Alpha Phi Alpha Celebrates MLK Memorial Groundbreaking
Washington, DC - Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, the nation's first inter-collegiate Greek-lettered organization established for Black college students, participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for their most recognized Alpha Brother, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A memorial honoring Dr. King will be built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Memorial will be situated adjacent to the F.D.R. Memorial and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Congress passed Joint Resolutions in 1996, authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish the memorial to be built in Washington, DC. Members of the fraternity, along with nationally-recognized celebrities, dignitaries and government officials, participated in the ceremonial groundbreaking on Monday Nov. 13. The Memorial is scheduled to be completed in 2008.
For more information, visit www.buildthedream.org.

Aetna Faces National Boycott Over Slavery
National - Aetna Insurance Company faces a national boycott of its health insurance products as a result of their writing life insurance policies on the lives of enslaved Africans in the 1850's. Boycott organizers are demanding that Aetna settle a consolidated class action lawsuit by creating a trust fund to benefit descendants of enslaved Africans. The lawsuit is named Farmer-Paellmann, et al v. Brown & Williamson, et al. It is on appeal in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, IL. News of the boycott came just days before "open season" begins, a time during which government and private company employees can change their insurance carriers. Open season runs from Monday, November 13 through Monday, December 11, 2006 for some institutions.
For more information, visit www.rsgincorp.com.

Black Engineers Weigh In On Immigration
Alexandria, VA - The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) turned to the experts and to its 19,000-plus U.S.-based and international members to find where African Americans stand on the issue of immigration. The results are published in a special, four-part section called "Engineers and Immigration," in the Nov/Dec 2006 Careers Issue of NSBE Magazine. The lead article, "Blacks, Conservatives and the Immigration Debate," presents NSBE members' wide-ranging opinions on immigration reform measures now being considered in Congress, some of which may have a big effect on their profession. The issue also includes a review of "Promising Sectors for Engineers"; an in-depth examination of the demand for engineers in different specialties and an exclusive cover story, "Why Engineers Are Choosing the Military."
For more information, call 703-549-2207 or e-mail publications@nsbe.org.

Washington Named VP For University Advancement At Kettering University
Flint, MI - Dennis Washington has been named the new vice president for University Advancement at Kettering University in Flint, MI. Washington is currently the director of Corporate & Foundation Relations at Central Michigan University. He will join Kettering's staff on Dec. 4. Washington replaces Darryl Sczepanski, who left earlier this year to be vice president for Advancement at Eastern Michigan University and the executive director of the EMU Foundation. At Kettering, Washington will direct the University Advancement division and supervise the staff members who support individual giving, corporate and foundation giving, and alumni relations. He will also serve as a member of the President's Cabinet, the University's leadership team.

Kaiser Presents African American Health Summit 2007
Oakland, CA - Oakland, CA-based Bay Area Black United, Inc. (BABUF) announced it has partnered with title sponsor Kaiser Permanente and premiere sponsor United Way of the Bay Area for the third bi-annual African American Health Summit to be held Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 11-13, 2007 in Oakland. The theme for the summit is "Strengthening Our Relationships." Jan. 11 features a combined Faith-based and Youth Health Institute that will focus on working with African American youth and faith-based communities. Jan. 12 is the daylong Health Conference featuring clinical psychologist, television host and author Brenda Wade, Ph.D., and luncheon with keynote speaker San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris. Jan. 13 will encompass programs and activities for all ages, including health screenings and Tae Bo classes conducted by its inventor Billy Blanks, who is returning for the third consecutive year.
For more information, visit www.babuf.org or 510-769-7270.

African Theme Park Breaks Ground In Nigeria
Abuja, Nigeria - The African Kingdoms and Empires Theme Park Project, otherwise known as Heritage City, represents the best initiative till date to present all of Africa's diverse culture and history to tourists and visitors in one spot. The theme park will showcase the ancient Kingdoms and Empires of Africa, including the powerful Kings and Queens that presided over them and will feature the usual rides and attractions but with African themes. A total of 17,000 acres has been earmarked in Abuja for Heritage City. The project is a purely private-sector initiative with limited government participation, only in the form of providing infrastructure.

