HIP-GOP:

Steele gaining blacks' support (Jon Ward, August 24, 2006, THE WASHINGTON TIMES)

The Maryland Democratic Party's traditional support among blacks appears to be slipping, now that hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons -- who has helped register thousands of Democratic voters -- has endorsed Republican Michael S. Steele for the U.S. Senate. [...]

"Russell Simmons is one of the leading progressive voices in America," said Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign.

"This is a major endorsement for Lieutenant Governor Steele that will help him attract young people, as well as black voters," Ms. Brazile said. "Once again, this should serve as a wake-up call to Democrats not to take their most loyal constituents and voters for granted."

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African-American women step up in business world (Jim Hopkins, 8/24/06, USA TODAY)

[N]ew research, published last week by the Small Business Administration, shows that women drove much of the growth in black entrepreneurship.

Black women owned 547,341 companies in 2002, up 75% from five years before, when the Census Bureau last counted. The number owned by men rose a smaller 29%, to 571,670, says the study by economist Ying Lowrey in the SBA's Office of Economic Research.

For the first time since the government began counting, black women now likely own more companies than black men, assuming growth rates stayed constant after 2002, says Gwen Martin, director of research at the Center for Women's Business Research.

Black women, like all female owners, still lag behind men by some key measures. The majority of their companies are part-time ventures, often run from home at night or on weekends to supplement daytime pay. Just 5% had employees, vs. 10% for black men. Annual revenue averaged about $39,000, vs. $114,000 for black men, Lowrey's research shows.