09-womenshistmonth-2 - black business associationbbala.org/bbla-images/bba women history month...

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

Now is the Time to “Tear the Roof Off ”

2009 EventsJune

•Annual Awards DinnerTBD

•Trade Mission to Washington, DCSeptember

•Black Busines Day Conference & Luncheon

October•Utilities Procurement

Exchange Summit & Awards 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 number of women owning and operat-ing small business concerns, as well as the number of female executives heading public and private corpora-tions, 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 computer c o n s u l t -ing fi rm CC-OPS, positively changed how men v i e w women in technolo-gy. Public Relations m a v e n Pat Tobin, f o u n d e r and presi-dent of her namesake fi rm, positively changed how corporate America now readily accepts a public

relations fi rm headed by a woman. Dr. C. Diane Howell, publisher of North-ern California’s Black Business List-ings (BBL), made a highly signifi cant economic impact for smaller black business enterprises by founding 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 leaders 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

2 March 2009 Black Business News Women’s History Month www.bbala.org

Mary Ann Mitchell

Pat Tobin Dr. C. Diane Howell

see Tear the Roof Off on page 10

Women’s History Month Profi les:

Black Women In LeadershipHatshepsut (Maatkare) Pha-raoh of Kemet (Ancient Egypt, Eigh-teenth Dynasty (1472-1458 BCE)

Widow of Thutmosis II, Hatshepsut ruled fi rst

as regent for his minor son and heir, and then as Pharaoh, a female Horus. Her titles include “King of Up-per 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 mili-tary campaign and going on a journey to the Land of Punt. She disappears suddenly from history, and her son ap-parently ordered the destruction of im-ages 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 war-riors herself never surrenduring.

Her death accelerated the Portug-ese occupation of the interior of South West Africa, fueled by the massive ex-pansion of the Portugese slave trade.

Harriet Tubman (1820-1913)

In 1844, Araminta Harriet Greene married 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 slavery, 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 became a leader in the abolitionist movement, 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 cam-paign for the presidency, was a pas-sionate and effective advocate for the needs of minorities, women and chil-

dren 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-


see Black Women on page 4

Black Women In Leadership

gress from the South. Throughout her school days she was an honor student 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. Con-gressman, she sponsored bills that championed the cause of poor, Black, and disadvantaged people including sponsoring legislation to broaden the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to extend its authority to those states where minori-ties had been denied the right to vote or had had their rights restricted by unfair registration practices, such as literacy tests. Ms. Jordan was chosen as a keynote speaker for the Demo-cratic National Convention in 1976, and again in 1992. She was the fi rst Black selected to keynote a major po-litical 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 Governor General of Canada is the vice-regal representative in Canada of the Queen of Canada (Queen Eliza-beth II), who is the head of state, and

governs in the name of and as repre-sentative of the monarch. There is no specifi c term for 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 re-ceived 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 Florence, 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 Portu-guese.

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 AliHer 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 academic and political attributes. She holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of Pune, India; a BA in Eco-nomics from the University of New Delhi, India; a Diploma in Financial Management from the Indian Institute of Finance Management in Pune, In-dia; and a Diploma in Market Research and Export Promotion from Prodec Program, University of Finland. She

has served in government and leader-ship 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 terri-tories; 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 miner-al 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


from Black Women on page 3


Black Women In Leadershipthe 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 council president, and valedic-torian at National Cathedral School in Washington, DC. Rice attended Stan-ford University, where she received a Truman Scholarship, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in his-tory in 1986. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Awarded a Rhodes Schol-arship, Rice attended New College, Oxford, where she earned a Masters in Philosophy in 1988 and Doctor of Philosophy in 1990.

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 Cali-fornia’s 9th Congressional District in 1998. A member of the House Appro-

priations Com-mittee, Con-gresswoman Lee also serves on the Foreign Affairs Com-mittee on the subcommittees on Western H e m i s p h e r e 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 recently 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 pas-sage of legislation she authorized to al-low divestment from companies doing business in Sudan.

Karen BassThe Honorable Karen Bass is the

fi rst African American women to be elected S p e a k e r of the As-s e m b l y for the California State As-s e m b l y and is the fi rst Afri-can Amer-ican wom-an 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 Com-mittee on Foster Care, she lead the effort to secure more than $82 million and to implement a host of new laws to help improve the state’s Foster Care System.

