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THANK YOU Members of the diplomatic corps, Government officials, faculty and students, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, and general attendees:
The Carlton-Carew EP Foundation, on behalf of the government and people of Sierra Leone, hereby express our heartfelt gratitude for your support and participation in welcoming the Head of State of Sierra Leone, His Excellency President Ernest Bai Koroma and his delegation to the City of Atlanta, at the business forum with the community on September 26, 2011. This meeting was an expression of the cherished relationship between Atlanta Community and Sierra Leone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 1, 2011 His Excellency, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone visited the city of Atlanta on Monday, September 26, 2011. The president recently attended the United Nations’ Millennium conference and has been visiting major U.S. cities discussing business opportunities for American businesses in Sierra Leone and West Africa in general. President Koroma arrived to address a business forum at the World Trade Center Atlanta, and was greeted by a standing room only crowd that included members from the Atlanta diplomatic community, government officials, university top scholars in the field of International Business and African Studies, as well as students, the metro Atlanta business community, the Chambers of Commerce, African Community Organizations, and scores of investors, entrepreneurs and business owners also attended eager to learn more about trade opportunities with the emerging Sierra Leone markets. Since his inauguration President Koroma has committed himself and his administration to improving the conditions of Sierra Leone with economic development and anti-corruption policies that drive his agenda. President Koroma spoke of Sierra Leone’s opportunities for growth and development, as he addressed the crowd. The President assured them that “Sierra Leone is safe and stable” and that he is a president that is able to drive around his country alone. He went on to speak of Agriculture, Mining and Tourism as key areas ripe for investment and stated that special incentives have been developed to motivate investors toward these areas of industry. Koroma assured the crowd “Africa is now the next destination for investment.” President Koroma encouraged the business community to consider Sierra Leone when they are considering new locations for expansion. He said that his nation stands ready to assist the international business community with their plans to do so. These comments were mirrored by Ambassador Bockari Stevens, who reminded the crowd that Sierra Leone is rich with natural resources, said of the Ambassador, “the only thing needed are investors, natural resources are there” he went on to remind the group that Sierra Leone has the third largest iron ore deposits, sits on a gold bed as well as diamonds. He assured the group taxation laws and business policies have been designed to attract investors. Others speaking at the meeting included John H. Eaves, Chairman of the Fulton County Commission who also encouraged the business leaders, especially people of color to get involved in business and cited international export as an effective growth strategy for local business. Joe Beasley Esq., Board Member of the Carlton-Carew EP Foundation, and S.E. Regional Director of Rainbow Push spoke on global black poverty and stated that he believes youth of the African Diaspora would benefit greatly from more exposure to Africa. He invoked that Dr. King’s methods of economic development are very effective tools for lifting up Africa and African Americans simultaneously. The president was accompanied by the First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma, Minister of Information, I B Kargbo, Minister of Political Affairs, Alpha Kanu, Sierra Leone Ambassador to the United States of America, Bockari Stevens, Sierra Leone’s High Commissioner to Ghana Ibrahim Yansaneh, protocol officer, Sulay Manna Kpukumu, personal assistant to the President Brian Gilpin, other members of his entourage, and Mrs. Cynthia Oremi Jarrett-Thorpe, CEO of the Carlton-Carew EP Foundation, the event’s sponsor. The program was moderated by Dr. David Smith, Jr., the Assistant Director for the Office of African American Student Services and Programs at Georgia State University. ABOUT His Excellency, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma is the fourth and current President of Sierra Leone. Koroma is the leader of the ruling All People's Congress (APC). Koroma's government has focused upon rebuilding national infrastructure after the Civil War, providing security, fighting corruption, and improving foreign investment. Koroma focuses on free-market solutions, attracting more private investment, and giving anti-corruption authorities more powers. The Carlton-Carew EP Foundation a non-profit corporation named in honor of Thomas Daniel and Rebecca Deborah Carlton-Carew, and Sekoyeo Hector and Queen Elizabeth Carlton-Carew, descendants of ex- slaves that settled in the former Colony of Freetown, Sierra Leone. The objectives of the organization are to advance the socio-economic development of the people of the African Diaspora, sub-Saharan Africa, with special interest in Sierra Leone; “to celebrate and promote the history, heritage, language and culture of descendants of enslaved Africans who were settled in Sierra Leone and other parts of the world. ### Contact: Cynthia Oremi Jarrett-Thorpe; Telephone: 404-569-0229, info@cc-epfoundation.org
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By Steve Olafson | Reuters 8-24-2011 Second-largest U.S. Indian tribe expels slave descendants
OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - The nation's second-largest Indian tribe formally booted from membership thousands of descendants of black slaves who were brought to Oklahoma more than 170 years ago by Native American owners. The Cherokee nation voted after the Civil War to admit the slave descendants to the tribe. But on Monday, the Cherokee nation Supreme Court ruled that a 2007 tribal decision to kick the so-called "Freedmen" out of the tribe was proper. The controversy stems from a footnote in the brutal history of U.S. treatment of Native Americans. When many Indians were forced to move to what later became Oklahoma from the eastern U.S. in 1838, some who had owned plantations in the South brought along their slaves. Some 4,000 Indians died during the forced march, which became known as the "Trail of Tears." "And our ancestors carried the baggage," said Marilyn Vann, the Freedman leader who is a plaintiff in the legal battle. Officially, there are about 2,800 Freedmen, but another 3,500 have tribal membership applications pending, and there could be as many as 25,000 eligible to enter the tribe, according to Vann. The tribal court decision was announced one day before absentee ballots were to be mailed in the election of the Cherokee Principal Chief. "This is racism and apartheid in the 21st Century," said Vann, an engineer who lives in Oklahoma City. Spokesmen for the tribe did not respond when asked to comment. The move to exclude the Freedmen has rankled some African American members of Congress, which has jurisdiction over all Native American tribes in the country. A lawsuit challenging the Freedman's removal from the tribe has been pending in federal court in Washington, for about six years. As a sovereign nation, Cherokee Nation officials maintain that the tribe has the right to amend its constitutional membership requirements. Removal from the membership rolls means the Freedmen will no longer be eligible for free health care and other benefits such as education concessions. (Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Greg McCune) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the desk of THE CARLTON-CAREW EP FOUNDATION, INC
"Le de Roots Kam Togedda!"
The Carlton-Carew EP Foundation is a non-profit Foundation headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia that seeks to advance the socio-economic development of the people of sub-Saharan Africa, the African Diaspora, with special interest in Freetown-Sierra Leone. For more information, please contact Carlton-Carew EP Foundation at 404.569.0229 or visit the website at www.cc-epfoundation.org.
JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD
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FOUNDATION, INC.
