Recognizing Black History Month

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BACON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Black History Month and to honor the 15th anniversary of the Empowerment Network, a collaboration of thousands of residents and leaders and hundreds of organizations working to facilitate positive change in Omaha, Nebraska.

Formed in September 2006 and officially launched on April 27, 2007, the network seeks to collectively improve the economic landscape and quality of life for African Americans, North Omaha residents, and citizens of the greater Omaha area. The network is led by their CEO and founder, Willie D. Barney.

Willie Barney was born on May 15, 1968, in Hollandale, Mississippi, but spent his first years between Arcola and Greenville in the Mississippi Delta along Highway 438. He graduated high school from Mount Pleasant, Iowa, attended St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, and rose to become an executive in the media industry.

He and his wife, Yolanda, were married on June 27, 1998. Born in Tacoma, Washington, and raised in Kansas City, Yolanda also had a very successful career in the media field, working in major cities, including Kansas City, Dallas, and Atlanta. They both left their corporate jobs to become more directly involved in helping to build strong communities and to become entrepreneurs.

The Empowerment Network Collaborative is one of Omaha's catalysts that has helped produce measurable outcomes and results by working together to reduce gun violence, decrease unemployment, improve graduation rates, increase household incomes, and rebuild the historic 24th and Lake District and other areas of North Omaha, including the Omaha 360, Step-Up Omaha, the Village Strategy, and the Cradle to Career.

In addition to Willie's leadership, he and his wife are founders and owners of SMB Enterprises, LLC, a company that provides positive events, media, and entertainment in the greater Omaha area. SMB is the parent company of Revive Omaha Magazine, Revive Black Business Network, and the Revive Center Omaha. They also co-own the new Carver Legacy Center, a Black-owned financial institution.

Willie also serves as the president of WDB Resultants, LLC, a national consulting firm that specializes in strategic planning and marketing, communications, research, community building, and facilitation.

Willie's passion for improving communities is heavily influenced by his late grandmother, Leeanna B. Collins; his mother and stepfather, Betty and Willie Mullen; and his father and stepmother, Willie and Bertha Murry.

He is incredibly thankful and grateful for his wife, son, and daughter and for the influence of his family from Mississippi, friends in Iowa, and partners in Omaha.

Yolanda honors the memory of her late parents, Morris and Mayumi Coppage, through her work ethic and passion for helping others.

Willie and Yolanda are parents to Nehemiah, an aspiring film director studying at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln; and Priscilla, a student at Central High School in Omaha, who plans to graduate in 2025, with keen interest in international business.

Mr. and Mrs. Barney walk in faith and highlight it as one of their most important priorities and the reason for their many blessings. In fact, they are associate ministers at Launch Church International and continue to live a life of purpose and serve the community. They are committed to seeing individuals reach their full potential.

In recognizing Willie Barney and the Empowerment Network, we shine a spotlight on entrepreneurship, hard work, and the will to transcend and achieve success within our communities through unity and collaboration.

Congratulations to Willie and Yolanda Barney, along with the Empowerment Network, on 15 years of service and being a major force for change in our community for the better.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source