---Mississippi MLK March founder announces Mississippi Juneteenth holiday bill ---The 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative March, the oldest observance of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Mississippi Delta, will feature a speech by Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Chairman of the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign and founder of the march, Monday, January 21, 2002, in Belzoni, MS. Dr. Myers will announce the introduction of the Mississippi Juneteenth Holiday Bill, introduced by State Senator David Jordan (D-Greenwood). Juneteenth, recognized as America's second Independence Day celebration by the Congress of the United States and a holiday in many states, marks the end slavery in America, on the "19th of June", 1865. "Mississippi needs healing from the legacy of slavery, brought to the attention of the nation during the state flag issue last year", states Rev., Dr. Myers, Chairman of the National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC). "Dr. King's dream can only be realized through true racial reconciliation that can only come from America dealing truthfully with its slave legacy. The passage of the Mississippi Juneteenth State Holiday Bill is the right step at the right time for Mississippi. "Dr. Myers, Founder of the National Day of Reconciliation and Healing for the Legacy of Slavery, will be leading the first ever National Juneteenth Black Holocaust Memorial Service at the Lincoln Memorial during the WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH 2002 National Holiday Observance, June 13-19, 2002, in Washington,DC. "As long as we continue to have a segregated school system in the Mississippi Delta, consisting of predominately white private schools and predominately black public schools, Dr King's dream will never be realized," continues Dr. Myers. The march will begin at 12 noon, on the corner of Rev. George Lee Avenue and Jackson Street, in Belzoni, MS. For more information on the march, contact Evangelist Helen Sims, Director of the We Care Services Multipurpose Facility
Building, 305 North Hayden Street, Belzoni, MS, where Dr. Myers will speak at 1:00 pm. She can be reached at 662-247-3473, and Dr. Myers at 662-247-1471.

---Blood drives to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday ---
In a collaboration aimed at increasing minority blood donations, the American Red Cross and the National Black Catholic Congress are partnering to hold blood drives in January 2002 commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday and will hold additional drives in the coming months. "In order to ensure a safe and adequate blood supply for all patients, including those who have hard-to-match blood types, the Red Cross must forge collaborations that focus on recruiting, attracting and retaining minority blood donors from all segments of the population," said Radha Muthiah, vice president of Donor Strategy for American Red Cross Biomedical Services. "Hard-to-match blood types are often found in ethnic groups, and through our collaboration with National Black Catholic Congress, the Red Cross will be better prepared to supply blood to all patients," she stated. Increasing blood collections from minority groups, especially African- Americans, is crucial because some rare blood types are often found in minority populations. Also, diseases such as sickle cell anemia that require repeat blood transfusions for treatment are prevalent in the African-American community. Although sickle cell patients can receive blood transfusions from any donor, it is very likely that a donor from the same racial group will be a better match. Sickle cell anemia affects as many as one in every 500 African- Americans.

---Yvonne Atkinson-Gates Elected Chairwoman of Black Caucus---Applauding the new leadership for the Party's oldest Caucus, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Terry McAuliffe welcomed the Honorable Yvonne Atkinson-Gates as Chair and Joel Ferguson as Vice-Chair of the DNC Black Caucus. The two were elected by the Caucus membership at the Party's winter meeting being held in Washington, DC. Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson-Gates, a member of the DNC since 2000, is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada. Continuing her distinguished 14-year career in state and local government, Gates was recently sworn into office for a third term as County Commissioner. A DNC member since 1988, Ferguson was once dubbed "The Michigan Miracle Man," after he orchestrated Jesse Jackson's upset victory in the 1988 Michigan Presidential Primary. A successful businessman who helped create more than 300,000 jobs in his home state of Michigan, Ferguson plans to bring his considerable organizational skills and political savvy to bear in helping lead the Black Caucus. Founded in 1982, The Black Caucus is the oldest Caucus of the Democratic National Committee.

---California: University of California update---
Latino and African American student acceptance rates and overall representation at the University of California have plummeted since the rescinding of racial preferences in 1997, even as raw numbers of students in the system rise, a new Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) policy brief reveals. The findings of the report point to the importance of analyzing the rising number of Latino and African American students on campus in light of the declining acceptance rates. While their raw numbers have increased in the UC system, Latino acceptance rates dropped from 82.8% in 1997 to 77.7% in 2000. African American acceptance rates went from 72.8% in 1997 to 64.6% in 2000. Likewise, Latino representation in the UC system fell from 13.2% in 1997 to 13% in 2000 and African Americans saw a more dramatic drop from 3.9% in 1997 to 3.1% in 2000. During the same 1997-2000 time frame, Asian American and White acceptance rates increased. UC Berkeley, Los Angeles & San Diego have the lowest Latino and Black representation. The drop in acceptance rates and representation were even greater on the UC's most competitive campuses: Berkeley, Los Angeles and San Diego. For example, on these three campuses, African American representation fell by 38.5% between 1997 and 2000. Latino representation fell by 16.5% during the same period. For more information on this or other policy briefs call TRPI, (909) 621-8897. TRPI reports are also available online at www.trpi.org.

--- Pittsburgh: Back to the future----
Guion (Guy) Stewart Bluford Jr., the first African-American astronaut to travel into space, will be the keynote speaker at the Greater Pittsburgh Council, Boy Scouts of America's (BSA) Whitney M. Young Jr. Service Awards Dinner, Saturday, Feb. 2, Sheraton Station Square, 5 p.m. Bluford, who served as a mission specialist on four National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space shuttle missions, is credited for breaking the color barrier in American space exploration during his 1983 mission aboard the space shuttle Challenger.

---Atlanta: Citizens Trust Bank hosts grand opening celebrations at Stonecrest Mall---On Friday, January 25, 2002, Citizens Trust Bank will host a grand opening celebration at its newest full service branch located in the Mall at Stonecrest, 2929 Turner Hill Road, Lithonia, Ga. President & CEO James E. Young, Senior Executive Vice-President & COO Willard "Chuck" Lewis, and Branch Manager Bertha Rucker-Scott, along with the new branch team and other members of the Citizens Trust family will be present for the ribbon cutting ceremony which takes place at 12:00 p.m. The official grand opening celebration will last from 12:00 until 2:00 p.m.; however, the festivities and promotions continue all day Friday through Saturday, February 2 at 4:00 p.m.

---New York: King exhibit ---
In tribute to the extraordinary life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and in commemoration of his monumental contributions to the American Civil Rights Movement, Leica Camera, Inc. is supporting a national photography exhibition, titled "Countdown to Eternity," which will be exhibited at the Richard F. Brush Art Gallery, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY from January 21 through February 13, 2002 and at the Historic Arkansas Museum, Little Rock, AR from February 1 through April 30, 2002. Countdown to Eternity provides a rare and compelling view of the famed civil rights leader through the eyes of internationally acclaimed photographer Benedict J. Fernandez. Fernandez photographed Dr. King throughout the year preceding his assassination using a Leica M3 camera.

---New York: African Voices hosts fundraising in a tight economy---On Friday, February 8, 2002, from 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., African Voices will host "Fundraising in a Tight Economy" an all day seminar for small to mid-sized non-profit organizations. Foundation directors and other fundraising specialists will offer creative strategies to help nonprofit organizations raise money and build a loyal donor base during the recession. The seminar will offer information on grant writing, developing a fundraising plan and building collaborative partnerships with other cultural institutions. Voza Rivers, the co-founder of the historic Harlem Week Festival, will share his vision for surviving the times ahead. The fundraising seminar will be held at JP Morgan Chase, 270 Park Avenue (47th & 48th Streets) in New York City. Registration is $40. For further information call (212) 865-2982.

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