cr terprise.
TIl PR F ofbusiress
leaders in the Black community
will how tha t if we use hard work,
pi nning and our natural ex-
nen we 1 am what business
lin America is all a ut and direct
. our own futures. .
I TIle following people of color
v liv d between 1 and 1825
I erui hcd not only their own lives,
I b t that of th rs around them.
I The earl ie t known Black
Ameri an bu ine man was
I Ern: nu I Bern on, an ernan-
cip ted lave.
He t u t his freedom around
l7. nd opened first a catering
rvice and later the first ale and
y tcr hou in Providence,
Rh c e;l d. Both proved to
'U C ' ful ventures and his ex­
pericn a ervant had given
him valuable insights into the
m .hanies of running a profitable
catin and drinking estab­
lishment. When Emanuel Ber,
n died in 1769, he left an estate
of more than 540 pound sterling.
The first Blacks to arrive in
America came to Jamestown in
1 19, not as laves but as servants
md ntured for 25 years. Of the 20
Blacks who came to the English-
ntrolled COlony, the first to step
:1! h re wr Antonio lohrson.wbo
'came a u ful plantation
owner after his period of ser­
vitude. Antonio Johnson became
, bu ines man and one of
Virgi nia' first successful tobacco
barons.
ANOTHER EARLY
ENTREPRENEUR was Amos
Fortune, who was born in Africa
around 1710 and brought here as
a lave while still a boy. At the age
fa ut 60 he bought his freedom
and a homestead in Mas­
sa husetts. Then, in 1781, already
pa t seventy, he set himself up in
the tanning business in Jaffery,
cw Hamp hire.
the business prospered, he
became one of the town's leading
ci tizens and employed both Black
and white apprentices. Fortune
died in 1801.
Among the early free Blacks
wh sought economic inde­
pcndence in the post-Revolun­
tionary War period was Paul
Cuffe. P essing very little for- .
mal ducation, and definitely no
government "affirmative action" ,
assistance Cuffe began to build
and operate his own ships, near the
seafaring town of New Bedford,
M achusetts when he was only
21 years old.
I\RTlNG wrrn a small
open t of less than ten tons,
Cuffe made regular runs to New
Y rk and points further south.
CufIc moved into fleet class status
by 1806 and had one large ship,
. two brig and several smallerves-
sels,
m to an African freedom
and an Indian mother, Cuffe was
a produ t of his seafarer's en­
vironment' and taught himself, to
excel in mathematics and naviga­
tion. He went to sea at 16 and
before the age of 50, Cuffe's
opera' m extended to the West
Indies and England.
BUSINESS/FINANCE
10 d of clothe w hed in
hot water co ts 62 cents, while the
arne load washed in warm water
co ts 22 cents?
- putting your household on a
budget can help you to economize?
- an energy audit by your utility
company can help you pot "energy
leaks" in your home?
Contact your utility company for
oth rot cutting idea .
ort
VERAG ge of the
Americ n population lncre e,
many enior citizens either don't
h ve enough money to retire com­
fortably or they are outliving their
retirement income.
To lleviate this itu tion, m ny
fin nci 1 institution re offering
retiree ho own home w y to
upplement their income. It' c lied
th reverse annuity mortg ge and
h re' how it wor :
A homeowner take out a loan
against hi or her house.
Inste d of ending chec to the
mortgage company, the lender
sends monthly checks to the
homeowner. The loan is not repaid
until either the homeowner ell,
lease , refinances or dies.
Thi mortgage program i
gen rally available only to enior
citizens. It allow retirees to retain
home ownership while providing
needed cash. But a reverse annuity
obacco company ..
expand P A advertisment
WI TO· LEM, N.C.
De pite the fact that Black groups
aero the country have waged a
campaign against cigarette adver­
ti ment within the African
American community, R.J.
Reynolds Tobacco Company is ex­
panding its public service outdoor
advertising program in Los Angeles
by carrying the messages of two key
minority community organizations.
More than 1,200 billboards,
po ter and. bus cards in support of
the Los Angele Urban League and
the ational Council of La Raza
will begin appearing shortly in the
city at no cost to the organizations.
The company i coordinating the
public ervice program 'and donat­
ing the co t of photography and
printing.
"Los Angeles is one of 42 cities
where our public service ad have
run since 1990," said Benjamin S.
Ruffin, vice president of corporate
affairs for Reynolds Tobacco Co.
"This increased effort in L.A. fol­
lows the company's decision to
bolster community support for
rebuilding relations at this critical
time," he said.
The outdoor advertising -
which includes 375 posters, 500 bus
cards and 350 billboards - will
exceed $250,000 in value to the or­
ganizations over the three months
the ads will appear.
"OUR OBJECTIVE IS to
spread the word about the important
work being carried out by many
concerned groups to create a
greater sense of assistance among
Blacks, Hispanics and other
minorities," Ruffin said. "We are
able to coordinate this kind of pro-
gram because of our business
New area code
810 splits 313
Michigan will have its first new area
code since codes were originally assigred
in tre mid-l94Qs. The rew code - 810
- becomes effective Aug. 10, 19)4.
