In his most recent State of the Union address, President Barack Obama issued a challenge to train 2 million Americans and place them in middle-class careers through community college-employer partnerships. In a recent visit to the J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Downtown Campus, U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis discussed this and other initiatives at a roundtable with African American business leaders in the Greater Richmond Region.Billed as the “State of the Union Roundtable and its meaning to the African American Community,” the forum was moderated by JSRCC President Dr. Gary Rhodes. After an introduction by Dr. Barbara Glenn, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Secretary Solis addressed the participants and then engaged in an open dialogue covering employment challenges, training opportunities, federal funding initiatives, and faith-based and community partnerships.
“We need to help businesses by making it easier for them to reach these college students,” noted Solis. “We need to reach those that need our help and create opportunities for these students to be successful.”
Secretary Solis was first elected to public office in 1985 as a member of the Rio Hondo Community College Board of Trustees. She served in the California State Assembly from 1992 to 1994, and in 1994 made history by becoming the first Latina elected to the California State Senate. As the chairwoman of the California Senate Industrial Relations Committee, she led the battle to increase the state's minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.75 an hour in 1996. She also authored a record seventeen state laws aimed at combating domestic violence. She was confirmed as Secretary of Labor on February 24, 2009.