She has created state laws provid-ing Healthy Families Insurance Cover-age to help prevent children from going without health insurance; establishing a small business policy that removes red tape by preventing businesses from fi ll-ing out duplicate certifi cation forms for the city and state; and providing more


than $600 million for Los Angeles Uni-fi 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.

Valerie JarrettValerie Jarrett, a Chicago-area busi-

nesswoman and civic leader, is Senior Advisor and Assistant to Presi-dent Obama for Intergovernmental Re-lations and Public Liaison. She worked

with Obama as a senior adviser during his campaign and held the title of co-chair on his transition team.

When President Obama signed the executive order creating the White House Council on Women and Girls. Jarrett was appointed Council Chair.

Diane E. WatsonThe Honorable Diane E. Watson is a

U.S. Congress-woman repre-senting major portions of the Los Angeles area of South-ern California. Her career has spanned lo-cal, state and federal posi-tions including



President Obama Creates the White House Council on Women and Girls

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

President Barack Obama has signed an Executive Order

creating the White House Coun-cil on Women and Girls. The mission of the Council will be to provide a coordinated federal re-sponse to the challenges con-fronted by women and girls and to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabi-net-level agencies consider how their policies and programs impact women and families. The Council will be chaired by Valerie 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 matters of public policy,” said President Obama. “My Administration has already made important progress

toward that goal. I am proud that the fi rst bill I signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Res-toration Act. But I want to be clear that issues like equal pay, family leave, child care and others are not just women’s issues, they are family issues and economic issues. Our progress in these areas is an important measure of whether we are truly fulfi lling the promise of our democracy for all our people. I am confi dent that Valerie Jarrett and Tina Tchen will guide the Coun-cil 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 ex-ternally 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 security by ensuring that each of the agencies is working to directly improve the economic status of women. • Working with each agency to en-sure that the administration evalu-ates and develops policies that establish 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-


White House Council 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.

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 members, the President may des-ignate 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

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 bookstore,” 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



Ambasadaor to Micronesia. She is a champion on behalf of Africans and the African continent and works for the best of the California economy.

Maxine WatersA representative in the United States

Congress since 1991, the Honor-able Maxine Waters is one of the most

recognized mem-bers of Congress. She is not only commited to ser-vice the 35th Con-gressional District but has become the voice in Washington, DC for all people. She works extremely hard to improve the quality of life for all. She has recently taken on the challenge to aid families and small businesses in distress due the the US and world-

wide economic crisis.

Jan PerryLos Angeles City Councilwoman,

the Honorable Jan Perry is mak-

Black Women

First Lady Michelle Obama organized and led many women leaders to meet with teenagers in Washington, DC schools to talk with them and encourage them to let nothing get in the way of their personal achievement. Women involved included: actresses Fran Drescher, Al-fre Woodard, Sarah Jones and Phyli-cia Rashad; singers Alicia Keys and Sheryl Crow; astronaut Mae Jemison; choriographer Debbie Allen, Olympic gold-medal gymnast Dominique Dawes, Olympic gold-medal basketball star Lisa Leslie Lockwood and U.S. Army Gen. Ann Dunwoody. This Women’s History Month event included outreach to local students and an evening event at the White House. White House Photo


ing a positive change in the lives of her Ninth District constituents. Perry repre-sents some of the most diverse and vibrant com-munities in Los Ange-les including

Bunker Hill, Little Tokyo, and South Los Angeles.

Perry’s commitment to change and her untiring efforts in working with pub-lic agencies and environmental groups, have helped make the difference.

Laura RichardsonSince being elected to serve in the

House of Representatives the Honorable Laura Richardson has been assigned to serve on the i n f l u e n t i a l House Com-mittees on Transporta-tion & In-frastructure and Home-land Secu-rity. Richard-son lobbys for the United States to withdraw from

Iraq, expand access to health care ser-vices, enhance the goods movement, and infrastructure of our nation’s port communities, especially at the Port of Long Beach.

