Oct. 26, 2006

Contact:
Onica Makwakwa
UNITY Executive Director
703-854-3585

Senator Obama to Speak at UNITY Reception

CHICAGO - Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) will speak at the UNITY 2008 kickoff reception next month in Chicago.  The invitation-only event is set for 5 p.m. Thursday, November 9 at CBS2, 630 North McClurg Court.  A welcome message will also be  delivered by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.

The kickoff reception is intended to galvanize the greater Chicago community to learn about the upcoming UNITY convention July 23-27, 2008, in Chicago; which is expected to draw some 10,000 journalists.

UNITY will distribute copies of Obama’s new book, “The Audacity of Hope,” to the first 50 guests arriving to the reception who are not journalists.

Confirmed sponsors for the UNITY reception include ABC 7, CBS 2 Chicago, the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Ebony and Jet magazines, Fox Chicago, Hoy, NBC 5, Telemundo, and WGN. Catering will be provided by Dominick’s. 

The reception is coordinated by the Chicago Journalists of Color, a coalition of the Chicago chapters and members of the National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Asian American Journalists Association and the Native American Journalists Association. 

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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.