---SEND US YOUR KWANZAA CELEBRATION NEWS OR INSIGHTS---
Send in your news and events to: info@unityfirst.com. Happy Kwanzaa!

---Self-employment increased across ethnic groups from 1979 to 2003---
Self-employment rates for women, Blacks, and Latinos have risen sharply since 1979, according to a study released by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration. During the period, self-employment rates increased across ethnic groups and gender, with an overall increase of more than five percent. "Self-employment is a critical part of our economy," said Thomas M. Sullivan, Chief Counsel for Advocacy. "Self-employment provides the main source of income for a diverse group of over 12 million Americans. The increase in self-employment rates for women, Blacks, and Latinos show that small business ownership can move minorities and women further into our economic mainstream."

---Philadelphia's African American Ethnic Holiday mall---Holiday shoppers in Center City Philadelphia have a new ethnic shopping experience to add to that which is already offered in the Hispanic community's Golden Mile, the Asian community's Chinatown, and in the Italian Market, at Ninth and Christian Streets. Now through December 31, 2004, a new African-American Ethnic Holiday Mall is located at Love Park, 15th & John F. Kennedy Boulevard. The open-air mall, which comprises 42 African-American/African/ Caribbean-themed and -owned vendors, will offer culturally specific gift items and foods for holiday shoppers, seven days a week: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm, Mondays through Fridays; 10:00 am - 8:00 pm, Saturdays, and 12 noon to 5:00 pm, Sundays. The mall has been organized by the City's African-American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) and is being sponsored by the City of Philadelphia's Commerce Department. The creative African- and Philadelphia-themed entryways to the vendors mall were designed by Kia Steave-Dickerson, an African-American Chamber member-designer, who is also a cast member of the hit cable home-design show "Trading Spaces."

---Get theater tickets for Broadway shows---
It is never too early to start planning activities to celebrate Black History Month and Women's History Month in New York City. . Join the WTG Group Sales Email Club at walktallgirl@aol.com and be among the first to get details and tickets for several amazing productions both on and off Broadway. The Lincoln Center Theater will unveil Dessa Rose, a New Musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Directed and Choreographed by Graciela Daniele. Starring La Chanze and Tina Frabrique. Based on the acclaimed novel by Sherley A. Williams, two strong women, one black, one white, form an unexpected friendship in the pre-Civil War South. United by fate but divided by prejudice, these two women are locked in a thrilling battle for freedom, sisterhood, friendship, and love. Tickets On Sale January 2005 (date to be announced). Previews begin Thursday, February 17. Opens Monday, March 21. Closes Sunday, May 29. Make your reservations today! One more thing: Mark your calendars! Academy Award winner Denzel Washington returns to Broadway this spring in Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare! Also, James Earl Jones and Leslie Uggams come back to Broadway in a landmark production of On Golden Pond. And, the smash off Broadway hit, Sarah Jones bridge and tunnel, moves to the Great White Way.

---AIDS update---
HIV/AIDS continues to be a growing threat to world health. An estimated 39 million people are infected with HIV. About 3 million men and women died of AIDS in 2003 and there were close to 5 million new infections worldwide. In the United States, it is estimated that up to 950,000 Americans are living with HIV, with 40,000 new infections every year. For the first time, women and girls compose almost half of the people with HIV. In sub-Saharan Africa, 57 percent of people living with AIDS are female. In the United States, women accounted for 26 percent of all AIDS cases in 2002, up from 6 percent in 1985. Minority women are disproportionately impacted, comprising 80 percent of American women living with AIDS.

---AIDS Dance-a-thon in New York---
Hip-Hop icon Lil' Kim and actress Rosie Perez, currently on Broadway in the smash hit Reckless, have signed on as special guest hosts of Move Against AIDS: Return of the Dance-a-thon, on December 11, 2004, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. Lil' Kim and Rosie Perez join an all-star line-up of internationally renowned producers and DJ's, including Beverly Bond, Peter Rauhofer, Danny Tenaglia, Tony Touch, and Junior Vasquez. Other special guest performers include R&B sensation 3LW, disco and club music legend Martha Wash, and Kevin Aviance, whose club hit Din Da Da reached number one on the Billboard dance charts. "This event will engage those young men and women most at risk for contracting HIV," said Ana Oliveira, executive director of GMHC. "The participation of youth in HIV prevention is a vital part of the solution in reducing HIV transmission. Our goal is to reprise the successes of past Dance-a-thons in raising awareness about HIV and AIDS, and raising the funds needed to continue our fight against the Pandemic."

---Don't Rush; Relish the Holidays by Kirk Byron Jones---
There is a story told of the musk deer of North India. In the springtime, the roe is haunted by the odor of musk. He runs wildly over hill and ravine with his nostrils dilating and his little body throbbing with desire, certain that around the next group of trees or bushes he will find musk, the object of his quest. Then at last he falls, exhausted, with his little head resting on his tiny hoofs, only to discover that the odor of musk was in his own hide. Kirk Byron Jones, author of Addicted to Hurry: Spiritual Strategies for Slowing Down, (Judson Press, 2003) says, "During the holiday season many of us run ourselves ragged in search of fulfillment that is closer to us than we think." Jones offers the following five strategies for relishing the inner riches of the season:
1. Begin with Peace. Start your day with meditation, prayer, journaling or other peacemaking activities.
2. Plan Breaks. Don't overdose on over commitment. Schedule times for playing, reflecting, and resting. Remember the advice from legendary baseball pitcher Satchel Page: "Sometimes you need to sit and think, and sometimes you need to just sit."
3. Live at a Savoring Pace. Life doesn't have to be fast to be fun. Monitor your pace as you go through your daily activities; downshift when you feel yourself becoming overly anxious and stressed. To gauge your present living speed, take The Hurry Test at www.savoringpace.com.
4. Share Time with Loved Ones. Maybe the best gift you can give someone this year is more of you.
5. Celebrate Your Inner Wealth. Remember the story of the musk deer, and appreciate the joys and hopes that enrich your life everyday.
To learn more about Kirk Byron Jones go to: kirkbjones.com