who supported the anti-apartheid struggle, we thank you from the bottom of our heart for your solidarity, and for having cared.” - Nelson Mandela, September 1998, New York City

What Mandela Meant to America As the world mourns the passing and celebrates the life of Nelson Mandela, America is especially indebted to the great leader for his inspiration and solidarity in our shared struggle for human freedom, equal opportunity and justice for all. Nelson Mandela’s heroic struggle for a free, non-racial and democratic South Africa inspired freedom-loving people around the world but was especially intertwined with the spirit of the Civil Rights Movement in America.  African Americans felt a special relationship with Mandela, a man who, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., endured years of persecution and discrimination in pursuit of freedom and equal opportunity for his people. Both Mandela and King were  unafraid to agitate for justice and equality, but each ultimately changed the course of history through the power of reconciliation and unity.  Though Dr. King was 11 years younger, Mandela often spoke of his admiration for America’s fallen civil rights champion.  In fact, in his 1993 Nobel Peace Prize speech, Mandela praised King, saying,  “It will not be presumptuous of us if we also add, among our predecessors, the name of another outstanding Nobel Peace Prize winner, the late African-American statesman and internationalist, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. He, too, grappled with and died in the effort to make a contribution to the just solution of the same great issues of the day which we have had to face as South Africans.” READ MORE

Partner Spotlight AFRICAN AMERICAN DENOMINATION, OTHER FAITH AND CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS CALL FOR A “MOMENT OF REMEMBRANCE” HONORING PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2013   On Sunday, December 15, 2013, African American organizations, churches and community members across the country led a “moment of remembrance” dedicated to Nelson Mandela, his life and his legacy through a number of special activities such as: a Minute of Silence; Liturgy; Youth Presentation/Recitation of Mandela quotes; Dance ministry performance/dedication; and other events. It is impossible to think about Nelson Mandela without thinking about Martin Luther King, Jr. While separated by great physical distance, the walk to freedom for Blacks in America and Blacks in South Africa was fueled by an inextricable spiritual connection personified in the lives of these two men who changed the world for the better. As a freedom fighter and a unifier, Mandela reminded us, “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, [we] can be that generation.” He understood that bitterness and hatred were poison to the soul. As President of South Africa, he modeled forgiveness and reconciliation in a way that left the world in awe. For his noble fight, his personification of forgiveness and his ongoing inspiration to create a better future, we pause in national unity to honor, salute and remember Nelson Mandela. Mandela’s life serves as an inspiration to people everywhere to continue the fight for freedom and equal opportunity. As we pause on Sunday, let us pledge to continue the unfinished business to which this great, yet humble, servant dedicated himself. LEARN MORE

Mel Watt Confirmed to Lead FHFA   The U.S. Senate has voted to confirm Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC) to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency by a vote of 57 to 41. National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement applauding Rep. Watt's confirmation. “We applaud the confirmation of Rep. Mel Watt as Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).    With more than four decades of experience in housing and finance and a strong grasp of the issues confronting home owners and banks, we believe Rep. Watt is the right man at the right time to lead the FHFA and help it fulfill its mission to promote a strong and sustainable housing market. “Rep. Watt has earned the respect of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and from stakeholders in the finance and housing industry.  His integrity and focus on solutions will serve him well as he works to rebuild a still-fragile housing market and advance policies to help struggling home owners and those still hoping to achieve the American dream.” LEARN MORE

Her Path to Success Begins Today Your gift provides the tools for her to overcome economic challenges and realize her dreams. DONAT

Urban League Receives $150k The Urban League of the Upstate (Greensville, SC)  announced on December 9th, it will be the receiving nearly $150,000 for education and employment programs in the second quarter of their fiscal year. “With the season of giving being in full swing, we are happy to announce that the Greenville and Spartanburg communities are showing their increased support”, said Jil Littlejohn, President/CEO. The main core of the Urban League focuses on education and employment. Five of the agencies programs received funding from 3M, Hollingsworth, Jolley Foundation, Mary Black Foundation, Symmes Foundation and TD Bank, that will allow them to increase and expand capacity.  Thanks to the Symmes Foundation we can continue to provide services in Greenville County at Berea High, Carolina High, Greenville High, Hillcrest High, JL Mann High, Mauldin High, Southside High, Wade Hampton High, and Woodmont High.  A generous donation of $30,000 from the Mary Black Foundation in Spartanburg County school districts will allow the Urban League to increase capacity for Project Ready. JM Smith Foundation also supported the Spartanburg operations. LEARN MORE

PROBLEMS WITH OUTSOURCING AND PUBLIC MERGERS

Cities have turned to outsourcing  and mergers as a  panacea  to financial budget constraints  [a result of,  to some degree, poor  government policies and a lack of intelligent, creative urban planning].   Unfortunately, this has led to other problems; specifically, higher unemployment rates among the poor and "people of color". 

