New York, NY -- (SBWire) -- 10/18/2013 --Sharon J. Lettman Hicks, Executive Director and CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), recently visited New York City for Harlem Pride’s Monthly Mixer at the Aloft Hotel Harlem to announce an update to the New York City leg of the 13-city Many Faces. One Dream. (MFOD) LGBT Economic Empowerment Tour for Communities of Color. Mrs. Lettman-Hicks addressed the crowd of New York City community outreach partners, local entrepreneurs, and small business owners to explain the impact of the government shutdown on the upcoming event that must be postponed:
“While we were excited and ready to host the MFOD-NYC conference in October, the shutdown of the federal government has forced us to postpone our NYC tour stop to November 20-21, 2013,” said Lettman-Hicks. “Know that while our Congress is busy playing political football, we are going to stay the course. We are proud of our partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, and we plan to ensure that our government continues to work for us.”
NBJC, along with the New York City convening community partners--Harlem Pride, LGBT Faith Leaders of African Descent, and Global Network of Black Pride--were honored to introduce the following New York City community outreach partners: Destination Tomorrow; National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce NYC; James Saunders Events; The Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Community Center; Blunted Muse Productions; and The GLBT Travel Expo.
The Many Faces. One Dream. LGBT Economic Empowerment Tour for Communities of Color will be held on November 20-21, 2013 at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, located at 333 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201. The public can register at ManyFacesOneDream.com. MFOD will feature financial services and certification agents to support small business development. Participants will select one of two tracks: “Starting Your Business” and “Taking Your Business to the Next Level.” In the first track, training will be provided on the key elements of a business plan, loans, marketing, and SBA’s program and services. The second track will be geared toward New York City’s LGBT entrepreneurs that would like to expand and grow their business. There will also be a Small Business Marketplace where LGBT-owned businesses will have access to the resources and tools needed to grow and sustain their enterprise.
One key component of the MFOD Tour is the opportunity for LGBT people of color to exchange business-to-business products and services information. MFOD participants will also learn about various certifications available and how to do business with the local, state and federal government. In addition, the SBA and SCORE, a nonprofit association dedicated to helping grow the small business market, will provide one-on-one counseling for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Black Enterprise magazine has also partnered with NBJC as the MFOD national media sponsor. The premier business news and investment resource for African Americans will work to develop content relative to the tour and wealth creation for LGBT communities of color across all platforms--print, digital and television.
“Despite this setback, we are determined to own our power, and have rescheduling the NYC leg of the tour for late November in hopes that our government will resolve its issues in the coming days,” added Lettman-Hicks.
For more information, visit http://www.manyfacesonedream.com. If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities for MFOD, please contact Richard E. Pelzer II, President of Global Network of Black Pride, at richard@gn-bp.com or 212-537-4069, or Carmen Neely, President of Harlem Pride, at cneely@harlempride.org or 347-846-0362.
Stay connected #MFODNYC.
