---

Time Inc. promotes 'Money' executive editor Sheryl Hilliard Tucker to editor at large

(Sept. 7, 2005) Sheryl Hilliard Tucker, Money magazine's executive editor, has been promoted to Time Inc. editor at large. The announcement was made yesterday in a memo distributed by the magazine division's top executives, Norm Pearlstine, John Huey and Isolde Motley.

"For over 10 years Sheryl has been a mainstay of Money, where she served as a trusted adviser to three managing editors," said the announcement, "and became, for many of the title's advertising clients, the face of Money's editorial leadership. 

As executive editor of Money, Tucker has managed some of the title's most important franchises, including the Americans and their Money survey, the Money Summit, and special projects such as the re-launch of Your Company (now Fortune Small Business). This spring, she emerged as one of the key architects of Money magazine's successful redesign."

"Whatever job she tackles," the memo continued, "Sheryl brings to bear spot-on editorial and managerial judgment, as well as a gift for diplomacy that is famous among her colleagues in both church and state."

Tucker's promotion will enable her to lend her talents to a number of Time Inc. titles. The first beneficiaries will be Southern Progress and Health magazines. Prior to joining Time Inc., Tucker was editor-in-chief and vice president of Black Enterprise magazine.

Oprah Winfrey 'furious' at Chicago Defender editor over column on Johnson funeral
Linda Johnson Rice offers comment on flap

By Mark Fitzgerald
Editor and Publisher
(August 27, 2005) Chicago Defender executive editor Roland Martin (left) has already published one book and he's got another one, "Listening to the Spirit Within," due out soon. But it looks like he won't invited to promote it on the one show all would-be best-selling authors aspire to: "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Winfrey is "furious" at Martin, the editor reported in Friday's Defender, over the column he wrote in Thursday's edition criticizing her for not attending the funeral of Ebony founder John Johnson, or even issuing a public statement on the death of the black publishing giant. The paper tried just before the Thursday evening deadline to get something from Winfrey to use in Friday's special edition, a 64-page commemorative edition about Johnson.

The column, headlined, "Oprah's silence on John H. Johnson confounds many," said that the Defender tried six times to get a comment or a testimony from the talk show host, and got the run-around every time. "I've been fielding phone calls and emails from many of the folks in the Black media world over Winfrey's apparent snub of the man who single handedly made it possible for people like Oprah to launch their own magazines and media companies," Martin wrote.

Soon after the Thursday paper hit the streets, Martin received a phone call from Winfrey.

"As I said in the column, she was very respectful -- but she was clearly angry and upset with what I wrote," Martin told E&P. "I told her, we made every available effort to get a comment from her."

Friday's column quoted Winfrey as saying, "I am furious at the allegations because it's just not true. It's not true and it's unfair."

Winfrey went on to say she sent flowers and a note to Johnson's widow, Eunice, and daughter, Linda Johnson Rice. She offered to provide a copy of the note and confirmation that the flowers had been received at Johnson Publishing Company headquarters in Chicago. "I told her that was unnecessary because her word was good enough for me," Martin wrote.

Winfrey said she had been in Hawaii, and didn't get word of Johnson's Aug. 8 death for sometime. She was unable to get back in time for the funeral at Rockefeller Chapel on the campus of the University of Chicago, she said.

She said her staff did not pass any Defender messages along to her, perhaps, Winfrey added, because they understand, "I normally don't make public statements."

The contretemps between Winfrey and Martin are part of a wider discussion that has been going on among black media professionals since the death of Johnson.

First there was anger that, outside of Chicago, Johnson's passing received nowhere near the media attention paid to ABC anchorman Peter Jennings, who died a few days before.

More recently, there has been criticism of black celebrities -- many of whom owed much of their success to the early coverage they received in Ebony or Jet magazines -- who did not attend Johnson's funeral or the viewing at Johnson Publishing headquarters that preceded it.

"This was a story that had considerable buzz in the black media circles and among a number of African Americans," Martin said Friday. "Walking out of Rockefeller Chapel, that's what you heard, 'Where was Oprah? Where was Oprah?'"

Winfrey told Martin she had already planned on airing a tribute to Johnson and singer Luther Vandross, who died July 1, when her show returns from summer hiatus in September.

Martin said he promised Winfrey that her response would be carried in the same page 2 spot as his previous column, and would be teased on the front page as it had been the day before.

