12549: BHM 2015—Mickey D’s.

Mickey D’s shows love to Al Sharpton…?

12325: Amy Pascal Lacks Integrity.

The New York Times reported Sony Chair Amy Pascal attended the obligatory powwow with Rev. Al Sharpton to discuss her culturally clueless emails recently exposed to the public. Still wondering why this woman hasn’t been terminated. But it looks like Sony is running a PR scheme to back her, garnering supportive commentary from Oprah, Tyler Perry and even Chris Rock (the support from Rock, incidentally, is suspect, as Scott Rudin—Pascal’s email pal—produced Rock’s latest movie).

So why should Pascal be fired without further examination of her alleged “non-racist” persona? In her initial apology, Pascal insisted, “The content of my emails to Scott were insensitive and inappropriate but are not an accurate reflection of who I am.” Sorry, but the woman is delusional if she believes her own bullshit. It’s all a matter of integrity. The dictionary defines integrity as “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.” Chairman and CEO of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. Josh Weston said, “I’ve always tried to live with the following simple rule: ‘Don’t do what you wouldn’t feel comfortable reading about in the newspapers the next day.’” It’s a safe bet Pascal is not comfortable reading about her ignorance in the newspapers and World Wide Web. So she should quit arguing that the conversation with Rudin was “not an accurate reflection of who I am.” Her position lacks moral character and honesty.

Additionally, check out Sony Corporation’s official stance on employment: “Sony is committed to supporting and developing its employees by fostering a winning team spirit and high personal accountability. We hope you’ll consider joining our dynamic team—one that values broad cross-cultural perspective, takes great pride in its work and shares an unwavering commitment to excellence and success.” Pascal falls short in the “high personal accountability” and “broad cross-cultural perspective” departments.

Most disturbing is Pascal’s disrespect for President Barack Obama. Are Hollywood power players so egotistical that they have no reservations pooh-poohing meetings with the Commander-In-Chief—and doing so with racist remarks? Unfortunately, Pascal is a racist. Or maybe saying she displayed “unconscious bias” would be a more contemporary way to describe the situation. Regardless, the woman should not be representing a major studio, especially given the discrimination and racism still so prevalent in the industry.

If Pascal had an ounce of integrity, she would resign. Hey, Madison Avenue is always looking for female leaders—and Pascal would fit right in.

Sony’s Movie Chief Meets With Black Leaders

By Brooks Barnes

LOS ANGELES — Black leaders, angered by racially insensitive emails sent by Amy Pascal, the movie chief at Sony Pictures Entertainment, emerged from a meeting with her on Thursday saying they had reached an understanding about how to move forward.

Ms. Pascal, who is also co-chairwoman of Sony Pictures, met at a Manhattan hotel with the Rev. Al Sharpton and the president of the National Urban League, Marc H. Morial, after the disclosure last week by hackers of unseemly racial banter in private emails. The email exchange in question, between Ms. Pascal and the producer Scott Rudin, turned on President Obama’s supposed taste for black-themed films.

“I left feeling that Amy is someone we can work with,” Mr. Morial, a former mayor of New Orleans, said in a telephone interview. “It’s important that we look forward. Amy again expressed her deep regret and committed Sony’s help in pushing for far greater diversity in movies and television.”

Asked whether Ms. Pascal had his support in keeping her job, Mr. Morial said: “One executive losing a job does not change the larger picture. The larger picture is our focus.”

Mr. Sharpton, who had harshly criticized Ms. Pascal after the online publication of her email exchange with Mr. Rudin, which he called “offensive, insulting,” wrote on Twitter that Thursday’s 90-minute meeting was a “very pointed and blunt exchange.” He added in comments with the news media that Ms. Pascal and other Sony leaders had agreed to meet again soon with civil rights leaders.

Mr. Sharpton called the email exchange between Ms. Pascal and Mr. Rudin, who was not involved in Thursday’s meeting, the byproduct of “an exclusionary, almost all-white hierarchy” in Hollywood. He added that, for him, “The jury is still out on where we go with Amy.”

Ms. Pascal declined to comment.

