Press conference statements urge ‘cooperation among community leaders’
By Ayesha K. Mustafaa
Editor
A release announcing the press conference held Wednesday morning, September 30, 2015 in front of City Hall in Jackson opened with this statement:
“The state of our city requires that we initiate strategies to save our businesses and improve the quality of life of our citizens. We can no longer sit idle while businesses choose to locate outside of our city limits, further eroding our tax base.”
In support of this statement, over 30 religious and business leaders stood together in support of the appeal. Leading voices at the press conference were Bishop Ronnie Crudup of New Horizon Church and Pastor Dwayne K. Pickett Sr. of New Jerusalem Church.
“The current state of selfish ambition, infighting and finger pointing by our elected officials has to stop,” said Pickett. “Our leaders must place the whole above any individual goal. Any personal agendas must be taken off the table and they do what the people elected them to do.”
Pickett continued, “Every day that our elected officials are not working together, we are losing tax time. Things are falling apart. We are not strong-arming anyone; it’s not about anyone else’s agenda. We make this stand together because life must be better in this city.”
The Business/Ministerial Coalition seeks to offer to the municipal and county officials “practical solutions to complicated issues that divide business leaders and elected officials.”
Crudup said there are practical solutions toward “engineering economic development.” He said, “If we do not grow the African American business class in this city, we will not prosper. The reality is our economic and business class is too weak and too small to do all the things we see we need to do.”
Crudup added that businesses are leaving the city going to other municipalities. “Let us find ways to grow capacity,” he said. “We announce this coalition between ministers and business class to work with our elected officials.”
Jackson’s majority population is African American, although the “lion share of contracts in the city and county do not go to African Americans,” Crudup said. “If we don’t have a strong and vigorous business class, things are not going to change.”
Pickett said there are some African American business that have the capacity to do big business. He also said the citizens of Jackson are also responsible to patronize the businesses that stay in Jackson.
As a businessman, James Covington said there is a need for a disparity study. He made reference to how the procurement process of professional services are secured. He pointed to the City, the School Board, the Airport Authority which impact business in the city and area.
Crudup said, “This is historic. And there are some policy changes that need to be made. ”
In its release, the Coalition described itself: “The Business/Ministerial Coalition seeks to empower citizens using economic equality as a guiding force to achieve economic empowerment. We believe that can be achieved as African American businesses grow and are included in decision making by those who engineer economic advancement in our community.”
Some of the attendees from the religious and business communities were:
Pastor Charles Miller
Pastor Jimmie Lee Edwards
Pastor Thomas Jenkins
James Covington, businessman
Cleophus Amerson, businessman
Jim Nelson, businessman
Van Gordon, businessman
Robert Bell, businessman
Pastor Arthur Sutton, Progressive M.B. Church
Terrence Smith, businessman
Kenneth Taylor, city planner
Julian Pickett, nonprofit organization
Jasmine McCloud, businesswoman
Pastor Charles Miller, Newbirth Fellowship Church
Charles Pickett
Pastor Dwayne Pickett
Bishop Ronnie Crudup
Thelman Boyd, businessman
Tammy Cotton, businesswoman
Socrates Garrett, businessman
Tameka Garrett, businesswoman
Rev. Byron Banks