Yvonne Braithwaite BurkeThe Honorable Yvonne Braithwaite

Burke was the Los Angeles County Superv i -sor from the 2nd d i s t r i c t , a posi-tion she held from 1 9 9 2 -2 0 0 8 . D u r i n g this time she has served as the Chair

of the Board of Supervisors in 1993–1994, 1997–1998 and 2002–2003. She retired from the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors in December 2008.

Mrs. Burke was the fi rst African-American woman to represent the West Coast in the U.S. Congress. She was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives initially representing portions of Los Angeles (1973–1979), and was a member of the California State Assembly (1967–1973).

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.


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 ap-propriate 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

The State of Black Women as Entrepreneurs

Linda Johnson RiceChairman/CEO, Johnson

Publishing Company

Black Business AssociationP.O. Box 43159

Los Angeles, CA 90043 USATel: (323) 291-9334 • Fax: (323) 291-9234

URL: www.bbala.orgE-mail: [email protected]


employ more than seven million people.

There are also 7,231 women-owned b u s i n e s s e s with 100 or more employ-ees and these fi rms generate $274 billion in gross receipts.

C a l i f o r n i a can lay claim to having the most women-owned com-panies 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 busi-nesses with 468,705, accounting for 7 percent of all businesses.

Minority women owned a larger per-cen tage of busi-n e s s e s c o m -p a r e d to non-Hispanic w h i t e w o m e n , and at 46 p e r c e n t (of Black f i r m s ) , A f r i c a n American w o m e n c o n -trolled the biggest share of companies.

By Thia Fins

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 common 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 destina-tion 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.

“Tear the Roof Off ”

from Tear the Roof Off on page 2

Hermene Hartman, President/CEO, Hatman Publishing

Company

Jenifer Lewis,Actress & Author

Queen Ahneva Ahneva, President,Ahneva Ahneva International

Wendy’s Worldby Wendy Gladney

Wendy Gladney

Desirée Rogers

This issue of the Black Business News is highlighting President

Barack Obama, his Inauguration as well as his new Administration. As an Event Manager, my attention is drawn to a specifi c young lady by the name of Desirée Rogers who will hold the of-fi cial title as the “White House Social Secretary.” Ladies and gentlemen,

this is a big deal because this means she will hold the key to not only what happens in the White House, how it will happen, and WHO will get an in-vitation!

The White House Social Secretary is responsible for the planning, coordi-nation and execution of offi cial social events at the White House, the offi cial residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. These events can be as simple as a tea for the First Lady or a sit down din-ner for up to 200 guests. She must be well versed in protocol for both do-mestic and international events and guests.

Ms. Rogers is the fi rst African Ameri-can to hold this position. Although she’s a friend of the Obama’s, she paid dues leading up to this position by taking on the responsibilities of being Michelle Obama’s “Traveling Chief of Staff” during the campaign.

The White House Social Secretary will have the responsibility of making the “House” everyone’s in America. She states…”we are inviting all of America and all of the world to share in that splendor.” She guarantees us that there will be some changes, and you won’t be able to predict what will hap-pen and how it will look. What you will

be able to depend on is a sister with class will be handling things! Congrat-ulations Ms. Rogers!

Sincerely,

WendyWendy is the founder and president of Personal Services Plus, Inc., an Event Management Com-pany. Visit www.personalservicesplus.com . You can also hear Wendy on Dominique DiPrima’s “KJLH Radio Front Page” Friday Mornings @ 5:00am. A new show “Wendy’s Window” can also be heard Monday, Wednesday & Fridays between 3:00 – 7:00pm on KJLH!

(left) Mrs. Lillian Mobley, Com-munity Activist and Queen Nzinga R. Heru, International President of the Association for the Study of Classical Afri-can Civilizations (ASCAC) with a signed copy of author Pres-ident-elect Barack Obama’s book “The Audacity of Hope” during a book signing given by Eso Won bookstore at the California African American Museum, Los Angeles.

Photo by Sabir



Like two old girlfriends catching up, they ignored onlookers, hugged

and laughed. Donna Brazile, the political strategist

and Washington veteran, peppered Environmental Protection Agency Ad-ministrator Lisa Jackson with ques-tions.

“How are the kids?” “Have you con-tacted the church? I don’t go every Sunday but they know me.”

Before she left, Jackson had an open invitation to Brazile’s place for home-cooked red beans and rice, served up every Monday night.