"I'll even extend an olive branch by offering to take you out to lunch at Wishbone, just down the street from your headquarters," Martin wrote. "My treat."
Read Roland Martin's original column

Johnson Rice releases statement in Oprah-Defender spat

By Chicago Defender
Staff Report
(August 29, 2005) Linda Johnson Rice, president and CEO of Johnson Publishing Company issued the following news statement Friday in response to Oprah Winfrey’s statement that a Chicago Defender column by executive editor Roland S. Martin criticizing her for not releasing a statement or attending the Aug. 15 funeral of Ebony and Jet magazines founder, John H. Johnson, was “unfair.”

“Ms. Winfrey said she sent flowers and a note to the chapel and we have no reason to question her statement. She called me yesterday and explained that she had sent the flowers and a note. Unfortunately, they did not come to my family’s attention and we were unaware that they were delivered. No one has been able to locate her note or flowers, but I do want to thank her for her supportive expression of sympathy and kind words of tribute to my father. We thank her and look forward to the upcoming tribute to my father’s legacy on her show. We also thank the Chicago Defender and their executive editor, Roland S. Martin, for all of their truly wonderful commemorative efforts in saluting the life of my father.”

InterContinental Hotels appoints Roslyn Dickerson Senior VP of Diversity

(August24, 2005) InterContinental Hotels Group has appointed Roslyn Neal Dickerson, regional senior vice president, Diversity, the Americas. In this capacity, Dickerson will be reporting directly to Steve Porter, president, the Americas, IHG. Dickerson's appointment represents the company's continued focus on diversity and inclusion by sharpening its focus on diversity in terms of internal staffing, operations and key external relationships and partnerships with suppliers, vendors and franchise prospects.

"I am pleased to welcome Roslyn to the IHG team and know she will use her tremendous experience across multiple industries, companies and geographies to continue the critical work of leading, developing and implementing our diversity and inclusion strategies, including assessing our organizational needs and identifying solutions that will contribute to a more diverse and inclusive organization," said Porter.

Prior to joining IHG, Dickerson served as the corporate vice president, chief diversity officer with Honeywell, headquartered in Morristown, N.J., beginning in 2002. As a global senior leader at Honeywell, Dickerson initiated a complete redesign of strategy, operating structure and governance model for Honeywell's diversity management and provided leadership and coaching for business unit leaders.

Before joining Honeywell, Dickerson held various senior level positions with several financial services organizations in which she was responsible for diversity initiatives. These positions include her role as managing director, Corporate & Investment Bank for Citigroup, where as the global head of diversity, she reported directly to the CEO and was responsible for developing and executing its global diversity initiatives and establishing relationships, partnerships and joint ventures with female and minority market participants. Dickerson was also the vice president, wealth management marketing and global head of recruiting for Merrill Lynch & Co.

Time Warner promotes Debra Langford to executive director strategic sourcing

 (August 23, 2005) Debra Langford has been promoted from Director Strategic Sourcing to Executive Director Strategic Sourcing, Time Warner Talent Management.  She is responsible for helping recruit a top-tier diverse slate of candidates for all senior positions with Time Warner divisions.

Debra Langford built the Strategic Sourcing function. She has created robust external networks of top tier diverse candidates and has been successful in mining those networks for successful hires throughout the company. Since she started in this role in 2002, Debra has brought in 61 diverse VP executives into every part of the company.

In addition, Debra hosts internal networking events so the company's executives can meet each other and learn about other areas of the company, as well as external networking events to introduce executives to high potential external candidates. Debra, furthermore, helps place the company's executives on prestigious industry panels, highlighting Time Warner's executive talent and demonstrating its "Employer of Choice" brand.  She has added development activities of her network to her portfolio of responsibilities.

Prior to joining Time Warner in 2000, Debra spent a number of years as a line executive in the entertainment industry. From 1998 to 2000 Debra was Vice President and General Manager of Essence Entertainment, where she oversaw television and music events such as the Essence Music Festival and the Essence Music Awards, along with the development of feature film and television concepts.

Bob Reid named to head up The Africa Channel, set to debut next month

(August 22, 2005) Bob Reid, the former general manager for the Discovery Health Channel, has been tapped to head the newly formed Africa Channel. For the past several months, Reid has been consulting with the network.

"Our network will serve an important cultural need, while providing diverse, entertaining programming that demystifies Africa to the American television audience," said James Makawa, CEO of The Africa Channel in earlier statements.

Reid will have the responsibility of leading the basic cable network which will launch with more than 1,200 hours of original and first run English language programming highlighting music, movies, reality and news and information programming produced from the continent.

