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National Network News--

San Francisco: Golden State Bancorp---
Golden State Bancorp Inc., the holding company of California Federal Bank, has been named the top financial firm for its track record for buying goods and services from minority- and women-owned businesses by Working Woman Magazine. The April issue of the magazine lists Golden State as the number three firm in the nation in its list of 30 firms recognized for supplier diversity. Cal Fed's supplier diversity program requires that at least one minority-, woman- or disabled person-owned business be included in any bid process for a purchase in excess of $5,000. In addition, Cal Fed works with existing suppliers to require that a percentage of purchases made through them are subcontracted to businesses owned by women, disabled people and/or members of a minority. Cal Fed is the second-largest California-based insured depository institution, with $60 billion in assets and 354 branches in California and Nevada. In shifting its focus from the needs of women in business to broader corporate diversity issues, Working Woman Network, the publication's parent company, recently launched the Women and Minority Business Exchange (WMBX), an online marketplace where goods and services are sold exclusively by businesses owned by women or minorities to corporations and government agencies.

---African Americans in Advertising host tribute to Essence founders---
African Americans in Advertising (AAIA) will be hosting its 2nd Annual "Excellence in Advertising Award Dinner" on Tuesday, April 3, 2001 at Bridgewaters in New York City. This year AAIA will roast and toast the dual leadership and lifelong friendship of Edward Lewis, Publisher and CEO of Essence Magazine along with Clarence O. Smith, President & Co-Founder. AAIA, is a non-profit organization for professionals of color serving the advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, communication and media industries. Founded in January 1999, AAIA is an affiliate of the American Advertising Federation (AAF). This organization serves as a network, think-tank, and resource for professionals and for persons aspiring towards careers in these fields. Join AAIA and our roasters Mr. Tom Burrell - Burrell Communications Group, Mr. Earl G. Graves, Sr. - Black Enterprise, Mr. Bernard Shaw - CNN, Ms. Terrie Williams - Terrie Williams Agency, Ms. Barbara Britton - Essence Magazine, Mr. Rayton Gerald - Associated Black Charities along with our evening's host Mr. David Ushery of ABC Eyewitness News and some special surprise guests, as we "sharpen our skewers" and pay tribute to two pioneers in the advertising industry. The 2nd Annual Excellence in Advertising Award roast is jointly sponsored by: Essence Magazine, Black Enterprise, AdWeek Magazines, City & Suburban Styles, The Network Journal, Alize, Daily News and Unity First/African American Newswire. For tickets to the event, call (212) 323-8107.

---NAACP: Confederate Flag ---
Kweisi Mfume, president & CEO, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said the Confederate flag today represents evil in much the same way as the German Swastika. "The NAACP believes it is time for Mississippi to have a flag that all of its citizens can support," Mfume said. "This means one without the symbol of the confederacy. Confederate flag supporters who are proud of the heritage it represents should understand that this includes the support of slavery and the belief that African Americans are not entitled to all of the protections of the Constitution." Mfume said Confederate vice president Alexander H. Stephens made this clear in his famous Cornerstone speech in 1861 in Savannah, Ga. Stephens said: "Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea (in the U.S. Constitution that all men are created equal); its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests upon the great truth, that the Negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery -- subordination to the superior race -- is his natural and normal condition." The NAACP Board of Directors has passed three resolutions condemning the display of the Confederate flag "in or on any public site or space, building, or any emblem."

---Diversity at Mitsubishi Motors---
U.S. District Court Judge Michael M. Mihm has given preliminary approval to a settlement agreement in a class action lawsuit alleging past acts of racial harassment and discrimination at Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America. Attorneys for both sides said the settlement agreement underscores Mitsubishi's commitment to a fair and racially sensitive workplace. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of African-American and Hispanic/Latino employees who worked at Mitsubishi's manufacturing plant in Normal, Illinois. Their complaints generally relate to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charges originally filed in mid 1998.

