Sharpton & Sheffield: American Honda Must Address Diversity Issues Such as Lack of African Americans in Top Management and Failure to Do More Business With African American Vendors & Alliance w/XM Satellite Radio

DETROIT, April 23 -- American Honda needs to review its relationship with African Americans and African American vendors and suppliers that could conduct business with American Honda. To address those concerns, Reverend Al Sharpton, the founder of the National Action Network (NAN) and Reverend Horace Sheffield III, the CEO of the National Association of Black Organizations (NABO) and president of the Michigan chapter of NAN have asked for a meeting with Koishi Amemiya, President, American Honda Motor Company.

In a letter to American Honda, Sheffield notes the 700 billion dollar annual buying power of Black America and requests a meeting to address diversity issues and Honda's relationship with XM Satellite Radio.

"We support those that support us. We cannot be silent while African Americans spend hard earned dollars with a company that does not hire, promote or do business with us in a statistically significant manner. Adding insult to injury, American Honda maintains a fiscally unsound relationship supportive of XM Satellite Radio. XM has fought carriage of the value positive Word Network. The Word is a mainstay on TV sets throughout Black America," said Sheffield.

"We know that apologists for a racist status quo will rush to the defense of those that give petty cash to opportunists but we will not turn back on our effort to gain economic parity. We will not tolerate corporate irresponsibility that harms our community. Honda lacks a significant number of black dealerships and does not do enough business with minority vendors. That is wrong. That reality coupled with Honda's relationship with XM Satellite Radio forces us to consider direct action against Honda at a time when XM Sat Radio places porn profits over the family oriented value positive Word Network," said Sheffield.

NABO and NAN demonstrations for value positive satellite broadcast programming in Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Denver, Maryland, Virginia, New York and Michigan have attracted hundreds that marched in protest while some demonstrators were jailed for civil disobedience.

The non-profit Word Network is the mainstream media broadcaster for African-American ministries and gospel music. The Word content includes ministries, gospel music, talk shows, religious conventions; SCLC & PUSH confabs and serves as the official Super Bowl gospel presenter. Based in Southfield, Michigan, The Word Network offers value positive family programming embraced by millions of African Americans in urban and rural markets. The Word Network is available in 31 million homes in the United States through DirecTV, AT&T, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Cox, Millennium Digital Media, Charter, Adelphia, Cablevision, RCN, Sirius Satellite Radio and a host of smaller cable operators. Programming from The Word Network is provided to 1 million men and women in the United States Armed Forces in 165 countries. The Word Network is also providing programming to 75 million households in Africa.