Ms. Pascal’s defenders, while not condoning the email exchange, point out that Sony has one of Hollywood’s better track records in making films with predominantly black casts. On Friday the studio will release a remake of “Annie” with Quavenzhané Wallis in the lead role. In 2014 Sony has also released “Think Like a Man Too,” “No Good Deed” and “About Last Night.”

The email exchange has polarized Hollywood’s black community.

Some people, like Oprah Winfrey, have voiced support. “I would hope that we would not stand in judgment, in such harsh judgment, of a moment in time where somebody was hacked and their private conversations were put before the world,” Ms. Winfrey told reporters this week. Tyler Perry similarly told CNN that he “absolutely” did not believe that Ms. Pascal was racist.

“When I read their comments, I see the humor, even if some people would find it unacceptable,” John Singleton, the director of “Boyz N the Hood,” wrote in The Hollywood Reporter.

But other black actors, writers and producers saw the comments as intolerable, with the television heavyweight Shonda Rhimes as perhaps the most outspoken. “Calling Sony comments ‘racially insensitive remarks’ instead of ‘racist?'” Ms. Rhimes wrote on Twitter. “U can put a cherry” on excrement “but it don’t make it a sundae.”

While silent publicly, other black actors, including Will Smith and Jamie Foxx, have privately phoned Ms. Pascal to express their support, according to two people with knowledge of the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. Mr. Smith’s company, Overbrook Entertainment, has long been based at Sony. Mr. Foxx stars in “Annie.”

12181: Why Advertisers Are Hypocrites.

The Onion published a story that is extraordinarily accurate and sadly sobering as well—Report: Advertisers Threatening To Pull Money Now The Only Remaining Way To Effect Any Change.

One persistent question related to the notion is, “Why don’t advertisers demand that their White advertising agencies become more diverse?” After all, most advertisers display a total commitment to diversity, at least in the career sections of their websites. Imagine if an advertiser mandated inclusiveness and imposed a deadline for compliance. Would change not occur swiftly? The truth is, for an advertiser to publicly commit to diversity while professionally conspiring with exclusive agencies demonstrates hypocrisy of the highest order.

Advertisers apparently attempt to compensate for the hypocritical actions with patronizing gestures like diversity vendor programs—which include hiring and handing crumbs to minority advertising agencies. Or sponsoring ADCOLOR®.

History has shown that fairness and equality do not happen via self-regulation. There needs to be a push—and often a deliberately staged revolution. Perhaps advertisers must be “inspired” to execute their authority. Can consumers be roused and organized to initiate inspiration? So far, no one has effectively pursued the angle. Even Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have avoided it, probably due to their personal partnerships with advertisers.

Guess everyone prefers to ignore the issue and read The Onion.

Report: Advertisers Threatening To Pull Money Now The Only Remaining Way To Effect Any Change

WASHINGTON—Confirming that civic engagement, democratic elections, and other large-scale efforts had effectively ceased to have any influence, a report published Thursday from the Pew Research Center determined that advertisers threatening to pull out of a sponsorship deal is now the sole remaining means of bringing about change in the United States. “Whereas in the past, one could rally support around a cause and demand sweeping reforms at the local, state, or national level, the only scenario in which that could ever occur today would involve an organization finding itself at risk of losing some or all of its ad revenue and consequently making swift concessions to its sponsors,” said researcher Alan Kellerman, adding that the only recent instances of considerable change taking place in the country have come directly as a result of major brands publicly expressing their disappointment with their media partner’s conduct and warning that they could nullify a six-, seven-, or eight-figure deal effective immediately. “However, provided that a company such as PepsiCo, Chevrolet, or Burger King believes its brand image is being damaged through an advertising partnership, there is simply no limit to the comprehensive, sweeping changes that could almost instantaneously take place.” While noting that advertisers alone possess the power to inspire progress, the report went on to confirm that such companies rarely

11979: Giving Al Sharpton The Finger.

The New York Post mocks Al Sharpton over the controversial shooting involving police in Missouri.

11841: Sterling Loses Lifetime Award.

In addition to receiving a lifetime ban from the NBA, Los Angeles Clippers Owner Donald Sterling will also lose a “Lifetime Achievement Award” that the NAACP was set to give him. Why, that’s nearly as outrageous as Rev. Al Sharpton celebrating the NAACP’s Centennial with Ogilvy.

