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----Go to www.UnityFirst.com for the
following stories---
1) Sallie Mae and United Negro College Fund
2) America's first African-American sponsored Retirement
community
3) Artist Paul Goodnight's newly released African-inspired
calendar
4) Inspirations by Jewel Diamond Taylor
5) Financial Tips by Wealthy Woman, Wise Choices author,
Mary Grate-Pyos
---YOUR VOTE COUNTS: an open letter
by Black Enterprise Publisher Earl G. Graves, Sr.---This
Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2002, is one of huge
significance for African Americans and the entire nation.
Races across the country could potentially make history.
Our votes will decide whether the Democratic Party retains
a one-seat majority in the U.S. Senate. And if the Democratic
Party picks up as few as six seats in Congress, African
Americans could chair about 20 committee or subcommittee
seats. There are a number of issues at stake. On the
state and local levels, issues that will be affected
by the election include schools, property values, healthcare,
and crime. Carl McCall will make history if he becomes
the first Black governor of New York. If former Dallas
mayor Ron Kirk, an African American, should win his
race for U.S. Senate in Texas, it would make him the
only Black in the U.S. Senate, the first since Sen.
Carol Mosely-Braun. On the national level, the issues
include: U.S. military force against Iraq, shareholder
rights issues stemming from recent corporate scandals,
the Homeland Security bill which is in jeopardy as Democrats
and Republicans argue over how much discretion it should
allow the President and economic stability, as the U.S.
economy continues to spiral downward. Exercising our
political influence and gaining representation on the
state and municipal levels is of even greater priority
for us now that the Bush administration continues to
advocate that local policy makers, not federal officials,
make decisions regarding the accessibility and distribution
of resources. Time is of the essence. I urge you to
get out and vote this Nov. 5, 2002. We must measure
our political power not only by our ability to get out
the vote, but also by our willingness to break out our
checkbooks to contribute to their campaigns. And our
efforts must not end after the election. It is our duty
to see that our elected officials follow through with
the promises they made before the election and are held
accountable for their actions.
---Former President Clinton expresses
'concern' over voter apathy---
With mid-term elections fast approaching and the balance
of power in Congress at stake, former President Bill
Clinton appealed to African Americans, particularly
younger voters, not to be discouraged by previous voting
irregularities and "get out the vote" on Election
Day, Tuesday, November 5. Clinton made his remarks during
an exclusive interview from his Harlem, New York offices
with LEAD STORY, BET's Sunday morning political and
public policy talk show featuring a panel of leading
African- American journalists. Clinton said, "
... I've been terribly concerned that a lot of younger
people who didn't go through the civil rights movement
might have been so turned off by what happened in Florida
... so turned off by all the Black votes that weren't
counted, that they might just throw up their hands and
say 'what difference does it make?' ... but it does
make a big difference and we are making progress ...
Ron Kirk has the chance to be the first African-American
Senator to be elected in the South since reconstruction."
---Over 100 organizations determined
to turnout and protect the Black vote- The
threat of nuclear war, a depressed economy, and the
fact that less than 600 votes determined the U.S. president
in 2000, prompted the National Coalition on Black Civic
Participation (NCBCP) to shift early into the mobilization
phase of their Unity 2002 Agenda, launching one of the
most aggressive get-out-the-vote (GOTV) campaigns in
the organizations history. "We are dealing with
critical issues, and this election will determine the
balance of power in both the U.S. house and senate -
those people will vote on issues that could change our
way of life," says Melanie L. Campbell, executive
director, NCBCP. "The Unity 2002 Agenda brought
together a network of organizations determined to galvanize
the Black vote in this election cycle," she added.
Created to maximize Black voter turnout and eliminate
voting improprieties during the mid-term election, the
Unity 2002 Agenda is a non-partisan voter registration,
education, mobilization, and know your rights unity
plan that utilizes the collective power and resources
between the Coalition's member organizations and partners.
