I spent the first part of last week in Washington, DC at the National Urban League Conference. I serve as the Chair for the Urban League of the Upstate (ULUS) and this is the annual meeting for Board members and leaders of Urban League affiliates throughout the country. Serving on the Board of the ULUS fits well with our Mission and my personal commitment to the community. It also relates to one of my individual work goals of developing a more inclusive approach to who we work with and who we buy from. We track the amount of money we spend on Minority and Women owned business. Through a more inclusive process of putting out bids we have increased competition and helped our community.
I can come back to my goals at a later time, for now I want to focus on the convention and why I am glad I attended.
1. It was different being the visible minority – not bad or good, just different. About 4,000 people attended and the majority were African-American. I had a similar experience in Chicago where the Hospital had a Float in the Bud Billiken Parade – a parade that marks the return to school for the communities of the south side of Chicago. We had the entire family on the float and it was a great time. I remember one of my kids saying how she was aware that we were the minority and she wondered about the black kids at school and how they felt.
2. The meeting included a Who’s Who of African-American leadership. From Vernon Jordan to President Obama, with Reverends Sharpton and Jackson, Chairman of the Republican Party Michael Steele and other elected officials in between. It was fascinating to listen to the panels and be reminded that the black community has many voices and many opinions.
3. The importance of jobs and the economy. This was a consistent theme and one that resonates well with me here in Greenville.
4. Healthcare concerns. The unemployed and the poor utilize a lot of healthcare resources while at the same time not having great access to primary care. In addition the rates of HIV/AIDS for the young African-Americans is far in excess of any other group. There are real disparities that exist.
5. The importance of education. In a future entry I will talk about how we established a MedEx Academy to reach into high school and start attracting students into healthcare. The reinforcement of education in the black community is critical – especially for young men. I believe I heard that we have more young black men in prison than in college. It also made me think about why it is important for us to Adopt-a-School – Berea Middle School.
6. The important role of Faith and Church in the African-American community. It is a real asset and a place to build for the future.
7. Community involvement and in particular mentorship.
8. Vernon Jordan’s speech – he was impressive and I was amazed how little I knew about him. I have not read it yet, but I did go ahead and order “Vernon Can Read.”
9. The need for courage to make changes.
10. My wife Susan and I had the chance to eat breakfast at the White House Mess with Susan Sher, Chief of Staff for the First Lady and Valerie Jarrett, Special Advisor to the President and both friends from Chicago.
I plan to continue on as Chairman of the Urban League of the Upstate for another year and I look forward to going to next year’s conference as well.
I can come back to my goals at a later time, for now I want to focus on the convention and why I am glad I attended.
1. It was different being the visible minority – not bad or good, just different. About 4,000 people attended and the majority were African-American. I had a similar experience in Chicago where the Hospital had a Float in the Bud Billiken Parade – a parade that marks the return to school for the communities of the south side of Chicago. We had the entire family on the float and it was a great time. I remember one of my kids saying how she was aware that we were the minority and she wondered about the black kids at school and how they felt.
2. The meeting included a Who’s Who of African-American leadership. From Vernon Jordan to President Obama, with Reverends Sharpton and Jackson, Chairman of the Republican Party Michael Steele and other elected officials in between. It was fascinating to listen to the panels and be reminded that the black community has many voices and many opinions.
3. The importance of jobs and the economy. This was a consistent theme and one that resonates well with me here in Greenville.
4. Healthcare concerns. The unemployed and the poor utilize a lot of healthcare resources while at the same time not having great access to primary care. In addition the rates of HIV/AIDS for the young African-Americans is far in excess of any other group. There are real disparities that exist.
5. The importance of education. In a future entry I will talk about how we established a MedEx Academy to reach into high school and start attracting students into healthcare. The reinforcement of education in the black community is critical – especially for young men. I believe I heard that we have more young black men in prison than in college. It also made me think about why it is important for us to Adopt-a-School – Berea Middle School.
6. The important role of Faith and Church in the African-American community. It is a real asset and a place to build for the future.
7. Community involvement and in particular mentorship.
8. Vernon Jordan’s speech – he was impressive and I was amazed how little I knew about him. I have not read it yet, but I did go ahead and order “Vernon Can Read.”
9. The need for courage to make changes.
10. My wife Susan and I had the chance to eat breakfast at the White House Mess with Susan Sher, Chief of Staff for the First Lady and Valerie Jarrett, Special Advisor to the President and both friends from Chicago.
I plan to continue on as Chairman of the Urban League of the Upstate for another year and I look forward to going to next year’s conference as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment