---Wimbledon win---
Congrats to Serena on her Wimbledon win and well-wishes to Venus. Here is a note of praise from one reader: “I am very proud of both of you Venus and Serena. You have shown the world you can do it. You have the ability to love each other as well as beat each other, and still be family. Please continue to be successful young women, you have the world at your feet, so enjoy it while it lasts. You know the world loves when you are on top, but when you are down, nobody wants you when you are down and out. When this is all over, you will still have each other, people just don't understand, but I do, been there and done that. Stay true to yourselves and your family, they will be there when all else is gone. We Black Women are strong, and gifted, when given half a chance to show it. You are Black and Beautiful, hang tough.”

---Special report, now available---
The special report on Frasernet’s PowerNetworking 2002 is now available. Please send a note to editors@unityfirst.com , if you would like to receive the report. It shares invaluable information about how to take your business or career to the next level. If you have any questions, call 413-734-6444.

---Hispanics focused on building wealth for families---
Hispanic Americans are much more likely than the general population to put family first when making important decisions on financial planning and investing. A survey conducted by State Farm Insurance, a financial services provider and the nation's leading insurer of cars and homes, shows nearly nine out of 10 Hispanic adults (87 percent) believe their "most important financial goal is to make sure they leave something for their family." Just over one-third of those surveyed in the general population (38 percent) put a similar emphasis on passing on wealth to their families. Hispanics also put a higher priority on saving for their children's college education, with 82 percent naming saving for higher education a primary financial goal, compared with 42 percent of the general population. The State Farm survey also revealed that while Hispanics are concerned about their financial legacies to their families, only a small portion avail themselves to contemporary American practices for building wealth. Hispanics most often (62 percent) listed savings accounts as their method for growing a nest egg for retirement. About one-third (33 percent) of Hispanic respondents said they rely on investment products for their retirement. Hispanics are also less likely to seek professional advice for investing -- eight percent say they seek financial advice from a broker, banker, financial planner or an insurance agent on an ongoing basis. Of the general population, 15 percent said they regularly seek out such professional services.

---Hispanics face barriers to senior U.S. jobs--
The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility reports that the Hispanic community is expected to increase by 1.7 million a year, equivalent to the population of Nebraska, yet last year only 14 Latinos held top spots at Fortune 1,000 companies.” An inadequate commitment by some CEOs relating to achievable goals and opportunities for Hispanics was a principal barrier to Hispanic employees advancing to higher ranks. Other barriers to advancement by Hispanic employees were an insufficient Hispanic talent pool, a deficit of mentors, limited exposure to key assignments, few opportunities for promotions, limited knowledge by senior managers of Hispanic success stories within their companies and discrimination related to ethnicity or gender. Hispanics represent 10.3 percent of the private sector work force in the United States, but they account for only 4.5 percent of company officials and managers, according to statistics for 2000 from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The group said that according to U.S. market research firm Santiago & Valdes Solutions, the Hispanic community of 42.6 million spends more than $630 billion a year and its annual purchasing power will continue to grow exponentially. The study found that some Hispanics, faced with few opportunities to advance, choose to leave Corporate America to start their own businesses.

---Clarence O. Smith to leave Essence Communications Partners---Essence Communications Partners (ECP) announced that Clarence O. Smith will leave his post as president of ECP as of next month to pursue other opportunities for existing and new media projects. Smith has been planning his resignation for some time and is currently making arrangements to pursue existing and new media projects outside of ESSENCE. As co-founder of ESSENCE magazine, in 1970 Mr. Smith essentially created the advertising market aimed at African-American women. He helped define for advertisers the lucrative market that was all but ignored, prior to his entry into the publishing industry.

---First Federal grants made to faith-based, grassroots organizations--U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced the awarding of the first three sets of Department of Labor grants specifically designed to link faith-based and grassroots community organizations to the nation's One-Stop Career System. $17.5 million has been awarded to 12 states and 29 organizations around the country. The grants are the first group to be awarded by any federal department. Chao said. "The Department of Labor is proud to award $17.5 million to faith-based and community organizations to support the President's Faith-based and Community Initiative.” For a listing of the recipients, contact Elissa Pruett of the U.S. Dept. of Labor, 202-693-4676

---Can enhancing diversity save our national parks?---
While the list of threats facing our national parks has lengthened over the past several years, the traditional constituency of park advocates and defenders has failed to adequately expand to meet these new challenges. Though a recent National Park Service survey has shown some improvement, people of color remain largely absent from many of our national parks as visitors, subjects of interpretation, employees, or contractors. The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has joined the National Park Service (NPS) and several supporting organizations to convene the Mosaic in Motion 2002: Connecting People of Color and America's National Parks, a unique, national workshop to address the issue of diversity in our National Park System. The workshop begins July 7 at the Evergreen Marriott Conference Center in Stone Mountain, Georgia, and continues through July 10. NPCA's primary goal for Mosaic 2002 is to bring together the National Park Service with representatives of culturally diverse organizations and institutions to facilitate enhanced services and opportunities to people of color and minority communities with regard to parks and public lands.

---Hip-Hop Summit Action Network---
In the two weeks since the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network joined with the United Federation of Teachers and the Alliance for Quality Education to mobilize 100,000 voices for New York schools, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has settled the 18-month standoff with the teachers union with an accepted offer of a 16 percent raise, and then restored $298 million to the education budget proposal he presented to the New York City Council. "This is a victory for the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network because we helped prevent the Mayor from deepening the crisis put into play by Mayor Giuliani," affirms Russell Simmons, co-founder of the HSAN.

---Save the date: Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance---Executives representing the restaurant, foodservice and hospitality industry will convene in San Diego, CA from August 11 - 13th for the third national Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA) Conference on diversity as an effective business strategy. The Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance is a non-profit organization created to stimulate and sustain the growth of multiculturalism and its economic benefits for the foodservice and hospitality industry. To register for the conference, go to www.mfha.net. On-site registrations will also be accepted.

---HIV/AIDS and MTV---
Former U.S. President William J. Clinton, will participate in an MTV special, Staying Alive: A Global Forum on HIV/AIDS, taking place at the 14th International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain on July 11, 2002. MTV, owned by Viacom International Inc., will tape the forum for broadcast on channels around the world starting July 12, marking the launch of a youth focused global campaign on HIV/AIDS in conjunction with the Kaiser Family Foundation and the YouthNet Program spearheaded by Family Health International. The Staying Alive campaign will take an innovative multimedia approach to communicating critical HIV/AIDS prevention messages to young people. According to a report released by the United Nations, Young People and HIV/AIDS: Opportunity in Crisis, more than 50% of young people aged 15-24 have serious misconceptions about HIV/AIDS, indicating that they are not receiving accurate information. In addition, 50% of all new infections today occur in young people aged 15-24.

For more information on African American Newswire, a national press release distribution service targeting the diverse press or UnityFirst.com, call 413-734-6444 or send email to editors@unityfirst.com.

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