“The sisterhood in this town, there’s deep history here,” Jackson said.

The “Obama women” -- as African American women who’ve taken big jobs in his administration have been nicknamed -- mark another step in the long journey of black women from out-siders to gatekeepers in political Wash-ington. They have quietly entered their jobs with little attention paid to the fact that they are the largest contingent of

The Ties That Align: Administration’s Black Women Form a Strong Sisterhoodby Krissah Thompson, Washington Post

high-ranking black women to work for a president.

Many are fi rsts -- as in the fi rst black woman to run the Domestic Policy Council, the fi rst black EPA chief and the fi rst black woman to be deputy chief of staff. Last week, Obama tapped Margaret (Peggy) Hamburg to lead the

Food and Drug Administra-tion. If confi rmed, Hamburg -- who is biracial (her moth-er is African American, her father Jewish) -- will also be a fi rst.

Seven of about three dozen senior positions on President Obama’s team are fi lled by African Ameri-can women. Veterans in town see them as part of the steady evolution of power for black women, not only in the White House but also across the country -- in the business world, in academia, in policy circles.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a District native who served in the Carter administration, said the

signifi cance of Obama sending Val-erie Jarrett to represent the adminis-tration at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, days after he took offi ce, was not lost on her. There, Jarrett was introduced by economist Klaus Schwab as “President Obama’s personal representative; infl uential adviser; trusted confi dante. . . . When she speaks, she speaks really with his voice.”

To Norton, it was an indication of the broad authority that black women now wield.

“I’m not sure there’s ever been a black woman who has enjoyed as much of the president’s confi dence as Valerie Jarrett. She has not been com-

partmentalized and is used in a variety of ways that I think is a fi rst,” Norton said. “The Obama women are a sign of how far we’ve come.”

Inside the young administration, the women said they have been slammed with work and left with little time to think about their place in history. But there are moments.

When Jackson, with bodyguard in tow, walks through the corridors of

the EPA’s vast complex in the Federal Triangle, she invariably is stopped by one of her employees, often an African American woman, who says, “Thank you for being here.” She is reminded not only of the history Obama made but also of the history she is mak-ing. Black women make up about 192,000 of the more than 1.7 million members of the federal workforce, according to the Offi ce of Manage-ment and Budget.

“It’s an indication that I’m one of theirs,” Jackson said.

It’s at church on Sundays that Mel-ody Barnes, who heads Obama’s Do-mestic Policy Council, is reminded. So many people want to stop and talk that her receiving line at the end of service is often as long as the pastor’s.

“I certainly feel it when someone my grandfather’s age stops me to say, ‘Sweetheart, I’m proud of you,’ but at the same time we are here to do a job,” Barnes said. “For the most part, when

Donna Brazile, Political Strategist,News Commentator*

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton*


we walk into the West Wing, we are fo-cused on that job throughout the day.”

Barnes was a principal fi gure behind the passage of the $787 billion stimu-lus package, held interviews with the media and called on allies in Congress -- where she worked for many years as chief counsel for Sen. Edward Ken-nedy (D-Mass.) on the Judiciary Com-mittee. Her next priorities are to help shepherd plans for universal health care and improving public education.

Mona Sutphen, the president’s depu-ty chief of staff and a foreign affairs ex-pert, has been an advocate for loosen-ing the long-standing Cuban embargo. Her ideas became law last week when less restrictive travel and trade rules were added to a spending bill passed by Congress.

White House Social Secretary Desi-rée Rogers parses guest lists, largely shapes the Obamas’ social profi le and orchestrates the Washington dance of dinners where politics are served around the table. In all of the busy-ness, there are times, Rogers said, when her old friend Jarrett will stop her in the hallway and dwell for a second on the import of their experience as Af-rican American women in the top ech-elons of the White House.

I’m so fast. I’m always moving, and Valerie will say to me, ‘Slow down. Just think about what we’re doing,’ “ Rog-ers said. “It is important to maintain those friends and relationships -- that lifeblood that sustain you as you work in a very historic time.”

Not so long ago, the appointment of a black woman to a senior position in any administration was a historic marker, a fi rst. But the collective arrival of the women serving in senior posi-tions in Obama’s presidency has been noted only in small ways and mostly within the “sisterhood.” A few weeks before Obama’s inauguration, one anonymous admirer sent out an e-mail with photographs of seven senior staff-ers under the title “Sisters in the White House.”

