The Washington Post story titled “In smog battle, industry gets help from unlikely source: black business group,” raises many important questions and concerns about Harry C. Alford and the National Black Chamber of Commerce.
Given his aggressive, high-profile stance against pro-clean energy policies, the Checks and Balances Project has been asking Mr. Alford fair and important questions to help all Americans, especially African-Americans, determine the credibility of these positions.
As of now, he has refused to answer any of our questions including:
-
Why does the NBCC refuse to list its members?
-
How many actual businesses are members (not sponsors) of the NBCC? And, how many of these members are African-American owned businesses?
-
According to the NBCC’s 990 forms, during the past 13 years, its annual expenditures have averaged more than $800,000, with more than one third of that amount going to “consultants” and other services from non-employee professionals. Who are these consultants and non-employee professionals, and what services did they perform for NBCC members?
-
Will the NBCC provide a list of staff positions, as well as an organization chart? And, will the NBCC provide a list of the staff members who are and are not related to Harry Alford or Kay Debow Alford?
The NBCC claims that it is “dedicated to economically empowering and sustaining African American communities. . . .” If this is so, Mr. Alford should be willing to provide transparency about his organization to help clarify the positions it takes against the interests of communities of color.
You can view the video that prompted the Washington Post article here:
Evlondo Cooper is a senior fellow with the Checks and Balances Project a national watchdog blog that seeks to hold government officials, lobbyists and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP comes from pro-clean energy philanthropies and donors.
Recent Comments