Participants: Yvonne Lewis (Host), Cy Richardson
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000052S
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00:00 Resources, Programs, Opportunities
00:03 Our guest today is going to inform us of 00:06 what's available to make our lives better. 00:08 My name is Yvonne Lewis and your watching Urban Report 00:34 Hello and welcome to Urban Report 00:36 I am excited about our program today 00:39 my guest is Cy Richardson Senior Vice President of 00:42 Programs for the National Urban League 00:45 Welcome to Urban Report Cy... 00:47 Thanks very much for having me. Absolutely, this is such 00:51 a blessing... it's so great to finally meet you too... 00:54 I've talked to you on the phone but I've never placed a face 00:57 with the voice... So I get to meet you today... 01:01 Cy, I want to start out by saying that 01:05 I have a personal history with the Urban League 01:09 my mom, before she died, was the Controller of the 01:13 New York Urban League... and my first job 01:16 the very first, kind of official job outside of babysitting 01:19 that I ever had... was with the Urban League 01:22 The New York Urban League... so I have... go ahead... 01:26 Yes... many folks can trace their employment opportunities 01:30 back to our local Urban League affiliate 01:32 so that's a wonderful story it doesn't surprise me 01:35 as our affiliates... over the years 01:37 have done a wonderful job of getting folks on the appropriate 01:40 career path... obviously, you've come a long way. 01:43 Well... praise the Lord... it was such a great opportunity 01:47 for me because I got to see my mother doing what she did 01:50 in her role as an executive with the Urban League 01:53 and I also got... to get a taste of what goes on in the 01:57 grassroots level... with the Urban League 01:59 and so it was a great, great opportunity 02:02 and I have a great affinity for the Urban League 02:05 So, tell us a little bit about the Urban League 02:09 because some people really might not know 02:11 anything about its history and its mission 02:14 tell us a little bit about it if you would... 02:18 Right... so we are a 103-year-old Organization 02:22 an historic Civil Rights Organization 02:25 the Nation's oldest and largest civil rights 02:28 organization dedicated to helping African-Americans 02:32 to enter and sustain themselves in the economic and social 02:35 mainstream... and so we run programs 02:37 through our 95 affiliates 02:39 across the country... and we also have a voice 02:42 in Washington... weighing in on Federal Policy 02:45 policies that are helpful... 02:49 and hinder the economic 02:51 prospects of African-Americans and those who live in 02:54 urban places... so we weigh in and regularly 02:57 kind of contribute and seek to influence public policies... 03:01 that boast both boost and block 03:03 the economic life chances of 03:04 African-Americans... and we've been fairly successful 03:06 at that... recently... That's tremendous... 03:09 and what exactly do you do... for the Urban League? 03:11 Right... so I've been with the League for 12 years now, Yvonne, 03:15 and I initially joined the Organization as.. essentially... 03:19 a Policy Analyst working in the housing and community 03:22 development space... I rose to the ranks to become 03:25 the Vice President of that portfolio and just 03:27 early this year... I was promoted to 03:28 Senior Vice President and Chief Program Officer 03:31 for Economic Programs... that would be our 03:33 Small Business-Development Programs 03:35 our Housing Home Ownership Programs 03:36 and I work for those development programs as well 03:38 and so... my role here is to kind of design programs, 03:42 to implement them... in terms of funding 03:45 our affiliates will executive the programs 03:47 and to take and analyze data and evaluate the efficacy of 03:50 those programs... and kind of report and narrate 03:52 to our Funders and those interested parties across 03:55 the country... the impact of the Urban League 03:57 at large... Wow! you're kind of 04:01 a slouch eh? Well yeah... I mean... 04:05 there's no rest for the weary, they say, but... yeah 04:08 there's a lot of work... given that the most recent data 04:10 in terms of the disproportionality of the 04:13 economic crisis on the Black Community 04:15 we have a lot of work to do... Well, let's talk a little bit 04:17 about that... if we may, Cy, because a lot of people 04:22 might not really know... about that disparity 04:25 or what some of the figures are, can you share some 04:28 information about the disparity with us? 04:31 Sure... well... I'll give you just a macro sense... 04:34 right... so from 2008 when the sub-prime crisis 04:38 gave way to a larger economic crisis... 04:41 both here... in this country 04:42 and abroad... around the world... 