The network recently secured a digital-basic carriage agreement with Cox Communications Inc.

The Africa Channel's initial partners are former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young and his company, Goodworks International; Weller/Grossman Productions and National Basketball Association star players Dikembe Mutombo and Theo Ratliff.

For more information about the channel, please visit www.theafricachannel.com.

Restructuring at Ford puts Darryl Hazel at head of marketing for company brands

(August 10, 2005) Under a recently announced restructuring plan at Ford Motor Co., all marketing activities for Ford corporate, the Ford division and the Lincoln division will overseen by Darryl B. Hazel (left) in his new position as vice president of marketing. Hazel was already one of the auto industry’s highest ranking executives in his previous post as vice president of Ford Motor Co. and president of the Ford division.

The consolidation of the Ford and Lincoln-Mercury marketing divisions will also include a reduction of two-thirds of the number of field offices that support the 4,445 Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealerships nationwide. The restructuring is an effort to lower operating costs and streamline advertising, inventory management, customer service and warranty repair.

“We’re going to reach customers in smarter, more focused ways than ever before while being extremely efficient with resources,” says Steve Lyons, Ford group vice president, North America Marketing, Sales and Service. “This new organization will help us develop a single-minded concentration on reaching our customers with the strongest product lineup in our history.”

“Today's marketplace is fragmented into ever smaller niche groups than in the past,” says Hazel. “Our new Marketing organization will focus on reaching individual customers with increasing relevance and excitement.”

Hazel joined Ford Motor Company in 1972 as an analyst in Lincoln Mercury's New York District Sales Office. During his six years in New York, he served in various capacities, including marketing manager, business management manager and field manager. He also had managerial assignments in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Cleveland and Boston.

From August 2002 to April 2005, Hazel was president, Lincoln Mercury Division. Prior to Lincoln Mercury, he was president of Ford Customer Service Division.

John L. Procope, former 'N.Y. Amsterdam News' publisher, dies at 82

By Jennifer 8. Lee
The N.Y. Times
(July 18, 2005) John L. Procope, an entrepreneur and former publisher of The New York Amsterdam News, died on Friday. He was 82 and lived in Queens. The cause was complications from pneumonia, according to E. G. Bowman Co., where he had served as chairman.

Mr. Procope, a graduate of Morgan State University, was a marketing and advertising executive at several companies before he joined a consortium that bought The Amsterdam News, a black newspaper based in Harlem, in 1971. He was one of six co-owners of the newspaper when he succeeded Clarence B. Jones as publisher in 1974.

After the 1977 blackout and the resultant looting, Mr. Procope broke the traditional restraint of vocal criticism against other prominent blacks.

He published a blistering front-page editorial that contended that there was a "massive vacuum of leadership in the black communities across the city."

The editorial said that since black leaders "hadn't exercised real leadership prior to the blackout, there was no established communication with our young people to use as a base for communication when the looters began."

He was appointed chairman of the seven-member Emergency Aid Commission, which disbursed about $3 million in grants to businesses hurt by the looting.

In the late 1970's, two co-owners of The Amsterdam News tried to remove Mr. Procope as publisher, saying that business contracts his wife, Ernesta G. Procope, had with the city resulted in a conflict of interest - a contention the Procopes denied.

Mr. Procope left the newspaper in 1982 to focus on E. G. Bowman, an insurance company that had been founded by his wife that was one of the first major African-American-owned businesses on Wall Street. The company's client list started with underserved Brooklyn homeowners but grew to include Fortune 500 companies.

Mr. Procope and his wife were a driving force behind the creation of the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements plan in 1968 to help make insurance available to all residents of New York State. He and his wife were also highly visible in political and philanthropic circles.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sisters, Dr. Jean Martin of Bloomfield, Conn.; and Jonelle Terrell of Manhattan.

Four A's names Don Richards to new post of senior vice president of diversity

(July 12, 2005) The American Association of Advertising Agencies has named Don Richards to the newly created position of senior vice president of Agency Diversity Programs. Richards will have responsibility over all of the Four A's diversity programs, including Operation Success, the group's multicultural advertising intern program, and Operation Jumpstart, the minority scholarship program.

Richards most recently served as associate national director, affirmative action and diversity, at Screen Actors Guild. He  has more than 30 years experience in the advertising agency industry. He spent a total of 22 years with Leo Burnett Worldwide, one of the world’s largest global ad agencies, where he became the company’s first African American Vice-President and worked in Account Management serving major clients such as Proctor & Gamble, McDonald’s, Pillsbury and United Airlines.

