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Create Jobs for USA : Getting Americans Back to Work

2011-10-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

The other day I was waiting in line at Starbucks to get a coffee and saw a sign that said "Create Jobs for USA." I asked the clerk what it was about and she gave me a pamphlet that described the program.

I then logged on today to BlogHer and saw that they were also promoting this Create Jobs for USA program.

Basically, a $5 donation at Starbucks and other participating stores will go toward helping small community entrepreneurs borrow the funds they need in order to get a business started.

Hopefully I'm describing the concept correct, but basically you donate your $5 and receive a unique wristband in return. Then a CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) provides an additional $30 to go along with your donation. That $35 goes into the community for lending to small businesses, affordable housing programs, real estate program, funding micro-enterprises and helping community-based non-profits.

The money is repaid by borrowers 98 % of the time and then can go toward helping another entrepreneur or community association grow.

So according to the program every $3,000 donated generates $21,000 which is enough money to create one job. So we all help each other out.

It could create a job for you or someone you know. It could provide you as a small business owner with the funds you need to grow your business.

The first thing I thought when I read the pamphlet was "where do I get one of these wristbands!" Because it sounds like an amazing idea. You have to wait until November 1, 2011 (that's tomorrow) to buy one at Starbucks.

On Our Own But We're In This Together

Let's face it people, whether you're a classy black lady or an American or any other cultural background: we're on our own!

Corporations aren't motivated to create jobs right now because it doesn't maximize their profitability. They're more motivated to hire in countries where people are happy to work for the equivalent of $1 to $2 an hour. That is the real reason why the American unemployment rate is sky-high.

In my opinion, the only way that we as Americans can pull ourselves out of this recession and jobs crisis is to:

1) Create our own jobs (entrepreneurship)

2) Support small local businesses instead of corporations

3) Bank at credit unions and other small local banks that support the community

Over the past few decades America has become so dependent on corporations and banks that we find ourselves in the situation we're in now. But we can turn it around.

Starbucks' Create Jobs for USA wristband

Imagine an America where we return back to good old fashioned values of working hard, being happy, supporting your family and supporting each other.

The wristband that you get when you donate at Starbucks says "Indivisible." That pretty much says it all -- we must stand together.

I think this movement is a great start and I hope that you'll support the Create Jobs for USA cause. Visit the website at CreateJobsforUSA.org for more information (you can also donate $5 online) and don't forget to buy a wristband at Starbucks starting on November 1, 2011.

No Blacks Supporting Occupy Wall Street? Rubbish

2011-10-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

Black people are most definitely showing up in support of OWS.

I recently heard a news correspondent state that blacks aren’t really participating in the OWS movement.

I beg to differ. That is complete rubbish.

I attended a general assembly in downtown NYC recently and I can state assuredly that blacks are most certainly supporting and involved in this movement. At the meeting that I attended, two black women were actually leading the discussion. There were black faces scattered throughout the crowd.

We are very much involved, so please media pundits and correspondents, do not try to yet again reduce the important role that blacks play in this country. Many of us want change also.

The other point of this post is to officially state that ClassyBlackLady.com is in support of the Occupy Wall Street (OWS), Occupy America and Occupy the World movements. It is growing in power and influence around the globe. The people who are helping to organize it are very intelligent planners—many are college grads.

I have little to gain from this post. My target audience is very specific: classy black ladies. It might bring out more people who disagree with OWS than supporters, but it's still worthwhile if it serves to educate just one open-minded individual.

They Want It All

To the folks of all races and backgrounds who are still sitting on the sidelines or who think it’s funny to run around calling OWS protesters “dirty hippies” and the like, it’s time to clear the fog from around your head.

Bottomline, if you don’t clear $300,000 per year or have millions in assets, you shouldn’t be saying anything against these protesters. They are risking their freedom and working in the interest of the 99 percent of Americans who do not make over $300,000 a year. They are fighting for those who make $25,000 and try to support a family of four on that.

A few quick stats:

- The 1 percent snatched up three-quarters of the country’s economic growth between 2002 and 2006. That was right before the economic collapse - coincidence?

- The 1 percent owns 42 percent of this country’s wealth

- The 1 percent is currently holding onto approximately 1.57 trillion dollars

Source: http://www.alternet.org/economy/145705/the_richest_1%25_have_captured_america's_wealth_--_what's_it_going_to_take_to_get_it_back

In short, the 1 percent now holds a very large portion of America’s wealth. Many believe that corporations and corporate interests are hoarding the money instead of hiring and waiting for America to completely collapse so that they can try to take over the government.

