September 21, 2011
Congressional Black Caucus Discusses Social Media & Entrepreneurship
The economy and digital technology is at the top of the agenda at the 41st Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference (Sept. 21-24). With the growth of small businesses and the impact of social media, entrepreneurs look to fuel the economy. To address these hot points Congressman Hansen Clarke of metro Detroit will host one of the most strategically important panels during the conference, “Social Media and Entrepreneurship†on September 23, 2011 from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.
In addition to myself, who will serve as moderator, the session panelist include Patricia Cesaire, Director of Digital PR/Marketing at Black Enterprise; Susan Gonzales, Director of External Affairs at Facebook; Chris Genteel, Business Development Manager at Google; Wayne Sutton, Founder and Tech Journalist at SocialWayne.com; and Maynard Scarborough, VP of Gov. Affairs at One Economy Corp. The session will focus on the following two areas: the business and education aspects of social media and entrepreneurship.
Business
As computers grow smaller and access to the Internet grows larger, the way in which we do business is rapidly changing. New tools reduce the barriers to entrepreneurship but also present unique challenges. How are small and medium minority businesses utilizing social media to compete in this new digital era? How are minorities helping drive innovation? And what is the importance of closing the digital divide in this economic climate.
Education
The concern is that despite many of the social media tools becoming more accessible, the wealth within the digital world goes to the “builders.†While there are many ways to make money online, learning to code, making apps, and building networks is where the long-term wealth lies. How do we ensure that minorities are able to close the digital divide so they can participate in this digital wealth building?
If you’re in the DC area this weekend you can attend the session for free. It’s being held this Friday (Sept. 23) between 1:30pm and 3:30pm at the Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Pl NW, Washington, DC 20001. Otherwise you can follow the conversation on Twitter using the CBC hashtag #41stALC or the session hashtag #sme41. Click here for more information regarding this conference.