Richards also served as Senior Vice President, Management Supervisor and member of the Board at the Marschalk Company in New York (currently Lowe & Partners) where he supervised client businesses including brands from the Coca-Cola Company. He also worked at DDB Needham as Senior Vice President, Management Representative on all of the Anheuser-Busch business at the agency. In 1990, he returned to Leo Burnett Worldwide, as Senior Vice President / Director of Resource Development to head up their global diversity efforts.

AOL names Janet Rolle vice president, general manager of Black Voices

(July11, 2005) America Online, Inc., the world's leading interactive services company, today named Janet Rolle Vice President and General Manager of the AOL(R) Black Voices service. In this new role, Rolle will be responsible for developing the AOL Black Voices service across all AOL platforms and products.

In addition, Rolle will lead the day-to-day programming activities and set the editorial tone and direction for the African American category, reporting to Bill Wilson, Senior Vice President and General Manager for AOL Programming.

"We are thrilled to have Janet join AOL and are confident that through her tremendous experience and enthusiasm she will continue the growth and leadership position of the Black Voices experience," said Bill Wilson, Senior Vice President and General Manager, AOL Programming.

Most recently, Rolle was Vice President, Programming Enterprises & Business Development for VH1 and CMT at MTV Networks where she developed new business opportunities and strategic marketing partnerships for all the VH1 and CMT programming, franchises and brands. Previously, she held several positions at HBO Home Video including Director of Marketing & New Media, Director of Marketing & Sales Promotions and Director of Marketing. Rolle began her career as Special Assistant to the Chairman at HBO.

Rolle holds a MBA with a special dual concentration in marketing and film from Columbia Business School.

Shawn Arthur is named vice president, creative director of Images USA

(June 27, 2005) IMAGES USA, a full service multicultural marketing communications company, welcomes Shawn Arthur as Vice President/Creative Director of the agency. In this capacity, Arthur will manage the creative staff while driving innovative concept developments based on strategic insight.
 
About his new position, Arthur states,” I look forward to working with IMAGES to reach that next level in multicultural marketing.” Arthur says he’ll do that by producing winning creative strategies, winning results for clients, winning respect from team members, and winning awards.”
 
Prior to joining IMAGES, Arthur served as VP/Associate Creative Director of Matlock, an Atlanta Advertising and Public Relations firm. Arthur also gained more than fifteen years of experience as an art director or creative director for such clients as BellSouth, BMW, Dell, Delta Airlines, Dixie Crystals, ESPN Zone, Garner foods, Georgia-Pacific, Publix Supermarkets, Nationwide, Schick and Turner.  
 
Arthur earned his bachelor’s degree in commercial art from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN and attended the Portfolio Center in Atlanta. Shawn has served as a judge, as well as a recipient for a number of local and regional Addy and ShowSouth awards. His work has also been published in ADWEEK.
 
Philadelphia radio legend, Georgie Woods, dies in Florida at 78

(June 20, 2005) Radio disc jockey Georgie Woods, who introduced Philadelphia to the sounds of Stevie Wonder and the Temptations and was active in the 1960s civil rights movement, has died. He was 78.

Woods died Saturday in Boynton Beach, according to his longtime companion, Doris Harris. He had moved to Florida in 1996.

Woods came to Philadelphia from New York in 1953 and went on to use the airwaves of WDAS-AM and WHAT-AM to bring the city emerging talents such as the Temptations, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. Known on the radio as ''the guy with the goods,'' Woods also brought James Brown, Aretha Franklin and other acts to shows at the city's landmark Uptown Theater.

In the 1960s, he would sometimes stop the music for hours on WDAS to talk about the civil-rights movement and the work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., recalled Joe ''Butterball'' Tamburro, the station's former general manager.

''In the 1950s and the 1960s, he was it -- the person everyone listened to,'' former Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode said. ``He was an outstanding community and civil rights leader -- someone who fought for the underdog and encouraged people who were marginalized.''

Woods marched in Selma, Ala., with King and helped charter 21 buses to bring Philadelphians to King's historic march on Washington, D.C., in 1963.

In 1986, however, Woods' on-air comments sparked racial tensions with Asian Americans when he advocated blacks supporting black-owned businesses in their communities instead of Korean merchants.

