October 4, 2012

Supreme Court May Hear Challenge to Voting Act Preclearance
by Frederick H. Lowe The U.S.
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NAACP Takes Fight for Voting Rights for Ex-Cons to the United Nations
Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from GIN (TriceEdneyWire.com) - The NAACP spoke up at the 21st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, recently for the rights of millions of former felons who have been denied the right to vote. “Today, nearly 5.3 million U.S.
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George Soros Donates $1 Million to Pro-Obama Super PAC
Billionaire George Soros, financial backer of the Open Society Foundations Campaign for Black Male Achievement, has donated $1 million to Priorities USA, a super PAC, that is supporting President Barack Obama’s re-election. Michael Vachon, an advisor to Soros, announced the donation last week during a lunch hosted by the Democracy Alliance, a partnership of business and philanthropic leaders.
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Network Announces $10,000 Grants for Schools that Empower Boys of Color
Schools, pre-kindergarten to 12th grade, that demonstrate promising practices in educating boys and young men of color can apply for grants form the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (COSEBOC). The organization announced on Monday guidelines and deadlines for its second-annual series of $10,000 grants.
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Black Caucus Hosted Voter-Registration Drives in 12 Districts
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) recently hosted voter-registration drives in 12 Congressional Districts as part of its voter-protection initiative.
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State of the Black World Conference Aims to Set Post-Election Agenda
by Hazel Trice Edney (TriceEdneyWire.
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Chicago Pastor Finishes Cross-Country Walk
Chicago Pastor Corey Brooks who went from the rooftop to the road has completed his 2,700-mile walk across the country to bring attention to violence in urban communities and to raise funds to purchase an abandoned building.
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American Express Hit Hard in the Wallet for Violations
by Frederick H. Lowe American Express Co. will have to pull out its Centurion, or Black Card, to pay this bill.
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Report: Businesses Added 162,000 Jobs In September
Businesses created 162,0000 jobs in September on a seasonally adjusted basis, the ADP National Employment Report announced on Wednesday, the day of the first presidential debate between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov.
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Pa. Judge Blocks Enforcement of Photo ID Rule for Nov. 6
by Frederick H. Lowe Judge Robert Simpson of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction to keep the state’s tough photo-ID law from taking effect before the November 6 presidential election.
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Political Observers Fear Voter Apathy Could Hurt Obama in Virginia
Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Howard University News Service by Christina Downs and Hazel Trice Edney WOODBRIDGE, Va. (TriceEdneyWire.
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We Are One
by Gary L. Flowers (TriceEdneyWire.com) - “Can’t understand why we treat each other in this way…no matter what is said or done, we are one…” - Frankie Beverly and Maze National politics in the United States of America has not been so divisive since the American Civil War 150 years ago.
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Don't Believe the Hype! It Ain't Over 'Till It's Over
by Julianne Malveaux (TriceEdneyWire.com) - In late September the “nonpartisan” website Real Clear Politics reported that President Obama leads Republican nominee Mitt Romney is several battleground states.
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Conservative Whiners Display an Inferiority Complex
by A. Peter Bailey (TriceEdneyWire.com) - One of the favorite sports of conservative propagandists on television, radio and the op-ed pages of newspapers, is to hurl accusations of “whining” at anyone who insists that race is a major force in the economic, political and cultural life of this country.
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Yale University Launches Celebration of Bayard Rustin
The Yale University Law School will show the 2003 film Brother Outsider:The Life of Bayard Rustin to kick off the school’s centennial celebration honoring Rustin, a black gay man who organized the 1963 March on Washington, one of the most successful civil-rights demonstrations in U.S.history. Yale will show the film on October 9, and Walter Naegle, Rustin’s companion, will attend the event to answer questions, said Margaret Chisholm, the event’s organizer and reference librarian at the Lillian Goldman Law Library at Yale.
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Macy’s Plans to Hire 80,000
Retailer Macy’s Inc. announced on Monday that it will hire approximately 80,000 seasonal workers for its Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores, call centers, distribution centers and online-fulfillment centers nationwide.
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NorthStar Begins Accepting Ads and Donations
The NorthStar News & Analysis, one of the leading online publications for African-American men, is now offering sponsorship and advertising opportunities for small business owners and entrepreneurs. The publication, which is not published for a profit, is seeking support for its operations through small donations and modest paid advertising.
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Round 1: Romney Takes It to Obama
President Barack Obama never went on the offensive in Wednesday’s night televised debate, possibly prompting concerns by some that the president is a better campaigner than debater.
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$2 Million Investment Made for Black-Male Achievement
The Open Society Foundations Campaign for Black Male Achievement (CBMA) announced on Wednesday a $2 million investment to launch the Leadership & Sustainability (LSI) Institute for Black Male Achievement.
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The NorthStar’s Week in Black History
October 4 to October 10 October 4 1864 ----- The New Orleans Tribune, America’s first daily African-American newspaper, published its first edition on this date.
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Black Consumer Buying Remains Strong, Report Finds

