Help us Improve the Expo

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Thank you for your generous support. Please keep it coming as evacuees are still displaced and the misery continues.

"As we used to type in my typing class "Now is the Time for all good Men (and women) to come to the aid of their brothers and sisters."

After almost a week of watching the devastation in my home state of Louisiana, trying to contact family and friends and getting reports on the status of our family project the River Road Museum, I asked my sister Kathe Hambrick to send an email about what is happening on the front lines. (Please scroll below.) Many of you are having sleepless nights because you want to help. SO WAS I. Then it dawned on me to ask our network of businesses to help. We have some real concrete ways that we can help:

1). HELP YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS DIRECTLY: For those with a lot of family in the area, go to Western Union and wire money to relatives closest to the victims, so you can help them get family members out and put them up and buy supplies. That is expensive as it costs $30 to wire $250. Or deposit funds in their personal accounts at a national bank, like Bank of America which will save you fees. Be prepared to take family in.

2.) Donate to Black Business Expo/ Katrina Fund: As you know, our offices are in OneUnited Bank. We have established the Black Business Expo/Katrina Fund that we will use to get the funds (without wire transfer fees) directly to Kathe Hambrick at the River Road Museum who has her fingers on the pulse of where the greatest need is. We are asking all Expo Store front Businesses to please set up a box clearly marked Black Business Expo Katrina Fund, to collect those checks and that will help people who want to help know they are getting money right to the people who need it most. Checks should be made payable to:

You can contact me at h2hambrick@aol.com if you have any other questions or call our office at (323) 290-4743.

There is no deadline, so if you do not have the money today, send next week. This will take a long time to fix.

3). WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS EMPLOYER DOING TO PITCH-IN? Ask them to set up an Employer Matching Fund and watch the dollars grow!

Special to ExpoUpdate from Kathe Hamrbick:

To my museum family and friends--

I'm okay. I have at least ten clans of my family missing from Slidell, La. No communications to that city at all; not from the fire department or police department. My family surnames are Clark and Peters.

The River Road African American Museum has been spared by the hurricane. We survived the fire at the Tezcuco plantation two years ago. I have seven family members living with me from New Orleans, who left before the hurricane with only the clothes on their backs. Fortunately they are people who have jobs, medical insurance and home owners insurance, unfortunately there are thousands of others who did not.

One of our best friends, Cleveland Green decided to stay in the lower 9th Ward with a group of young black men who refused to leave their family homes. I talked to him Monday morning and his last words to me were "water, water, water...the neighbor next door left her keys with us so we could watch her house...she has a two story house, we are going upstairs". I haven't heard from him since. That entire community which is one of the oldest middle class African American neighborhoods in New Orleans was under water as far as I could tell from the news reports.

I am sixty miles north of New Orleans, where we have been inundated with people who are sleeping in cars with no money, gas, food or clothes. The shelters are full. The community of Donaldsonville is 70% African American. We have our fourth elected black mayor. I've always thought of this place as a rural town plagued with urban issues. It seems that our population has doubled because we were the first safe place of refuge from the storm.

I have dedicated most of my time for the past twelve years to preserving African American history and culture in Louisiana. I am focusing my energy on helping this community deal with this heartbreaking situation. The people who are being displaced may never be able to return to New Orleans again.

Many have expressed this sentiment. New Orleans culture will be dispersed around the country in the hearts and minds of the people who are now being called refugees. Our museum is dedicated to preserving what is left.

This is an appeal to the African American community, specifically the black church, and the rapper/hip hop millionaires across this country. HELP our People.. Don't wait.. for others to rise the occasion. You must come to the aid of the communities which you left here in the south.

I also appeal to the the National Black Psychologists to come up with a plan of action for the homeless and impoverished who survived this horrendous ordeal. Particularly the children.

Kathe Hambrick

Founder & Museum Director

River Road African American Museum

http://www.africanamericanmuseum.org/

http://www.africanamericanmuseum.org/press.html#tffbs

Note: My sister Kathe will be our person on the ground to distribute funds to those in need. Many do not have a network of family to appeal to and government aid is slow. Whatever you can do would be greatly appreciated. h2hambrick@aol.com

They take care of all transportation and lodging. If you go, let us know! info@blackbusinessexpo.com

Donors to the Expo Katrina Fund

We Thank The Following:

Stan Thomas, Kanale Photography

Nzinga Heru, Rivers Run Deep Institute

Muriel Jones, Shabazz

Norma Thompson Hollis, Speakers Etc.

Clydean Powell & Dianne Pinkston - The Association for the Study of Classical African

Civilizations Foundation

Liz Chow, Fidelity National Title

Salimisha Logan, Warm Spirit

Carl Gordon, Gordon Designs (University of the Hood)

Sonia Lee, One United Bank

Lee A. Williams

Ruth A. Williams, BBX/Warm Spirit

Brandon Williams

Morgan Williams

Mary Jane Ellis

Gladys Penney

Wanda Smith, One United Bank

Please submit your donation today. Every time we reach $1000 we send it to Louisiana. We are hoping to reach $10,000 by 10/30 (Last day of the Expo)

CARAVAN OF LOVE: www.KJLHRADIO.com (To Help Hurricane Katrina Victims)

OTHER WAYS TO HELP

From The 411: The41105@aol.com

KATRINA SURVIVORS IN LOS ANGELES

The Dream Center in Los Angeles, CA needs volunteers

and donations. See their list of needs on their website.

The Dream Center

2301 Bellevue

Los Angeles, CA 90026

(213) 273-7000

E-mail - info@dreamcenter.org

http://www.dreamcenter.org/