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Earl “Skip” Cooper II, Chairmen/President Emeritus of the Black Business Association (BBA), and ...



Founder of the Earl Skip Cooper Foundation (ESCF) as one of the first people in the nation to earn an Associate Arts degree in African American studies from Merritt College in Oakland, California in 1968. Mr. Cooper was often invited to speak at special programs by high schools and colleges addressing black history in northern California before he relocated to Los Angeles in 1972. In 1975, as the Program Director and Vice President of the BBA Mr. Cooper negotiated a weekly community half-hour talk program on radio station KDAY in Los Angeles discussing black business topics and black history.

The program aired every Sunday evening.

Mr. Cooper felt that it was very important to pay tribute to noteworthy black entrepreneurs, history makers and everyday leaders whose achievements should be recognized throughout the world.

As President of the BBA in 1976, he created a speaker’s program through which members of the BBA would speak on business topics and Black history at colleges, high schools, and special events around Southern California.


Members of the Black Student Union of Cal State University, Los Angeles were so impressed with Mr. Cooper’s presentations they encouraged the institution’s administration to hire Mr. Cooper to teach evening classes on Black Economic Reality and Black Political Reality. This teaching assignment went from 1980 to 1982.


In March of 2003 he created the Salute to Black Women Awards Luncheon in recognition of National Women’s History Month which honored national and local black women who had made a positive impact on and dramatically influenced many women’s lives. The event has expanded over the years to include a business conference/workshops and a Vendor Expo.


Mr. Cooper is also the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of the Black Business News Group (BBNG) which consists of the Black Business News and Black Business News International Edition. BBNG is very important in communicating the legacy of who we are in history as a people. The award-winning publications provide informative documentation of the real historical and positive achievements of African Americans throughout the world.


The publications share business, political, positive profiles of individuals, entrepreneurs, in addition recognizing special events and dates such as Black History Month, National Women’s History Month, Black Business Month, Black Music Month, Juneteenth, and birthdays of luminaries such as Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela and so many others. The publications applaud the outstanding contributions of African Americans worldwide. The Black Business News Group also encouraged the sale of products and services offered by black-owned businesses to our readers.

The Black Business News International Edition provided a true perspective of international travel and trade to the continent of Africa and the Caribbean for African Americans. The BBNG Special Commemorative Issues acknowledged past and present African Americans – Barack Obama, Nelson

Mandela, Muhammad Ali, General Colin Powell, and Aretha Franklin to name a few.


Mr. Cooper has lectured on Black History for over 50 years throughout the state of California. He has lectured and written articles on significant achievements of African Americans and has spent a lifetime as a committed voice recognizing the accomplishments of African Americans worldwide. ◈


Earl "Skip" Cooper, II

Publisher | Editor-in-Chief

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