The cost of incarceration: The future of justice (NNPA) - For 18 years Nkechi Taifa, senior policy analyst at OSI-Washington, D.C., worked on the elimination of sentencing disparity between crack and powdered cocaine. Finally, On August 3, President Barack Obama signed into law the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, which reduced the 100-to-1 ratio between crack and powder cocaine to a fairer 18-to-1 ratio and repealed a mandatory minimum sentence for simple possession of crack.    Read More ... Patrice Gaines, NNPA Contributing Writer

Repeal of Birthright Citizenship: Déjà-vu for Japanese Americans (Special to New America Media from Pacific Citizen) - In the 1940s the group Native Sons of the Golden West launched a concerted effort to deny all Japanese U.S. citizenship. They also sought to deny citizenship to their U.S.-born children.  Read More ... Nalea J. Ko and Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, Contributing Writers

Black Muslims left out of national conversation on Islam (Special to the NNPA from the Amsterdam News) - "We have to be able to decode what's happening and realize that this is religious intolerance on one hand, and it's [also] good ol' red-blooded American racial and ethnic bias on the other hand," said Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid, sitting in his office at the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc. in Harlem.  Read More ... Stephon Johnson and Orobosa Igbinedio, Contributing Writers

Black gas station owner alleges racism ATLANTA-A nationwide boycott is being called against Raceway Petroleum, the Atlanta GA-headquartered parent company that controls more than 600 RaceTrac gas stations nationwide. The company is being cited for racist treatment of its Black-owned gas station operators.  Read More ...

Right-wing march called 'slap in the face' to Dr. King legacy WASHINGTON (Special to  the NNPA from the Final Call) - On the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's devastating landfall in New Orleans; the 47th anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; and the 55th anniversary of the savage murder of Emmett Till near Greenwood, Miss. - on Aug. 28 - cable-TV news commentator Glenn Beck has been given a permit to host a rally "Restoring Honor" in the nation's capital.  Read More ... Askia Muhammad, Contributing Writer

President casts vision for brighter future AUSTIN (Special to the NNPA from The Dallas Examiner) - Before a mostly adoring crowd of about 3,500 at the University of Texas at Austin, President Barack Obama gave a short, spirited add­ress that touted his administration's commitment to education and to addressing the most common travails faced by college students.  Read More ... Imani Evans, Contributing Writer

Online bigotry is booming LOS ANGELES (Special to NNPA from The Los Angeles Sentinel) - The Internet has opened a portal for discussions on various matters. People from around the world discuss various issues on message boards and through comment sections on news stories. It's a wonderful thing when people have the opportunity to discuss world events in an open forum almost instantly regardless of their location. Websites like Facebook and CNN streamed the inauguration of Barack Obama instantly allowing people to express their feelings on that historic day.  Read More ... Denzel Codrington, Contributing Writer

Analysis: Obama measures up in New Orleans Five years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, 63 percent of Americans say the federal government could have done more to help New Orleans, according to a new CBS News poll. Only 31 percent said the government did all it could do.  Read More ...

The mass incarceration of minorities CAMBRIDGE, MA  — More Americans are serving time in prison or jail than at any point in the nation’s history, reflecting an incarceration rate that greatly exceeds those found in other advanced democracies.  Read More ...

Black firefighters prepare to launch ‘No Child Left Alone’ fire safety and awareness campaign The International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters (IABPFF) is preparing to launch the No Child Left Alone fire safety and awareness campaign in time for Fire Prevention Week which takes place October 3-9, 2010. The campaign focuses on informing parents and caregivers of children about the perils of leaving children alone at home, as well as providing life-saving information to make their children "fire-safe."  Read More ...

The U.S.-Mexico border is safer than you have been led to believe (New America Media)  — Crime along the U.S.-Mexico border has been cited to justify everything from Arizona’s new immigration law to Congress’ decision Tuesday to spend another $600 million on border enforcement. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has referred to “mayhem” and “headless bodies” found along the border, while Sen. John McCain said that the failure to secure the border “has led to violence — the worst I have ever seen.” And when asked why they supported Arizona’s immigration law, SB 1070, many Americans cited security reasons and an increase in violent crime along the U.S. border.  Read More ... Elena Shore, Contributing Writer - 1 opinion posted

Question: Where is the oil-spill waste disposed? Spill waste being buried in local landfill but not in Mississippi BP stopped sending waste to a Mississippi landfill last month, under pressure from residents there, while tons of solid, spill remnants continue heading to three Louisiana landfills. So far this summer, Louisianians, who have lived with oil byproducts for decades, haven’t reacted publicly to where the disaster’s waste—like used boom, cleanup workers’ clothing, and beach and marsh debris—is buried.  Read More ... Susan Buchanan, Contributing Writer

HUD steps up foreclosure prevention WASHINGTON — The Obama Administration last week announced additional support to help homeowners struggling with unemployment through two targeted foreclosure-prevention programs. Through the existing Housing Finance Agency (HFA) Innovation Fund for the Hardest Hit Housing Markets (the Hardest Hit Fund), the U.S. Department of the Treasury will make $2 billion of additional assistance available for HFA programs for homeowners struggling to make their mortgage payments due to unemployment.  Read More ...

Black farmers have been dealt yet another blow WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — Black farmers were again denied a $1.25 billion settlement in a racial bias case against the federal government, when Senate Republicans on August 5 failed to support a unanimous consent on the measure. With Congress now in recess, those farmers have been put on hold again after waiting for more than a decade.  Read More ... Zenitha Prince, Contributing Writer

The Katrina pain index report: 2010 New Orleans – five years later It will be five years since Hurricane Katrina on August 29. The impact of Katrina is quite painful for regular people in the area. This article looks at what has happened since Katrina not from the perspective of the higher ups looking down from their offices but from the street level view of the people  – a view which looks at the impact on the elderly, the renter, people of color, the disabled, the working and non-working poor. So, while one commentator may happily say that the median income in New Orleans has risen since Katrina, a street-level perspective recognizes that is because large numbers of the poorest people have not been able to return.  Read More ... Bill Quigley, Davida Finger and Lance Hill, Contributing Writers

Sherrod tells NABJ convention she will sue Breitbart (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — Shirley Sherrod, the recently fired director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s rural development office in Georgia, has said she will sue blogger Andrew Breitbart, who used an excerpt of a speech she made to the NAACP out of context and called it racist along with cable news network Fox News.  Read More ...

Questions, confusion, anger after South Carolina dragging death The 32-year-old husband and father of two was shot to death and tied to the back of a pickup truck and dragged 11 miles on a Newberry road. Gregory Collins, a White male and reported workplace friend of Hill, is accused of the killing and is in custody for the gruesome crime.  Read More ... Brian E. Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Congress passes Fair Sentencing Act WASHINGTON (NNPA) — On July 28, the House of Repre­sen­tatives passed the Fair Sentencing Act (S.1789) to restore fairness to Federal cocaine sentencing. The legislation, which matches a measure passed in March by the Senate, is aimed at reducing the current sentencing disparity of those convicted of possession of crack cocaine versus powder cocaine and eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing.  Read More ...

Class-action lawsuit filed against U.S. Department of Commerce NEW YORK — New evidence in a federal lawsuit shows the U.S. Census Bureau ignored a pointed, detailed warning by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that its screening process for hiring more than one million temporary census workers could result in massive racial and ethnic discrimination.  Read More ...

Black teens have positive outlook about future A national survey of high school students’ attitudes toward the U.S. economy, conducted by Hamilton College, shows more than two-thirds of African-American teenagers believe they’ll be more prosperous than their parents. In contrast, a little more than a third of white students believe their standard of living will be better than their parents.  Read More ...

YMCA desegregation ruling turns 40 Despite the sweeping legislative victories of the civil rights movement, the change the new laws promised was slow in coming to the South as community leaders clung fiercely to the last vestiges of segregation. Few law­yers had the willingness or re­sources to take cases that would challenge the status quo and, often, the most powerful people in town.  Read More ...

UAW, Rainbow/PUSH join forces for ‘jobs, justice, peace’ DETROIT (Special to the NNPA from the Michigan Citizen) — A rising tide of hope for the future has hit Detroit as Rainbow/PUSH leader Jesse Jackson and prominent union, church and community representatives kicked off a campaign to rebuild the nation’s cities, provide jobs and education, enact a moratorium on foreclosures, and end the wars in the Middle East.  Read More ... Diane Bukowski, Contributing Writer

Sherrods tell Black Press where America must go from here WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Former Department of Agri­culture Rural Development Director Shirley Sherrod of South West Georgia, still reeling from the blow of an assault on her job, character and civil rights record last week, told the Black Press of America that she hopes the travesty of justice that happened to her will now help America move forward with racial healing.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Examples of systemic racism in the U.S. criminal justice system The biggest crime in the U.S. criminal justice system is that it is a race-based institution where African Americans are directly targeted and punished in a much more aggressive way than white people.  Read More ... Bill Quigley, Contributing Writer

Blacks are not considered mainstream media material WASHINGTON — The fallout from the firing of Agriculture Department official Shirley Sherrod and the one-year anniversary of the controversial arrest of African American Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. have put race back in the news of late. These high-profile stories raise a larger question: to what degree does the press cover news about the state of Black America generally?  Read More ...

Desmond Tutu to retire from public life Human rights activist and Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town Desmond Tutu announced last week that he will retire from public life later in the year.  Read More ...

Slavery lives on in South (Special from The Final Call) - Nearly 150 years after Emancipation, trapped by ex­treme poverty, isolation, fear and shame, some Blacks remain victims of neo-slavery in rural areas of the South, locked into work in fields, factories and assorted industries.  Read More ... Brian E. Muhammad, Contributing Writer - 1 opinion posted

Oscar Grant’s family vows to fight ‘garbage’ verdict, sentencing this fall WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Amsterdam News) — Former Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Officer Johannes Mehserle was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Oscar Grant in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2009 on a train platform. Meh­serle shot Grant in the back while he was handcuffed on the ground.  Read More ... Stephon Johnson, Contributing Writer

No murder charges in MOVE 1985 tragedy WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) —  A Philadelphia Common Pleas Court has dismissed an attempt by activists and victims to charge former city officials with murder for the 1985 deaths of 11 MOVE family members, including children and babies.  Read More ... Saeed Shabazz, Contributing Writer

HUD to probe bias claims against pregnant women The U.S. Department of Hous­ing and Urban Develop­ment announced recently that it will launch multiple investigations into the lending practices of certain mortgage lenders to determine if they illegally denied families mortgages because the mother is pregnant or a family member is experiencing a short-term disability. The action follows a report published last week in the New York Times outlining the lending practices of some lenders which might possibly violate the Fair Housing Act.  Read More ...

Gulf left gasping for air from spill’s many toxins Southeast Louisiana residents and workers on the water have kept medics busy and poison hotlines humming for three months because of exposure to toxic emissions from BP's oil spill. Several hundred coas­tal dwellers went from sniffing April blossoms to rushing to doctors and hospitals for respiratory and other ailments caused by foul air since the rig explosion.  Read More ... Susan Buchanan, Contributing Writer

CME Church elects first female bishop (NNPA) — The Rev. Dr. Teresa Snorton has been elected the first female bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church. Snorton was one among elected bishop during the congregation’s thirty-sixth quadrennial session and thirty-seventh General Conference, which convened in Mobile, Ala. early this month, it has been announced. The conference theme was, “An Essential Church: Poised for 21st Century Ministry.”  Read More ...

Celebrating victory over tea party racism, NAACP prepares for ‘One Nation’ March On the heels of a major win after the NAACP’s call for an end to the racist wing of the political Tea Party movement, the organization pushed forward last week with plans for a national march and rally in D.C. on October 2.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA News Service, and Alexis K. Barnes, Howard University N

Can men and women really be ‘just friends’? WASHINGTON (NNPA) - I have never had a problem sharing a bed with a male who is "just a close friend."  As a matter of fact, there was one summer night that I stayed at my best friend Tyrone Joy's place and without thinking twice about it, slept in his bed. He had given me a spare key to his apartment and had come home to nearly catch me crashing in his bed half-naked.  Read More ... Ishna Hagan, NNPA Special Correspondent

Unemployed want government to generate jobs (Special from the Final Call) — Put America Black To Work is the unofficial name for The Local Jobs for America Act introduced by Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) of the House Education and Labor Committee. His proposed bill would create or preserve one million jobs.  Read More ... Nisa Islam Muhammad, Contributing Writer - 1 opinion posted

Labor Dept. awards $66.7M in YouthBuild grants Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on Tuesday announced second-year funding amounting to $66,678,357 to 183 community groups to provide education and training to young people across the United States. The Youth­Build program assists out-of-school youth in obtaining their diplomas or GEDs while providing occupational training in the construction industry. While acquiring leadership skills and participating in community service, at-risk youth build and renovate affordable housing within their communities.  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

In first speech to NAACP Convention, Chairman Brock debunks post-racial myth In her first speech as chair of the largest and oldest civil rights organization in the U. S., Roslyn M. Brock, the youngest ever chair of the NAACP, envisioned the “browning of America” this week while debunking persistent myths of a so-called “post-racial” society.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief - 1 opinion posted

How global climate change may affect violence (Special to the NNPA from the St. Louis American) — If global warming is a scientific fact, then we’d better be prepared for the earth to become a more violent place. That according to a recent Iowa State University study that shows as the earth’s average temperature rises, so too does violent tendencies in humans.  Read More ...

First Lady Obama tells NAACP not to rest (NNPA) — Those who struggled and many who died in battles for freedom, justice, and racial equality during the Civil Rights Movement left a legacy that must yet be fulfilled —  even in caring for the health of Black children, First Lady Michelle Obama reminded thousands at the NAACP Annual Convention in Kansas City, Mo., last week.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief - 1 opinion posted

BP is preparing to sell assets to pay for Gulf oil spill clean-up BP plans to raise money through sales of non-core assets to help pay for its Gulf spill clean-up under a commitment last month to the Obama Administration. Since BP’s worldwide holdings are substantial, the company’s plan is something like a homeowner arranging a yard sale or two to wring cash out of once-prized furniture that isn’t really needed.  Read More ... Susan Buchanan, Contributing Writer

Upon 100th birthday: NUL chief says America needs more civil rights warriors WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, says despite the strength of modern-day civil rights organizations and the fact that NUL is about to celebrate its 100th birthday, there are still not enough civil rights warriors to bring about  the level of Black progress that is needed.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA News Service, and Alexis K. Barnes, Howard University N

The Marshall Legacy shows what Supreme Court justices should be At Elena Kagan’s Senate nomination hearings to be the next Supreme Court Justice, I admit to being somewhat surprised when Senator Kyle saw her clerkship with Justice Thur­good Marshall as an opening to define her as being a potentially “activist judge.”  Read More ... Ron Walters, NNPA Columnist - 1 opinion posted

Teen abuse: Agrowing problem (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - Once upon a time, a teen date involved seemingly harmless activities such as a trip for fast food and maybe the movies. But today, increasing numbers of teen girls are subjected to dating abuse and violence. For 16-year-old Mia Williams, dating started out nicely.  Read More ... Charlene Muhammad and Nisa Muhammad, Contributing Writers

Study: Minority children most vulnerable when parents lose their job Not only are the children of the 15.3 million unemployed Ameri­cans feeling the impact of financial hardship brought on by the economic recession, many of their children may be experiencing an avoidable loss of healthcare coverage, according to new research by the Child Policy Research Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center published in the July issue of Health Affairs.  Read More ...

Trillion-dollar dreams: What military spending could buy WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) — The United States reached the $1 trillion mark in the costs of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq at the same time that the country recently surpassed one thousand deaths of American soldiers serving in Afghanistan.  Read More ... Nisa Islam Muhammad, Contributing Writer

State prison populations drop for first time in 39 years For the first time since 1972, the number of people in state prisons fell. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), state prison populations de­creased by nearly 3,000 people between 2008 and 2009. The Justice Policy Institute (JPI), a non-profit research and policy organization dedicated to reducing society’s reliance on incarceration, believes that while this is a move in the right direction, an overall increase in the number of people in prison over the past year, and the fact that half the states continue to increase their prison populations, means we still have a long way to go.  Read More ... 2 opinions posted

Minority issues fade as fishermen focus on clean-up Louisiana's minority fishermen say any prejudices or differences they normally feel have taken a back seat to issues facing the entire fishing community as members sop up oil. BP's Vessels of Opportunity program or VoO has employed some of the shrimpers and oyster men from different heritages and races that normally trawl the state's coast.  Read More ... Susan Buchanan, Contributing Writer

Legs social gives new lease on life With no place to turn and in the despondent abyss of self-destruction, Bridge House, a non-profit drug and alcohol residential treatment center for men, was able to take them in and offer a solution, free of charge.  Read More ... Carver Rayburn, Contributing Writer

Elder Bernice A.King says conflict is ‘suffocating’ SCLC; asks prayer for the civil rights organization NEW YORK (NNPA) — Elder Bernice A. King, elected nine months ago as the first woman president to serve at the helm of the Atlanta-based Southern Christian Leadership Conference, has yet to be sworn in due to circumstances that she has described as “a sad state of affairs.”  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA News Service, and Alexis K. Barnes, Howard University N

Congress honors African- American slaves who built United States capitol Rep. John Lewis D-Ga., a renowned leader in the Civil Rights Movement and chairman of the Slave Task Force, an organization dedicated to commemorating the African-American contributions to the capitol, unveiled two plaques on June 16, honoring the slaves whose labor greatly contributed to the alluring framework of the Capitol building.  Read More ... Erica Brown, NNPA Special Correspondent

Artists sought to commemorate Barack Obama in The Art of Hope The Crealde School of Art recently announced The Art of Hope: A Southeast Regional Juried Exhibition Commemorating the First African American U.S. President, Barack Obama from October 8, 2010 to January 17, 2011, and artist of all ages are encouraged to submit entries by July 16, 2010. For full details and submission instructions, visit http://tinyurl.com/artofhope.  Read More ...

Top civil rights leaders to take action against what they feel is a denigration of Dr. Martin Luther King (Special from mediamatters.org) — Some of the nation’s top civil rights leaders are angrily accusing right-wing media star Glenn Beck of “hijacking” the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech by planning to rally his conservative forces at the same Lincoln Memorial site on the anniversary date of Aug. 28 — and so they are planning a counter-rally and march of their own.  Read More ... Will Bunch, Contributing Writer - 1 opinion posted

Racial attacks on the rise in America According to South Carolina authorities in Newberry County, Mr. Hill was shot in the head, tied up and dragged several miles by a White male in early June. In another incident, a young Black woman in Beaumont was also allegedly beaten to death then tied to the rear of a truck and dragged.  Read More ... Jesse Muhammad, Contributing Writer - 2 opinions posted

DOT, HUD announce new contracting flexibility to help build sustainable, livable communities Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan on Thursday announced new contracting efforts that will enhance livability and sustainability initiatives and improve competition for federal highway projects.  Read More ...

