July 23, 2004

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

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

President Bush to Speak at UNITY 2004, World’s Largest Gathering of Journalists of Color
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Time Warner CEO Richard D. Parsons also participating in convention

ARLINGTON, Va. (July 23, 2004) — President George W. Bush has accepted an invitation to speak at UNITY 2004, the world’s largest gathering of journalists of color, on Friday, August 6. The convention will be held August 4-8 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington , D.C.

"We are pleased that President Bush will meet with our journalists of color, so we can hold a dialogue in this presidential campaign on the most important issues facing people of color in the nation," 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.

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

Another highlight of the convention will be the participation of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and a conversation with Richard D. Parsons, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner. 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.

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.

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.