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“So, when we got the call a couple of days ago that he would be able to speak at our final HARAMBEE of the year, we were so elated,” added Glover.

Doni Glover and Kweisi Mfume

Mfume to deliver keynote address; business and community leaders to be honored by Rawlings-Blake

(BALTIMORE – December 7, 2008) – Milton’s Grill, located at 336 North Charles Street, will be the locale for the next HARAMBEE Dinner Club on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 (6 to 8 pm). The feature of the night is none other than Kweisi Mfume. The issue, as it relates to the business and community leaders present, is how to survive these trying times. The broader topic is, of course, the election of President-elect Barack Obama and what that means to Marylanders – even in the midst of the worst economy ever.

Beginning in the fall of 2002 when DMGlobal Communications (the Creator of BMORENEWS) was founded, the HARAMBEE Dinner Club co-founder Doni Glover (the other being David Miller) has kept two things specifically in the forefront: business/economics and politics.

“Politics determines who gets what – when – and where,” said Glover. “And economics is the allocation of scarce resources. Together, the inter-relationship between the two comprise today’s political economy.” 

He continued, “Whether our keynote speaker has been East Baltimore’s Dr. Marie Washington, Dr. Charles Simmons - the President of Sojourner-Douglass College, Maryland Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, gREIBO Media’s CEO Shelonda Stokes, dEVNIX Data Management CEO Alexis Coates, Visionary Marketing Group CEO LaRian Finney, The Flywire publisher Marcy Crump, Channel Magazine publisher Antoine Friend or the quintessential media mogul of the millennium in Baltimore – Mrs. Wanda Draper, the end game is always the same: For attendees to utilize such unique networking opportunities with politicos and business-minded folks alike so as to create and foster lucrative [business and community] opportunities for themselves.” 

December 16^th will be no different, Glover said.

“We wanted to end such a powerful yet challenging year off with an incredibly motivating voice in our community,” he stated. “And who better than Mr. Mfume to carry the ball?”

He said that many people are not aware of just how key a role Kweisi Mfume played in this year’s presidential election. Most involved with Maryland politics – even on the ground level - know how visible Rep. Elijah Cummings, Comptroller Peter Franchot, and Attorney General Doug Gansler were to the Obama campaign. However, traveling around the country just as much – if not more – was Kweisi – representing the Obama camp and doing stump speeches on behalf of the Chicago politician who is now clearly a world leader.

“So, when we got the call a couple of days ago that he would be able to speak at our final HARAMBEE of the year, we were so elated,” added Glover.

For the business owners who attend, Glover thinks it is once again a prime opportunity to link with other business owners in what is the worst economy known to modern day Americans. But everyone who attends will get treated to an up-close and personal story to be told by one of America’s greatest voices – a man who has been on the ground and in the trenches for years. Whether the struggle was ripping down the walls of South African apartheid or leveraging our collective might on corporations who refused to hire blacks, women and other minorities – Glover said that Mfume has been a soldier who has refused to back down – no matter how difficult the task.

”This HARAMBEE is not just a celebration for the businessperson and community leader who has been blessed to keep the doors open one more year. This is also a celebration of America’s determination to do the right thing and elect someone other than the norm for president,” Glover said. “This year, particularly for people like Baltimore NAACP President Marvin “Doc” Cheatham and John Milton Wesley, the nephew of Fannie Lou Hamer, was a testament to just what hard work and determination can accomplish even when it seems the darkest. Cheatham and Wesley have taught me to encourage our people to vote for years, no matter what. And finally, even though it seemed impossible, despite the low voter turn-out over the years, those efforts have proved fruitful and our people consequently showed up in droves so as to embrace the ‘change’ prophesied by Barack Obama.”    

In addition to the address by Mfume, a number of business and community leaders will be recognized and honored by Baltimore City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake for their tenacity and leadership.

Glover concluded, “We cannot forget Michelle Obama. We, as a people, are so proud of this sister for all she has done to stand by her man, to support him and his vision such that this man is now literally a gem of the universe. Marcus Garvey said that black men would be great again. That day has come! Un-warped spiritually, I pray that she can help transform and reform the image of black women. Black people have gone through a litany of changes and issues over the years such that our women, in particular, have gotten to the point that they often think that black men are no longer worth the time and that they need to stoop to the lowest levels just to survive. But, the true believers know otherwise. And I believe that our sisters will find their truest virtue by witnessing a Michelle Obama in the White House and seeing for themselves just what can happen when black women support the black man – in the truest sense of the word. Together, we can accomplish anything to which we put our minds.” 

Tags: economics, Politics