Civil rights group moves to intervene in Voting Rights Act challenge WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Alabama filed a motion in a Washington, D.C. federal court to intervene in a challenge to the Voting Rights Act brought by Shelby County, Alabama. The ACLU charges that Section 5 of the Act, which since 1965 has protected racial and language minorities access to voting across the South and the nation, should remain in place. Section 5 requires certain jurisdictions like Shelby County that have a history of racial discrimination in voting to obtain advance approval from the federal government before changing their election laws.  Read More ...

Childlessness up among allwomen, down among women with advanced degrees Nearly one in five American women ends her childbearing years without having borne a child, compared with one-in-ten in the 1970s, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends project.  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

La’s coastal communities fear they may never recover from oil spill As BP's deepwater well continues to discharge oil into the Gulf, the economic and public health effects are already being felt across coastal communities. But it's likely this is only the beginning. From the bayous of southern Louisiana to the city of New Orleans, many fear this disaster represents not only environmental devastation, but also cultural extinction for peoples who have made their lives here for generations.  Read More ... Jordan Flaherty, Contributing Writer

HUD, HRC Fndtn. seek to expand protection against anti-LGBT discrimination For the first time in its history, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will require grant applicants seeking HUD funding to comply with state and local anti-discrimination laws that protect lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. On June 7, HUD published a notice detailing the general requirements that will apply to all of the Department’s competitively awarded grant programs for Fiscal Year 2010.  Read More ...

HUD releases Homeless Assessment Report The total number of homeless persons in America dropped slightly between 2008 and 2009 although the number of homeless families increased, almost certainly due to the ongoing effects of the recession. That's the conclusion of the 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, a yearly study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development designed to measure the scope of homelessness across the country.  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

Arizona’s neglected immigrants—African elders While Arizona continues to make headlines as a hotbed for immigration issues, concerns about African immigrants in Phoenix do not always garner the same attention afforded to the larger Latino population, or the predominant African American community.  Read More ... DaVaun Sanders, Contributing Writer

U.S. military mops up oil while BP attends to leaks Over the last month, the Obama Administration expanded the military's role in the oil-spill clean-up, while the U.S. Coast Guard stayed at the helm of that effort and other branches of the armed forces lent more support where they could. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in early June that the military will do what it can in the Gulf, but added that plugging leaks is not in its set of skills.  Read More ... Susan Buchanan, Contributing Writer

Several urban districts post gains but most score below average in nation’s report card for reading Several of the 18 participating U.S. urban school districts produced reading scores that exceeded the average for large cities, and a few posted gains over their scores in previous years, according to the results of a special survey by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as “The Nation’s Report Card.” However, overall scores for fourth and eighth graders in most of these districts continue to lag behind their peers nationwide.  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

Report finds older Blacks to be the most optimistic and engaged U.S. group GlobalHue, the nation’s largest multicultural advertising agen­cy, recently revealed the results of a new U.S. survey of four major population segments, creating a comprehensive cultural map of a rapidly changing na­tion and providing marketers with new information on consumers in the New America. The survey found that among the most optimistic and engaged groups are older African Ameri­cans, the fathers and mothers of the Civil Rights movement, who have struggled socially, economically and politically within their lifetimes.  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

New report highlights effective model for improved graduation rates Low-income, underserved students who participate in College Success Foundation (CSF) programs are significantly more likely to succeed in high school and college than their national peers according to a new report released Wednesday. The report analyzes 10 years of student success rates reporting that 97 percent of CSF's Achievers Scholars graduate high school, and 68 percent of those entering a four-year college graduate.  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

Man faces record 6th trial for same murder Curtis Flowers, a Black Miss­issippi native, made history last week when he became the first person in U.S. history to ever go on trial for murder six times for the same crime. Mr. Flowers has been in jail in Mississippi since 1996, accused of the murder of four people at a furniture store. Jury selection started last week in tiny Winona, Mississippi, population 5,482.  Read More ... Bill Quigley, Audrey Stewart and Davida Finger, Contributing Writers - 1 opinion posted

LDF: Prison-based gerrymandering disproportionately impacts Blacks As the report details, most states and local governments count incarcerated persons as residents of the prison communities where they are housed when drawing election district lines, even though they are not residents of those communities and have no opportunity to build meaningful ties there.  Read More ...

KNOWING YOUR HISTORY…Blacks continue to pave the way in dance (BLACK PR WIRE) — Move to the left... move to the right... move up close... and do a dance that’s dynamite! Whether in the 1800s or today in the 20th century, dance has always been an integral part of African-American culture. African Americans are known for taking it step by step and paving the way in dance.  Read More ...

HUD adds important civil rights protections to its grant programs For the first time in its history, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will require grant applicants seeking HUD funding to comply with state and local anti-discrimination laws that protect lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. On June 7, HUD published a notice detailing the general requirements that will apply to all of the Department's competitively awarded grant programs for Fiscal Year 2010.  Read More ...

Extension of unemployment benefits, healthcare subsidies finds mass support A new Hart Research Associates poll finds that 74 percent of Americans said that it is “too early” for Congress to cut back on unemployment insurance and COBRA subsidies.  Read More ...

Blacks, Latinos strongly support clean energy policies WASHINGTON, and SAUSA­LITO, Calif.,  — A new bi-partisan poll conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and American Viewpoint found strong support among small business owners for clean energy and climate legislation. The survey, which included interviews with 800 small business owners, is one of the first to look specifically at small business owners’ attitudes regarding clean energy policies.  Read More ...

Black offenders still facemore difficulty when re-entering WASHINGTON (NNPA)  — When Robert Ervin came home from prison in 2007 he was dependent upon the community to assist him in getting back on his feet. But like thousands who have committed crimes and served their time, Ervin found employers reluctant to hire him. This practice of discriminating against offenders, which falls disproportionately on Black people, is as harmful and deliberate as the segregation and Jim Crow laws of the past.  Read More ... Patrice Gaines, NNPA Contributing Writer

America’s racial temperature rising WASHINGTON (NNPA) - U. S. Rep. John Lewis was headed for the Capitol to vote on President Obama's healthcare bill in March when he was pelted with racial epithets when passing near a group of conservative Tea Party protestors.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Two young ladies hoping to find a home they can call home This month’s adoptive children’s spotlight shines on two young ladies who would very much like a home of their own, Dawn is a bright and outgoing 15-year-old. She has an engaging personality and interacts well with her peers and adults. Like most teens, Dawn enjoys going to the movies, talking on the telephone with her friends and, of course, shopping.  Read More ...

Tea Partiers not comfortable with diversity, new poll finds A new poll that examines what Americans think about race, public policy, national policy and President Barack Obama one year after the nation elected its first Black president found that Tea Party members are not comfortable with diversity.  Read More ...

REPORT: Racial bias exists in jury selection Almost 135 years after Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1875 to eliminate racial discrimination in jury selection, people of color continue to be systematically excluded from jury service because of their race, especially in serious criminal trials and death penalty cases.  Read More ... 3 opinions posted

Pioneer African-American filmmaker immortalized on stamps While the state of Texas is trying to rewrite history, more of Black history is being revealed with the issuance of the 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage se­ries about to make its debut. The 44-cent Commemorative First-Class stamp is honoring pioneering filmmaker Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951) who wrote, directed, produced, and distributed more than 40 movies during the first half of the 20th century. It will be available for purchase this month.  Read More ...

Despite void in Black ownership, many Black leaders defend Comcast WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Big business mergers have rarely garnered the support of the Black community and its leaders but, despite some protests, some leading Black organizations have come out in support of Comcast’s $30 billion deal to acquire NBC-Universal.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent - 1 opinion posted

13-year-old UNICEF Ambassador calls on youth everywhere to take action on child poverty Thirteen-year-old Bilaal Rajan, a UNICEF Youth Ambassador, best-selling author, fundraiser and social activist, has completed his 2010 campaign of living life barefoot to help raise awareness of child poverty in the developing world.  Read More ...

Southern racism is deep yet subtle, says report When University of Arkansas political scientists analyzed surveys conducted shortly before the 2008 election in two representative Southern states, they found that voting behavior was significantly influenced by “a deep, subtle and modern symbolic racism.”  Read More ... 3 opinions posted

IHS parents express frustration over Amato’s appointment It was on the evening of May 25 when concerned parents met for the third time in a week to take action regarding the recent decision to remove International High School of New Orleans Principal Sara Leikin and several teachers from the school staff, and select former Orleans Parish School Board Superintendent Anthony Amato as the schools leader, unbeknownst to many parents.  Read More ...

HUD presents 2007 ‘Worst case housing needs’ report to Congress In 2007, nearly 13 million low-income persons paid more than half their monthly income for rent, lived in severely substandard housing, or both. In a report to Congress, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that these “worst case housing needs” grew significantly between 2001 and 2007.  Read More ...

Holding banks responsible by community organizing (New America Media) — When the Bank of America opened a new branch on King Road in East San Jose, protestors holding white flowers in their hands gathered outside the building. The flowers, organizers said, symbolized the community’s loss of faith with the bank.  Read More ... Anuja Seith, Contributing Writer - 1 opinion posted

FEMA trailers: Environmental time bombs? WASHINGTON  (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) — A congressional hearing took place on Capitol Hill to explore the “Public Sales of Hurricane Katrina/Rita FEMA Trailers: Are they Safe or Environmental Time Bombs?” featuring the testimony of award-winning filmmaker Gabe Chasnoff and pediatrician Dr. Corey Hebert.  Read More ... Jesse Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Comcast under fire: Black media reps demand more Black-owned channels WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Ownership is a major driver of the Black economy. Knowing this, a group advocating Black media ownership and a former Federal Communications Com­mission chairman are spearheading a crusade against cable giant Comcast and their proposed merger with NBC/Uni­versal over the cable operator’s lack of African-American-owned channels on its national platform.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

What is behind the anti-immigration push and who are the next targets? (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - The fallout over passage of an anti-immigration law in Arizona continued across the United States last week with people wondering is America being reduced to a nation "for whites only?"  Read More ... Charlene Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Census projects older American population to become more diverse The U.S. Census Bureau reported today that the dependency ratio, or the number of people 65 and older to every 100 people of traditional working ages, is projected to climb rapidly from 22 in 2010 to 35 in 2030. This time period coincides with the time when baby boomers are moving into the 65 and older age category. After 2030, however, the ratio of the aging population to the working-age population (ages 20 to 64) will rise more slowly, to 37 in 2050. The higher this old-age dependency ratio, the greater the potential burden.  Read More ...

Civil Rights groups file legal challenge to AZ immigration law PHOENIX (Black Radio Network) — The American Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of civil rights groups filed a class action lawsuit last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona challenging Arizona’s new law requiring police to demand “papers” from people they stop who they suspect are not authorized to be in the U.S. The extreme law, the coalition charged, invites the racial profiling of people of color, violates the First Amendment and interferes with federal law.  Read More ...

Coast Guard names first African American as Commander for Pacific Vice Admiral Manson Brown, comes to Alameda from Hawaii., where he served as Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Maintenance & Logistics Command Pacific. His new job entails overseeing operations for a 73-million-square-mile area, 32,700 personnel and 68 cutters (including the very beautiful, state-of-the-art USCGC Waesche,  Read More ...

Divorce holds Black children down Family structure has an impact on a child’s economic mobility prospects, according to the Pew Economic Policy Group’s report Family Structure and the Economic Mobility of Children. The group’s Economic Mobility Project found that only 26 percent of children of divorced parents who start in the bottom third of the income ladder move to the middle or top third as adults. This compares to 42 percent of children who are born to unmarried mothers and 50 percent of children with continuously married parents in the same income category.  Read More ...

NAACP endorses Kagan for Supreme Court, Black Bar Association withholds judgment HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — The NAACP unanimously endorsed Elena Kagan, President Barak Obama’s choice for the U.S. Supreme Court, at its quarterly board meeting over the weekend, according to a statement released Saturday.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Secret NYPD tapes document routine police racism (Black Agenda Report) – The New York City police force systematically withholds protective services from minority victims of crime, while simultaneously stopping and frisking hundreds of thousands of innocent Black and brown citizens on the streets for no legitimate reason. Hundreds of hours of secret recordings by a disgruntled New York City cop prove beyond question that the most aggressive forms of institutional racism are the guiding management principles of the NYPD.       Read More ... Glen Ford, Contributing Writer

Public Black colleges: An endangered species? From the early days of their beginning, whether it is Lincoln University or Cheyney State University in Pennsylvania, in the l830's these colleges managed to survive and thrive until recent times. Private Black colleges broke the mold because during the times of slavery it was the view of most Americans that enslaved Africans lacked the mental capacity to achieve higher learning.  Read More ... Alvin Chambliss, Contributing Writer

Philanthropist takes on racial wounds WASHINGTON, D.C.  (New America Media) — Within the African-American community there once was a lifeline of trust that extended beyond class, occupation or geography. So, in the 1950s, it was with confidence that James and Emma Lucille Minor placed their two young, unaccompanied children—Dale and his little sister Gail—on the train in Cleveland and waved goodbye to them from the platform for the long ride south to visit their grandparents in Pollard, Ala., for the summer.  Read More ... Khalil Abdullah, Contributing Writer

Nation’s Black population continues to migrate to major Southern cities (Taylor Media Services) — According to a major study by the Washington, D.C.-based think tank — the Brookings Institute — “the Great Reverse Migration” — of African Americans leaving the North and the Midwest and returning to the South continued at a record pace during the 2000 to 2008 period – the latest period for which full figures are available. For example, the Atlanta, Georgia area has now replaced the Chicago, Illinois area as the metropolitan region with the second-largest Black population.  Read More ...

NAACP study: Disenfranchisement laws weaken Black political power (Taylor Media Services) — According to a recently released study by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, state disenfranchisement laws weaken African-American political power by prohibiting convicted felons from voting. The report found that more than a million and a half Black men are currently prevented from voting because of the laws. That number represents 13 percent of all Black adult men.  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

New report examines survival, mental health in the Black community In spite of their challenging environments and life situations, positive coping behaviors and protective factors may explain why some low-income urban youth who experience ongoing stress and trauma in their lives thrive, while others crumble, according to a new report released May 3 by MEE (Motivational Educational Enter­tainment) Productions, Inc., in partnership with a consortium of agencies and foundations, including the Community Mental Health Council, Inc. Read More ...

New immigration law in Arizona reminiscent of King Holiday repeal WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Arizona Informant) — In the late 80s Republican Governor Evan Mecham, set-off a bomb that cost the state of Arizona millions of dollars in tourist and convention business when he repealed the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. Read More ... Floyd Alvin Galloway, Contributing Writer

Suspicion of Racial Origin Arizona Senate Bill 1070 gives law enforcement officers the right to stop, question, arrest and detain any person they suspect is in the United States illegally. What gives rise to such suspicion?  Read More ... Julianne Malveaux, NNPA Columnist

Study finds link between racism and depression among children of color A new study has shown that children who experience discrimination are more susceptible to becoming depressed. Read More ...

Obama's nuclear energy proposal sparks debate among Black environmentalists WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Dr. Robert Bullard sees the red flags waving when it comes to the nuclear reactors President Obama has pledged government aid to construct in the town of Shell Bluff which is located in Burke County, Ga. The first red flag: Burke County is 51 percent African-American and already has nuclear reactors at Southern Company’s Plant Vogtle. Read More ... Eboni Farmer, NNPA Special Correspondent

Professor Gates and the blame for slavery Like everyone else who read Professor Skip Gates’ piece in the New York Times asserting that Africans were just as responsible for slavery as Europeans, I was aghast because he is one of the most acclaimed scholars in the country and his position lends credibility to those who oppose an historical corrective for the oppression of African peoples. Read More ... Ron Walters, NNPA Columnist

White man wearing ‘Black man mask’ robs banks and fools cops (EURweb.com) – Once again the Black man gets blamed for the crime of a white person. This time instead of a crazy white woman, it’s a white man.  Read More ...

Study answers: Are tea partiers racist? A new University of Washington survey found that among whites, southerners are 12 percent more likely to support the tea party than whites in other parts of the U.S., and that conservatives are 28 percent more likely than liberals to support the group.  Read More ...

Observers notice clear increase in Black tourism since Obama presidency WASHINGTON (NNPA) — The national Park Service is prohibited from gathering race-connected activity or numbers; so anything that its employees might observe about the people visiting Washington, D.C. monuments would be unscientific and just based on personal anecdotes.  Read More ... Briana Mosley, NNPA Special Correspondent

Lawsuit restores help for thousands denied Social Security, SSI (New America Media) - Rosa Martinez didn't know what to do when the Social Security Administration told her two years ago that the agency was stopping her disability assistance because she had an outstanding 1980 arrest warrant for illegal possession of prescription drugs in Miami. A resident of Redwood City, Calif., she has never visited Miami.  Read More ... Paul Kleyman, Contributing Writer

HER OWN WORDS: Dr.Dorothy Height’s final interview with the Black Press of America “My 97-year-old is feeling 97 today,” said the smiling Tony, March 9, only nine days before Dr. Height was admitted into the Howard University Hospital and two weeks before her 98th birthday. Tony said that Dr. Height had canceled all of her other appointments that day, but this 4 o’clock meeting had slipped her mind.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA News Service, and Alexis K. Barnes, Howard University N

Global crisis trapping millions more in poverty, says report (New America Media) — The global economic crisis is projected to hamper progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and will directly impact MDGs related to hunger, child and maternal health, gender equality, access to clean water and disease control, according to a recently released report by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).  Read More ... Eli Clifton, Contributing Writer

Black farmers still waiting to collect on USDA race settlement WASHINGTON (NNPA) - Like many Black farmers around the country, Willard Tillman is waiting. He's been waiting for more than a decade to collect on a settlement from the government for being discriminated against by the United States Department of Agri­cul­ture. But waiting is all he can do for now because the government that owes him is still dragging its feet to pay him.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

Youth must continue the struggle, say SNCC veterans RALEIGH, N.C. (Special to the NNPA from The Carolinian) —  After 50 long years, from every corner of the nation, they came back to the place where the Student Non­violent Coordinating Com­mittee was born.  Read More ... Cash Michaels, Contributing Writer

New study concludes mass incarceration of African Americans is driven by racism (Taylor Media Services) — A newly released study concludes that the soaring imprisonment of African Americans over the past 40 years has been driven in major measure by racism. Criminologists James Unnever of the University of South Florida-Sarasota and Francis Cullen of the University of Cincinnati found that “racial resentments are inextricably entwined in public punitiveness.” Stated differently, racism and the rise of “tough on crime” policies go hand in hand.  Read More ...

Latinos, African Americans willing to pay more to slow climate change (New America Media — Latino and African-American communities in the United States increasingly share similar views on the negative impact of climate change and call for government support for a green economy, according to two recently released polls.  Read More ... Khalil Abdullah, Contributing Writer

GOP head admits Blacks have little or no reason to vote Republican (Taylor Media Services) — In a surprisingly candid address at DePaul University last week, the African American head of the Republican National Committee admitted that the nation’s Blacks have little or no reason to vote for Republicans. Asked if he could cite a reason for African Americans to support Republicans, Michael Steele responded, “You really don’t have a reason to be honest. We haven’t done a very good job of really giving you one.”  Read More ...

