Breast cancer foundation

CHURCHES CHAMPION BREAST-CANCER AWARENESS

This year alone more than 5,600 Black women in this country will die of breast cancer. Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says participation in breast-cancer screenings for Black women 40 and older is lower than for all other women in this age group. To reach more sisters, Celebrating Life Foundation (CLF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness among Black women, has declared October 10 Super Sunday. On this day, about 1,000 predominantly Black churches will unite to educate our communities through worship services, educational literature and workshops. To get involved, contact the CLF ([800] 207-0992 or clf@airmail.net).

OPRAH GOES BACK TO SCHOOL

Oprah Winfrey will be encouraging folks to hit the books once again, but this time it has nothing to do with her famous book club. The queen of talk will step to the head of the classroom with her steady, Stedman Graham, when the two team up to teach a course called Dynamics of Leadership at Chicago's J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Winfrey--who has amassed an estimated personal fortune of $550 million as chair of Harpo Entertainment Group--will speak to more than 100 lucky students as a guest lecturer for Graham, a savvy marketing expert, author and chairman of S. Graham & Associates who regularly teaches at the venerable business school. "I'm really looking forward to it," says Winfrey of her latest endeavor. "It has always been a dream of mine to teach. When Stedman invited me to be a part of his class, I jumped at the opportunity. We share the same belief in the importance of dynamic leadership in this country."

SUMMIT TO SUPPORT OUR YOUTH

From October 10 to 13 the National Black Child Development Institute will bring together more than 3,000 child-care professionals to discuss strategies for nurturing our youths at its Bridging the Divide for Children: Access, Equity and Opportunity conference in Houston, Texas. "We must take the emotional, physical, intellectual and social development of African-American children in our hands now," says NBCDI president Evelyn K. Moore. "Their chances for a productive future lie in the opportunities we create today." For details, call (800) 556-2234 or visit www.nbcdi.org.

CLASSIC FOOTBALL

It's kickoff time! On Saturday, November 27, at 1:00 p.m., two of the nation's top Black college football teams--Grambling State University and Southern University--will face off for the 1999 State Farm Bayou Classic in New Orleans' Louisiana Superdome. Boasting about 70,000 fans each year and pegged the Granddaddy of Black College Football Classics, the big game--celebrating its twenty-sixth year--has become one of the largest gatherings of African-Americans in the United States. Tune in to NBC's live broadcast and watch Grambling's Tigers duke it out with Southern's Jaguars, or phone Ticketmaster for tickets.

STOP PAYING FOR PROTECTION

Women spend about 68 percent more than men on health care, mainly because men don't have to pay out of pocket for prescribed contraceptives. Only half of large group-insurance plans cover contraceptives. But Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) has proposed the Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contracep-tive Coverage Act of 1999 (S.1200) to ensure that all health plans cover preventive drugs prescribed for women. "It's time that prescription contraceptives were covered as much as Viagra is," says Snowe. Encourage your representative to vote yes for S. 1200. Call the U.S. Capitol at (202) 224-3121 or visit

WORD FOR WORD

"You are obligated to keep trying, to keep doing the best you can--every day."

--Marian Wright Edelman, children's-rights advocate

WHAT'S GOING ON

OCTOBER 18

RECEIVE A FREE GIFT from Sally Hansen. Log on to its Web site at www.sallyhansen.com to register for monthly prize drawings and to give your own great nail-care tip. If your tip is posted, you will receive a $30 value of cosmetics, including makeup and nail-care products.

KEEP YOUR DO SHININ' with Sally Beauty Supply. Through September celebrate the two-thousandth store opening. Mention ESSENCE, and receive a free 11.5-ounce can of Proclaim Oil Sheen. For the store nearest you, call (800) ASK-SALLY.

ARE YOU FIERCE IN THE KITCHEN? Then enter the Pillsbury Bake-Off Cooking Contest for your chance to win $1 million. Entries must be postmarked by October 18. For entry form and details, call (800) 610-5555 through September 30.

YOUR FULL-FIGURED TEEN will welcome Sears' Mainframe for You apparel line for girls 14-19 who wear sizes 16W-24W. Visit the Sears store nearest you for the latest fashions made for young, full, beautiful bodies.

SEPTEMBER 1-30