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June 2012


www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com


EEOC Seeks Public Input In Strategic Enforcement Plan


In February 2012, the U.S. Equal


Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) approved a Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2012 – 2016. The Strategic Plan establishes a framework for achieving the EEOC’s mission to stop and remedy unlawful employment discrimination by focusing on strategic law enforcement, education and outreach, and efficiently serving the public. The first performance measure of the plan requires the Commission to approve a Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP). The Commission is now developing the SEP and would like input from the public. The EEOC encourage participation from individuals, employers, advocacy groups, agency stakeholders and other interested parties.


While no specific format is required,


the EEOC is most interested in what their national priorities should be for the next three years to have the greatest impact in combating discrimination in the workplace; and recommendations


for improving enforcement, outreach and prevention, and customer service. Also include a contact email and/or mailing address. Suggestions must be submitted by 5:00 pm EDT on June 19, 2012 to strategic.plan@eeoc.gov or received by mail at Executive Officer, Office of the Executive Secretariat, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 131 M Street, NE, Washington, DC 20507.


All submissions will be reviewed


for possible inclusion in a future Commission meeting in Washington, D.C. on the development of the SEP. If selected, the author or a representative would be invited to testify before the Commission in person, via phone, or via live video. For general inquiries about the 2012 Strategic Plan or the development of the SEP, email strategic. plan@eeoc.gov or call (202) 663-4070/ (TTY: 202-663-4494). The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting em- ploymentdiscrimination.


The History of African American Banks


GILBERT BLAND CHAIRMAN, NCP FCU


In my first


article of this series, I shared some compelling statistics the


of growing


numbers of ethnic communi t i e s


in America both in population and consumer purchasing influence. The great challenge facing us as concerned citizens is how to harness this enormous potential and find positive ways to help build our communities through education and ownership.


One enduring example of a force


for good is the legacy of African-Amer- ican banks. The first African-American- owned and operated bank was Capital Savings Bank in Washington, D.C. The bank was established in 1888, not long after the end of enslavement. This bank was started to provide a conduit for savings to be used to spur development in the local communities and provide resources that had been unavailable. This bank and the many that followed had close ties to the various key stakeholders in our communities, especially with the churches. And, throughout the years, churches have continued to be faithful in supporting these banks through deposits and public encouragement to their congregants to also support the banks. In turn, the banks become the economic catalyst in their communities through lending, providing financial services and being a clearinghouse for ideas and various public and private resources.


In spite of the impressive


gains continuing to be made in our communities in so many areas, chronic problems persist. Unemployment, un- deremployment, high jail incarceration, poor access to capital from traditional financial institutions, unacceptably high dropout rates among school age youth are but a few of the ills that weaken our communities. And, unfortunately, the plight of our financial institutions has been impacted dramatically as our communities suffer and languish. From a high of over 100 African-American owned banks, today there are only 28 traditional banks remaining in our


communities throughout the United States.


Voids and opportunities are


always filled whether the replacements are positive or not. On the plus side, the significant decline in the number of minority banks is being supplemented from greater access to traditional financial sources such as credit unions, internet access to credit cards and folks leaving their neighborhoods and simply banking at traditional banks. However, for those citizens not as mobile, the scarcity of banks has been replaced with loan providers who often charge exorbitant rates on short-term loans. Short-term high rate loans potentially carry great risks to the borrowers if not repaid quickly. The high interest rates often are not repaid as hoped and results in a growing debt burden to the borrowers. And, highly leveraged consumers are a signal to potential long-term community challenges and problems.


During the early stages of minority


bank development, one of the key ambitions of our banks-- to provide access to credit which had been legally denied-- no longer exists. However, the need to provide financial literacy, access to capital and financial services at fair and reasonable costs, wealth creation and community development not only remains but is imperative to building successful communities. A financially literate community understands the value of establishing and growing savings. Also, financial literacy creates an appreciation for investing in ownership of homes and businesses. Access to capital and properly priced services offers the opportunity to act upon dreams and financial plans. Wealth creation is the key to building financial rainy day funds and ensuring prosperity for the next generation. Finally, community development provides the foundation and incentive for healthy and economically vibrant neighborhoods.


I am a firm believer that community


development banks are a necessary and vital component in any successful community. In order to attract and retain responsible financial institutions to our neighborhoods with these shared goals requires full community dialogue and support.