It's   bad enough (even insulting at times)  that predominantly African American communities are under-represented in the workforce (public and private), but increasingly devastating are the ongoing threats ... "outsourcing" and "public mergers".

Aside from the issue of a lack of minority contractors, does outsourcing release a city from regulations and laws designed to protect certain groups from being discriminated against in hiring? 

Are these private companies [that we've outsourced to] scrutinized for their hiring practices?  It shouldn't matter if you are public or private, if you are receiving tax payer dollars, public monies, you should be bound by the same state affirmative action programs, anti-discrimination laws, EEOC regulations, etc. [A word to the wise ... those cities who band together to use the same private company,  ... you better make damn sure those regulations and laws are being complied with.]  

African Americans need to take a look at  the companies their city contracts with. 

African Americans (esp. in  predominantly Black neighborhoods) also need to take a close look at:  who is delivering their mail and packages;  who is reading their gas and electric meters; who the cable guy is; who represents them; who teaches their children; ... Where I live, I see a lot of white males in these roles (with the exception of teachers who are mostly white females).

What is most alarming is that more and more Blacks (esp. Black males) are disappearing from the [full-time] workforce.  While this is alarming, it is not surprising.  The "system" has created problems (social, financial, political, legal, structural) that is unique, offensive, and devastating  to African Americans and other "people of color".  In the mix  [laws that give certain groups (dominated by whites)  an advantage,  our unjust legal/justice system, overcriminalization,  the for-profit prison system, and law enforcement (which is predominantly white and designed to act in one's own best  interests)  which has the power to completely destroy an individuals life], and you  get some understanding why Blacks and other "people of color"  have higher unemployment rates than other racial/ethnic groups.

It's high time we  address these issues, and also come up with intelligent and creative ways to insure that "people of color" are properly represented in every industry in the workforce.

RELATED:

Top 6 Outsourcing Disadvantages: Outsourcing Disadvantages: Reasons That Outsourcing is Bad for Your Company  By James Bucki

How Employers Weed Out Unemployed Job Applicants .. 1/14/2011


Employment Law Outsourcing Checklist (Mar 2006)


What is White Supremacy?

Michelle Alexander at Riverside: New Jim Crow convict under-caste 

 

Police addicted to drug money: Column

[BEAUTIFUL STRUGGLER] Jonathan Ferrell: Supposed to Die?

NOTICE: CUYAHOGA COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER HOTEL PROJECT

NOTICE FROM OUR FRIEND DP:

Business and Jobs Opportunity Coalition

Full participation of the African American community in Cuyahoga County's development of the $260 million Convention Center Hotel is imperative as the Cuyahoga County Council approves resolutions to begin the process. The council is expected to take action during its next public meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12 in the Justice Center.

The Ohio Eighth House District Black Caucus, in a Business and Jobs Opportunity Coalition with other community organizations, demands firm commitments to participation of African Americans in the demolition of the building currently on the site, the construction of the new building and the operation of the hotel, whether leased to the Hilton Corporation or any other organization. Fair inclusion will include participation in management, administration, food service and all other staffing categories, in addition to African Americans as contractors and suppliers.

During the County Council's meeting Oct. 22, these demands were stated by representatives of the Carl Stokes Brigade and Lee Adams Ministry of the Air WERE 1490am as well as the Ohio Eighth House District Black Caucus.

The County Council has been advised by its staff that the legal underpinning to require such participation has not yet been established, but the Turner Construction Co. and its joint venture affiliates have agreed to voluntarily meet standards for inclusion. The Business and Jobs Opportunity Coalition wants that agreement to be put in writing as a visible pledge of fairness. African Americans constitute one third of the county population. Any participation level less than that would be considered discriminatory against the African American community.

