---Comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory protests 34th Annual NAACP Image Awards---After the announcement of Cedric the Entertainer to host the 34th Annual NAACP Image Awards, and the controversy surrounding the movie Barbershop, civil rights activist Dick Gregory protested the awards ceremony in Los Angeles, Saturday March 8. Gregory said, "The movie disrespects the legacy of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." He added, "all who participated in the movie owes an apology to the civil rights movement, and to those people who lost their lives." Barbershop received five Image Award nominations, including best picture and best supporting actor for Cedric. The NAACP also chose Cedric the Entertainer to host its upcoming Image Awards show despite his jokes in the film. Gregory regrets the actions of the NAACP to honor such a film with any consideration of an award and pledged to continue boycotting MGM because of the company's long history of promoting racial stereotypes dating back to the movie 'Birth of a Nation.' That movie incited the lynching of hundreds of Black Americans. Dick Gregory, The National Black Anti-Defamation Association, 1-800 UNITE US, and others are calling for an apology for the defamation of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin L. King Jr. in the movie Barbershop. The National Black Anti-Defamation League asked that Cedric, the emcee for this year's NAACP Image Awards Show, make a public, on air apology during the awards show." Gregory added, "I found the comments about Ms. Rosa Parks and Dr. King to be outrageous and very offensive. Had those same comments been made by a White comedian, some of those same Black comedians would have been up in arms." Charles Brister founder of 1-800 UNITE US, said, "We don't see movies denigrating important Jewish historical figures, nor should we. To those who say, 'It's only a movie' I ask, "Who did Dr. King die for?" For more detail, send email to: info@uniteus.com. FYI, the NAACP Image awards will air nationally on March 13. Rosa Parks announced that she would not attend the awards ceremony to protest the film, and its jokes delivered by Cedric.

---Black Education Network files discrimination suit against AT&T Comcast---
Black Education Network (BEN), a Harlem-based company that is developing programming networks representing the views and perspectives of the African American community, has filed suit in a Colorado federal court against AT&T Broadband, Comcast Corporation, and Daniels & Associates alleging civil rights violations, fraud, and misrepresentation. The law firm of Masry & Vititoe of Westlake, California, is representing BEN in the lawsuit. According to BEN President Michele Clark Jenkins, "Beginning in 2000, we tried to purchase cable systems from AT&T and were not only invited into two bids, but made it into the final round of both bids. The first time, we were nearly $100 million higher than the awarded bid. The second time, we were $42 million higher than the awarded bid, but, as a final insult, after negotiations, they actually sold the system in the second bid for $242 million less than our bid! We were told that we were not awarded the bids because we were not part of the elite 'old boys network' of cable ownership. This refusal to sell to our group was clearly business as usual to exclude minorities from owning large blocks of cable systems even when they come to the table, as we did, with more money in hand than anybody else. Not to mention that by taking this action, they have cheated their own shareholders out of the increased revenues from our substantially higher bids." BEN's ownership is comprised of a diverse group of African Americans who, in partnership with educational institutions, church groups, and non-profits, have a vested interest in positive programming about African Americans. Through the use of proprietary technology, BEN will be distributing entertainment and educational programming direct to the viewer.

---Minority admissions study finds CA 'Race-Neutral' approaches ineffective---
Americans for a Fair Chance, a non-partisan consortium of six of America's leading civil rights legal organizations dedicated to the preservation of affirmative action welcomes the release of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute study on Latino and African-American admissions. The study found that "race neutral" plans used in California after the end of affirmative action adversely affect underrepresented minorities and are not a viable method of achieving a diverse campus. "The Tomas Rivera study, like others before it, confirms what civil rights organizations and researchers have been saying for years: percentage plans are ineffective, and are not credible alternatives to established affirmative action programs in higher education," said Shirley J. Wilcher, executive director of Americans for a Fair Chance. "These plans turn back the clock on thirty years of progress towards diversity in our selective colleges and universities." The study, "The Reality of Race-Neutral Admissions at the University of California: Turning the Tide or Turning Them Away" examines the acceptance and enrollment rates of underrepresented minorities, Latinos and African-Americans, within the University of California system since the implementation of Resolution SP-1 and the subsequent passing of Proposition 209. Proposition 209 barred all consideration of race in admissions, hiring, and contracting within state entities. These measures effectively struck down affirmative action in the state of California. Using data obtained from University of California Office of the President (UCOP), the study assesses African-American and Latino application, admittance and acceptance rates at the university's eight campuses from 1997-2002. The study characterizes Latino acceptance rates within the UC system since 1997 as "declining and stagnant" and African-American rates as "declining" despite the increase in the number of Latino and African-American applicants. The study reports that since the implementation of SP-1, over 22,000 Latino students and more than 7000 African-American students have been rejected from UC schools that might have otherwise been accepted. Percentage plans gained considerable attention following President Bush's endorsement of them in the White House amicus curiae brief filed against the University of Michigan in the upcoming Supreme Court case over affirmative action.

---Coalition for fair news coverage contacts Philadelphia Daily News advertisers---Approximately six months after a group of Philadelphians, consisting of more than 100 African-American churches, community, civic, civil rights and business organizations, launched a city-wide boycott of the Philadelphia Daily News, the group announced that it has sent letters to a cross-section of the paper's advertisers alerting them that the paper has been unresponsive to community concerns that the Daily News is racially insensitive and ethnically divisive and that its members remain committed to continuing the boycott until "substantial changes" are made at the paper. The group, the Coalition For Fair News Coverage (CFFNC), had made repeated petitions to the Daily News to remove Editor Zach Stalberg and Managing Editor Ellen Foley from their positions, as they are responsible for the final content of the paper. To date, neither the Daily News nor its parent corporation, Knight-Ridder, have reassigned either of the editors, and the paper has not made any other structural changes that would restore the confidence of the community.

---New York: Reel Sisters showcases 37 films by women of color in Brooklyn---
On Friday, March 14, 2003, the Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series will kick-off the event with an opening night reception and present awards to several talented filmmakers. The three-day festival will screen 37 powerful films by women of color. Reel Sisters, founded by Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus, Media Arts Dept. and African Voices magazine, will be held from March 14 to 16. For festival schedule and tickets call (718) 488-1052 or visit www.africanvoices.com.

---AFLAC, one of the 100 companies providing the most opportunities to Hispanics---AFLAC has been named to Hispanic magazine's "Corporate 100" list of the companies providing the most opportunities to Hispanics. AFLAC has appeared on the annual list since 1993. In compiling the list, Hispanic magazine evaluated companies based on factors including recruitment efforts, diversity training, minority business initiatives, and funding efforts for scholarships and organizations. The magazine recognized AFLAC's diversity council, minority vendor development program, Spanish-language marketing material, and minority and women-owned business procurement efforts. More specifically, AFLAC's Hispanic Market Development Department supports the development of its Hispanic representatives across the United States. This is done in part by the AFLAC Minority Mentoring Program, which helps prepare minority sales associates for success and leadership roles at AFLAC. In addition, AFLAC maintains a Spanish customer service line for policyholders and associates and airs its Spanish television commercials on the four largest Spanish TV networks in the United States. A quarterly electronic newsletter called Diversity in Action profiles successful Hispanic and African-American associates and provides mentoring tips and other useful information for minority associates. AFLAC Incorporated is an international holding company. A Fortune 500 company, AFLAC insures more than 40 million people worldwide.

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