Premier Automotive Group announces newest members of diversity council

(May 30, 2005) Premier Automotive Group, an enterprise of Ford Motor Company, announced the addition of its newest members to its diversity advisory council. The Premier Automotive Group Diversity Council was formed in 2002 and covers its four European marques (Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo). The PAG Diversity Council is a unique combination of internal executives and external diversity experts who serve in an advisory role to the business units.

The council is chaired by Julian Bond, Chairman of the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In total, the new council has 10 internal members and 10 external members, representing a wide range of diverse audiences.

The new external members are Amy Hilliard (above), founder and CEO, The ComfortCake Company, LLC; Jenny Alonzo   Senior Vice President, Production, Promotion Planning & Multicultural Studies, Lifetime Cable Channel; and Allan Gilmour  Retired Vice Chairman, Ford Motor Company.

These new members join seven other external diversity experts who will remain on the Council to complete their three year term. The external Council members generally rotate every three years. The internal members are the executives for the brands and serve for the duration of their positions in the respective functions.

LaGrant Foundation to award 10 scholarships to advertising, marketing and PR students

(May 26, 2005) – The Lagrant Foundation announced it will award $50,000 in scholarships to 10 ethnic minority students pursuing careers in advertising, marketing and public relations.during the Seventh Anniversary Scholarship Awards Program & Reception held June 13 in New York City.

Scholarships will be presented to Christina Bird, a public relations major at Florida International University; Carol Cheung, an advertising major at the University of Texas - Austin; Sylvia Duran, a communications major at Cornell University; William H. Laws, a marketing major at Morehouse College; Bailey S. Mosier, a public relations major at Old Dominion University; Annie Phan, a marketing major at The College of New Jersey; Brian Rose, a marketing major at the University of Washington - Seattle; Andrea Spencer a marketing major at Howard University; Jennifer Vasquez, a public relations major at DePaul University; and William R. Winder, a public relations major at Pennsylvania State University.

This year's 10 recipients, selected from a nationwide pool of more than 100 applicants, are all pursuing careers in the fields of advertising, marketing and public relations.

"We are excited to present the scholarships to these future leaders," said Founder/President Mr. Kim L. Hunter. "The areas of advertising, marketing and public relations have been slow to reflect the changes in America. Our goal is to increase the presence of African Americans, Native Americans, Asians and Hispanics in communications fields and we are glad to offer scholarships to these 10 deserving students."

McDonald's signs fitness expert Rovenia Brock to promote new campaign

(May 11, 2005) McDonald's USA recently announced an exclusive alliance with Dr. Rovenia Brock (aka Dr. Ro, left), popular nutritionist, medical correspondent, entrepreneur and author of "Dr. Ro's Ten Secrets to Livin' Healthy." She will support McDonald's multi-faceted education campaign to help consumers better understand the keys to living balanced, active lives.

To support the "it's what i eat and what i do ... i'm lovin' it" campaign, McDonald's has partnered with Dr. Ro to bring the campaign to life for African Americans, through an ongoing schedule of national and local appearances. As McDonald's "it's what i eat and what i do ... i'm lovin' it" brand ambassador, Dr. Ro will celebrate women and mothers nationwide and encourage consumers to take steps toward increasing their overall health and well being.

Dr. Ro participated in a recent unveiling of McDonald's newest addition to its popular and great tasting Premium Salad line - the Fruit & Walnut Premium Salad. This fresh new offering includes premium fresh fruit: sliced apples and red seedless grapes, with a side of low-fat vanilla yogurt and candied walnuts to sprinkle on top.

"We're very excited about this new addition to our Premium Salad line," said Bill Lamar, Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald's USA. "McDonald's new fun and colorful Fruit & Walnut Salad is a unique and convenient way to eat premium, tasty, fresh fruit any time of day, as a sit down meal or on the go."

Dr. Ro has served as a nutrition contributor to ABC News' "Lifetime Live," NBC, MSNBC, CNN and BET. She received a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences and an M.S. in community nutrition and broadcast journalism from Howard University. She also holds a B.S. in Foods and Nutrition from Virginia State University.

OutKast's Andre 3000 signs film and cable TV deal with MTV and Nickelodeon

(May 11, 2005) Marking the first ever multi- feature film and cable television agreement with Viacom's MTV and Nickelodeon brands, Grammy Award-winning artist, Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000) has signed a first-look deal to produce feature films and cable TV series and/or specials across the labels' four distribution divisions. Kicking off this agreement, Nick Movies and Benjamin will co-produce "The Hit" which will be developed for him to star in. The film is slated to begin production 2006. The announcement was made jointly today by Julia Pistor, Senior Vice President, Nickelodeon Movies and David Gale, Executive Vice President, MTV Films.

