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National Network News

---National African American History Museum---
Frederick Douglass IV, entrepreneur and great great grandson of the famed orator, abolitionist, journalist and diplomat of the 19th century, and Mark Mitchell of the Mark E. Mitchell Collection of African American History, recently announced their support for legislation that was introduced in Congress on May 3, 2001 authorizing a National Museum of African American History and Culture to be located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Douglass IV and Mitchell joined Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), Senator Max Cleland (D-GA), Congressman J.C. Watts, Jr. (R-OK), Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Chair, Congressional Black Caucus, and Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) at a Capitol Hill press conference to announce this legislation. They were also joined by other groups and individuals supporting preservation of African American history in the new national museum on the Mall, including: former Washington Redskins Art Monk and Charles Mann, James Henson, Sr., Esq., (great nephew of polar explorer Matthew Henson), and other supporters. Mark Mitchell, who has amassed an unparalleled collection of artifacts spanning 400 years of African American History, is committed to contributing his entire collection of African American historic documents to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Douglass IV now leads a coalition of groups and individuals who support a permanent national museum on the Mall in Washington that will exhibit artifacts and records spanning 400 years of African American history. "The National Museum of African American History and Culture will be a tremendously important institution for all Americans, especially families and children who visit the nation's capitol to reconnect with our history," said Douglass IV.

---Money, Money, Money---
The 2001 Minority Retirement Confidence Survey (MRCS) shows that almost 72 percent of the Asian-Americans surveyed feel confident they will have enough money to live comfortably throughout their retirement, while only 54 percent of African-Americans and 45 percent of Hispanic-Americans believe the same. In some instances minorities groups are consistent in their beliefs. Six in 10 (62 percent of Hispanic-Americans, 60 percent of African-Americans, and 60 percent of Asian-Americans) in each group believe they will continue working after retirement. Similarly, 6 in 10 (59 percent of Hispanic-Americans, 61 percent of African-Americans, and 64 percent of Asian-Americans) expect to receive retirement income from an employer through a defined benefit plan.

---Entertainment Attorney named Lawyer of the Year---Prominent entertainment attorney, L. Londell McMillan, whose famous clients include Prince, Stevie Wonder, D'Angelo, Wesley Snipes and Spike Lee, has accepted the Haywood W. Burns "Lawyer of the Year" Award from the Metropolitan Black Bar Association. With his New York based firm L. Londell McMillan PC, the 34-year-old legal eagle from Brooklyn has made a name for himself as both a civil rights advocate and an entrepreneur. He is well known for protecting artist's rights and copyrights while also aligning his primarily African American clients with breakthrough business deals in the international pop culture. Recently, L. Londell McMillan began representing the estates of Sammy Davis, Jr. and Christopher C. Wallace (aka the Notorious B.I.G.). McMillan gained much notoriety for fearlessly emancipating the music icon Prince from his contract from Warner Brothers Records, the contract that caused Prince to change his name to a symbol and wear the word "slave" on his face. He's also won several copyright infringement cases on behalf of artists such as Prince, comedian Julie Brown, and various songwriters and music producers (including those suing such entities as Sony Records). McMillan is a graduate of Cornell University and NYU School of Law.

--Back to South Africa---
One of the most prominent reporters in South Africa, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, will give a first-hand account of the ups and downs that go along with covering the post-apartheid nation. The CNN Johannesburg bureau chief will serve as the keynote speaker at the Atlanta Press Club's Headliner Luncheon on Tuesday, May 15 at Coohill's Steakhouse & Bar at 12:15 p.m. During the era of apartheid, Charlayne Hunter-Gault characterized South Africa as "one of the greatest challenges we in the media face." Now thirty years after voicing that opinion, Hunter-Gault says, "Reporting in Africa and South Africa, in particular, offers challenges I've never faced before, but they are challenges that fuel my passion for reporting some of the most extraordinary stories of my career." She goes on to explain, "There is a lot that is not right on this continent, but there is an awful lot that is. Striking that balance is, by far, the biggest challenge." Hunter-Gault's talent for achieving the right balance in reporting on a nation where politics are often volatile may be because she is no stranger to racially-charged situations herself. She played a key role in the civil rights movement as one of two students who desegregated the University of Georgia. For more information on the event, call 404-57-PRESS.

---Real Men Cook For Charity---
Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer, joins with Real Men Cook for Charity, the nation's premier Father's Day charitable cooking event, in a 10-city culinary fundraising celebration, on Sunday, June 17. This is the second year that Home Depot has joined Real Men Cook in supporting urban community-based charitable and nonprofit organizations. Real Men Cook is designed to mobilize hundreds of men across the country to participate as volunteer cooks on Father's Day. The mission of Real Men Cook is to raise money for charity through family, food and community celebrations in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. In each city, Real Men Cook will feature The Home Depot Kid's Workshop on-site to provide children with a hands-on opportunity to build a gift for their fathers or other real men in their lives. Last year, Home Depot provided complimentary supplies for more than 2,000 children and families participating in the craft workshops. Resources Associates International (RAI) launched Real Men Cook in 1989. RAI is owned and operated by husband-and-wife business partners, Kofi and Yvette Moyo. For more information, call 1-877-973-2563.

--- Detroit: Frederick Douglass Award---
Chrysler Group Senior Vice President of Government Affairs W. Frank Fountain received the Frederick Douglass Award during the 50th anniversary celebration of the Detroit Club of the National Association of Negro Business & Professional Women's Clubs, Inc. at the Detroit Holiday Inn. The Frederick Douglass Award is given annually to an African-American male who has contributed time and effort to help African-American women take their rightful place in every aspect of life. Fountain has been with Daimler Chrysler since 1973 and is currently responsible for analysis of state and local government legislative issues, community relations, national education programs and is President of the Daimler Chrysler Corporation Fund, the company's philanthropic organization.

---Detroit: Malcolm X---
Celebrate the life and legacy of social activist and leader Malcolm X throughout the day on Saturday, May 19, 2001 at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. This year's Malcolm X birthday commemoration will include panel discussions, short feature films, lectures, storytelling and debates, among other activities. Imam Salim Mumin, of Wali Muhammad, will present a historical overview of the masjid (mosque). His lecture will examine how the current masjid evolved out of Temple #1 of the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X's relationship to the history of the masjid and Detroit's roots within the Islamic community. A dramatic presentation, adapted by local journalist Eddie B. Allen, Jr., will depict Malcolm X's life-long evolution from oppressed victim of American discrimination to internationally recognized black revolutionary. The performance stars Stewart G. Walker as the man once known as "Detroit Red" and takes place in the Museum's General Motors Theater at 8 p.m. The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is located at 315 East Warren Avenue, in Detroit's Cultural Center.

---White Newspapers and Black Detroit---
As part of Detroit's 300th birthday celebration, the Society of Professional Journalists is sponsoring a discussion of the history of racism at Detroit newspapers since the early 1800s. Detroit Free Press reporter Bill McGraw, a co-author of the Detroit Almanac, will present results of his research into the history of newspaper coverage by newspapers in Detroit during a discussion on Thursday, May 17, at 7 p.m. at Wayne State University. McGraw will draw from newspaper clip files, photographs and other historical records to provide the historical context of blatantly anti-black journalism that dominated the local press for more than a century. The event will take place in the African American Room (the basement auditorium) of Manoogian Hall located on W. Warren Avenue at the Lodge Freeway service drive.

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