(NNPA)—Like a relentless tide, foreclosures are pressing people into corners; closing in and eroding their ability to keep their homes. This is the reality confront­ing millions of American homeowners—many of them over 50 and many of them people of color. Sadly, the dream and investment of a lifetime—home ownership—is slipping away as job loss, the cost of getting sick, high interest rates and battered retirement funds challenge consumers’ ability to keep up with their mortgage payments.

Lisa Jackson is moving to transform the U.S. economy to one based on renewable, or sustainable energy to fight the threat of global warming. As director of the Environmental Protection Agency she has considerable power to do so.

GOING GREEN—EPA Director Lisa Jackson poses with a shirt following an Earth Day presentation on protecting the environment.

Creating green jobs in the energy sector, replacing conventional coal- and oil-based technology with wind and solar power has been touted as a new opportunity for African-Americans because, unlike coal mines and oil wells, factories to manufacture components can be placed anywhere.

Business networking

MAY 5—The University of Pittsburgh Small Business Development Center and the Diversity Business Resource Center will host a Social Networking for Small Business seminar from 2-4 p.m. at the Sigma Conference and Event Center, 1717 Babcock Blvd., Ross Township. Attendees will learn how to enhance marketing efforts with social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and more. The cost is $25. For more information, call 412-322-3272 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Capacity building, mentoring, efficiency, accountability and inclusion were words and phrases often used during the Community Conversation on Supplier Diversity presented by the Center for Inclusion in Health Care and the Supply Chain Management Department at UPMC. Moderated by Lynne Hayes-Freeland, KDKA TV2 reporter, producer and host, the theme of the event was “Partnering to Make a Difference.”

Outlining a three-fold agenda, Toni Silva Jeter; director of Supplier Relations at UPMC, encouraged the audience, inclusive of Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Businesses, certification and business development agency officials and UPMC personnel, to strive to build capacity and to work together in the future. “Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to build businesses,” she said.

HORACE J. BRITTON, AUDREY MURRELL, PH.D., W. DWIGHT MAYO