"I am so excited to work with the feature film and television divisions of both Nickelodeon and MTV," said Benjamin. "This is going to be an exciting new adventure for me and my partners at these two companies and I can't wait to get started."

"Andre is one of the most original and creative voices in the entertainment industry and we love working with him," said Judy McGrath, Chairman/CEO, MTV Networks. "We are thrilled to be able to highlight his talents on multiple platforms in the Viacom family."

"This is a groundbreaking agreement, the first ever that includes two brands -- MTV and Nick across four different divisions," said Gale. "This is a testament to Andre's profound influence as a music, fashion and pop culture icon."

"We've enjoyed working with Andre on our upcoming "Charlotte's Web," stated Pistor. His signature style, creativity, and charm is infectious. We're so pleased to extend our relationship with him."

The first project from the agreement, "The Hit," based on an original idea by Lamar Damon ("Slap Her ... She's French") is about a 5th grader named Tyler who desperately wants to find his single Dad a new wife and he gets his chance when a mysterious and eccentric man named, "Q" moves in next door and is revealed to be Cupid.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment names Jeff Herrera VP of multicultural marketing

(May 11, 2005) Jeff Herrera has been appointed to the newly created position of Vice President, Multicultural Marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment (USHE), it was announced today by Ken Graffeo, Executive Vice President, Marketing, USHE. Mr. Herrera will oversee the crafting and implementation of marketing strategies aimed at Latinos, African-Americans, and other ethnic groups. He will continue to report to Mr. Graffeo.

In his new role, Mr. Herrera will work closely with USHE's sales and marketing departments to develop strategies and programs that appeal to and influence the purchasing decisions of a variety of ethnic groups. He will also play a key role in identifying and implementing partnership opportunities between USHE and its NBC Universal sister company, Spanish-language television network, Telemundo.

"With over 70% of U.S. households now owning at least one DVD player, the home entertainment market knows no age, gender, cultural or language barriers," said Mr. Graffeo. "Jeff is a talented and savvy marketing professional and we are confident that his unique insight and expertise will play a critical role in Universal's continued success going forward."

Mr. Herrera joined USHE in 2003 as Vice President, Retail Marketing. He was responsible for overseeing all retailer account-specific promotions with major retailers including Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Blockbuster and others. This included media based promotions, in-store events and third party partnership marketing.

Prior to joining USHE, Mr. Herrera was Department Head/Vice President, Partnership Marketing/New Product Development at Visa USA. He was responsible for successful merchant deployment of Visa's multi-million dollar initiative, Verified by Visa. Mr. Herrera also established consumer advertising and marketing alliances with AOL/Time Warner and Bertelsmann.

Previously, he served as Director, Partnership Marketing at Webvan, an Internet grocery company. In that capacity, he was responsible for all online and offline strategic partner marketing executions and partner relationships with such major consumer packaged goods companies as Coke, Pepsi, and Nabisco, among others.


Dr. Kenneth Clark, whose racial discrimination study was cited by Supreme Court, dies

(May 2, 2005 - AP) Kenneth B. Clark, an educator and psychologist who spent his life working for racial integration and improvement in the education of black children, has died. He was 90. Clark's daughter, Kate C. Harris, told The New York Times in Monday's editions that her father died Sunday at his home in Hastings-on-Hudson. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Clark's pioneering study on the effects of racial discrimination was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in its historic 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

He was the first black professor to gain tenure at the City University of New York and was a distinguished professor emeritus at City College. He also taught at Harvard, Columbia and the University of California.

For 20 years he served on the New York State Board of Regents, which oversees public education in the state, and was sometimes described as the conscience of the board.

Theodore Black, board chancellor part of that time, said Clark was a persuasive advocate: "He would never come out with all guns blazing. Instead, he relied on his mastery of the art of language."

In 1950, Clark prepared a study which showed that school segregation marred the development of white as well as black students. The Supreme Court cited those findings in its unanimous 1954 decision.

Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote that separating black children from white "solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone."

Thirty years after that landmark ruling, Clark described himself as "bewildered" at the persistence of de facto segregation and inferior education for many blacks.

"I believed in the 1950s that a significant percentage of Americans were looking for a way out of the morass of segregation," he said in a 1984 interview with The New York Times. "It was wishful thinking.

"It took me 10 to 15 years to realized that I seriously underestimated the depth and complexity of Northern racism. ... In the South, you could use the courts to do away with separate toilets and all that nonsense. We haven't found a way of dealing with discrimination in the North."

