Whistle Blower and now retired U.S. Customs Inspector/Officer, author and business owner Cathy Harris leads the marketing fight with Business and Marketing Seminars, Thursdays, 6:30 p.m., starting Jan. 5, 2006, at the Apex Museum, 135 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30303. Harris, the author of the upcoming book "How to Take Control of Your Own Life: A Self-Help Guide to Moving Forward" (www.HowToTakeControl.com ) is primed to make you a business "newsmaker."

Harris who is known for her guerrilla marketing style by means of forums, radio interviews, e-broadcasts, web postings and newsletters, comes full circle with the scheduled seminars to be highlighted at the renowned Apex Museum. Seminar topics will feature a variety of subjects; how to develop your own business, how to market your own business or organization on the radio and the internet, how to write a book or booklet, how to advertise using freelance products, how to transition to another career, and many others. All coming from someone who transitioned from going up against the system, federal government, Customs and Border Protection, winning her whistle blower case and becoming a business leader, and gathering a faithful following.

Now thanks to Harris, Thursdays is Business Wind-up day, a time where small businesses can be exposed to advertising opportunities. Coupled with the "this is how you do it" reality-based seminars, small business owners can immediately reap the rewards with Harris at the helm. To register please RSVP to Cathy Harris at 1-800-797-8663, http://www.angelspress.com/marketingseminars.html or AskCathyHarris@angelspress.com The cost of the seminars is $49.99 for one-on-one consulting with Cathy Harris. Spread the Buzz - Comments

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Outspoken Federal Whistleblower Finds Closure in Her Retirement
From Press Release - Posted PM August 11, 2005

Cathy Harris, an outspoken critic against the Department of Homeland Security was terminated from Customs on May 1, 2005 for filing discrimination complaints. Ms. Harris says her July 27, 2005 retirement from the agency has finally given her closure.

As a 19 year Customs employee, 27 years total with the federal government, Ms. Harris has made great steps to rectify the injustices against international travelers within the Customs and Border Protection (CBP). In October 1998, she formed her own non-profit organization to act as a watchdog group over Customs practices - Customs Employees Against Discrimination Association (CEADA), P.O. Box 870555, Stone Mountain, GA 30087, Phone: (800) 797-8663, Fax: (678) 254-5018, Website: www.ceada.com Email: ceada@justice.com Shortly after she became a federal whistleblower and reported that her co-workers were carrying out demoralizing pat-downs, intrusive strip-searches, x-ray examinations, cavity searches and monitored defecations which included African American travelers being shackled to hospital beds. Some of these procedures lasted for up to four days for the sole purpose of Customs Inspectors collecting overtime money. She reported these findings to the media, Senate and Congress.

After an intense investigation, an investigative news team from Atlanta discovered that Ms. Harris' claims were true; Customs Inspectors were indeed targeting African American travelers particularly women for these humiliating and demeaning examinations. The Atlanta news team later won the Peabody award for her story entitled "Singled Out by U.S. Customs."

A March 2000 General Accounting Office (GAO) report conducted an investigation and discovered that even though African American women travelers were the smallest group of international travelers, they were the largest group that were singled out by U.S. Customs Inspectors. Later on an Independent Panel report confirmed that the U.S. Customs Service had major flaws and needed outside help.

Initially, 1300 African American women came forward in Chicago and told of their horrifying experiences at the hands of U.S. Customs Inspectors at the O'Hare airport. Because of the statute of limitations, only 90 women are still moving forward to receive justice in a Class-Action Lawsuit filed in October 1997 by Attorney Ed Fox. Because of Cathy Harris' whistle blowing activities, Congressional Hearings took place and major changes have been made to protect the American public such as: Two bills were introduced twice "Civil Rights for International Travelers Act" by Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) and "Reasonable Search Standards Act" by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL).

Other changes included the creation of new guidelines for the Personal Search Handbook such as: A GS-14 or GS-15, the highest ranking manager in the port, is now required to approve for travelers to be taken to the hospital instead of a GS-5 or brand new Inspector; a GS-12 supervisor now has to approve for travelers to undergo a strip-search instead of a GS-5 or brand new Inspector; the Customs and Border Protection Inspectors/Officers now wear name tags so they can be easily identified for complaints by the traveling public; a passenger now has the choice of using a body scanning x-ray machine instead of a pat-down inspection; after two hours of being taken into a search room a traveler can now have a supervisor notify an attorney, family member or a friend and inform them they are being held up in the Customs and Border Protection area.

These were all significant changes because of Cathy Harris' whistle blowing activities. But unfortunately Ms. Harris is no longer with the agency now; therefore, one way the public can be informed of their rights is reading Ms. Harris' upcoming book "The Failure of Homeland In-Security: The Government's Dirty Little Secrets from an Insider" www.homelandin-security.com The book provides strategies and solutions on how to fight back if you become a victim of the Customs and Border Protection.

During Ms. Harris' tenure in Atlanta, she was subjected to internal abuses by the agency such as Sexual Harassment, Sex Discrimination and Sexism. Her story will be told in her upcoming book "The Cathy Harris Story: Learn How She Stood Up Against Workplace Bullying" www.thecathyharrisstory.com

Ms. Harris' fight against U.S. Customs was long, hard, and fierce. But she feels she was sent angels in the form of EEO and Whistleblower Attorneys, Civil Rights Leaders, Legislators, Community Activists and Media Entities. And because of these angels she was given the opportunity to open her own publishing company named Angels Press, P.O. Box 870849, Stone Mountain, GA 30087, Phone: (800) 797-8663, Fax: (678) 254-5018, Website: www.angelspress.com Email: info@angelspress.com to assist others in educating the public. She is also writing two series books entitled "How To Take Control Of Your Own Life" www.howtotakecontrol.com and "Discrimination 101" www.discrimination101.com. Cathy Harris is also a Motivational Speaker, Freelance Writer and Discrimination Consultant and is available for Lectures, Seminars and Workshops and can be reached at (800) 797-8663 or through her website www.cathyharrisspeaks.com.

© December 2005 By Afromerica

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