Obama from page AI Obama with helping to keep small businesses like Caffe Prada afloat during tumul tuous economic times. "When President Obama took office, across the coun try, businesses like this were struggling ... under the dev astating effects of the reces sion," Prada said. "He has worked tirelessly to help us create good paying jobs right here at home and to create a brighter future for our fami lies and our communities." ' I'ka KiioinAcc/Miinarr i iiv- uusiutssunu^ia shared their story during an outdoor media conference at Caffe Prada. The event was organized by Obama for America. As they spoke, a small crowd held Obama campaign signs. "President Obama is fighting for small business owners like Ken and me," Prada said. "Supporting entrepreneurs and small busi nesses is vital to creating an economy where ... hard work pays off and everyone has a fair shot." Cameron French, the North Carolina press secre tary for Obama for America, said he believes that Prada's story of realizing the American uream, even in a difficult economic climate would resonate with voters. "We were looking for small business owners who were supportive of the presi dent, and Alex's story I think is perfect," said French. "He understands the president is fighting to restore middle class security." French says Obama has been a staunch supporter of I small businesses, as is evi denced by the 18 small busi ness tax cuts that have gone into effect during his first term. "It's important," French said of the cuts. "That allows people to hire, it allows peo ple to get the economy mov " _ ?? mg. Prada, who left his native country to escape an econo my that faced hyper inflation and other major challenges, says he is proud of Caffe Prada's legacy of survival and perseverance. He hopes its success will inspire others to step out and begin realiz nig uivii unu uivaiiio ui entrepreneurship. . "When you believe in something and you have a dream, you have to share it," he declared, "and hopefully, that will encourage people to do the same thing." Mayor Allen Joines was also on hand. He also praised the efforts of the Obama Administration to help revive local economies to their for mer glory. Joines said the city has been able to restore 55 percent of the jobs it lost dur ing the "Great Recession." He says having the support of the federal government has helped keep the city from hemorrhaging even more employment opportunities. J .11 U.I. .... vyc nccu an uic liei(j we can get to continue to grow this economy," said Joines, a Democrat. "...We're con stantly facing battles from other countries trying to siphon jobs away from here. I believe the president is encouraging those companies to bring those jobs back to America." | Young writers present at Harvard BY LAYLA GARMS THE CHRONICLE Authoring Action (A2) took a group of local young adults to the campus of Harvard University in Boston late last month. Representatives from A2, a local nonprofit that engages youth through writing and the community through youth, were invited to give a presenta tion before an audience of 30 students and faculty members from Harvard University's Graduate School of Education on April 28. "I see this as a step above a mean ingful life experi ence," declared 15 year-old Marcus Lyles, one of eight A2 authors who were selected to make the trip based upon the pieces they produced for the project. "I see this as the beginning of the world's opportuni ties, and a chance to prove to myself what I'm capable of. In the future, it could propel me to reach a realm beyond my own, which includes career choices and exploring fields where persuasive communication is needed." The group was invited by Terryl Dozier, a former A2 program director and current grad student at Harvard. "Our trip to Harvard was eye open ing," said A2 author Willie Holmes II, a student at North Carolina A&T State University. "It was an experience that I will hold with me for the rest of my life." Each of the A2 authors presented selected works during the presentation. A2 Founder Nathan Ross Freeman explained the group's process and chal lenged the authors to create new pieces on the soot. Holmes wrote about the achievement gap and the emphasis the education sys tem puts on test scores. He said he was emboldened by the Ivy League audi ence's response to his message. "This experience has shown me that my words can be used to reach outside of the community I live in and make a difference," commented the 20 year-old. "It has given me the confidence to keep voicing my opinions, even if it goes against the popular agenda." Lyles, a sophomore at Winston Salem Preparatory Academy, also .felt the audience was receptive to the authors' message. "Harvard's overall response was energetic, and positive. They received each of us together and individually, and were open-minded to our comments and answers," he remarked. "Their feedback was sincere inquiry, and it allowed us to answer their questions with great levels of honesty and enthusiasm. They were interested in a few of our personal expe riences, and each of them had different levels of retrospection toward our initial statements." f icciiiaii 5