City of Champaign's Champaign Tomorrow Website

Maps, E-Government

Champaign Tomorrow is a community-wide effort to plan for the physical growth and development of the City of Champaign, Illinois. The information gathered through this website, public meetings and other outreach efforts will be used in the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan is a document that includes principles, policies and maps to guide where development should go and what it should be like.

Of special note are the many maps that show the current state of various aspects of Champaign's African-American community, such as Aaron Ammon's Urban Gardens map.

Houseal Lavigne Associates

City of Champaign

2010

Organic Gardener Maps Gardens in African American Community

Gardening, Health

Aaron Ammons has turned the greater part of the backyard at his north Urbana home into an organic garden. His wife Carol, and their sons Jelani and Amir, actively maintain the family's garden along with Aaron.

C-U Fit Families

BlogSpot

June 23, 2009

Dannel McCollum Mayoral Records - Urban Renewal

Urban Renewal

Includes the official City of Champaign urban renewal plans for the northeast district in 1963 and 1969. Located in the Champaign County Historical Archives, Urbana Free Library.

The Gown in the Town: The University in Its Community

Campus--Community, Social Services, Non-Profit, Jobs and Labor, Community Organizations

Promotional booklet describing University programs aimed at local community concerns. Includes mention of many programs created in the wake of the civil rights movement and local activism for change. Copied from the Internet Archive: http://www.archive.org/details/gownintownuniver00univ

Office of Public Information

University of Illinois

Fall 1970

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Scholarships will be awarded to single parents

Social Services--Single Parent Scholarship Foundation, Community Organizations--Urban Exchange Center, Education--Higher--University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Education--Higher--Parkland College, Family, Economy, Media--News-Gazette

URBANA – After Maria Thompson started researching the Champaign-Urbana area, she knew her foundation could help one of the community's underrepresented groups.

Thompson, founder of the Single Parent Scholarship Foundation, discovered there were 3,000 single parents in the area without a bachelor's degree.

"They are pretty much stressed just working full time to provide for their family," said Thompson, whose foundation helps single-parent college students pay for tuition, books and fees along with counseling, mentoring and tutoring support. "For whatever reason, they chose not to go back to college."

That realization prompted her to contact the University of Illinois, which contributed a $15,000 Partnership Illinois Fund seed grant.

The money will cover operating expenses, hiring a consultant and a UI graduate student from the School of Social Work. Once the program begins this fall, officials will set their sights on finding scholarship funding.

"It helps the single parents who are predominately low-income," added Thompson, who started the foundation three years ago. "To have support and go back to college will increase the single parents' chances for self-sufficiency and a higher paying job."

Last year, two Parkland College students received scholarships.

One of the recipients, Barbara McKee, saw any financial help as a blessing. She received $375, which she used to pay some of her rent. The money was timely, considering her car broke down this month.

"Every little bit helps," said McKee.

McKee, 43, has been a single parent for five years and has children ranging from 2 to 15 years old. She said receiving the scholarship gave her a sense of pride and accomplishment.

"It is hard to be a single parent because you take care of the family at home and then do work on top of that, and nobody is there to pat you on the back," McKee said. "Getting the scholarship is kind of like getting support and having someone say, 'We know what you are doing is difficult, and you should be rewarded for that.'"

She plans to graduate in May 2005 with a degree in nursing and work in a hospital critical care wing.

The university will be a resource in many ways for the program. Eric Hadley-Ives, assistant professor at the UI in the School of Social Work, will be a board member on the foundation's advisory board and will organize research on single parents. He said students in his department will get hands-on experience working with the foundation, including a graduate student who will become an intern as part of an assistantship.

Kris Campbell, an assistant chancellor for the UI, said the university has offered office space for the program at the Civitas/Urban Exchange Center, 112 W. Main St., U. Campbell, who also oversees the Partnership Illinois Fund, said she appreciated an outside organization taking the initiative to contact the university.

"This was an unusual situation. Typically we are going out to the community to find ways to link up," she said. "This was the first one where a community program came to the university and saw that we could provide them with some support. We are encouraged that this may lead to more collaboration between the community and the university."

Photo caption: Single Parent Scholarship Foundation founder Maria Thompson and Single Parent Scholarship Foundation board member Eric Hadley-Ives stand in front of the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois in Urbana last week. Photographer: by Robin Scholz

Ernst Lamothe Jr.

News-Gazette

January 26 2004

Robin Scholz

Hyperlink

Champaign Urbana Jazz & Blues Association

Music

Site of defunct association. Features newsletters on local jazz and blues produced during the late 1990s.

