Battle Against Underage Drinking Expanded

The U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) today announced a new partnership to mobilize youth and law enforcement officers in 14 communities in a stepped-up fight against underage drinking.

In addition, the two released a new study,"Underage Drinking: Immediate Consequences and their Costs," showing that the costs of underage drinking in America total more than $58 billion annually. Earlier research had shown that underage drinking is the nation's largest youth drug problem, killing 6.5 times more young people than all other illicit drugs combined.

The communities targeted in the new partnership are:

• Austin, TX
• Bismarck, ND
• Boston, MA
• Charleston, WV
• Las Vegas, NV
• Long Island, NY
• Menasha, WI
• Nashville, TN
• New Haven, CT
• Omaha, NE
• Providence, RI
• St. Paul, MN
• Tampa, FL
• Vero Beach, FL

"Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among our nation's youth, and it is costing our society an average of $577.91 per year for every household in the United States," said Karolyn Nunnallee, National President of MADD. "It's time for our nation's youth to join forces with our law enforcement community to change the social environment that condones illegal alcohol consumption as an accepted rite of passage."

Copies of "Underage Drinking: Immediate Consequences and their Costs" are available through the Justice Department Web site and from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, Box 6000, Rockville, Maryland 20857 or 800-638-8736.

'Concrete Ceiling' Imposing Barrier for Minorities

Women-of-color managers and professionals reaffirm the "concrete ceiling," preventing their advancement, in a new national report.

The new study, "Women of Color in Corporate Management: Opportunities and Barriers," by Catalyst, finds:

• 47 percent of over 1,700 women-of-color survey respondents from 30 leading U.S. companies cite as barriers the difficulty of not having an influential mentor or sponsor.
• 40 percent cite the lack of informal networking with influential colleagues.
• 29 percent note the lack of company role models who are members of their racial/ethnic group.
• 28 percent speak of the lack of high visibility assignments.

"The metaphor of a 'concrete ceiling' stands in sharp contrast to that of the 'glass ceiling.' Not only is the 'concrete ceiling' reported to be more difficult to penetrate, women of color say they cannot see through it to glimpse the corner office," says Catalyst President Sheila Wellington.

Women of Color is the culmination of a three-year, multi-phase study -- the first parts were issued in 1997 and 1998 - the largest and most comprehensive examination of African-American, Asian-American, and Hispanic women managers in professional and managerial positions in the U.S.

To obtain a copy of the in-depth, 20-page executive summary of this report, Visit the Catalyst Web site or call 212-514-7600, ext. 333, for a copy of the full study.