04:44 you know, the old adage that you know, 04:47 when America catches a cold, the Black America catches the Flu 04:52 and I think that did play out... in the last period of 04:56 unpleasantness... in all of the indicators that 04:59 we employ to assess the 05:01 economic viability of 05:04 communities... whether it be home ownership, 05:06 business ownership, whether it be College readiness 05:10 and enrollment... whether it be Work Force 05:12 the unemployment rate... in some of the largest cities 05:15 in this country... well, it's obviously reported 05:18 8 to 10 percent... but for the African-American 05:21 Community... it was double and triple that... 05:23 in Detroit... the unemployment rate is still somewhere 05:26 hovering around 20 percent... which... it's mind-boggling... 05:30 two or three out of ten African-Americans... 05:32 unemployed... in fact... many of them 05:34 have stopped looking for work... so demoralized and 05:37 beaten down... so it's part of the 05:39 Urban League to kind of uplift... 05:41 raise the stakes... prepare people... 05:43 for their chance to meet their potential... 05:47 but also to really show how the crisis... 05:50 disproportionately affected communities of Color, 05:53 disproportionately affected African-Americans... 05:55 which in 2005... we just were able 06:00 in the history of this Country to reach 50% home ownership rate 06:04 which 50.1% and that was a historic milestone, for example, 06:09 because home ownership is the chief way, 06:10 in this Country, as you know, to build wealth and safer 06:13 retirement and to fund children's education, etc. etc. 06:16 So 51% of African-Americans were homeowners? 06:20 were homeowners in 2005 we've now since rolled back 06:24 6 percentage points which doesn't sound a lot 06:27 like a lot... to most people but it's hundreds of thousands 06:29 of families... who either lost their home 06:33 through the period of foreclosure or were so 06:36 bewildered and overwhelmed... just stopped trying... 06:39 stopped endeavoring and which... for me... 06:41 I travel around the Country talking to folks 06:44 about the prospects for our clients... 06:47 the foreclosure piece... 06:48 we can speak about that... but... 06:50 the lack of endeavor is far more troubling for me 06:53 when we're trying to develop a generation of those 06:57 who take their full stake in American life... 07:00 in the ownership society... and for those... 07:02 to actively and willingly sit on the sidelines because 07:05 they don't deem the marketplace to be safe.. that's troubling... 07:08 because in many ways... information exchange, 07:11 in our community happens within the household... so 07:14 so the mom tells the daughter, 07:15 the daughter tells the kids around 07:17 how to tap into home ownership 07:19 or how to find... a loan... 07:20 for small businesses or mortgages etc... you know, 07:23 so to have a relatively placid 07:26 consumer base... it's troubling... 07:29 because... that tends to be passed on to children 07:32 and their children... and so we're trying to arrest 07:34 that decline... So... let me ask you this... 07:37 are you saying that this lack of endeavor 07:41 is due to... primarily... to being overwhelmed 07:45 and kind of a sense of depression 07:46 or are you saying that it is a kind of 07:50 defeatist attitude? 07:52 Yes... well... I think it's a little bit of both 07:54 Yvonne... really... I mean... you look at the historical arc 07:58 and the trajectory of the African-American experience 08:01 in this Country and, you know, many of our folks... 08:04 myself included... have been... what's called... 08:06 trying to get to the "Yes"... trying to find someone 08:09 who will give us a mortgage, trying to find someone 08:11 who will give us a loan... trying to find someone 08:13 who will take a chance on us for employment... 08:16 and after generation and generation of being 08:18 told "No" you know, we went through 08:21 a period in the early 2000's 08:22 of really trying to get to the "Yes"... 08:26 trying to find someone who will... 08:28 take that economic risk with us... 08:30 and there were a number of unscrupulous players 08:33 in the Marketplace... that the sub-prime marketplace 08:36 in particular... that all tended to prey on 08:39 folks who were looking for the "Yes" 08:40 who were all too accustomed to getting the "No" 08:43 and so... that has a psychological effect 08:45 to risking... getting out there 08:49 taking a mortgage... 08:51 taking a loan... and then... you know... 08:53 defaulting or having otherwise having the cards 08:55 stacked against you... and then falling back... 08:57 it's more than... just one step forward... 08:59 two steps back... because... that is passed on... 09:01 you know... inter-generationally and so it's a combination 09:06 of... you know, kind of group depression 09:09 a combination of a lack of sophistication 09:11 in terms of decision-making... and that's what the Non-Profit 09:14 space has to do... to continue to create 09:16 an informed Constituency... which brings efficiency 09:19 to all Market Places... but I do think... your question 09:22 it's a combination of... psychological depression... 09:25 at the Group Level but also... 09:27 it's folks who just don't believe it's safe 09:30 to enter into a Market Place... home ownership... for example... 09:34 which will be... for most of us, the most expensive purchase 09:38 that we'll make in our lifetimes... 