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - As a consumer group that continues to grow, has unique generational behavioral trends and characteristics and has a projected buying power of $1.1 trillion by 2015, African-Americans are still a viable market segment, according to a new report.

The African-American Consumers: Still Vital, Still Growing 2012 Report was released by Nielsen and the NNPA last week during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's (CBCF) 42nd Annual Legislative Conference.

The report is the second of three annual installments of a collaboration between Nielsen, a global provider of consumer information and insights, and the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), a 72-year-old federation of 200 black community newspapers.

"Our collaboration with the NNPA has been successful," said Susan Whiting, vice chair, Nielsen. "NNPA's insertion of the report into its 200 publications allows Nielsen access to millions of African-American consumers, and allows us to share vital information that will help increase the awareness of blacks' consumer power."

The 2012 report highlights unique lifestyles, purchasing and viewing habits, while shedding light on the disparities in advertising dollars spent with African-American media.

"Marketers underestimate the opportunities missed by overlooking black consumers' frustration of not having products that meet their needs in their neighborhood," said Cloves Campbell, chairman, NNPA. “And companies that don't advertise using black media risk having African-Americans perceive them as being dismissive of issues that matter to black consumers. This report demonstrates what a sustainable and influential economic force we are."

The number of blacks in America has reached nearly 43 million. Businesses have opportunities to increase market share with black consumers, who constitute a healthy representation of today's population, coupled with an attractive collective buying power.

"By providing a resource that demonstrates how we can use our collective buying power, we are providing a service that is beneficial to the individual consumer and our collective communities at the same time," said Elsie L. Scott, president and CEO of CBCF.

Collaborations with community organizations helps Nielsen establish a corporate reputation, the company said.

"Nielsen's collaborative efforts with organizations such as the NNPA and the CBCF demonstrates unity and reinforces the company's credibility with black consumers," said the Rev. Jacques DeGraff, co-chair, Nielsen's external African-American Advisory Council (AAAC).

Victor Bullock, co-chair, AAAC, said, "By engaging consumers in the conversation about economic power, the outcome can lead to improved products, more penetrating marketing messages and enhanced corporate/consumer partnerships in our communities."

Key insights from the report include:

    • Advertising spending in black media totaled $2.10 billion in 2011, compared to $120 billion spent with general market media during the same time period.

    • 91 percent of blacks believe that black media is more relevant to them.

    • Brand name products represent 82 percent of black households' total purchases compared to 31 percent for private labels.

    • 81 percent of black believe products advertised on black media are more relevant to them.

    • 54 percent of African-Americans own a smartphone, a 21 percent increase from last year's ownership.

    • 54 percent of the black population is under 35; compared to 47 percent of the general population.

    • 48 percent of black grandparents live with their grandchildren and serve as primary caregivers.

    • African-American Baby Boomers (45-64) spend more time at the stores or grocers, fast food restaurants and the gym, and they prefer television and print as primary media sources.

    • Generation Y (18-34) African-Americans are more likely to spend time at someone else's home and select radio, mobile phones and gaming consoles as their media of choice.

To download a copy of the report, visit www.nielsenwire.com or www.nielsen.com/africanamerican.

The Northstar News & Analysis, Inc.
Chicago, IL | 312.504.0223

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October 4, 2012

Black Consumer Buying Remains Strong, Report Finds