NAACP to tighten up award policies amid Sterling scandal

By Bruce Golding

The NAACP announced Tuesday that it would issue new directives to avoid embarrassments like the since-scrapped plan to honor racist Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

The civil-rights group’s LA chapter was all set to give Sterling a “Lifetime Achievement Award” next month until he was caught on tape ranting at his then-girlfriend for publicly “associating with black people.”

In a statement right after Sterling’s lifetime ban from the NBA, the NAACP said: “We will be developing guidelines for our units to help them in their award selection process and prevent unfortunate decisions like this from occurring in the future.”

Interim NAACP President Lorraine Jenkins announced Sunday that Sterling would not be honored, as had been planned, at the LA chapter’s upcoming 100th anniversary gala.

She also issued a statement saying “we have strongly urged our Los Angeles unit to take the necessary steps to rescind the previous award they bestowed on him.”

At a Monday news conference, LA chapter President Leon Jenkins said Sterling “has given out a tremendous amount of scholarships, he has invited numerous African-American kids to summer camps, and his donations are bigger than other sports franchises.”

Jenkins, however, called Sterling’s recorded comments “devastating” and “off the scale,” adding: “I think that when you say things like that, you have to pay a price.”

He said his group planned to return an unspecified amount of donations it had received from Sterling.

But Jenkins said he would not demand that Sterling return the “humanitarian award” the group gave him in 2009.

“This is not a Heisman Trophy, dude,” Jenkins said.

11547: Saturday Night White.

From USA TODAY…

‘Saturday Night Live’ pokes fun at diversity issue

Guest host Kerry Washington helped drive home the point.

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — With Kerry Washington as guest host, Saturday Night Live wasted no time poking fun at itself after receiving criticism for having no black women among its 16 regular cast members.

In the opening skit, the Scandal actress portrayed first lady Michelle Obama, talking with her husband about an upcoming state dinner at the White House.

“Michelle, this is such a treat,” said the president, impersonated by Jay Pharoah. “I feel like it’s been years since I’ve seen you.”

An aide came in, saying Oprah Winfrey had arrived for the dinner and wanted to see the president. “Don’t you think you should get changed?” he asked Washington. She wondered whether cast member Kenan Thompson couldn’t play Winfrey; both Thompson and Pharoah have said recently they will no longer impersonate women on the NBC late-night comedy institution.

Washington left the stage and returned as Winfrey. She was then asked to portray Beyoncé — before the show’s executive producer, Lorne Michaels, stepped in.

Michaels said producers would like to apologize to Washington for the number of black women she would be asked to play in the show.

“We make this request both because Ms. Washington is an actress of considerable range and talent, and also because Saturday Night Live does not currently have a black woman in the cast,” he said. “We agree this is not an ideal situation and look forward to rectifying it in the future — unless, of course, we fall in love with another white guy first.”

The show has had four black women among its regular cast since coming on the air in 1975 with the last one, biracial Maya Rudolph, leaving in 2007. Both Pharoah and Thompson had recently addressed the situation in interviews with Pharoah even lobbying for a specific comic to be added — Darmirra Brunson of the OWN sitcom Love Thy Neighbor.

To drive the point home in the skit, the presidential aide announced that six different Matthew McConaugheys were there to attend the state dinner — and six different white male cast members trooped in dressed as the actor.

Then the Rev. Al Sharpton appeared on the stage.

“What have we learned from this sketch?” Sharpton said. “As usual, nothing.”

He then delivered the show’s traditional opening line of “live from New York, it’s Saturday night.”

11464: Here Are All The Black Speakers.

The newly named Here Are All The Black People will feature keynote speaker Cornel West. Interesting choice. The man has certainly spoken out on issues involving diversity and discrimination. Plus, his academic background may make him comfortable communicating to fresh college graduates and younger audiences. Yet wouldn’t the attendees prefer Kanye West versus Cornel West? After all, Here Are All The Black People appeared to be shying away from the political and focusing more on the professional. West (Cornel, not Kanye) recently called Rev. Al Sharpton “the bonafide house negro of the @BarackObama plantation” on Twitter (in 2009, incidentally, Sharpton celebrated the NAACP’s 100th anniversary with the equality champions at Ogilvy). So if you’re going to expose wannabe advertising executives to a fiery guy like West, why not include, say, Sanford Moore too?