Lets start talking. NSU Wins FROM PAGE 7


by the student-athletes, coaches and administrative staff. The commitment by NSU President Tony Atwater played a significant role in the record-setting year by the men’s and women’s sports programs. I am extremely happy to be a part of the Spartan family and the accomplishments we have achieved during my tenure at NSU.”


NSU enjoyed a dominant year in


2011-12, winning championships in five of the seven MEAC-sponsored men’s sports. The Spartans won their first-ever MEAC titles in football and men’s basketball and advanced to the


The Hampton Roads Messenger 11


NCAA Division I postseason play for the first time in both sports. NSU also earned its first-ever postseason victory at the Division I level when the men’s basketball team upset No. 3 ranked Missouri in the second round of the NCAA West Region.


The Spartans also completed a yearly


sweep of the conference cross country, indoor and outdoor track championships for the fourth consecutive year.


The women’s teams were led


by the bowling team’s first-ever MEAC championship. That gave the athletics program six total conference championships in 2011-12, the Spartans’ most in a single academic year since joining the MEAC in 1997-98.


www.nsuspartans.com


Filipino Church Buys South Dakota Town


BY FILAM STAR The non-Catholic Iglesia ni Cristo


church in the Philippines purchased an abandoned, tiny exclave in Scenic, South Dakota for $700,000. But the church hasn’t divulged its plans for the property, according to its representa- tives in Daly City, Calif.


Scenic, SD, an unincorporated


12-acre town in Pennington County, was once a popular stop for people traveling to Rapid City from the Badlands. The INC bought it from its previous owner, longtime resident and area rodeo legend, Twila Merrill.


INC has been steadily spreading


everywhere since its founding in the Philippines in 1914 by Felix M. Manalo, its Supremo, who died in 1963. INC rejects the doctrine of the trinity and believes Christ was one of several prophets. It is focused on the end


times, believes Manalo is a prophet and considers the Catholic Church apostate.


It is a large, tightly knit indigenous


Christian religious group that counts millions of members nationwide. According to the National Statistics Office in Manila, 2.3% of the entire Philippine population of 93 million is an INC affiliate. Its current executive minister is Erano G. Manalo, the eldest son of Felix.


Scenic, SD is the latest in a long


line of towns for sale. Recently a Vietnamese investor bought the tiny town of Buford, WY (pop. 1) for $900K. Buford is considered the smallest town in America, with a lone population who mans the post office, and has its own ZIP code: 82052. Another town, Henry River, a 72-acre property in North Carolina is being sold for $1.4 million. The abandoned mill town served as the set for District 12 in the movie Hunger Games.


Our Faith


The Two Stages of Ever Lasting Life By Rev. Dr. Gregory Headen


Difficult and un- certain times force us to ask some questions that we might normally put on a back burner and ignore. One such ques- tion is, “What am I really plugged into?” When what


you have depended on is falling apart, what’s left? It is in these times that people of God can best hear a word concerning eternity. Eternity is more than just unlimited time. It is a reality outside of and beyond time. Time is not even an issue when it comes to eter- nity. Perhaps we need to hear again the words that Jesus spoke to the woman of Samaria at the well, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but who- ever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into ev- erlasting life.” (John 4:13-14 NKJV)


One reality that we associate with


eternity is everlasting life. This is more than just living forever. It is living in a relationship with God that is unimagi- nable. It is living from a new vantage point. I see everlasting life as having two stages for most of us. I say this because I do not believe we have to


die physically to participate in eternal life. The Holy Spirit belongs to eter- nity but breaks into time to dwell with us and in us. To the degree that we are Sprit-filled and Spirit-led, we are par- ticipating in eternal life. We are living life now from the vantage point of eter- nity. Already, we are focusing not on the things that are seen, but the things that are not seen. We are walking by faith and not by sight. We are walking and relating as if we are children of the Kingdom of God and not of this world.


During this state in the body, we


are not completely free from the dis- tractions of this life, the needs and ap- petites of the body. Relationships hurt us and disappoint us. We are tempted as we live in the tension between where we are and where we ought to be. But there comes that time when we have to shield these bodies and all the appetites that go with them. The cares of this life are behind us, and now we have eternal life without those distractions. It is important to be plugged into this life since we do not know what another day in time will bring us. We cannot afford to major in what is seen because that is temporal. We have to major in what is not seen because that is eternal. So don’t kill yourself over the temporal things. Surrender your life to the one who is eternal and who wants to give you everlasting life.


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