January 2008
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Vol 3, Issue 1
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In the Black
Newsletter
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| Greetings! |
Last week Business Street, a local business newspaper announced their list of "top business professionals in the private and public sectors in central California who are leaders in the community, and have experienced great success before the age of 40". Of the 40 individuals listed, only nine were of color. This say one of two things: (a) this is another example of how ethnic minorities are excluded from mainstream media messages and the dominant culture's concept of power and success; or (b) there is continued concentration of real power and influence amongst Caucasians in a community that is 55% comprised of Blacks, Hispanic/Latinos and Southeast Asians. One would hope those undesirable traits of previous generations would not be passed on as a rite of passage as our age bracket proclaims to stand at a higher level of equity and social justice.
Some satisfy their internal struggle of being perceived as socially equitable when developing comprehensive lists such as these or collecting community data by stating they aren't aware of members of disconnected, disenfranchised or minority groups (it's the same rationale used by those over 40 to exclude under it from the conversation). OK... why don't you? With access to the internet, six local cambers and business associations of which four are ethnic based, and the thousands of ethnic business owners alone the age of ignorance is inexcusable.
Even if none of those resources existed, one could make a good ol' fashion telephone call to a few knowledgeable people of color in their network (there is an assumption there) as I did to come up with these individuals:
Debbie McKenzie, came to the Valley four years ago as a AmeriCore VISTA and now works under the County Administrator's Office as the coordinator of the County of Fresno's Gang Taskforce.
Dwayne Ferguson, owner of Overcolor Print & Design and developer of BlackXchange.net, a nationwide black business directory and search engine.
Darrell Stamps & Veda Ramsay-Stamps, formerly the County Housing Manager and City Council Budget Analyst, they are now managing partners of Cataylst Development and The Ramsay Group whose clients include The California Endowment, City of Fresno, and The Redevelopment Agency and Fresno Works for Better Health. Veda is the co-chair of the City's 10X10 Housing Taskforce.
Crystal Smith, City of Fresno management analyst who administered the City's $9M CDBG funds now working in the Mayor's Office as a budget analyst.
Terence Frazier, Frazier Realty. FSU and professional baseball athlete turned owner/broker/real estate developer. Terence seats on the board of the Central Valley Business Incubator.
Sandy Cha, Community Development Officer for Wells Fargo Bank and sits on Wells Fargo Asian Business Services Strategic Advisory Board. Sandy is on the board of the Fresno County Women's Chamber of Commerce and a graduate of Leadership Fresno.
Yammilette Gutierrez Rodriguez, government relations liaison for PG&E and the former Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Fresno Pacific University. Yammilette is on the board of the Central Valley Latinas Network.
Lawrence D. Garcia, since taking over his father's business in 2000, he has grown AmeriGuard Security to a $4M private security company with 12 times the number of employees. AmeriGuard is one of the largest locally-Hispanic owned businesses that employs 180 Valley residents and has been featured on the Hispanic Business 500 List and in The Business Journal's Book of List. Lawrence is the treasurer of the Central CA Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a member of Chief Dyer's Advisory Board.
Rev. Shane Scott is the newly installed pastor of largest African-American in the greater Fresno area, Saint Rest Baptist Church with over 1500 members. He is overseeing at onsite 20,000 sq. ft expansion that will include a new recreational and community center. Because of his work in the SF Bay Area before moving to Fresno, he well connected and resourced nationally. *
Silas Cha is the associate director at Fresno Center for New Americans serving the Valley's 30,000 plus refugee community. Silas leads Hmong-American Concerned Citizens and recognized advocate in health care and refugee-related issues. He is a graduate of Great Valley Center's IDEAL program and sits on the regional advisory board for the Central Valley Health Policy Institute.
Tate Hill (I was told by others to include my name), formerly the Vice President of Program Services at Fresno West Coalition for Economic Development who helped bring $1.1 M of new grants to southwest Fresno, finalized the West Fresno Association serving over 350 Empowerment Zone residents with access to the Fresno County Federal Credit Union and participated in the launch of African-American micro loan fund through Valley Small Business Association. Tate was the founding chair of Creative Fresno and member of the Mayor's Creative Economy Council. Currently, he is the Central Valley Vice President for Youth Leadership Institute. *
* under 30
Tate Hill II
Editor
Are you interested in being a part of the solution? Do you have expertise/experience in developing and/or implementing the mechanisms to achieving fighting these issues? Please contact me at urbanknowledge@gmail.com
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The Black List: Year 2007 in Review & The Seven in '07
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In the Black is preparing for the second 'Black List' to be released early 2008. In the next few weeks, a survey will go out to readers like yourself, to votes for the individuals, organizations and businesses that had the greatest influence on black Fresnans in 2007.
Last year, we also release the top events and stories we felt impact Fresno's black community. Thsi year, we are compiling the 'Seven in '07'-- the top seven events that took place in Fresno during 2007. Do you have an opinion? Email us at urbanknowledge@gmail.com and let us know your thoughts.
Forgot what was listed last year? See the archived In the Black: 2006 in Review on the Urban Knowledge Blog.
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Marol: "Where Southern hospitality meet fine dining"
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 Marsol is now the home of fine soul & Creole food dining in Fresno. Proprietor and Fresno native, Helen Cooley, officially open for business on December 7 in central part of the city, just north of Fresno City College. The menu has a authentic selection of New Orleans & Southern-inspired and seafood dishes including etouffée, gumbo, chicken & waffles, Cajun shrimp and even alligator. The restaurant will soon offer an Express Lunch will a variety to choose from.
Once you walk in, you will see why Ms. Cooley's reconstruction took several months. The restaurant demonstrates craftsmanship and an eye for detail in the selection of art, decor, and design. The restaurant include a multimedia meeting room (seats 20+ people) with video and teleconferencing capabilities. Dinner reserves are available.
In addition, there is jazz music on Friday and Saturday evening.
Marsol
3075 N. Maroa Avenue
(just south of Shield Ave)
Fresno, CA 93704
(866) 684-2524
www.marsolfresno.com
menu, directions and contact information
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Looking for In the Black Writers
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 Do you have something to say? Are you passionate about a particular subject? Have you said, "they need to write to
about ..."? Well, here's your chance!
In the Black is looking for other Issue writers, opinion editorals, and reviews of local restaurants, shops and entertainment venues from a black prospective.
College students are especially welcomed to inquire.
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Food for Thought:
Politics is the organized debate over power.
Ballots are the currency of politics.
John Murillo,
Chair,
Central Valley Democratic Central Committee
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| In the Black, a publication of the Urban Knowledge Blog
Disclaimer: This is an editorial publication. The comments above are solely of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views or ideologies of any organization or person outside of Urban Knowledge. If there is a numerical or factual error, please inform us and we will publicly rectify it via email. Comments received may be republished, unless you indicate otherwise, for the betterment of other readers. Thank You. |
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