Felon disfranchisement laws are ‘devastating’ communities of color On Wednesday, April 21, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) re­leased “Free the Vote: Unlock­ing Democracy in the Cells and on the Streets,” a report detailing the impact felon disfranchisement laws have on communities of color nationwide.  Read More ...

Dr. Dorothy Height, ‘Godmother’ of the Civil Rights Movement, dead at 98 WASHINGTON (NNPA) - Dr. Dorothy R. Height, the civil rights icon and living legend whose name has for decades been synonymous with the quest for justice and equality, died at the Howard University Hospital Tuesday morning at the age of 98.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA News Service, and Alexis K. Barnes, Howard University N

Dr. Benjamin Hooks remembered as a great American WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The news of the death of former NAACP Executive Director and CEO Benjamin Hooks has reverberated to the very core of America’s civil rights and political leadership, according to statements that poured into the NNPA News Service last week.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

Coalition to launch nationwide anti-hate campaign Vowing to take the anti-hate campaign national, religious leaders from the greater Washington, D.C. community, representing a broad cross-section of faith assemblies, gathered on the steps of the historic National City Christian Church in Washington, D.C. recently for a press conference and public witness that affirmed the need for “civil, inclusive and respectful” conversation about the critical issues facing our nation  Read More ...

Stay Home Mothers of Color Conferences announced Mocha Moms, Inc. 2010 Regional Conferences have been scheduled to take place in the following cities: Phoenix, Ariz.; New Orleans, La.; Windsor, Conn.; National Harbor, Md.; and Charlotte, N.C.  Read More ...

Ron Brown Scholar program celebrates excellence at its inaugural benefit Nearly four hundred supporters gathered on March 19, 2010 in Washington, DC for the inaugural Ronald H. Brown – The Journey Continues fundraiser and dinner to benefit the Ron Brown Scholar Program, an organization that provides deserving African-American students opportunities through scholarship and mentorship.  Read More ...

Obama should appoint first Black woman for Supreme Court, jurists say WASHINGTON (NNPA) — President Barack Obama needs only to turn over in his bed to be reminded of all the Black women who are powerfully qualified to be U.S. Supreme Court justices. If First Lady Michelle Obama was not his wife, some legal scholars say she would be a clear and obvious candidate for the short list to replace   retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Lenora ‘Doll’ Carter, revered NNPA Publisher, mourned at 69 WASHINGTON — Black publishers around the nation were mourning the sudden death of one of their own this week. Houston Forward Times Publisher Lenora “Doll” Carter, treasurer of the board of directors for the National Newspaper Publishers Association, and a former NNPA Publisher of the Year, was found dead of an apparent heart attack on Saturday morning, April 10. She was 69.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Black voters to play big roll in November; climate change issue a factor (NNPA) — As Democrats gear up for midterm elections this November, the Black electorate will play an important role in battleground states. But, with all the new political jargon about “climate change,” “green jobs” and the environment, how much will those issues weigh on Black voters?  Read More ... Kendra Desrosier, NNPA Special Correspondent

Pres. Obama has meeting with Black religious leaders For the second time in three months, President Obama sat down last week with about 20 Black religious leaders, including representatives of the major African-American denominations, in the White House to discuss the needs of the Black community. Read More ...

Farrakhan: ‘Looking to the wrong people to fulfill our agenda’ CHICAGO (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - Speaking candidly at the “We Count! The Black Agenda is the American Agenda” forum hosted by Tavis Smiley at Chicago State University, Minister Louis Farrakhan warned against simply appealing to and expecting the American government—even an administration led by a well intentioned Black man—to solve Black problems.  Read More ... Richard B. Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Congress asked to ‘protect us from toxic chemicals’ Letters went to the Senate and the House last week demanding stronger protections for disproportionately impacted communities of color, Indigenous communities and low-income communities in the upcoming reform of U.S. laws governing toxic chemicals - the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976 (TSCA).  Read More ...

Childhood obesity and car seat safety…. If the seat don’t fit, the child can’t sit! More than a quarter of a million US children ages 1 to 6 are overweight and are too heavy for standard child restraint systems (car seats). These children tend to be heavier than the weight limits set for the standard car seat.  Read More ... Barbara Cheatham, MA, Contributing Columnist

April is Autism Awareness Month Autism, which affects one in 110 Americans or 13 million families, is a complicated neuro-developmental disorder that appears in the first three years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills.  Read More ... Kelly Parker, Contributing Writer

Red Cross aid for Haiti not in Haiti? WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Amsterdam News) - The American Red Cross should be put on 24-hour surveillance. That is the call from protestors who gathered outside Red Cross Manhattan headquarters March 22.  Read More ... Stephon Johnson, Contributing Writer

Black, civil rights groups applaud healthcare signing (NNPA) - It's been a contentious year, but now that supporters of healthcare reform finally got their day, Black political and civil rights leaders, as well as other healthcare reform advocates are applauding the bill's passage for a diversity of reasons.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

Debt settlement companies prey upon urban communities At a time when many Americans are wondering how or when their household finances will improve, debt settlement, an emerging form of consumer debt-related services, is actually in a growth mode. And once again, communities of color are being preyed upon.  Read More ... Charlene Crowell, NNPA Financial Writer

Report on National Voter Registration Act highlights benefits for American women At the end of 2010 National Women's History Month, it is clear that women are now increasingly falling victim to the worst aspects of the long-term recession. Low-income women have been hit particularly hard.  At the same time, nearly a third of low-income women were not registered to vote in 2008, effectively denying them a voice in the democratic process.   Read More ...

Mixed-race numbers expected to increase on 2010 Census Malone, who studied multiracial politics at UC Irvine and is now pursuing a doctorate at UCLA, has an African-American father and a Taiwanese mother. For Malone, 26, this is her first opportunity to respond to a census and possibly provide a different answer to the race question than what her parents may have noted for her 10 years ago.  Read More ... Denise Poon, Contributing Writer

Census participation brings valuable resources to Black communities Now is the time to get ready for the 2010 U.S. Census. Expect to see a Census form in your mailbox soon and be sure to fill it out, because completing your census form gives you a voice to shape our community today and create a brighter future for tomorrow.  Read More ... Edna Kane-Williams, NNPA Special Commentary

What does healthcare bill mean for Black people? WASHINGTON (NNPA) - It finally passed. The healthcare bill for which President Barack Obama has vehemently fought almost since Day One at the White House has finally passed both houses of Congress and is now headed to the White House for his signature.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

UL touts job growth, economic stability plan With Black unemployment numbers nearly double that of whites, the National Urban League's State of Black America report shows that the ravages of the recession are adversely impacting communities of color much worse than the rest of the nation. In an effort to address this problem directly by helping people living in embattled communities to get jobs, the Urban League is encouraging the nation's leaders to act swiftly and support a $168 billion plan it has to generate jobs to make sure no one is left behind or left out of economic recovery efforts.  Read More ... Marc H. Morial, President/ CEO, National Urban League

Obama confirms commitment to Haiti; Haiti pledges repayment WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — President Obama renewed his vow for continued relief to Haiti during Haitian President René Preval’s visit to the White House on March 10.  Read More ...

Landrieu renews call for Congress to approve $1.15B for bias settlements to Black farmers U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., on Wednesday joined the National Black Farmers Assoc­iation (NBFA) in calling on Congress to swiftly approve President Obama’s request for $1.15 billion to fund a 1999 court settlement compensating African-American farmers for racial discrimination claims against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).       Read More ...

At ‘Power of the Black Press’ luncheon: Bakewell promises Black Newspapers will speak for themselves WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Upon the 183rd anniversary of the founding of America’s first Black newspaper, Freedom’s Journal, NNPA Chairman Danny Bakewell told a packed ballroom at the National Press Club that the power of the Black Press will be its increased transformation in 2010.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

Winnie sets off firestorm disparaging Mandela and ANC (Special to the NNPA from GIN) — In a newly-published interview in a British newspaper, the former wife of Nelson Mandela confessed her “disappointment” in her former husband whose name she even appeared to regret having.  Read More ...

Some Haitians say they feel forgotten PORT-AU-PRINCE (NNPA) – Many Haitians are still in desperate straits — and some even say they feel forgotten — as they crave for food, shelter and other basic needs two months after a devastating earthquake left more than 220,000 people dead in the Caribbean country that is now struggling to recover from the disaster and to rebuild.     Read More ... Guy Delva, NNPA Haiti Correspondent

HUD launches website designed to study LGBT housing bias The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Wednesday launched a new website to allow citizens to offer comment on the design of an unprecedented national study that will examine housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  Read More ...

Obama taps retired Black General to lead TSA President Barack Obama an­nounced his intent to nominate Major General Robert A. Harding, U.S. Army (Retired), as Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration), saying, “I am confident that Bob’s talent and expertise will make him a tremendous asset in our ongoing efforts to bolster security and screening measures at our airports. I can think of no one more qualified than Bob to take on this important job, and I look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead.”  Read More ...

Obama donates his Nobel Prize money to charities President Obama announced Thursday the charities that will receive a portion of the $1.4 million award that comes with the Nobel peace prize.  Read More ...

Mizzou students apologize for cotton ball incident (Special to the NNPA from the St. Louis American) — Two University of Missouri students have apologized for scattering cotton balls outside the Black Culture Center on campus, according to the Associated Press.  Read More ...

March is Women's History Month On the heels of Black History Month, comes the time to celebrate the accomplishments of women in our state, as well as across the country. March is Women’s History Month, recognizing women’s contributions to the worlds of art, religion, education, politics, literature, civil rights, etc.  Read More ... Kelly Parker, Contributing Writer

Major wealth divide between white women and women of color Women of color face an enormous wealth gap when compared to the rest of society, undermining their future economic security and the nation’s long-term prosperity, according to a report released on Monday to coincide with Inter­national Women’s Day.  Read More ...

Communities of color march to put America back to work Washington — A broad coalition of local and national civil rights and economic justice organizations are organizing a massive mobilization to bring tens of thousands of people to Washington on Sunday, March 21. for a dramatic demonstration of support for inclusive economic polices and citizenship for all of America’s families.    Read More ...

Census ad buys still under fire: Black lawmakers still have questions WASHINGTON (NNPA) — During the recent Congressional hearing to discuss what many contend is an insufficiently funded Black advertising campaign of Census 2010, the U. S. Census Bureau’s media-buying agencies were blistered by a charge that they allegedly played unfair politics with Black newspaper publishers. These charges have re­sulted in an ongoing probe into why the Census allocated so little to count African Americans.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

UN expert reports on ongoing housing crisis On this past Friday, as part of the current session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Raquel Rolnik, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, presented her official report of the office's recent U.S. mission, which included a visit to New Orleans. The report highlights the Special Rapporteur's findings on the state of the post-Hurricane Katrina housing crisis in New Orleans and her recommendations to the U.S. government. Read More ...

U.S. mayors urge prompt action on federal jobs bill WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro American Newspapers) – A bipartisan delegation of more than 30 U.S. mayors came together on Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to pass a comprehensive jobs bill that will put unemployed Americans back to work and invest in Main Street metropolitan economies.  Read More ...

Obama improves race relations but media fails to advance goal of post-racial society, survey finds One year after the historic election of President Obama, a panel of journalists of color view the election as a positive turning point in U.S. race relations; however, an overwhelming majority thought that mainstream media did not contribute to improved race relations, according to the 2010 Journalism in Color Survey on “Race and the Media.”  Read More ...

Economic stimulus’ failure to benefit Blacks sparks comparison to days of Jim Crow WASHINGTON (NNPA) — A little more than a year ago, February 17, 2009, newly inaugurated President Barack Obama took his first corrective action to quell the escalating economic crisis. Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Census to update employment, health insurance numbers Last month, nearly 2,000 Census Bureau field representatives began interviewing about 100,000 households across the U.S. for the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS).  Read More ...

WH releases proposed budgetary impacts on Black families WASHINGTON (NNPA) - With Black unemployment rates still on the rise, President Barack Obama - through his 2011 budget proposal - is apparently trying to undergird the African-American community from other economic angles until change comes.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

The cost of incarceration — How we treat our children (NNPA) — Dwayne Betts speaks for the children too deep in rural prisons for us to hear their voices. Betts knows their suffering. When he was 16, he and a friend robbed and carjacked a man in a Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. Betts was carrying the gun and he was tried as an adult.   Read More ... Patrice Gaines, NNPA Contributing Writer

NAACP unanimously elects youngest chair NEW YORK (NNPA) — Hours before the NAACP officially announced that Roslyn M. Brock was the new chair of the National Board of Directors, she sat down with reporter Herb Boyd in her suite at the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan recently for an exclusive interview.     Read More ... Herb Boyd, Contributing Writer

U.S. brags Haiti response is a ‘model’ while more than a million remain homeless in Haiti Despite the fact that more than a million people remained homeless in Haiti one month after the earthquake, the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti, Ken Merten, is quoted at a State Department briefing on February 12, saying “In terms of humanitarian aid delivery… fran­kly, it’s working really well, and I believe that this will be something that people will be able to look back on in the future as a model for how we’ve been able to sort ourselves out as donors on the ground and responding to an earthquake.”  Read More ... Bill Quigley, Contributing Writer

British teen first to be prosecuted for promoting racial hatred on YouTube website A 17-year-old teen from Britain who posted white supremacist material on the YouTube website will be the first person in Britain prosecuted for promoting racial division on video-sharing websites, UK-based Home Affairs reported Wednesday. The teen, who cannot be named because he is legally a minor, was also the youngest person found guilty of inciting racial hatred after establishing a website at the age of 15 on which he posted a Ku Klux Klan lynching.  Read More ...

Black History Month underscoring need for ‘knowledge of self’ and others WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Harold Foster is known around Washington, D.C. as the “Black History Almanac.” That’s because a lot of Foster’s time and energy is devoted to teaching young boys and girls African-American history. His pupils know the history of African Americans dating from when the first enslaved Africans arrived in 1619 to present day. They also know that Black History Month was started by Carter G. Woodson and that it began as Negro History Week.  Read More ... Eboni Farmer, NNPA Special Correspondent

Partisan ‘bottleneck’ in Congress still hindering civil rights gains, says NAACP WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The NAACP, the world’s oldest civil rights organization, has given the U. S. Congress an overall grade of B- on its annual Civil Rights Report Card for the first session of the 111th Congress Jan. 6, 2009 to Dec. 24, 2009.    Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

Historic delegation of African Americans establishes partnerships in China BEIJING, China (NNPA) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial and Los Angeles Urban League President and CEO Blair Taylor have led a 40-person delegation to Beijing in the People’s Republic of China.  Read More ... Jasmyne A. Cannick, NNPA Foreign Correspondent

Town Hall marks 50th Anniversary of sit-ins GREENSBORO, N.C. (Special to the NNPA from the Howard University News Service)  — The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bennett Col­lege President Julianne Malveaux and journalists Ed Gordon and Stephen A. Smith debated leadership and activism January 28 with other participants of a two-part town hall discussion at North Carolina A&T State University, the first of a series of events in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-ins.  Read More ... Brittney M. Black, Contributing Writer

Millions still pouring in for Haiti, but needs will be great for years to come WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Maryse Dejean, is in New Orleans thousands of miles away from home. Her distance from her native Haiti has only motivated  her to work harder so that she can help  bring relief to the country after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck it on January 12.  Read More ... Eboni Farmer, NNPA Special Correspondent

Legal experts question reversal on corporate campaign ads WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — Legal experts and campaign reform advocates are decrying the U.S. Supreme Court’s January 21 decision that reversed a years-long ban on corporate campaign spending, a move that opens the door for a deluge of negative campaign ads that could transform November’s mid-term elections.  Read More ... Zenitha Prince, Contributing Writer

Urban League delegation seeks Chinese investment for the Black community (Taylor Media Services) – A delegation from the National Urban League — America’s second largest civil rights organization — was in China last week on a mission designed, in part, to encourage greater Chinese investment in predominantly Black communities. The cultural and trade mission runs from January 30 to February 4. The private endeavor is the first national African-American delegation to China.  Read More ...

Wyclef Jean weeps for Haiti, defends charity WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — With tears dribbling down his cheeks and his voice splintering with emotion, Wyclef Jean’s message — spoken partially in his native Kreyol at a press conference in New York — captured the devastation felt by Haitians worldwide after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake plunged the Caribbean nation into further economic decay.  Read More ... Kristin Gray, Contributing Writer

Poll shows that most U.S. Haitians approve of U.S. and U.N. response to earthquake A recent poll sponsored by New American Media revealed that most Haitian Americans approve of the way the Obama administration and the United Nations responded to the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake and that many don’t believe the Haitian government can effectively handle the crisis that it now faces.  Read More ...

Haiti: Absent in life, death and on the evening news I pictured them at first huddled on top of one another in a huge, human pile. My friends and adopted family, who live in Cite Soleil, Port-au-Prince, Haiti—quaking from the shocks that gripped them, trying hard to hold each other down during tragic times, as Haitians are often forced to do. Are they there? Still alive? Phone lines continue to ring silently into the night, and the media mentions Cite Soleil only to say that, as a slum, it exists.  Read More ... Amanda Furness, Contributing Writer

Donations to earthquake-ravaged Haiti qualify for immediate tax relief WASHINGTON — People who give to charities providing earthquake relief in Haiti can claim these donations on the tax return they are completing this season, according to the Internal Revenue Service.  Read More ...

What’s behind the NAACP lawsuit against American Airlines? (Taylor Media Services) – The NAACP recently filed a lawsuit against American Airlines in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The suit was filed even though the carrier has a long history of being the “official airline” for a host of Black-oriented events and conferences.  Read More ...

U.S. companies vie to halt landmark apartheid lawsuit (Special to the NNPA from the GIN) — A U.S. appeals court is hearing arguments from a group of multinational corporations seeking to block a lawsuit brought by South African victims of apartheid.  Read More ...

Obama acknowledges lessons of Katrina in Haiti disaster Obama has repeatedly promised a "swift, coordinated and aggressive" response. He is determined to show that the United States, even consumed with its own troubles, can get this right, and that he can, too.  Read More ...