It listed Jarrett, Jackson, Barnes, Sutphen, Rogers, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and Cassandra Butts, deputy White House counsel.

It read like a dishy letter passed among girlfriends: “Did you know this sister is Valerie Jarrett, Transition Team Co-Chair? Did you know she’s the 4th generation of educated professionals in her family and is a Stanford and U of M graduate? (A former corporate at-torney, as the Chief of Staff in the Da-

ley Administration, she hired an Ivy-Leaguer named Michelle Robin-son!)”

“Most of us had met each other, but seeing the e-mail made me step back and think this is a really diverse and compelling group of women,” Sutphen said.

The message was a small nod to progress, a barometer of the ad-vancements of women and minorities.

“It’s like we have a garden out there, and it’s been watered,” Nor-ton said. “Black women have been preparing themselves for this day. They are more than ready.”

Women earn about two-thirds of the associate and bachelor’s degrees awarded to black students, according to the National Center for Education Sta-tistics, and Bureau of Labor data show that more than 2.6 million black wom-en were employed in man-agement and pro-fessional jobs last year. The w o m e n w o r k -ing for O b a m a h a v e h e l p e d run Chi-cago city g o v e r n -ment, led nonprofi t organizations, held top jobs at think tanks and infl uential positions on Capitol Hill.

Even so, women and minorities still lack representation in propor-tion to their numbers on the federal level. In Congress, only 90 members are women, 42 are African American, 28 are Latino and nine are Asian. Of late, black women have done better in Cabinet-level appointments and senior White House positions. President Bill Clinton appointed two black women to his Cabinet and several served in se-nior White House positions. President George W. Bush named Condoleezza Rice his national security adviser and later secretary of state, making her the highest-ranking black woman in the country’s history.

It was only 32 years ago that Presi-dent Jimmy Carter appointed Patricia Roberts Harris to serve as secretary of housing and urban development, mak-ing her the fi rst black woman in the presidential line of succession. Harris said at the time of her HUD appoint-ment that her gender and race made her a “two for one” and called the hoop-la around her nomination the result of “tragic exclusion.” In stories about her experience as the fi rst, she described

Mona Sutphen, Deputy Chief of StaffForeign Affairs Expert*

Cassandra Butts, Deputy White House

Counsel


herself as lonely.Carter later named Eleanor Holmes

Norton head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and she recalls being “marketed” as the fi rst woman to hold the position.

She still has a framed photo in her congressional offi ce of herself posing with both Shirley Chisholm and Coret-ta Scott King, who came to see Norton and celebrate her EEOC post.

A cadre of black women were intro-duced to national politics during the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s unsuccessful bids for the presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988. They included Brazile, the fi rst African American to direct a major political campaign, and Minyon Moore, who was an assistant to Clin-ton and served as director of White House political affairs and the Offi ce of Public Liaison.

“We kind of burst onto the scene,” Moore said. “It became more normal to see an African American woman in a position of power.”

In their days in the Clinton admin-istration, Moore would lean on Alexis Herman, the fi rst African American woman to serve as labor secretary, and Hazel O’Leary, the fi rst to serve as energy secretary. “You never felt alone,” Moore said.

Now, the Obama women call on their predecessors and say they are getting to know one another as they fi nd their way in Washington. Jarrett and Rogers have a deep personal friendship forged in Chicago. Others are acquaintances or work friends who met during the Clinton administration, on Capitol Hill or during Obama’s campaign. Some are hoping lasting bonds will form, which could leave Washington with a good old sisters network.

“We are fortunate that we are in a time where it isn’t new that African American women would have important roles in Washington. It is not becoming old hat, but it is something people are more comfortable with,” Butts said. “It is both absolutely as it should be, and it is also a bit surreal.” Butts put an interview on hold to pick up a call from Cheryl Mills, who in the Clinton administration be-came the fi rst black women to serve as deputy White House counsel. Mills,

now Sec-r e t a r y of State H i l l a r y Rodham Clinton’s chief of s t a f f , u n d e r -s t a n d s B u t t s ’ s job and the dy-namic of work ing in the W h i t e H o u s e bubble.

