California State Senator Curren Price Introduces SR 31 to Observe Africa Day 2012

SENATOR PRICE INTRODUCES SENATE RESOLUTION TO OBSERVE 49TH ANNIVERSARY OF AFRICA DAY 2012

May 24, 2012

Sacramento, CA; Los Angeles, CA – In observance of the 49th anniversary of Africa Day, Senator Curren D. Price Jr. will introduce SR 31 on the Senate floor on Friday to commemorate the establishment of the African Union in 1963 to promote the unity and solidarity of the African nation states as a collective voice for the African continent.

The Senate Resolution acknowledges the vast resources that exist on the continent of Africa and celebrates that day to reinforce the state of California and the nation’s economic relationship with the continent of Africa.

“I am very excited about the prospect of this observance becoming a platform for Africans to explore business opportunities in California and beyond its borders,” said Senator Price. “Promoting increased trade between California and Africa has been one of my top priorities, and I look forward to bridging and enhancing business partnerships and economic development between the two regions.”

This year's Africa Day events will focus around the theme, "Boosting Intra-Africa Trade", and will take place in major cities around the world with significant African populations including Washington, DC where African American representatives will promote the "Increasing American Jobs through Greater Exports to Africa Act;” a bill to increase exports to Africa by 200 percent within the next 20 years.

As part of the Africa Day 2012 celebration in Los Angeles, on Friday evening, Senator Price will speak at a reception of elected officials and civic, business and community leaders, including the South African Consul General, Cyril Sibusiso Ndaba, and the Los Angeles African and Caribbean Community Consular Corps.

Africa Day 2012 is especially significant because it commemorates the official induction of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries and Diaspora as a Sixth Region.

The South African consulate in Los Angeles, Vuvuzela Foundation and various African and Caribbean communities in California are also hosting an Africa Day Festival on Saturday, May 26. The event will be interspersed with cultural festivities as well as serve as a platform for Africans to interact with each other to explore business opportunities in California and beyond.

At the State Capitol, Africa Day 2012, a celebration, “Expanding California -Pan-African Trade and Commerce,” will be held on Friday on the North Steps at 11:30 a.m. There will also be Africa Day - California Black Agriculture Working Group Listening Session at 2:00 p.m. in Room 112 in the State Capitol.

Over the years, Senator Price has developed a passionate, personal and professional interest in the Africa diaspora. During his junior year in college (1971), Mr. Price travelled to 12 countries in sub-Sahara Africa and immediately saw the African continent as a major opportunity for cultural fulfillment and economic activity. After graduating from law school, he returned to sub-Sahara Africa on business and was able to further explore untapped markets for commercial possibilities.

As a local elected official in the City of Inglewood, Mr. Price initiated trade and sister-city missions to Jamaica and Sierra Leone. He has also hosted numerous events that spotlighted the cultural richness of the diaspora featuring art and music.

In the California Legislature, he continues to be actively engaged in a range of activities to stimulate California’s collaboration with Africa. As Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus and the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee (which includes international trade), he is uniquely positioned to advance a pro-diaspora agenda. In the Senate, he has authored legislation to encourage trade between California, Africa and Asia; and he established the “26th District Advisory Committee on Trade with Africa” to promote trade partnerships between the two regions.

In his district, he recently co-hosted the Los Angeles African Diaspora Marketplace Roadshow (ADM), sponsored by the Constituency for Africa, Western Union and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The ADM is a business/educational forum that promotes business opportunities between sub-Sahara Africa and the U.S.

He has also had the honor of introducing visiting dignitaries on the Senate floor, including Amina Salum Ali, the African Union Ambassador to the United States; members of the Parliamentary Service Commission of the National Assembly of Kenya; and a distinguished group of elected and appointed officials from Tanzania.

In addition to his leadership in California, Senator Price was chosen to chair the International Trade Committee of the Council of State Governments-West, a consortium of 13 western states.

In recognition of his advocacy for the Africa Diaspora, Senator Price has been honored by numerous organizations. In 2004, he was inducted in the Ngwa, the Igbo nation in Nigeria. Most recently, he received the 2012 Peace Award from the Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution at California State University, Sacramento.