NAACP gathers in Augusta

More than 500 delegates and volunteers from the Georgia NAACP are meeting in Augusta to talk about issues confronting African-Americans. The group's 66th annual state convention begins today. The convention will focus on increasing the number of African-American voters in this year's elections. It will also address how the struggling economy is affecting blacks, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

By Mary Ellen Cheatham

Minority spending power is growing, says a new UGA study

A new University of Georgia study shows that minority buying power in Georgia is skyrocketing.

UGA's Selig Center for Economic Growth just released its annual report on minority buying power. Georgia is now the third largest consumer market for African Americans, who have an estimated $58 billion in disposable income.

The state is also the 10th largest market for Hispanics, whose after-tax spending potential is nearly 14 billion dollars.

According to UGA economist Jeff Humphreys, Georgia's numbers reflect the impressive growth nationwide: "The Hispanic market is really huge. It's larger than the entire economy of Mexico. The African-American market is about equal in size, and the Asian market is coming on strong. If you're looking for fast-paced growth in the domestic consumer market, this is where the action is. "

In addition, Georgia is the third fastest-growing state in the country for Asian buying power.

College-bound blacks match population in South

For the first time, African Americans are as well represented on southern college campuses as they are in the region's population. The Southern Regional Education Board measured 16 states, and found that blacks make up 21 percent of college students and 19 percent of the population. However the South's rapidly growing Hispanic population has reduced the proportion of the population that is black, making the milestone easier to reach mathematically. Overall, black college enrollment rates still lag well behind those of whites.

Senate Committee Approves Confederate History Month

The Senate Rules Committee has approved a measure making April “Confederate History and Heritage Month” and sent it on to the full chamber for a vote.
Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) says he sponsored the legislation to pay homage to his ancestors.

“It’s only appropriate for me, with a family who fought in the Civil War, a family who owned property where the battlefield exists now, to be part of such a bill to commemorate the War Between The States in Georgia,” Mullis says.
He says his resolution shouldn’t be controversial, but it is. It comes just days after African-American lawmakers called for an official apology from the state for slavery. Mullis says his legislation is not a response to their call, although he does not support it.