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Carl Brooks
AIG's Martin Sullivan & Jessica Isaacs
Barbara Lee
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UnityFirst.com News
---The Executive Leadership Council celebrates 20
years of building the Black corporate pipeline---The Executive
Leadership Council, the nation’s premier leadership organization
of the most senior-level African American corporate executives in Fortune
500 companies, climaxed its yearlong 20th anniversary celebration at its
annual black tie gala, “Celebrating our Progress, Facing Tomorrow’s
Challenges.” The awards gala recognized The Council’s two decades
of building the Black leadership pipeline in corporate America and honored
two African American leaders and a pro diversity corporation. The Executive
Leadership Council was founded in 1986 by 19 Black corporate executives,
18 men and one woman. Today, the organization has nearly 400 members –
one-third of them women. During this year’s annual recognition dinner
held October 26, 2006, induction ceremonies were held for 11 of the 20
new members joining The Council. Earlier in the day, 30 CEOs attended
The Council’s 6th Annual CEOs Diversity Summit and more than 70 CEOs
were gathered among the 2,500 dinner attendees. CEO advocates supporting
The Council’s mission and message were further highlighted in an
inspirational video produced by the Target Corporation for the evening.
Award winners recognized at the gala were Dr. Johnnetta Cole, President,
Bennett College for Women, winner of the Alvaro Martins Heritage Award,
named for The Council’s beloved founding member; Council member Clarence
Otis Jr., CEO, Darden Restaurants, winner of the Achievement Award for
his meteoric rise to the C-suite; and Altria Group, Inc., parent company
of Kraft Foods, Inc., Philip Morris USA and Philip Morris International,
winner of the Corporate Award, for their pro diversity efforts. Global
insurance company AIG, led by CEO Martin Sullivan, was the Lead Dinner
Sponsor. For the full story and photos, go to UnityFirst.com.
---Fortune’s Diversity Section in October 30,
2006 issue---
If you would like to receive a copy of Fortune’s October 30,2006
Diversity Section via email, send an email request to info@unityfirst.com.
The section, “Dispelling the Myths About Diversity,” shares
the many falsehoods about managing a heterogeneous workforce and examines
how forward-thinking companies are tackling the issue.
---New Multicultural Landscape---
Geoscape unveiled its 2007 geo-demographic database, which illustrates
thousands of powerful facts from across the nation at micro and macro
levels of geography. American Marketscape DataStream: 2007 Series (AMDS)
features detailed records on all sectors of the American populace and
consumer spending. Some of the highlights in the AMDS 2007 Executive Summary
Report include:
---Hispanics will number over 45 million on July 1, 2007 and 51.4 million
by 2012.
---African Americans will number over 37 million in 2007 and nearly 40
million by 2012.
---Asians will number over 14 million in 2007 and nearly 16 million by
2012.
---From 2000 to 2007 more than 10 million additional Hispanics joined
the American population.
---Hispanics account for 50% of the total population growth.
---More than 17 million and over 84% of the growth from Hispanics, Asians
and African Americans.
---Asians top the list in terms of median annual household income at nearly
$65 thousand.
---Caribbean American Heritage Awards---
Congresswoman Barbara Lee will receive the Outstanding Political Leadership
Award for her championship of the successful Campaign to declare June
as National Caribbean American Heritage Month, at the upcoming 13th Annual
Caribbean American Heritage (CARAH) Awards Gala to take place on Friday,
November 17th at the J.W. Marriott in Washington DC. The event, held under
the distinguished patronage of the Caribbean diplomatic corps, has come
to be recognized as the premier celebration of Caribbean American achievement
in the United States, attracting approximately 500 guests from around
the country. Also to be held is the Caribbean American Leadership Dialogue
in conjunction with the Gala. The theme for this year is “Creating
Partnerships for a Sustainable Future”. The Dialogue to be held November
17-18th. The Dialogue will engage key funding and development agencies
to explore opportunities for doing business in the Caribbean.
---Education today: Poor and Unequal Public Schools---
Poor and unequal public schools are the greatest hurdle facing African
Americans today, a new poll of Black democrats in Maryland suggests. The
poll, released by Bethesda-based Ariel & Ethan, LLC, a non-partisan
polling and market research firm, finds 56 percent of Maryland's Black
Democrats saying that poor and unequal public schools represent the greatest
hurdle to the advancement of Blacks, placing the issue ahead of both discrimination
and a lack of jobs and economic opportunities. Respondents to the survey
were asked to rate the three greatest challenges for African Americans
today. While 56 percent identified educational inequality and failing
schools, a lower 46 percent said that a lack of jobs and economic opportunities
plagued blacks. Even fewer, 42 percent, identified prejudice, racial discrimination
or a general lack of inclusion in society. Educational disparity is a
particular concern of the youngest respondents to the poll; 88 percent
of respondents aged 35 and younger said it was the most serious roadblock
to success for blacks.
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