---Managing Your Money with P.R.I.DE.---
Personal finance writer and columnist, Mary Grate-Pyos, speaks to women about making wise choices to achieve wealth and gain confidence in managing their finances in her new book, "Wealthy Woman -- Wise Choices." Grate-Pyos provides powerful, yet simple action steps for relief from financial pitfalls that often shackle women by focusing on five key areas in her P.R.I.D.E. concept of money management: Plan and Prepare; Retirement, Investment, Debt; and Education. Within the pages of "Wealthy Woman - Wise Choices," Grate-Pyos shares how making wise financial choices today can provide a solid foundation for wealth building for tomorrow's living. "Women possess more than $12 trillion in spending power but have yet to fully capitalize on their personal financial power. Wealthy Woman - Wise Choices encourages every woman to take a proactive role in her finances by utilizing realistic money management methods," states Grate-Pyos, "There is abundance and peace of mind to be achieved with complete understanding and control of your finances. I believe that every woman will be empowered to take action when putting the information in Wealthy Woman - Wise Choices into practice." "Wealthy Woman - Wise Choices" is an empowering and informative guide for women that teaches basic action steps to motivate women to become a major player in her financial matters. "When a woman makes wise financial choices, she will begin to move from a position of frustration to financial freedom and peace," states Grate-Pyos.
To get a copy of the book, go to www.financiallyfocused.com or by calling (703) 503-0795.

---Life after 9/11---
As we all adjust to life after 9/11, there is still room to remember the loved ones who perished, as well as the family members and friends who lived. In honor and memory of LeRoy Homer, the First Officer, United Airlines Flight 93, the African American pilot who perished on September 11, 2001, a foundation has been established and education fund has been set up for his daughter. Contributions for the education fund can be sent to: The LeRoy Homer Fund at the following address: c/o Commerce Bank, 336 Route 70 East, Marlton, NJ 08053. their daughter Laurel Nicole will be two years old on October 25, 2000. In addition, the LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation has been established to encourage and support young men and women who wish to pursue aviation careers, as professional pilots. The foundation will award flight instruction scholarships for potential students, in order to obtain private pilot certification. For more information on the Leroy W. Homer, Jr. Foundation, go to www.leroywhomer.com. LeRoy graduated from the Air Force academy class of 1987, 31st Squadron. LeRoy served his country as a captain in the Air Force, flying the C-141 Starlifter, and was a Veteran of Desert Storm.

Go to www.Unity First.com for the following stories:
1) Check out "In Unity," a painting by African American artist Synthia Saint James, that was commissioned by the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters to benefit the families of the Black Fire Fighters lost in the World Trade Center. Details for purchasing lithographs are available by sending an email to: iabpff@email.msn.com.
2) Memphis' National Civil Rights Museum to receive World Peace Flame on September 27 and Memphis Peace Walk to begin on September 28.
3) Citizens Trust Bank appoints new Commercial Lending Officer
4) October is Diversity Awareness Month
5) A business opportunity with the Department of Transportation

---Congratulations to the winners of the National Frederick Douglass Freedom Month Writing Contest----Frederick Douglass' escape from slavery in Baltimore on September 3, 1838, is being celebrated with a month-long series of activities across the country, including UnityFirst.com's National Frederick Douglass Freedom Month Writing Contest. Winners of the contest wrote brief essays based on the following question: What will Black people need to do in the 21st century to move ahead economically, socially and politically? Congratulations to the following contest winners: Jerome Hughes, Lonnie Lewis, Angie Preston and Tamyka Sanford. Their winning essays will be posted on www.UnityFirst.com on September 23 and excerpts will be shared via Unity First Online. Winners will receive a copy of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, which is signed by Frederick Douglass IV and free passes to the home of Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C. A special thanks to all participants.

---Workplace discrimination despite improved corporate policies---Two out of five gay and lesbian adults in America's workplaces report facing some form of hostility or harassment on the job, according to a new national study conducted by Witeck-Combs Communications and Harris Interactive. Moreover, almost one in ten gay and lesbian adults state they were fired or dismissed unfairly from a previous job or pressured to quit a job because of their sexual orientation. In addition, when over 2,000 Americans surveyed were asked which groups of people in society they perceive experience discrimination in the workplace, such as being fired, harassed or denied a promotion, almost three quarters (73%) answered 'gays and lesbians' - the second highest survey response, just behind 'older adults aged 65 and older' (78%). Other groups mentioned as vulnerable to workplace discrimination included 'people with disabilities' (68%), 'women' (65%), 'African Americans' (61%), 'Hispanic Americans' (60%), 'Muslims' (60%), 'Asian Americans' (44%) and 'Jews' (39%).

---249 medicines in the pipeline for African Americans---
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are working on 249 new medicines for diseases that disproportionately afflict African Americans or diseases that are among the top 10 causes of death among African Americans, according to a new survey by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).The 249 medicines represent a more than 50 percent increase since a 1998 survey on medicines in development for diseases that disproportionately affect African Americans. Ninety of the new medicines target cancer. Cancer is the second leading killer of all Americans, but African Americans are more likely to develop cancer than whites and are about 30 percent more likely to die of cancer than whites. The medicines in the pipeline target cancers of the cervix, colon, esophagus, larynx, liver, lung, pancreas, prostate, stomach and uterus as well as multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Fifty-three potential medicines focus on respiratory diseases, including asthma, which kills African Americans at three times the rate of the majority population, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which takes more than 5,000 African American lives each year. Thirty-five of the medicines in development are for diabetes, whose incidence in the African American community is on the rise, and 22 target HIV/AIDS. AIDS death rates for African Americans are nearly 10 times higher than for whites, and African Americans are experiencing less dramatic decline in AIDS deaths than the majority population. Nineteen medicines are designed to treat cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart failure, stroke and hypertension. The death rate from cardiovascular disease for African American men is nearly 50 percent higher than for white men and 67 percent higher for African American women than for white women.

---Promoting better health outcomes among African-Americans- Pfizer Inc joined with ABC Radio Networks and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support the Closing the Health Gap initiative, a national campaign designed to reduce health disparities affecting African-Americans by encouraging individuals to take charge of their personal health. The campaign will rally African-Americans to visit a health professional or make an appointment to see a health professional on September 24, 2002, officially designated as "Take A Loved One To the Doctor Day." According to studies conducted by the HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African-Americans suffer disproportionately from a number of illnesses and ailments. For example, African-Americans are twice as likely to die from diabetes as Caucasians. Similarly, the average life expectancy for African-Americans at birth is 71.8 years, compared to 77.4 years for Caucasians.

---Job Opportunity of the Week: Assistant Director for Benefits-Human Resources and Employee Relations at Brandeis University
Plan, develop, implement, administer and communicate employee benefit program. Review current programs; monitor, research and forecast economic/industry trends, recommend new benefit plans and cost saving measures. Negotiate rates, services and coverages; supervise applications and claims processing. Requires BA, 5-7 years of benefit management experience, supervisory, negotiation, analytical and problem solving skills and strong computer and customer service skills. Please submit resume to: Employment Administrator, Brandeis University, Mailstop 118, P.O. Box 9110, Waltham, MA 02454-9110. Fax (781) 736-4466 or email to employment@brandeis.edu. Please reference job#0103. EEO/AA M/F/D/V.

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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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