Atlanta Daily World

Ambassador Andrew Young Speaks Of Quaker Influences At FSA

Ambassador Andrew Young addresses the students of The Friends School of Atlanta (FSA). At the recent meeting he counseled, "It is very important to learn about the entire world. If we are going to have peace in the world, we're going to have to find a way to know each other better," Young said.  Founded in 1991, FSA offers pre K-eighth grade, Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, equality and community to empower students to go out into the world with conscience, conviction and compassion. Waman French is head master.  For more information call 404-373-8746 ext. 8136 or visit www.friendsschoolatlanta.org.

NAACP Local ACT-SO Comps At Douglass H.S., March 31

By Special to the Daily World
Each year the Atlanta Branch of the NAACP sends students from Atlanta to participate in the annual national NAACP ACT-SO competitions. Each year Atlanta brings home winners.  "We want nothing less than to bring home winners from the 2012 ACT-SO competition which is being held in Houston in July during the national convention of the NAACP, says Rev.  Douglas Prather, chairperson of the Atlanta Branch's ACT-SO local team.

The NAACP's nationally recognized Afro-Academic Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) is a yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students.  Historically, ACT-SO includes 26 categories of competition in the sciences, humanities, business, and the performing and visual arts.

The Atlanta Branch of the NAACP is having a local competition on March 31, from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. at Frederick Douglass High School in southwest Atlanta, located at 225 Hamilton E. Holmes  Drive, NW.

After local winners are selected, these students work from April through July with their local mentorships and enrichment program to prepare for national competitions.

For more information about ACT-SO, contact the NAACP Atlanta office at 404-756-5447 or email Mary Ross at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Atlanta Community Leaders & Citizens Engage With Fulbright Foreign Students On U.S. Politics

By Special to the Daily World
Recently, the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs  hosted a Fulbright Enrichment Seminar in Atlanta, for first-year Fulbright Foreign Students.  Entitled "U.S. Politics and Elections: Democracy in Action," the seminar was  one of nine taking place across the country this year in which students engaged with a variety of local politicians, community leaders and advocates about the U.S. political system and electoral process.

The four-day seminar, held Feb. 9-12, primarily at the Loews Hotel Atlanta, featured lectures, panel discussions, site visits, interactive workshops, and community outreach and volunteer opportunities.  Through these events, participating students developed a better understanding of U.S. contemporary life and culture, policy formulation and public attitudes on an array of important political issues.  Each seminar culminated in an election simulation exercise, allowing students to apply the concepts discussed during the seminar.

Atlanta Fulbright Enrichment Seminar participants also had the opportunity to interact with members of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB), a 12-member board appointed by the president of the United States to establish worldwide program policies.  The FSB will hold its first quarterly meeting of 2012 concurrently with the Atlanta Fulbright Enrichment Seminar, and members joined portions of the seminar. The Board also hosted a Feb. 10 panel discussion, Diversity in the Fulbright Program: Challenge and Opportunity, which was open to the public.

On Thursday, Feb. 9, there was an opening dinner and keynote address given by Xernona Clayton, founder, president and CEO, Trumpet Awards Foundation Inc., at The Carter Center and Presidential Museum.

On Friday, Feb. 10 the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board Open Session panel discussion on Diversity in the Fulbright Program: Challenge and Opportunity from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Atlanta University Center, Robert Woodruff Library, Exhibition Hall.  On Saturday, Feb. 11: Community service activities involving Fulbrighters engaging with students in math, social studies and science through the Hands On Atlanta Discovery Program  at Parklane Elementary School in East Point.

The Atlanta Fulbright Enrichment Seminar was one of nine enrichment seminars hosted across the United States by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as part of its flagship Fulbright Program. These enrichment seminars, an integral part of the Fulbright experience, benefit first-year Fulbright foreign students and support the overall mission of the Fulbright Program – to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Georgia’s Leading Organization For Minority Business Development|GUEST COMMENTARY

BY Stacey Key
The Georgia Legislature took decisive action in 2010 on one of our most pressing issues – transportation infrastructure – by passing HB 277, the Transportation Investment Act of 2010 (TIA). The condition and the capacity of the state's roads, highways and bridges have long been at the center of any discussion about the future of our great state. The Atlanta metropolitan area has been plagued by ever-increasing volumes of traffic. Companies that are considering the region for new construction, expansion or relocation must weigh traffic considerations and commute times alongside real estate prices and tax incentives in making any economic development decision. Our organization – the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) – is Georgia's leading advocate for supplier diversity and small business development. While we agree that TIA will put thousands of Georgians to work and be good for our economy, our concern is making sure the implementation of TIA does not overlook the small business community or the thousands of minority-owned firms in Georgia.

