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National Network News--

----Xerox and Employment Discrimination----
Xerox Corporation has been charged with engaging in a pattern and practice of discrimination against minority salespeople in the New York City metropolitan area. Each of the affidavits filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) state that they are being filed not only on behalf of the named individual but "on behalf of all minority employees who are similarly situated." The complainants are being represented by the law firms Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP and Leeds Morelli & Brown, PC. Milberg Weiss is the largest class action litigation firm in the country. Leeds Morelli & Brown specializes in employment discrimination. Eleven affidavits were filed on Wednesday, March 14, with the EEOC. According to Lenard Leeds, senior partner at Leeds Morelli, there are more EEOC complaints in the pipeline. "Our clients," said Melvyn I. Weiss, senior partner at Milberg Weiss, "have described a system where Xerox quickly assigns white salespeople to profitable sales territories and expeditiously promotes them through the ranks while assigning minority salespeople to traditionally less profitable territories. Our clients charge, furthermore, that no matter how well minority salespeople perform in their territories, Xerox rarely, if ever, promotes them to more profitable areas."

---Attorney Willie Gary on Microsoft---
Attorney Willie Gary sharply criticized Microsoft, declaring that, "any jury in America will reject the plantation mentality that Microsoft imposes on their African American employees." Gary, who represents seven former and current Microsoft employees who have a $5 billion racial discrimination class action suit pending against Microsoft, was responding to Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's decision to recuse himself from the suit. Judge Jackson actually offered support for the case with his depiction of Microsoft as a company that lies and violates the law. In recusing himself , Judge Jackson wrote that Microsoft is a "company with an institutional disdain for both the truth and for rules of law that lesser entities must respect." Gary added that he "is stunned" that Microsoft, one the world's leading technology firms, has disrespected its African American employees, while doing little to recruit a diverse workforce. In 1999, Microsoft employed 21,429 people, of which only 2.6% or 553 were black. Of the company's 5,155 managers, only 1.6% or 83 were black. Willie Gary is a senior partner at Gary, Williams, Parenti, Finney, Lewis, McManus, Watson, & Sperando based Florida. Gary, who is known for taking on corporate giants, is representing Roger Maris and his family in a breach of contract dispute with Anheuiser-Busch which is set to go to trial on April 30, 2001.

---Justice Department report--
Violent victimization of both blacks and whites has decreased significantly since 1993, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced in a report analyzing crime statistics from 1993-1998. The study focused on rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault and simple assault. During the period studied, victimization rates among whites decreased 29 percent, and victimization of blacks decreased 38 percent, narrowing the differences between the rates of the two groups. Among Hispanic people (who can be of any race) the rate of violent victimization fell 45 percent between 1993 and 1998. Declines in violent victimization rates among American Indians and Asians were not statistically significant. Violent crime against whites and blacks was committed primarily by members of the victims' own race: Sixty-six percent of white victims and 76 percent of black victims stated the offender was of the same race as the victim. American Indians and Asian victims, however, were most often victimized by an offender of a different race. The study also showed that blacks were murdered at far higher rates than other U.S. residents. During 1998 there were 23 blacks murdered compared to four whites and three victims of other races per 100,000 persons of each racial group.

---From National Urban League President Hugh B. Price---
Following is an excerpt from a statement by the National Urban League President Hugh B. Price in response to the Justice Department report that shows Blacks and Latinos are twice as likely as whites to report the use of force in encounters with police, and were more likely than whites to be stopped, searched, handcuffed or ticketed. "The National Urban League welcomes the findings of the Justice Department report that shows the numbers of African Americans and Latinos targeted for police action are disproportionate to the numbers of whites. The League believes that the Justice Department statistics point to a much larger and endemic problem between blacks, Latinos and other people of color and local law enforcement officials. The Justice Department must now take a leadership role in addressing them."

---Citizens Trust Bank Opens School Banking Program---
Employees from Citizens Trust Bank will start students of A. F. Herndon Elementary School on the path to a positive financial future by participating in the Citizens Trust Bank School Savers Program. "While today's children can receive e-mail through their cell phones or use a CD-ROM to do their homework, many don't know the basics of saving and money management, said John Robinson, principal of A. F. Herndon. "Studies show that people who learn to save early in life usually make smarter financial decisions. Citizens Trust Bank starts children off on the right path to saving for their future." Citizens Trust currently has a school bank in M. Agnes Jones Elementary with planned opening dates for Bouie Elementary, Atlanta Youth Academy, Pine Ridge Elementary, Southside Comprehensive High School and four other schools still in the planning stages. Citizens Trust Bank is the largest African-American owned bank in the Southeast and maintains it position among the top 5 nationwide.

---New Leadership---
Citizens Bancshares Corporation announced the hiring of Terry L. Kemp as the new president of Citizens Trust Bank Mortgage Services Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Citizens Bancshares Corporations and sister company of Citizens Trust Bank. CTBMSI specializes in providing new homeownership loans to metro Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia residents. Mr. Kemp joins the team with tremendous knowledge in banking, mortgage lending, underwriting and management. Citizens Trust Bank is one of the nation's largest African-American-owned banks with over $260 million in assets.

---Tom Joyner in Baltimore---
Radio One, Inc. announced that it has signed Tom Joyner's nationally syndicated morning show to air on Baltimore's WWIN-FM (95.9 FM) beginning March 26, 2001. Joyner's critically acclaimed show has never before aired in Baltimore, the nation's 9th largest African American market. "We have always wanted the Tom Joyner Morning Show in Baltimore, and Tom has always wanted his show broadcast here," commented Kathy Brown, Radio One's regional program director for the Mid Atlantic area. Tom Joyner has enjoyed huge success in multiple markets across the country. Baltimore marks the 112th market for the show.

---California African American Business Summit---
AT&T, UPS, and Wells Fargo, among other Fortune 500 corporations, have partnered for the fourth consecutive year with TPC Foundation, Inc. to present the California African American Business Summit 2001, one of the nation's leading business conferences connecting corporate America with one of the fastest-growing business and consumer markets. The conference is designed to help corporations win more of the minority business market. Summit 2001 highlights include a supplier diversity and corporate marketing showcase, general sessions and workshops that address topics such as securing debt and equity financing, using technology to increase productivity and profitability, becoming more competitive through alliances, mergers, and acquisitions.

---Job Opportunity of the Week: Chief Information Officer---
Clark University in Worcester, MA invites nominations and applications for the position of Chief Information Officer. We seek a dynamic and innovative leader who understands the educational mission of the university and can play a significant creative role in guiding the university in emerging technology initiatives. The CIO will recommend, develop, and deliver appropriate and effective technology services, will work closely with the Provost and the VP for Administration and Finance, and will report to the President. Detailed information on qualifications, the position, and application procedures is available at www.clarku.edu/cio. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. AA/EOE Smoke-free workplace.

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