Monroeville/Monroe County Open for International Business

MONROEVILLE, Ala., Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Monroeville City Council and Monroe County Commission adopted a joint resolution Tuesday honoring its international business legacy and designating an annual International Day to celebrate the contributions of international companies and residents. They also formed a Joint Council on International Hospitality to coordinate communitywide adoption of the Universal Human Rights Pledge and to recommend policies to assure that the community continues its historic legacy of being open and welcoming to new ideas, new people, and new opportunities.

Monroeville Mayor Mike Kennedy said, "Monroeville has a unique international business legacy that began over 70 years ago when Vanity Fair International established corporate offices here in 1937. These international corporate investments have made our community an envy of rural America."

Judge Greg Norris added, "Monroe County citizens quickly learned to embrace their new international neighbors as a source of a higher standard of living, of a better quality of life, and of lasting, personal friendships."

Parsons and Whittemore, Inc. established their American manufacturing center in Monroe County in 1978. Their corporate expansions in the 1990's, according to the Alabama Development Office, gave Monroe County the largest industrial investments in Alabama for that decade. Norris said, "Global corporate giant Georgia Pacific and its subsidiary GP Cellulose now operate Alabama River Cellulose as Monroe County's largest employer, continuing the international legacy."

The joint resolution adopted today stands in stark contrast to the national media coverage of Alabama's Anti-Immigration Law. But local officials insist that this joint resolution is not a response to that law and that Monroeville has been an open, tolerant city for decades. In fact, Monroeville native Harper Lee wrote the seminal literary work of the civil rights movement, To Kill a Mockingbird, helping white America to understand racial oppression through the eyes of a child. She and childhood friend, Truman Capote, created the literary legacy that made Monroeville the "Literary Capital of Alabama."

Mayor Kennedy reported, "International employees from around the world have made Monroeville and Monroe County their new home, enriching our community by bringing a diversity of experiences while sharing the common goal to improve the lives of their families and their neighbors."

"Mayor Kennedy and I, together with other local officials, wanted to take this opportunity to affirm our commitment to all new and current citizens," said Judge Norris.

City Council member Thelma McDaniel concurred, "We are proud of our community and welcome all visitors and new residents to help us build a better community and a better world. While few rural communities have our rich, international business legacy, we encourage all communities in Alabama to take similar steps to embrace new people and new opportunities."

Each member of the City Council and County Commission today also signed the Universal Human Rights Pledge, a pledge affirming the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family. The new Joint Council on International Hospitality will encourage adoption of the Universal Human Rights Pledge by organizations and individuals throughout the community.

The pledge was written based upon two earlier documents after a visit to Birmingham's Civil Rights Institute. The two documents are (1) The Birmingham Pledge and (2) the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948 and championed by Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Universal Human Rights Pledge reads as follows:

I believe that every individual has infinite and eternal worth.

I believe that recognition of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.

I believe that every individual is entitled to dignity and respect, without prejudice toward race, color, gender, disability, language, religion, creed, national origin, property, age or other status.

I believe that every thought and every act of such prejudice is harmful. If it is my thought or act, then it is harmful to me as well as others.

THEREFORE, from this day forward, I will strive daily to eliminate such prejudice from my thoughts and actions.

I will discourage such prejudice by others at every opportunity.

I will treat all people with dignity and respect.

I will strive to honor this pledge, knowing that the world will be a better place because of my effort.

NAFTA opened the door for American textile manufacturing to exit to South America and elsewhere. The economic downturn and the collapse of the housing market hit Monroeville and other communities in the wood basket hard, through no fault of their own.

Judge Norris concluded, "Monroeville/Monroe County is the best place on earth to raise a family and to do business. By staying true to our legacy and our values, we will embrace new opportunities, and we will thrive. Monroeville and Monroe County are open for international business."  

For more information, please contact:
Dr. John A. Johnson, Principle Advisor
Monroe/Monroe County
Economic Development Authority
[email protected]
(251)564-1610

About Monroeville, AL. For more information, please visit www.cityofmonroeville.com

About Monroe County For more information, please visit www.monroecountyal.com

About the Alabama Development Office (ADO) For more information, please visit www.ado.alabama.gov

About Monroeville/Monroe County Economic Development Authority For more information, please visit www.mmceda.com

SOURCE Monroeville City Council/Monroe County Commission