July 15, 2004

Contacts:
Melanie Hall
Finance and Administration Manager
UNITY
(703) 854-3585

Keith Kamisugi
Convention Communications
(415) 876-0589
keith@keithpr.com

UNITY 2004 Gathering of Journalists of Color to Feature
Public Town Hall on ‘New Multicultural Dynamic In Entertainment’

ARLINGTON, Virginia (July 15, 2004) – The public is invited to attend a special Town Hall meeting 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 3, at the Washington Convention Center, Ballroom Level Three. The Town Hall will be held during UNITY 2004, the world’s largest gathering of journalists of color, held Aug. 3-8.

The Town Hall, “The New Multicultural Dynamic In Entertainment,” will feature leading artists of color in music, film, television and publishing who will debate the fight for acceptance in the media, the effect of coverage on broader culture, how people of color in entertainment are portrayed in the news and whether or not the media “gets it.”

The convention is the signature event of UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. – an alliance representing the combined 7,000 members of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA).

The Town Hall panel will be moderated by CNN correspondent Maria Hinojosa and include entrepreneur and activist Russell Simmons, comedienne and actress Mo’nique, Canadian aboriginal actor and radio/news manager Gary Farmer, Cherokee actor/rap artist Litefoot, actress Sandra Oh and actor/comedian Henry Cho. Additional panelists are being confirmed.

Maria Hinojosa is CNN's urban affairs correspondent. Based in the network's New York bureau, Hinojosa joined CNN in 1997. Hinojosa has covered numerous stories and events for the network, including the Amadou Diallo case verdict and the struggle of Kosovar Albanians in the United States . She also penned a column for TIME magazine, Living La Vida Latina, in which she addressed Mexico/U.S. border issues and her life as a Mexican-American. Hinojosa is the first Mexican-American to write a column for TIME magazine. Hinojosa has also been a correspondent at National Public Radio and a host of WNBC-TV’s Visiónes, a public-affairs talk show on in New York . Hinojosa continues her affiliation with NPR, anchoring Latino USA , a weekly national program reporting on news and culture in the Latino community. Hinojosa has garnered numerous awards and honors, including the 2002 Latino Heritage Award from Columbia University and the Ruben Salazar Award from the National Council of La Raza, which recognizes a journalist's outstanding body of work. Hinojosa is the author of two books.

Since Hip Hop's inception in the late 1970s, Russell Simmons has been instrumental in bringing it to every facet of business and media: in music with the immensely successful Def Jam Recordings; in film with Simmons Lathan Media Group; in television with HBO's The Def Comedy Jam and Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry; on Broadway with the Tony Award-winning stage production "Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway;" in the fashion industry with the red-hot Phat Farm, Baby Phat, Run Athletics, and Def Jam University clothing lines; in magazine publishing with OneWorld Magazine; in the financial services industry with the RushCard and baby Phat RushCard; in the beverage business with Russell Simmons Beverage Company and its Def Con 3 energy drink; in the community with Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. He also authored his memoir, Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money and God.

Mo’Nique is an award-winning actress and comedienne. She is the star of UPN's hit series THE PARKERS. Her portrayal of Nikki Parker earned her the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series for the past two years. Her career began with performances on "Showtime at the Apollo," HBO's "Russell Simmons Def Comedy Jam," "Apollo Comedy Hour," HBO's "Snaps," "Uptown Comedy Club," "BET Comic View," the Montreal Comedy Festival and "It's a Funny Country," a syndicated show in South Africa. Her highly successful concert event "The Queens of Comedy" earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Comedy Album. During hiatus from THE PARKERS, Mo'Nique performs her comedy routine in cities across the U.S. Mo'Nique's feature film appearances include "Three Strikes" and John Singleton's "Baby Boy." She starred opposite Vivica A. Fox in "Two Can Play That Game," earning an NAACP Image Award Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.

