All results / Stories / Harry C. Alford
Beyond the Rhetoric : The Night I Met Fred Hampton
It was a typical Monday afternoon during my senior year at the University of Wisconsin when my fellow linebacker, John Borders, prompt down next to my seat. John informed me that he had made another deal with Professor Rosenstein.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Congressional Black Caucus – Time for a Game Plan
The new 116th Congress has more Black participation than ever before. There are 55 members of the Congressional Black Caucus. There are two Black elected officials who chose not to belong – Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and Congressman William Hurd of Texas. They see the Caucus as a Democratic association and they are Republicans. We wish they would reconsider. It is important that the Caucus is bi-partisan.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Black Federal Procurement Levels Have Yet to Bounce Back
As the George W. Bush Administration ended Black procurement was coming in at 8.0%. During the Obama Administration levels fell consistently. As President Trump entered the White House levels were at 1.8% and falling. Today, the levels have yet to turn around. For first half of Fiscal Year 2019 (October 1 – March 31, 2019) the average is 1.3%. Hopefully, we have now hit bottom and the subsequent reports will show an upward trending consistent with an improved economy.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Homestead Act of 1862 – Closest Thing to Reparations, Part III (FINAL)
As we stated in the previous two parts, American descendants of the vicious American Holocaust known better as Slavery gathered immense portions of land. The great Booker T. Washington would encourage freed slaves to work the land that they owned and invest profits from it and build an economic infrastructure to help empower ourselves after slavery. It appears that too few listened to his advice or admonition. Most freed slaves and their descendants who received these precious acres of land by way of the Homestead Act of 1862 and through means of inheritance were destined to lose the land.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Kamala Harris Announces Her 2020 Campaign
Kamala Harris is wasting no time with her political career. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 and has already set her immediate target – the presidency of the United States. On January 26, she formally announced her campaign. The setting was in Oakland, California where she was born in 1964.
Beyond the Rhetoric: We did not Die, We Multiplied
It is without question. Blacks, as a race of people, are the most resilient human beings walking on God’s earth. Starting in the 1500’s, Europeans began the greatest holocaust known to history. The enslavement of Africans would last for over 350 years. A good portion of the captives died within weeks during the passage across the Atlantic Ocean.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Trump’s Power Africa Initiative – Part I
Finally, we have a White House that has decided to call out China for the sleezy things it does while doing business in Africa. To the Chinese government the African Continent is a big, whore to be abused and pimped at every opportunity. You can travel to any nation within Africa and there will be one thing that is constant. China trading interests and influence is there at every airport, many construction projects, railways, dams and various other infrastructure projects. There practices are plain and simple: “Rape, hustle, steal, swindle, corrupt at every opportunity that is presented.” Theirs is to take from Africa – not improve or advance it. If challenged – sling cash, be arrogant and keep on trucking. No one is going to stop them.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Trump’s Power Africa Initiative – Part I
Finally, we have a White House that has decided to call out China for the sleezy things it does while doing business in Africa. To the Chinese government the African Continent is a big, whore to be abused and pimped at every opportunity.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Aretha Franklin – Perhaps the Greatest Singer Ever
The first time I learned that there was a singer by the name of Aretha Franklin it was uneventful. My high school sweetheart, Brenda, showed me the Columbia album cover with this 16-year-old girl they claimed to be “The Next Nancy Wilson”. Big deal! Did we really need another Nancy Wilson when the one we have was just beginning her long career?
Beyond the Rhetoric: Why do Large Black Organizations Love Construction Unions?
Yes, why would groups like the NAACP and National Urban League have this long- standing love affair with construction unions. These unions have racial animist. They are the antipathy of civil rights and democracy. Yet, when you attend annual meetings of these organizations you find a big presence of various construction trades sponsoring their events. It is like mixing oil with water. It just doesn’t make sense.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Our Plan for Improvement
We did not start the National Black Chamber of Commerce to be a social organization full of entertainment conferences and political correctness. Ours was to disrupt the contentment/status quo and demand equal opportunity and commitment as it relates to business participation. There was great opposition from the start.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Illegal Immigration: Are the Democrats wading into Quicksand?
The controversies regarding illegal immigration are at a “boiling point”. For decades it was a mild issue. Racial terms such as WOPS (without papers) referred to illegal Italians sneaking in. Wetbacks referred to Mexicans swimming across the Rio Grande River to enter the US illegally. Also, illegal immigration from China was popular on the West Coast. These opportunities were caused by the bustling new United States living out its dream of “Manifest Destiny” by snatching territory or buying it at a bargain whenever possible. The Philippines, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, US Mexican War and the massive Louisiana Purchase are prime examples of our expansion. We got it through blood, sweat and tears. Time has not healed everything.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Pittsburgh Falls for the PLA Hustle
The city of Pittsburgh is one of the most progressive cities in the United States. The development of the city over the last few decades is most impressive. It has gone from a dirty, steel plant invested town where the smog would overtake the sunshine by 3:00PM every day to a bustling city with fresh air and one of the most impressive skylines in the nation. Most people who go to Pittsburgh for the first time come back with positive remarks about the city built where the three rivers meet (Allegany and Monongahela rivers meet to form the Ohio River).
Beyond the Rhetoric: The Days of Booming Black Business, Political Clout and Braggadocio – Part II
It can be quite comical at times when you see public relations splashes about perceived successful entrepreneurs. 90% of these so-called tycoons are fakes. The fact is most successful Black businesses are rather “stealth”. The modesty comes from many examples of attacks, conspiracies and mountains of adversity put before them and others simply because they are Black. Most successful Black entrepreneurs that I know would never publish themselves in the so called Black Enterprise Top 100 Black Businesses. To many it is perceived as a “target list” for the IRS, large competitors, and others with bad intentions. Allow me to discuss a few of the horror stories that successful Black entrepreneurs have experienced.
Beyond the Rhetoric: 25 Years and Going Strong, Part 2
Let me make an exception to the closing of my last article which was Part 1. I stated that “We have no time to fight”. Well, sometimes you must stop and fight the “Bastards”. We reached that conclusion back in 1996. At the encouragement of our Denver, Colorado chapter, we chose Denver as the venue of our next convention.
Beyond the Rhetoric: 25 Years and Going Strong, Part I
Starting and running a Black business association during the early 1990’s was more than a dream or a challenge. It was almost impossible. The concept was hardly credible back then.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Just How Corrupt Were the Obama Regimes
“There is not a scintilla of corruption in my administration” said Barack Obama. “I am not a crook” said Richard Nixon. Such were the claims of two American presidents who history will score in very low and despicable terms. There are plenty of books and movies about “Tricky Dick” but the stories of the troubled times during the Obama years probably have yet to be written and portrayed in the movies.
Beyond the Rhetoric: The Trump Administration’s SBA starts to take Form
One of the most important Transition Teams in a new Presidential administration is that of the Small Business Administration (SBA). Since we started the National Black Chamber of Commerce in 1993, we have been observant when the SBA goes through the transition of new management.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Get Ready for Serious Black Economic Empowerment
Something was taken for granted with the Trump Transition Team. It was assumed that Omarosa Manigault was the point person for African Americans. Just about everyone thought that. As time went on it became apparent that she didn’t know it.
Beyond the Rhetoric: What Is the Importance of the Congressional Black Caucus?
“The Congressional Black Caucus is a racial political organization made up of the African-American members of the United States Congress. Although they claim race and party affiliation are not official requirements for membership, no white person has been allowed to join and most of them are Democrats. Its chair is Representative Cedric Richmond of Louisiana,” according to Wikipedia.
Prev Next
