---NAACP's Kweisi Mfume named spokesperson for HIV/AIDS Awareness Day---The leader of the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization has been named as a spokesperson for raising awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the African American community. Kweisi Mfume, president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will endorse and help publicize February 7, 2002 as National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. February 7, 2002 will be the second annual observance of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a nationwide community mobilization effort to emphasize the HIV/AIDS "State of Emergency" among African Americans. The objectives of National Black HIV/AIDS Day are to encourage individuals to get educated about HIV/AIDS, to get tested and to get involved in advocating for the resources to fight the disease. National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day will target 14 major cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Oakland, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham and Washington, DC. Community-based organizations in each of the 14 target cities will organize events such as press conferences, town meetings and rallies to bring attention to the seriousness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among African Americans. Mfume joins an impressive list of Black leaders who have also signed on as National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day spokespersons, including radio show hosts Tom Joyner and Congresswoman Maxine Waters. For more information, contact Derrick Kenny at 202-333-6181.

---Muslim and Jewish students gather for opening of inter-religious dining facility---While violence in the Middle East continues to make headlines, a quiet symbol of Muslim and Jewish cooperation was celebrated at Dartmouth College on Jan. 8. The Pavilion, a campus dining hall jointly conceived and realized by the college's Jewish and Muslim students, opened its doors that day, offering a place for inter-religious community, as well as meals that accommodate the dietary restrictions of the two religions. A strict vegetarian menu, known as "sakahara," has also been added to the dining hall's offerings at the request of the college's Hindu students."Jews, Muslims or those who follow sakahara can eat with confidence that a sincere effort has been made to make the meal acceptable to their religious tradition. And, we can eat together," said Amin Plaisted, a Dartmouth computer programmer and the Muslim student advisor. "Three communities found clear points of common interest and support. I believe this will stand as a powerful model of how it can be done." All students, not just those who are religiously observant, will be able to eat in the dining hall. In addition, like Dartmouth's other dining halls, the Pavilion will be open to the general public. For more information, contact Tammy Steinert via phone: (603) 646-1445 or email: tamara.steinert@dartmouth.edu.

---Third Annual Summit on Leading Diversity---The Third Annual Summit on Leading Diversity in Atlanta, GA from April 8-11 will unite over 650 diversity champions. Attend and celebrate the progress that has been made in the field of diversity, rejuvenate your spirit and acquire new strategies and solutions to drive your diversity initiatives to the next level. Highlighting this year's Summit are: (1) Alexis M. Herman, former Secretary of Labor and chairwoman of the Coca Cola Company's Diversity taskforce , (2) Aida Alvarez, first Hispanic woman to head the U.S. Small Business Administration and the first Puerto Rican in any president's cabinet, (3) Steve Hanamura, Author of In Search of Vision, and co-owner of Hanamura Consulting, (4) Mark Williams, CEO and President of The Diversity Channel and Author of The 10 Lenses: Your Guide to Living and Working in a Multicultural World and (5) Edward James Olmos, Actor, Director, and Civil Rights Activist. Linkage, Inc. is proud to bring an abundance of skill-building and benchmarking sessions to create a productive work culture, as well as a number of community resources that service the needs of today's Diversity, Recruitment & Retention, HR, and OD professionals. To register, please call Linkage at 781.862.3157 or register online at: http://www.linkageinc.com/conferences/hr/leading_diversity. Be sure to mention your summit priority code: 02DIV-EM3 to receive your discount!

---The Vote----The Maryland Voting Rights Restoration Coalition, a diverse coalition of over 40 interested organizations and officials will hold a press conference on Monday, January 28, 2002 (10:30 am) in Baltimore City, Maryland. This coalition was organized by the Baltimore chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. It was developed to influence legislation to repeal the ban on ex-felons' voting rights. The ultimate goal for the group is to lower barriers and bring all people into the civic and democratic process. Most of the individuals convicted of felonies never return to voting as a result of disenfranchisement laws of Maryland. The group calls upon all Marylanders to attend this important press conference and join the fight to restore voting rights to ex-felons. For more information, call Marvin Cheatham at 410-669-vote.

---An open letter from the National President of Black Flight Attendants of America---We need you to work with Black Flight Attendants of America, Inc. (BFAOA) if you are looking for an opportunity to "make a difference" in your community. Don't let the title fool you, we welcome and encourage the participation of ALL ethnicities and professionals within the aviation industry. BFAOA was established in 1974 with the goal of "serving the skies and the community." One of our main objectives is to expose inner-city youth to careers in aviation. In light of the recent events in our country, it is imperative for the youth and general public be made aware of the importance and functions of our jobs. The organization sponsors career day activities in the schools and at the airport to help them become aware of the responsibilities of individuals in the industry and to encourage them to become a part of us. Won't you help in planning activities and programs that benefit youth? The old African proverb borrowed by former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, "It takes a village to raise a child" stands as a guide as we plan to continue providing service and information in the community. Please visit the website at blackflightattendants.org for in depth information about the organization, its affiliations and activities. We look forward to the support of the entire village (the Aviation Industry).

---Story of first Black soldier in the Revolution--- In a year when Black History Month coincides with a period of strong American patriotism, journalist Alice Hinkle and Revolutionary War re-enactor Charles H. Price Jr. shine a spotlight on black patriots who fought for America's freedom while many were still slaves. Through Hinkle's new book, "Prince Estabrook, Slave and Soldier" and appearances on radio, TV and in person, Hinkle and Price tell the true story of Estabrook, the only African American among 77 militia men who faced the Redcoats at dawn on April 19, 1775, and the first black soldier in the American Revolution. And there's a twist - Price, grandson of a slave, and an African-American veteran who served in a segregated Korean War unit, became an important voice in Hinkle's research. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., author and director of Harvard University's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for Afro American Research, and David Hackett Fischer, Brandeis University history professor and "Paul Revere's Ride" author, are among those praising the book. For more information or interviews, contact Hinkle via email: ahinkle639@aol.com.

---Events Calendar---
Send in your releases and events to editors@unityfirst.com!
---January 21: MLK March and Rally (Austin, Texas)
The community march and rally will leave at 9a.m. from Huston Tillotson College and end at the Capitol. The march is continuing to grow with an expected attendance of 20,000+as a tradition in Austin as more people from all ethnic backgrounds and various organizations acknowledge the significance of Dr. King's birthday and his life. !For information visit www.mlkday.com or call 498-4mlk.

---February 3: National Day of Prayer for the African American Family
The National Day of Prayer for the African American Family will be celebrated on Sunday, February 3, 2002. It was founded by Franciscan Father James E. Goode in 1989 "as a day set aside for us to give special thanks to God for our families, place our every care in the hands of God and to build on our strengths as a people." For more information, send an email to sground440@aol.com.

---February 7-18: Pan African Film and Arts Festival in Los Angeles
For more information, call (213) 896-8221

---February 7, 2002 National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

---August 17, 2002: Millions For Reparations Mach On Washington ---For information, call the NYC Organizing Committee (718) 398-1766 or Queens Chapter (917) 495-6979

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