09:39 and so... that is just overwhelming for a large 09:41 majority of people... not just African-Americans 09:44 but for many low-and-moderate income citizens of this country 09:47 and that's deeply troubling because, I think they've 09:51 understood that the playing field is not level 09:54 and the odds are rigged against communities 09:57 of color... against... moderate and 09:59 working-class people... to really succeed and advance 10:02 in this Country... that's the kind of narrative 10:04 we're trying to tell right now... 10:05 And that's very, very important 10:07 you said... several things that I'd like to 10:09 touch on... one is that... 10:12 there is a certain... lack of sophistication 10:15 in terms of financial literacy, that we really need to 10:20 get some information to be 10:24 equipped because there were these predators 10:27 that did take advantage of people... 10:30 with the sub-prime lending... and all that... 10:33 but the other side of that... was... 10:35 that inability to defer gratification 10:38 you know that you can't afford a $500,000 home 10:42 but yet... you go for that home because, as you had said, 10:47 you're so used to getting a "No" 10:49 and you finally getting a "Yes" and it's like, 10:50 "Oh man... maybe I can get this house" 10:53 and it is... the most expensive expenditure that you're 10:59 going to make... so I think that there is 11:01 personal responsibility here and then I think 11:03 there's a systemic issue an institutionalized issue 11:07 as well... that we really need to look at 11:09 would you agree? Yes, I would agree... 11:11 that's well said and I don't think I really can 11:13 improve upon that assessment... that's correct... 11:15 I think we have a combination of the predatory and 11:19 unscrupulous characters that prey upon our Community 11:22 that actively reach out for those who lack that 11:25 sophistication and understanding and conversancy 11:28 on financial issues and prey upon them... 11:30 you know peddling products that cause harm... 11:34 at a neighborhood level so that's one thing... 11:38 but when you have that in combination to your point, 11:40 around faulty and flawed decision making... 11:42 I think that's a perfect storm for economic crisis 11:45 and that disproportionately affects communities 11:48 that systemically... again to your point... 11:50 kind of lack the underlying kind of success and 11:53 confidence in making these economic choices 11:56 and decisions... and again... you know 11:58 the concept for us is... in our Financial Literacy 12:00 Programming is... you don't know 12:02 what you don't know and taken to a large extreme... 12:07 that is what we're having to cope with now... 12:09 that is... starting back from square one... 12:11 the basics and concepts... budgets, savings, credit... 12:15 asset-building, asset preservation... 12:17 compound interest, deferred gratification 12:20 these concepts that you're talking about... 12:22 are... maybe... not sexy... necessarily 12:24 from a Program Development Standpoint 12:27 but are really influential and impactful for communities 12:30 that simply do not have the hundred or two hundred years' 12:33 experience with owning and preserving assets... 12:36 Oh... that is such a good point, that is such a good point 12:40 that you just made... that we don't have, 12:42 as a Community... experience in 12:46 handling money... we just don't and handling it wisely... 12:51 when we get it... even many of our athletes 12:54 and people who are making huge amounts of money 12:58 people in the Entertainment, in Business, Medicine, whatever 13:01 if there is not that history of financial literacy... 13:06 then... you can kind of just... not to mention the fact 13:10 that you end up having to help everybody... 13:12 mom and them... everybody... so... you know... if you don't 13:18 have that history... you have to start from scratch 13:21 one of the things that we're doing... here on 13:23 Dare to Dream... is... we have a Financial Literacy 13:25 Program... it's called, "Take it to the Bank" 13:27 where we teach... budgeting where we teach... information 13:31 about managing your credit and all of these things 13:34 because... people just don't know 13:37 and the Bible says that, you know... 13:40 "My people perish for lack of knowledge" 13:42 so... we have to know... what to do... with money... 13:46 when we get it... what do we do with it? 13:49 I think that's part of the discrepancy... the disparity 13:52 that we have... in our Society... 13:54 with Communities of Color and White Communities 13:58 because... we have not had the experience 14:00 of knowing how to handle it... That's exactly right and I think 14:04 there's another variable there at play... 14:06 which is... the kind of nuances around money conversations 14:11 and gender in the Black Community 14:12 in many ways... it's a very male-dominated space 14:15 particularly for older African-Americans... 14:18 and so this is what we're seeing just a little anecdote... 14:22 we're seeing a number of mature senior citizens... females... 