[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 29, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5893-S5894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NATIONAL BLACK BUSINESS MONTH

  Mr. PERDUE. Madam President, I rise today to recognize the great work 
of the Georgia Greater Black Chamber of Commerce. The Georgia Greater 
Black Chamber has focused on recognizing the integral contributions of 
Black-owned businesses to the strength of both our State and our 
Nation's economy during National Black Business Month in Auqust. For 7 
straight years, Georgia has been named the No. 1 place in the country 
in which to do business, and the Georgia Greater Black Chamber has been 
instrumental in making that possible.
  As I mentioned, August was National Black Business Month, and the 
Georgia Greater Black Chamber celebrated by honoring an important 
Georgian: Mr. Herman J. Russell.

[[Page S5894]]

  H. J. Russell was the epitome of the American entrepreneur. Despite 
all the obstacles in his way, he worked hard to achieve his dreams. His 
business started as a plastering company, and he grew it into one of 
Atlanta's best real estate developers. Anywhere you look in Atlanta, 
you will see the incredible landmarks that the H.J. Russell Company has 
worked on: the Georgia Dome, Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, and 
Castleberry Hill. As a business guy myself, I am inspired by all that 
Herman J. Russell did in his life. Simply put, Atlanta would not be 
what it is today without H.J. Russell and the H.J. Russell Company. His 
children carry on this entrepreneurial spirit to this day. I recently 
had the opportunity to visit with his sons Michael and Jerome. They and 
their sister Donata Russell Ross are dedicated to continuing Black 
entrepreneurship.
  Recently, I had the privilege of visiting the Russell Center for 
Innovation and Entrepreneurship--RCIE--with Housing and Urban 
Development Secretary Ben Carson. The Russell Center assists African-
American entrepreneurs by providing workspace, networking 
opportunities, and educational resources. In 2019, RCIE converted a 
43,000-square-foot corporate headquarters into space for 100 emerging 
entrepreneurial companies. RCIE is a testament to the efforts of 
African-American entrepreneurs to uplift each other.
  As the Georgia Greater Black Chamber and other organizations in my 
State look to support growth in Black business and entrepreneurship, I 
will continue to work to support them. Through a recent conversation 
with Dr. David Thomas, president of Morehouse College, I was made aware 
that approximately 45 percent of the young men who start as freshmen at 
Morehouse will not graduate. I have appealed to the Georgia business 
community to support HBCU's and hire their graduates as part of the 
solution to this problem. I was also proud to work with Congressman 
David Scott on a scholarship program for the ``1890s'' land grant 
institutions like Fort Valley State to help ensure they can continue to 
produce farmers and agri-businesses that are of critical importance to 
Georgia's economic future.
  African-American entrepreneurship and business ownership accounts for 
nearly 3 million businesses in the United States and nearly a million 
employees. Before COVID-19, African-American unemployment was at its 
lowest point in U.S. history. These are remarkable statistics, but we 
must continue to advance the important work of supporting Black 
businesses, as this is key to empowering communities and individuals to 
move out of poverty and into prosperity.
  I look forward to working with the Georgia Great Black Chamber of 
Commerce and other Chambers in Georgia to ensure Georgia remains the 
best place in America for all businesses.

                          ____________________