Black Horizons; 2524; Friends

Anger Hello, this is Black Horizons and I'm Chris Moore.

I'm so excited today because for the first time in a long time, Manette Seat is here to review a movie. Also adding to the excitement will be Dr. Ralph Proctor, who returns with another, did you know, segment. Jerry Hill of L .J. Records will be along today to introduce his latest rising star. In fact, he's been here before Eric Blackwell. Eric will sing a little something called Looking for Love. Before we get to any of that, let's turn our attention to what professional groups are doing in our city to foster business and professional development. Here are Paul King and Charles Reese. Good afternoon, gentlemen. Welcome to Black Horizons. We're glad to have you here. When we talk about fostering professional development and the other things that you're involved in, actually, you've come together as a sort of collective of different organizations to do some things. Mr. Rees, tell me about it. The function and question is a really wonderful affair that's scheduled for December 4th at the Western

William Penn call just between friends. Well, actually, it wasn't the function that I was talking about, but we can talk about that in just a second. It's really the collective effort of all these groups. First of all, can you identify some of them, certainly? The National Black MBA Association, the National Association of Black Accountants, the Homeless Brown Law Association, and the Pittsburgh Association of Human Resource Professionals in Paul is the president of the Human Resources Group. Now, you gentlemen noticed that you were all working to it a lot of the same ends. You were trying to get scholarship money, professional development for your various organizations, and so what you decided to do was to come together to sort of maybe make a bigger muscle to work on all of that stuff, right, Ms. King? That's correct. This is the fourth year that we've had this event, and we're trying, it's getting bigger and better every year, and as our organizations grow, the function seems to grow also. Okay, since you both raised the function, tell us about the function, just between friends.

It's called just between friends, and it's a good title, by the way. Well, we consider ourselves all to be friends. It's very descriptive of us. Exactly, exactly. Oh, come on, I know you guys, and it's smoking well in the meeting room. Oh, no, no, no, taking prices are too high, we have to lower them. Only before the event, during and after the event, we're all friends. It takes place, as you mentioned, December 4th, and we'll be at the Western William Penn Hotel, downtown, and begins at 5 .30, the reception, the dinner begins at 6 o 'clock, and dancing at entertainment at 9 o 'clock. But this is more than just a dinner dance. There's a purpose behind all of this, right? Correct. Actually, sorry, it's a fundraising effort to support the collective missions, programs, and operations of these four organizations. You had mentioned earlier the professional development, each of these organization sponsors, some sort of professional development programs for their members,

scholarship programs for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a number of community outreach programs that all of us are engaged in. And I guess the thinking there is that we recognize that we all had common missions, common themes, and once again, that we thought that we could be much more effective working together than by working separately. And so this is a fundraising support those programs. It's also an opportunity for companies, government agencies, small businesses, businesses that would like to network with the professional African -American community to advertise in our ad booklet to support our programs. It's a good opportunity to mingle in that work and support this. Well, let's talk about some of that networking. I mean, we are probably all in our professional lives. We heard the phrase, well, we just cut, find it, qualified, like people

fulfill that kind of position. I don't care if you're talking about an MBA, Dr. Lawyer and Indian Chief Human Resources, whatever. This is an opportunity to rely that, too, because you're bringing young people along and getting them prepared to go into the world of work, right? That's right. And being part of human resources, I see where the positions are, and I see the types of people that are going into those positions. And I know that they're out there. We have qualified people that can fill those positions. We just need to get the two together. And get people to fill those positions to meet the right people. And these type of events can do that. You're going to see a lot of people at all different levels of large organizations. It's exactly right. It's exactly right. And get out there and shake some hands and meet some people. And that ties into our theme also, just between friends. Get out there and make some new

friends. There are going to be opportunities before and after dinner to mingle. We're going to have an art exhibit. Nor are lifestyles from the south side. We'll have slides out by the back. So you know the type of work that they provide. We'll be there to, if people are interested in art, in African art. So we're going to try and give them a variety of entertainment and opportunities to mingle. You can't really underestimate the value of that kind of networking. Meeting the right kind of people that can open some doors for you. All too often I read articles about glass ceilings and those kinds of things. And articles that say that all too often black folk don't have the kind of mental relationship with someone who is up a little bit higher on the ladder, a couple of rungs, who can help bring them along, open some doors for them, advise

them, which way to turn in critical situations, that made decide how your career in fact in the professional world goes. You can't underestimate the value of that kind of network and getting to know the kind of people who might be there, I would imagine. Absolutely. And this is a type of relaxed atmosphere where you can feel comfortable meeting people at those levels. At times you shake hands with somebody and you find out that they're just like you and it's more of a relaxed atmosphere where you can feel that. Does that break down some of the barriers? You think some of those very stiff barriers that are very real sometimes and very perceived is real and maybe not real in the office setting. As you said, the atmosphere is a little bit more relaxed. Absolutely. Our experience in this is going to be our fourth such event. Some of the relationships that are developing out of here are turning into

business opportunities. There have been entrepreneurs that have sprung out of this event and we are highlighting black owned businesses each year. That sort of thing. And you touched on a key point earlier when you spoke of mentoring. And I think too often is African Americans. We function alone and that's dysfunctional. We really should not even think of functioning alone. We all need each other. And this is an effect of me is to make that happen. Four years of doing this, what's the biggest thing that you think has come out of Mr. King? I would say that the people who have attended have found that they have met and people. People have found jobs as Charles mentioned. People have started businesses. We have exposed some people art work and those kinds of things. So

I think there have been a variety of things that have come out of it. And also we as a result of the funds having been raised and garnering new members generating more interest in the organizations themselves. We've been able to continually enhance the quality of the membership and improve our effectiveness and delivering programs to the community. That's really something about collective effort and something we get all learned from in our community about coming together to accomplish some common goals. Gentlemen, we wish you much luck with the event just between friends and we hope that everything turns out just fine between friends. Thank you. On December 4th, you will be able to have some fun and support a good cause just between friends. The affair takes place at the William Weston pin hotel downtown. If you want more information simply pick up your phone and give them a call. The number is 2 -819 -7 -0. The number is 2 -819 -7 -7 -0.

Ralph Proctor is here with another of his famous black history segments that he calls, Did You Know? Here he is to give us some more news we can use. Hey, did you know that Africans explored the entire world long before 1492? The first Spanish and Portuguese explorers of the so -called New World found colonies of black people on the eastern coast of South Central America, Yucatan, and Nicaragua. Downbar recorded that he saw black people at the Ismas of Darien in the year 1513, long before African slaves could have been there. The Mendingos of Mali and Songhai and possibly other Africans crossed the Atlantic Ocean before Columbus. They married or traded with Western hemisphere Indians and further succeeded in establishing colonies to out the Americas. The features of Africans are clearly illustrated in American Indian sculpture. Columbus emphatically stated that he encountered black traders from Guinea who traded in a gold alloy called Guanan. He found

them in Central and South America. Guanan is referred to by the same name in Africa and the New World colonies and nowhere else. The alloy has precisely the same composition in both places. There are huge stone heads of New World, specifically New World out. Oh god, I'm sorry, I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue.

I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue. I'm blue.