In his Who's Who entry, Clark wrote, "Probably the most difficult value for me to live by, rather than to just verbalize, is that of maintaining a genuine and functional compassion for those human beings who do not share my values."

Kenneth Bancroft Clark was born July 24, 1914, in the Panama Canal Zone where his father was a passenger agent for the United Fruit Co. When Clark was 5, his mother insisted on moving him and his younger sister to New York City.

His father stayed behind as the family settled in a Harlem tenement. His mother worked in a sweatshop as a seamstress and subsequently helped organize her fellow workers into a union and became their shop steward.

Clark attended public schools but was steered toward learning a trade -- advice which made his mother livid when she learned about it.

"Mama stormed into the school, more the shop steward than the lady she usually was," he recalled. "She told my counselor, `I don't give a damn where you send your son, but mine isn't going to any vocational school.'"

And he did not. He attended Howard University, where one of his instructors, Ralph J. Bunche, became a major influence. He got his master's at Howard, married fellow student Mamie Phipps, and they both earned doctorates in psychology at Columbia University.

He took part in research that contributed to Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal's classic study of race relations, "An American Dilemma," and then became an instructor in the psychology department at City College in 1942.

The slightly built Clark was a smiling presence in front of his classes, with a self-effacing manner bordering on diffidence that was surprising to some who expected him to hurl thunderbolts, a former student recalled.

In 1946, he and his wife formed what became the Northside Center for Child Development to treat children with personality disturbances. He served as a consultant to the personnel department of the U.S. State Department during the 1960s.

At one point Clark fought for decentralization of New York City schools but he later pronounced that experiment a failure: "I though it would improve the quality of schools, but I turned out to be wrong as hell."

He never abandoned his belief in the importance of education in overcoming racism. "I think that white and blacks should be taught to respect their fellow human beings as an integral part of being educated," he said.

"A racist system inevitably destroys and damages human beings; it brutalizes and dehumanizes them, blacks and whites alike," he wrote.

His books included "Prejudice and Your Child" and "Dark Ghetto." He was a past president of the American Psychological Association. Among his honors were the NAACP's prestigious Spingarn Medal in 1961 and the Four Freedoms award in 1985.

After retiring from the Board of Regents, he set up a consulting company in Westchester County.

His wife died in 1983. In addition to his daughter, he also is survived by a son, Hilton.

LaDoris Foster, long-time Johnson Publishing Co. vice-president, dies at 71

(April 30, 2005) LaDoris J. Foster, vice president/director of human resources at Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago, parent company of Ebony and Jet magazines and Fashion Fair Cosmetics, died Thursday, April 21 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She was 71. The cause of her death was heart failure.

"A 47-year Johnson Publishing Company veteran, Ms. Foster was one of the company's most loyal and dedicated executives," said a company statement. "With her profound professionalism, compelling charm and wit, she connected well with employees. She was a no-nonsense professional, who was committed to excellence and demanded that all of the employees she recruited and hired met JPC's high standards."

Johnson Publishing Company Publisher and Chairman John H. Johnson said: "LaDoris Foster was a valued member of our staff for 47 years.  She was the consummate professional who cared deeply about her work and our company employees. My wife, Mrs. Eunice W. Johnson, our daughter, Linda Johnson Rice, and I have not only lost one of our top executives, we have lost a dear friend who was like a member of our family. She will be missed greatly."

Ms. Foster joined the Johnson Publishing Company in the fall of 1957 as an executive secretary. She later became administrative assistant in the JPC Executive Department. In 1971, she was named the personnel director of JPC and in 1976 she was promoted to vice president/director of human resources.

Her responsibilities included recruiting/interviewing/testing job applicants coordinating staff programs, communicating and administering personnel policies, investigating grievances or complaints, counseling employees, documenting and preparing required government reports. Ms. Foster also served as benefits coordinator and supervisor of the HR staff.

Born in St. Louis on October 31, 1933, her family moved to St. Paul, Minn. in 1943.  She from John Marshall High School and attended Rassmusen Business School in St. Paul.  She was employed at the State of Minnesota Taxation Department for five years before joining JPC.

She is survived by her brother, Frank Foster, sister-in-law, Kathleen Foster; and a host of other relatives and family friends. Memorial services were held at Unity Funeral Parlors in Chicago on Thursday, April 28. Memorial Services are also being scheduled in St. Paul.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Chicago Multicultural Dance Center (CMDC) at 806 S. Plymouth Court, Chicago, IL 60605; or the Mercy Home For Boys & Girls 1140 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60607.

