President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Reference:

The Black Sports Legends Foundation BSLF HBCU Solar Energy Workforce Development Testing Certification Initiative and BSLF HBCU  International Soccer Scholarship  Initiative

Dear Mr. President,

My name  is  Ronald Bethea.   I run two small businesses,  Positive Change Purchasing Cooperative  (PCPC LLC) and The Black Sports Legends Foundation (BSLF) which is  a 501 (c) (3) non- profit organization registered in the District of Columbia. The Black Sports Legends Foundation was established to pay tribute and simultaneously examine the black sports legends of baseball, basketball, boxing, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and all other areas of sports.

We also focus on identifying student athletic scholarship opportunities at HBCUs and locating funding to assist student athletes find the corporate funding through our new BSLF Solar Energy Workforce Development Testing Certification Initiative in conjunction with The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP).  This relationship would assist in increasing the numbers of trained NABCEP certified professionals among people of color worldwide.

 

This program could increase the profitability of companies which are authorized  and contracted with DCSEU to participate in programs like the Solar Advantage Plus Program in the District of Columbia and nationwide. Such an increase would  help generate millions dollars in growth in the solar energy industry.  It also could help raise millions of dollars to pay for scholarships at HBCUs.

 

Positive Change Purchasing Cooperative (PCPC)  has moved its business focus and mission  from transportation to solar and renewal energy through the HBSLF HBCU Solar Initiative’s new model for the organization, a purchasing cooperative, which will be located in the Baltimore, Maryland and Washington D.C. metropolitan market area and beyond. Business growth will be aided by a very low cost, which will contribute to the capacity to generate savings for its future members.

Blueprint for Vendors Working with the PCPC Purchasing Cooperative, LLC

Venders working with the PCPC Purchasing Cooperative LLC will be benefitted as follows:

• Economic self-reliance for the solar and renewal energy companies both large and small
• With governmental funding resources, will provide the much needed resources for financing the training of youth  in this country in the  solar and renewal energy fields.

 

The empowerment principles upon which the initiative is based are as follows:

 

• Commitment
• Creativity
• Competence Consciousness
• Cooperation and Cohesiveness
• Commerce, Capital, Currency, Cash, Consignment
• Code of Conduct
• Culture and Community

 

All PCPC financial business services and public transitions to its member’s venders will do business via the internet through the PCPC website.

The purpose will be to

• Address the economic effect of high energy cost for HBCUS

 

• Utilize Black American owned farm land and HBCU Campuses to develop capacity for solar installation for under employed young black men and women
• Create capacity for the utilization of renewable energy for Black American owned farms, institutions, hospitals, municipalities, and universities by training young people locally and nationally from the Diaspora, and visiting student and athletes.
• Target the 103 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to become NABCEP continuing education certificate training providers through their continuing education and workforce development programs working in conjunction with Kaplan University of El Paso Texas to provide online training  in their local area market places for interested candidates.
• Encourage HBCUs with workforce development programs to work in conjunction with local solar companies in their market place to help them develop apprenticeship training programs for individual successful in completing the NABCEP continuing education or work development training programs.
• Encourage HBCUs with Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) to help identify students majoring in business administration at HBCUs to help local solar companies write proposals targeting local and federal grants to develop training programs, reducing the time and resources needed for smaller solar companies in their market place to complete the application process for grants.
• Encourage HBCUs to enter into more public/private partnerships with solar companies and private investment companies to set up more solar farms on Black American owned farm lands and HBCU campuses nationally.
• Encourage HBCUs with schools of business, communication, engineering to developed better working relations with local solar companies in the area to develop local advertising programs to target the African American community to get the word out on programs such as the Energy Smart DC Solar Advantage Plus Program.
• Leverage current Department of Energy grants to certify under and unemployed youth.

 

 

• Join The National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA CLUSA), which represents a cross-sector co-op community of 29,000 businesses that control over $3 trillion in assets. CLUS unites co-ops by promoting the cooperative business model, driving cross sector collaboration, and being a national voice for cooperatives.
• Apply with U.S Department of Treasury to become CDFI certified as a Community Development Venture Capital Fund, which include both for profit and non-profit organizations that provide equity and debt-with equity features for businesses in distressed communities. CDFI is a financial institution that specializes in serving low-income individuals and communities.

