---Go to UnityFirst.com for the following---
1) House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi recently met with a group of African American leaders to discuss how national issues are impacting the nation's African American community. This session was only one of a series of meetings and outreach forums that Pelosi is convening with several diverse groups and organizations.
2) Special tribute to U.S. Army Specialist Shoshana Johnson- Recently, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) hosted a special tribute honoring U.S. Army Specialist Shoshana Johnson for displaying bravery and heroism during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Johnson was the first African-American woman held as a prisoner of war and embodies the qualities that best exemplify our men and women in the military.

---Racial and ethnic disparities in health---
Members of the U.S. Congressional Black, Latino and Asian Pacific American Caucuses recently convened in Los Angeles to join health and community leaders in a lively discussion on actions to take to reduce and eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities that are pervasive in underserved communities of color. "Bridging the Health Divide: A Congressional Forum on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities" was an unprecedented gathering of the three Caucuses, hosted by The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation. The Endowment is dually focused on grant making and policy advocacy around the issue of racial and ethnic health disparities. The forum served as an important opportunity to develop strategies and recommendations to effect health policy changes in California and the nation. Throughout the country, racial and ethnic populations are in poorer health compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Because of its diversity, California faces some of the most serious health challenges due to persistent and acute health disparities.

---Hispanic population reaches all-time high---
The nation's Hispanic population grew much faster than the population as a whole, increasing from 35.3 million on April 1, 2000, to 38.8 million on July 1, 2002. Among the race groups, Asians had the highest rate of growth at 9.0 percent. "The official population estimates now indicate that the Hispanic community is the nation's largest minority community," said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon. He also told the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) convention in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., that new Census Bureau population estimates show that the Hispanic population grew 9.8 percent between Census Day, April 1, 2000, and July 1, 2002. The rate of growth of the population as a whole was 2.5 percent. According to the race and Hispanic-origin estimates, Hispanics accounted for 3.5 million, or fully one-half, of the population increase of 6.9 million for the nation since April 1, 2000.The results show that about 53 percent of the recent growth among Hispanics can be attributed to net international migration, while natural increase the difference between births and deaths accounted for the remaining 47 percent.

--Chicago: Executive Leadership Council symposiums address Black success in Corporate America--The Executive Leadership Council (ELC), the nation's premier network of the most senior African-American corporate executives in Fortune 500 companies, will present two days of African-American professional development symposiums on July 9 and 10, 2003 (7:30 am - 4:30 pm) at the headquarters of Sears, Roebuck, and Co. in Chicago (Hoffman Estates, IL). Issues such as African Americans and the price of corporate success, the art of acquiring and managing power at work, and maintaining an appropriate work/ life balance will be addressed at the July 9 workshop --African-American Corporate Women and the Black Gender Gap. The following day, Black men will be the focus as the Executive Leadership Council presents "African-American Corporate Men Creating a New Vision of Leadership." Panelists and ELC members will discuss the complexity of being a Black man in corporate America. For more information or to attend, send an email to: jstevens@elcinfo.com or call (202)298-8239 or editors@unityfirst.com.

---IBM Business Intelligence Solutions---
The buying power of the U.S. Black marketplace is estimated at $645 billion. There are 985,000 Black-owned businesses in the U.S. that do $77 billion in sales. How many of these businesses are your customers? Can your business benefit by collecting information on these customers for new business opportunities? Your success depends on your knowledge of your customers and your marketplace! IBM has the commitment and the expertise to assist you. Who will benefit in this process? Your customers, your suppliers, your business partners. Call now for IBM's Business Intelligence Solutions. For more information, call 914-642-3132 or send email to: creight@us.ibm.com.

---Education today---
A survey of undergraduate and graduate students at U.S. colleges and universities reveals that minority professors are having an astonishing impact on the education of both minority and non-minority students. When asked, 97% of minority respondents said minority professors are positively impacting their education. Furthermore, 83% of non-minority respondents believe that minority professors are having a positive impact on their education. The survey was conducted by the Bernard Hodes Group on behalf of The PhD Project, a multi-million dollar corporate and academic-led effort to increase minority representation among business professors.

This Far By Faith: African-American Spiritual Journeys
---On PBS this week: This Far by Faith: African American Spiritual Journeys, June 24-26---
In six hours of dramatic storytelling, THIS FAR BY FAITH: AFRICAN-AMERICAN SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS examines the African-American religious experience. From the arrival of the early African slaves through the Civil War, reconstruction, Jim Crow, the great depression, the civil rights era, and into the 21st century, THIS FAR BY FAITH, airing on PBS Tuesday-Thursday, June 24-26, 2003, (check local listings), explores the connections between faith and the development of African-American cultural values.

---National survey of children in immigration detention exposes mistreatment--- Children who flee their home countries and arrive unaccompanied in the United States are often denied access to attorneys, detained for prolonged periods, jailed alongside children with criminal convictions, and subjected to frequent shackling and strip-searches -- with little hope for change unless Congress passes pending legislation and allocates more funds to reform an ailing system, Amnesty International (AI) charged in its new report, "'Why Am I Here?' Children in Immigration Detention." The report, the first in Amnesty International USA's (AIUSA) two-year Campaign Against Discrimination, is also the first that includes a nationwide survey of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS) contracted facilities and their practices and procedures with regard to unaccompanied children. The survey results, combined with interviews with 31 detained children and numerous attorneys and children's advocates, show that US officials, in contravention of both international and domestic standards, often treat unaccompanied children. For more information, contact Michelle Linder via email: mlinder@aiusa.org or call 212-633-4268.

----Black PR Society of Greater New York focuses on careers in the communications industry---The Black PR Society of Greater New York will host an evening with public relations recruiters and human resource experts on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 (6 - 8 pm) at Burson-Marsteller (230 Park Avenue South (19th Street). The session will share information on how to get and keep your PR position in today's marketplace. Confirmed panelists Include: Judith Harrison, Senior VP of Human Resources and PR Week "Careers" Columnist, Nikita Green Davis, Recruitment-Burson-Marsteller, James M. Masuga, Heyman Associates, Inc, Aaron P. Arnold, Sr. Account Executive, Hill and Knowlton, Inc. and Michael Marino, HR Expert/Counselor. To attend, the cost is $10 for BPRS members and $15 for non-members. RSVP is mandatory. If interested, send an email to penpower@villagenet.com or call Alicia Evans, BPRS-NY President at (516) 377-6146.

---Luther Vandross All-Star tribute---
The music of Luther Vandross will be celebrated by some of the world's top performers at the Coca-Cola Presents the 2003 Essence Music Festival, set for July 3, 4, and 5 in New Orleans. Patti LaBelle, the Luther Vandross Band and other special guests will come together for an All-Star Tribute at the Louisiana Superdome on the Fourth of July. Essence will make a contribution from the July 4 concert tickets sales to a charity chosen by the Vandross family.

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