New front in America’s ‘war on terror?’ - U.S. focuses on Yemen (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - If the various neo-conservatives who doubled the country's national debt in eight years prosecuting two bloody wars in Muslim countries are now to be believed, Yemen will become Ame­rica's "new" enemy for active, hostile military actions in the so-called "War on Terrorism" - after Iraq, Afghanistan, Paki­stan, and Somalia that is.  Read More ... Askia Muhammad and Richard Muhammad, Contributing Writers

Help pouring out for Haitians as death count grows WASHINGTON (NNPA) - It's been described as "The world's Katrina." The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that completely devastated and uprooted the Black island nation of Haiti, leaving an estimated 100,000 dead and millions more homeless, injured and in despair. Government officials are predicting that the death toll could eventually rise to 500,000, making it one of the most destructive natural disasters ever.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin and Kendra Desrosiers, NNPA National and Special Correspondent

Detroit bomb attempt - A plot to expand U.S. wars? DETROIT (Special to the NNPA from the Michigan Citizen) — Umar Farouk Abdul­mutallab, 23, a Nigerian student, faces 20 years in prison on federal charges of attempting to destroy Delta airliner 253 over Detroit Dec. 25. But is he truly an al-Qaida terrorist trained in Yemen as claimed, or merely a pawn in a plot to expand U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan across the Arabian Peninsula and into Africa?  Read More ... Diane Bukowski, Contributing Writer

Children open up about King, race and Obama HARLEM (Special to the NNPA from the Amsterdam News) — As the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday approached, the New York Amsterdam News took the time to speak with the nation’s future leaders about their thoughts concerning the King holiday and several other issues.  Read More ... Cyril Josh Barker, Contributing Writer

Accused Holocaust Museum shooter dies in hospital (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper) - The man accused of shooting and killing a security guard at the Holocaust Mem_orial Museum last summer died Jan_uary 6 in a prison hospital in North Carolina. He was 89.  Read More ...

Arab Americans feel targeted, call airport profiling 'unconstitutional' (Special from New America Media) - Intensified airport screening of citizens from 14 nations who are heading to the United States is "basically a proxy for racial profiling," a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said Monday.  Read More ... Esther M. Gentile, Contributing Writer

The Year 2009 and the State of Black America (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) — Barack Obama taking charge as the president of the United States was seen as the most significant development for Black America in 2009, according to analysts interviewed by The Final Call, but despite that historical change—serious challenges remain.  Read More ... Charlene Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Essence kicks off Fourth Annual ‘Will You Marry Me?’ contest With the onset of the new year,  Essence kicked off its fourth annual “Will You Marry Me?” contest and will once again give one couple the wedding of their dreams!  Read More ...

Activists call on White House to use its ‘bully pulpit’ for Black economic progress WASHINGTON (NNPA) - As 2009 ended with Black unemployment rates at 15.6 percent  - more than twice the rate of a decade ago, a dramatic five points more than a year ago,  and twice the White unemployment rate - civil rights leaders are calling on President Obama to pointedly use his 'bully pulpit' on behalf of African Americans.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Woman arrested, jailed after threatening Michelle Obama (Special to the NNPA from the Afro American Newspapers) - A woman accused of threatening to "blow away" first lady Michelle Obama landed in federal court on December 22 as the Obamas prepared to travel to Hawaii for the Christmas holiday, the Associated Press reported.  Read More ...

Scientific paper says U.S. Blacks are genetically 20% of European ancestry (Taylor Media Services) — A new scientific paper has been published addressing the diverse genetic ancestry of American Blacks. Entitled “Genome-wide patterns of population structure and admixture in West Africans and African Americans,” the paper confirms previous research documenting that African Americans are predominantly of West Afri­can ancestry but the median proportion of European ancestry stands at nearly 20 percent.  Read More ...

Nigerian Americans do double take on terrorism suspect (Special from New America Media) - When Herbert Igbanugo heard that a Nigerian man had been arrested for allegedly attempting to blow up a plane on Christmas Day, he didn't think the suspect was born in the West African nation.  Read More ... Edwin Okong'o, Contributing Writer

Has Kwanzaa taken hold as an African-American holiday? (Taylor Media Services) – The African-American holiday Kwan­zaa was created in 1966. It was one of the most turbulent years in Black history filled with civil rights demonstrations and riots yet punctuated by pride-filled. The creator was Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga – chairman of the Black Studies Department at California State University. On the official Kwanzaa website Karenga says, “It is a holiday that grew out of the ancient origins of first-fruit harvest which celebrate the abundant good of life and all living things …”  Read More ...

Efforts continue to save 8th-oldest Black church in U.S. threatened with demolition (Special to BCNN1.com from the San Francisco Bay View) – Historic Wesley United Methodist Church, the second oldest African American church in New Orleans, the eighth oldest in the United States and a symbol of the struggle for emancipation and human rights in the state of Louisiana, is in jeopardy. Unless those who are trying to save it acquire financial support soon, the church may be torn down due to hurricane damage and replaced with a parking lot.  Read More ...

Rwandan hand-woven baskets are weaving a path to peace for African women In an effort to remind us of the endless possibilities of people working together, Janet Nkubana, Rwandan entrepreneur and co-founder of Gahaya Links, Ltd. Weaving Company, made a rare in-store appearance at Macy's Lakeside last Tuesday, to showcase the popular one-of-a kind, hand woven baskets, crafted by Rwandan genocide survivors and to tell her moving story how sharing cultures and experiences serve as therapy and inspiration.  Read More ... Kelly Parker, Contributing Writer

Soldiers home for holidays with combat awards – and wounds ST. LOUIS (Special to the NNPA from The St. Louis American) — The soldiers saw a flash, and then heavy smoke began to fill the tank. Through the fog, Aaron Johnson, a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, looked around at his squad of seven soldiers, who were on a standard patrol in Iraq. Several were bleeding, and his gunner was the worst of all. Johnson feared he was dead.  Read More ... Rebecca S. Rivas, Contributing Writer

Centenarian voter lauded by Obama on election night dies at 107 Ann Nixon Cooper, the Atlanta centenarian lauded by President Barack Obama in his election-night speech last year, has died. She was 107.  Read More ...

Census undercount would hurt Black communities, leaders warn WASHINGTON (NNPA) — In a rare appearance, all in one place, a coalition of America’s foremost Black organizations are aiming to assure that the 2010 census does not undercount Black people, a fiasco that could cause communities to miss out on their fair share of trillions of dollars in public resources and political representatives in Black districts.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

Black Florida man freed after35 years in prison for crime he did not commit (Taylor Media Services) –  James Bain was freed from a Florida prison last week after being incarcerated for 35 years for a crime he did not commit. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1974 for allegedly kidnapping and raping a nine-year-old boy. However, the work of the Florida Innocence Project and newly available DNA evidence showed he could not have been the man who committed the crime.  Read More ...

At Christmas: Activist, mother desperately needs gift of life All was well for Jennifer Jones Austin and her family in the recent months leading into the holiday season. Suddenly, her life depends on a gift from a possible stranger. Jen ­­­­—as she is often referred to by those close to her — the 41-year-old wife of Shawn Austin and mother to a daughter 12 and son, 8, has garnered great contentment in numerous areas of her life.  Read More ... Frederick Alexander Meade, NNPA Special Correspondent

Activist: Everyone should aid in search for missing children (Special to the NNPA from the Chicago Defender) — An anti-violence activist said the police’s increased frequency of issuing missing persons alerts is not enough to help bring missing children home. The media, schools and churches must also take an active role.  Read More ... Kathy Chaney, Contributing Writer

The cost of incarceration – At Christmas, many parents are away Indeed, there are institutional reforms that could be made to enhance the lives of children with incarcerated parents—fairer sentences for their parents, with the possibility of parole; drug rehabilitation in prison, community alternatives to prisons, or incarcerating people closer to home.  Read More ... Patrice Gaines, NNPA Contributing Writer

States don’t make grade with charter school laws, report shows Of the 40 states (and the District of Columbia) that allow for charter schools, only 13 have strong laws that do not require significant revisions, according to a report released Dec. 8 by The Center for Education Reform.  Read More ...

Program launched to ensure a complete count in 2010 Census Earlier this month, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (“LDF”) launched Count on Change 2010, a strategic, collaborative, national public education campaign de­signed to substantially improve the inclusion of the Black Diaspora in the 2010 Census.  Read More ...

News Analysis: Why ACORN won On December 11, a federal judge ruled that Congress had unconstitutionally cut off all federal funds to ACORN. The judge issued an injunction, stopping federal authorities from continuing to cut off past, present and future federal funds to the community organization.  Read More ... Bill Quigley, Contributing Writer

CBC stands up for voiceless and vulnerable— and wins The ten members of the Congressional Black Caucus who serve on the House Financial Services Committee – Reps. Mel Watt, Gregory Meeks (D-NY), William Lacy Clay (D-MO), David Scott (D-GA), Al Green (D-TX), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Andre Carson (D-IN) and I – took a stand to make sure the African-American community receives the attention, assistance and resources needed for our economic recovery.  Read More ... U. S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Guest Columnist

Catholic Church accused of denying justice to Blacks abused by priests CHICAGO (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) — Attorney Phillip Aaron said after hearing the emotional stories of victims of sexual abuse by religious authorities within the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in Chicago, he felt obligated to help.  Read More ... Ashahed M. Muhammad, Contributing Writer

States sustain and expand coverage for low-income children and families despite recession, survey finds Despite the deep recession, most states have managed to safeguard and, in some cases, expand health coverage for children and parents in their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs in 2009, according to a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. But the gains, which could serve as a base for covering millions more people under health reform, are threatened by the impending end of key federal assistance at the end of 2010 and before health reform coverage would begin.  Read More ...

Experience drives Tuskegee student to change the system for the benefit of past and future victims of natural disasters The Katrina Citizens Leadership Corps (KCLC) is made up of more than 250 displaced residents of the Gulf Coast Region. Recently the group, including Cruse, attended a conference in Washington D.C. with the purpose of encouraging Congress to reform the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act—the Federal Government’s guidelines for giving assistance those in the U.S. afflicted by natural disaster.  Read More ... Jacquelyn Carlilse & Jeff Thompson, Contributing Writers

New momentum added to mayor pro tem’s ‘pull up your pants’campaign DALLAS (Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Weekly  News) — Having garnered national attention, Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway is taking  his fight against young Black men saggin’ their pants to another dimension — and he’s got Big Mama in his corner.  Read More ... Gordon Jackson, Contributing Writer

Murder of Alcorn student still under investigation NATCHEZ, Miss. (Special to the NNPA from the Mississippi Link) — An Alcorn State University student is free on bail, after authorities said she shot another student to death. Eboni Bena White, of Port Gibson, was arrested on November 12, after Claiborne County Sheriff Frank Davis said she shot her neighbor and fellow student, Danielle Nicole Newsome five times.  Read More ... Monica Land, Contributing Writer

Afghanistan is now called Pres. Obama’s war NEW YORK  (Special to the NNPA from the Amsterdam News) — For a little more than a half hour at the Military Academy at West Point Dec. 1, President Barack Obama put his stamp on the war in Afghanistan.  Read More ... Herb Boyd, Contributing Writer

Panel discussion of N.O. health clinics turns into sparring session about U.S. priorities In a meeting designed to find ways to meet the ongoing needs of uninsured New Orleanians four years after Hurricane Katrina, a heated debate arose about the federal government’s responsibility to do for New Orleanians what some argue they should be doing for themselves and whether misplaced priorities are the reason the city’s dire healthcare needs are forced to take a backseat to financing the ongoing war in Afghanistan.  Read More ...

Black joblessness causing friction between Black leaders and Black president WASHINGTON (NNPA) — African-American joblessness — nearly twice the national rate — is quickly becoming the first showdown between Black leaders and the nation’s first Black president as national Black and civil right leaders raise their voices telling the Obama Admi­nistration it’s time to end the jobs crisis in the Black community.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Backlash against Muslims continues after Ft. Hood shootings WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) — In the wake of the Fort Hood, Texas shootings November 5 which left 13 dead and more than two dozen wounded allegedly by an Army psychiatrist who is a Muslim, a backlash—words, political recriminations, and violence—has spread across the country, targeting individuals as well as Islamic institutions.  Read More ... Askia Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Young Black soldier hailed a hero in Fort Hood shooting DALLAS (Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Weekly) — If there are any genuine positives that can come from a tragedy like the shootings in Fort Hood, Texas early this month, it’s that heroes can arise from the turmoil and chaos. There were several at the Fort Hood army post, including Private First Class Marquest Smith, a 21-year-old soldier from Fort Worth.  Read More ... Gordon Jackson, Contributing Writer

U.S. children too hungry to learn, survey finds Share Our Strength®, the leading national organization working to end childhood hunger in America, released powerful survey results last week indicating that teachers across America see children arriving at school hungry. Whether they work in urban, rural or suburban communities, teachers believe that hunger is a problem negatively affecting their student's ability to learn.  Read More ...

Sheikh Mohammed trial in New York: Real or Show? NEW YORK (Special to the NNPA from the Amsterdam News) — U.S. Attorney Gen­eral Eric Holder announ­ced on November 13 that the trial of alleged 9/11 mastermind Kha­lid Sheikh Mohammed and four co-conspirators would be held in federal court in Manhattan. And, as would be expected, the announcement opened a floodgate of opinion for and against the decision.  Read More ... Saeed Shabazz, Contributing Writer

Poverty plagues U.S. youth, threatens health Nearly one third of the teen patients, ages 11 to 18, serviced through the New Orleans Children's Health Project tested positive for depression this year. Twenty-five percent of the project's teen patients are obese and, consequently, at risk of diabetes, early heart disease and hypertension, said Alina Olteanu, M.D., Ph.D. and Medical Director of the project.  Read More ... Nayita Wilson, Contributing Writer

Group outlines expanded learning opportunities to high schoolers Expanded learning opportunities can strengthen and enrich the high school curriculum, help close the academic achievement gap, and keep students engaged in school, yet the students most at risk of poor academic outcomes are the least likely to participate in such opportunities.  Read More ...

Black filmmaker Tyler Perry donates $1 million to the NAACP The NAACP, the country's oldest and largest civil rights organization, announced Monday that acclaimed film director Tyler Perry has donated $1 million, marking the largest gift ever given by an individual. In addition, Perry purchased several NAACP-commissioned Jacob Lawrence lithographs and additional lithographs by celebrated artists Jonathan Green, Elizabeth Catlett and Sam Gilliam. The gift, which will be distributed over the next four years, was made to commemorate the organization's Centennial anniversary.  Read More ...

As decade’s end nears, 20 percent more U.S. children live in poverty As the end of the decade nears 20 percent more American children are living in poverty than in 2000, and the South leads the nation in the number of children living in low-income and poor families, according to researchers at the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), part of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.  Read More ...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (USDA) reported yesterday that almost one in four children living in the United States The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (USDA) reported yesterday that almost one in four children living in the United States are food insecure. According to the 2009 report on Household Food Insecurity in the United States, there is a striking disparity in the prevalence of food insecurity among Black children. Nearly two million Black households with children were food insecure at least some time during the year, an increase of 25 percent over 2007.  Read More ...

Muslim in U.S. Military face challenges, Fort Hood massacre draws increased scrutiny of Islam For many American-born Muslims and followers of Islam serving in the U.S. armed forces, the experience has been doubly burdensome and may have played a role in Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's Nov. 5 mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas.  Read More ... Kristin Gray, Contributing Writer

November is National Adoption Awareness Month Annette Snyder, Foster and Adoptive Home Recruiter for the Greater New Orleans area, said there are hundreds of children in Louisiana in need of safe and nurturing homes and that the goal with the events is to help people become better informed and to encourage them to become foster and adoptive parents.  Read More ... Valentine Pierce, Contributing Writer

Racism alive and well: Post-racial society declarations are premature, experts say, but seeds for it have been planted (Special to the NNPA from the Philadelphia Tribune) - Something happened on Nov. 5, 2008, that forever changed race relations in the United States of America.  Read More ... Larry Miller, Contributing Writer

NNPA Chairman confronts GM and Ford for lack of Black ads According to industry statistics, GM’s models, which include Chevys, Cadillacs, Saturns, Buicks, Pontiacs, and GMC trucks, represented just above 18 percent of all the new cars purchased by African Americans in just the first seven months of this year. Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Fight is on for Walmart line-cutter facing 15 years Because of a trip to Walmart three years ago, Heather Ellis is now fighting for her life. The 24-year-old former college student is facing felony charges that could get her up to 15 years in prison after being arrested for an incident that stemmed from her cutting a line at a Walmart in Kennet, Missouri. Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

RAPE: America’s least reported crime Last Saturday night, a 15-year-old young woman in Richmond, Calif., survived a brutal gang rape that occurred as she was leaving the homecoming dance at her high school. Reports allege that more than 20 people—genders unspecified—watched, took photos and even participated in the rape. After being assaulted for more than two hours, the survivor was found abandoned, barely conscious and seminude near a picnic table on her high school campus. Read More ... Laura Goode

Public option a civil rights struggle The Rev. Walter Fauntroy remembers well the successes of the Civil Rights Movement. And he wants to see them replicated in the final push for a robust government-sponsored option to be included in the health insurance reform legislation that is even now being wrangled over in Congress. Read More ... Zenitha Prince

Pardon of Joyner’s uncles highlights wrongful convictions and executions When news came in mid-October that national morning talk-show personality Tom Joyner’s great-uncles were posthumously pardoned in South Carolina for a murder they didn’t commit, I was elated and saddened all at once – elated that justice was finally served, and saddened that his great-uncles and their families did not experience this justice.  Read More ... Diann Rust-Tierney, NNPA Guest Commentary

Where are the Black NFL owners? One may be on the horizon WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — Conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh has dominated media headlines the last three  weeks with his participation in a group interested in buying the National Football League’s St. Louis Rams.  Read More ... Perry Green, Contributing Writer

Stimulus boosts research on minority elders (New American Media) — A decade ago, Dr. Carmen Green got to work as a junior researcher on improving management of pain medicine for older African Americans. Now federal stimulus funds are helping her and other senior researchers “pay forward” the opportunity they had by mentoring a new generation of health scientists.  Read More ... Paul Kleyman, Contributing Writer

Farrakhan says black communities must ‘develop a comprehensive plan’ MEMPHIS (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) — The City Council and Shelby County Board of Commissioners has welcomed the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan during a leadership meeting before a standing room only audience at the city’s Convention Center.  Read More ... Nisa Islam Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Preserving the history of the Million Man March: Documentary rekindles spirit, touches Black men HOUSTON (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) — Ten days ago, October 16, marked the 14th anniversary of the historic Million Man March when nearly two million men descended upon Washington, D.C., at the call of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.  Read More ... Jesse Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Black Nobelmen: Obama follows in tradition of Bunche, King WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — If it’s any consolation to President Obama, the controversy swirling around his recent naming as the 2009 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize puts him in good company. The other African-American Prize winners, United Nations diplomat Dr. Ralph Bunche and civil rights icon the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., also had to weather their share of censure.  Read More ... Zenitha Prince, Contributing Writer

‘Black is Back’ protest slated for D.C. Nov. 7 The November 7 “Black is Back” rally and march is billed to “protest the expanding U.S. wars and other policy initiatives that disparately affect African and other oppressed people around the world,” according to a statement released by the rally’s organizers — The Black is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

African-American enrollments at law schools reach new heights WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper) — The number of African-American law school students is at an all-time high, according to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.  Read More ...

Voting rights advocates score major victory with overturning of Indiana voter ID law (Taylor Media Services) — The recent overturning of a controversial voter identification law in Indiana was a major victory for activists seeking to protect minority voting rights from attack by conservative Republicans. Proponents had argued that the restrictive law was designed to prevent voter fraud which essentially amounts to preventing people from voting who are not eligible. Read More ...

