The stimulus bill has just been passed, and I have already heard people state “Let’s hold them accountable” or “Let’s see what they do this time.”
The stimulus bill has just been passed, and I have already heard people state “Let’s hold them accountable” or “Let’s see what they do this time.”
That is the logic of a loser. Frederick Douglas said it in 1862 that, “Power concedes nothing without a demand…you may not get all that you pay for but you will definitely pay for whatever you get.”
Those words still hold true and it is us, African-Americans, who must collectively organize and pursue our fair share of the act. This is a chance to level the playing field that has for too long been tilted against us due to our lack of organization and focus.
Elected officials will not and cannot do this for us. They legislate and must please special interests, not the general interest. Most of our politicians are democrats, and the orders come directly from the Democratic National Committee. The interests of Blacks will not be settled there or at the RNC. It is big money that rules there, and we don’t have big money. We have votes, but those can be manipulated by big money. In the end, it is big money that stirs our political landscape.
The National Black Chamber of Commerce will form at least three committees to pursue these opportunities.
There will be a Transportation Committee that will monitor and be active in the funds coming from the US Department of Transportation – namely infrastructure projects. There will be an Energy Committee that will do the same regarding the mammoth funding for energy related projects. The US Department of Energy will expand ten times within the next four years, and the opportunities will be plenty.
Finally, we will form a Section 3 committee to monitor all monies coming from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. All new jobs coming from HUD funds must comply with Section 3 of the HUD Act.
That means that 30 percent of all new jobs are to go to people living in public housing or under the poverty level. Ten percent of all contracts are to be set aside for Section 3 businesses (businesses that hire Section 3 residents). In 1998, there were 5,000 recipients of HUD funding, and only three were complying. The NBCC took this on, and today there are 1,300 in compliance, which means we have 3,700 more to convert.
We will measure our progress by the number of contracts awarded and the number of jobs produced. We commit to doing whatever we can and encourage other organizations and community leaders to join in. It is the only way it is going to get done.
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