Friday, September 16, 2016

WORKING for McDonalds while fighting for fare wages....

higher – I work at McDonald's. And you know what's crazy?

They constantly change my schedule – all of our schedules – without notice. It's such a simple, basic thing – but it makes it impossible to plan our lives, take care of our children, and support our families.

Today, that changes.

Just hours ago, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new proposal that would STOP fast-food companies from playing games with our lives. It will require companies to give us at least 2 weeks notice for schedules – and to compensate us for last minute changes.

It's a huge step forward for fast-food workers everywhere – and a huge win for the #FightFor15.

Help celebrate – share this image on Facebook right now:

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This is what happens when workers come together, organize and demand change. By speaking out and going on strike, workers in the Fight for $15 have exposed the reality of low-wage America.

Mayor de Blasio is taking a strong stand to improve people's lives by improving their day-to-day working conditions. On top of paying low wages, big corporations like McDonald's add to the burden families face with their unpredictable scheduling.

We are going to continue speaking out until the $200 billion fast-food industry provides the good jobs that all workers deserve.

Thanks for standing strong.

Jorel Ware
McDonald's Employee, NYC
Fight for $15

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Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Who owns Chicago businesses?

Who owns Chicago businesses?

By John Pletz

Source: chicagobusiness.com

The Chicago business landscape looks a lot more like the nation's overall than those of some other big cities.

Just 18 percent of Chicago-area businesses are owned by minorities, according to a new survey of entrepreneurs by the U.S. Census Bureau. That's equal to the nation overall. But it trails Los Angeles, where minorities own 37 percent of businesses; New York City, at 26 percent, and Houston, at 31 percent. Philadelphia, the nation's fifth-largest city and whose demographics most closely mirror Chicago's, has 15 percent minority business ownership.

Silicon Valley had the highest minority business ownership, at 39 percent, the Census Bureau says.

Although 54 percent of residents in the Chicago metro area are white, 80 percent of its businesses are white-owned, according to a census survey done in 2014. That tracks the nation as a whole, in which whites are 62 percent of residents but 82 percent of business owners.

Los Angeles' population is just 30 percent white, but whites own 65 percent of businesses. In New York, white are 47 percent of the residents and 73 percent of business owners.

Hispanics, the largest minority group in Chicago, at 22 percent of the population, own 6 percent of businesses. In Los Angeles, Hispanics make up just 10 percent of business owners, despite being 45 percent of the population.

Blacks account for 17 percent of the population in Chicago but just 2 percent of business ownership. The trend is remarkably consistent elsewhere: 2 percent ownership in New York and 16 percent of population, and 3 percent in Houston, where 17 percent of the population is African-American. In Philadelphia, blacks are 20 percent of the population and 2 percent of business owners.

Please help - by signing this Change.org petition - Reparations

Dear African-American community (and others welcome),

The time is ripe for Pres. Obama to really effect "change" for the African American community. This petition was created in support of NCOBRA (National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America) and Ill. State Rep. LaShawn Ford (8th dist.) to encourage Pres. Obama to take a giant step forward on behalf of the long-standing reparations issue by signing an executive order to create a U.S. Reparations Study Commission--the first step in the process of achieving some form of reparations for the wrongs this country has bestowed, and continues to bestow, upon us. This could be the most important action of his legacy for African-Americans. Please help by signing this petition to show your support. Thanks.

Click on the link below. The content is intentionally long in order to show a time line and to include the links for more detailed information which can be viewed at your leisure (but sign the petition now - as time is of the essence) - before the Nov. election.

Barack Obama: Create U.S. Reparations Study for People of African Descent

Barbara D. Cole, Maywood

708-344-3577

708-344-8611 (fax)

Kirk, Durbin & Rush To Introduce Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Act

Kirk, Durbin & Rush To Introduce Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Act

Legislation To Commemorate and Promote the Historic Cultural Resources in Chicago Mid-Southside Community

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) will introduce the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Act when Congress returns from recess on September 6. Representative Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) will be introducing companion legislation in the House. This legislation would create the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area to provide national recognition and resources to the story of African American perseverance from the Civil War to the modern day.

"Providing national recognition to the rich historical and cultural influence of this area will generate economic development and encourage tourists from around the world to visit and be proud of the contributions the African-American community has made to Chicagoland, our state, and our nation," said Senator Kirk.

The Heritage Area will help bring to life the well documented impact of the African American community to Chicago's culture and economy. Since the Great Migration, when thousands of African American migrants moved North to escape oppression in the South, the proposed National Heritage Area recognizes the community that fostered the efforts of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, Jesse Binga, Ida B. Wells, Jack Johnson, Nat King Cole, Mahalia Jackson, John Johnson, and Muddy Waters. The Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Commission, which includes First Lady Michelle Obama on its Steering Committee, has been collaborating with community leaders to fight for this recognition for years. The legislation authorizes up to $1 million in federal matching funds per year, designates the Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Commission as the Local Coordinating Entity and establishes requirements for a management plan to be approved by the Secretary of the Interior.

"Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood has remarkable national historical significance, from its important role in America's civil rights movement to its position as a national hub for the arts," said Senator Durbin. "Our bill to elevate this unique neighborhood to national park status will help preserve the rich history of Bronzeville, increase tourism, and facilitate economic development in the community."

"I live in the heart of the Bronzeville community and have for over 20 years. I see its beauty, majesty and its need for landmark recognition as it is the birthplace for much of the African American communities ingenuity, poetry, artistry and contributions to the City of Chicago," said Representative Rush.

"I thank Senator Kirk for leading this Congressional effort to solidify the legacy of the African-American community in our state at a pivotal moment in history. By establishing the National Heritage Area, tourists from our state and across the world will be able to explore and learn more about our community's rich cultural and historical significance," said Paula Robinson, President of the Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Commission.

The City of Chicago's Black Metropolis offers historical recognition to African American achievement in all segments of society, from business, to the arts, and politics. The historical significance of the region is also tied to the Great Migration of 1916-1970, when approximately 500,000 African Americans migrated north to Chicago for new opportunities. The introduction of the legislation coincides with the efforts of the Great Migration Centennial Commission which the Illinois legislature created in 2010 to promote a deeper knowledge, understanding, and engagement in the life and time of the African American Migration Experience. The Illinois legislation requires the Centennial Commission to work in coordination with the Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Project Steering Committee to broaden outreach and voluntary assistance to the effort.

The Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area is home to over 200 historical assets including:

Camp Douglas: Union Army Recruitment and Training Camp
Eighth Regiment Armory: First armory in the U.S. built for an African American regiment
Abbot House: A National Historic Landmark, home of the founder of the Chicago Defender newspaper
Liberty Life/Supreme Life Insurance Company, HQ of most successful early African American owned and operated insurance company in the Northern US, founded in 1919
Bronzeville Walk of Fame: Monument to the Great Migration
Bud Billiken Parade: Celebrating Chicago's youth since 1929

The Heritage Area is supported by the Chicago Urban League, the Chicago Community Trust, the Chicago Field Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Landmarks Illinois, the Millennium Reserve Steering Committee, and the Bronzeville Community Development Partnership.

Legislative Background:

Senators Kirk and Durbin and Representative Rush have a history of collaborating for historical preservation in Illinois. In 2008, the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area was added to the National Heritage Area list. Then-Representative Kirk and Representative Rush were co-sponsors on the legislation. Senators Kirk and Durbin are working this year to extend the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. In February, 2015, Senators Kirk and Durbin celebrated President Obama's designation of Chicago's Pullman Historic District as a National Monument after they co-introduced legislation to create the Pullman National Historic Park in 2014.