The cost of incarceration –The curse of mandatory minimums (NNPA) — Hamedah Hasan was pregnant with her third child when she stood in front of a judge awaiting sentencing for conspiracy to distribute powder and crack cocaine. She had no prior criminal record. The hardest evidence against her was the testimony of three co-defendants looking for sweet deals from police. They said she headed a crack cocaine ring.  Read More ... Patrice Gaines, NNPA Contributing Writer

Pres. Obama wins Nobel President Barack Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo said, citing his outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to curb nuclear proliferation.  Read More ...

NAACPhas a long, proud history and legacy, locally and nationally, Part II Several months before the Great Flood of 2005, the New Orleans branch of the NAACP had also begun to experience some success in terms of its growth and ability to function on its own. “When Katrina hit, we had come from under adminstration,” president Danatus King said.  Read More ...

Michelle Obama is national honorary president of Girl Scouts of the USA “It is my great pleasure to serve as Honorary National President of Girl Scouts,” said Mrs. Obama. “With their innovative new programming, ground-breaking re­search, and emphasis on service and leadership, Girl Scouts is preparing the women of tomorrow to be a positive force for change – in their own lives, their communities, and across the globe.”  Read More ...

Many black and Hispanic retirees unable to meet basic economic needs WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Black and Hispanic retirees on fixed incomes are among those hit the hardest by the economic recession due to skyrocketing health care prices and fall outs from economic setbacks. Many fear they won’t be able to meet basic medical and living expenses in the future.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

First Black woman named Coast Guard Academy cadet leader BALTIMORE (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers ) — For the first time in the United States Coast Guard Aca­demy’s 133-year history, an African-American woman is leading the cadets.  Read More ... Danyel Jones, Contributing Writer

Usher donates $1M to the launch of ‘Powered by Service’ movement Usher’s New Look (UNL), a non-profit organization supporting youth to use their talents and become corporate and community leaders, on Sept. 24 announced Powered By Service-a bold new initiative to rebrand service and fundamentally change the role of youth in communities.  Read More ...

NNPA Honors Ruby Dee and CBC Chair Barbara Lee at New Leadership Reception WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Howard University News Service) - As a young girl, Ruby Dee saw pictures of lynchings and African-Americans being burned in early Black newspapers. Dee’s mother took a newspaper away from her because the pictures were too graphic. As she grew throughout the years, however, it became the pictures and words in Black newspapers that ultimately helped to undergird Dee in her work as an activist - even today.  Read More ... Rochelle Boykin Bey, NNPA Special Correspondent

NAACP issues call for formal investigation of OIG The controversy surrounding the New Orleans Office of Inspector General took another interesting turn last week when the New Orleans branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People requested an investigation by the New Orleans City Council and U.S. attorney.  Read More ...

NAACP has a long, proud history and legacy, locally and nationally The New Orleans Branch of the NAACP, founded in 1915, will celebrate its 95th anniversary in 2010. For more than nine decades, the New Orleans branch has been at the forefront of efforts to empower and uplift communities of color.  Read More ...

HUD offering $15M in grants to keep families together The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Wednesday that it is making $14.6 million in grants available to help local housing authorities across the country reunite thousands of children with their parents. The children are either in foster care on there is a threat of being placed in the foster care system. Local housing authorities must apply for the money by December 3, 2009.  Read More ...

CBC Panel Asks ‘What Has Happened to Black Marriages?’ WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Howard University News Service) - Men and women must learn to love themselves first and be more open-minded if they want to get married and stay married. This was the conclusion of experts during a forum on relationships at the annual Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative weekend in Washington.  Read More ... Rochelle Boykin Bey, NNPA Special Correspondent

ACORN launches ‘aggressive’ investigation WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro American Newspaper) - ACORN is determined to clear its name. Through the launch of a self-investigation, the anti-poverty group hopes to overturn accusations of illegal methods used to benefit its clients. However, CEO Bertha Lewis is prepared for any possible outcome.  Read More ... Melanie R. Holmes, Contributing Writer

Rev. Jackson: ‘The fight is on’ against foreclosure (Special to the NNPA from the LA Sentinel) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson is traveling around the country hosting a series of rallies bent on energizing the people who have been disproportionately affected by the foreclosure crisis that is running rampant throughout the country.  Read More ... Yussuf J. Simmonds, Contributing Writer

NAACPhas a long, proud history and legacy, locally and nationally Locally, the Louisiana State NAACP Conference and the New Orleans branch of the NAACP reflected on the organization’s legacy as they were gearing up for the 67th Annual Louisiana State NAACP conference which took place Sept. 24-27 at the Sheraton Con­vention Center in Baton Rouge, La.  Read More ...

At 97, Dr. Dorothy Height still pushing progress for Blacks, women WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Dr. Dorothy Height sits demurely in an office chair that seems more like a throne as it swallows her 97-year-old frame. Yet, her legacy is overwhelming.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

Census boycott splits Latinos The boycott, pushed by the Rev. Miguel Ángel Rivera of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, now seems to be gaining mo­men­tum in some Latino communities, as well as a higher profile in Latino media.  Read More ... Marcelo Ballvé, Contributing Writer

ACORN hopes to survive allegations No one answers the phones in the now-dark Canal Street offices of ACORN Housing. A "For Sale" sign hangs on a white column marking the entrance to the poverty-fighting group's former national headquarters on Elysian Fields, and the usual television news cameras failed to show up to a demonstration organized by the liberal social justice group last weekend.  Read More ... Ariella Cohen, Contributing Writer

Women and retirement – ‘The big mistake’ (Special from New America Media) — Cindy Hounsell could hear a pin drop. She’d often spoken on the financial perils that await older women if they didn’t look after their own interests. But friends had warned her that this audience of family caregivers in Texas was the wrong group for this lecture.  Read More ... Linnie Frank Bailey, Contributing Writer

Stretching every dollar – How changing habits can save money (BLACK PR WIRE) — We live in a complex world. Respon­sibilities, needs and expenses confront us daily that our parents and grandparents never experienced. It is very hard for many people to save money, even with the best intentions and most careful spending habits. The rising cost of housing, insurance, medical care and education; and the need for many electronics that did not widely exist 25 years ago – cell phones, home computers and Internet service, 150 channels of cable TV, and many others – are understandably stretching budgets.  Read More ...

Scruggs trounces Lyons in National Baptist election MEMPHIS (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper) — The Rev. Dr. Henry J. Lyons and his supporters have vowed to challenge the results of the run-off for presidency of the National Baptist Convention, USA after a stunning loss.  Read More ... Zenitha Prince, Contributing Writer

Policymakers, residents urged to seize green opportunities PHILADELPHIA (Special to the NNPA from the Philadelphia Tribune) — Green jobs have the potential to reshape Philadelphia and pull many out of the city’s poorest residents out of poverty, according to the head of a local group that is training residents to take advantage of a shifting economy.  Read More ... Eric Mayes, Contributing Writer

NNPA chair pulls Black Press convention from So. Carolina LOS ANGELES (NNPA)  - The National Newspaper Pub­lishers Association, the Black Press of America, has announced that it will not hold its mid-winter conference in South Carolina scheduled for January 2010.  Read More ...

National tea party event draws majority-white crowd A line of protestors blocked several blocks near the Capitol building. The Washington, D.C. Fire Department estimated between 60,000 to 70,000 people took part in the event, according to ABC News. The crowd appeared largely white, as many of the community-level events have been.  Read More ...

Men sentenced for election-night assaults against Blacks Ralph Nicoletti, 19, was sentenced to 108 months in prison; Bryan Garaventa, 18, was sentenced to 60 months; Michael Contreras, 19, was sentenced to 55 months; and Brian Carranza, 21, was sentenced to 70 months. The sentencing was September 11.  Read More ...

Europeans in new raid on African lands (GIN) — A Norwegian-based biofuel company is the latest international company reportedly evicting dozens of farmers in northern Ghana so it can plant jetropha, a non-food crop whose seeds contain oil used for biofuel.  Read More ...

National Urban League policy chief takes on ‘hateful’talk shows WASHINGTON (NNPA) — The gatekeepers of political opinion on cable are doing nothing to curb the increasingly incinerate and oft times blatantly false rhetoric coming from their political hosts and commentators against political figures of color such as President Obama and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

Fight heats up over discriminatory housing laws Rebuilding efforts in St. Bernard Parish, a small community just outside New Orleans, have recently gotten a major boost. One nonprofit focused on rebuilding in the area has received the endorsement of CNN, Alice Walker, the touring production of the play "The Color Purple," and even President Obama. But an alliance of Gulf Coast and national organizations are now raising questions about the cause these high profile names are supporting.  Read More ... Jordan Flaherty, Contributing Writer

Study: A prevalence of sexual advances by church leaders found One in every 33 women who attend religious worship services regularly has been the target of sexual advances by a church leader, according to a survey released Sept. 9 by Baylor University.  Read More ...

Women are more likely than men to experience a life crisis Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of the women age 40 to 79 surveyed had already experienced a major life crisis such as job loss, divorce, death of a spouse, or serious illness or disability of an immediate family member or themselves, and in the vast majority of cases, the event had a significant impact on their finances.  Read More ...

Whites have growing interest in Black greek organizations, experts say (Special to New America Media from AFRO.com) — Former President Bill Clinton’s announcement last month that he would join the Black fraternity Phi Beta Sigma sent shockwaves through the Black community — but he’s far from the only white to cross the color line.  Read More ... James Wright, Contributing Writer

Nearly half century since "March on Washington," has black activism weakened? Last week marked the 46th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Nearly a half century since the march that drew more than 200,000 to Washington, D.C., Black activists confess they have changed their strategy in the wake of an African-American President, but they contend that their commitment remains the same.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

National leaders say U.S. business community must address the achievement gap in schools The New America Alliance (NAA) and The Executive Leadership Council, preeminent organizations of business leaders in the Latino and African-American communities, respectively, along with education experts and key stakeholders, have declared that the economic impact associated with the education achievement gap cannot be ignored, and have resolved to initiate a national movement to transform American K-12 education for the benefit of all children.  Read More ...

Inmates being charged $1 a day for rent RICHMOND, Va. (Special to the NNPA from the Richmond Free Press) — A new jail is on the way, but for now Richmond inmates are having to help pay for upkeep of the overcrowded and decrepit facility where they are kept.  Read More ... Christian K. Finkbeiner, Contributing Writer

Experts beleive more hard times on the horizon for blacks (Special to New America Media from The Final Call) — “The world has been through the most severe financial crisis since the Great Depression. The crisis in turn sparked a deep global recession, from which we are only now beginning to emerge,” Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke recently told the Federal Reserve Bank during an economic symposium in Kansas City.  Read More ...

The cost of incarceration In communities around the country, Black people are missing. Neigh­borhoods languish. Dreams defer­red rot in distant warehouses we call prisons. The similarities between the correctional system and slavery are eerie: Families rip­ped a­part. Trad­itions lost or never made. The shipment of flesh, the pipeline that nearly guarantees Black children go from the cradle to the prison; the in­sane profits made by ware­housing hu­man be­ings; the burden borne forever by those labeled as “convicts.”  Read More ... Patrice Gaines, NNPA Contributing Writer

Freshman Republican says GOP needs "a great white hope" to stop Obama (Taylor Media Services) — Although the Republicans have slowed the political roll of President Obama by benefiting from a series of anti-health care reform rallies around the country, the GOP still has not figure out how to prevent Obama and the Democrats from leading the country in a more liberal or progressive direction. But freshman Kansas Republican Lynn Jenkins created a national furor with remarks made public last week which proposed a new way to stop Obama.  Read More ...

SPLC Report: Militias Returning in Fear of Black President Sparked by a combination of anger at the federal government and the deaths of political dissenters at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and Waco, Texas, the movement took off in the middle of the decade and continued to grow even after 168  people were left dead by the 1995 bombing of Oklahoma City’s federal building — an attack, the deadliest ever by domestic U.S. terrorists, carried out by men steeped in the rhetoric and conspiracy theories of the militias.  Read More ...

Report says youth detentions on the decrease OREGON (Special to the NNPA from the Portland Skanner) — From the mid-’80s to the late ‘90s, the number of youths in detention nationwide skyrocketed, with average daily populations ballooning from 13,000 to 28,000 in about a decade.  Read More ... Brian Stimson, Contributing Writer

First online platform empowering Blacks seeking to give back to the community is launched Interactive One, LLC The Digital Connection for Black America and the digital division of Radio One, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROIAK and ROIA), the largest African American multimedia company, on August 12 announced the launch of BlackPlanet Rising (www.blackplanetrising.com), the first comprehensive platform to provide tools, information and connections for African Americans to give back their time and resources to the community.  Read More ...

NAACP Legal Defense Fund applauds decision in Ford employment discrimination case On August 14, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit published a decision in Carolyn Upshaw v. Ford Motor Company, holding that Upshaw, an African-American auto worker, is entitled to a trial on her retaliation claims against a Ford manufacturing plant in Ohio. The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) represented Ms. Upshaw in her appeal.  Read More ...

Plain Clothes Surveilance Proves Deadly for Black Officers and Civilians in the U. S NEW YORK (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call)  — The public may never know if Shem Walker, 49, knew that the man he scuffled with on his mother’s steps one evening in mid-July was an undercover narcotics officer. The officer was using the stoop to monitor a “buy-n-bust” operation a few doors away from the Walker home. What happened may never be known because Shem Walker is dead.  Read More ... Saeed Shabazz, Contributing Writer

Life and Death and Child Health Reform As a child, Devante Johnson’s future seemed to be full of promise. He made excellent grades in school and was a help around the house. His mother, Tamika Scott, worked hard, managing to raise three boys while pursuing a career, buying a house and completing a college degree. Mrs. Scott had a 401(k) retirement fund and private health insurance and was confident she was prepared for unforeseen emergencies. At 29, she took comfort in the belief that her family was secure.  Read More ...

Freedom Awards: Lowery Continues Quest for Justice WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Within the same hour that Rev. Joseph Lowery received America’s highest civilian honor, the civil rights icon – still at the White House – declared war on the “myth” that America is now a “post-racial” nation.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Staggering number of missing Blacks fuel speculation of "human trafficking" NEW YORK (Special to the NNPA from the Amsterdam News) — One of the great undiscussed dilemmas plaguing this city is the number of runaways and abducted children. The numbers are staggering.  Read More ... Nayaba Arinde, Contributing Writer

Housing discrimination rampant on Internet In a report released Aug. 11, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) documents how thousands of illegal housing advertisements appear with impunity on the Internet every day. “FOR RENT: NO KIDS! How Internet Advertisements Perpetuate Discrimination” calls upon Congress to stop the flood of discriminatory housing advertisements on the Internet by amending the Communications Decency Act of 1996.  Read More ...

Death threats against President up 400 percent (Special to the NNPA from the St. Louis American) — President Barack Obama is the target of more than 30 potential death threats a day and is being protected by an increasingly over-stretched and under-resourced Secret Service, according to a new book.  Read More ...

As Congress leaves for recess, CBC keeps health care on the front burner WASHINGTON (NNPA) — As members of Congress begin August recess, temporarily setting aside intense negotiations for a passable healthcare reform bill, the Congressional Black Caucus has vowed to continue pushing for specific provisions that its members feel are vital for African Americans.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

Urban League looks to expand service; CEO outlines empowerment plan CHICAGO (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — National Urban League President/CEO Marc Morial, in his State of the Urban League address July 29, said the 99-year-old civil rights organization must reset its mission to include all Americans as it looks to the future.  Read More ... Zenitha Prince, Contributing Writer

Poor neighborhoods strongly increase risk of falling down the income ladder for middle-class Black children The neighborhood poverty experienced by middle-income Black children contributes greatly to their increased risk of downward mobility, according to a new report released July 27 by Pew’s Economic Mobility Project. Read More ...

Gates arrest was not first racial embarrassment for Cambridge police WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The recent outrage in response to the Cambridge Police Department’s arrest of prominent Harvard Professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates was not the first time that the Cambridge Police Department was nationally embarrassed amidst a racial incident.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

14 Ex-offenders become certified paralegals PHILADELPHIA (Special to the NNPA from the Philadelphia Tribune) - Their debt to society paid, 14 newly certified paralegals, all ex-offenders, received their diplomas at a ceremony at City Hall last week.  Read More ... Eric Mayes, Contributing Writer

AARP’s First Black CEO AIMS to Take Organization to New Level in Black Community and Nation They want to know if a quintessential “grey suit” who has been long-known as a corporate America change agent and the prolific leader of a Fortune 500 company can successfully transition into somebody who can lead an advocacy group with nearly 40 million members. It even became a discussion point with AARP’s executive board when they met with Rand during their search process.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

Anti-war Protesters Target NAACP for Relationship with Recruiters NEW YORK (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - The World Can’t Wait anti-war coalition based in New York City says that while respect is due to the NAACP for their 100-year tradition of “standing up to White lynch mobs and sheriffs’ dogs,” there is no excuse for continuing the relationship they have with military recruiters.  Read More ... Saeed Shabazz, Contirbuting Writer

Are Black Radio Stations in Danger of Becoming Extinct? (Taylor Media Services) - Black and Hispanic radio station owners sent an urgent appeal to Treasury Secretary Tim Geither last week seeking government financial assistance for their struggling enterprises. According to the online monitor of the radio industry Radio Facts (www.radiofacts.com ), more than a dozen individual owners, trade associations and group owners signed the appeal saying the aid was desperately needed in order to weather the current recession.  Read More ...

Campbell Soup Co. hit with class action lawsuit charging discrimination A nationwide class action lawsuit has been filed against Campbell Soup Company, charging that African American employees are denied professional development opportunities. The lawsuit was filed in Camden, New Jersey - headquarters of the food giant. Filing on behalf of the plaintiff Chester Hicks and the proposed Class are the Houston, Texas based firm, Nelkin, Nelkin & Krock, P.C., and Sidney L. Gold & Associates, based in Philadelphia.  Read More ...

Old casket of Emmett Till discovered in cemetery scheme (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — The original casket of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy whose 1955 murder helped put the civil rights movement on a national stage, was found discarded during an investigation into a scheme at an Illinois cemetery.  Read More ... Dorothy Rowley, Contributing Writer

At 100th year conference: NAACP chief issues ‘new call for a new century’ (NNPA) — In a grand centennial meeting that drew thousands to New York City — the   founding place of the NAACP — this week, President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous proclaimed that the next move of the civil rights organization against new “layers of racism” will be to strengthen its inner ranks by becoming a majority through coalitions.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Supreme Court provides temporary victory for Troy Davis WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — After nearly 18 years on death row for killing an off-duty Georgia police officer, Troy Davis got a break when the U.S. Supreme Court last week put the brakes on his execution.  Read More ... Alan King, Contributing Writer

Polls reveals contrasting race views between Blacks and whites WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — Many expected a new era in race relations when President Obama took office, but those feelings have cooled through the early part of his term, according to a new poll.  Read More ... Alan King, Contributing Writer

Final victory over race hatred elusive WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) — Since Nov. 4, 2008 — the day Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, the day many proclaimed the first day of the new, “post racial” America —the “hounds of racism” have been on the prowl in this country, fanning the flames of hatred, violence, and even murder.  Read More ... Askia Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Supreme Court ruling permits more aggressive efforts to combat predatory lending On Monday, June 29, in Cuomo v. Clearing House Association, the Supreme Court confirmed that our nation's fair lending laws should be vigorously enforced by all levels of government. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is pleased that the Court rejected the misguided attempt by federal regulators and national banks to prevent states from enforcing their own fair lending laws.  Read More ...

