What commenced as a State Action Council formed by Michigan’s African American Thought Leaders in 2010 evolved into work-groups comprised initially of the Board Members of the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan, then the LiUNA African American Caucus, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and now African Americans across the country, in the Caribbean , South America, Africa and around the world all focused on the design of public policy that could advance life quality. The Annual White House Policy Meeting sets that framework for the task goals in the coming year. Understanding the Presidents vision and where there is alignment, collaborating with Congressional, State and local leaders to gain support and resources for the alignments, while doing the actual work on the ground with or without federal, state or local agency support is what every member of a “State Action Council” accepts as a responsibility. People, systems and bureaucracies are slow to change, thus as most of the efforts of a State Action Council will be “new ideas”, the work requires a high level of analytics, self-sustaining fund strategies, and a relentless commitment. Each year, along with the intense sessions with federal agencies and White House staff, the National Conference of African American Thought Leaders recognizes Congressional Members that have demonstrated “life quality advocacy” for the African American community, and a local leader that has distinguished themselves is supporting the mission of a State Action Council. The State Action Council Reception is held on the Thursday of the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Week at the historic Willard Intercontinental Hotel.
In 1971, the iconic actor Ossie Davis told the Congressional Black Caucus, “It’s not the man, it’s the plan”. His challenge to leadership to create a national African American action agenda and responsible participation with the African diaspora remains “the Call”. The Annual White House Meeting honors the vision of past leadership, while celebrating current leadership, and importantly maintains a tradition of financially supporting the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation while challenging ourselves intellectually to create vehicles to uplift our people by having the “a table” assemble annually during the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Week. It is a responsibility and honored tradition. It is “Black History” and an important part of “The American Story”.
How Best Value Policy Eliminates The Need for Race-based Procurement
- Establishing weighted value criteria that incentivizes and rewards the use of “local”
business and labor are good social and economic policy - Establishing weighted criteria that incent and rewards contractors and vendors for BOTH the number of local residents employed on a project AND the total contract dollars spent with local businesses on any given project is good social and economic policy
- Clearly defining definitions for “local” business “weighted credit eligibility” improves the local tax base
- Clearly defining definitions for “local” labor “weighted credit eligibility” improves the local tax base
- Use of “Best Value” language and weighted incentives in Requests for Proposals assures a “host community” is the primary beneficiary of economic investment associated with projects
*The economic multiplier associated with advancing local contracting and employment without sacrificing product quality or project completion timelines is a direct method of achieving meaningful community impact without the need for “race-based” requirements as the definition of “local” determines the specific area a “contract owner” is attempting to positively impact. Whatever the population and business demography of the host community is, contract and labor participation will be driven by competitive proposals designed to maximize participation. In predominantly Black communities, responses to RFP’s that produce the most responsibly competitive local utilization of labor and businesses from within that community would have a considerable advantage over responses that fail to strive for this deliverable. Whatever the prevailing local demography is within a host community is the likely beneficiary of “Best Value Policy” and the local host community itself is the absolute beneficiary of its use.
Paths To Self-Investment That Reduce Government Dependency
- Linking professionals with 700+ credit scores with growing Black Enterprises interested in trading equity in their companies for assistance in acquiring or increasing trade and bank lines of credit.
- Offering professional skill sets (in finance, operations, product acquisition, professional development, logistics, labor management, supply chain, procurement, logistics, packaging, promotion and marketing, etc.) to Black Enterprises in exchange for an equity stake in the company
- Being “intentional” about aligning personal and business expenses with “community” development
- Recording successes and promoting “ourstory” to create strong Black self-images and trusted enterprise brands that drive positive consumer confidence in Black professionalism, business and entrepreneurship.
- Sponsoring African professionals to work in your business with the skill set to expand your business to, or manage a joint venture in Africa.
- Investing in providing professional services to an African headquartered enterprise in exchange for equity, or an agreement to create a U.S. and African joint venture relationship.
Phase 1 of the African American Commerce Initiative is a “blueprint” for local development of a comprehensive community stabilization and development strategy.
Phase 2 of the African American Commerce Initiative “The Uhuru Construct” is the full integration of a “self-determined” Black American and African American future.
Note:
Black American Proud of our ethnicity, our nation, patriotism, our story and their efforts to achieve all the rights, benefits, privileges and protection of full citizenship.
African American Proud of our ethnicity, believes in the stated founding values and aspirational goals of our nation; desires to be patriotic, deeply values ourstory and efforts to achieve all the rights, benefits, privileges and protections of full citizenship, but also acknowledges an ancestral relationship with and desire to be supportive of and or connected to Africa and or persons of African descent.
Person of Color An ally to one or both but identifying as neither.
