Issue Position: Norton Expanded Her Events in the Community This Term Offering A New Varity in Keeping With Residents' Interests

Issue Position

Among the many events, National Dance Day, held this summer with TV's So You Think You Can Dance celebrity judge Nigel Lithgoe, drew more than 1,500 people to the National Mall, where participants learned various dance moves and watched performances from area dance troupes to become annual event. Norton in Your Neighborhood community conversations, which she began after the gun amendment delayed passage of the D.C. voting rights bill in order to facilitate participatory discussions of all the options for achieving D.C.'s rights, as well as of federal matters of interest, were held in every ward in conjunction with Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, community organizations, and individuals. Annual ANC's in the Capitol to keep ANC Commissioners informed of congressional issues and to hear their concerns. At Young, Educated, and Unemployed: Keeping College Graduates from Becoming a Lost Generation Roundtable held at Busboys and Poets experts and recent college graduates discussed overcoming their high unemployment rate. Commission on Black Men and Boys (COBMB) Roundtable on Black Men & Unemployment: What Black Men Need to Do in the Toughest Job Market in History, was lead by the late Dr. Ronald Walters. The Commission on Black Men and Boys Youth Violence: Helping Young Boys Become Young Men, included testimony from Tony Lewis, Jr., son of one of D.C.'s most notorious drug dealers, but unlike his father, "Little" Tony Lewis, the son has always been a law-abiding citizen and now works in law enforcement. Ask Me About Washington, held in conjunction with the D.C. Chamber of Commerce and representatives from 50 tourism- and entertainment-related businesses promoted D.C. tourism among Members of Congress and staff, who are visited in D.C. by millions of constituents annually. Annual Tax and Financial Services Fair offered free tax preparation and financial planning services. Annual Job Fair drew more than 5,000 residents to meet with 100 D.C. and regional public and private sector employers with confirmed job openings. Access to Capital Small Business Fair had many new features for the almost 400 D.C. small businesses that attended, including information on new tax credits to help small businesses provide health insurance for their employees, hire unemployed individuals, and for start-up expenditures, and opportunities for small businesses to meet with scores of banks, credit unions, and federal agencies with contracts. At the fair, Norton introduced her "Small Business of the Year," Regional Contracting Services, a woman- and minority-owned D.C. small business specializing in rough carpentry, fire-stopping, insulation, and building supplies, which won a DHS contract.

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