Investigation: Health insurers defrauded consumers of billions A series of private lawsuits and government-lead investigations revealed that in every region of the United States, private insurers have been under-paying valid claims - defrauding consumers of billions of dollars.  Read More ... Brian Stimson, Contributing Writer

Black leader criticizes Voting Rights Act Supreme Court compromise A failure by the U.S. Supreme Court to act decisively to fix an inherent problem within the Voting Rights Act is drawing the condemnation of the chairman of the Project 21 Black leadership network.  Read More ...

aarp moves to increase black and latino membership WASHINGTON (NNPA) — As the American population continues to brown, an increasing number of organizations are making calculated strides in an effort to ensure that the diversity of their membership mirrors the diversity of the nation. One such organization is AARP, the premier advocacy group for older Americans.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

United Nations expert calls on U.S. to address ongoing issues of racism The United Nations special rapporteur on racism offered recommendations for the U.S. to address ongoing issues of discrimination in a presentation before the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on June 16. At the invitation of the United States government, former special rapporteur Doudou Diene toured the U.S. in May and June 2008 to conduct an analysis of ongoing racism and ethnic discrimination.  Read More ...

Report shows need for tougher hate crime laws WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — To stem the tide of hate crimes in the country, a civil rights organization has joined forces with a prominent Jewish group to support fighting hate crimes. Wade Henderson, the executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and Michael Lieberman, Washington counsel of the Anti-Defamation League, said hate crime is becoming a serious problem that needs to be dealt with as the country’s demographics change and technology becomes a tool of information and activism for hate groups.  Read More ... James Wright, Contributing Writer

Hope for homeowners and jobless DALLAS (Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Examiner) — Once the nation found out the world did not come to an end at the stroke of midnight, as some had feared might happen, the start of the new millennium brought promises of good things to come for Blacks.  Read More ... Tuala Williams, Contributing Writer

Five steps to financial literacy In a recent survey prepared for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), roughly seven percent of the adult population, or about 16 million people, reported that they did not know how much they spend on food, housing, and entertainment. Twenty-six percent, or 58 million people, admitted to not paying all of their bills on time.  Read More ... U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, NNPA Guest Commentary

Dept. of Housing receives record number of discrimination claims WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — More than 10,000 housing discrimination complaints were filed in 2008, according to a report released last week by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Read More ...

Michael Jackson, world's greatest entertainer, dies unexpectedly “I was about 12 years old, and I really wasn’t that much into music,” the New Orleans native told The Louisiana Weekly. “But when I heard Michael Jackson sing ‘Rock With You,” all of that changed. It was like I was hearing music for the first time.”  Read More ...

Pilot program successful in reducing homelessness risk One of the major challenges facing state and local leaders across the United States is the growing rate of homelessness. In Louisiana, the homelessness issue has proven to be particularly problematic, especially in the wake of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike.  Read More ...

NAACP Campaign for innocent man WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The NAACP is launching a campaign called "I AM TROY" to save the life of Troy Davis, an African-American man on death row believed by civil rights leaders to be innocent of the charges against him.  Read More ...

Activists seek unity, new definition of Black Power MARIETTA, Ga. (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) — The South became the nexus of Black liberation and political thought at the 2009 National Black Power Conference late last month, which was headquartered at the Roberts Crowne Plaza, a Black-owned hotel just outside Atlanta’s city limits.  Read More ... Ashahed M. Muhammad, Contributing Writer

23rd Annual 100 Black Men of America Conference draws record numbers Global leaders, celebrities and business executives recently convened in New York City for the 23rd Annual 100 Black Men of America, Inc., Conference that focused on education in the African-American community. More than 3,000 attendees participated in the four-day conference that drew notable leaders such as: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, New York Governor David Paterson, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, The Honorable Douglas Wilder - the nation's first African-American governor since Reconstruction, former New York City Mayor David Dinkins and more.  Read More ...

Skepticism in NY: Govt's Muslim plot may have set up black men NEWBURGH, N.Y.( Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - "I am very concerned that the hard work of building bridges here in Newburgh over the last quarter of a century will now be dismissed because of the actions of a convicted felon," said Imam Salahuddin Muhammad.  Read More ... Saeed Shabazz, Contributing Writer

Maryland County suffering rampant racism, says NAACP/ACLU report SOMERSET, Md. (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) - Somerset County, Md., boasts a population that is 40 percent African-American and the presence of one of the state's key historically Black colleges.  Read More ... James Wright, Contributing Writer

KKK, hate groups attacking churches across the U. S. (Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Examiner) - Imme_diately after the election of President Barack Obama, many felt the country was going in the right direction in terms of race relations, but attacks of terrorism and hatred have only intensified.  Read More ... Tony Brown Faire, Contributing Writer

HUD and fair housing group partner to fight foreclosures and discrimination On June 8, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) rolled out their national media campaign to fight foreclosures and discrimination.  Read More ...

African Professionals Hit by U.S. Recession Are Going Home (Special to the NNPA from GIN) - A downturn in the U.S. economy is giving African professionals a second thought about life in America, according to a report in the Washington Post. A better life beckons in Africa, the report says.  Read More ...

White House releases Black '100 Days' after stimulus report Hazel WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The administration of President Barack Obama has released a special report listing at least "100 Projects" that it views as highlights of projects underway in Black communities around the nation, funded by the $787 billion economic stimulus that he announced about 100 days ago on Feb. 17. Read More ... Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Black Contractors Still Waiting On Stimulus Effects, Still Facing Barriers WASHINGTON (NNPA) Three months after President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, Black contractors and advocates say they have yet to see a fair share of capital from the stimulus package that promised to disperse billions of dollars in construction projects.  Read More ... Brittany Hutson, NNPA Special Correspondent

Ku Klux Klan resurrecting shameful legacy in North Texas DALLAS (Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Examiner) - Dallas has an ugly history of racism - one that city leaders are not so eager to share with visiting tourists. Therefore, tourists find themselves unknowingly at Dallas' historical center of the South's most egregious brands of "justice."  Read More ... Tony Brown Faire, Contributing Writer

Civil Rights Community sees hope in Sotomayor WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) - Judge Sonia Sotomayor, whom President Obama announced May 26 as his pick to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter, will be an "asset" to the administration and the civil rights agenda, activists, legal and political experts said.  Read More ... Zenitha Prince, Contributing Writer

Rev. Wright's successor to be finally installed WASHINGTON-The Rev. Otis Moss III will always remember the day he took over as pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. It was Palm Sunday 2008 and he and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright had been working on a seamless transition for nearly two years. But instead of a smooth transfer of power, that was the day Fox News released snippets from sermons of Rev. Wright that would rock the Obama presidential campaign.  Read More ... George E Curry, NNPA Special Correspondent

More single working mothers live in suburbs than cities, study finds New research sponsored by the Eleanor Foundation shows single working mothers today are predominant in the suburbs of America's 10 largest urban areas including Chicago with 4.3 million households in the suburbs, 3.9 million in the central cities and 1.8 million in small cities, and their numbers are growing fastest among white women, according to data released late last month from Gary Orfield, Co-Director of the Civil Rights Project at UCLA, and Malcolm Bush, Research Fellow at Chapin Hall, a policy research center at the University of Chicago.  Read More ...

U.S. Census Chief Tells Why African-American Count is Critical "It's very possible that some African Americans or Spanish speak_ing persons were under-counted in previous Census be_cause there may have been some belief that making face-time with the government was not in their best interests," acknowledges Ar_nold Jackson, chief operating officer for the decennial Census.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

Attorney General Holder Pledges Full Support For Civil Rights WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) - U.S.  Attorney General Eric Holder has pledged to enforce the nation's civil rights laws, saying that while the country has made significant progress in race relations, a lot more needs to be done.  Read More ... Sean Yoes, Contributing Writer

Five of the "Liberty City Six" Found Guilty in Alleged Plot to Commit Terrorist Acts (Taylor Media Services) - Five young Black men from the Miami inner city area known as Liberty City were found guilty last week in an alleged conspiracy to join the militant Arab group Al Queda and blow up FBI offices as well as bomb Chicago's tallest building - the Sears Tower.  Read More ...

Domestic Violence Survivor Now Waging New Battle for Her Life WASHINGTON (NNPA) - As the prayers began to rise, the moment seemed increasingly surreal. The Rev. Dr. Unnia Pettus appeared larger than life as she swayed back and forth amidst the circle of prayer warriors - at one point, appearing to be both overcome and revived by the moment.  Read More ... Robin E. Thornhill, NNPA Special Correspondent

New Obama Website Proves Lucrative for Young Entrepreneur WASHINGTON (NNPA) - Bryan Bloom, a recent graduate of Indiana University with a degree in marketing telecommunications, knew the job market was unstable and that the new position he was in may not last long. He was right. He has already lost his job with the public relations firm.  Read More ... Christiina L. Burton, NNPA Special Correspondent

New Supreme Court Justice may have minimal influence on Civil Rights WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — The replacement of outgoing Supreme Court Justice David Souter may have little to no impact on the civil rights agenda, political and legal analysts and activists say.  Read More ... Zenitha Prince, Contributing Writer

National Black Church Initiative devises plan to improve Black male graduation rates A recent study commissioned by the America’s Promise Alliance has shown that the gap between graduation rates in urban and suburban areas is truly large and significant. The study concluded that the national graduation rate in the nation’s 50 largest cities was 53 percent, with said cities’ suburbs coming in at 71 percent.  Read More ...

More retirees ‘recareering’ WASHINGTON (NNPA) — President Barack Obama touched on something very poignant in his proclamation when he authorized the month of May to serve as Older Americans Month. That is that many Americans who are of retirement age are remaining in the workforce instead of simply calling it quits.  Read More ... Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

Hip-hop generation urged to ‘step up’ CHICAGO (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) — A Black president does shift the mental paradigm, but Blacks should not recklessly wave the American flag with a blind eye to the backlash against the rise of President Barack Hussein Obama, explained Kofi Taharka to a spirited crowd of National Black United Front (NBUF) members and supporters.  Read More ... Toure Muhammad, Contributing Writer

LCRC president makes presents at U.N. gathering Emma Dixon, of Covington, Louisiana, recently participated in a panel on "Perspectives of U.S. Rural Women on the Current Financial Crisis" in conjunction with the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meetings currently taking place in New York. The session, organized by the Rural Development Leadership Network (RDLN), was held on Monday, March 2, at the United Nations Church Centre at 777 UN Plaza, across from the General Assembly building.  Read More ...

Sojourner Truth becomes first black woman memorialized at U. S. Capitol WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The decade-long quest to erect a memorial statue of Sojourner Truth in the U.S. Capitol has finally come to fruition. The bust was unveiled during a euphoria-filled ceremony April 28, honoring the abolitionist and heroic activist for women's rights who lived from 1797-1883.  Read More ... Tiffany Browne, NNPA Special Correspondent

Disney's first black heroine stirs controversy (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) - After claims of racial insensitivity, Walt Disney has made several key changes to its newest princess - a brown-skinned, bright-eyed cartoon named Tiana.  Read More ...

Sharpton to lead quality Education March on May 16 (NNPA) - Activist Al Sharpton, leader of the National Action Network, has announced that he will lead a march at the White House Ellipse, Constitution Avenue and 15th Street on May 16.  Read More ...

$2B Recovery Act funds available to stabilize neighborhoods hard-hit by foreclosure U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced May 4 that HUD is now soliciting grant applications under the Department's Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) to make available nearly $2 billion in Recovery Act funding to states, local governments and non-profit housing developers  to combat the effects of home foreclosures. Applications for NSP funds will be due July 17, 2009.  Read More ...

Supreme Court to weigh Voting Rights Act challenge WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — Three high-profile cases challenging the nation’s civil rights laws and efforts to remedy age-old discrimination against African Americans and minorities in voting, employment and lending practices were on the docket for argument before the U.S. Sup­reme Court last week.  Read More ... James Wright, Contributing Writer

Black newspapers omitted from stimulus package; publishers push for inclusion RALEIGH, N.C. (Special to the NNPA from the Wilming­ton Journal) — Black publishers of the National Newspaper Publishing Association (NNPA) are concerned that there is nothing “designed” in President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package to do business with struggling Black newspapers in this flailing economy.  Read More ... Cash Michaels, Contributing Writer

The Untold Somalia Piracy Story: Counteraction for toxic dumping, illegal fishing UNITED NATIONS (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - The head of the U.N.'s body charged with combating piracy has advocated establishing a U.N. force to fight the piracy problem off Somalia's coast-but the problem may be more complex than simple banditry on the high seas.  Read More ... Saeed Shabazz, Contributing Writer

Number of Blacks in State Prisons on Drug Offenses Drops for First Time in 25 Years (Taylor Media Services) - A nearly amazing thing took place in America between 1999 and 2005: the number of African Americans incarcerated in state prisons for drug offenses de_clined while the number of whites imprisoned for drug offenses in_creased. There are still many more Blacks than whites jailed for drug crimes but the 20 percent decline in Black incarcerations during the 1999 to 2005 period represented a significant trend change.  Read More ...

First 100 Days: Key Civil Rights Leaders Give Obama 'A', With 'Incompletes' on Grassroots Economics WASHINGTON (NNPA) - This Sunday, April 26, marked the 100th full day since the inauguration of America's first Black president. January 20 was a day marked with tears of joy and painful reminiscing. But it will be most remembered for the overwhelming glory of the historic moment.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Hispanic opinion of police closer to the views held by Blacks rather than whites (Taylor Media Services) - Hispanic Americans appear to be developing attitudes towards the police and the nation's criminal justice system similar to the low opinion generally held by Blacks rather than the high opinion generally held by whites. That was the chief finding of two nationwide surveys made public last Tuesday by the Pew Research Center  Read More ...

New project to study and combat unconscious racism The election of President Obama shows how far America has progressed in overcoming the racial divides that for so long scarred this country. But while overt racism is less and less acceptable in America, unconscious racial bias still plays a large role in our politics and society, as a new project launched today by the Institute for America's Future seeks to explore.  Read More ...

Missing black men get even less media than black women "Why don't I get air time? Is it the fact that I don't have naturally straight hair? Is it that America isn't interested? Is it that America just doesn't care?"  Read More ... Diasia Ellerbee, NNPA Special Correspondent

N.O. architect James Washington elected to AIA's College of Fellows New Orleans architect James R. Washington, Jr., a founding partner of Hewitt-Washington & Associates Architects-Planners (APC), was recently elected to the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) College of Fellows. The AIA's selection committee sited Washington's notable contributions to the advancement of the profession of architecture.  Read More ...

Can black men survive falling U. S. economy? WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - A recent study indicates that of the major ethnic groups impacted by unemployment during the current U.S. recession, Black men have experienced the greatest job losses since the crisis officially began in November 2007.  Read More ... Charlene Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Consumers crying 'foul' regarding bank fees WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - Carolyn Williams was unsure about the exact amount in her bank account when she went shopping. She wasn't really worried because she knew her debit card would only cover costs for the amount of money she had in the bank.  Read More ... Nisa Islam Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Congressional Black Caucus urged to visit Afro-Cuban political prisoners and democracy activists U.S. based groups are urging the Congressional Black Caucus ("CBC") to inquire about the health and safety of Cuba's courageous political prisoners and democracy activists during their current visit to Cuba, such as Afro-Cuban prisoner of conscience Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet and civil rights activist Jorge Luis Perez Garcia "Antunez."  Read More ...

2010 Census seeks partners to get Americans counted WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Washington Informer) - The decades-old challenge of counting the U.S. population will be met by more than 1,000 national and local organizations gearing up for the U.S. 2010 Census.  Read More ... Denise Rolark Barnes and Talib I. Karim, Contributing Writers

Reducing youth violence is critical WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) - It is a staple on the six o'clock news: A man shot. A girl raped. A boy stabbed. A woman abused.  Read More ... Zenitha Prince, Contributing Writer

U.S. Civil Rights Commission commemorates 41st anniversary of MLK Jr.'s death The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights recently urged all Americans to reflect on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by recalling the legacy of the civil rights leader on the anniversary of his death 41 years ago. On April 4, 1968, Dr. King was shot and killed as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had gone to support Black sanitary public works employees who had been on strike for better wages and working conditions.  Read More ...

Low income minorities did not cause the mortgage crisis "They say" the foreclosure mess "was caused by government meddling in the business affairs of private banks which forced them to loan to unqualified minority home buyers."  Watch the nation's cable networks and they'll have you believing that the mortgage debacle is the fault of dark-skinned people from the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) who got mortgages they couldn't afford to pay.  Read More ... William Reed, Guest Columnist

Failure to Get Adequate Sunshine May Be Harming Black and Hispanic Kids (Taylor Media Services) - Another study was released last week suggesting that Americans would be a healthier people if they got more sunshine or vitamin D. This study found that young people aged 12 to 19 with the lowest levels of vitamin D (the so-called sunshine vitamin) were more than twice as likely to have high blood pressure and high blood sugar than youngsters with higher levels of vitamin D.  Read More ...

Corrupt judges, harsh sentences impact young lives (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - Judges are taking kickbacks for imposing harsh sentences on youth; Judges are giving equal time for unequal participation in crime; and a cradle to prison pipeline sends more Black and Latino juveniles to prison than to college, say advocates, who proclaim that juveniles looking for justice are receiving more injustice.  Read More ... Nisa Islam Muhammad, Contributing Writer

John Hope Franklin, a 'Mighty Scholar', Brought Clarity to Black Struggle in America WASHINGTON (NNPA) - When historian, author, and scholar John Hope Franklin mounted the stage at the Newsmaker of the Year Awards Gala three years ago, he told the members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, "I think that I deserve this reward for reasons you may not know."  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

NAACP asks top ad agencies to stop discriminatory practices WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) - Following a recent study exposing racial bias in America's advertising industry, the NAACP and Washington, D.C. law firm Mehri & Skalet has launched a national campaign to reverse widespread discrimination against African-American professionals employed in that field.  Read More ... Alan King, Contributing Writer

The White/Black "Wealth Gap" Has Worsened; Blacks Have 10 Cents for Every Dollar of White Wealth (Taylor Media Services) - According to last week's highly anticipated Survey of Consumer Finances from the Federal Reserve, the "wealth gap" between white Americans and Black Americans has gotten worse in recent years. The latest available data (from 2007) shows that for every dollar in wealth held by a white household, the typical Black household has just 10 cents.  Read More ...

