---March 31 issue of Newsweek (on stands March 24) features Sen. Barack Obama---
Newsweek reconstructs Obama's journey from one name to another and explores what light that journey sheds on his character. According to Newsweek, "When Senator Barack Obama moved from using the name Barry to Barack, his formal name, it was part of his almost lifelong quest for identity and belonging -- to figure out who he is, and how he fits into the larger American tapestry. Part Black, part White, raised in Hawaii and Indonesia, with family of different religious and spiritual backgrounds -- seen by others in ways he didn't see himself -- the young Barry was looking for solid ground. At Occidental College, he was feeling like he was at a "dead end," he tells Newsweek, "that somehow I needed to connect with something bigger than myself." The identity quest, which began before he became Barack and continued after, put him on a trajectory into a Black America he had never really known as a child in Hawaii and abroad, Newsweek reports. In the end, he would come to see and accept that he was in an almost unique position as an American – someone who had been part of both the White and the Black American "families," able to view the secret doubts and fears and dreams of both, and to understand them."

Vernon Jordan

Bishop Blake

Amistad

Business World Index

---Vernon Jordan at Indiana University---
Civil rights leader, lawyer and influential political figure Vernon E. Jordan Jr. will deliver the 2008 Neal-Marshall Lecture in Public Policy on Thursday, March 27, at Indiana University Bloomington. Jordan has worn many hats in almost a half century. He has been executive director of the United Negro College Fund Inc., President and CEO of the National Urban League Inc., and a friend and adviser to President Bill Clinton. Currently, he is senior managing director of the New York investment banking firm Lazard Freres & Co., senior counsel with the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, and sits on the boards of American Express Co., Xerox Corp. and Howard University. Jordan's lecture, titled "America -- Crossing Boundaries of Possibility," will be followed by a question-and-answer session. It is free and open to the public.

---'New Movement' on 40th King Anniversary---
On Thursday, April 3, 2008, at the exact hour and at the same pulpit that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached his last sermon at Mason Temple 40 years ago, Bishop Charles E. Blake, presiding prelate of the Church Of God In Christ, the largest Holiness- Pentecostal denomination in the world, will launch a post-civil rights campaign to reclaim poor Black children in U.S. inner cities and in Africa. Bishop Blake will lead his first Pan African Leadership Summit in Memphis, Tennessee. Church and private-sector leaders and policy intellectuals from the U.S. and abroad will join Bishop Blake in Memphis as he outlines a new programmatic and policy agenda. "We now move beyond the politics of protest and racial complaint to an interracial and ecumenical movement to rebuild Black civil society with interventions and programs that measurably reduce Black 'fatherlessness' and Black-on-Black violence," said Bishop Blake. As a part of the Summit, Bishop Blake will challenge leaders to work together on domestic and international policy initiatives. "On the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's last sermon, we first call upon Black churches to commit our time, talent and treasure to saving those Black youth who have been left to suffer and die in our cities and on the continent of Africa," said Bishop Blake.

---New U.N. report notes U.S. racial disparities in the U.S.---
 Recently, a key committee at the United Nations raised concern over racism in the United States and the government’s failure to combat racial inequality. In its findings, the U.N. committee highlights ways in which racial discrimination still plays a role in the American experience. The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) repeatedly expressed concern that civil and human rights in the U.S. have been “rolled back”. Problems range from racial segregation in the schools and racial disparities in the criminal justice system, to decreased access to the courts. “As the U.N. has confirmed, the failure of the U.S. government to ensure that people have access to justice through the courts constitutes a flagrant violation of international human rights law,” said Cristóbal Joshua Alex, Campaign Coordinator of the National Campaign To Restore Civil Rights (NCRCR) and envoy to the Committee. In language echoing the points highlighted in NCRCR’s Shadow Report to CERD, the U.N. expressed concern over the U.S.’s definition of racial inequality. Recent court cases in the United States have made it more difficult to bring discrimination claims in court, requiring proof of intentional discrimination. Under the U.N. treaty, victims of discrimination may seek justice as long as they can prove the actions had a discriminatory effect.

---United Nations designates March 25 as an annual Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade---The United Nations has designated March 25th as an annual Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.  In December of 2007 the UN General Assembly passed a resolution “to inculcate future generations with the causes, consequences and lessons of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery, in order to communicate the dangers of racism and prejudice.” This year, the United Nations will sponsor several days of special programs to raise awareness of the 400-years of the slave trade. The Schooner Amistad provides an icon that represents the ideals behind the UN resolution. It serves as a vehicle for involving young people throughout the world with the issues of slavery, racism, and the universal quest for freedom and justice. Visitors to Barbados during April 4th - 20th, 2008 can witness a momentous part of history as the legendary historic Freedom Schooner, Amistad, makes its port of call in Barbados commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade.

---BET Hip Hop Awards release video performances DVD featuring T.I.---
BET Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment now offers the rare opportunity to own live video performances of some of the biggest names in music from the BET Hip Hop Awards. Hosted by comedian and actor Katt Williams, the star-studded show featured unforgettable performances by Kanye West;  Lil Wayne, Common; Nelly; and other chart-topping artists.  As a special bonus feature, the DVD also includes exclusive unaired footage of rehearsal performances by red-hot hitmaker T.I. UnityFirst.com has a limited number of copies to give-away to its readers. Give us a call at (413) 734-6444 and let us know if you would like a copy. Calls will be only accepted after 9:30 am EST.