And the wealthiest 1 percent, never satisfied, are still trying to gather more of the wealth! That’s why a filthy rich bank like Bank of America is now charging $5 debit fees to poor and middle class account holders. That’s why you go into a major corporate-owned convenience store like 7-11 to buy a candy bar and they now charge you $1.40—double what it cost a year ago.

They decided to raise their prices in the midst of a recession—does that sound logical to you? Very logical if you’re trying to take every last red cent that poor and middle class people have in their pockets.

Even as I'm writing this post, I'm learning that Bank of America received a $1.9 billion tax REFUND last year. Why does this corporation get a REFUND when millions of everyday, struggling Americans have to pay? The government basically cut them a check for doing business. Why do they need more money?

They want it all. In my opinion, they want to turn this country into a wasteland, take all the money and run.

To add insult to injury, they’re also trying to destroy social programs that help poor folks and devise a way to put the Social Security program in the hands of Wall Street crooks. (But if you’ve seen the recent AARP commercial, you know that senior citizens are simply not having it.)

The Power Is in the People

They might have the cash right now, but thankfully the power is still with the people. 99 percent versus 1 percent — you do the math.

- We can make a conscious choice to put our money into a non-profit credit union instead of using a bank like Bank of America.

- We can make the choice not to buy their overpriced sweets and either make our own at home or spend our money on a sweet apple at a local farmer's market instead.

- We can make the choice to educate our kids about entrepreneurship instead of encouraging them to go to an expensive college that takes their cash without a guarantee of a well-paying job.

- We can vote out politicians who only seem to have the interests of corporations and the wealthy in mind.

So the big question is, what can you do differently starting today?

Don’t Be a Bandwagoner

A recent poll showed that one-third (about 33 percent) of the country currently supports OWS and the Occupy movement. I imagine that a large portion of the 67 percent who don't are either 1) rich, 2) stubbornly committed to supporting the wealthy (still believing they are part of the American dream) or 3) bandwagoners.

Please don’t be one of those people who always jumps on the bandwagon after everything is said and done. There are always folks who pretend as if they were down for the cause all along but let everyone else do all the hard work.

I imagine there were a lot of people who were disgusted by the Civil Rights movement, calling the protesters “dirty,” “lazy,” “troublemakers” and all kind of names. Even some blacks had this mentality.

But when the CRM produced a massive change in politics and law in this country, then everyone wanted to claim a part of it. Don’t be one of those people who are late to the party—learn more about OWS and understand that they are working in the interest of 99 percent of this country. At least try to learn more before you judge. Then make an educated decision on whether you’ll support it.

OWS Official Website --- > http://occupywallst.org/

Twitter search: #ows and #occupy

Move your money to a credit union (it's the same as a bank but without all the greed) --- > http://moveyourmoneyproject.org/

Read an article from BusinessWeek that explains some of the sentiments of OWS protesters:

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-23/real-grievances-fuel-occupy-wall-street-protests-albert-r-hunt.html

Another from Vanity Fair that explains the dangers of having 1 percent hold nearly half of the wealth in this country:

http://www.vanityfair.com/society/features/2011/05/top-one-percent-201105

Black Women: Set SMART Goals for Yourself

2010-09-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

Young classy black ladies in college -- please don't graduate regretting your college debt and decisions. Think ahead starting now.

I was recently reading an article published by The New York Times (Placing the Blame as Students Are Buried in Debt by Ron Lieber). I feel that this is an extremely important issue to discuss here on the Classy Black Lady blog.

The article asks who's to blame for exorbitant student loan debt. But regardless of who is at fault, you, the college student, are the only one who can make it stop.

Young black ladies in college, this article is especially targeted for you. I was once in your shoes. I got caught up in the hype of going to the best college possible (which I did for my major) but I was not looking at the bigger picture coming from a middle class family.

College is 4 years of fun and new experiences, but one May day all of that excitement will end. You're going to have to face the real world and all the debt you've accumulated over those 4 years.

That student loan debt will prevent you from getting further loans. So if you're thinking of starting your own business and applying for a small business loan, forget it. No creditor is going to want to take that type of risk if you're carrying around $50,000 or more worth of debt.

