Valerie welcomes the Rev Jesse Jackson and the Shadow Business Secretary to Walsall College

On Thursday 5 December 2013, Valerie hosted the Rev’d Jesse Jackson and Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna MP at Walsall College ahead of Small Business Saturday on 7 December 2013.

Valerie said:

“I was pleased to welcome the Rev’d Jesse Jackson and the Shadow Business Secretary, Chuka Umunna MP to Walsall College on Thursday 5 December 2013. The Rev’d Jesse Jackson is an iconic figure within the Civil Rights Movement in the USA, having worked closely with Dr Martin Luther King. He sought the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States in 1984 and 1988 and has been at the forefront of campaigns for justice and equality since the 1960s. He was a leading supporter of President Obama’s campaign for the Presidency in 2008. The Rev’d Jackson has made an outstanding contribution over the course of 6 decades of political activism. I am delighted that he took time from his busy schedule to come to Walsall.”

“The Shadow Business Secretary, Chuka Umunna MP spoke to an audience of people in Business, Higher Education and members of the public ahead of Small Business Saturday, which will take place on 7 December 2013. There are many challenges facing small businesses. Mr Umunna outlined the policies which could be introduced to support them. Chuka Umunna MP called for the UK to hold the first ever Small Business Saturday. He brought a coalition of business organisations together.”

“Small Business Saturday takes place on 7 December 2013 and celebrates the contribution of Small Businesses to the local and national economies. It is a grass-roots campaign that encourages people to shop locally and support small businesses in the local community. I want to encourage as many people as possible in Walsall to take part in Small Business Saturday by choosing to shop with local small businesses on this key shopping day in the run up to Christmas. This is the first time that Small Business Saturday has been marked in the UK and it promises to be a great success.”

Please click here for more information on Small Business Saturday.