 

• Apply to The Small Business Administration for the $25,000 micro-loan to start up a business loan program.

 

• Target young veterans who are interested in entering the solar or renewable energy field as a subcontractor for the PV, Solar Heating, and PV Technical Sales Task Analyses independent contractors  with solar companies  for   their market area using Military Personnel and Veteran-Owned Small Business No-Interest Loan Program.

 

President Obama, as you are finishing the last six months of your presidency which is historical in itself, I think back to one of your earlier speeches about the fact this is the age of ideas and their importance in today’s world.

 

I also look at the present climate in America today with the shooting of  unarmed  young  black men by police officers and the shooting  of  Police officers by a young, black man trained in the military with our tax dollars. That has come home and many or disenfranchised, angry and confused and no jobs that pay a livable wage.  Which intern brings on  a sense of hopelessness , not agreeing with his action but this is a reality we all see our young men living with every day all over America.

 

Also, it sends a clear message to our young people that our political system is broken when Congress will not pass common sense gun control  legislation  because, of the NRA financial control it has on the US Congress. To help protect our  young people, especially considering the increased death rate for young black males which is destroying any chance of a future for young black and brown youth in this country at a very alarming rate.

 

I’m a 65 year black American with a 3 year old  grandson  I have to make a difference. These two initiatives I know can and will make a difference in the lives of  thousands of American youth.  It will start with your signing an executive order for funding.

 

President Obama, you sounded a call to action towards Winning-the-Future, in a recent speech, where you also acknowledged issues around conservation, energy security and the development of alternative sources of energy as a matter of high importance for the nation, and thus, the Administration. PCPC  LLC,  has answered the President’s call to action for Winning-the-Future.

 

As America debates the merits of renewable energy and technology, China is winning the future. In 2008, China’s renewable energy industry jobs totaled 1.12 million. China is adding new energy jobs at a rate of 100,000 per year, according to the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association. In fact, 90% of the global solar panel production occurs outside of the United States. Accordingly, Japan and China’s combined solar panel manufacturing capacity exceeds that of the United States.

President Obama, during  your administration, the legislation has resulted in $500 million in national funding for green jobs training since the bill was signed into law under President George W. Bush in 2007 and your present advisor of Green Jobs, Mr. Van Jones, who advocated to get the Bush  Administration  to pass the Green Jobs Act.

President Obama, I am requesting that 100 million dollars of this funding  be put into funding the PCPC LLC HBCU Solar Initiative program under DOE working with our HBCUs and solar companies nationwide through a cooperative business model.  With such funding, this initiative can change the game in workforce development for our young  people .

It’s your choice.  Please make the right one. American lives depend on your decision as it relates to jobs for the future in America.

THE BLACK SPORTS LEGENDS FOUNDATION (BSLF)                                               HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCUs)  INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP SOCCER INITIATIVE

PROJECT INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE

The HBCU Scholarship International Soccer Initiative will target student athletes from African, Caribbean, Central and South American nations.  According to the National Association Black Journal, the Black College and University Act defined  historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs)  as those colleges and universities existing before 1964 with a historic contemporary mission of educating Blacks, while being open to all.  There are 103 HBCUs located mainly in the Southeastern United States,   the District of Columbia and Virgin Islands. The following list includes the five conferences in which student athletes could  play soccer:

1. Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
2. Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC)
3. Mid – Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
4. Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
5. Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)

Tennessee State University is the only HBCU member of the Ohio Valley Conference.

Two of the five conferences compete as National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I   conference members. Two of the HBCU conferences compete as NCAA Division II conferences. Two HBCU member institutions compete as Independents under the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Out of  103 HBCU  colleges and universities, there are  5 historically  black conferences, which  are comprised of  59 HBCU institutions,  with only  3  men’s soccer teams.

Howard University, located in Washington, DC, with 30 student soccer scholarship for men athletes,  fields the only NCAA Division I soccer program.  The Howard University men’s team has become a member of the Sunbelt Conference for soccer.  Howard is the only historically black member of the Sunbelt Conference.  Howard University, a  charter member of  The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference —  a 13- member conference,  only  fields  1  men’s soccer team.