Jeff Machota

Late updated 1997

Message from Home: A Tribute to Brother Jack McDuff

Music

A new WILL-FM production, Message From Home: A Tribute to Brother Jack McDuff, is a musical tour through more than 40 years of McDuff recordings. Airing on WILL-FM at 8 pm on Saturday, September 15--two days before McDuff would have turned 75, the program starts with his 1959 recordings with Willis "Gatortail" Jackson and continues through his 1999 release, "Bringin’ It Home." The special will be followed by a two-hour live program featuring more McDuff music and local reminiscences about McDuff, who grew up in Champaign-Urbana.

WILL-FM

WILL Public Media

unknown

North First Street Farmers Market Media

Community Organizations--North First Street Business Association, Health, Media--North First Street Farmers Market

Various blogs and social media sites created to advertise the North First Street Business Association's Summer Farmer's Market.

2008

Designing Educational Programs for Minority Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship

Abstract
The study analyzed why minority contractors were not bidding on federally-funded jobs. The objectives were to find out why, what were their needs and to design an educational program. Data included a survey completed by 22 minority contractors. Literature was reviewed and local resource persons were interviewed. Conclusions were that minority contractors faced racial discrimination, lacked successful role models and a networking system, had little training in business skills, and lacked knowledge concerning banking. They lacked capital, equipment, workers, insurance and bonding. Recommendations were for professionals to receive diversity training and host a reception to meet minority contractors. Contractors should attend educational workshops to enhance their business and management skills. Formation of a coalition for minority contractors was also recommended.

Full text:


Michelle L. Pride
Educator, Community Leadership and Volunteerism
Cooperative Extension Service,
University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
Internet Address: pridem@idea.ag.uius.edu

Bruce Stoffel
Community Development Manager
City of Urbana, Illinois

J.C. van Es
Laboratory for Community and Economic Development,
University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, Illinois

The Problem
The Community Development Department of the City of Urbana has not been successful in recruiting minority general contractors or subcontractors to bid on federally-funded housing rehabilitation programs. In order to retain federal funding, the city needed to increase participation of minority contractors. They approached the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) to aid them in finding out why minority contractors were not bidding on these projects.

Purpose of the Program

The purpose of the program was to determine the reasons minority contractors were not bidding on the housing projects and to develop an Extension program which would enable them to do so in the future.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 12 percent of the U.S. population is African-American (Boyd, 1990). Smith (1993) found that 3.1 percent of businesses in America are owned by African- Americans. His study also showed that only "one percent of revenue generated by U.S. businesses came from black-owned businesses. Forty-nine percent of all black-owned businesses were concentrated in lower pay service industries and the service sector accounts for nearly one-third of all black-owned business revenues"(Smith, 1993: D12). Mescon (1987:62) reports that "service industries and retail trade businesses comprised 68 percent of black firms and 59 percent of their gross receipts, with more minority firms concentrated in these industries than was true for firms overall". Although minority interest in business ownership is increasing, minority businesses continue to fail at a higher rate than businesses owned by whites.

History

Reviewing the history of African-Americans, one begins to note some reasons for the large discrepancy between the levels at which African-Americans are self-employed compared to members of other races. African-Americans have been hindered in business because of conditions they have endured that are inimical to successful business enterprise.

Although there have been situations where a black business class developed (Drake-Clayton, 1963), white-owned businesses ultimately dominated the trade in profitable consumer goods because of prejudicial restrictions for African-Americans in acquiring bank loans, developing sound business management, securing favorable business locations, and even insufficient patronage by fellow African-Americans (Boyd, 1990).

During the Nixon Administration, in 1969, the Minority Business Development Agency was established providing would-be minority entrepreneurs with technical and managerial assistance, direct loans and loan guarantees, financial grants, and set-aside procurement from federal agencies (Task Force on Education and Training for Minority Business Enterprise, 1974).

Under the Reagan administration, public policy became less interventionist (Black Enterprise, 1992:210-1). The Small Business Administration shifted away from the predominant use of affirmative action as a tool to equalize economic opportunities for African-Americans and other minorities on grounds of reverse discrimination. As a result, programs awarded to African- Americans dropped significantly (Frazier & Gupta, 1993:R1). Under the current debate on affirmative action, further decline in governmental incentives can be anticipated.

Because government agencies use general hiring standards, such as civil service exams, "blacks have gravitated to public service" (Boyd, 1990:263). Socialization literature indicates that as African-Americans hold more government jobs, the chances that there will be more African-American entrepreneurs diminish. A scarcity of African-American businesses within their own communities reduces the possibility of "power and status necessary to reduce prejudice and break down barriers to black economic progress" (Boyd, 1990:269). Yet, the long-term health of the African-American community will be significantly strengthened by the development of an African-American community (Mescon, 1987; Mann, 1990).