On July 31st of this year, the voters will have an opportunity to approve a whole new approach to transportation infrastructure improvements in Georgia, when they vote on a 1 percent sales tax that will fund transportation projects for the next 10 years. TIA is a win for Georgia, as it addresses the concerns of citizens, economic development professionals, municipal officials and the business community. It promises a much-needed infusion of jobs and increased contracting with Georgia companies. Since small business is the engine that drives the American economy, we must not overlook the vital role they play in any economic growth strategy. As small business goes, so goes America – and Georgia!

While there are no obvious negatives when it comes to TIA, there is one rather glaring omission. The bill does not include any provision for insuring the involvement of small business in TIA projects. The small business community is the single most important segment of any job creation initiative, and the statistics overwhelmingly bear that out. It is critical that our implementation plan for TIA takes small business into account. The hundreds of major corporations who are members of the GMSDC understand this better than most, as they have all implemented supplier diversity practices that insure the

the participation of small businesses and firms owned by minorities and women in everything they do. They know that a healthy relationship with small business has a positive impact on the bottom line, and we encourage our leaders and those making TIA contracting decisions to make provisions for this all-important business segment.

GMSDC works to create jobs and stimulate Georgia's economy by helping emerging firms to improve their competitiveness and expand their capacity to provide value-added goods and services. The State of Georgia enjoys a stellar reputation as a haven for small business and one of the best places in America for entrepreneurs and minority firms to do business. That reputation has been built on a

BY Stacey Key
The Georgia Legislature took decisive action in 2010 on one of our most pressing issues – transportation infrastructure – by passing HB 277, the Transportation Investment Act of 2010 (TIA). The condition and the capacity of the state's roads, highways and bridges have long been at the center of any discussion about the future of our great state. The Atlanta metropolitan area has been plagued by ever-increasing volumes of traffic. Companies that are considering the region for new construction, expansion or relocation must weigh traffic considerations and commute times alongside real estate prices and tax incentives in making any economic development decision. Our organization – the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) – is Georgia's leading advocate for supplier diversity and small business development. While we agree that TIA will put thousands of Georgians to work and be good for our economy, our concern is making sure the implementation of TIA does not overlook the small business community or the thousands of minority-owned firms in Georgia.

On July 31st of this year, the voters will have an opportunity to approve a whole new approach to transportation infrastructure improvements in Georgia, when they vote on a 1 percent sales tax that will fund transportation projects for the next 10 years. TIA is a win for Georgia, as it addresses the concerns of citizens, economic development professionals, municipal officials and the business community. It promises a much-needed infusion of jobs and increased contracting with Georgia companies. Since small business is the engine that drives the American economy, we must not overlook the vital role they play in any economic growth strategy. As small business goes, so goes America – and Georgia!

While there are no obvious negatives when it comes to TIA, there is one rather glaring omission. The bill does not include any provision for insuring the involvement of small business in TIA projects. The small business community is the single most important segment of any job creation initiative, and the statistics overwhelmingly bear that out. It is critical that our implementation plan for TIA takes small business into account. The hundreds of major corporations who are members of the GMSDC understand this better than most, as they have all implemented supplier diversity practices that insure the

the participation of small businesses and firms owned by minorities and women in everything they do. They know that a healthy relationship with small business has a positive impact on the bottom line, and we encourage our leaders and those making TIA contracting decisions to make provisions for this all-important business segment.

GMSDC works to create jobs and stimulate Georgia's economy by helping emerging firms to improve their competitiveness and expand their capacity to provide value-added goods and services. The State of Georgia enjoys a stellar reputation as a haven for small business and one of the best places in America for entrepreneurs and minority firms to do business. That reputation has been built on a

platform of proactive inclusion of businesses from all across the spectrum, and we cannot allow that momentum to slip as we move into a major wave of transportation projects funded by TIA. The city of Atlanta has been a trailblazer in this area for more than 30 years, as Maynard Jackson set the standard for minority business inclusion in the construction of Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Airport and other municipal projects. Our mayors and elected officials have a prime opportunity to honor Mayor Jackson's legacy by insuring minority small business has a seat at the table. We encourage all small business owners to contact their representatives and voice their concerns about small business and minority participation in this monumental transportation initiative.

We wholeheartedly endorse TIA as a much-needed step that will be good for Georgia. Let's also make sure that it offers opportunities for all Georgians.

Stacey Key is president and CEO of GMSDC.