As an actor, Gary Farmer has worked for almost thirty years. He began his career in the theatre in new plays including, "Jessica" and Governor General Award winner "Dry Lips oughta move to Kapuskasing". He then moved on to feature film with roles in " Powwow Highway ," "Henry and Verlin," "Dead Man," " Smoke Signals," "Heater," and "The Score." This year Farmer appears in feature films, " Republic of Love ," "Twist" and "Evergreen." He has also directed theatre, short films, and documentary, most notably, "The Gift," for the National Film Board of Canada. He has several other projects in both television and radio. Living in Toronto with his family, Farmer was born on the Six Nations along the Grand River where he returned last year to intensively study his first language, Cayuga. In 1993, Farmer founded and published, Aboriginal Voices Magazine for six years that led to the founding of Aboriginal Voices Radio, a national public radio system in Canada that is also streamed on the Internet. He served as their President, 1999-2004.

Litefoot first gained notoriety through his music career. In 1992, he released his first album "The Money" on his own Red Vinyl Records. In 1993 Litefoot released the single "Native Tongue" and launched the first international tour by a Native American Rap Artist. He also released the award winning albums, "Seein' Red," "Good Day to Die," "The Life & Times," "Rez Affiliated," "The Messenger," "Revolution," among others. In 1995, Litefoot made his major motion picture debut as the star of "The Indian in the Cupboard." He has also starred in, "The Song of Hiawatha," "Kull, the Conqueror," "Mortal Combat-Annihilation," "Picture of Priority," "Adaptation," "29 Palms," "The Pearl," and "Black Cloud." He has made television appearances in CBS's "Family Law" and "CSI: Miami ," and on Lifetime Television's "Any Day Now." Litefoot has also recorded national television & radio commercials as a spokesperson for Job Corps. For well over a decade now, Litefoot has upheld his status as a Native American role model through empowering and motivating Indian Country by example and showing all people that anything is possible.

Actress Sandra Oh was born to Korean parents in the Canadian suburb of Nepean , Ontario . Her father and mother, who were married in Seoul , South Korea , both attended graduate school at the University of Toronto . She began her career as a ballet dancer and eventually studied drama at the National Theatre School in Montreal . She then starred in a London stage production of David Mamet's "Oleanna" and appeared as the title character in the Canadian television production, "The Diary of Evelyn Lau" (1993). Her list of awards includes the FIPA d'Or for Best Actress at the 1994 Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels at Cannes , France , two Genie Awards (the Canadian Oscar), a Cable Ace Award and a Theatre World Award. She has also starred in the HBO series "Arli$$" and the feature film, "Under the Tuscan Sun."

For actor/comedian Henry Cho, making the most of who he is has not been a problem. "I'm an Asian with a Southern accent", remarks Cho. "To a lot of people, that right there is funny". Cho, who is Korean American, was born in Knoxville , Tenn. In 1994, Henry got the call from NBC to host NBC's Friday Night Videos, which he did weekly for two years. While in LA, Henry appeared regularly on The Tonight Show and The Arsenio Hall Show. His TV credits also include guest roles on various sitcoms such as CBS' Designing Women and a starring role in FOX's TV movie, Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation. Henry's many comedy credits include NBC's Bob Hope's Young Comedians Special, MTV's 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour, and Comedy Central. Henry has starred in the feature films "McHale's Navy" and "Say It Isn't So". He was the keynote entertainer for The 59th Annual Radio & Television Correspondents' Dinner. He also joined Amy Grant and Vince Gill on their annual Christmas Tour. Recently, Henry signed a deal with ABC and Touchstone Studios to develop his own sitcom in which he will also be co-creator and co-story writer.

About UNITY: Journalists of Color
UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. is a strategic alliance advocating news coverage about people of color, and aggressively challenging its organizations at all levels to reflect the nation’s diversity. UNITY, representing more than 10,000 journalists of color, is comprised of four national associations: Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the Native American Journalists Association.

In addition to planning the largest regular gathering of journalists in the nation, UNITY develops programs and institutional relationships that promote its mission. For more information on UNITY, visit www.unityjournalists.org, email info@unityjournalists.org or call (703) 854-3585.