United States Sustainable Development Corporation

12/11/2021

SENATE CONFIRMS DR. JENNIFER CLYBURN REED TO TOP SCRC POSITION

The Southeast Crescent Regional Commission was created to make federal investment in distressed counties of the Southern US.

12/10/2021

Do your holiday shopping at the Mixer Silent Auction at the memorial fundraiser in honor of USDDC president, Ava Gabrielle-Wise's daughter Jennica. Tickets available here:

Mixer and Silent Auction to raise funds for the Jennica Mancarella Endowed Scholarship Fund

06/30/2021

The names of the regional recommendations to the President for Federal Co-Chair of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission were published.

Washington DC - This week, the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission Coalition published the names of the final list of recommendations from around the Southeast region for federal co-chair. The network sent a letter to...

06/04/2020

Southeast Regional Community Economic Development Survey Results - Part 2

for the Southeastern United States

06/04/2020

Southeast Regional Community Economic Development Priority
Survey Results - Part 2

Create and publish online surveys in minutes, and view results graphically and in real time. SurveyMonkey provides free online questionnaire and survey software.

05/12/2020

The final meeting of the Blackbelt Tour in Virginia on March 3rd.If you haven't heard the overview of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, here it is.

Informational session webinar about the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission discussing the need and potential strategy to activate it. The Southeast Cresc...

02/19/2020

Join me on this to discuss and promote the activation of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission. It's been almost two decades since I did it like this...Only for the ❤ of the Blackbelt...and yes I noticed that I didn't say Lyndon Johnson's last name, but I refused to start over...😂

12/22/2019

Initiative 7: Regional Community Economic Development Initiative for the 7th Congressional District of Alabama, the heart of the Blackbelt, circa 2003.

2003 excerpt from the Regional Community Economic Development Initiative of the 7th Congressional District of Alabama.

12/19/2019

I'm not a one issue pony because economic disparity is a multi dimensional plague on our communities and people.

When I started as a community organizer three decades ago, I learned that people are most often motivated for the long-term by their own tangible self-interests.

I was inspired by their desire to provide for themselves and their families; food, clothing, shelter and a good quality of life. In my 3 decade career, I continue to leverage millions of dollars, public and private, for economically disenfranchised communities to do just that.

Community and economic development helped me to identify strategies around which to mobilize people to engage around their own self-interests. Nearly 20 years ago, I worked with UGA and Tuskegee Universities to bring a regional commission to the south.

Many in the deep south have no idea the difference that a direct investment intermediary like a federal regional commission can make in distressed communities. In states like North Carolina and Virginia, there are strong state commitments to community and economic development so people have the capacity to organize themselves, leverage the incentives, financing and when necessary, subsidy that is necessary to change their economic condition.

Infrastructure, transportation, research and development, workforce development and training, even healthcare investments can mean the difference between communities that thrive and communities that die.

There is no reason that too many communities in the rural south still do not have the benefit of indoor plumbing and running water or have people living with effluent running into streets where their children play. This is not about laziness, ignorance or lack of concern this is a failure in leadership to provide the necessary infrastructure that can help families and also stimulate the local business community.

The failure to fund the SCRC platform that was created to make those investments is inexcusable and indefensible.

Direct investment is vital to local economic growth as well as the health and wellbeing of people. This is not a partisan issue. Everyone can see the benefit of thriving local communities.

12/18/2019

The time for YOU to act is NOW!

Last week, I met with the federal relations staff of Governors of the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia and legislative staff of congressional offices of Virginia, Georgia and Majority Whip James Clyburn to discuss direct investment in the south via the needed activation of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission.

A few days later, I reported on the session to the regional economic development committee of my own Virginia community. The response has been enthusiastic about the potential for needed investment in the distressed counties of the south, but is followed with surprise at the disproportionate and significantly delayed attention that has been shown to the south when compared to other regions of the country.

Despite the tremendous economic disparity in the south and the existence of certain socioeconomic indicators, the likes of which are found nowhere else in the United States, our congressional leadership has failed to defend our interests in local communities. Likewise, constituency organizations have failed to hold them accountable and stakeholders have abandoned the cause of economic investment in too many communities that continue to be crippled with poor or no infrastructure, industry, transportation, workforce development and training, healthcare, economic analysis or other resources that can assist with stimulate the local economies.

We can no longer afford to be silent. Call your Congressional Members in both the House and the Senate and tell them to appropriate funds for the SCRC proportionate to the other Commissions and appeal to the president to appoint a federal co-chair immediately.

On Monday, congressional appropriators released the final spending bills for FY 2020. The House approved the measures on Tuesday and the Senate will take up the legislation later this week. The president is expected to ...

12/17/2019

CHAPTER 151—GENERAL PROVISIONS

12/10/2019