Double standard: Missing black women still get less media than whites WASHINGTON (NNPA) - Average looking men, women and children from a variety of economic, social and ethnic backgrounds made up the more than 105,000 active missing persons in America last year, according to the National Crime Information Center. However, national media operations often fail to present what is in fact a very diverse missing persons population - African Americans. And some observers believe race is the factor.  Read More ... Jan Ransom, NNPA Special Correspondent

Foreclosure crisis hurts renters too WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - When Stephanie Marshall got the registered letter in the mail she had a feeling it was bad news. When she read that the place where she was living was going into foreclosure, her eyes filled with tears and her heart started pounding.  Read More ... Nisa Islam Muhammad, Contributing Writer

America had a baby boom in 2007; Hispanics growing fastest (Taylor Media Services) - While no one was fully aware as to what was taking place, preliminary figures suggest American women had a mini baby boom in 2007. Indeed, the recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics says more babies were born in 2007 than at any time in U.S. history: 4.31 million births. The previous record for a single year was in 1957 when 4.30 million babies were born.  Read More ...

Spelman College to host Women of Color Conference May 13-14 (BLACK PR WIRE) - LEADS at Spelman College will host the 5th Anniversary Leadership and Women of Color Conference May 13 and 14 in Atlanta to explore how leadership, gender, culture, and economics influence civic engagement for strong communities.  Read More ...

NNPA Award Winners Exhort Black Press to Hold Friends and Enemies Accountable WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The National Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation, giving four top awards during its annual Newsmaker of the Year Awards Gala, was told by those same honorees that its contributions to justice in America is yet untold.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

OurSpace.com officially launches African-American online community Baltimore-based Urban Communications, LLC on March 23 announced the official release of OurSpace.com (www.ourspace.com), formerly a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Portal.  Read More ...

HUD Secretary details housing plan's benefits for African-Americans WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) - Black homeowners who were unfairly targeted for the subprime mortgages that helped topple the American economy now face the threat of similar predatory practices, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan told African-American reporters last week.  Read More ... Zenitha Prince, Contributing Writer

New Orleans chosen as site for 2012 La. Municipal Clerks Association Conference At the 49th annual Louisiana Municipal Clerks Association (LMCA) spring conference in March, the association chose the city of New Orleans to host its annual spring conference in 2012.  Read More ...

Modern Day Slavery INDIANAPOLIS (Special to the NNPA from the Indianapolis Recorder) - Slavery as Blacks know it is permeated with images of Africans stuffed in ships, whipped and beaten beyond recognition, hung on trees and picking cotton. Slavery now has a new face known as human trafficking.  Read More ... Jessica Williams-Gibson, Contributing Writer

Procurement law returns to the federal government At last, the "drought" is over. Procurement laws as it relates to affirmative action and diversity in the business operations of the federal government were abandoned during the second Clinton Administration and with silence by the Congressional Black Caucus.  Read More ... Harry C. Alford, NNPA Columnist

Angela Davis says current prison system must be abolished WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder) - The U.S. prison system, in its present state, must be abolished, says University of California-Santa Cruz Professor Emeritus Angela Davis.  Read More ... Charles Hallman, Contributing Writer

The High Cost of Police Brutality, Rogue Cops Costing Cities Millions LOS ANGELES (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - Abusive cops are costing already cash-strapped cities across the U.S. millions of dollars in settlements but civil rights activists and attorneys warn that the payouts will continue unless the criminal justice system begins to prosecute its out-of-control officers.  Read More ... Charlene Muhammad, Contributing Writer

NAACP Protests NY Post Cartoon Nationwide PHILADELPHIA (Special to the NNPA from the Philadelphia Tribune) - The NAACP is calling for News Corp., which owns the New York Post and recently published a political cartoon - artwork many said was racist - to hire more minorities to ensure such an incident never happens again.  Read More ... Eric Mayes, Contributing Writer

Hate group numbers rise by 54% since 2000, SPLC says The number of hate groups operating in the United States continued to rise in 2008 and has grown by 54 percent since 2000 - an increase fueled last year by immigration fears, a failing economy and the successful campaign of Barack Obama, according to the "Year in Hate" issue of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report released February 26.  Read More ...

Why some black leaders 'hate' President Obama (Special to the NNPA from the Wilmington Journal) - In the aftermath of President Barack Obama's historic address to a joint session of Congress two weeks ago, the reaction to his call for American courage in the face of economic uncertainty has been widely hailed.  Read More ... Cash Michaels, Contributing Writer

Remember Flight 93 heroes during Black History Month and beyond Black History Month is an appropriate time to remember the three African-American crewmembers of United Flight 93 who were among the 40 courageous souls who changed the course of history on 9/11 when their hijacked plane crashed in Shanksville, PA.  Read More ...

Survey of journalists of color shows 92% of respondents believe mainstream media is not effectively covering race relations In a recent survey of journalists of color conducted by the leading African-American website for economic and political news, The Loop 21, and UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc., most respondents do not believe that mainstream media is effectively covering racial issues. Results of the survey were released recently during a special “Race & the Media” panel discussion hosted and presented by the National Press Club’s Eric Friedheim Library.  Read More ...

Stimulus Targets Black, Urban Development WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — It’s been nearly two years since 23-year-old Keisha Smith last worked a full-time job.  Read More ... Zenitha Prince, Contributing Writer

Native Orleanian being pushed for Health Secretary WASHINGTON (NNPA) – House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), the highest ranking Black member of Congress, has asked President Barack Obama to consider the public health-oriented president of a historically Black university for the post of secretary of Health and Human Services.  Read More ... Hazel Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

NAACP: The Next 100 Years WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) - "This awful slaughter" was how Ida B. Wells described lynching, the murderous act of domestic terror which claimed the lives of about 5,000 Black Americans from 1890 to 1960.  Read More ... Sean Yoes, Contributing Writer

Report: Foster Care is a National Priority PORTLAND, Ore. (Special to the NNPA from the Portland Skanner) - The findings from a National Online Harris Poll, commissioned by the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association, show 93 percent of African-Americans believe improving foster care should be a national priority.  Read More ...

CBC Applauds Passage of Stimulus Package as 'Bold' Obama Victory WASHINGTON (NNPA) -  Now that President Barack Obama has succeeded his first major political hurdle from the White House, the passage of the $787 billion economic stimulus bill, the success is being met with strong applause from the Congressional Black Caucus.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Colin Powell addresses immigration at City College NEW YORK (Special to the NNPA from the Amsterdam News) - Anytime a school is lucky enough to have such a prestigious alumnus as Colin Powell return to campus, it's a major event. Powell, whose military and governmental credentials are extraordinary by any standards, was at City College early this month to deliver the keynote address at a conference on immigration. Powell's remarks provided a summary of the "National Concern, Local Action: Immigration Integration in New York" presented by the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies in conjunction with the Carnegie Corporation of New York.  Read More ... Herb Boyd, Contributing Writer

Remember Malcolm Saturday, February 21, marked the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X, one of the world's most committed and visionary freedom fighters  Read More ... Edmund W. Lewis, Editor

On 100th Anniversary, NAACP Challenges First Black President WASHINGTON (NNPA) - Upon its 100th anniversary last week, the NAACP under the leadership of Benjamin Todd Jealous, set aside euphoria over the historic inauguration of the first Black president and challenged the Obama administration on where he stands on human and civil rights issues as they pertain to people of color.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Columnist

White House unveils stimulus package impact on Blacks ST. LOUIS (Special to the NNPA from the St. Louis American)-Responding to an inquiry by the editor of The St. Louis American newspaper, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood last week outlined portions of the $827 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that he says will specifically impact the Black community.  Read More ...

African American History Collection offered online In celebration of Black History Month, Footnote.com is launching its African American History Collection. Footnote.com has been working with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C., to digitize records that provide a view into the lives of African Americans that few have seen before.  Read More ...

Former Transit Cop Arrested in Oakland Shooting OAKLAND (Special to the NNPA from GIN) - The arrest and filing of murder charges against the former transit officer, whose New Year's Day shooting of an unarmed Black man was captured on cell phone videos and spread around the world, brought a small measure of relief to a diverse, national group demanding his full prosecution.  Read More ... Charlene Muhammad, Contributing Writer

New analysis finds that Blacks are markedly more religious than overall U.S. population On the eve of Black History Month, the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life released a new analysis that paints a detailed religious portrait of African Americans. The analysis finds that Black Americans are markedly more religious than the U.S. population as a whole on a variety of measures, including reporting a religious affiliation, attendance at religious services, frequency of prayer and the importance of religion in people's lives.  Read More ...

New survey reveals America's growing interest in Black history Obama inauguration spurs Americans' desire to learn more This year, Black History Month is celebrated on the heels of the historic inauguration of the nation's first African-American president. While this moment in history was made possible because of the struggles of people from all walks of life, a new survey shows that a large percentage of U.S. residents are unaware of the African-American contribution to the American story. While the significance of the inauguration committee's special invitation to the Tuskegee Airmen and the Little Rock Nine was lost on many, a recent study conducted on behalf of the Washington, D.C.-based African American Experience Fund (AAEF) of the National Park Foundation shows a broad based interest in learning more about African-American history.  Read More ...

During Black History Month, Civil rights coalition seeks change in U.S. high schools The Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), a national coalition of civil rights organizations focused on high school reform, is looking to Congress during Black History Month to take the action necessary to close the achievement gap for African-American students.  Read More ...

Are Blacks expecting too much from Pres. Obama? "Hello. My Name is Freida. I am a 52 years young black female that had 3 strokes and [I am] doing fine right now. I am a full time stay at home artist...I have sent you a copy of my hero, Sir Barackster. I created him on November 1, because I felt he would be the hero."  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

63% of Blacks who attend inauguration say Obama presidency reflects improved race relations, poll finds As an estimated two million inaugural attendees witnessed the first African American be sworn into office as president of the United States, scores of Blacks celebrated the historic occasion by attending the inaugural festivities-many for the first time, according to a new TV One/National Association of Black Journalists Inaugural Poll.  Read More ...

Elderly Katrina survivor was determined to be 'in that number' It is January 14, 2009. Clothilde Mack, 92, sits in her warm, sunny front room. Her effervescent personality bubbles up into laughter, warm words, tender smiles and well wishes. She is lively, filled with a youthful joyousness. She and her cousin James Martin are headed to Washington, D.C., by train to be with her 76-year-old cousin, Grace Bradford, so she can be as close to the inauguration site as possible, considering it’s a standing-room-only event in frigid cold and considering standing is not an option for her or her cousin, both of whom have walking canes.  Read More ... Valentine Pierce, Contributing Writer

They Came from Near and Afar for 'History in the Making' WASHINGTON (NNPA) — In high school George Bacon had to fight. He fought for equality and justice when his hometown school was desegregated. Decades later, Bacon this week prepared to witness the manifestation of what he fought for as Barack Obama is sworn-in as the first African- American president.  Read More ... Jamisha Purdy, NNPA Special Correspondent

Change celebrated at star-studded Black Press gala WASHINGTON (NNPA) — When credits are ultimately given for the historic rise of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States, the Black Press will be among those on the list.  Read More ... Brandon D. Hall and Gordon Jackson, NNPA Special Correspondents

Obamas shatter racial stereotypes as America struggles to become 'One' WASHINGTON (NNPA) — The over 500,000 Americans of all colors spread from the statue of Abraham Lincoln down to the Washington Monument for the “We Are One” opening concert on January 8 was a visually striking mosaic of a nation long divided by race and class coming together on the eve of the inauguration of its first African-American president.  Read More ... Vern E. Smith, NNPA Special Correspondent

High Court to review Voting Rights Act Political, civil rights leaders Fear 'Disenfranchisement' WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — Civil rights leaders and a leading scholar on Black politics said that if the U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of a case that challenges a central provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Blacks will encounter widespread discrimination in trying to assert their political rights.  Read More ... James Wright, Contributing Writer

President Obama Expresses Hope to 'Remake' America WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Barack Hussein Obama—a Black man—was inaugurated the 44th President of the United States on Tuesday before a historic crowd of at least 1.5 million people.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Martin Luther King III: 'We've got to roll Up Our Sleeves' WASHINGTON (NNPA) — On the verge of commemorating the Martin Luther King National Holiday January 19, Martin Luther King III, has declared “We’ve got to roll up our sleeves” during what he describes as “a very special period in the history of our nation and world.”  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Nation prepares to usher in a new era of hope, progressive change Not even frigid temperatures or nightmarish travel problems have dampened the spirits of an unprecedented five million Americans who descended on Washington, DC over the weekend to witness the culmination of a dream that dates back to at least 1619, when 20 African men, women and children arrived in Jamestown, Virginia as indentured servants.  Read More ...

Local Delta chapter hosts national president at Founders Day observance “Who would have ever thought?”  The questioned resounded throughout the Ritz Carlton earlier this month, as the 24th National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Cynthia Butler-McIntyre addressed an audience of more than 450 guests.   Read More ... Adrell Lawrence Pinkney, Ph.D., Contributing Writer

Days Before Historic Inauguration, Congressional Black Caucus Anticipates Greater Power WASHINGTON (NNPA)—The 41-member Congressional Black Caucus, which often describes itself as the “conscience of the Congress,” is anticipating a power surge this week as one of its former members takes the oath of office as president of the United States.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Southern states take the lead in illegal gun trafficking Nearly one in every three guns traced by federal agents in 2006 and 2007 during crime investigations was purchased in a state other than where the crime was committed, said the report, titled “The Movement of Illegal Guns In America: The Link between Gun Laws and Interstate Trafficking”. Read More ... Jesse Muhammad, Contributing Writer

‘Barack the Magic Negro’ CD stirs controversy A candidate for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee is drawing fire for distributing a CD to members that features a song called “Barack the Magic Negro.” The story broke Dec. 26, 2008 on the Web site of The Hill newspaper, a publication that covers the U.S. Congress and the neighborhood around the U.S. Capitol. Read More ... James Wright, Contributing Writer

The Legendary Eartha Kitt Succumbs to Colon Cancer  Read More ...

Monkey in a noose is last straw for St. Paul's black firefighters ST. PAUL, Minn. (Special to the NNPA from the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder) - A stuffed monkey found last August hanging from a noose inside a St. Paul Fire Department service garage on Energy Park Drive is still under investigation, officials say. Based on the department's previous responses to racial incidents, Black firefighters are concerned that this occurrence will be "swept under the rug" like similar complaints in the past.  Read More ... Charles Hallman, Contributing Writer

Black state legislators looking for economic bailout - 'In the neighborhood' WASHINGTON (NNPA) - They clearly won't have it by Christmas, but the nation's Black state legislators are now looking for what they perceive as their fair share of an economic bailout 'the neighborhood' while Congress is doling them out to corporations. Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

What's behind the drop in home sales? It might be more than hard times WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - The largest drop in home sales on record, a 3.1 percent decrease in October, reported by the National Association of Realtors, raised questions about whether the culprit is consumer hesitation or the cut in down payment assistance programs.  Read More ... Nisa Islam Muhammad, Contriibuting Writer

Racial consciousness of Black and Asian Americans compared Asian Americans are less attached to their racial identity than Black Americans. This finding confirms that minority politics in the United States today is more complex than generally realized and that understanding the increasingly multicultural nature of the U.S. requires perspectives that incorporate, but go beyond, the Black historical experience.  Read More ...

Mumbai mayhem draws pleas for sanity KARACHI (Special to the NNPA from IPS) - The pattern is all too familiar. Every time India and Pakistan head toward dialogue and détente, something explosive happens that pushes peace to the backburner and drags them back to the familiar old tense relationship, worsened by sabre-rattling war cries from both sides.  Read More ... Beena Sarwar, Contributing Writer

The average Black American is 80% African and 20% European, study finds (Taylor Media Services) - On average, American Blacks are genetically 80 percent of African ancestry and 20 percent of European ancestry. These findings were part of a recently released study on something known as "gene expression." The research was headed by Alkes L. Price of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts.  Read More ...

Electors Officially Set Barack Obama as America's 44th President WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) - Members of the Electoral College were to cast their ballots on Monday, December 15, officially certifying Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States and Joe Biden as vice president.  Read More ... Sean Yoes, Contributing Writer

AALP's 2008 Kwanzaa season focuses on the Obama election As has become its tradition, the African American Leadership Project will open the 2008 Kwanzaa season with a celebration of the first principle - Umoja, or Unity - on Friday  December 26, at 6:30p.m. at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center. The AALP is recommending to all who celebrate it that the emphasis of Kwanzaa 2008 be on exploring how the seven principles of Kwanzaa (the Nguzo Saba) were at work during the Obama election, and the power of African Americans when moved and unified by a common purpose.  Read More ...

Black Nationalism rocks the nerves of certain black people When reading the near-maniacal reactions by commentators such as Juan Williams, Stanley Crouch and their equally terrified cohorts in journalistic, academic and cultural circles on even the slightest expression of Black Nationalism, I remember a column I wrote 22 years ago on the "Need for Black Nationalism." Excerpts are as follows:  Read More ... A. Peter Bailey, NNPA Columnist

African-Americans not exempt from international terrorism LONDON (NNPA) - In the wake of last week's terrorist killings of nearly 300 people at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, India's largest city, Black leaders are pressing for more information and cautioning African Americans to be clear that they are not exempt as targets at home or abroad.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

State of the Black World: Accepting our responsibility (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - Beyond egos, competing agendas and differing ideologies, the Black Nation should unite behind common principles to more effectively serve the needs of Black people, Minister Louis Farrakhan said during his keynote address wrapping up the State of the Black World Conference II on Nov. 23 at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.  Read More ... Ashahed M. Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Prosecutor: Black man's dragging death no hate crime PARIS, Texas (Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Examiner) - Bitterness and anger remains at a boiling point more than two months after friends, family and supporters learned the fate of Brandon McClelland, the 24-year-old African- American killed in a case similar to the infamous James Byrd murder that took place in Jasper 10 years ago. Participants at two protest rallies and a town hall meeting held Monday displayed strong resentment toward the Lamar County District Attorney's office regarding their resistance to call the case a hate crime.  Read More ... Gordon Jackson, Contributing Writer

Symposium rediscovers works of legendary author DALLAS (Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Examiner) - While the late prolific Native Son and Black Boy author Richard Wright has been regarded by many as a legend in his own time, nationally renowned scholars converged at the African-American Museum in Fair Park to boldly deliver the message that Wright remains a modern-day legend as well.  Read More ... Gordon Jackson, Contributing Writer

Slaves built the White House (Special to the NNPA from the Richmond Free Press) - When the new First Family takes up residence in the White House in January, Barack and Michelle Obama and their daughters will be living in a historic mansion that was built in large measure with slave labor. From the early 1790s when the cornerstone of the White House was laid, to the mansion's rebuilding in 1815 after a ruinous fire, the talent and labor of African-American slaves went into creating what is still considered today as America's finest 18th-century stone building.  Read More ... Bonnie V. Winston, Contributing Writer

Some not phased by misguided 'no snitch' street laws WASHINGTON (NNPA) - "I was parked at the Dental school. I heard screaming in the ally next to the Annex 2 building. The lady came running out and the guy rode off on a bike. I called 911. Then I called to the lady but she ran in the opposite direction. She then came back crying; her clothes all ripped up. She said he took all her money and tried to rape her."  Read More ... Allexthea I. Carter, NNPA Special Correspondent

Racist Incidents Increase in the Wake of Obama's Election The rise in racist incidents - from university campuses to police stations - is a sobering reminder that despite the election of Barack Obama, there are still a lot of sick people out there stuck in the Stone Age. Read More ... George E Curry, NNPA Columnist

Interest in white supremacist groups rise, Expert Predicts More Growth WASHINGTON (NNPA) - Since Barack Obama's historic win as America's first Black president, there has been a membership hike in White supremacist groups, according the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks and monitors hate groups across the nation.  Read More ... Jamisha Purdy, NNPA Special Correspondent

Initiative seeks more equitable treatment in the justice system A new campaign hopes to reverse a disturbing trend, a trend that predicts that one in three Black males born today can expect to spend time in prison during his lifetime.  Read More ...

