Excerpts from the Book “Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925” By George Robert Fosty and Darril Fosty
(BlackIce. com) The colored Hockey League of the Maritimes was formed in 1895 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Complete Story...
Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925
August 22, 2007 by BBN Editors,
AIDS Among Latinos on Rise. Hispanics in U.S. Face Unique Obstacles to Diagnosis, Treatment.
July 23, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) AIDS rates in the nation's Latino community are increasing and, with little notice, have reached what experts are calling a simmering public health crisis.
Though Hispanics make up about 14 percent of the U. S. population, they represented 22 percent of new HIV and AIDS diagnoses tallied by federal officials in 2006.
So far, the toll of AIDS in the nation's largest and fastest-growing minority population has mostly been overshadowed by the epidemic among African Americans and gay white men. More...
After 60 years, black military officers rare. Just 10 blacks have attained 4-star rank; low interest in combat jobs cited.
July 23, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(AP/msnbc) Sixty years after President Truman desegregated the military, senior black officers are still rare, particularly among the highest ranks.
Blacks make up about 17 percent of the total force, yet just 9 percent of all officers. That fraction falls to less than 6 percent for general officers with one to four stars, according to data obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press.
The rarity of blacks in the top ranks is apparent in one startling statistic: Only one of the 38 four-star generals or admirals serving as of May was black. And just 10 black men have ever gained four-star rank — five in the Army, four in the Air Force and one in the Navy, according to the Pentagon. More...
(NYC not Deep South, U.S.) "Obama 'is my slave' shirt sparks lawsuit threat." Israeli-born shirt designer Doron Braunshtein: “I can’t stand Obama. He reminds me of Adolf Hitler.”
July 17, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyc-metro) When a 25-year-old Manhattan graduate student who was assaulted Tuesday night got dressed that morning, she probably didn’t anticipate that her T-shirt would provoke four teens into shoving her, pulling out her earphones and spitting in her face.
Then again, with a shirt sporting the slogan, “Obama is my slave,” it may have been wise to consider the possibility.
Now she’s suing the $69 shirt’s designer, Apollo Braun, for “all he’s got,” the designer claims.
But the Israeli-born Braun — born Doron Braunshtein — says what allegedly happened to his now-disgruntled customer isn’t his fault — and that his outrageous design reflects not his views but those of “ordinary WASPs. ”
“For a lot of people, when they see Obama, they see a slave. More...
Poll Finds Obama’s Run Isn’t Closing Divide on Race
July 16, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Americans are sharply divided by race heading into the first election in which an African-American will be a major-party presidential nominee, with blacks and whites holding vastly different views of Senator Barack Obama, the state of race relations and how black Americans are treated by society, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
The results of the poll, conducted against the backdrop of a campaign in which race has been a constant if not always overt issue, suggested that Mr. Obama’s candidacy, while generating high levels of enthusiasm among black voters, is not seen by them as evidence of significant improvement in race relations.
After years of growing political polarization, much of the divide in American politics is partisan. But Americans’ perceptions of the fall presidential election between Mr. More...
(Latina Lista) Latino bloggers wait for presidential candidates' response to special survey on issues pertinent to Latino electorate.
July 15, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(LatinaLista. com) Depending on the source, recent headlines have touted Obama and McCain of either "pandering" for the Latino vote or "courting" it.
Given that both men have been or will be appearing at national Latino or Latino-participant events (NALEO, LULAC, NCLR, UNITY 08), it's obvious they both want to be seen as supporting Latino causes.
But do they really? Do they dare to make their true stands on the issues known before November 4, 2008?
Each claims that he has but while speeches touch on issues of interest to Latinos, in true political style, the issues are acknowledged but not explored. Talk with no substance. More...
Black community in Ohio denied water for decades,jury says. Residents were denied public water service for decades out of racial discrimination.
July 14, 2008 by editor (View Source)
Residents of a mostly black neighborhood in rural Ohio were awarded nearly $11 million Thursday by a federal jury that found local authorities denied them public water service for decades out of racial discrimination. Each of the 67 plaintiffs was awarded $15,000 to $300,000, depending on how long they had lived in the Coal Run neighborhood, about 5 miles east of Zanesville in Muskingum County in east-central Ohio.
