Sen. Barack Obama does support local chambers of commerce

The article, This caught us by surprise, by Harry C. Alford, co-founder, President and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, came as a surprise.

The article infers that Sen. Barack Obama, D-IL, does not share our hope and commitment to redevelop cooperative economics in the Black community.

To the contrary, in the Austin neighborhood on Chicago's West Side, Sen. Obama has exercised a commitment to support economic development efforts of local chambers of commerce.

Let the record reflect that Alford's claim that Sen. Obama "refuses to meet with any and all Black chambers of commerce" is not accurate.

The Austin Chamber of Commerce (ACC) lies within the community of Austin, which is the largest neighborhood in the city of Chicago. Its residents number over 117,000 and its demographics show it to be predominantly Black. If Austin was a city, it would be the second largest city in the state.

The Austin Chamber of Commerce is committed to the economic and social development of the community. Our success and growth relies on valuable relationships with residents, communitybased organizations, local businesses, corporate partners, government agencies, and elected officials, including Sen. Barack Obama.

In 2006, Sen. Obama hosted three business summits on the Greater West Side of Chicago that provided residents and businesses with resources, tools and opportunities toward economic vitality.

At the Summit, held at the Austin Town Hall, Sen. Obama addressed close to 150 local business owners interested in Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) for neighborhood development; bringing needed business development services to the community; and an anti-litter campaign - a real economic development concern.

Camille Y. Lilly, Volunteer Executive Director of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, affirmed that "After listening to Sen. Obama at the 2006 Town Hall Business meeting, I was impressed and encouraged that he understood the economic concerns of the community. Moreover, that he was willing to sit at the table with us to address the hard questions and committed to answer community needs."

We understand the tremendous demands on Sen. Barack Obama's schedule. However, in the face of that, he has continued to make himself, or a staff member, available to meet with the community to plan economic development initiatives.

For example, Sen. Obama's Illinois State Director, Ken Bennett, was appointed to assist in putting together a community roundtable to discuss bringing a Small Business Administration (SBA) office to the Austin community to better serve area business development needs.

Senator Obama also made available a staff member to participate on the 2006 ACC Economic Development Tour. The Tour travels through the Austin community showcasing commercial and residential development opportunities.

The objective of the Economic Development Tour is to increase and attract new investors in the Austin community. The Tour is designed to obtain valuable feedback from government officials, commercial/residential developers, local business professionals and residents. Information gained from the Tour is compiled to construct economic development initiatives for the Austin community.

The ACC has also had the benefit to receive the support of the Senator's Outreach Coordinator, LaDarius Curtis, at its 2007 ACC Board Retreat.

The Retreat was an opportunity for Board members and other community representatives to plan economic development initiatives for the Austin community.

[Author Affiliation]

Donovan Taylor is a member of the Austin Chamber of Commerce.