[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 135 (Friday, August 12, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E838-E839]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING EARL ``SKIP'' COOPER II

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MAXINE WATERS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 12, 2022

  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Earl ``Skip'' Cooper 
II for his outstanding service over many decades to the African 
American business community in the United States.
  On August 20, 2022, fifty years to the day after Mr. Cooper moved to 
Los Angeles from Oakland, CA, he will be honored by the Black Business 
Association (BBA) in a celebration of his 50 years of activism and 
service.
  Mr. Cooper and I have known each other and worked together on 
numerous projects for more than 45 years. We first met when I was the 
Chief of Staff for Los Angeles City Councilman David Cunningham, and we 
developed an excellent working relationship. Mr. Cooper continued to be 
a trusted advisor when I was elected to the California State Assembly 
and then to the United States Congress.
  Before joining the BBA, Mr. Cooper served his country in the Vietnam 
War, was an instructor at California State University Los Angeles and 
earned a Master's degree in Business Administration from the University 
of Southern California (USC), with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. Mr. 
Cooper's primary focus all these years, has been assisting Black 
businesses survive and grow.
  Founded in 1970, the Black Business Association, headquartered in Los 
Angeles, is the oldest active ethnic business support organization in 
the state of California. Originally named the Black Businessmen's 
Association of Los Angeles, the BBA was one of the first business 
groups of any ethnicity to recognize and honor the contributions of 
female entrepreneurs. Mr. Cooper joined the BBA in 1974, became its 
President/CEO in 1976 and was named Executive Director in 1992.
  Always an innovator, Mr. Cooper has continued to be an effective 
advocate for the advancement of minority business enterprise on a 
local, state, and national level. He led the first ``trade mission'' of 
African Americans to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus and the 
White House in the 1970s. He has been a close ally and advisor to 
African American leaders, from Mayor Tom Bradley to Congresswoman 
Yvonne Brathwaite-Burke, from California Speaker Willie Brown to 
Congresswoman Barbara Lee. He is the publisher/editor of the award-
winning Black Business News magazine and is quick to assist policy 
makers in crafting legislation that makes it easier for minority 
businesses to succeed. A 100 percent Disabled Vietnam Veteran, Mr. 
Cooper is known to most community leaders for his sense of humor, his 
cultural pride, and his unabashed devotion to God. He is a savvy and 
intelligent observer of culture, politics, economics, and business. His 
positive, selfless, and inspiring energy has contributed much to 
California's Black community for more than half a century.
  I salute Earl ``Skip'' Cooper II upon BBA's celebration of his 50th 
anniversary in Los Angeles and look forward to more opportunities to 
work together in his role as President Emeritus and Chairman of BBA's 
Board of Directors.

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