14:27 coming to our affiliates for this kind of assistance 14:30 because perhaps... they were married for 30, 40, 50 years 14:32 and their husbands had always taken care of their household 14:35 finances... and they've... maybe passed on... 14:39 and so... the widow... has a home, 14:42 may have some accounts but doesn't really feel 14:46 fully economically empowered because they just don't have 14:49 that experience... so... when you overlay the 14:52 African-American deficiencies historically as we talked about, 14:55 with the kind of gender deficiencies 14:57 that we talked about, you have a really vulnerable 14:59 class of folks... and we have here stories in 15:03 New York of unscrupulous entities 15:05 scouring the Obituary Ads 15:07 looking for African-American surnames 15:11 folks living in African-American Communities... 15:13 where the male of the household will have passed away... 15:15 and they're really scouring these Obituary Ads 15:20 to find these elderly widows 15:22 to prey upon and many of them have lost 15:25 their homes or entered into very shady arrangements 15:28 given that lack of economic preparation... 15:30 because, again, the historical context that we mentioned 15:33 but also the gender differences that are prevalent 15:36 in our community as well. You know, I had no idea, 15:40 of the gender differences... in terms of unscrupulous 15:44 people... trying to prey upon these older women... 15:48 I had no idea about that that's a real new insight for me 15:53 because... we really need to.. and... that's what you guys 15:57 are doing in Urban League which I just so appreciate... 16:01 you are equipping people to deal with... the crises 16:05 I noticed on your website, that you have programs for 16:09 jobs, housing, health and education 16:12 so you've done... what God has laid on our hearts 16:16 here to do... and that is... 16:18 to look at the crises confronting minorities 16:22 and African-Americans and then... 16:24 design programming around that... 16:27 tell us about some of the programs that you have 16:30 not just housing, but jobs, and some of the initiatives 16:34 Sure.. so first I'll say that... you're right... 16:37 we are a historic civil rights organization 16:39 that is an enduring institution in the Black Community 16:43 and so... we provide services free of charge, Yvonne, 16:46 that are certified by Federal Agencies 16:51 and we do provide those programs 16:53 and design and evaluate those programs... 16:54 but in order to be credible... to be a credible voice 16:57 in Washington... for example... you need... 17:00 to... they're big right now on measurement 17:02 and metrics... So they... want... 17:05 they're really big on quantitative analysis.. correct? 17:11 Yes... they are... and so we've couched our 17:14 programmatic interventions along the lines of 17:17 empowerment goals... the state of affairs we'd like 17:19 to see by 2025... there are four goals 17:21 in the Health care area... it's.. every American has access 17:25 to quality and affordable health care solutions 17:27 in the Education Space, our goal is... for every 17:30 American child to be ready for College, Work and Life 17:34 in the Workforce Area and the Economic Empowerment area 17:37 is... every American has access to jobs with a living wage 17:41 and good benefits... and in the Housing and Asset 17:44 Building Space... it's every American lives in 17:46 safe, decent, affordable and energy-efficient housing 17:49 on fair terms... those are the four areas 17:51 and we have a number of programs that cascade from those goals 17:54 so for example... in the Health Care Space 17:56 we've just launched a new program called 17:59 Health Care Navigators which essentially is 18:01 kind of case-managed assistance helping people to understand 18:05 the Affordable Care Act... Obamacare... if you will... 18:09 and to ensure maximum uptake and full understanding 18:13 conversancy of the Affordable Care Act 18:16 so the Health Navigator's Program... 18:19 working one-on-one to ensure that lower-and-moderate 18:23 income people have access to all the parameters 18:26 of the program... In the Education Space 18:28 One second... one second... let me just ask you about that 18:31 and that is so great because I remember when Obamacare 18:35 first was launched and nobody really knew 18:38 and still... don't know what's in it... 18:41 and how can I access... what's good for me... 18:45 so, what you're saying is that in this Program... 18:48 you're letting people know just what is there 18:51 and how they can access the benefits of this program. 18:55 That's exactly right and understanding their 18:57 obligations under it... and I think... 