Chicago Urban League and Seagram’s Join Forces to Battle Unemployment Among African Americans
 Photos by Steed Media Service |
For
the second consecutive year, the Chicago Urban League and Seagram’s
Gin® have joined forces to fight the rise of joblessness in the African
American community. As part of Seagram’s Pursuit of Excellence
Institute, 10 young men from the Chicago area were selected to
participate in a comprehensive four-week program. Geared toward
teaching them important business skills, the Pursuit of Excellence
Institute also works to find job placement for the participants.
The current graduates were honored recently at an awards dinner hosted
by Art Norman, a WMAQ TV reporter and anchorman. The graduates listened
to words of encouragement and praise from Bill Cherrie, vice president
of multicultural marketing for Pernod Ricard USA. Cherrie stressed the
importance of implementing more programs like the Pursuit of Excellence
Institute during these tough economic times.
“This program is a true result of a
collaboration and partnership that exhibits the very best of private
and public sector partnerships working together to address an important
social issue facing our society and this community,” Cherrie said.
“With unemployment rates in the city here at [an] all-time high, it’s
gratifying for us to join forces with the Urban League as we begin to
shine a spotlight on this unemployment issue.”
WGCI radio personality Chris Michaels delivered a very powerful keynote
address. Known as “the next Tom Joyner,” Michaels discussed the need to
see the program and their opportunity as more than simply a job
placement program.
“Pursue your passions with all that you have and give back that which
is given unto you,” Michaels said. “I’m not sure of what you’re trying
to pursue as individuals, but whatever you pursue, whether it be
entrepreneurship [or] whether it be working for a company, the bottom
line is you have to look at these things as bigger than … you see
them now.”
–gavin philip godfrey
The 2009 Seagram’s Gin ® Pursuit of Excellence Graduates
Brian Atkins
David Chamberlain
David Goodloe
Orval Jones
Maurice Johnson
Shaun Maxwell
James Merriweather
Dana Mumphrey
Tyrell Passmore
Sean Ware
