The Presidential Continuity of National Invest In America Week℠
Officially Featured on: www.investinamericaweek.com
In the layered narrative of America’s evolving civic identity, rarely does a single thread connect art, politics, economic vision, and generational legacy so clearly as the one drawn from Jim Freeman—founding member of the iconic doo-wop group The Five Satins—to his grandson Jeff Shuford, co-founder of National Invest In Veterans Week® and visionary architect of National Invest In America Week℠.
To fully grasp the sophistication and societal importance of National Invest In America Week℠ (NIAW), one must first appreciate its inheritance—not just from a congressional lineage, but from a historical moment where cultural performance and presidential policy intersected with national ideology.
Act I: Harmonies of Civic Purpose — Jim Freeman and the Nixon Campaign
In the early 1970s, the Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CREEP) executed an elaborate campaign strategy that employed America’s most beloved entertainers as cultural ambassadors. Among them, The Five Satins, The Coasters, Danny and the Juniors, Bobby Lewis, Johnny Thunder, and Gary U.S. Bonds were selected to lead a six-city patriotic “rock and roll revival” tour. The purpose was clear: galvanize America’s youth, restore civic pride, and build a cultural bridge to Nixon’s reelection platform.
A memo dated September 12, 1972, from Raymond Caldiero to Jeb Magruder explicitly outlines this:
“Performers who have agreed to donate their talent are: The Five Satins, The Coasters, Danny and the Juniors, Bobby Lewis, Johnny Thunder, Gary and the U.S. Bonds.”.
This tour, which spanned Milwaukee, Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C., was more than music—it was mobilization. The document titled “Celebrity/American Music Update” records it as a youth-targeted revival showcasing patriotism through pop culture—an effort mirroring the now emergent NIAW’s hybrid model of civic engagement and cultural resonance.
Jim Freeman, having exited The Five Satins as a touring performer in the early '60s, nonetheless played a critical behind-the-scenes role in sustaining the group’s cohesion and credibility—a quiet force whose influence would echo two generations later in the form of a civic doctrine authored not through song, but through structural impact.
Act II: The Nixon Doctrine on Investment
Two years prior to this youth tour, President Richard Nixon made a profound statement on civic responsibility:
“Without the private investor, America would simply not be the country we know and love.”
— President Richard Nixon, April 27, 1970
This declaration, made in recognition of National Invest-In-America Week (April 26 – May 2, 1970), articulated a vision of economic nationalism not through tariffs or subsidies, but through community-led enterprise. Nixon’s framing of private investment as a civic imperative—“to produce goods, to provide jobs, to build houses”—stands as the policy soul of today’s NIAW.
The Nixon-era campaign playbook didn’t just seek votes; it operationalized the arts, entertainment, and economic discourse to create a fully immersive civic campaign, one grounded in authenticity. This strategy echoes profoundly in the Shuford Roadmap™ that now powers both National Invest In Veterans Week® and National Invest In America Week℠.
Act III: The Shuford Legacy—Transforming Heritage into Civic Capital
Jeff Shuford’s vision for NIAW is not a political nostalgia project. It is a generational transformation—a transmutation of cultural capital into civic infrastructure.
As the grandson of Jim Freeman, Shuford inherits not just a last name, but a legacy of cultural leadership. He has extended this inheritance far beyond music. In 2019, he co-founded National Invest In Veterans Week®, which was later entered into the U.S. Congressional Record on March 8, 2024. In 2025, he expanded that vision to encompass NIAW—an initiative that leverages regional governance, social storytelling, and institutional scalability.
This continuity—spanning from the soulful harmonies of “In the Still of the Night” to the civic anthems of regional investment—is both rare and revolutionary. Freeman and Shuford may have spoken in different registers, but the melody is unmistakably patriotic.
Framework for a Civic Renaissance
National Invest In America Week℠ (July 1–7) is built around seven core pillars:
Regional Governance: Rather than 50 states, NIAW activates macro-regions, each led by Chairs inspired by gubernatorial structure. This allows scalable action without federal bottlenecks.
Invest In America Challenge™: A call-to-action for individuals, businesses, and institutions to complete a civic or economic activity during the week—ranging from hiring locally to launching mentorship networks.
Cultural Identity: A stylized tree “T” logo adorned with regional stars symbolizes rooted strength and national unity.
Policy Integration: Informed by historical proclamations and recent support from Congressman Brian Mast, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Transnational Connectivity: Through the infrastructure of NIVW, which spans 40 global markets, NIAW gains international interoperability.
Narrative Branding: Every region tells a story. Every action becomes a post, a pledge, a proposal.
Economic Nationalism Without Exclusion: Unlike protectionist ideologies, NIAW promotes inclusive growth, welcoming immigrant-owned, minority-led, and veteran-founded businesses under the same economic tent.
From Nixon’s Doctrine to Shuford’s Strategy
In the campaign document, celebrity programming wasn’t incidental—it was integral. Nixon’s team envisioned multiple media events, including:
A television special combining live performance and film content, showcasing “massive support for the president from all areas of the entertainment industry.”
A celebrity radio plan, featuring scripted PSA-style messages from Charlton Heston, Sammy Davis Jr., and Chad Everett.
A recruitment strategy targeting former Humphrey and Muskie supporters, eventually securing endorsements from Danny Thomas, Debbie Reynolds, and Jimmy Durante.
These strategies formed a civic marketing campaign that transcended policy, positioning art and business as allies in national rejuvenation.
Today, NIAW carries this model forward with authenticity. It does not repackage history—it repurposes it, embedding civic capital into contemporary platforms, from regional websites to syndicated podcasts, from social entrepreneurship funds to international trade hubs.
Civic Memory in Motion
What does it mean when one family, through both cultural and legislative avenues, spans 70 years of civic influence?
It means NIAW is not merely a commemorative week—it is a continuum. It absorbs the Nixon doctrine on investment, applies the community-first ethos of Jim Freeman, and executes it through the technocratic efficiency and visionary ambition of Jeff Shuford.
“In less than a year, our gross national product will reach a trillion dollars... But without private enterprise, the goals themselves would be meaningless.”
—President Nixon, 1970
Now, under NIAW, those goals are not just economic metrics—they are civic commitments.
Conclusion: The Future Has Roots
As National Invest In America Week℠ evolves, it brings with it a rare form of civic originality. Few initiatives are backed by a Congressional Record, a Grammy legacy, a presidential proclamation, and 21st-century branding acumen.
Shuford has reframed the nation’s economic potential—not as a ledger entry, but as a lived commitment. NIAW isn’t just a new observance; it’s the relaunch of America’s civic contract, authored not only in D.C., but in Buffalo, in Pittsburgh, in Cleveland—in every place where a song was sung, a campaign was staged, or a future was built.
To invest in America is to invest in its people, its culture, and its unfinished symphony of civic possibility.
For continued coverage, visit:
National Invest In America Week Website
National Invest In Veterans Week Website
Download the full Nixon memo here: Contested Materials, Nixon Library, September 12, 1972.