18:59 the Administration... for all of its strengths and 19:01 success... has done a very poor job of doing the kind of 19:05 marketing and outreach and communications strategies 19:08 around ensuring smooth implementation 19:11 for their Affordable Care Act. In fact, this morning, 19:13 I just read the newspaper... that they are now delaying 19:15 implementation by one year because they've not done that 19:17 early work and so... Non-Profits... such as the 19:20 Urban League are really trying to assist and be helpful to the 19:23 Administration to want to ensure that folks know what's in there 19:26 but two, that they are prepared and poised to make use of the 19:29 benefits that are embedded in the program and to also 19:31 make sure... they are compliant with the program 19:33 and that Program that we are administering is called 19:35 The Health Care Navigators. That's great, that's great OK... 19:39 all right... that's awesome... Sure, sure, so I mean the 19:42 Education Space... we have a number of programs 19:44 but the chassis... as it were that we build our programs 19:48 around is what's called "Project Ready" 19:50 which is a kind of supplemental education program... 19:54 post-secondary... which allows folks to prepare for College, 19:59 Work and Life... really... whether it be... 20:02 the two-or-four-year College, whether it be 20:05 vocational training, jobs skills readiness, 20:07 certification training for skills such as 20:10 construction trades or healthcare industry jobs 20:13 and so Project Ready is implemented by a number of 20:17 affiliates across the Country and we've actually had a number 20:20 of Third-Party Evaluators conclude that the program 20:25 Project Ready is one of the most influential 20:28 supplemental education programs that any Non-Profit runs 20:32 and we are seeing a great investment and interest in 20:35 Foundation Space and Government Space and also 20:38 Private Sector interests as well that's... Project Ready 20:39 That is so great... on your website... 20:42 I saw a young man and perhaps he had gone through this 20:46 Project Ready... but he said... If it weren't for this Program, 20:50 he would have been either incarcerated... or dead... 20:54 because of this... he is on his way to College 20:57 That's right... and so... that's a wonderful example 21:01 as to how we try to actually build... not programs in 21:04 isolation but a continuum of programs... 21:07 that vignette that you saw in our website comes from a 21:09 young man and a present young man 21:11 from Cleveland, Ohio... We're just... I mean, in May... 21:14 of announcing the jobs We Build America 21:16 to really focusing the conversation on jobs and 21:19 education as the key building blocks for the African-American 21:22 Community... and so... we did meet this 21:24 young man who was a product of Project Ready 21:27 and I was also moved into another program called 21:30 UYEP which stands for "The Urban Youth Empowerment Program" 21:34 which is essentially a training and preparatory program for 21:38 young people 18-25 who may have been adjudicated 21:42 in the Criminal Justice System may have had some early problems 21:46 that they are turning it around, on the right track 21:49 and the Urban League is assisting them... 21:51 in getting all their money straight... 21:53 getting their decision-making straight... 21:54 and connecting them with employment opportunities 21:56 that's called UYEP... and it's a demonstration program 21:59 we've been running with the Department of Labor support 22:02 and other private-sector interests for over 15 years 22:05 and so that young man... who provided that testimonial 22:09 and I was there in the audience and it was quite moving 22:11 he did say, absent of that kind of intervention from the 22:13 Urban League... he fears for... that he would have been 22:15 incarcerated... dead... or... just certainly not on the 22:18 right track... and so... that is a very nice tidbit as to... 22:21 you know, how we are empowering communities and changing lives. 22:23 And you know... see... this is so good... Cy... 22:27 because so many people want to make changes 22:30 but they don't know where the resources are... 22:33 you know... one of the things that happened... 22:37 years and years ago... when my younger son, Jason, 22:40 was coming up... I had a friend... 22:43 that just knew where everything was... 22:45 Oh... let's take the kids over here 22:47 there's going to be this... or... that... or 22:49 and if you don't know... where things are... 22:51 if you don't know where the resources are 22:53 to help improve your life... then you just kind of float... 22:58 you're just kind of... floating but if you know that, 23:01 "Hey, the Urban League has this Program and that Program" 23:04 I can tap into that... and it's free... there's no cost 23:10 That's exactly right... and let me say this... 23:12 so, we spend a little bit of time just now, 23:13 on your Program, talking about some of the 23:15 pathologies and deficiencies in the Black Community and 23:18 they are real and everyone knows about them... 23:20 but there are a number of strengths as well 23:21 and I want to really focus on those, 23:23 Good... let's... This concept that you just 23:25 introduced... and we understand it best as... 23:27 A Social Capital Formation... which essentially is... 23:30 a kind of Networks of Trust and Reciprocity 23:35 within communities... that allows for information 23:38 exchange... and have a positive net effect and outcome... 23:41 for folks who are sharing and receiving information... 