Educational Programs for Minority Entrepreneurs

On the basis of reviewing other educational programs that had been successfully designed for African-Americans in business, it was decided that developing a face-to-face workshop for this audience was a viable format. The next step was to identify the specific educational content needed for this audience.

Data Collection

Data were acquired through a survey of minority general contractors and subcontractors in the Urbana-Champaign area. A questionnaire was developed by CES in close consultation with key informants including two minority contractors. Local governments, the University of Illinois, and referrals were used to acquire the list of minority construction businesses. A few names on the list were women. Interviews were conducted by an African-American female hired by the City of Urbana. Questions on business management background, insurance, licensing, general contracting, subcontracting, financial management, and educational seminars were asked to ascertain the objectives for the educational programs.

During the months of August and September 1991, 22 interviews were successfully completed from the list of 35 contractors. While a few refused to be interviewed, the majority of those businesses not interviewed were no longer in existence.

Survey Results

The survey revealed that painting was the most common business among the respondents (See Table 1). Only two of the respondents identified themselves as currently being or having ever been a general contractor.

Table 1
Reported Participant Construction Trades
Painting 6 Construction (general)5
Hauling and General Maintenance 5 Masonry and Carpentry 5
Electrical 3 Plumbing 3
Concrete 2 Roofing 1
Landscaping 1 General Maintenance 1
Excavating and Demolition 2
Total 35*

*The total number of businesses exceeds the number of respondents (N=22), because some respondents listed multiple business areas.

The most common job performed in dollar amounts was between $1,001 to $5,000, which was also the most common category for the largest job performed. However, there was one job reported at $3,200,000.

Among the contractors, 15 worked alone and only seven hired one to three people per job. Yet, as many as 15 of the construction contractors indicated they would like to hire one or more employees. Lack of money was the main obstacle to expansion. Lack of business leads and work were mentioned by about one-third of the respondents.

While 77 percent of the minority contractors indicated that they were interested in participating in the federal housing renovation programs, Table 2 indicates that they had trouble meeting the requirements (59%) and learning about specific opportunities (45%).

Table 2
Reported Reasons For Non-involvement in Champaign-Urbana Federal Housing Projects
Reasons Frequency Percent
Can't Meet Requirement 13 59
Don't Get Information 10 45
Too Busy 4 18
Don't Work With Contractor 3 14
Too Much Paperwork 2 9
* The total number of businesses exceeds the number of respondents (N=22), because some respondents listed multiple reasons.

The contractors reported that only 7 (23%) carried any liability insurance; only 2 contractors carried at least one million dollars worth of liability insurance.

The respondents did not indicate that they had trouble obtaining insurance, although two contractors indicated that they could not afford insurance and five of the contractors indicated that they had not tried to obtain insurance. Since carrying insurance is a requirement for participation in city contracts, the majority will need to obtain insurance to participate in federally-sponsored projects.

Over half of those interviewed do not use banks for any of their business operations. Reasons cited for not doing so included: "bank staff possesses prejudice or racist attitudes", and "extreme credit checks are done on Minority Business Entrepreneurs (MBE) so as to discourage returning." However, the bank employees attitudes may at least be partly attributed to the fact that the respondents did not maintain good up-to-date records (see Table 3).

Table 3
Frequency of Updating Business Books
Frequency Percent
Weekly 13 14
Monthly 10 23
Quarterly 2 9
Don't Keep Books 11 50
* The total number of businesses exceeds the number of respondents (N=22), because some respondents listed multiple reasons.

Respondents were asked to indicate their interest in attending seminars concerning business management and expansion. Table 4 indicates the level of interest from the 22 participants. When asked if they would be interested in the workshops if offered at a low cost, twenty-one of the twenty-two responded, "Yes".

Table 4
Expressed Interest in Attending Workshops on Business-related Subjects
Understanding the Federal System 21
Getting Credit 18
Advertising and Marketing 18
Preparing Bids and Proposals 18
Keeping Books 18
Insurance 18
Financial Management 16
Pricing Your Services 16
Preparing a Business Plan 16
Law and Legal Matters 15
Expanding Your Business 13
Hiring Employees 12
Licensing Application 9
Setting Up Vendor Accounts 9
* The total number of businesses exceeds the number of respondents (N=22), because some respondents listed multiple reasons.

Recommendations

As a result of the research, both the survey results and the review of the literature (Pride, 1993), the following recommendations were presented for use in developing programs for minority business entrepreneurs.