10899: Django Unboxed.

From The New York Daily News…

‘Django Unchained’ action figures spark call for national boycott by Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network

‘Selling this doll is highly offensive to our ancestors and the African American community,’ Rev. K.W. Tulloss, NAC’s president in Los Angeles, told the Daily News.

By Nancy Dillon / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network called for a national boycott Tuesday of action figures based on the controversial and blood-soaked slavery revenge flick “Django Unchained.” A 10-doll assortment of characters from the film was going for $299 on Amazon Tuesday.



“Selling this doll is highly offensive to our ancestors and the African American community,” Rev. K.W. Tulloss, NAC’s president in Los Angeles, told the Daily News. “The movie is for adults, but these are action figures that appeal to children. We don’t want other individuals to utilize them for their entertainment, to make a mockery of slavery.”

Tulloss said he hadn’t seen Quentin Tarantino’s movie but heard it was “very good.” Fellow activist Najee Ali from Project Islamic Hope spoke alongside Tulloss in Los Angeles Tuesday and said he’s seen “Django” two times already.

“I actually enjoyed the movie, but we cannot support this type of commercialization,” Ali said. “I don’t seen any dolls representing Hitler that came from Tarantino’s (Holocaust movie ‘Inglourious Basterds’)…I don’t see them making dolls of Holocaust survivors who are bald and starving in concentration camps.”

Neither doll manufacturer National Entertainment Collectibles Association nor licensing partner The Weinstein Company, the film studio behind “Django,” offered immediate comment on the controversy.

The new doll collection includes 8-inch action figures for Jamie Foxx’s lead character Django and his on-screen wife Broomhilda.

The call for boycott came after “Do The Right Thing” director Spike Lee said he considered the new movie insulting.

“American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It Was A Holocaust. My Ancestors Are Slaves. Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them,” he wrote on Twitter ahead of the film’s Christmas release.

Speaking in Berlin on Tuesday, Tarantino defended his latest work saying the brutal abuse he portrayed pales in comparison to what slaves actually endured.

“The truth, or the reality, was a thousand times worse than what I showed,” he told reporters ahead of the film’s launch in Germany.

His “Django” is a modern mash-up that borrows heavily from the spaghetti western and blaxploitation genres, critics say.

Foxx plays a slave-turned-bounty hunter who sets out to rescue his wife from a venal Mississippi plantation owner, played by DiCaprio.

The cast also includes Kerry Washington, Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson.

Many have compared it to “Inglorious Bastards,” which was highly controversial as well. That movie garnered eight Oscar nominations.

9828: Rev. Meets Rep.

Rev. Al Sharpton and Rep. Maxine Waters are headlining the 2012 Essence Music Festival? Can’t wait to hear that duet performance.

9341: “Here Are All The White Liars People.”

Well, that didn’t take long. After The Big Tent reported on The One Club’s plan to stage another “Where Are All The Black People?” event, and Rev. Al Sharpton showed support for the effort, the post received an immediate culturally clueless comment. Brian Morris of New York remarked, “ask al where tawana brawley is.” In hindsight, it was pretty odd for The One Club to recruit Sharpton as a backer of the initiative. Heaven forbid the clique clubbers might have videotaped endorsements from, say, actual industry leaders. Hell, the list of sponsors and partners labeled key contributors as Creative Advocates and Talent Scouts. Morris probably views Sharpton as an opportunistic con artist. Yet when it comes to diversity in the advertising field, the charlatans, liars and bona fide bigots posing as champions of inclusion make Sharpton look like an amateur.

9045: Guess Who’s Coming To MSNBC.

From The New York Times…

Sharpton Appears to Win Anchor Spot on MSNBC

By Brian Stelter

After giving a nearly six-month tryout for the Internet talk show host Cenk Uygur, the cable news channel MSNBC is preparing to instead hand its 6 p.m. time slot to the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Mr. Sharpton’s imminent hiring, which was acknowledged by three people at the channel on condition of anonymity because the contract had not been signed, is significant in part because MSNBC and other news channels have been criticized for a paucity of minority hosts in prominent time slots. Mr. Sharpton, who is black and is a well-known civil rights activist and radio host, has been guest hosting in the 6 p.m. time slot for the last three weeks.