With operations in close to 60 U.S. cities, and working
in coalition with over 100 organizations across the
country, the NCBCP's Unity 2002 Agenda initiatives include:
Town Hall meetings and issue forums, phone banking and
direct mail targeting African American households, early
vote/absentee ballot campaign targeting seniors and
college students, and neighborhood literature drops/door-to-door
canvassing and media campaigns involving Black radio
and newspapers. On Nov. 15 the NCBCP will hold a post
election briefing accessing the Black voter turnout
in the election. For more information on the National
Coalition or its programs, visit bigvote.org. For problems
at the polls call 1-866-OUR-VOTE. For more information,
contact: Edrea Davis of the National Coalition on Black
Civic Participation, 818-569-3045 or 818-613-9521 or
send email to edmedia@dogonvillage.com.
--- $20,000 GRANTS for urban entrepreneurs---
Are you ready to take control of your destiny? Do you
dream of the day you are your own boss? Do you have
the entrepreneurial spirit that it takes to succeed
in business? If your answer to all of these questions
is yes, you should consider entering Miller Brewing
Company's Urban Entrepreneurs Business Grant Competition.
Previously sponsored by Miller's Olde English 800 brand,
the Miller Urban Entrepreneurs Business Grant Competition
is open to eligible, aspiring entrepreneurs between
the ages of 21-30. The competition offers the opportunity
for up-and-coming businessmen and women to vie for one
of four $20,000 business grants being offered across
the country. Whether a business already exists or is
in its start-up stages, eligible entrepreneurs may submit
a business plan along with an official application by
Friday, December 20, 2002. Eight finalists will be chosen
and flown to Chicago to present in front of successful
national business leaders, entrepreneurs and representatives
from colleges and university business schools. The business
grant competition is one component of the Miller Urban
Entrepreneurs Series - a program created to educate
and support urban entrepreneurs, which includes a seminar
series that travels to Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta
and New York. Applications for the 2002 business grant
competition are available at each seminar and at partnering
organization headquarters. Program partners include
Recycling Black Dollars in Los Angeles, the Atlanta
Business League, the Chicago Urban League and the Greater
Harlem Chamber of Commerce in New York. For more information
about the grant, contact Barbara Thompson at (312) 986-1255
or send email to bthompson@flowerscomm.com .
---MOBE takes New York: Russell Simmons
and Don Coleman head lineup---
The MOBE Business and Brand Building Clinic, which takes
place November 3-5 in Harlem's Magic Johnson Theater,
is the latest extension of MOBE, the 10 year old Advanced
Marketing Conference Series, credited with generating
over $200 million in business through relationships
it initiated for conference registrants. Marketing Opportunities
in Business & Entertainment is the full name of
the conference series. The MOBE Business and Brand Building
Clinic is the prescription for strengthening brand and
business building strategies. The interactive forum
allows direct communication between attendees and noted
experts in the art of brand development and accelerating
business growth, particularly during an ailing economy.
MOBE featured specialist Russell Simmons, the "Brand
Master," CEO, Rush Communications, Def Jam, Def
Comedy Jam, Def Jam Poetry and Phat Farm Brands has
planted the seeds of urban culture around the world.
Don Coleman, Chairman and CEO of GlobalHue, is leading
America into its multicultural future. Coleman is responsible
for over 320 million dollars in billings per year. GlobalHue
is the first and largest minority-owned full-service
marketing communications agency dedicated to cultural
and multicultural consumer audiences. For more information
or to register visit www.MOBE.com or call 773-651-8008.
---National platform for minority
health issues---
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
has been awarded a $7 million grant by the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation to create a Health Policy Institute. The
Institute will focus much-needed attention on key health
policy issues for African Americans and other minorities
-- communities that are disproportionately affected
by policy shifts. Since the early 1990s, the Joint Center
has tracked and published hard-to-find data on the health
of African Americans and other minorities and has facilitated
discussions on issues including HIV/AIDS, access to
health services, and the impact of managed care. The
Institute, which will be officially launched in spring
2003, will expand the Joint Center's work in these areas
and will provide timely responses to health policy challenges.
---Send your news, events and press releases to editors@unityfirst.com!
---
For more information on African American Newswire, a
national press release distribution service targeting
the diverse press or UnityFirst.com, call 413-734-6444
or send email to editors@unityfirst.com.
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