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National Network News--

--In Cincinnati ---
NAACP President Kweisi Mfume has called on Attorney General John Ashcroft to order a full investigation of the fatal shooting by Cincinnati Police of an unarmed African American man. "If news reports are correct that this is the 15th Black man killed by Cincinnati police since 1995 and the fourth since November, there are obviously problems with the way this department does business," said Mfume. "Until we change the way in which law enforcement interacts with the communities they serve, problems will continue to exist between citizens and the police." The Reverend Al Sharpton will also spend some time in Cincinnati to address the community and city officials.

---Success in corporate America---
Standardized tests like the SAT fail to capture the qualities most essential for success in the corporate world, such as creativity, drive, and leadership, according to a new survey of corporate executives (CEOs, CFOs, COOs) of the nation's Fortune 1000 companies released by the National Urban League. The survey's key findings reveal that: (1) 91 percent rated "character" (defined as integrity, the ability to overcome obstacles, determination, and drive) as the most crucial attribute for achieving long-term success in business, followed by "communication skills" and "leadership skills." (2) 96 percent said standardized test scores are "not very important" to long-term success in business.

---Florida: The Vote---
While stories of Florida's hanging and dimpled chads have covered news pages since Election Day, a new investigation reveals that Florida elections officials -- including Secretary of State Katherine Harris -- engineered an electoral system that was stacked against black voters from the start and was in place well before the election. According to the investigation by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Lantigua in the April 30 issue of The Nation, "….disfranchisement 2000-style did not depend on intimidation. Instead, Florida state elections officials and hired data crunchers used computers to target thousands of voters, many of whom were then purged from the voter rolls without reason." The Nation also details numerous other election issues, including cases of voters who registered in plenty of time but were not allowed to vote. For a copy of this report, contact John Lantigua at The Nation , (212) 209-5426 or send email to danielle@thenation.com.

---National Minority Cancer Awareness Week---
This year marks the 15th annual National Minority Cancer Awareness Week, recognized from April 15-21. The American Cancer Society (ACS), along with health care providers, community organizations, and state and local agencies, recognizes this week as an opportunity for heightening awareness of the unequal cancer burden for ethnic and medically underserved populations.

---Designer Touch unveils revolutionary new hair care line---
Luster Products, Inc. has done it again. As the leading African-American owned manufacturer of hair care products, they have prided themselves on keeping a finger on the pulse of the consumer's needs. Designer Touch, the professional hair care line for Luster Products, announced a new 3-N-1 Colorlaxer system that allows salon stylist to relax, color, and condition in one step. Designer Touch Strait Shades Colorlaxer has been years in the making. Relaxers, conditioners, and colors are traditionally performed as a three-step process, and in many cases done over multiple visits to the salon to ensure hair safety. Freddie Luster, vice president of Research and Development said that no other product like it exists and Designer Touch is the first to offer a hair care system that relaxes, conditions and colors hair in one step. The Strait Shades Colorlaxer system debuts with the iridescent collection available in three shades - iridescent red, iridescent black, and iridescent brown. For more information about the new Strait Shades line, visit the Designer Touch For Professionals Only Web site at www.designertouch.com or call (800) 621-4255. Luster Products is the leading African-American owned manufacturer of hair care products for people of African descent worldwide. In addition to its professional line Designer Touch, Luster produces several other lines: Pink Oil Moisturizer, S-Curl and PCJ. For more information, send email to twalker@flowerscomm.com.

---CEO Sister---
Join the nation's first web site for women of color entrepreneurs and professionals. Ceosister.com was designed and developed by a "sister" just for you...sisters with a desire to succeed on their own! Visit often for our special features, business tools, financial information and calendar of business events. You won't find horoscopes and personal ads but what you will find is business news and information to help your business grow. Work with us as we also develop our tenant mall and our cyber "sister university." Sign up for our free e mail and access to other sisters just like you. Remember, you don't have to be a CEO yet! Go to www.ceosister.com and begin the journey to success.

---Lawry's Family Favorites Recipe Contest---
Do you have a favorite family recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation? If so, enter that treasured recipe into the Lawry's Family Favorites Recipe Contest. Enter your favorite family recipe or tasty cooking tip using Lawry's Seasoned Salt for a chance to win $100 in groceries! The first 100 entrants will receive a free family portrait from JCPenney Portraits. Please e-mail your favorite family recipe by April 20, 2001 to fcgchicago@aol.com.

---Phenomenal Jazz with Patricia Adams in New York---
For a jazz performance to remember and food that warms the soul, enjoy an evening at Yvonne's Southern Cuisine, one of New York's finest soul food restaurants with some phenomenal jazz by the Patricia Adams Quartet. Come and here the great standards you love and more with THE Patricia Adams QUARTET. Adams will appear on Friday evening, April 20th at Yvonne's Southern Cuisine, 503 Fifth Avenue at 6th Street, Pelham, New York with Bill Wurtzel on guitar. For reservations, call 914-738-2005.

---Chicago: DuSable Museum---
The Bank of America Foundation announced that it is bringing one of the most important and comprehensive collections of 20th century African-American art to Chicago. The collection, Celebration and Vision: The Hewitt Collection of African-American Art, will come to Chicago's DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 East 56th Place on May 6 as part of a national tour to more than a dozen museums and cultural centers across the U.S.

---The Sankofa Study: Ethno-Botanical Project---
Los Angeles' SANKOFA Times TV has announced the completion of a video documentary of The SANKOFA Study: Ethno-Botanical Research Project, on the use of medicinal herbs on the Caribbean island of Tobago, West Indies. Producer Sufia Giza lived on the island paradise of Tobago during the six months that she conducted this intensive research on "Folk" or "Bush" medicine last year. She plans to offer stateside residents the opportunity to take part in Herbal Healing Tours to Tobago. For more information on the study, call
(323) 231-2810.

---Los Angeles Black Business Expo and Trade Show---
The Los Angeles Black Business Expo, Trade Show, and Business Conference will be held Thursday, April 19, 2001, with a day of power networking with the sponsoring corporations, banks, and businesses. To attend, call (323) 290-4743 for ticket information.

---African American Male Empowerment Summit in Philadelphia---
Basketball Legend and School of Skillz Founder, Richard "PeeWee" Kirkland will address the 2nd Annual African-American Male Empowerment Summit (AAMES) on April 20, 2001 at Community College of Philadelphia's Winnett Hall at 17th & Spring Garden. Included are workshops for men, women and youth and powerful keynote addresses. Topics include entrepreneurship, fathering, youth leadership, mentoring and community development. New to the 2001 agenda is a "Women's Perspectives on Fathering" workshop. AAMES, which takes place in seven markets in 2001, is a 501(c)(3) company and your registration and contributions are tax deductible. Please visit http://www.aames.org, call 877-AAMES-77 or send an E-mail to info@aames.org for details.

---TV Talk: On the History Channel---
The History Channel will air a program on "The Slaughter" incident (the 364th Infantry at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi). The show is scheduled to air Sunday night, April 29th, at 10 p.m. (to be repeated on April 30th at 2 a.m.). The 364th was an all-Black army regiment when segregation permeated every military base in America. Unwilling to endure racist conditions, many of the men in the 364th Infantry fought back.

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