There had been uncertainty about the 6 p.m. slot ever since the channel’s marquee anchor, Keith Olbermann, departed in January, prompting Ed Schultz to be moved to 10 p.m. from 6. Suddenly Mr. Uygur, who had been made a paid contributor to MSNBC months earlier, was handed 6 p.m., a big coup given that he had earlier campaigned to have his progressive Web show “The Young Turks” picked up by MSNBC.

He earned solid but not stand-out ratings; in late June the channel’s president, Phil Griffin, decided to try out Mr. Sharpton, and offered Mr. Uygur a new contract that included a weekend show, but not a higher-profile weekday show.

Mr. Uygur, who by most accounts was well liked within MSNBC, said in an interview that he turned down the new contract because he felt Mr. Griffin had been the recipient of political pressure. In April, he said, Mr. Griffin “called me into his office and said that he’d been talking to people in Washington, and that they did not like my tone.” He said he guessed Mr. Griffin was referring to White House officials, though he had no evidence for the assertion. He also said that Mr. Griffin said the channel was part of the “establishment,” and “that you need to act like it.”

MSNBC is home to many hosts who criticize President Obama and other Democrats from a progressive point of view, but at times Mr. Uygur could be especially harsh.

In an interview on Wednesday, Mr. Griffin denied Mr. Uygur’s accusations and sounded disappointed that he had decided not to accept the weekend position. “We never told Cenk what to say or what not to say,” Mr. Griffin said.

The “people in Washington,” he said, were MSNBC producers who were responsible for booking guests for the 6 p.m. hour, and some of them had said that Mr. Uygur’s aggressive body language and overall demeanor were making it harder to book guests. “The conversation was, ‘Hey, look, here’s how we can make it better’ — about physical things on the show,” Mr. Griffin said.

Mr. Uygur’s audience on “The Young Turks” Webcast, which is separate from MSNBC, is younger than the audience on cable television, Mr. Griffin added, suggesting that the two demographics require different manners of speaking. Mr. Uygur stood by his account, saying in an e-mail, “That conversation on that day was not about body language.”

Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director, said in an e-mail Wednesday that his staff did not raise any concerns about the show “with Phil Griffin or anyone else.”

“I didn’t agree with everything said on the show, but certainly didn’t have any problem with it,” Mr. Pfeiffer added.

8900: Madison Avenue Initiative Moves Forward.

From Target Market News…

Madison Ave. Initiative announces launch of programs promoting diversity

The Madison Avenue Initiative (MAI), a division of the National Action Network, announced today a series of new programs designed to create more diversity in corporate and government public service marketing that will impact African American businesses, media, employment and training.

“Our goal is to create more business alliances between the corporate and government public service sectors and the many viable Black and Latino-owned agencies and media. We’re seeing more opportunities for a greater share of the marketing mix,” said Rev. Al Sharpton (above), founder of the National Action Network. “Another area of concern is hiring and training for Black and Latino marketing professionals and students. Establishing a process that promotes access and consideration is critical to linking qualified candidates to opportunities.”

Since March, Sharpton and Madison Avenue Initiative director Munson Steed have initiated communication with corporate and government executives to discuss increased recruitment and engagement.

“We’re finding that corporate CEOs are open to discussing ways to engage more of our agencies, media and professionals to help them meet their business goals,” said Steed. “We’re devoting 2011 to opening more doors and creating more synergy that will be mutually beneficial for all parties.”

Some of the initiatives discussed with CEOs and marketing executives include broadening the request for proposals (RFPs) to more diverse agencies, to conduct media days, and potentially an urban marketing summit. With regard to recruitment and training, discussions have centered on expanding the candidate search to include more Black and Latino candidates, job creation, job readiness, college tours, and establishing annual internships.

“Opening doors for black professionals and students will create a pipeline of talent from the urban community,” according to Steed. It’s all a part of ensuring that we have the opportunity to share in commerce, development and growth.”