W h e n Jackson m o v e d from New Jersey to take up her EPA post, she p h o n e d Herman, who now owns a Distr ict-b a s e d company that ad-v i s e s corpora-tions on workplace diversity.

“She’s been through some of what I’m seeing,” Jackson said. “She knows what it’s like to have to fi gure out this town. . . . It’s defi nitely nice to be in a place where there are more of us.”

Jackson said the advice Herman gave her is private but, as a whole, the Washington sister-friends have done everything from recommend churches and hairstylists to offer fashion advice and babysitting services, Jackson said.

“As one of them put it: ‘We’re honest. We will tell you, that suit does not work. It makes your butt look big. That would work for somebody else but not you. No, don’t show up looking like that,’ “ Jackson said, smiling. “I don’t have sis-

ters so I always loved close girlfriends. They have made it much, much easier for the fi rst few weeks here.”

They also share hard-earned wis-dom for surviving the political game.

O’Leary passed on a story about her early days at the Energy Department. During her fi rst month, she had a post-er made with photos of all the previous department secretaries and herself. Face after face was a white man, end-ing with O’Leary’s picture. The line at the top of the poster read: “This is not your father’s Department of Energy.”

“In retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have done that,” she said with a laugh.

* Photo, Washington Post** Photo, White House

Trinidad and Tobago Foreign Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon with President Obama **


Celebrating and recognizing the achievements of African Ameri-can women in the USA in light

of the almost insurmountable obstacles that have stood and continue to stand in their way is a necessary, worthty, and worthwhile undertaking. The Black Business Association deserves ap-plause for providing a platform for this appreciation process each year. The BBA has recognized, along with many others, that this history of accomplish-ment and advancement of women is not a USA phenomenon.

There is an international view that must be included in the vision - women of the African Diaspora are rising to-gether. And, we are building a sister-hood that spans the borders of our na-tive countries. Through programs like the BBA’s annual recognition event and its steady outreach to the people of the African continent, the linking process is expanding rapidly.

I encourage all here to follow the lead of the BBA leadership and open up to see the vast possibilites for con-tinued growth and advancement when we link our collective skills, know how and buying power.

As the foundation of the fam-ily, whether at home or in our career efforts, women are the movers and shakers of our communities. When we step forward, everyone stemps for-ward. I invite you to step for-ward with vigor into the world of the African continent.

Take the steps to seek in-formation, seek business op-portunities, seek tourist ad-venture and fun. To start, visit the Consulate General website and browse the vast offerings of South Africa for cultural ex-ploration, business engage-ment and investment, and for travel (South Africa is hosting

the 2010 World Soccer Cup tourney). Follow your online journey with a visit to our Los An-geles offi ce so that we may talk with you about how you might approach linking with the women and the people of South Africa and the Afri-can Diaspora in general.

South AfricanConsulate General

6300 Wilshire BoulevardSuite 600

Los Angeles, CA 90048323-651-0902

www.link2southafrica.com

Consul General Jeanette Thokozilo

NdhlovuThe Honorable Jeanette Ndhlovu was born in Jo-hannesburg, South Africa. She completed both her primary and secondary education in South Africa, and a year and a half at the University of Zululand. Af-

ter the traumatic events of June 16, 1976, that led to the shooting of her younger brother, Hastings Ndlovu, who was a student at that time, she and her two sisters Thandi and Granny left South Africa.

Honorable J. Ndhlovu was ap-pointed as Consul-General of the Re-public of South Africa in Los Angeles as of October 2004. In addition to her excellent service on behalf of the Re-public of South Africa, Ms. Ndhlovu has authored “No Time to Mourn”, a book that reveals a very personal story of her struggle for freedom.

The Black Business Association extends appreciation to the Hon. Jeanette Ndhlovu and the Consulate for the support of the 2009 Salute to Black Women.

Strenthening the Links of theDiaspora Sisterhoodby Honorable Jeanette Ndhlovu, Consul General, Consulate General of South Africa - Los Angeles

Consul General Ndhlovu with Earl “Skip” Cooper, II, President/CEO Black Business

Association (BBA)

Zakumi, Offi cial Mascot of the 2010 World Cup Games

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

09-womenshistmonth-2 - black business associationbbala.org/bbla-images/bba women history month...

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