Michigan Bell this week accepted the
recommerdatiors of a special advisory
committee appointed by local government
leaders last fall to decide row best to add
the rew area code.
The parel's plan assigns Oaklard,
Macomb, Geresee, Lapeer, St Oair ani
Sanilac counties to the rew 810 area code.
Small seeders of Saginaw, Shiawassee
and Livingston counties also are part of the
810 area. 'Ire smaller, redrawn 313 area
code will include Wayre, Washteraw ani
Monroe Counties, as well assmallsectiors
of Jackson aOO Lerawee counties.
� te« area code will have 00 effect
on telephone rates" said Jack Sawka,.
Michigan Bell vice president of market
and busiress developmml "What'is a
local call befom the change will be local
call after � cbmge," � said.
� additional 8Ie8 rode is needed
because so�temMichigan is rurming
out of numbers. "The increasing
popularity of fax machines, cellular
phones, page� 8I'¥i computers has used �
telephone numbers ata rapid pace over the
past few years," Sawka said.
Establishing � IXW 810 area code
will create more than 3 million telephone
numbers in southeasem Michigan. The
new supply of numbers will meet the
area's .growth reeds for about the next 20
years.
CL5tomers with qiestiors may call
toll-free 1-800-831 � for addtional in­
formation,
relationships with many of the
area's largest outdoor advertising
suppliers. "
John Mack, president of the Los
Angeles Urban League, responded
by noting that, "R.J. Reynolds' con­
tributions are both beneficial and
appropriate to the Los Angeles
community."
Raul Yzaguirre, president and
chief executive officer of the Na­
tional Council of La Raza said,
"Such support will help build
respect and understanding among
all of the city's many ethnic
groups."
In addition to contributing
billboards recognizing the work of
the Los Angeles Urban League and
the National Council of La Raza,
RJR pas provided outdoor public
service ads nationally for the
NAACP, NAACP Legal Defense
Fund, National Urban League,
United Negro College Fund, Op­
po rtuni ties Ind ustrialization
Centers (OIC) of America, South­
west Voter Registration Project and
SER-Jobs for Progress, Inc.
More than 1,200 billboards,
,posters and bus cards in support of
the Los Angeles Urban League and
the National Council of La Raza
will begin appearing in Los Angeles
at no cost to the organizations - as
a contribution from RJ. Reynolds
Tobacco Company and its outdoor
advertising suppliers.
H P rticip te will
qualify for tax b n fits. And wh n
the retire die, th ho e c n b
old or rent d out.
For mor inf rmation on the
reverse mortgage or the alternativ
contact your 10 al b nker,
Profil in Succ -Ed Gardn r
!fyou a Ed G rdn r for hi ey
to ucce , he'd probably tell you
it' to, "Embrace change ... don't run
from it."
With this attitude Gardner left a
highly ucce ful career in the
Chicago Education System and
focused on his ideline business,
]
]
CHA LES
RO
Trav I Tip
If you're going to be traveling
thi ummer, you'll need a place to
tay. If relative h ven't extended
open arms, then hotel are probably
your next best choice.
Some of today' hotel look
more like re orts than a place to get
Charles Ross is ho t of the na­
tionally syndicated radio program,
"Your Personal Finance", and
author of The Best of Your Per onal
Finance.
For the fourth year in a row Marsha Warfield, who is featured on the NBC-TV's "Night Court" a.s Ro�,
distributed the Jason Scott Inner City Incentive Awards, which she created, to 15 students from Chicago s
Calumet, Undblom and Morgan Park High Schools on June 8. the schools were chosen be_cause they were
attended by Marsha and her mother. Five students from each high school were selected In the categor1es
of Best All-Round Scholar, Most Improved Scholar, Valedictorian, Best Performer and Best SCho�ar{.Athlete.
Each student received an award and a gift of $1000 from Ms. Warfield. She says the award IS really a
reward. It's not a scholarship. It has nothing to do with recognizing their potential: it has to .dO with
congratulating them on what they've done so far." Pictured here with Marsha Warfield are from Lindblom
H.S. Michelle Strickland, Rashida Byrd, William Bolton, Edwin Sneed, Berve Power; from Morgan Park H:S.
Eric Bennett, Nereyda Salinas, Phillip Coleman, Monique Thomas, John McGee; from Calumet H.S. Jessica
Craig, Broderick Hawkins, Eric Wilson, Crishon Haynes, Angel Gandy.
HELPING MINORITY BUSINESS BUILD BUSINESS
Are you missing out on business
opportunities because you always
seem to find out about a contract bid
after the fact? ..
Wayne County's Electronic Pro­
curement Assistance Center (EPAC)
can help you close' the information
gap'. With a personal computer, soft­
ware and a modem, you can access
bid opportunities from Wayne County
"'ayn
ew Initia ive
as soon astheygooutforbid. Twenty­
four hours a day. Seven days a week.
Even if you don't own a PC, you can
still access business opportunities
through EPAC. EPAC is on-line at
selected Detroit Public Library
branches.
For more information, call the EPAC
hotline at (313) 224-0814 .
ounty
For
he '90s
Edward H, McNamara, Wayne County Executive