Also in 2011, MAI will issue a report on the best and worst practices among corporations and government agencies in their diversity recruitment. “Performance in hiring, diversity and media procurement will be evaluated to create more awareness of the realities that exist within major corporations who rely heavily on multicultural consumers,” added Sharpton.

It is the Madison Avenue Initiative’s explicit goal to support and promote the value proposition of business and employment growth in advertising, marketing and media companies for people of color. Inclusionary efforts of corporations and government divisions are being aggressively encouraged to create more opportunities for sustainable strategic partnerships.

8724: Holiday Preaching From Reverend Al.

From The Huffington Post…

Passover and Easter

By Rev. Al Sharpton

In the Judeo-Christian tradition, this week is one of the holiest times of the year. Christians commemorate the resurrection and sacrifice of Jesus Christ; Jews honor the Israelites’ exodus to freedom from slavery. Rooted in persecution, oblation, humility and eventual triumph, both religious holidays have an underlying common theme: no matter what the calamity, you will rise again to victory. It is precisely this social interpretation of these defining events that each and every one of us should take to heart during challenging times.

Earlier in the week, I attended President Obama’s second annual Easter prayer breakfast along with other prominent clergy from around the country. Stressing the importance of amazing grace and salvation, the President reminded us to keep things in perspective in the midst of the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. As families of the Jewish faith also gather this week to recall the story of the angel of death ‘passing over’ their homes, and the steps that ultimately led to their freedom from bondage, they too remember the sacrifice of those before them.

In the fast-paced reality of our times, it’s often easy to lose sight of the many advantages we enjoy because of the literal blood, sweat and tears of others. Many African Americans, Latinos, women and other minorities today sit in positions of authority in government, business and other industries because of the selfless acts of those who preceded them. Whether it was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights struggle, or Gandhi’s nonviolent push, we have been spared because these brave individuals and others like them gave their lives for a larger cause. We should never forget those that opened the door for us to transcend into a virtual new land of opportunity away from the shackles of yesterday.

No one is denying the fact that we have a long way to go before reaching that proverbial mountaintop, but we shouldn’t easily dismiss the fact that we are seeing and experiencing things that those that bled for us never saw. As we recall the legacy of and Moses, we should never forget that we too have been spared. And during this time of reflection, we must remember why we were spared.

At a very early age as a boy preacher, I was always drawn to the story of Jesus and the resurrection. As a minister, I of course deal with the religious aspect of this event, but the larger social message is what continues to resonate for everyone today—Jesus may have died on the cross, but three days later, he rose again. It’s an interpretation that we all can relate to, no matter what our religious denomination. Despite what difficulties we face, what tragedies we encounter or what obstacles life throws at us, we can rise again. Out of pain comes gain, and out of sorrow comes strength. Even if we are persecuted or crucified in life, we can prevail past our crucifixion. We must know that there is an Easter Sunday after every difficulty.

In my own life, I have faced many transgressions and challenges—some that were easy to overcome, and others that I still deal with today. But as we gather with our loved ones this weekend, whether it’s retelling the story of the resurrection, or of the exodus to freedom, we cannot undervalue the significance of the literal blood that was shed before us, nor of the liberties we enjoy as a result of it. And with enough patience, strength and faith we can surpass any tribulation and stand tall once again.

8355: Halftime Retort.

Taking the day off with a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton are urging Southeastern school districts to scrap plans to make up for snow days by having students attend classes on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Jackson said such actions would trivialize the civil rights icon’s work, and Sharpton encouraged parents to consider keeping their kids out of school for the day. Hey, why don’t these guys complain about the retail stores trivializing matters with mattress sales?

• A new study shows women are less interested than men in jobs where individual competition determines pay. Somewhere, Neil French is feeling vindicated.

7958: Ed Towns Hall Meeting.

Target Market News published the story below. A brief MultiCultClassics perspective immediately follows.

