OVERVIEW

Since 1972, the National Business League has been engaged in a continuous effort to establish a broad based coalition among various national organizations in the areas of Black business and economic development. Such a coalition would constitute a structured forum through which individual organizations could review, evaluate, and debate national issues of common concern to the Black business and economic communities. In order to make significant progress in the area of economic development for Black America, it had become manifestly clear that organizations devoted to such a cause must have a vehicle to demonstrate their collective strength and unity on common problems and opportunities.

In 1973, with the advice and consent of more than thirty-five national minority business, trade and professional organizations, the NBL established the Committee for National Policy Review (CNPR). It became a forum through which leaders of these organizations could debate national issues that impact upon their constituents, develop policies and opinions on those issues, transmit those policies to the appropriate national Administration, Congressional leaders, federal and state agencies, and private sector entities.

The positive result of this initial coalition among trade associations was encouraging. But the magnitude of the problem clearly called for a much broader coalition of organizations. Subsequent workshops and meetings recommended that NBL expand the basic concept behind CNPR and invite the participation of the broadest spectrum of national organizations that are committed to the economic development of minority communities. The NBL membership endorsed a resolution to create the National Council for Policy Review (NCPR) which has as its primary purpose: 1] to deliberate, discuss, and debate key issues in the area of economic development and economic parity; 2] to identify and articulate critical goals to be achieved in the economic movement; 3] to examine and propose various program options; 4] to adopt a NCPR position, reflecting the consensus views of member organizations, on the critical issues affecting mutual constituents. The National Council for Policy Review takes the concept of the CNPR one step closer toward achieving the essential goal of organizational unity, without violating an organization's basic and fundamental autonomy.

The NCPR meets semi-annually to consider issues of common concern.