--Go to Unityfirst.com for---
1) Survey of Latinos: See findings from a comprehensive new survey of Latinos in the United States. It reveals an array of attitudes, values and experiences of Hispanics.
2) UnityFirst.com Pulse: Trent Lott- A special thanks to all who participated in UnityFirst.com's Pulse report regarding Trent Lott. The topical summary, with representative quotes from responses, outlines action steps for closing the racial divide in the U.S. and addressing the critical diversity issues faced by Democrats and Republicans.

---Mississippi prepares to execute African-American juvenile offender: Chris Foster is the first juvenile offender to be executed in the nation in 2003---Amnesty International has appealed for mercy in the case of Chris Foster, scheduled to be executed in Mississippi on January 8, 2003. Due to his youth at the time of the crime, concerns about racial disparity in the application of the death penalty in the U.S. and mitigating circumstances in his case, the organization called on Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove to commute the death sentence, noting that executing those who committed their crimes while under 18 is illegal under international law. At age 17, after drinking a 12-pack of beer, Foster shot shopkeeper George Shelton during a robbery. Foster's bizarre behavior has prompted his family to question his sanity. He suffered two serious head injuries as a youth. His IQ is 80, just ten points over the designated IQ set forth in the American Association of Mental Retardation's definition of persons with mental retardation. As an organization that works on behalf of victims worldwide, Amnesty International believes that executions perpetuate a cycle of violence. Mississippi has executed four juvenile offenders, all of whom were African-American. Amnesty International expressed concern that Chris Foster's execution will continue this tragic legacy. The last juvenile offender execution in Mississippi occurred in 1950. Juvenile offender executions will be the next key issue in the country's death penalty debate. At least eleven states will consider bills in 2003 to abolish the practice: Arkansas, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. Although the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider juvenile offender executions this Fall, a strong dissent issued by Justices Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg and Breyer noted that the "shameful practice" warrants revisiting. "Death rows across the U.S. now hold 83 juvenile offenders, most of whom are disenfranchised and indigent minorities," said Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, director of Amnesty International USA's Program to Abolish the Death Penalty. Mississippi has six juvenile offenders on death row, the third highest number in the nation. Texas leads with 24 while Alabama's death row has 14 juvenile offenders. Amnesty International is dismayed that the U.S. will defy binding international law if Mississippi executes Chris Foster next month. Since 1990, the U.S. has executed 18 child offenders. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, the only other countries known to have executed juvenile offenders during that time, executed a combined total of 14 child offenders. For a copy of Amnesty International's reports: Indecent and Internationally Illegal: The Death Penalty Against Child Offenders, Children and the Death Penalty: Executions Worldwide Since 1990, and Killing with Prejudice: Race and the Death Penalty in the USA, send an email jcorlew@aiusa.org.

---Trent Lott---
Noted clinical psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere states that Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott needed to resign for the sake of the mental health of the American people, especially African Americans. In his book Love Prescription, Dr. Gardere asserts that Black Americans lead in dysfunctional relationship statistics versus their white counterparts, including more extensive histories of domestic violence and drug abuse, more single parent homes and even twice the divorce rates of the general population. The cause of this family devastation is Post Traumatic Slavery Disorder (PTSD). This PTSD, which originated from the horrific and dehumanizing experiences of slavery, is at the root of black dysfunctional relationships, fueled by the symptoms of anger, distrust, and low or non-existent self esteem. Similar to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, these symptoms, which are chronic in nature, are intensified by traumatic flashbacks of past experiences with racism. But with Blacks achieving more economic parity, why do chaotic relationships and this PTSD continue to exist in black America. The answer is the aftermath of slavery; day to day racism, in which inequality and prejudice remain a fact of life, negatively affecting people of color. However, there are many in America who believe that slavery and racism are a thing of the past. This denial process promotes the thinking that America is color blind, which in turn unfairly subjects blacks to live and compete fairly and happily in an inequitable society. In other words they are set up for failure. The resignation of Trent Lott, as Senate majority leader, may very well wake America up to the fact that racism continues to be part of the American fabric and must be addressed day to day, personally and through government policy. If not, Blacks will continue to suffer the disintegration of their families. This is truly a stain on all of America. For a copy of Love Prescription, contact Julia Shaw (212) 953-3512.

---Robert L. Johnson receives NBA approval to purchase new Charlotte Basketball franchise---Robert L. Johnson, founder and chief executive officer of Black Entertainment Television (BET), has been approved by a committee of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to own and operate an expansion franchise in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The NBA's Expansion Committee unanimously approved Johnson for ownership, the league announced. "I look forward to receiving final approval of my application for the Charlotte franchise from the NBA's Board of Governors," Johnson said. The NBA's 29-member Board of Governors is scheduled to vote on the Expansion Committee's recommendation in mid-January 2003.Recently Johnson partnered with Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder in an effort to bring Major League Baseball to Washington, D.C. -- a project which Johnson plans to continue supporting in addition to his new NBA franchise.

---State of diversity in Football: comments by Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. and Cyrus Mehri---"The National Football League's Workplace Diversity Committee, chaired by Dan Rooney, proposed and the owners agreed to interview one or more minority candidates for vacant head coaching positions is a major step in the right direction. By adopting this principle, the NFL owners may create a long awaited breakthrough in minority hiring practices for head coaches. Under the leadership of Dan Rooney, the Diversity Committee and the Working Group have moved the ball into the red zone. It is now up to the owners to get the job done by moving it over the goal line. Implementation is the key to the success of the diverse candidate slate principle. The NFL's proposal unfortunately leaves wide open the issue of enforceability. We believe that the NFL owners must be held accountable if there is a departure from the diverse candidate slate principle. We urge the Workplace Diversity Committee to consider additional proposals that put teeth behind the diverse candidate principle and extend the principle to offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and assistant head coach positions. The Rooney Committee must also turn to fair competition in the front office. We remain particularly troubled by the fact that so many owners have never even interviewed, let alone hired, a minority candidate for a position of authority in the front offices. At the moment, the NFL lags far behind the NBA and Major League Baseball. We encourage fans to remain vigilant to be sure that all teams in the NFL fully carry out the diverse candidate agreement. We will closely monitor the next hiring cycle for NFL coaches. During the off-season we will examine several options we have to further advance equal opportunity in the NFL coaching and front offices."

---Black Fire Fighters----
The International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters has given East Cleveland, Ohio a $10,000 grant for fire prevention. The presentation was made by Johnny Brewington, a Cleveland Fire Department battalion chief and East Cleveland resident, and Richard Wilcox, president of the association's East Cleveland chapter. The firefighters are distributing $200,000 nationwide.

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