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"Aetna Honors African American Dentists"

---New book on racism challenges readers to examine their hearts---
Author Robert Upton has released his new book entitled, "Racism@Work Among The LORD's People" (ISBN: 1-930027-89-3). As a Senior Consultant for Upton Consulting, an organizational management consulting firm that provides a wide range of services to churches, corporations, parachurch ministries and non-profit organizations, his opinion and counsel are highly sought after on matters concerning racial diversity, race relations, racial tensions, racial reconciliation and racism in the church. He believes that only when the heart has been pierced, the real truth be found. Rodney King asked a very profound question in the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots, "Can we all get along?" For the most part, this question has remained unanswered. The subject of racism continues to remain a frequent topic of discussion but not much progress has been made in addressing the racial divide that exists in America. "Racism@Work Among The LORD's People" will help those who are dealing with prejudice, bigotry and racism as well as those who need to find healing. The book provides the reader with ten devotionals that have been written on the subject of the Bible and Racism. Practical suggestions are provided for pastors and their congregations that will assist them in obtaining racial diversity within their churches. For more information, or to receive a copy, call (616) 243-5129.

---Linkage's 2004 "Summit on Leading Diversity" focused on $1.5 Trillion Diversity Market---Business leaders, diversity experts and celebrities like boxing superstar Sugar Ray Leonard and Public Television's Ray Suarez will converge on Atlanta in late April as part of Linkage, Inc.'s 5th annual "Summit on Leading Diversity." Summit attendees share a commitment to understanding, supporting and doing business with a massive $1.5 trillion U.S. diversity market that is equal to the Gross National Products of France, Italy or the United Kingdom. CEOs, senior executives, and diversity experts from organizations as diverse as Boeing, Cingular Wireless, Ernst & Young, Georgia-Pacific, Harvard University, The Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson, J.P. Morgan Chase, Lehman Brothers, Lucent Technology, MTV, Pepco Holdings, Inc. and Verizon will be attending Linkage's fifth annual "Summit on Leading Diversity," which is now considered one of the top diversity events in the world. "Everyone talks a good game when it comes to diversity, but now it's time to start walking that talk. After all, the diversity markets represent $1.5 trillion in domestic buying power, and growing. The 5th annual Linkage Summit on Leading Diversity is taking place in Atlanta, Georgia at the Marriot Marquis from April 26th-29th and tackles practical solutions for leveraging diversity and creating productive work cultures. An annual reception, "Making Connections," co-sponsored with UnityFirst.com, will feature a host of businesses and community professional organizations from across the nation. For more information on the conference, or reception, send an email to: jfondon@unityfirst.com or contact Janine Fondon at 413-734-6444.

---Ohio: The Affairs of Race in America: A Conversation in Black and White---
Shay Banks-Young and Julia Jefferson Westerinen talk about their common heritage and different experiences as a "Black" and a "White" woman at March 24 (12:30 pm) during the Women's History event sponsored by Cleveland's Western Campus Liberal Arts Department and the Cuyahoga Community College Office of Diversity and Community Outreach. Westerinen grew up "White" and Banks-Young grew up "Black." The event is open to the public and will be held in the North Galleria. These two women share a common heritage as descendants of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, yet grew up on different sides of the race barrier, will carry forward an "honest, new dialogue" in their Western Campus presentation, The Affairs of Race in America: A Conversation in Black and White." DNA tests conducted in 1998 strongly suggests that Westerinen's and Banks- Young's grandfathers, Eston and Madison, were sons of Jefferson and Hemmings. After meeting on the Oprah Winfrey show, the two "new" cousins began visiting college campuses to discuss being raised in different cultures in America where their opportunities were not the same. The two women have also co-founded the Sally Hemmings Foundation. Joining with other descendants and interested parties, they have worked to advance projects such as the creation of a monument to the slaves of Monticello and to help establish a centrally located African American Museum that celebrates the sacrifices and the contributions made by African Americans.

---HIV/AIDS and Media Coverage---
Are the media experiencing "AIDS fatigue?" A new Kaiser Family Foundation study examining 22 years of news coverage finds that overall media coverage is decreasing, while the amount of coverage of the global epidemic is increasing. The report, "AIDS at 21: Media Coverage of the HIV Epidemic 1981" also finds that specific populations disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS in the U.S., such as gay men, teenagers and young adults, minorities, and women, were the focus of only a small amount of the news coverage. "In the United States, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has moved from being an absolute death sentence to more of a chronic disease and one with an increasing presence in minority communities," said Mollyann Brodie, Ph.D., Vice President and Director of Public Opinion and Media Research at the Foundation. "The challenge for reporters interested in writing about HIV is to explore new news angles and for those fighting the epidemic, the challenge is to find new ways to tell the story."

---Human Rights Award to Young Activists from Africa, Asia, South America, and North America--Reebok recently named three extraordinary women from Nigeria, Brazil and the United States, as well as one man who has been a leading advocate for women's rights in Afghanistan, as recipients of the 2004 Reebok Human Rights Award. The Reebok Human Rights Award recipients are: 1) Yinka Jegede-Ekpe, a Nigerian diagnosed with HIV at age 19, who bravely stepped forward to combat stigmatization and became one of her country's most visible AIDS activists, 2) Vanita Gupta, a New York City attorney who successfully orchestrated an extraordinary campaign to fight racism in the justice system by spearheading the legal battle to win the release and pardon of 35 African Americans falsely accused and convicted of drug-related crimes in Texas; 3) Joenia Batista de Carvalho, a Wapixana woman and Brazil's first female indigenous lawyer, who fights for her people's rights to their ancestral lands against the encroachment of outside commercial, farming and hunting interests; 4) Nader Nadery, an Afghan human rights activist, who has endured imprisonment and beatings under three repressive regimes and today is a leading member of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. Established in 1988, the Reebok Human Rights Award honors activists 30 years old or younger who, often at great personal risk, have made significant contributions to the field of human rights through nonviolent means

---Job of the Week: Procurement Card Administrator---
The Procurement Card Administrator will coordinate the administration of an employee purchasing card program, including obtaining cards for employees, coordinating security provisions and bank transfers and related administrative activities. Other duties include installing/maintaining software systems and programs, coordinating the application and enforcement of business policies and standards and being responsible for training, supervising and evaluating the administrative staff while they are engaged in various support activities. To qualify for this position individuals must possess a Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 3 years of business office experience. Strong customer service, effective communication and organizational skills required. The ability to develop and present educational programs and/or workshops, effectively problem solve and ability to gather data, compile information and prepare reports also required. This individual must be detail oriented, possess superior time management skills and have prior auditing experience Send resumes to: Michael Mallon, 360 Huntington Ave., 245 RI, Boston MA 02115; 617-373-2652. Northeastern University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action, Title IX Employer.

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