Black CEO Named To Fortune Magazine List
New Orleans, LA - New Orleans' Alden J. McDonald, Jr. is one of two African Americans named to Fortune magazine's highly regarded "Portraits of Power" list for 2006. Fortune magazine profiles some of the most powerful people in business for 2006 and their impact on the global market. President and CEO of Liberty Bank and Trust Company since 1972, one of the five largest African-American owned financial institutions in the United States, McDonald is nationally recognized as a dynamic catalyst in the movement of minority businesses into the mainstream economy. As both a business leader and a community leader, he has devoted his life to community development through promoting entrepreneurship, supporting civic organizations and empowering businesses and individuals.
For more information, visit www.money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune.

Black Inventor Patents Water Cleaning System
Boston, MA - Thelma Cromwell-Moss, the owner of AAG Industries, Inc. a female African-American owned business and a resident of Boston, MA., announced a revolutionary process for treating contaminated water and industrial waste. Cromwell, a serial entrepreneur, has a US patent for cleaning water with a new process in polymers. This chemical can clean polluted water, and the polluted chemical can be cleaned and reused multiple times with little or no degradation of the chemical. Findings show that through this process a cost savings of over 50 percent in time and water use will continue to save labor costs and impact the bottom line in the water cleaning process.
For more information, call 617-818-7296 or visit www.aagindustries.com.

New Holiday Tradition For Black Kids
Dallas, TX - A new website, BlackSantaMagicLetters.com, is set to become a holiday favorite of African Americans who celebrate Christmas. Visitors to the site can create personalized letters culturally designed with images of Black Santa, his reindeers, and helping elves. The letters mention children's names, gender, playmates, wish list gifts, hometowns, hobbies, accomplishments, and other information parents may wish to include. Children receive the personalized letters, addressed directly to them, in matching envelopes authenticated with a postmark from the North Pole.
For more information, visit www.blacksantamagicletters.com.

New National Minority Student Database
Los Angeles, CA - The Shropshire Group, Inc., a nonprofit aimed at increasing minority interest in graduate and professional school, has created the National Minority Student Database (NMSD). The main purpose of the database is to provide a link for minority students seeking academic and financial information about graduate and professional schools. A student can fill out the inquiry form located on the main page of www.shropshiregroup.org and in turn receive updates on scholarships, academic interests, and application information from an extensive list of graduate and professional school admissions officers. Submitting your information to the National Minority Student Database is free and goes directly to graduate and professional programs interested in recruiting more minority candidates.
For more information, visit www.shropshiregroup.com.

New Slavery Exhibit In NYC
New York, NY - The New York Historical Society opened New York Divided: Slavery and the Civil War, the final exhibition in its groundbreaking series on slavery and its impact on the people, landscape, institutions and economy of New York, on November 17. The exhibition runs through September 3, 2007. New York Divided traces the evolution of New York's rise to national and global economic power and its relationship to the nation's confrontation with issues of slavery and racial inequality against the backdrop of the Civil War. The exhibition consists of five galleries and has three major themes: New York and the Cotton Trade, Abolitionists and the Fight for Freedom, and New York and the Civil War.
For more information, visit www.nyhistory.org.

Tyson Foods Resolves Alabama Employment Case
Ashland, AL - Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) and a group of current and former workers have reached a settlement in a discrimination lawsuit involving the company's Ashland, Alabama, poultry plant. The agreement resolves complaints filed in federal court in August 2005 by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and 13 African American workers who alleged there was race discrimination at the plant. Their complaints included claims a maintenance shop restroom was locked and accessible to only a few white workers in July and August of 2003 and that a 'whites only' sign was briefly posted on the restroom door. According to the settlement, Tyson denies violating any laws and has agreed to take additional steps to ensure the prevention of discrimination, harassment and retaliation in the Ashland plant. As part of the settlement, Tyson will also pay $871,000 collectively to the 13 plaintiffs. Since last year, Tyson has retrained all Ashland workers on the company's policies on discrimination as well as dignity and respect in the workplace.