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The Chinese are treating us very well here.  Our 47 person delegation, partially sponsored by the China-United States Exchange Foundation, includes 7 Urban League affiliate Presidents, several NUL staff including Marc Morial who leads the delegation, many international businessmen and several journalists.  The Chinese have quoted the 1 Trillion buying power of African Americans.  They've given our delegation the status of heads of state.  Several of our meetings have been held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.  Many of our dinners have been in halls reserved for visiting dignitaries.  We've enjoyed dinners in the same facilities President Obama enjoyed during his visit 3 months ago.
 

What an exciting evening!
 
An hour or so prior to our first official event I took the liberty to walk the streets sightseeing.  Our hotel is a few blocks from Tiananmen Square.  The Grand Hotel Beijing is on a major thoroughfare which, if you were to look quickly, resembles a major thoroughfare in most East Coast large city business districts. However, like in most cities, the real flavor of the city lies beneath.  Two blocks from our hotel I found the most amazing Chinese market filled with vendors offering noodles and other soup dishes to mitigate the edge of the cold.  Lots of dishes served on a stick: from fruits to vegetables to meats.  On this market street there was even a Chinese street theater performing!

In the wake of Google, Inc.’s recent experience in China it’s been interesting to do my own observation of technological liberties available in China.  Ours represents a relatively high-level cultural and trade delegation.  We’re staying in a fairly modern, Western style hotel in Beijing, China’s second largest city.  However, my experience is that some of the popular social networking sites in America, including Facebook and Twitter, are not available.  You can type in the URL, but there's never a connection to the site. Fortunately there seems full access to www.laul.org and www.nul.org.  We’ll have to make that work for us during our stay.

Well, we made it from Shanghai to Beijing.  The travel was relatively uneventful.  The one hitch was that our valet didn’t find us at the airport, so we paid a taxi driver the equivalent of $72.00 to drive us from the airport to our hotel.  Perhaps its just the people we’ve interacted with at the hotel and airport, but it seems like everyone here speaks English.  The Grand Hotel Beijing is an atrium style hotel with nice appointments.  I’m looking forward to a leisurely morning, but I do want to get out “into the streets” before we meet with the full delegation this afternoon at 5:00pm.

Made it to Shanghai - a city with smog that makes LA look clear. It's Saturday afternoon here (still Friday evening back in LA) We're on the move to Beijing in an hour - a two hour flight. There we will have an evening to recover before the full delegation arrives on Sunday night.

National Urban League and Los Angeles Urban League Host African-American Leaders on Historic Trade & Cultural Mission to China

While sight-seeing and experiencing Chinese culture are indeed part of its weeklong itinerary, an Urban League delegation to the People’s Republic of China will be focused on business, education and urban renewal during a historic cultural and trade mission to Beijing.

The delegation, led by National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial and Los Angeles Urban League President & CEO Blair Taylor, is composed of prominent African-American leaders from around the country in business, education, civil engagement and government. They will have an unprecedented opportunity to engage with influential Chinese business and community leaders.  

Dear Community Stakeholder:

California is undergoing a critically important process of Redistricting. The process will ultimately be driven by a powerful group of Commissioners to be chosen from a qualified pool. You can be part of the process and determine who will be the Commissioners.

The deadline for Commissioner applications - February 12, 2010 - is rapidly approaching. At this point there are very few African Americans and other minorities applying to participate in the process. This must change for communities of color to have a viable voice in the future of California politics.

The Los Angeles Urban League is proud to support America I Am, an outstanding exhibition presented by our good friend Tavis Smiley and proudly sponsored by Walmart.

Tavis is offering a $1 discount coupon to customers, friends and supporters of the Los Angeles Urban League. The exhibit is now open at the California African American Museum and the discount coupon valid thru March 31. Please support America I Am.

Click here and print the coupon to get $1 off admission to America I Am.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and to celebrate, our own Pamela Bakewell will be at today's Kingdom Day Parade.  The parade runs at 10 AM along King Blvd to Leimert Park in South LA.  Also at Leimart Park, the Young Professionals will be collecting donations for the relief efforts in Haiti.  Please donate.

Update: The deadline to apply to be a redistricting commissioner has been extended to February 16, 2010.

What is Redistricting?

Every ten years, we count every person in the United States through a process called the “Census.” This count gives us a snapshot of how many people there are and where they live.

Once we know how many people live in California, we can divide the population evenly into districts for the State Senate, Assembly, and Board of Equalization. This is called “redistricting.”

Historically, the State Legislature has drawn these district maps. In 2011, a citizens commission will be in charge.

How Will It Work?

In 2008, the voters passed Proposition 11, the Voters First Act. For the first time, a new 14-person commission called the Citizens Redistricting Commission will draw the state district maps.

The California State Auditor will help create the Citizens Redistricting Commission. From December 15, 2009 to February 16, 2010, the Auditor will accept applications from interested citizens to serve on the commission. The 14 commissioners will be selected by December 31, 2010.

Once the commission is formed, it will hold meetings around California to listen to residents describe their communities, neighborhoods and what issues are important to them. The commission will take all this input and draw district maps with an equal number of people in each district. This public hearing period runs from January 1, 2011 to September 15, 2011.

Why Should I Care?

It is important that elected representatives listen to the public’s interests in order to ensure that our votes matter. A critical step is to draw district lines that keep communities intact. The way district lines are drawn affects how politicians represent constituents’ interests. When communities are kept whole, we have a greater ability to hold politicians accountable.

What is the Process and How Do I Apply?

Contact Dannete.Wilkerson@laul.org or call 323.299.9660 ext. 244 to attend application orientations and workshops.