Rep. Ed Towns and the Madison Avenue Initiative to host CBC ad industry forum

A public forum to take an in-depth look at the disparities minorities face in the advertising industry will be hosted by Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-NY, at the upcoming Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference. The forum titled “Shut Out: Evaluating Madison Avenue for Disparity in Advertising, Media and Creative Services,” will be held Saturday, Sept. 18, 10:30 am - 12 noon, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

The event is a collaborative effort of Rep. Towns, Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network, and Munson Steed, director of NAN’s Madison Avenue Initiative (MAI). The three have assembled a distinguished panel to discuss, analyze and present solutions and actions needed to achieve a more diverse workforce within the advertising industry and parity for black ad agencies and media companies not getting a fair revenue share.

“It has been 46 years since the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and advertising and marketing continue to be among the most segregated of America’s most vital industries,” said Sharpton. “Despite decades of efforts at turning itself around, the advertising business seems inherently unable to bring about a culture of inclusion.”

“We’re joining Rep. Towns at the CBC conference to launch Madison Avenue Initiative’s thorough investigation into the disparities and business practices that are impacting negatively the urban community, urban youth, and the minority business community,” said Steed, who is also CEO of Steed Media Group. “Many reputable companies are in crisis. MAI is working to create new opportunities to close the gap.”

“Madison Avenue Initiative will stay engaged with me as we work to achieve parity for black marketing professionals who remain unemployed or underemployed and agencies and media in crisis because of systemic bias against them,” said Rep. Towns, Representative for New York, 10th District, and Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. “I plan to remain involved to see this issue is rectified.”

Panelists for the forum include Adonis Hoffman, Esq., chairman, American Business Leadership Institute and author of “Doing Good: The New Rules of Corporate Responsibility;” Jason Chambers, Professor, Univ. of Illinois and author of “Madison Avenue and the Color Line;” Cyrus Mehri, founding partner, Mehri & Skalet, PLLC., and Marc Bendick, Jr., Ph.D., co-principal, Bendick and Egan Economic Consultants, Inc., and author of “Research Perspectives on Race and Employment in the Advertising Industry.” Ken Smikle, president of Target Market News, is the moderator.

With all due respect, it would be nice if Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson could quit the schizophrenic bullshit already.

Now Sharpton is criticizing the industry again. Yet he seemed happy to party with Ogilvy & Mather when the agency saluted the NAACP in 2009, even praising the shop for its diversity efforts.

Meanwhile, Jackson has been all over the map. In 2006, he demanded more public hearings to address the dearth of diversity on Madison Avenue. He even criticized General Motors for the automaker’s treatment of minority advertising agencies in 2007. But GM’s decision to pull the Cadillac account from a Black shop and hand the assignment to a White shop certainly didn’t dissuade Jackson from buying a 2009 Escalade. Guess the White agency showed it was indeed capable of creating campaigns targeting Blacks.

Have Sharpton and Jackson been too soft in their attacks—or is it all simply an indicator that no amount of activism and protest will bring change to Madison Avenue?

7637: Borderline Nutcases.

Talking trash in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The Reverend Al Sharpton declared he would fight the new Arizona immigration law. Wow, bet the folks in Arizona are shaking now.

• In Alabama, Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim James is running an ad that declares the state’s driver’s license exam should only be given in English (it’s currently offered in 12 languages). In the message, James says, “This is Alabama; we speak English.” Um, not exactly.

• Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates recently set off another debate on slavery reparations. Gates believes President Obama, “the child of an African and an American,” is “uniquely positioned” to address the subject. Hey, don’t count on another invitation to share a beer at the White House.

7541: Steed To Run Madison Avenue Initiative.

From Target Market News…

Munson Steed, ‘Rolling Out’ publisher, named director of Madison Avenue Initiative

Rev. Al Sharpton, president and founder of the National Action Network, has appointed Munson Steed as Director of the Madison Avenue Initiative (MAI), a program under NAN that addresses fairness in advertising. The formal announcement will be made at NAN’s upcoming national convention in April.

Since its inception, the MAI has addressed the needs of minority-owned companies that do not receive their fair share of corporate and governmental advertising expenditures and the Initiative has already helped redirect millions of dollars to Black and Latino media. MAI has successfully pushed for corporations to make advertising purchases that approach the level of minority consumer patronage of their products in specific markets.

