PARTNERSHIP CONVENTION EVENT FOCUSES ON
RACE ISSUES AND BOSTON'S "CHANGING FACE"
CONGRESSMAN HAROLD FORD KEYNOTES DISCUSSION AT JFK LIBRARY

(AFRICAN AMERICAN NEWSWIRE)(BOSTON-July 16, 2004) "The Changing Face of Boston: A Mirror of America," a major discussion on diversity issues to coincide with the Democratic National Convention is set for 9a.m. to 1p.m. on Saturday, July 24 at the JFK Library. The event, sponsored by KeySpan Energy, will anchor release of the Partnership Inc's 2004 Report on the State of Diversity in Boston.

As part of the event, Congressman Harold Ford (D-Tennessee) will give a keynote address focusing on the dynamics of race in the local and national economy. Delegates, community leaders and public officials from across the country are expected to attend, including Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Convention Chairwoman Alice Huffman, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Maryland), former Washington D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt, and Congressman John Lewis (D-Georgia).

"Diversity is an issue of national importance that has special meaning here in Boston," said Benaree Wiley, President and CEO of The Partnership, the organization hosting the event. "Our community previously was considered unfriendly to professionals of color, but we have made great progress over recent decades to welcome people of color," she continued.

The event will also launch a new Partnership initiative aimed at attracting and keeping young professional of color in the Boston area. The KeySpan Student Retention Initiative builds on the group's successful track record of creating a support and development network for black and other minority professionals.

"Diversity is a KeySpan corporate value because it is good business," said Robert B. Catell, Chairman and CEO of KeySpan, the largest distributor of natural gas in the Northeast and the lead sponsor of the upcoming event and The Partnership's new Student Retention Initiative. "A workforce that includes highly skilled people of color benefits business and community interest," Catell added.

The Partnership recently released preliminary results of a new survey showing that the number of Boston area professionals of color is increasing at a rate competitive with that of other metropolitan areas. For example, between 1999-2002, Boston area professionals of color categorized as "officials and managers" experienced a 12 percent growth rate while Chicago at 11 percent grew at a slightly lower rate, New York at 10 percent, and Los Angeles at nine percent. The full data will be announced for the first time at the event.

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