Thinking about buying a home instead of continuing to rent (more throwing money down a hole)? Good luck getting a mortgage loan when they add your student loan debt into your debt-income ratio to see if you qualify.

In the past, credit card companies would extend you credit even though you have a large amount of debt, but nowadays that's just not so in many cases. Even if you have a high credit score.

Thinking about financing a new car to celebrate your graduation? If you are approved for a car loan, you might be faced with an exorbitant interest rate of 13% or more thanks to that very expensive piece of paper (your degree).

You could find yourself in a constant forebearance/deferment cycle that will cause you to accumulate even more interest over your life due to your student loan.

With the current job market, many college graduates are finding themselves with this huge college debt bill and no income. How is that supposed to work out?

When you find yourself in this situation, where will your college be in all of this? Recruiting a fresh new group of "suckers" to fund the business. Because that's all that a college is sweetie, a business like any other.

Not only that, but many colleges even go so far as to ask former students to DONATE to their coffers.

So What Should You Do About It?

In the face of this wake-up call that so many young people do not receive from their parents or colleges, I have a few suggestions. I'm not telling you to quit college outright, but you still have time to make some better choices.

Hindsight is 20/20. So here are my suggestions to you, young classy black ladies in college:

- Stop using credit cards. If you were lured into a credit card arrangement when you first came to college, cut it up now and get a job to pay your expenses. Trust me on this one--that college credit card can haunt you for decades.

- Transfer/Go to a less expensive college in your home state. Don't look at this as failure--this is a SMART decision that SMART people make. State colleges give you more grants and are cheaper. Don't believe the hype that going to an expensive college automatically equals a better job when you graduate like I did. IT DOESN'T. If you're thinking about going to college, consider going to a community college for 2 years then transferring to a regular college for the remainder of that time to save money.

- Avoid taking out side loans to pay your expenses. Some companies will offer you additional loan funding while you're in college to help you with expenses, and your financial aid office might even refer you to them! Say no, and struggle a bit. It is only 4 years. Get a job if you need to. Remember why you're in college--not to shop, style and party, but to get an education that will propel you to a well-paying job. Would you rather shop, style and party freely for 4 years or for as long as long as you want after spending responsibly in college?

Read the full article by Ron Lieber on the life of a student buried in debt after college here to see what's in your future if you continue to take out more and more college loans.

College Students Buried in Debt: Classy Black Ladies in College Please Read

2010-09-01T05:30:00.001-07:00

Young classy black ladies in college -- please don't graduate regretting your college debt and decisions. Think ahead starting now.

College is 4 years of fun and new experiences, but one May day all of that excitement will end. You're going to have to face the real world and all the debt you've accumulated over those 4 years.

That student loan debt will prevent you from getting further loans. So if you're thinking of starting your own business and applying for a small business loan, forget it. No creditor is going to want to take that type of risk if you're carrying around $50,000 or more worth of debt.

Thinking about buying a home instead of continuing to rent (more throwing money down a hole)? Good luck getting a mortgage loan when they add your student loan debt into your debt-income ratio to see if you qualify.

In the past, credit card companies would extend you credit even though you have a large amount of debt, but nowadays that's just not so in many cases. Even if you have a high credit score.

Thinking about financing a new car to celebrate your graduation? If you are approved for a car loan, you might be faced with an exorbitant interest rate of 13% or more thanks to that very expensive piece of paper (your degree).

You could find yourself in a constant forebearance/deferment cycle that will cause you to accumulate even more interest over your life due to your student loan.

With the current job market, many college graduates are finding themselves with this huge college debt bill and no income. How is that supposed to work out?

Not only that, but many colleges even go so far as to ask former students to DONATE to their coffers.

So What Should You Do About It?

Hindsight is 20/20. So here are my suggestions to you, young classy black ladies in college:

Read the full article by Ron Lieber on the life of a student buried in debt after college here to see what's in your future if you continue to take out more and more college loans.

Hey Black Woman: Handle Your Business!

2010-08-26T00:40:00.000-07:00

I want to help inspire black women to start their own businesses. Despite what many corporations would like us to believe, you simply can't achieve true long-term job security by working for someone else. Create your own job security by starting and building a successful small company.

Visit this section of the ClassyBlackLady.com website frequently for tips, advice, helpful websites, and knowledge about starting your own business as well as basic career management information.

Press CTRL + D on your keyboard to bookmark this section automatically!

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