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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Members of the Tri-County Black Chamber of Commerce |
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are gathering in Austin on April 30, 2013, to celebrate Tri-County |
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Black Chamber of Commerce Day at the State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, A nonprofit organization with headquarters in |
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Houston, the TCBCC works to promote the economic, civil, and social |
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welfare of African American business owners and professionals; and |
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WHEREAS, Led by chair Doretta Fisher, president and CEO |
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Leondria Thompson, vice president A. Todd Jackson, secretary Diatra |
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James, treasurer Verna McCarthy, and directors Henry Mosley, Sherri |
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Gongara, Eugene Smith, and Marcial Orlando Felix, members of the |
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TCBCC represent small businesses, corporations, community and |
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professional associations, and other chambers of commerce; and |
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WHEREAS, Focusing on business education, advocacy, and |
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development, the organization offers training sessions and |
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workshops featuring discussions of best practices and strategies |
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for securing financing, stimulating job creation, and facilitating |
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entry into the global marketplace; it also arranges town hall |
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meetings with elected officials and provides technical assistance |
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and venues for networking as additional benefits to membership; and |
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WHEREAS, The TCBCC was inspired by Booker T. Washington's |
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Negro Business League; established in 1900, the league advanced the |
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philosophy that independent business development was a condition |
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for economic cooperation, independence, and prosperity; Marcus |
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Garvey founded similar organizations in the early 20th century, |
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including the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the |
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African Communities League, which advocated that African Americans |
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should have the opportunity to legislate for their own common good; |
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Mr. Garvey spent much of his time and energy promoting trade and |
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commerce between Black people from the United States and Africa, |
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Central and South America, and the West Indies; and |
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WHEREAS, Following this distinguished legacy, the TCBCC's |
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most recent trade mission, held in Belize in March of 2013, brought |
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together entrepreneurs and government officials to explore |
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partnerships and export opportunities with Belize's Ministry of |
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Energy, Science & Technology and Public Utilities; the TCBCC has a |
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similar business development mission planned for July and August |
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2013, when its members will visit Panama City, Panama, and |
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Barranquilla, Colombia, to discuss how micro and small business |
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owners can benefit from U.S. free trade agreements; and |
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WHEREAS, By working to build a network of prosperous business |
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owners actively promoting global competitiveness, the Tri-County |
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Black Chamber of Commerce is benefiting countless people and is |
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making a noteworthy contribution to the prosperity of the Lone Star |
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State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize April 30, 2013, as Tri-County Black |
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Chamber of Commerce Day at the State Capitol and extend to the |
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organization's members sincere best wishes for continued success. |