 

Community organizations that want to work with the Business and Jobs Opportunity Coalition are invited to meet from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. each Friday at Chateau Mansion, 13124 Euclid Ave., East Cleveland.

Business and Jobs Opportunity Coalition
Charles E. Bibb Sr., coordinator
216-659-4619
cebibbsr@yahoo.com

OHIO BUSINESS EXPO 2013

MBE/EDGE Contracting Opportunity Tool Kit

TOOLS to help you make the most of your MBE/EDGE certification.

 

• Ohio Business Expo - Online registration now available HERE
• 
  
  
  
     
•  
• The 2013 Ohio Business Expo is Nov. 21, 2013 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ohio Expo Center's Rhodes Center, located at 717 E. 17th Ave., Columbus.  Admission is free, however, there is a $5 fee for parking. 
•   
  
  Representatives from state agencies, boards, commissions and universities will be on hand to tell you about their upcoming set aside contracts and additional purchasing needs for this fiscal year.  There will also be informational and skill-building workshops open to all attendees.  We hope that you find this event helpful and use this opportunity to network with agency procurement officers to tell them more about your company's capabilities. 
• 
  
  To help your business prepare for the Expo, the Central Ohio Minority Business Association and the Columbus Minority Business Assistance Center, a service of the Ohio Development Services Agency, are hosting two workshops.  The workshops will be on Nov. 7 and 14 at 11:30 a.m.  Please see the pre-Expo workshop flier HERE
•  
•  

-- Pre-Expo Workshops flier
-- Expo flier 2013
-- Expo Book 2012

•  

 

AGENCY REGISTRATION

 

 

VENDOR REGISTRATION

RELATED:

Minority  |  Entrepreneurship and Business Assistance Centers

Ohio Affirmative Action in Employment

There is an "important distinction between affirmative action and equal opportunity. Equal opportunity assumes that the concept of merit based solely upon a person’s perceived ability to perform job duties will exclusively govern all personnel decisions. Committment to affirmative action requires specific efforts to recruit, employ, and promote members of groups previously excluded by consideration of additional factors deemed to be relevant and important.*"


Affirmative Action Program Verification
 

 

 

NEWSLETTER: MARCIA FUDGE, OCTOBER 25, 2013

HOME BIOGRAPHY SERVICES ISSUES NEWSROOM DISTRICT CONTACT

October 25, 2013 Remember our Veterans on Veterans Day, November 11th Please join me in thanking the brave men and women who have served our nation with courage and honor. One of the senseless consequences of the recent government shutdown was a delay in processing the backlog of veteran disability cases.  Our veterans deserve better and they've earned my commitment to address their needs not only on Veterans Day but every day of the year. Ben Venue Ben Venue Laboratories,Inc., a German based drug production company recently announced it will cease all operations in Bedford after more than 80 years in the community by the end of 2013. It will phase out more than 1,100 jobs through 2014. I participated in a meeting with Senator Sherrod Brown, officials from Ben Venue, Bedford City officials and a representative from Senator Rob Portman's office. We met to discuss efforts to find a buyer for the facility and save local jobs.  It was a productive meeting with the company committing to meet weekly with the city's representatives. Employees are being offered severance packages and training grants.  My office will continue to work with community partners to encourage communication and identify resources to spur economic development, preserve and create jobs. SNAP Benefit Cuts take effect on November 1st The temporary boost in SNAP(food stamp) benefits that was enacted during the Recession is being eliminated, effective November 1st.  The temporary increase was authorized by the American Recovery and Readjustment Act (ARRA) and it is still needed by nearly 48 million Americans who rely on SNAP as they struggle to make ends meet. The average benefit will be reduced to $1.40 per meal.  If you need assistance finding a food pantry or meal program, please contact the Cleveland Foodbank Help Line, 216-738-2067 or the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, 855-560-0850.

White House Tours Resume Click here for details The government shutdown wasted time and billions of dollars.  At a Washington, D.C. news conference, Rep. Fudge urged bipartisan cooperation to move our country forward. Join me for my next Telephone Town Hall Sign Up Here Constituent FeedbacK “Dear Congresswoman, I’ve tried for months and months to get my Social Security disability back pay.  They kept asking for more information and still nothing happened. Your staff is very professional and helpful. In 10 minutes, your staff got someone on the phone and now I have the $36,000 I was owed. Thank you so much.”    Mr. W. Cleveland