---Cesar Chavez Honored ---
The first annual Cesar E. Chavez state holiday in California was held on March 30. The holiday is in recognition and appreciation of Chavez, for his tireless work for equality, justice and dignity for all Americans -- especially the often forgotten men, women and children who toil as agricultural workers. The Cesar E. Chavez Foundation will commemorate this historic day by celebrating the life and teachings of Chavez with several events throughout Los Angeles County. Cesar Chavez is best known as the founder and longtime leader of the United Farm Workers, the first successful farm workers union in American history. For more than 30 years, Chavez led the UFW to secure rights and protections for hundreds of thousands of farm workers. Chavez was born on a small farm in Yuma, Arizona in 1927. He spent his youth working with his family in agricultural fields throughout the Southwest. He passed away in his sleep on April 23, 1993, a few miles from the farm where he was born.

---Jazz in Boston: April 5, 2001 CD Release party for the Patricia Adams Quartet at Ryles Jazz Club ---On Thursday, April 5, 2001 (8 pm), THE Patricia Adams QUARTET celebrates their new release, "Out of this World" at Ryles Jazz Club, 212 Hampshire Street at Inman Square, Cambridge, MA. Doug Hammer, album producer and Dreamworld Productions producer and sound engineer where Out Of This World was recorded and mixed, plays piano. Langston 'Skip' Smith plays bass. Stanley C. Swann, III plays drums. This new CD takes jazz to new heights with an essence of salsa and gospel. It's the American dream in process -- this Patricia Adams Quartet (PAQ) story. "It took me six years to put this band together", explains bandleader Patricia Adams. "Now in their third year, the PAQ has released its first CD, OUT OF THIS WORLD, which features 14 jazz and blues standards framed in a potpourri of rhythms from salsa to gospel. For reservations ($12 Cover Charge), call 617-876-9330. Complimentary hors d'hoeuvres. For complimentary press passes or interviews with Patricia Adams, contact Janine Fondon at jfondon@unityfirst.com or call (508) 879-1384.

---National Public Health Week, April 2-8---
During the week of April 2-8, 2001 thousands of Americans in all 50 states will celebrate National Public Health Week with activities in their local communities. The American Public Health Association (APHA) is proud to spearhead this 6th Annual National Public Health Week called "Healthy People, Healthy Communities" and is working to remind people that to have truly healthy communities racial and ethnic disparities in health must be eliminated. Consider the following statistics on health disparities: infant mortality rates are 2 1/2 times higher for African Americans and 1 1/2 times higher for American Indians than whites; African American men under 65 have prostate cancer at nearly twice the rate of whites and women of Vietnamese origin have cervical cancer at nearly five times the rate of white women; the number of new AIDS cases among African Americans is now greater than the number of new AIDS cases among whites; and the prevalence of diabetes in Hispanics, American Indians and Alaska Natives is nearly double that of whites.

---TV Talk: 'A Huey P. Newton Story' on BLACK STARZ!---
BLACK STARZ! will present the compelling and controversial portrait of a man who was loved and admired, feared and hated in the world premiere of "A Huey P. Newton Story," on Monday, June 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Written, created by and starring Roger Guenveur Smith, "A Huey P. Newton Story" is directed by Spike Lee and produced in association with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and African Heritage Network (AHN). Additional air dates for "A Huey P. Newton Story" on BLACK STARZ! include, 8 p.m. ET/PT Saturday, June 23 and 11:40 p.m. ET/PT Wednesday, June 27. The film will have subsequent broadcasts on PBS and African Heritage Network.

---Los Angeles: Job Opportunity of the Week---
The City of Long Beach & The City of West Hollywood in Association with the Diversity Recruiters Network proclaims 'Diversity Employment Day,' on April 12, 2001 with a career fair at the Long Beach Convention Center between the hours of 11am - 6pm. The Title VII Diversity Career Fair represents corporate participation across all industries, such as high-tech, entertainment, banking and finance, pharmaceutical, retail and hospitality, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, and government agencies.

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