The money covers both monetary losses and the residents' pain and suffering between 1956, when water lines were first laid in the area, and 2003, when Coal Run got public water.
The lawsuit was filed in 2003 after the Ohio Civil Rights Commission concluded the residents were victims of discrimination. The city, county and East Muskingum Water Authority all denied it and noted that many residents in the lightly populated county don't have public water. More...
(UPDATE) NY City Medical Examiner: Ms. Esmin Green died of blood clots caused by inactivity after sitting in NYC Hospital for more than 24 hours unattended. Family, friends and well-wishers prepare f
July 13, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(jamaicaobserver) ESMIN Green, the Jamaican woman who died on the floor of Kings County Hospital in New York, will be buried today after a service at the Duxes Seventh-day Adventist Church in St Catherine at mid-day.
Her body was flown to Jamaica last Tuesday after a memorial service held in Brooklyn, New York.
Sebert Dennis, Green's stepfather, told the Sunday Observer that the family had a prayer meeting at his house in Duxes on Friday night. He said they were also expecting a large gathering of mourners today, and that a tent had been erected outside the church to accommodate the overflow. He also noted that time had been allotted in the programme for tributes. More...
Immigration comes to fore for McCain, Obama. Both candidates have walked a tightrope on immigration reform.
July 09, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(dmn) After months of treading softly on immigration, Barack Obama put the issue center stage Tuesday when he accused John McCain of setting aside years of support for a guest-worker program to appease conservatives and further his presidential ambition.
The attack, delivered to a major Hispanic group, served the dual purpose of broadening Mr. Obama's appeal to a critical segment of the electorate, while chipping away at his rival's image as a maverick and reformer.
"He used to buck his party on immigration . . More...
(Nutrition) The Challenge of Summertime Nutrition. Why is childhood nutrition tougher in the summertime than during the rest of the year?
July 06, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) As my 9-year-old daughter began summer day camp last week, we talked about swimming rules, sunscreen and . . . cheese fries.
It was at summer camp a few years ago that she first experienced the culinary joy of cheese fries, which can pack 800 or more calories in a serving. More...
To Poor To Parent. Child-welfare system is largely classist and racist.
July 06, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(Gaylynn Burroughs/huffpo) A child accidentally falls off his top bunk. His mother worries. The child says his knee hurts, and it looks like a bruise is forming on his arm. His mother wants a doctor to see the child, but hesitates for a moment about taking her son to the hospital emergency room.
She is afraid that her child's treating physician will not believe her when she says that her child was hurt in an accident. More...
Could you pass the latest citizenship test? Take the test.
July 02, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(msnbc) In October 2008 a new version of the U. S. citizenship test will be taken by all applicants. Could you pass it? The questions are usually selected from a list of 100 samples that prospective citizens can look at ahead of the interview. Some are easy, some are not. More...
Supreme Court Lifts 32 Year Ban on Handguns in DC. Until today, DC had one of the strictest gun laws in the nation.
June 26, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(BBN Editors) For a history of DC's gun law, click on View Source - it's worth a read. . . . (Washington Post) The Supreme Court, splitting along ideological lines, today declared that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to own guns for self-defense, striking down the District of Columbia's ban on handgun ownership as unconstitutional. More...
Opposition to Menthol Cigarettes Grows. Joseph A. Califano Jr.,: "Legislation clearly was putting black children in the back of the bus.”
June 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Seven former federal health secretaries joined on Wednesday to protest menthol’s special treatment in a tobacco bill pending in Congress.
The seven, from Democratic and Republican administrations, faxed a letter to members of the Senate and House of Representatives demanding that menthol-flavored cigarettes be banned just like various other cigarette flavorings the legislation would outlaw.
One of the former secretaries, Joseph A. Califano Jr. , said the legislation was “clearly putting black children in the back of the bus. More...
