---Hispanics entering federal service in record numbers---
After decades of under-representation, Hispanics are entering federal service in record numbers according to a report submitted to the President by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The report, Statistical Information on Hispanic Employment in Federal Agencies, is a "report card" that helps the President track results and holds agencies accountable by providing a semi-annual accounting of the progress each Cabinet-level department and major agency has made. "The report illustrates that progress is being made," said OPM Director Kay Coles James. "Federal agencies are hiring a larger percentage of Hispanic-Americans than in previous years, with the number of Hispanic hires having increased substantially. This is the result of the President's firm commitment to create a workforce that looks like America and our development and implementation of a comprehensive outreach strategy to see that it happens." The growth in Hispanic hires represents a 58.1 percent increase in FY 2002. In addition to statistical information, the current report also highlights the strategies employed by agencies that have been successful in hiring Hispanics -- the Department of the Treasury, Department of Justice, and Social Security Administration.

---Increase in culturally diverse meetings worldwide---
The rise of globalization and impact of multiculturalism continue to force changes in how businesses and associations approach meetings, according to results of a first-of-its-kind survey by Meeting Professionals International (MPI) through its Multicultural Initiative. Most significantly, an average 20 percent annual growth in the number of multicultural meetings worldwide is predicted by U.S. and non-U.S. respondents, regardless of residence, birthplace or perception of the meaning of multiculturalism. However, there is an interesting divergence on what constitutes a multicultural meeting. Respondents born or living in the U.S. described "multicultural meetings" as meetings of people from various ethnic backgrounds, including religion and race, while respondents born or living outside the U.S. portray "multicultural meetings" as those of people from different nations. Yet, U.S. and non-U.S. meeting professionals agree that they must be attuned to differences and identify specific areas to address cultural sensitivities and ensure meeting success as multicultural business opportunities grow. Despite disparity in defining "multicultural," more than 90 percent of respondents, regardless of cultural background, felt organizations need to be sensitive to culture and ethnicity.

---Boeing race discrimination suit---
The Boeing Company will again face the Seattle law firm Hagens Berman in a major proposed class-action case. The racial-bias case, originally filed in 1997, alleges that Boeing allows widespread racial discrimination throughout its operations. Boeing reached a $15 million settlement with the original plaintiffs in 1999, but a group of African-American employees thought the settlement was grossly inadequate and appealed in the U.S. Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals agreed that the settlement was flawed and rejected it, sending the case back to District Court. After reviewing several competing applications for lead counsel for the plaintiffs, the court appointed Hagens Berman as lead counsel.

----BellSouth receives top industry ranking by NAACP----
BellSouth Corporation finished first among 10 telecommunications companies surveyed in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's 2003 Telecommunications Industry Report Card released at the NAACP's annual convention. This is the fourth consecutive time that BellSouth has received top honors in the survey. The NAACP graded telecommunications companies in five general areas: employment, advertising and marketing spending, service deployment, vendor spending and charitable giving. The survey is part of the NAACP Economic Reciprocity Initiative designed to educate individuals, government agencies, and other organizations about companies that provide consumer services.

---Feature: Scholars meet on reparations lawsuits---
Recently, scholars met in Washington, D.C. to discuss slavery, its legacy, and the merits of litigation being pursued for reparations from 19 blue-chip corporations. During the three-hour meeting, largely unknown facts about the law and practice of slavery and its present day effects were discussed in startling detail. In addition, a potent legal strategy utilizing state consumer protection laws was revealed. The quality of the information conveyed suggests that blue chip corporations may face an uphill battle against slave descendants in the nine lawsuits filed since March 26, 2002. The meeting was moderated by Dr. Raymond Winbush, of Morgan State University, author of "Should America Pay? Slavery and the Raging Debate on Reparations." Dr. Conrad Worrill, of Northeastern Illinois University, kicked-off the meeting stating that, "the reparations movement is growing in leaps and bounds." He shared his 6-stage categorization of the reparations movement. The first stage was between 1800-1860 with various appeals for compensation from former slaves. The latest stage, 2002-present, is the sixth stage, with lawsuits being filed against corporations for reparations. Some presentations by other speakers include:
1) Professor Richard America of Georgetown University, discussed the economic basis for reparations. He explained that wealth disparities exist between Blacks and Whites, and the root cause is that: "Whites have wealth and income that should have gone to blacks." His solution to addressing this problem is through reparations being paid, in addition to affirmative action, to recover, "diverted income and wealth."
2) Dr. William Wiecek, of Syracuse University, addressed the question of whether slavery was ever legitimate in America. He discussed the 1772 case, Somerset v. Stewart, a freedom lawsuit decided in favor of "natural law" in England freeing an enslaved man.
3) Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary, of Portland State University, discussed Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome, an explanatory theory she pioneered. She explained that enslaved people suffered from trauma as a result of slavery. According to Dr. DeGruy-Leary, any one of the following actions is recognized in the field of psychology as a factor resulting in trauma: " A serious threat of harm to one's life or physical integrity; A threat of harm to one's children, close relatives, or spouse; Loss of one's home or community; Seeing another person killed or injured as a result of accident or physical violence; Learning about a serious threat to a close friend; A relative kidnapped, tortured or killed." Enslaved Africans experienced all of this. Due to the absence of therapy for emancipated Africans post-slavery to address trauma, the disorder was passed down from one generation to the next. The trauma is now exhibited in slave descendants as "adaptive behaviors" that are obstacles to progress in the African American community.
4) Dr. Ted Kornweibel, of San Diego State University, spoke of the antebellum southern railroads as a microcosm of the complicity of corporate America in the system of enslavement. Out of about 120 railroads in the south, Dr. Kornweibel has documented that 92 of them used enslaved labor to make the railroads. Due to numerous mergers, these early lines are now owned by about 5 companies. " The labor on railroads was likely the most physically demanding labor that enslaved Africans were forced to perform, and "there was, on average, greater brutality than in plantation agriculture," said Kornweibel.
5) Roger Wareham, a lead counsel in the reparations lawsuits from the law firm Thomas Wareham and Richards, explained that 9 lawsuits were filed around the country on behalf of 35 million descendants of enslaved Africans against corporations.

The next court ordered status meeting on the reparations lawsuit will take place on July 21, 2003. Supporters of the case are gathering at 8:30 a.m., at the Everett McKinley Dirksen Building, 219 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois, for a rally preceding the 10 a.m. hearing before Judge Norgle.

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