---New Orleans: NAACP Annual Convention---Some 20,000 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) members and delegates are expected to participate in the 92nd Annual NAACP convention that convenes in New Orleans this week, until July 12. Speakers include Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, Mary Francis Berry of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Bishop Vashti McKenzie, the first female African Methodist Episcopal Bishop and Vernon Jordan, recipient of the 86th Spingarn Medal, the NAACP's highest award. NAACP President Kweisi Mfume said, "This year's convention theme, Speaking Truth to Power, exemplifies our commitment to implement positive change and to address the key issues affecting America. We will continue to raise public awareness about the inequities in the criminal justice system, election reform and increasing the economic strength of African American and other minority communities." NAACP Board Chairman Julian Bond adds, "And we'll continue to seek support for our issues -- fair-minded judicial nominees, ending racial profiling, extending health care, making public education stronger, protecting Social Security and more -- from both sides of the aisle in Congress. With resources and membership up, the NAACP is bigger, stronger, and more aggressive now than ever before." Today, July 9, the Rev. Benjamin Hooks, former NAACP Executive Director, addresses the Religious Leaders luncheon and commentator Tavis Smiley addresses the youth. On Wednesday (July 11) Chairman Bond and President Mfume deliver the five-year strategic plan.

---New civil rights legislation---
House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) has accepted NAACP President Kweisi Mfume's invitation to speak to the organization's 92nd annual convention this week in New Orleans. Chairman Sensenbrenner will be speaking on Monday, July 9th just prior to Mfume's keynote address. Chairman Sensenbrenner will be discussing opportunities for greater cooperation on issues, including his legislation, H.R. 169, the Notification and Federal Employee Anti-discrimination and Retaliation Act of 2001 (No FEAR), that he has introduced with Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee. This legislation has been described by Time columnist Jack White as, "the first new civil rights legislation of the 21st century," and has been endorsed by a broad coalition of organizations, including the NAACP.

---Venus rising---
Congrats to Venus Williams for her latest win at Wimbledon. This is her third Grand Slam title, with history being made as she is the fourth woman to win consecutively at Wimbledon.

---New Mississippi coalition forming----
Mississippi's battle over the decision to maintain the Confederate symbol on the state flag continues with ongoing debate across the state. While the NAACP's Kweisi Mfume and many others wish to remove the image, many in the state feel that the residents have spoken after a vote showed some 64 percent of the voters support the current flag. Mfume announced that a boycott of Mississippi will be discussed at this week's NAACP annual convention. Considering the flag dispute, some organizations such as the Black Professional Firefighters and the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, have already decided to take their conventions to other states, while other groups pushed the Confederate emblem. During the Fourth of July holiday, many fireworks vendors across Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia took the opportunity to prominently display, wave and sell Confederate flags,and vanity confederate license plates for cars and trucks-to the dismay of many onlookers. To bridge the racial divide in Mississippi, a new coalition has formed with the assistance of The Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, Oxford. It has called upon all Mississippians to have a change of heart and work to end the divisions that plague the state. The center will hold a meeting on July 27 at Jackson State University to bring together all groups interested in making a positive change in Mississippi. Susan Glisson, Interim Director, Institute for Racial Reconciliation and Assistant Director, Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi says, "Promotion of racial harmony is not only the thing to do, it is a pragmatic necessity. Unless Mississippi and our nation learn to resolve racial differences in a positive and constructive manner, the future promises more strife and conflict. We owe our children better. The flag is a symptom of a larger, systemic problem in Mississippi." In keeping hope alive, Glisson says, "Justice is a pre-requisite to reconciliation." FYI--The University of Mississippi notes that in 1948, the Confederate Flag began to be seen as an anti-civil rights symbol when the Ole Miss (University of Mississippi) and University of Alabama students marched into a "Dixiecrat Convention" waving the Confederate flag and supporting Strom Thurmond for president, as opposed to Harry Truman.

---New York: The Jacksons---
The "Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration, the Solo Years" concert will be held on September 7th and 10th at New York's Madison Square Garden. Tickets are expected to go on sale on July 26, with seats ranging from $45 to $500. The concert features the Jacksons (Michael, Jackie, Tito, Marlon, Jermaine and Randy) as well as other performers, such as 'N Sync, Whitney Houston, Shaggy, Diana Ross, Quincy Jones and more. The concert will also be filmed for a CBS Television Network special.

---Cleveland: Congresswoman Tubbs Jones---Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, joined by family, friends and supporters, announced her plans to remain in the United States House of Representatives and not pursue the Cleveland mayoral seat this fall.
Rep. Tubbs Jones spoke of her future plans as a member of Congress including continuing to work on economic empowerment through housing and small business, increasing healthcare, and her goal of becoming the first African American woman on the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. Congress. Tubbs Jones said she is committed to strengthening the 11th Congressional District of Ohio. "My place is in the house, but I will not be far from home," stated Rep. Tubbs Jones.

---U.S. Conference of Mayors Women Mayors' Caucus---During the 69th Annual U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Detroit, Mayor Sara B. Bost, an African American woman, was named Chair of the Women Mayors' Caucus. One of the primary goals of this group is to help on a nonpartisan basis, to recruit and advance more women mayors into positions of leadership within the organization. The caucus provides a network for participation and membership of women mayors in the Conference, and remains an unstructured informal body representative of women mayors throughout the nation. She will serve in her new capacity as Chair of the Women Mayors' Caucus for a two-year time period.

- Doug Banks and Sean "P.Diddy" Combs- Today, Doug Banks, host of the nationally syndicated Doug Banks Morning Show, will welcome the Bad Boy Entertainment family of artists, including the label's CEO/artist Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, for an exclusive week-long radio event to celebrate Bad Boy's new compilation CD "P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family: The Saga Continues" which will be released on Tuesday, July 10th. The infamous P. Diddy will be an honorary co-host for the entire week of July 9th - 13th on the highly rated morning radio show with Banks, official co-host DeDe McGuire, and morning show crew JJ Jackson, Coco Butta, and Gary Saunders. These shows will mark one of the first live in-Depth interviews Combs has granted since being acquitted of various charges in May, stemming from a shooting brawl in a New York City club. The label head, who is also known as "Puffy" is expected to bring many of his acclaimed multi-platinum Bad Boy recording artists. Faith Evans, Carl Thomas, and 112 will be guests on various days during the week, speaking about their part in the compilation, their individual CDs, and any other juicy information the hilarious morning crew can get out of them.