---New York: MOBE Conference---
Reverend Al Sharpton, Founder, National Action Network/Madison Avenue Initiative, will deliver the opening keynote address, at the 10th Annual MOBE Conference, to be held at the Millennium Broadway Hotel and Hudson Theater (145 West. 44th St., between Broadway and 6th Avenue). Sharpton will focus on "Minority Representation in the Media and Advertising, Target Marketing and New Updates on the Madison Avenue Initiative in a Post 9/11 World." Sharpton also plans to outline a call to action to urge African Americans to utilize their $490 billion buying power to demand more equitable representation and greater access to the decision making process, especially in the media and advertising worlds and in the corporate arena in general. Marketing Opportunities in Business and Entertainment (MOBE) is the premier national business, entertainment and new media conference targeting the African American business community and is unique in developing a 12-month business building relationship between MOBE and attendees. For further information, please visit www.MOBE.COM

---Atlanta: Diversity conference hosts national reception for "Making Connections"---"Making Connections: Success Strategies for Outreach to Diverse Communities," is a reception sponsored by Linkage's Summit on Leading Diversity (one of the nation's leading conferences on diversity) and African American Newswire/UnityFirst.com. The reception will be held on April 10, 2002 (5 pm to 6:30 pm) at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia in Atlanta, GA, as part of the Summit on Leading Diversity Conference, which runs from April 8-11. This special networking reception is focused on sharing best practice diversity outreach efforts and building partnerships with corporations. "Making Connections" provides an opportunity for corporate organizations attending the Summit to connect with community, media, business, and social resources to develop partnerships that enable the advancement of diversity. The Summit provides a forum to connect with over 650 diversity practitioners representing various corporations and organizations from across the U.S. The Summit on Leading Diversity Conference includes keynote presentations from: Edward James Olmos on finding the champions in all of us, Alexis M. Herman on investing in the current and future workforce, Myrlie Evers-Williams on the courage to succeed, Aida Alvarez on economic empowerment and forging partnerships with women and minority owned businesses, Steve Hanamura on the connection between doing business and serving our communities and Mark Williams on a 21st century approach to managing cultural diversity. Some of the reception participants include representatives from various corporations as well as Janine Fondon, President and CEO of UnityFirst.com/African American Newswire, Evelyn Day and Angela Savala of TIYM's Hispanic Yearbook and African American Yearbook, as well as representatives from George Fraser's SuccessGuide 2002, Black Data Processing Associates, Bredy Network Management Corporation, National Black MBA Association, National Minority Professional Network, The Network Journal, Blacks in Government, RAKSHA, Inc., National Coalition of 100 Black Women - Mecca chapter and others. To register your organization for the reception, contact Janine Fondon at 1-800-286-3659 by March 22 or send an email message to jfondon@unityfirst.com. To learn more about The Summit on Leading Diversity, visit the website at www.linkageinc.com/conferences/hr/leading_diversity.

---Special report by Paul Malaba: Zimbabwe: Post-election---
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe was sworn in Sunday for a new six-year term, amid continuing criticism of his disputed election victory last week. He promptly vowed to accelerate his controversial program of land reform and said his victory was a triumph against "British imperialism". "The land reform program must proceed with greater speed and strength, so the losses and drawbacks of the current drought-ridden season can be overcome," Mugabe said. Mugabe used the promise of redistributing land to poor, black farmers as an election rallying call, and he had been expected to accelerate the program to reward his supporters. Mugabe's Sunday European Union (EU) countries, the U.S. and some members of the Commonwealth boycotted morning's inauguration, which included a 21-gun salute and military fly-overs. These countries, along with local pro-democracy groups and Mugabe's rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, have said the election was flawed and unacceptable. The presidents of Malawi, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Zambia attended the ceremony in the capital Harare. The leaders of Nigeria and South Africa-the continent's most prominent countries did not attend but are due to meet Monday with Mugabe and Morgan Tsangirai, his opponent in last week's hotly contested election. For the full article, go to www.UnityFirst.com. If interested in Paul Malaba's columns, contact bmalaba@aol.com.

---Goodbye, Harlem for BET---
Citing a need for larger facilities that will accommodate its news and music programming operations, BET announced it is moving its New York-based programs to the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street. The programs that will operate out of the new location include 106 & PARK: BET'S TOP 10 LIVE, RAP CITY: DA BASSMENT, BET NIGHTLY NEWS and BET TONIGHT WITH ED GORDON. "Our need to combine BET music and news programming operations in New York has resulted in our relocation to a larger venue at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street," said Debra L. Lee, BET President and Chief Operating Officer. "BET remains committed to the Harlem community, and is grateful for the reception we've received since our arrival nearly two years ago. We will continue to look for programming opportunities in Harlem when feasible. BET will also remain open to the possibility of office space and production facilities in Harlem should our future business needs dictate additional expansion." Black Entertainment Television (BET), a subsidiary of Viacom, is the nation's leading 24-hour television network providing quality entertainment, news and public affairs programming for the African-American audience.

---Blacks in Technology Summit---
Forging a new bridge across the so-called digital divide, the nation's first free consumer and business technology exchange for African-Americans will be held in New York from May 10-11 and in Chicago from Aug. 10-11. Blacks in Technology Summit, hosted by radio personality and consumer advocate Tavis Smiley, will bring together technology experts and showcase technology solutions for African-Americans at school, at work and in the home. Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates sees the challenge of helping connect minority communities with technology as a vital issue for America. Microsoft presenters will demonstrate how African-American business owners can save time and money, deliver superior customer service, and conduct business on the World Wide Web -- all with existing technology.

---U.S. Secretary of Education and NCNW---
On March 19, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige will join Dr. Dorothy Height, one of the nation's leading advocates for civil rights and chair and president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, to unveil a new partnership to close the achievement gap between African- American children and their peers and help them excel in school. The event will be held at the National Council for Negro Women Headquarters, 633 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C.

---Job Opportunity of the Week---
Benjamin Banneker Charter School Seeks School Leader (Cambridge, MA)
The Benjamin Banneker Charter School is currently seeking a visionary and dynamic individual to serve as an educational leader of a K through 8 six-year old charter school serving three hundred fifty students. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the school has a budget of approximately four million dollars and seventy faculty and staff. The school is now seeking a highly motivated, exceptional, results-oriented professional who is committed to the mission of the Banneker and high standards of objective measures of performance, including the use of MCAS as well as other standardized instruments. The successful candidate will have a demonstrated track record of achieving school organizational goals through varying degrees of participatory and collaborative teamwork with senior staff, teachers, parents, the Board of Trustees, and the community. He or she must possess or meet the qualifications to obtain a Massachusetts secondary school principal license; must have a minimal of three years of urban teaching experience, and recent urban school administrative experience. Terms:$95,000+ Base Salary (negotiable), 4 weeks paid leave per year, plus additional fringe benefits including medical and dental insurance. For a detailed description of this job, click here. If interested in this position, send an email to jfondon@unityfist.com.

Thanks for reading Unity First Online. If you know of people who should receive Unity First Online, please encourage them to sign up for the newsletter via www.UnityFirst.com.

###