FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Allison M. Stevens
(703) 854-3590
astevens@unityjournalists.org

UNITY REACTS TO HISTORIC ELECTION

McLean, Virginia, November 5  – A new era has begun in how we view race in America.

It can never again be said that a person of color cannot become president of the United States. The election of Sen. Barack Obama to the nation’s highest office changes that conversation once and for all.

We at UNITY: Journalists of Color recognize the significance of the presidential election outcome and what it holds for diversity in America. As Americans, we have taken a major step toward a post-racial society, one in which our differences complement each other rather than divide us.  But we are not there yet. And as journalists of color, we face a real struggle for diversity in America's newsrooms, where we are still underrepresented and misrepresented.

With our country now taking new steps toward diversity and change, it is essential that our nation’s newsrooms move toward parity and equality in the newsroom with the same fervor. 

As such, our task has not ended. The national dialogue about race will continue, and as journalists of color, we will continue to be an integral part of it.

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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.