July 29, 2004

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

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

Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry to Speak at UNITY 2004, World’s Largest Gathering of Journalists of Color

President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell also to address UNITY attendees

ARLINGTON, Va. (July 29, 2004) — U.S. Senator John F. Kerry, the Democratic nominee for President, has accepted an invitation to speak at UNITY 2004 in the morning of Thursday, August 5, in the Washington Convention Center – joining President George W. Bush in addressing the world’s largest gathering of journalists of color.

President Bush is scheduled to address UNITY 2004 convention attendees the following morning, Friday, August 6, at the Washington Convention Center . Both candidates agreed to also take questions during their appearances. More specific details of the appearances will be announced at a later date.

"With Senator Kerry also agreeing to appear at UNITY we get a fuller picture of both parties' top candidates and their views about the issues of most concern in the communities of color, and on the issues within the media industry," said Ernest R. Sotomayor, UNITY President and Long Island Editor for Newsday.com in New York.

“People of color have long been, and still are today, vastly underrepresented in the national press corps in Washington and on the campaign trails, so we hope this appearance will provide the opportunity for us to pose the questions that no one is likely to hear before election day,” said Sotomayor last week when UNITY announced that President Bush had agreed to participate and take questions.

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 plenaries with President Bush and Senator Kerry are part of an world-class array of sessions, workshops and student programs to be attended by more than 7,000 journalists, students, corporate representatives, and political and community leaders.

Other highlights of the convention will be the participation of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, a conversation with Richard D. Parsons, Chairman and Chief Executive of Time Warner, and a dialogue with Cari M. Dominguez, who chairs the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Powell, the highest-ranking person of color in the U.S. government, will participate in a panel examining the government's openness with the media versus national security interests.

Parsons, the first African American CEO of a major media conglomerate, heads one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies, with businesses in news magazines, film, interactive services, television, cable and publishing.

Dominguez will hold a one-on-one dialogue on the state of hiring in the news media industry, especially broadcasting, as growth in representation of people of color has all but stagnated. She will take questions from UNITY association members.

UNITY 2004’s media and career expo will be the largest in the news industry. With more than 300 booths, the expo will provide media organizations, non-media organizations, non-profits and government agencies with a forum to interact and recruit many of the nation’s most respected journalists. The expo will also showcase training opportunities in the career resource center, an authors’ carousel and press conferences.

The public is also invited to attend a special Town Hall meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 3, at the Washington Convention Center, Ballroom Level Three. 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 Town Hall panel will be moderated by CNN correspondent Maria Hinojosa and include 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.

UNITY 2004 will be the third such gathering, with the first UNITY held in 1994 in Atlanta , and the second in Seattle in 1999.

Note: Press may register by completing a credentials application form available for download at www.unityjournalists.org/DC2004/press_credentials.pdf. The deadline indicated on the form has been extended to Aug. 3.

Note: Press may register by completing a credentials application form available for download at www.unityjournalists.org/DC2004/press_credentials.pdf.

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.