Metro
THE HILLTOP | MONDAY, NOVEMBER, 4 2013
Keneisha Deas, Metro Editor
Cash Mobs: New Consumer Trend Rhea Warren Contributing Writer
Have you noticed that the “Chocolate City” has become more mixed with vanilla throughout recent years? Gentrification is a prevalent issue in Washington D.C. and especially affects small, local blackowned businesses and the flow of their consumers. According to The Washington Post’s blog The Root, African Americans make up more than 13 percent of the U.S. population and have a buying power predicted to be over $1.1 million by 2015. With this beinhe black community can make a significant difference by making informed choices as consumers. The recent trend to help local businesses is the cash mob. Cash mobs are grassroots, community-led movements to support small local businesses. Originally inspired by the spontaneous and energetic choreographed flash mob, the idea of a cash mob is for a large amount
of people to come to a shop during a set time and spend $20 each to help the business stay alive. Think Local First DC has a monthly cash mob series to help independently owned businesses, such as Domku Cafe, and newer businesses like Petworth Citizen—but not as many black-owned businesses. Zawadi, a small African gift shop, has been located at 1524 U St. for 22 years and has been struggling in business due to gentrification. Irene Whalen, the 64-year old owner of the shop, noticed that the demographics of the area had started to change and she wanted to find a way to reconnect with her consumers. The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club Inc. and the National Black United Front sponsored a cash mob for Zawadi on October 26th. “We as a black community do not exercise our fiscal power enough. This cash mob was a way to do that by supporting a local business that
has been around for a long time, ” said Chad Graham, a member of the National Black United Front, and junior business management major at Howard University. With attendance of over 30 people, the event was able to raise $800 in four hours. “It was just wonderful—not only financially but it was motivational. It was reassuring in its own way,” said Whalen. “We have to be very intentional about how we spend our money and understand the importance of black businesses in our community,” said Jennifer Bryant, executive director of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club Inc. According to the US Census Bureau, black businesses are significantly more likely to employ black people. “We support black businesses so that black businesses will in turn support the community. It is like a reciprocal process,” said Bryant.
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deas@thehilltoponline.com
Cory Booker Sworn Into Senate
DC Tourism Industry Still Hurting from Shutdown Alexis McRay Howard News Service Tourism, the second largest industry in Washington, D.C., is still reeling from the first government shutdown in almost 17 years. Officials from Destination DC say they won’t know the full economic impact of the shutdown until next summer. But D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray said at an Oct. 18 news conference that the government shutdown probably cost the city about 8 percent in lost business revenue, mostly from tourism and hospitality industries. According to Destination D.C., a record 18.9 million tourists visited the District of Columbia in 2012, up 5.5 percent from the previous year. A substantial increase was expected for 2013, but that estimate now could drastically change. Some of DC’s most popular tourist companies that serve the National Mall and Capitol Hill areas were among those hit hardest by the closed government offices, federal monuments and slowdown in tourist traffic. Some smaller tourist-dependent closed during the shutdown. Others scaled back on their services. Destination DC is the city’s official tourist website. Kate Gibbs, media relations manager of Destination DC, said the city’s tourism industry tried to lead tourists to nongovernmental attractions during the shutdown. “Certainly people were
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disappointed but we wanted to remind them that there were still other things to do. We encouraged them to visit other sites that were not been shut down through our Shutdown Concierge Hotline,” Gibbs said. “We are hoping consumer confidence with our National’s Capital hasn’t been rocked.” Big Bus Tours, one of the city’s leading tour guide companies, normally allows customers to explore the city at their own pace. The company is a fan favorite because it allows riders to hop on and off the bus whenever they please, all while enjoying live informative commentary about landmarks such as the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and National History Museum. During the shutdown, Big Bus was not able to drive around the Tidal Basin where most of these landmarks are located, which greatly affected the total number of tours. Maria Vivae, 22, has been working as a receptionist at Big Bus for almost two years and said she has never saw such a dramatic decrease in sales. “Management is not happy. We’re losing money every day,” she said. “Most of our customers come from across the country and [were] very unhappy that they traveled all this way to be denied access to their country’s most historic memorials.” Grayline, one of Washington, D.C.’s, premiere sightseeing tours, also endured setbacks due to the limited access to the memorials. Not only did Grayline completely stop providing tours around the National
Mall and Capitol Hill, but also the number of tours they offered daily dropped from at least five to only one or two. Management even tried offering a new tour attraction-the National Cathedral in upper Northwest Washington--but no one signed up. An employee who has worked for Grayline for a few years said during the shutdown she spent most of her workday assisting customers with refunds. “Once customers realized they no longer could enter any of the monuments or museums they quickly started calling about getting their money refunded from tours they already purchased in advance,” she said. While the tour bus companies struggled during the shutdown , Bike and Roll tours did better than normal. One of Bike and Roll’s tour guides, who would identify himself only as Valentine, has been with Bike and Roll for almost four years. He said he was busier during the shutdown than any other time with the company. Valentine said the number of people who registered for bicycle tours doubled during the shutdown. “A lot of people were out of work allowing them more free time to sightsee and take leisurely time to themselves,” Valentine said.
via Flickr.com, State University of New York at New Paltz
Allyson Carpenter Contributing Writer
We’re very fortunate to have this good man in the Senate,” Reid said.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Former Newark mayor, Cory Booker was sworn into the U.S. Senate this past Thursday after winning the New Jersey election on October 16. Booker, 44, is the fourth AfricanAmerican, after President Obama, to be elected into the Senate.
With an approval rating sitting comfortably around 60 percent, Booker will bring a much needed popularity boost to Congress, whose overall approval rating sits at five percent following the government shutdown. In the last year, Booker has shot into political stardom after garnering considerable media attention for his philanthropic work in the city of Newark. Affectionately nicknamed “super-mayor,” Booker has reportedly rescued a neighbor from an ablaze home, saved a neglected dog during a cold New Jersey winter, and even opened the doors of his home to 12 of his neighbors who lost electricity during Hurricane Sandy.
Vice President Joe Biden conducted the ceremony in the Old Senate Chamber before Booker casted his first vote. Booker beat out Republican candidate Steve Lonegan by a ten percent margin to fill the position of the late Frank Lautenberg. While his election was unsurprising, many deemed the young Senator’s campaign “lackluster.” Aside from criticism, Booker also had to overcome the death of his father just a week before the special election.
Tourists who ride bikes have a better chance at getting closer to the monuments and memorials than those who decide to ride the bus.
Fellow senators and House members welcomed the Capitol Hill newbie with open arms. Majority Leader Harry Reid expressed his excitement over the New Jersey Senator.
[To read the rest visit the Howard News Service web site.]
“Cory Booker is going to be a great asset to this nation and the Senate.
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Booker will serve out the remainder of Lautenberg’s term, which ends in 2014.