23:44 so, for example, I mean, in this context... 23:46 Social Capital can be measured and it is very strong and 23:50 prevalent in the African-American Community 23:53 think of the institutions that really facilitate and grease 23:56 that kind of information exchange... 23:58 the Barber Shop... the Church... to a point... 24:01 HBCUs... these are institutions that are designed to facilitate 24:06 the exchange and flow of information 24:07 and in this regard, we talked about the gender 24:10 differences earlier... we see high levels of 24:12 African-American females who are the chief portal 24:15 and point of contact for these services and resources 24:18 that they then... in turn... bring those back... 24:21 to their friends... to their networks... 24:23 to their families... to say, "You know what? 24:24 you need to go down to the Urban League... they have 24:26 some wonderful programs going on... 24:27 they have some programs for your children... 24:29 some programs for your colleagues... 24:32 and so that kind of Social Capital leveraging... 24:34 is quite a strong dynamic in the Black Community... 24:37 and we're really trying to tap and leverage that... 24:39 that is... each one... teach one... really... 24:41 Yes... ... and that is... the informal 24:44 network that sears through our community 24:46 and can be built upon... and it's an area that... 24:50 in the African-American Community... 24:53 is stronger than any other 24:55 including Main Stream White America... 24:56 That is tremendous... that is tremendous... 25:00 and I'm so glad that you did that... 25:01 that you focused... you know.. we do... often... 25:05 look at the deficiencies because we want to address those 25:08 but we also... have to look at the strengths... 25:10 and buttress those... and reinforce those... 25:13 so that's really... a great point... 25:15 that we do have strengths... that we can really 25:19 take advantage of... and use... 25:20 for the betterment of the Community... 25:22 That's right... and there's one other Program 25:25 that I just want to mention... because it's a major focal point 25:27 of ours... right now... it's the Entrepreneurship Work 25:31 and our Small-Business-Development Work 25:32 we've punched a lot of numbers and researched data 25:34 that suggest that... small business formation 25:38 still remains quite high in the Black Community 25:41 however, the knowledge and understanding 25:44 and success with tapping into Federal and State Level 25:48 small-business assistance programs and loan programs 25:51 lags behind... Main Stream America 25:54 significantly... and so... we have an initiative called 25:58 The Entrepreneurship Center Model 26:00 in 10 cities across the Country 26:02 where we are actively providing coaching, economic support, 26:06 mentoring... to small-business owners 26:08 to help the existing small-business owners, 26:10 to help them take their businesses to the next level... 26:12 and providing loans 26:14 at what we call the Mezzanine Level 26:15 that's $50,000 to $250,000 which can be integral... 26:20 and significant to a small-business owner 26:22 whether it's a Beauty Salon... whether it's... 26:25 a major initiative for us now is in Franchising 26:29 in Gas Stations and also Fast Food Establishments... 26:32 These can be really the on-roads for economic success 26:35 for Business-minded and Business-oriented individuals... 26:39 the issue there, Yvonne, though is... in many cases... 26:41 in Black Communities... because we're not tapping into 26:44 these public sector loan programs 26:46 we're financing these business endeavors on our own... 26:49 so in many ways... you cannot... 26:51 disentangle your business interests from your 26:55 personal interests... it's your personal Credit Score 26:57 for example... that has a lot to do on whether you get 26:59 a small business loan... or not it has to do with your 27:02 personal decision making... your personal finances... 27:04 so, we teach against that... we want to encourage 27:06 small business development... business formation 27:09 but understanding that the decisions that you make 27:11 in advance of launching your small business 27:14 has a massive explanatory power... 27:17 in how successful you'll be... 27:19 so we are trying to reach people early... 27:21 reach people with strength... letting them know that 27:24 you know, you need to clear up some things from the past 27:27 there are techniques and strategies that you can use 27:29 to boost your Credit Score and we're really trying to 27:31 evangelize... that message across the Country. 27:33 Thank you so much Cy... I can't believe 27:36 that our time is up... This time went by... so fast... 27:40 and you gave us such great information 27:42 I want to encourage our viewers... 27:45 to make sure that you call the Urban League... 27:49 find out which programs that you can take advantage of 27:53 and go there... and learn... Well, that's it for our Program 27:58 we hope that this Program today has inspired you... 28:01 May God bless you... Tune in next time... 28:03 it just wouldn't be the same... without you. |
Revised 2025-01-08