Immigrants' rights groups sue Dept. of Homeland Security The Stanford Immigrants' Rights Clinic, together with a host of other civil rights groups, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court to urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to disclose information about a program under which it removes non-citizens from the U.S. without hearings before immigration judges.  Read More ...

We have pled our own cause On Election Day, I was riding in a cab on Georgia Avenue in Washington, D.C. when I saw, at a red light, about a dozen African-American kindergartners crossing in front of the car.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Jackson and Sharpton Say Their Activist Roles Will Not Change WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, viewed as perhaps the highest profiled civil rights leaders in the nation, both say their roles will not change as America beholds its first Black president.  Read More ... Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Obama's tells black folk: 'You Have Done This' (NNPA) - In perhaps the most candid direct message to Black people since his Democratic nomination, then Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama, on election eve Monday, credited Black voters for his historic political rise, promising to make a difference in their lives if elected.  Read More ... By Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Black and Civil Rights leaders' wish list of issues for new president WASHINGTON (NNPA) - Despite the clear mandate that America's new president prioritize the reparation of the economy, jobs and tax-related issues, many other issues deserve top billing, say Black political observers.  Read More ... By Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Million Man March spirit still alive through 'peaceoholics' WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - For the third year in a row the Peaceoholics organized a month of atonement activities in celebration of the Million Man March with a March for Unity through the main street of the poorest community in the nation's capital.  Read More ... By Nisa Islam Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Skinheads arrested for plotting to assassinate Sen. Obama WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — Two neo-Nazi skinheads plotted a national killing spree that would have ended in the shooting deaths of 88 African Americans, decapitation of 14 more, and culminated in the assassination of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, federal authorities have announced.  Read More ... By George E Curry, Contributing Writer

Millions to vote in election, African Americans expected to lead the way WASHINGTON (NNPA) — For the first time in American history, millions of voters will cast their ballots on Tuesday in an election in which an African American is the nominee of a major political party, fulfilling the long-held dreams of civil rights veterans. Read More ... By Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

U.S. cities rife with inequity, U.N. charges Major cities in the United States, such as Atlanta, New Orleans, Washington D.C., Miami, and New York, have the highest levels of inequality in the country, similar to those of Abidjan, Nairobi, Buenos Aires, and Santiago. At the other end of the world, Beijing is considered to be the most equal city in the world while, on average, the most egalitarian cities in the world are located in Western Europe.  Read More ...

'Where's the outrage!' Pleads NAACP President SAN ANTONIO (Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Examiner) - New NAACP President Ben Jealous has already been getting that question: that if Senator Barack Obama is successful at becoming the nation's first African-American president, will there be a need anymore for an organization like the NAACP?  Read More ... By Gordon Jackson Contributing Writer

Jesse Jackson says financial crisis threatens U.S. superpower status EVIAN, France (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — Jesse Jackson told an international gathering of world leaders this week that the turbulence on Wall Street is symptomatic of deeper financial problems that may threaten the United States’ ability to function as an effective world leader.  Read More ... By George E Curry, Contributing Writer

Farrakhan to expand Nation of Islam membership CHICAGO (NNPA) — As the message of “change” resonates throughout America, the African-American Muslim community may be in line for a change of its own.  Read More ... By Stephanie Gadlin, NNPA Special Correspondent

U.S. Military Plans for Africa Losing Steam (Special to the NNPA from GIN) — The highly-touted U.S. Africa Command known as “AFRICOM” became operational this week but appears to have lost significant support and funds.  Read More ...

Black America 'gets pneumonia' in cold economic climate WASHINGTON (NNPA) — As the Black unemployment rate leaped another eight percentage points last month – from 10.6 percent to 11.4 percent, the white unemployment rate actually remained the same — at 5.4 percent, less than half the rate for Blacks.  Read More ... By Natalie A. Thompson and Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Special Correspondent and NNP

Poll shows women bear brunt of nation's stress, financial downturn, new poll finds The declining state of the nation’s economy is taking a physical and emotional toll on people nationwide, yet it is women who are bearing the brunt of financial stress, according to data from the American Psychological Association’s newly released 2008 Stress in America survey.  Read More ...

Senate passes Landrieu-backed Emmett Till Bill The United States Senate on Wednesday passed the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act by unanimous consent, following a long period of partisan delay. United States Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., was a co-sponsor of the legislation, which authorizes $13.5 million for the Justice Department's prosecution of unsolved Civil Rights-era murders and strengthens the coordination between federal, state and local law enforcement to solve such crimes. The bill adds resources for the Justice Department to more effectively investigate and prosecute unsolved cases involving racially-motivated killings that took place before January 1, 1970.  Read More ...

The Long Hard Road to Race-Free Politics in America A cartoon published in the early 1960s depicted a Black boy saying to a White boy: "I'll sell you my chance to be President of the United States for a nickel."  Read More ... By Marian Wright Edelman, NNPA Columnist

CBC forum addresses minority healthcare disparities WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from Blackcollegeview.com) - Every 30 seconds someone in the United States dies from heart disease. According to Clyde Yancy, incoming president of the American Heart Association, 60 percent of attendees at the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Caucus forum, "Heart Matters", will die from some form of cardiovascular failure.  Read More ... By Natalie A. Thompson, Contributing Writer

Anti-Poverty agenda still not priority in tough economic times (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - The number of Americans living in poverty increased last year, but advocates for the poor say the situation is more desperate than the rising numbers.  Read More ... By Charlene Muhammad, Contributing Writer

U. S. Navy ship named for 'Men of Honor' hero; USNS Carl Brashear honors first black master diver SAN DIEGO (NNPA) - The morning sun shone hot on the guests assembled on the high, crowded platform and DaWayne Brashear was "walking on clouds." About 20 yards away, a huge ship bearing the letters T-AKE and the number 7 stood like a skyscraper laid on its side, on a ramp that sloped gently down toward San Diego Bay.  Read More ... By Eric Addison, NNPA Special Correspondent

14-year-old challenges grown folks to rock the vote this fall She could have spent her free time hanging out at the mall with her friends, going to the movies, channel surfing or texting the members of her inner circle.  Read More ...

Sharpton's Rallying Cry: 'We Will Never Have This Opportunity Again' WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The Rev. Al Sharpton, saying "We'll never have this opportunity again," took to the streets for what appeared to be an emergency cross country tour this week, hoping to rejuvenate the Obama excitement that appeared to have significantly waned after the Democratic National Convention last month.  Read More ... By Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Much remains undone 45 years after 'Dream' speech DENVER (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - A Who's Who list of spiritual leaders, politicians, activists and actors paid tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and commemorated the 45th Anniversary of the March on Washington with a Unity Prayer Breakfast at the Colorado Convention Center during the Democratic National Convention.  Read More ... By Charlene Muhammad

Madam C.J. Walker descendant helps sistahs get in touch with hair, soul DALLAS (Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Examiner) - There's much ado about a hair-do, especially when it concerns African-American woman and their self-esteem. A'Lelia Bundles has served a twofold purpose in addressing Black woman and their hair. Bundles' strong pedigree makes her more than qualified. She is a fourth generational descendant of Madam C.J. Walker, the woman who built a multi-million dollar empire and revolutionized the Black hair care industry.  Read More ... By Gordon Jackson

83 years later, La. Weekly remains true to its purpose For more than eight decades, The Louisiana Weekly has been a voice for African Americans throughout Louisiana. From its establishment in 1925, the newspaper has been hailed as one of the most dynamic outlets for issues of critical importance to those constrained by bigotry and discrimination in the southern United States. Read More ... 1 opinion posted

Rev. Dr. Simmie Lee Harvey, SCLC founder, dies The Rev. Dr. Simmie Lee Harvey, a founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and longtime veteran of the historic Civil Rights Movement, passed away on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, due to complications from a massive stroke. He was 90.  Read More ...

Despite challenges, most Black women are confident in their ability to achieve their financial goals Most Black women are confident in their ability to achieve their financial goals, but obligations to others combined with a tendency to spend are complicating their saving and investing efforts, according to the results of a nationwide survey released today by the ING Foundation.  Read More ...

State of the Black World' Conference Aims to Set Post-Election Black Agenda WASHINGTON (NNPA) - Unemployment for Black people has crept back into double digits for the first time in three years; currently 10.6 percent in comparison to the 5.4 percent unemployment rate of Whites and the 8 percent rate of Hispanics.  Read More ... By Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Jackson, Sharpton have no prime time speaking roles at Democratic Convention Democratic and Obama campaign officials confirmed this week that neither the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. nor the Rev. Al Sharpton, two former presidential candidates and arguably the most high-profiled Black political and civil rights spokespeople in the nation, are slated to speak during primetime sessions of the Democratic National Convention, where Obama, the nation's first African-American will receive the presidential nomination Aug. 28. Read More ... By Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Democrats Descend on Denver, Convention Highlights Include Obama on Mile High "Millions of Americans are facing tough challenges every day [and] they know we can't afford four more years of the same old divisive politics that are light on policy specifics and ways to help people and heavy on cynicism and negativity," said Convention Co-Chair and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius about the themes in a statement. Read More ... By Zenitha Prince, Contributing Writer

SCLC President says Dr. King Left a Business Plan for Success NEW ORLEANS (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers)  - Charles Steele Jr., president of Dr. Martin Luther King's old organization, said the slain civil rights leader left behind a "business plan" for Black economic success.  Read More ... By George E Curry, Contributing Writer

Obama to utilize barber shops, and beauty salons to register voters There are currently more than eight million Black Americans across the nation  who are not registered to vote, representing 32 percent of eligible Black voters. In the spirit of meeting people where they live, the Barbershop and Beauty Salon initiative is just one of the innovative ways the Obama campaign is working to increase voter participation this fall. Read More ... By Edmund W. Lewis, Editor

Racial disparities in high-cost lending remain entrenched, new study shows According to the report, minorities are paying more for mortgages, even as their income levels increase.  Loan price disparities, as compared to white counterparts, were more common for middle to upper-income (MUI) African-American and Hispanic borrowers than pricing disparities were for low- and moderate-income minority borrowers. Read More ...

Rising energy costs disproportionately impacting minority households Since 2001, energy costs for the average U.S.  household have more than doubled, and sharply escalating gasoline prices are straining the budgets of lower- and middle-class minority families. Those are the findings of a new study released July 25 by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) during a press conference in Chicago.  Read More ...

Consumer rights group says 'tort reforms' are racially discriminatory The Center for Justice & Democracy (CJ&D), a nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer rights organization, late last month announced the publication of "The Racial Implication of Tort Reform" in the most recent edition of the Washington University Journal of Law & Policy (25 Wash. U. J.L. & Pol'y 161 (2007)). The groundbreaking law review article, written by CJ&D executive director Joanne Doroshow and CJ&D Policy Analyst Amy Widman, finds, "Whether discussing the impact of typical 'tort reform' proposals or the broad rhetoric used to support restrictions on legal rights, racial prejudice lurks behind the 'tort reform' movement."  Read More ...

CNN special, "Black in America,' falls short of the truth, author says "The CNN Special, 'Black in America,' barely scratched the surface on the issue of racism in America," claims H.J. Harris, author of America the Racist?, a new book that takes a bare-knuckles approach to addressing racism. "The root causes of racism and its impact on the lives of Black Americans is much more complicated and profound," he added.  Read More ...

Urban League calls for September as Voter Registration Month, applauds new Housing Act WASHINGTON (NNPA) - National Urban League President Marc Morial, exuberant that the Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act has been passed by Congress and signed by President Bush, says the NUL annual conference in Orlando, Fla., this week will focus on leading citizens into a new direction for America by compelling people to register and vote.  Read More ... By Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Obama Promises Urban League: The White House Will Be 'The People's House' It was two days of raw political campaigning by both candidates for the Black audience thirsting to hear perspectives on socio-economic issues. Marc Morial, NUL president and CEO, sat on a stool close to the podium as both candidates spoke. Morial then asked them questions based on issues included in the NUL's "Opportunity Compact", a comprehensive report on the state of Black America, which includes extensive research data and policy recommendations. Read More ... By Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

NAACP Legal Defense Fund's new guide to serve as a minority voter protection tool The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) on Tuesday announced the release of "Tearing Down Obstacles to Democracy & Protecting Minority Voters," a guide which highlights a core feature of the Voting Rights Act ˜ the Section 5 preclearance provision. Read More ...

Teenagers initiate self-help plans in wake of HIV/AIDS Although African-Americans represent only 16 percent of U.S. teens, they represented 69 percent of all new AIDS cases reported among teens in 2005. Dr. Helen Gayle, founder of CARE said, "There is a lack of youth tailored prevention programs that relate to the youth culture." Read More ... By LaGloria Wheatfall, Contributing Writer

New evidence collected in 1946 lynching   Dallas -  (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - State and federal investigators have been gathering evidence in what has been called the last documented mass lynching in the United States: a slaying of four Black people that has remained unsolved for more than 60 years. Read More ... By Jesse Muhammad, Contributing Writer

Ceremonies for wrongfully Convicted black soldiers held PORTLAND, Ore. (Special to the NNPA from The Skanner) - U.S. Army Assistant Secretary Ronald James - the highest-ranking African-American - will be keynote speaker and preside over the official ceremonies in Seattle to restore the military honors of dozens of African-American soldiers wrongfully convicted in the Fort Lawson murder of an Italian prisoner of war in 1944. Read More ...

Jesse Jackson Repents for His 'Locker Room, Trash Talk' About Obama, but Calls His Perspective 'Loving Criticism'   WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., expressing sorrow for a vulgar remark that he made concerning presidential hopeful Barack Obama, says his only intent was to point out the need to balance campaign talk about self-responsibility and faith-based initiatives in the Black community with talk about the crisis that America's Black communities are now suffering. Read More ... By Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

Bond continues to scorch Bush Administration   "A recent survey confirms that our work is both valuable and valued. The NAACP has the highest favorability of 17 organizations working in the civil rights arena. The NAACP is viewed favorably by almost all Blacks - 94 percent, including 70 percent who view it very favorably," he said. Read More ... By Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

The racial legacy of Jesse Helms RALEIGH, N.C. (Special to the NNPA from the Carolinian) - Up until and including his final burial this week, those on the conservative right, including President Bush, lauded the late former Sen. Jesse Helms as a "great American" and "patriot."  Read More ... By Cash Michaels

NAACP holds National 'Day of Action' against mortgage discrimination NAACP units across the country participated in a national 'Day of Action' against discriminatory mortgage lending July 2 by demanding that several of the nation's top lenders - including Citi, HSBC, WaMu, GMAC and JP Morgan - make amends for discriminating against African-American borrowers and eliminate discriminatory polices and practices for good.  Read More ...

UN investigator on racism completes U. S. tour   UNITED NATIONS (Special to the NNPA from the Final Call) - Doudou Diene, a Sengalese lawyer and the United Nations Human Rights Council special rapporteur on racism, has completed a tour of eight American cities, where he gathered firsthand information on issues related to racial discrimination and xenophobia. Read More ... By Saeed Shabazz

New study gives surprising look at Black America today   According to one of the largest-ever studies of Black America, 70 percent of African Americans already have a plan for their future. The survey was released June 27 by Radio One Inc., the study's sponsor, and Yankelovich, the Chapel Hill-based research firm. Read More ...

July 4th for Black America: 'A Day Late and a Dollar Short'   WASHINGTON (NNPA) - As flags flew in special commemoration and fireworks boom in the streets last week, many people across the nation - including Black newspaper publishers -reflected on the freedoms that have been gained since the July 4, 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence - but also on the promises that are yet unfulfilled. Read More ... By Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

NAACP President-Elect says, "We Have Serious Work to Do" LOUISVILLE (NNPA) - NAACP President-elect Benjamin Todd Jealous, applauded by members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association for whom he once served as executive director, says Black organizations must work hand in hand in order to increase the NAACP membership and fight the ills of racism still pervasive in America. Read More ... By Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Editor-in-Chief

What Black Men Think: Film is a wake-up call to the African-American community    DALLAS (Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Examiner) - "More than 100 years ago, Harriet Tubman was quoted as saying that: 'If I could have convinced more slaves that they really were slaves, I could have freed thousands more.' As you sit there in awe and wonder, questioning your ancestor's inability to be aware of the tragedy of their own circumstance, this I tell you and I tell you to be true, that 100 years from now, your descendents will look upon you with the same distain, questioning, how could you have let this happen? How could you have bought into the false castigation that keeps you from one another?" said Janks Morton, "You sit idly by and watch your media distort your images. You know that the government stratifies you. You know that the Black leadership exploits you. And you chose to do nothing. Or maybe, you don't know. After today, there shall be no more excuses...because after today, you will know.  Read More ... By Robyn H. Jimenez, Contributing Writer

Revius Ortique Jr., first Black La. Supreme Court justice, dies at 84 Revius Ortique Jr., a former civil rights attorney and World War II veteran who became the first Black justice on the Louisiana Supreme Court, died Sunday, June 22. Read More ...

Study compares online behavior of connected Hispanics, Blacks and general market consumers Despite the much cited “digital divide,” many multicultural consumers in the U.S. are getting much more active online but in different ways, according to new research from global market research firm Synovate.  Read More ...

LDF celebrates important civil rights victory in Texas voting rights case The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) on Friday, May 30, welcomed the victory in a legal challenge to the recently reauthorized core preclearance provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District v Number One v. Mukasey. Read More ...

Finding Blacks gone missing Tamika Huston went missing in the late spring of 2004, disappearing from the Spartanburg, S.C., area. The 24-year-old’s remains would be found by police a year later in a wooded area after her boyfriend confessed to her murder.  Read More ... By Taaq Kirksey

Remembering Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall Growing up as the son of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, John Marshall said he didn’t win a lot of arguments in his home. As a teen, he thought he had finally won a dispute that would result in his father getting him a mini-bike. Read More ... By Angela Swinson Lee

L. Douglas Wilder Richmond Mayor Doug Wilder ends 40-year public service career with mixed legacy Mayor L. Douglas Wilder brought down the curtain on his nearly 40-year political career — and ensured that voters in Richmond will elect a new city leader in the November elections.  Read More ... By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Ben Jealous NAACP new head committed to fighting for justice On Saturday, May 17, Ben Jealous, a former news executive and civil rights activist, became the 17th president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He is the youngest person to serve the NAACP in that capacity. Read More ... By Edmund W. Lewis