Latinos hit by high rate of on-job deaths. South Carolina had the highest death rate in the nation, and North Carolina was fifth.
June 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(citizentimes) Hispanic workers die at higher rates than other laborers, with one in three of these deaths occurring in the construction industry, a government study reported Thursday.
South Carolina had the highest death rate in the nation, and North Carolina was fifth.
Hispanics tend to hold more high-risk jobs than those in other racial groups, but language and literacy barriers and poor training and supervision may also be factors, researchers said. The leading causes of death in recent years have been falls and highway-related accidents.
“Many of the Hispanic workers in construction are undocumented, and many of those who are recently arrived do face a language barrier,” said Rakesh Kochhar, associated director for research at the Pew Hispanic Center. More...
Unemployment rate jumps to 5.5 percent in May. Biggest monthly rise since 1986.
June 06, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ap) The government reports the nation's unemployment rate jumped to 5. 5 percent in May — the biggest monthly rise since 1986 — as nervous employers cut 49,000 jobs last month. It was a dramatic sign of a deeply troubled economy.
The Labor Department's new report released Friday showed employment conditions worsening, reflecting the damage from housing, credit and financial crisis.
. More...
Senator Barack Obama Claims Historic Presidential Nomination. He Becomes First Black Candidate To Head Major-Party Ticket.
June 04, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) With a split decision in the final two primaries and a flurry of superdelegate endorsements, Sen. Barack Obama sealed the Democratic presidential nomination last night after a grueling and history-making campaign against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton that will make him the first African American to head a major-party ticket.
Before a chanting and cheering audience in St. Paul, Minn. More...
Errol Louis: Cops must get the brutal 'boyfriend' who beat Hip Hop-Rap Artist Queen Pen.
June 03, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) Hip-hop fans know Brooklyn rapper Queen Pen as a sassy, streetwise girl from the 'hood who made good, winning a Grammy for best R&B song back in 1997 for her role on a dance hit called "No Diggity. "
But today, Pen is one of thousands of women in New York City in desperate need of help in getting away from an abusive ex-partner - one who needs to be in handcuffs soon.
Kendall Wicker, the man whose photo accompanies this column, is Pen's ex-boyfriend and the father of two of her five children.
NYPD detectives have been looking for Wicker since early this year, when he allegedly beat Pen so badly that she needed reconstructive surgery.
Pen says her life is in danger. More...
Did Editor's Scolding Wife Spike Newsweek Obama Cover? (SEE PHOTO)
May 29, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(gawker) In this week's cover story about Barack Obama, Newsweek distills the conventional political wisdom into a bitter tonic of condescending campaign advice. The Democratic presidential candidate is praised for having "wisely taken to often wearing and American-flag lapel" and advised "it would help to be seen venerating your white mother and grandparents as well as your black father" and that "whites resent being accused of racism for remarks they regard as innocent," in case the black politician hadn't learned that yet. To illustrate this cynical lesson in realpolitik, the magazine had originally planned to run the suitably stark cover above and on the left, according to the person who supplied us with a copy. But that cover was "killed" late Friday night, we are told, and replaced with the bright and sunny front at right — a bizarre choice given the gritty lead article and stark collection of supporting pieces on racial division. More outlandish still is the purported reason for the cover switch:
After working on the attached cover all week and making multiple modifications, the cover was killed late Friday night. More...
Native Americans Taking Back Land That Was Once Theirs.
May 29, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(newsweek) To get back to the garden that existed before Europeans ravaged their lands, Native Americans are cultivating with an unnatural resource—casino riches. Across the country, Native American tribes are snapping up property with the cash that's flowing in from slot machines, blackjack tables and roulette wheels. Last year, tribal gaming revenue hit $27 billion. Since Native Americans won the right to build casinos on their reservations in 1988, the lucrative business has caught fire. Of the 562 federally recognized tribes, about 220 have gaming operations. More...