“Munson Steed is the right person to accelerate this vision in 2010,” said Rev. Sharpton, “and his background and business acumen within the media and advertising industry exemplifies a vision of equal access and inclusion for minority-owned media outlets.”

Steed is the CEO of Steed Media Group, Inc., a multimedia company that includes newspapers, magazines, television programming, internet properties, custom publications, signature events and more. Over the course of more than ten years, Steed has moved the company’s flagship publication, Rolling Out, into national prominence as the largest chain of African American-owned weekly papers in the nation.

A graduate of Morehouse College, Steed holds a bachelor’s degree in political science.

MAI’s philosophy has been to encourage corporations to step up their efforts to build working relationships with businesses of color. “If we’re talking to a company that does 40% of its sales with blacks and Latinos, we expect a lot more from them than a company that might do marginal sales,” said Rev. Sharpton.

7432: Flying, Frying And Assorted F-Words.

Weekend news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The NAACP is suing US Airways for allegedly discriminating against Black airport employees in Philadelphia. The suit charges Black employees were assigned to less desirable gates, which airline employees referred to with racially-loaded nicknames like “Compton” and “The Ghetto.” A company official responded, “We take discrimination very seriously. We have a very strong commitment to diversity and to nondiscrimination.” Look for a new US Airways diversity ad to appear in minority publications soon.

• KFC is facing another problem, this time from a coalition of franchisees who are suing the company for shifting its emphasis from fried to grilled chicken. Parent company Yum responded to the legal move by declaring, “Yum Brands fully expects to win the suit and minimize the waste of time and money spent on it so that we can continue to satisfy our customers and grow the business.” Especially among Asian Americans and Blacks all around the world.

• Glenn Beck is now catching heat for ridiculing the term African-American. On a recent radio broadcast, Beck declared that “African-American is a bogus, PC, made-up term. That is not a race. Your ancestry is from Africa, and now you live in America. Okay, so you were brought over, either your family was brought over in the slave trade, or you were born here and your family immigrated here, or whatever. But that is not a race.” Rev. Al Sharpton said Beck’s remarks were “insulting and offensive and belittling.” Sharpton explained the term “was developed by African-Americans, not some PC outside group. That was a self-defined expression that we have developed after the other terms that we did not agree with, like colored and Negro, had been imposed upon us.” Rev. Jesse Jackson added, “People have a right to a choice of their own designation. We expect people who respect us to respect our choice.”

• UPS is scheduled to dump 1,800 jobs. No word if employees’ belongings will be shipped home via UPS.

7186: Lil News Items.

Doing hard time with hard news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to felony gun charges, and he’ll likely spend a year in jail. The rapper will be sentenced in February, so he still has a lil time before doing time.

• The Obama administration is insisting top executives from companies that received federal bailouts must take 90 percent pay cuts. Plus, any executive seeking perks in excess of $25,000—like country club memberships and private jets—must first get permission from the administration. Of course, even with these measures, most of the honchos are still multimillionaires.

• KFC is planning to retry its grilled chicken giveaway, promising there will be no need for rainchecks. It’s the third time the fast feeder has promoted the new menu item in such a way. Which goes to show you they can’t even give the shit away.

• MSNBC anchor Contessa Brewer apologized for accidentally introducing Rev. Jesse Jackson as Rev. Al Sharpton during a broadcast. Sharpton will probably file a lawsuit.

7181: Alien Affairs.

Unidentified Flying Offenses in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• A California immigrants rights group asked Target and a costume company to stop selling an “illegal alien” Halloween costume. The costume is comprised of an alien mask, an orange jumpsuit and a green card. A group official called the costume “distasteful, mean-spirited, and ignorant of social stigmas and current debate on immigration reform.” No word yet from E.T.

• Rev. Al Sharpton is threatening to sue Rush Limbaugh over a Wall Street Journal editorial that the conservative talk radio host published last week. Limbaugh wrote that Sharpton “played a leading role in the 1991 Crown Heights riot (he called neighborhood Jews ‘diamond merchants’) and 1995 Freddie’s Fashion Mart riot.” A statement from the Sharpton camp argued Limbaugh “has the right to criticize Rev. Sharpton, but he does not have the right to accuse him of criminal activity.” Wish both of these guys would exercise the right to remain silent.