1. Organize training for professional persons, such as bankers, insurance sales persons and lawyers to increase sensitivity to potential clientele.

2. Provide the opportunity for minority business people to tour a bank and interact with bank personnel in order to become more aware of services, and procedures.

3. Offer an educational program to minority contractors to develop skills for successfully bidding on federally-funded jobs in housing renovation.

4. Organize and support a coalition of minority business entrepreneurs for the purpose of networking, collaboration on construction methods, and business management.

Implementation

The University of Illinois CES and the City of Urbana invited other representatives from the public and private sector to help implement the recommendations and form an organizing committee. The goal of the committee was to increase the number of minority subcontractors working in the local government housing rehabilitation programs.

In addressing the first recommendation, an educational session was organized and 30 loan officers from local banks attended a sensitivity training about diverse cultures.

The second recommendation to introduce minority contractors to banking personnel and banking operations has not yet occurred. The committee decided that a bank tour may be demeaning to the contractors and it was difficult to choose a bank from the many institutions in the area.

The third recommendation was carried out on three consecutive Thursday nights in January 1993. The name of the workshop was "Getting Ahead: Increasing Your Construction Business in Hard Times." Topics included licensing, insurance and bonding, legal considerations, financing, record keeping, business planning, and mentoring. The classes were taught by local experts including one attorney who is African-American.

Personalized invitations were sent to all contractors registered with the cities of Champaign and Urbana for construction work. The workshop was held in an African-American neighborhood during the month of January when the work pace tends to be slower.

During the three workshops, eighteen people attended, ten of whom were African-Americans. There was one woman present at the first workshop. Fourteen persons attended all three workshops. All evaluations indicated that the information was considered helpful and that the participants reported receiving information applicable to their business; the range of experience of the participants proved to be a challenge.

After the last session, three-fourths of the participants said they wanted more workshops. A coalition of minority contractors and subcontractors has been formed by one of the African-American workshop participants.

Epilogue

In January 1995, the City of Urbana and University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service offered another series of workshops to minority contractors. Twenty minority contractors successfully completed the course. Topics were modeled after the first workshop in 1993. Extension educators and instructors from the Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce, Chicago, were used.

A series of successful workshops for 30 minority contractors and small business owners was held in Danville, Illinois, in the Spring 1996. The Vermilion County Unit of CES worked with a committee composed of bankers, the Small Business Development Corporation Director, the Vermilion County CES Unit Leader, a CES Community Leadership and Volunteerism Educator, an alderman and other City of Danville personnel. This committee ensured a revolving loan fund of $50,000 for small business persons who had not been successful in attaining loans through traditional banking procedures. The Vermilion County Community Development Committee will award loans to applicants who have successfully completed the course and have developed a sound business plan.

The series of activities has been well-received by local minority contractors. It has provided CES an opportunity to work with an audience that traditionally has been hard to reach. It also provided CES at the local level with functional contacts to local government and the local business community. CES has been influential in helping these activities get started. Over time, local committees are taking on leadership and CES has been providing educational input.

References

Boyd, R.L. (1990) Black and Asian self-employment in large metropolitan areas: a comparative analysis. Social Problems 37: 258-272.

Drake, S.C., & Clayton, H. (1962) Black metropolis. New York: Harcourt, Brace.

Black Enterprise (June, 1992) BE 100s: A 20-year overview: 210-214.

Frazier, E.F.,& Gupta, U. (February 19, 1993) Cash crunch. The Wall Street Journal

Mann, P. H. (1990) Nontraditional business education for black entrepreneurs: observations from a successful program. Journal of Small Business Management, 28, (April): 30-6.

Mescon, Timothy S. (1987) "The Entrepreneurial Institute: education and training for minority small business owners." Journal of Small Business Management 25. 61-66.

Pride, M. L. (1993) Designing educational programs for small business minority contractors; Unpublished master's thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Smith, J.(February 21, 1993) Black and blue." Hamilton, Ohio Journal-News. D12.

Task Force on Education and Training for Minority Business Enterprise (1974). Report of the Task Force on Education and Training for Minority Business Enterprise. Washington: U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Minority Business Enterprise: xxi, 1-179

Michelle L. Pride, Bruce Stoffel and J.C. van Es

Journal of Extension

December 1997 // Volume 35 // Number 6

Barbershop's new owners will still stress family atmosphere

Businesses--Rose and Taylor's Barbershop

Article on the "New" Rose and Taylor's Barbershop.

Debra Pressey

News-Gazette

January 22, 2008

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