Democratic Presidential hopeful to participate in live event on CNN
CHICAGO, July 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Presidential candidate Sen.
Barack Obama will appear in front of thousands of journalists next week at the
UNITY: Journalists of Color quadrennial convention in Chicago.
Sen. Obama, the apparent Democratic presidential nominee, will appear on
stage Sunday morning, July 27th. This will likely be his first national
appearance after returning from his international trip to Europe and the
Middle East. Sen. Obama has accepted the invitation that UNITY also extended
to Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee.
"We are pleased that our UNITY colleagues will have the chance to hear
from Sen. Obama and be among the first to question him upon his return from
his overseas trip," said Karen Lincoln Michel, UNITY president. "We hope that
in this historic campaign, Sen. McCain, whose presence is equally important,
will also address our audience -- the kind of audience that reflects the
growing diversity in America."
The event was originally planned for Thursday, July 24, but had to change
because of scheduling conflicts from the campaigns.
UNITY -- an alliance representing the nearly 10,000 members of the Asian
American Journalists Association, the National Association of Black
Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Native
American Journalists Association -- will host a dynamic lineup of events,
speakers, workshops and discussions focusing on issues and changes happening
in the media industry nationwide and globally.
The event will be broadcast live on CNN, and may be repeated throughout
the weekend, and will involve journalists of color from both CNN, partner TIME
Magazine and the four alliance associations.
"We are honored to have Senator Obama join us at UNITY, especially
considering his international schedule," said Bryan Monroe, UNITY convention
chair and vice president and editorial director, Ebony and Jet magazines in
Chicago. "It reaffirms the importance and respect of journalists of color in
this year's election process."
Unity has also been working with Sen. McCain's campaign, but has yet been
unable to secure his commitment to the presidential forum.
"We have had other Republican and Democratic presidential candidates
address our organizations -- including President George W. Bush and Sen. John
Kerry at UNITY in 2004 -- and hope Sen. McCain will join Sen. Obama and choose
to continue that tradition," said Onica N. Makwakwa, UNITY executive director.
The fourth quadrennial convention, which is themed "A New Journalism for a
Changing World," is expected to draw thousands of journalists during the
five-day event and Career Expo to be held July 23-27 at McCormick Place West.
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.
SOURCE UNITY: Journalists of Color
Rahnesha White, UNITY Communications Manager, +1-703-854-3587,
rwhite@unityjournalists.org
