---Arsenio Hall: VH1 to Debut 'Arsenio Jams,' on November 12 at 11 pm (ET)---On January 3, 1989, late-night TV was changed forever when "The Arsenio Hall Show" debuted, bringing younger, hipper audiences to the talk-show genre with edgy monologues, a party atmosphere -- and musical guests like Madonna, Prince, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, TLC, Janet Jackson, Elton John, Vanessa Williams and many more. Now, VH1 presents "Arsenio Jams," a series of 30-minute episodes spotlighting the most memorable musical performances and interviews from more than 1,200 original episodes of "The Arsenio Hall Show," debuting back-to-back every weeknight beginning Monday, November 12, from 11:00 p.m.- 12:00 a.m. (ET/PT). VH1's premiere episode of "Arsenio Jams" features the legendary 1992 visit by then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton, whose performance on the saxophone proved to be a pivotal campaign move that greatly increased his popularity and influence among young voters.

---FedEx Express Donates $100,000 to Organization of Black Airline Pilots---To enhance training capabilities and prepare African-American pilots for the highly competitive aviation industry, FedEx Express, the world's largest express transportation company, has made a $100,000 donation to the Organization of Black Airline Pilots (OBAP) for use in the organization's Professional Pilot Development Program. "At FedEx, diversity is an important part of our cultural fabric and we are committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce," said David F. Rebholz, Executive Vice President, FedEx Express. "The challenge to the aviation industry is to bring together interested and committed people of diverse backgrounds, and make opportunities in aviation available to them." Founded in 1976, the 2,500-member Organization of Black Airline Pilots helps motivate youth to become educationally prepared for life and increases minority participation in aviation through exposure, training, mentoring, and scholarships. The OBAP Professional Pilot Development Program provides training and testing to African-American pilots, increasing their competitiveness for jobs within the airline industry.

---Jim Crow: African Americans tell their stories, November 12--- The 80-year era of segregation known as "Jim Crow" represents one of the most troubling and heartbreaking times in American history. African Americans were pushed to the backs of buses and the margins of society. They were robbed of wages by white employers and stripped of their dignity as WWII soldiers returning from duty. Then there were the lynchings. It was fertile ground for the discontent that would grow into the Civil Rights Movement. Yet many Americans -- Black and White -- know little about what it was like to endure Jim Crow. Tune in to your local public radio station the week of November 12 for "Remembering Jim Crow", an hour-long special that captures voices of people who lived through that era. "Remembering Jim Crow" is the latest program from American RadioWorks (ARW), the award-winning documentary project of Minnesota Public Radio and NPR News. Interviews with both black and white survivors of the Jim Crow era reveal how even the most ordinary activities were subjected to profound and unrelenting racial oppression-in the workplace, on street corners and, above all, in public facilities and institutions. At the same time, "Remembering Jim Crow" reveals how Black Southerners fought back against the system, raising children, building churches and schools, and running businesses with hope and determination, while struggling for respect in a society that denied them the most basic rights of American citizenship.

---Low-cost loans to students of HBCUs---
American Education Services (AES) announced a partnership with Allfirst Bank to provide affordable student loans to African-American students through HBCUmentor.org. HBCUmentor is a powerful new website providing students with information, electronic tools and online applications specifically for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Allfirst Bank will be the exclusive lender for HBCUmentor, in partnership with AES and EFS, providing discounted student loans to eligible students. There are 121 HBCU schools throughout the United States. These postsecondary schools were founded before 1964, focusing on the education of African-Americans, although not to the exclusion of others. HBCUmentor provides students with one-on-one education and career mentoring through an easy-to-use Web-based interface. Students are able to search for Historically Black Colleges and Universities that best meet their needs and interests, take multimedia campus tours, communicate directly with schools via free email accounts and submit applications online. The HBCUmentor system is available to all interested students at no cost to taxpayers as planning, support and funding is provided by AES. American Education Services (AES), is a division of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, a multifaceted financial aid services organization that harnesses the power of technology and innovation to better serve students, families, schools and lenders throughout the nation.

---Open Letter to Bush, Daschle and Baucus Sent by National Urban League---Presidents from three leading civil rights organizations representing segments of the population hardest hit by the recent economic downturn -- African Americans, Latinos and women -- issued an open letter to President Bush, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus urging major revisions to the economic stimulus package currently under consideration by the Senate Finance Committee. The letter, delivered to the White House, to Chairman Baucus and to Finance Committee members, is available online at www.nul.org/presbush.html, or by calling 212/558-5371. Spurred by statistics that show unemployment rates for African Americans at nearly twice that of Whites -- 9.7 percent vs. 5.4 -- and rates for women at 6.9 percent, and at 7.2 for Latinos.

---Diversity Awards, November 17---
The Ninth Annual Diversity Awards will take place Saturday evening, November 17th, beginning at 5:30 pm as one of the inaugural gala events at the new permanent home of the Oscars in Hollywood & Highland's Ballroom. Hosted by "Entertainment Tonight's" Bob Goen and entertainment personality Giselle Fernandez of the newly christened "KTLA Morning Show," the Diversity Awards will honor diverse contributions in television and film, showcasing an array of celebrity presenters and performers including: Michael Clarke Duncan, David Arquette, Angie Everhart, George Lopez, Debbi Morgan, Malinda Williams, Michael DeLorenzo, and others. With this year's theme, "Celebrating Diversity -- Creative Minds Making It Happen," the Multicultural Motion Picture Association, comprised of writers, cinematographers, actors, and directors, seeks to look at the strides that are made when creative minds come together utilizing their talents to find ways in which to tell everyone's story, as opposed to looking at the wide chasm that still exists in the area of diversity. The cast of CBS' "Survivor 2," will also be honored as 2001's Most Diverse Television Ensemble Cast, with Showtime Networks to receive the 2001 Most Diverse Television Network Award. Showtime's Original Programming roster includes the Latino-themed family drama "Resurrection Blvd," the motion picture-inspired "Soul Food" centered around a group of African-American sisters, and "Queer as Folk," the cutting-edge adult drama surrounding the life of a group of gay friends in Pittsburgh.

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