Stephanie Williams joins Tom Joyner Morning Show production staff in Dallas

After a successful 10-year stint as WALR/Atlanta's Tom Joyner Morning Show Executive Producer, Stephanie Williams segues to Reach Media in Dallas to serve as assistant programming production director. She will oversee the Tom Joyner Morning Show's music, serve as consultant, train Joyner's 120-plus affiliate producers, and handle the show's Dallas affiliate station. 

Williams will continue to co-host Superadio's syndicated weekend show "Lost In The 80s" via ISDN with WALR's production director Derrick Jonzun. "Stephanie is one of the most creative, innovative talents I've worked with. I'm proud of her career, and have no doubt she will exceed all expectations," commented Jonzun. 

Ann Fudge continues as chairman, CEO of Y&R Brands, passes reins on Y&R agency,

(April 18, 2005) Ann Fudge, who has presided over Young & Rubicam Brands as chairwoman and CEO for the past two years, will continue in that position, despite being assailed by industry pundits for the performance of the Y&R ad agency during her tenure.

Fudge will seek out a chief executive to assume the reins at the ad agency which has lost clients Burger King, Jaguar, Sony and Computer Associates. In a BusinessWeek story last Thursday, Fudge said that she would continue to chair the parent company of the Y&R agency, as well as the PR agency Burson-Marsteller, branding firm Landor Associates, and direct marketer Wunderman.

When Fudge joined WPP in May 2003 as head of Y&R Brands, she had served as President, Beverages, Desserts and Post Division – a $5 billion unit of Kraft Foods. She served on Kraft’s Management Committee and has managed many businesses including Maxwell House Coffee, Gevalia Kaffe, Kool Aid, Crystal Light, Post cereals, Jell-O desserts and Altoids. Before joining General Foods, she spent nine years at General Mills, Inc., where she rose to the level of Marketing Director. She also serves on the Board of Directors of General Electric.

WPP CEO Martin Sorrell is countering the critics of Fudge. "Y&R Brands is strengthening," under Fudge's leadership, he told BusinessWeek. "I want to focus on the whole marketing communications company," she says. Fudge argues that more time is needed to fix Y&R. "I knew a turnaround would take three to five years...Business is starting to come back."

Deval Patrick, former Coca-Cola general counsel, to run for Mass. governor

(April 15, 2005 - AP) Coca-Cola's former general counsel, Deval Patrick, will seek the Democratic nomination for Massachusetts governor in 2006. Patrick, whose career includes a job as the top civil rights enforcer in the administration of President Bill Clinton, announced his plans Thursday.

Patrick, who left Coke last year, cited what he said were weaknesses in the economy, business development, public education and health care as factors in decisions to run for office.

"We don't suffer from a lack of ideas but from a failure of leadership," Patrick said in a statement. "Not only are we losing jobs and population, but we are losing faith in ourselves."

Patrick, 48, who has never held elective office, had publicly weighed a run for months and has donated $100,000 to his own campaign.

While Patrick is the first Democrat to formally announce a candidacy, state Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly is considered the front-runner for the nomination to challenge the incumbent, Republican Gov. Mitt Romney.

Patrick was hired by Coke in the wake of a class-action racial discrimination suit by African-American employees.

 11th Annual Edition Available
'Buying Power' report reveals surge by black households for consumer electronics

Despite tighter economic times, African-American households are significantly increasing their expenditures on consumer electronics for the home, according to the newest edition of The Buying Power of Black America report. In many categories such as video games, televisions, CD players, cable TV service and sound equipment, black households are spending more on average than their white counterparts.

According to the 103-page report, black households had $656 billion in earned income in 2003, an increase of 3.9% over the $631 earned in 2002.

Read more and see the latest expenditure figures for black consumers


  SUBSCRIBE NOW! 


Your information source
for all that's news in Black
Consumer Marketing and Media

 ORDER THE WORKBOOK NOW!

The sixth annual event examining the latest trends, findings and practices in marketing to African-American consumers

Presentations from:

America Online
Arbitron Inc.
Burrell
Carol H. Williams Advertising
E. Morris Communications
Ethnic Print Media Group
GlobalHue
Hunter-Miller Group
Images USA
Nia Online
NSights Worldwide LLC
On Wheels Inc.
R.J. Dale Advertising & P.R.
Target Market News
U.S. Census Bureau
...and more!