---Report says California Banks continue to fail African American and Latino borrowers---A two-tier credit system undermines the opportunity for African American and Latino households in the cities of Fresno, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento and San Diego to get their fair share of home loans, according to a new study by the California Reinvestment Committee (CRC). And those few African American and Latino borrowers who do qualify for a mortgage are likely to pay substantially more for their home loans, the CRC report concludes. The CRC report, "Who Really Gets Home Loans: Year 10," identifies four key trends:
--Unequal Access to Home Purchase Loans. African American and Latino homebuyers are not receiving their fair share of home purchase loans;
--People of Color Pay More for Home Loans. High cost sub-prime lenders are more likely than banks to lend to people of color;
--A Two-Tier Credit System Exists in Financial Companies. Large banking companies that own both banks and sub-prime lending arms -- such as Citibank, Countrywide, H&R Block, HSBC, National City, and Washington Mutual -- are not serving borrowers of color with prime loans, but with high cost sub-prime loans.
--Borrowers' Sub-prime Lending Costs are High. Sub-prime mortgages in2001 and 2002 carried Annual Percentage Rates as high as 25%, when most bank loans had APRs under 7%. Based on federal Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data, the report is the tenth in an annual series of CRC investigations of how California's banks and mortgage companies serve the needs of our state's diverse communities.

---World AIDS Day, December 1---
BET NIGHTLY NEWS will take an in-depth look at HIV/AIDS and the African- American community in a special segment hosted by news anchor Jacque Reid at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. BET's THE NAKED TRUTH 2 poignantly concludes the special programming series at 11:30 p.m. with an up-close look at HIV/AIDS and African-American women. Produced and directed by Michael Joyner, this NAACP Image Award-winning documentary explores the issues of HIV/AIDS, morality and sexuality through the personal and emotional journey of six African-American women who are either affected by or infected with the deadly disease.

----Honey, Heart& Soul and Savoy magazines----Vanguarde Media's Honey, Heart & Soul and Savoy magazines will cease publication after their respective January issues, according to reports from the company. The decision is based on funding issues.

---Amistad America to visit Sierra Leone, birthplace of Amistad captives---A nine-person delegation, organized by the Amistad Committee, Inc., will visit Sierra Leone from November 30th to December 8th. This is the fifth trip focused on establishing formal ties with the nation and providing much needed sources of sustainable economic growth for the people of Sierra Leone. The Amistad Committee and its allies have already funded the Amistad Friendship Tree Grove to replace the trees donated for the construction of Freedom Schooner Amistad. An on-going initiative is the establishment of the community run Amistad Friendship Fisheries Project that would supply fish to 17 villages, with the surplus serving as a cash crop. One of the major discussions taking place during this visit will focus on the proposal to restore Bunce Island. The restoration and preservation of this site will serve as an historic monument to an ignominious past. The island holds the remains of an English fort that was used as a collection area for people from various regions of Africa, destined for slavery in the United States. The history of Sierra Leone is inextricably tied to American history and the history of Connecticut. The West African nation was the home of the Amistad captives, from which they were kidnapped and sold to slave dealers. Today, a statue of Sengbe Pieh, the leader of the Sierra Leonean captives, stands in front of New Haven's City Hall, the very site at which the captives were jailed. Freedom Schooner Amistad, a re-creation of the vessel the captives seized, currently visits ports nationally and internationally as an ambassador for friendship and goodwill. It serves as a floating classroom, icon and monument to the millions of souls that were broken or lost as a result of the insidious Transatlantic Slave Trade. For more information, send email to kanderson@amistadamerica.org.

---Book of the Week: Africana Woman, Her Story Through Time---The indomitable spirit, strength and courage of Black women is celebrated in a one-of-a-kind volume from National Geographic this fall that traces the voices of women of African descent around the world, from ancient times to the present. By far the most comprehensive book of its genre on the market, AFRICANA
WOMAN: HER STORY THROUGH TIME (National Geographic Books), is by African American historian and professor Cynthia Jacobs Carter, with an introduction by social activist Dorothy Height. The lavishly illustrated book tells the stories of remarkable women who through the ages have triumphed over adversity and greatly influenced the political, social and cultural structures of the societies in which they lived. From queens of antiquity to modern politicians. These daughters of Africa have inspired awe worldwide for their will not only to survive but to thrive in the face of many obstacles. Readers meet powerful ancient monarchs such as Queen Hatshepsut, ruler of Egypt 3,500 years ago, and Makeda, Queen of Sheba; strong slave women and spiritual leaders like Anastacia, worshiped as a saint in Bahia, Brazil, and Nanny, Queen of the Maroons, who led rebellions against slavery in Jamaica.

---Native American Glass Art - Past, Present and Future---Bridging Traditions: Native American Glass Art is Philadelphia's only exhibit of Native American glass art, ranging from pre-Trail of Tears style glass beadwork to modern blown glass sculptures - and beyond! The exhibit is open to the public: November 21st - December 31st at the National Liberty Museum 321 Chestnut Street, Old City Philadelphia

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