---NAACP's 'Freedom Under Fire'---
Twenty-thousand people attended the 93rd annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Houston, July 6-11. The convention theme, "Freedom Under Fire," took direct aim at the recent challenges to civil rights gains in the wake of September 11 and challenged convention attendees to stand and protect freedom, equality and justice. Julian Bond, NAACP Board Chairman, said: "This has been one of our best conventions. The Strategic Plan, the Election Reform Report Card, our educational initiatives, the exciting coalition partnerships with Hispanic organizations, and the warm Texas reception we received made it one of our best. The NAACP delegates passed an emergency resolution condemning the recent act of police brutality in Inglewood, CA. The Youth, College and Young Adult division held a rally protest calling for a halt to police brutality. The NAACP issued three report cards that graded national election reform, the hotel lodging industry and the voting patterns of members of the 107th Congress. The 2001 Election Reform Report Card indicates that a majority of states have delayed election reform because they are waiting for leadership from the federal government. The report highlights the NAACP's position on state-level election reform and makes clear why federal leadership is necessary. The report also outlines the NAACP's election reform goals for 2002.Major national hotel chains received an overall "B-" in the NAACP Lodging Industry 2001 and 2002 Report Card issued July 9. More than half a dozen national hotel companies were graded "C" or better. This two-year report card compares activity and progress in the lodging industry for fiscal years 2000 and 2001. It is the fifth report card to be issued on the hotel chains. In the NAACP Legislative Report Card on the 107th Congress, Second Session, nearly half of the members of Congress received an "F" grade. The report graded the elected officials on their voting record on "bread and butter" civil rights issues such as education, health care, hate crimes, welfare reform, predatory lending and racial profiling."

----NUL to hold 2003 Annual Conference in Cincinnati---
The National Urban League affirmed that its 2003 annual conference will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio as planned. The League originally designated the city as its conference site in February 2001."The League had been reviewing its decision to go to Cincinnati following the tragic and unjustified killing of a black civilian by police and the subsequent civil unrest in April of last year," said Hugh B. Price, president of the League. "We stepped back from our initial decision to assess whether the city would really begin the process of healing, start rectifying the grave flaws in local police policy and practice, and genuinely start to address the underlying economic and social gaps that keep so many African Americans perpetually outside of Cincinnati's mainstream looking in," he stated. "After consulting extensively with Sheila Adams, the esteemed CEO of the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati, we are persuaded that Cincinnati has now embarked on its arduous trip down the comeback trail." He added, "However, the city has quite a ways to go before it eradicates the inequities besetting African Americans, reforms in the police department, and persuades the Black community that opportunity, inclusion and justice exist for every citizen in Cincinnati. In addition to their pursuing a concrete agenda for progress, I call upon the city leaders to accelerate the healing process by persuading the Cincinnati Arts Association that suing community leaders who have bona fide grievances isn't the high road to civic harmony. Endeavoring to hold ordinary people of modest means personally liable for their chosen method of protest is a strategy of intimidation and hardly worthy of enlightened civic leaders who genuinely seek reconciliation and amelioration of the city's tensions." In addition, Price said, the League will devote the 2003 edition of its signature publication, The State of Black America, to a scholarly assessment of Cincinnati's progress in addressing the fundamental grievances that triggered the unrest last year.

---National Urban League and Freddie Mac---
The National Urban League and Freddie Mac announced the CreditSmart/Homeownership Development Initiative that combines borrower education and flexible mortgage products in an effort to increase homeownership among minorities. The effort will launch with seven Urban League affiliates located in Birmingham, AL; Charlotte, NC; Louisville, KY; Greenville, SC; Oklahoma City, OK; Springfield, IL; and Washington, DC. This effort will work to close the gap between the African American homeownership rate of 47% and the national homeownership rate of 68%. A Freddie Mac study released last year found that counseling is effective in reducing mortgage delinquency. In fact, the study found that borrowers receiving comprehensive homeownership counseling through community-based counseling agencies were 34% less likely to default on a mortgage.

----Universoul Circus in Boston, July 22 - July 28----
Universoul Circus, the only African American owned and operated circus in the country, continues to excite and thrill urban audiences with an all new show, "Roots, Rags & Rhythms", featuring unique acts from around the world. Don't miss this great show at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston, MA from July 22 - 28th. The Universoul Circus has acrobats, clowns, high wire artist, elephants, and much, much more. It is a highly produced show with dynamic energy, rhythm, and dancing, popular music, laser lights and special effects. Attendees enjoy the rhythms of African American, Caribbean, South American and African cultures. Back by popular demand, the Ayak Brothers from Capetown, South Africa will astound audiences when they use only their feet to catch each other while swinging on the trapeze. The circus also features, the Dragon Masters from New Orleans and New York City's King Charles Unicycle Troupe, with their basketball antics. For tickets, group sales or information, send an email to alkia@nexgraphix.com or call 617-967-6250.

---Well-Being 2002---
Children in America are less likely to die during infancy than they were in previous years, less likely to smoke in 8th or 10th grade, and less likely to give birth during adolescence, according to the 6th annual report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2002. The report also noted improvements in some of the economic security indicators: children are more likely to have at least one working parent and to have health insurance. Moreover, children from ages 3 to 5 are more likely to be read to daily by a family member. The America's Children report monitors the status of children in the United States. According to the report, the ethnic diversity of America's children continues to increase. In 2000, 64 percent of U.S. children were white, non-Hispanic; 16 percent were Hispanic; 15 percent were black, non-Hispanic; 4 percent were Asian/Pacific Islander; and 1 percent were American Indian/Alaska Native. The percentage of white, non-Hispanic children decreased from 74 percent in 1980 to 64 percent in 2000. During that time, the number of Hispanic children increased faster than that of any other racial and ethnic group, growing from 9 percent of the child population to 16 percent in 2000. The report projected that by 2020, more than 1 in 5 children will be of Hispanic origin. In contrast, the percentage of black, non-Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native children have been fairly stable during the period from 1980 to 2000.The report also contains a special feature, "Children of at Least One Foreign-Born Parent." The proportion of children living with at least one foreign-born parent increased from 15 percent in 1994 to 19 percent in 2001. In 2001, 15 percent of all children were native children living with at least one foreign-born parent, and another 4 percent of children were foreign-born children with at least one foreign-born parent. "As a result of language and cultural barriers confronting children and their parents, children with foreign-born parents may need additional resources both at school and at home to successfully progress in school and transition to adulthood," the report stated. Members of the public may access the report at http://childstats.gov.

---NCNW Names Cheryl R. Cooper Executive Director---
Cheryl R. Cooper has been named Executive Director of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), it was announced by Dorothy I. Height, Chair and President Emerita of the organization. Ms. Cooper joins NCNW from AARP where she served as chief of staff for seven of her twelve years with that organization. A native Washingtonian, Ms. Cooper graduated from Georgetown University with a B.S. in Business Administration. Prior to joining AARP, Ms. Cooper served between 1986 to 1990 as a senior staff administrator with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Ms. Cooper later became Assistant Treasurer from 1996 to 1997. The National Council of Negro Women is a coalition of 38 national organizations and 250 community-based chartered sections with an outreach to 4 million women. NCNW is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has international offices in Senegal and Benin.

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