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| REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY SANDY K. BARUAH ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF COMMERCE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION AND INTRODUCTION OF JOHN HOPE BRYANT TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2008 | AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
It is my pleasure to welcome you to this official Department of Commerce celebration of Black History Month sponsored by the Economic Development Administration and the Department’s Office of Civil Rights, represented here by Jorge Ponce. And on behalf of EDA and the Office of Civil Rights, I’d like to acknowledge the support of ITA’s Market Access and Compliance Office of Africa, represented here today by Holly Vineyard.Today’s special event features a screening of a powerful and inspiring film, Rwanda Rising and remarks by a very special guest. Before we begin, however, it is my pleasure to welcome Ms. Sherry Matthews of EDA to sing our National Anthem. Before I introduce our special guest, I’d also like to make a special announcement. It just so happens that today I am able to share that EDA management has made a selection to fill the career SES regional director position in our Philadelphia Regional Office. That person is Mr. Willie Taylor, who is seated right here. Pending final approval by OPM and the SES process, I know Willie will make an outstanding member of our SES corps. This is serendipitous because Willie is not only a former EDA staff member – who we will be excited to welcome back to the EDA family, but Willie is also a former resident of Atlanta and is very familiar with the good works of the sponsor of today’s film, former Ambassador and Mayor Andrew Young. Willie, congratulations and we might just see you a bit later in today’s program. Today’s event celebrates the principles that both President Bush and the Economic Development Administration have been working towards. It celebrates the fact that freedom and free enterprise are clarion calls for people across the globe. It celebrates the fact that nothing can impede the human spirit once emboldened to action and committed to justice and dignity. It celebrates the power of enterprise and how that is directly linked to the health and security of people. If the President were here today, he might say that today celebrates the power of the “ownership society” – that people benefit and prosper once they have the ability to own and take control of their futures. That’s what the people of Rwanda have done, and President Bush will see this progress first hand when he visits Rwanda later this month.Today’s screening of Rwanda Rising is made possible by the continued partnership between the Economic Development Administration and Operation HOPE. And to introduce today’s special event, I have the privilege to welcome a true American leader, Mr. John Hope Bryant, founder and chairman of Operation HOPE. John Bryant has dedicated his immense talents and unbounded energy to the cause of eradicating poverty in America and across the world. His organization, Operation HOPE, is considered one of the leading, if not the leading, organization actively working to bring people out of poverty and into the mainstream of our society.I would read John’s bio and list of accomplishments, but we only have a couple of hours. Here are some highlights of our guest of honor:• John Hope Bryant grew-up in South Central Los Angeles and believes that “there is a difference between being broke and being poor – being broke is a temporary situation and being poor is a disabling frame of mind.”• John Bryant is a model of someone who can and does work with anyone who is willing to be a true partner to make forward progress. If you check his website, you will see him side-by-side with President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush – and everyone in between. • President Bush just appointed John as the Vice Chairman of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, serving with Charles Schwab. John also served with me on the Treasury Department’s Advisory Board for Community Development Financial Institutions. • He’s appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show.• He’s been cited by TIME magazine as one of America’s 50 Most Promising Leaders.• He’s been named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos.• And he’s the proud husband of the lovely Sheila Jenine Kennedy Bryant.It is my pleasure to welcome John Hope Bryant to the U.S. Department of Commerce. # # # # # #
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