Talladega College, located in Talladega, Alabama, competes as an independent NAIA institution, with  20 scholarship athletes.  Talladega is a  member of the Golf Coast Athletic  Conference (GCAC). The conference, which has 8 institutions, only fields 1 men’s soccer team. Fisk University, with 18 scholarship athletes, is located in Nashville, Tennessee.  Fisk competes as an independent NAIA institution. These three HBCU institutions  provide a total of 68 student athletic soccer scholarship opportunities for men.

On the women’s side of the soccer ball,  athletic scholarship  soccer opportunities are a little better because of NCAA compliance mandates  under title 9 the rule  that provide  more  women student scholarship opportunities. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference , with 13 member institutions, only fields  3  women soccer teams:  Delaware State University, Howard University,  and South Carolina State University,  providing 65 student athletic soccer scholarship opportunities.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference  (SWAC), is the only historically HBCU athletic conference, with  all 10 member institutions  fielding women’s soccer teams: Alcorn State University, Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi Valley State University, Grambling State University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University, Texas Southern University, and University Arkansas-Pine Bluff.  SWAC provides 192 student athletic soccer scholarship opportunities for women, along with Howard University women’s team with 25 student athletes.  Howard University joined the SWAC in 2014, increasing   the number of student athletic soccer scholarship opportunities in the SWAC to 220.

This reduces the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference from 68 student athletic soccer scholarship opportunities for women to 43 student athletic soccer scholarship opportunities for women. This reduced number means there is not enough teams in the conference; therefore, the 3 member institutions play in 3 different conference affiliations.

Talladega College, with 20 scholarship athletes, is a member of the Golf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC). The GCAC conference, with 8 institutions, only fields 1 women’s soccer team.

There is a combined total of 288 student athletic soccer scholarship opportunities for men and women at historically black colleges and universities nationally.

For example, looking at all 59 HBCUs in the 5 conferences providing 25 student athletic soccer scholarship opportunities  for men and women each, would generate 1,475 student athletic soccer scholarship opportunities for a grand total  for both men and women of 2,950 student athletic soccer scholarships opportunities. This does not include the other 44 HBCUs who are not a part of the 5 conferences that can start soccer programs.

I recently spoke with Derrick Ramsey, director of Athletics at Coppin State University.  In this discussion, he determined how much funding it would take to fund 50 full scholarships to attend Coppin State University for 50 international students from African, Caribbean, Central and South American nations.  The funding projection he quoted was about $1.2 million for each institution to cover the following:

1. Hiring of soccer coaches and recruiters.
2. Conference Affiliation and Dues.
3. Soccer Equipment uniforms and field maintenance
4. Tuition and Fees, including books
5. Room and Board at the University or off Campus
6. Insurance
7. Daily and Other Transportation Expenses
8. Lap Top Computers

Looking at  the level of funding presently at HBCUs  for soccer, for  more HBCUs to increase the number of soccer programs that compete  in one   of the  5 traditional HBCU conferences , there is an urgent need to develop a new  funding strategy  for these 5 HBCU conferences.

The Black Sports legends Foundation (BSLF) plans to engage The National Association  of  Equal Opportunity ( NAFEO) in developing the  BSLF  International Scholarship Soccer Initiative and International Public/Private Partnerships for funding soccer at HBCU’s.

With the governments of African, Caribbean, Central and South American nations,  the BSLF will be working to get the  African Affairs division in each major city  to obtain their support in obtaining  the  Embassies of African, Caribbean, Central and South American nations in this initiative.

This partnership will help identify corporate sponsors doing business with these nations to enter into long -term partnerships to get corporate sponsorships for funding at an annual rate of $1.2 million a year for each HBCU  institution in one of  5  HBCU conferences who are interested in starting a program for student athletic soccer scholarship opportunities for men and women at HBCUs in the United States.

I am requesting that you issue a Presidential  Executive  Order to Establish a President Commission to help these two initiative become a reality for HBCUs before you leave office.

Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,

 

Ronald K. Bethea

CEO/President of BSLF

&

President of  PCPC  LLC