Reta J. Lewis Heads New U.S. Chamber of Commerce Initiative---Reta J. Lewis is vice president and counselor to the President at the United States Chamber of Commerce in Washington , D.C. Lewis will head a new program -- Access America -- that will focus on developing strategic relationships and building ties to minority and women-owned businesses. Lewis will work to build alliances and partnerships with chambers and national associations around the United States . Lewis, a leader in the Democratic Leadership Council, will also assist in the U.S. Chamber's congressional efforts with New Democrats. "The Chamber is uniquely situated to help minority and women-owned businesses form alliances to compete in the global marketplace," said Reta J. Lewis, director of Access America . "The Chamber has the leverage to bring minority- and women-owned businesses into the dialogue on vital business policy matters, and the ability to coordinate their needs with the Chamber's resources and programs." For more information, contact, Ann Walker Marchant via email: ann@walkermarchant.com or call 202-466-6040. For the full story, click on AANewswire on the www.unityfirst.com home page.

Ronald A. Williams Named President of Aetna Inc.---
Aetna Chairman, President and CEO John W. Rowe, M.D., announced the appointment of Ronald A. Williams , 52, as president of Aetna , effective May 27. In addition to continuing to lead the Health business, Aetna Group Insurance, Large Case Pensions and National Medical Services also will report to Williams.“Ron Williams is an outstanding business leader, who has contributed significantly to the turnaround under way at Aetna ,” Dr. Rowe said. “Ron’s extensive industry experience and focus on operational excellence have been key factors in the initial success we have been able to achieve.”Williams will continue as a member of the Office of the Chairman, along with Dr. Rowe; David B. Kelso, executive vice president for Strategy & Finance; and L. Edward Shaw, Jr., executive vice president and general counsel. Kelso and Shaw will continue to report to Dr. Rowe.Aetna is one of the nation’s leading providers of health care and related group benefits, serving approximately 15.0 million health care members, 12.1 million dental members and 11.9 million group insurance customers, as of March 31, 2002. For more information, contact, Ann Walker Marchant via email: ann@walkermarchant.com or call 202-466-6040. For the full story, click on AANewswire on the www.unityfirst.com home page.

---National Juneteenth 2002 Holiday Observance, June 13-19- The National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC) will be hosting the First Annual National Juneteenth Black Holocaust "MAAFA" Memorial Service, on Saturday, June 15, 2002, at the Lincoln Memorial, from 1pm - 5pm. The Memorial Service is part of the 3rd Annual WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH 2002 National Holiday Observance, June 13-19, 2002, in Washington, DC. The theme of the memorial service, known as the "MAAFA" (Kiswahili term for "disaster" or "terrible occurrence"), is "A Time to Heal, A Time to Pray." "MAAFA" was founded by Pastor Johnnie Youngblood, of St. Paul Community Baptist Church, in New York, NY."Our country needs healing from what slavery has inflicted upon generations of Americans," states Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman of the NJCLC. "Only when we are able to acknowledge the atrocity of slavery, where millions of our ancestors died in the middle passage and thousands more were murdered and lynched before and after the Civil War, can the healing of our nation truly move forward." Juneteenth, a state holiday in Texas since 1980, through the historic efforts of State Representative Al Edwards, is also recognized as a state holiday observance in Florida, Oklahoma, Delaware, Alaska, Idaho and Iowa. Several more states, including California and Connecticut, have introduced holiday bills. Many more states, including Wisconsin, Illinois, Mississippi, Vermont, Louisiana, Oregon, Kentucky and Washington have passed resolutions recognizing Juneteenth National Freedom Day. In 1997, the 105th Congress of the United States passed Senate Joint Resolution 11 and House Joint Resolution 56 officially recognizing Juneteenth Independence Day in America. Juneteenth, or the "19th of June", recognizes June 19, 1865, in Galveston, TX, when Union General Gordon Granger announced freedom for all slaves in the Southwest. This was the last major vestige of slavery in the United States following the end of the Civil War. This occurred more than two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and enforced by President Abraham Lincoln. Upon the reading of General Order #3 by General Granger, the former slaves celebrated jubilantly, establishing America's second Independence Day Celebration and the oldest African-American Holiday Observance. For more information on making Juneteenth a national holiday contact Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D. at 662-247-1471, 202-331-8864, e-mail: MyersFound@aol.com .

---United Way’s African American Initiative honors an important piece of history- For the first time, the African American Initiative of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta is having a free Juneteenth event, featuring Tiffany Cochran of WXIA-TV, V103 and 1380 WAOK on June 15th, Noon – 6 p.m., at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, 450 Auburn Ave. Themed “Freedom is not Free,” this fun-filled, family festival will be packed with Atlanta entertainers—gospel artists and rappers, hip hop, jazz, R&B—ministry and African-American square dancers, storytellers, poets, artists, book authors, health booths, celebrities and children’s activities, including clowns, face painting and juggling acts. “We’re excited to host our first Juneteenth event, which has proven to be an important element of African-American history,” said Conchita Robinson, volunteer co-chair, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta African American Initiative. “It is especially heartwarming that so many people in our community are freely giving their time and talents in making this event a success. They truly represent what ‘community’ is all about.” After President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation abolishing slavery January 1, 1863, many Texans, without knowledge of their freedom, continued working as slaves until they were informed of their freedom 2 ½ years later on June 19, 1865. Since then, Juneteenth has been celebrated as Independence Day for all African Americans, focused on education, self-improvement and prayer services. With a movement to make it a national holiday, Juneteenth is now a state holiday in Alaska, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas.

--Greater Boston suburbs becoming more racially segregated---
Even as more minorities moved to Boston's suburbs over the last decade, a new Harvard University study finds the suburbs became more racially segregated. Researchers say the rise of racial stratification in Boston 's suburbs, though slight, could spell problems for minorities seeking fair housing, education, and employment. Harvard's Civil Rights Project compared racial shifts between the 1990 and 2000 census and found Boston 's suburbs remain more than 90 percent white, despite an influx of ethnic minorities, especially Asians. The suburban Asian population, from Plymouth to the south, to Hopkinton in the west and Salisbury to the north, doubled over the decade, adding 56,000 residents. About 23,000 Latinos and 23,000 blacks also moved to the suburbs. But as suburban minority populations swelled, even more whites, about 90,000, moved to the suburbs, and most moved to the very-white far edges, with the greatest increases in Franklin, Mansfield, Plymouth and Taunton. Many of the white people moving to the suburbs came from cities, the study said. Boston , for example, lost 47,000 whites over the decade.And even as more minorities settle in the suburbs, racial segregation rates increased slightly over the decade, especially for Latinos. The average Latino suburbanite lives in a neighborhood that is 9.6 percent Latino, up from 6.8 percent in 1990. Asian and black segregation in the suburbs held mostly the same or rose slightly. For the full story, go to www.unityfirst.com an look under Headline’s.(Story By Michael C. Levenson, STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE,Michael.Levenson@statehousenews.com)

---From the desk of Rod Paige---
U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced the appointment of John J. Porter as director of the Department's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. "John Porter is a leader in our nation's army of compassion," said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. "Some of the most successful, uplifting and effective programs to help children are run by faith-based and community organizations. We plan to utilize the hundreds of faith-based and community soldiers around the country to ensure that every child of every religion, race and ethnicity gets the best education America can offer them, and John will help guide our efforts."The Center is a White House initiative created by President George W. Bush to enlist, equip, enable, empower and expand the heroic works of faith-based and community groups across America. Prior to his appointment, Porter practiced law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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