Study: 1994 Adoption Law Finds Little Benefit to Black Children. The law has not achieved the goals of giving black children an equal chance of being adopted and recruiting more black adoptive parent
May 29, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) A 1994 federal law that paved the way for more white adults to adopt black children has left many parents ill-equipped for the situation and has not achieved the goals of giving black children an equal chance of being adopted and recruiting more black adoptive parents, a study concludes.
The study, being released today, found that the Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA) did succeed in increasing the rate of black adoptions, but only by a small margin, and that black children still disproportionately end up in temporary foster homes.
Because the law forbids discussion of race during the adoption process, it prevents social workers from preparing white parents for the challenge of raising black children in a largely white environment, said the report, titled "Finding Families for African American Children: The Role of Race and Law in Adoption From Foster Care. " It cited studies showing that dark-complexioned children in white homes tend to struggle with identity issues related to skin color, self-esteem and discrimination that their new parents are often not equipped to handle.
"To say that we need to be colorblind is an arguable notion," said Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. More...
The First Grandchild of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on Sunday, May 25th. The Baby is Named After Her Late Aunt, Yolanda.
May 27, 2008 by editor (View Source)
The first grandchild of the late civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. was born on Sunday, May 25th, in Atlanta, Georgia. A spokesman said that new mom Arndrea Waters King and new baby Yolanda Renee King are both healthy. Although no birth details have been released, Yolanda was named after her aunt -- Martin Luther King Jr. 's eldest daughter, Yolanda -- who died in May 2007. More...
300 Immigrants Arrested in Iowa Immigration Raid at largest U.S. Kosher Meat Plant.
May 26, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(usat) Federal immigration agents today raided the nation's largest kosher slaughterhouse and meat-packing plant and arrested more than 300 people in northeastern Iowa. Most are accused of identity theft and of being in the country illegally.
The Des Moines Register (a Gannett newspaper) reports that according to search warrants unsealed today, federal authorities had received information about alleged immigration violations for the past two years at Agriprocessors Inc. in Postsville. One source, a former plant supervisor, told agents the plant hired foreign nationals from Mexico, Guatemala and Eastern Europe. More...
Zelma Henderson dies at 88. She was the last surviving plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, which led to the end of segregation in public schools.
May 26, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ap) The last surviving plaintiff in Topeka’s Brown v. Board of Education case that led to the landmark ruling that outlawed school desegregation has died at 88.
Zelma Henderson died Tuesday in Topeka, six weeks after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
In 1950 she signed onto litigation on behalf of her children challenging Topeka’s segregated schools. In all, 13 black parents, including the Rev. More...
NAACP Names New President. Benjamin Todd Jealous, 35, to Lead Oldest Civil Rights Organization
May 17, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) The NAACP selected Benjamin Todd Jealous as its president yesterday, tapping a young, Oxford University-educated activist to lead the nation's oldest civil rights group.
Jealous, 35, was chosen by the group's 64-member board after a year-long search and was introduced at the group's national headquarters in Baltimore. He is expected to start his new job Sept. 1.
In selecting Jealous, the NAACP broke with its tradition of picking politicians and ministers to lead, as it did three years ago with its selection of telecommunications executive Bruce Gordon. More...
BBN Recommends...Juan Crow: The Deep South's New Second-Class Citizens. Latinos' subordinate status in Georgia strongly resembles that of African-Americans who lived under Jim Crow.
May 16, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(R. Navato/theNationa/alternet) Justeen Mancha's dream of becoming a psychologist was born of the tropical heat and exploitation that have shaped farmworker life around Reidsville, Georgia, for centuries. The wiry, freckle-faced 17-year-old high school junior has toiled in drought-dry onion fields to help her mother, Maria Christina Martinez. But early one September morning in 2006, Mancha's dream was abruptly deferred.
From the living room of the battered trailer she and her mother call home, Mancha described what happened when she came out of the shower that morning. More...
Bad Parenting? 49 year old mother indicted for creating MySpace hoax, which may have caused 14 year old’s suicide.
May 16, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(theage) A Los Angeles federal grand jury has indicted a woman for her alleged role in a MySpace online hoax played on a 13-year-old girl who later committed suicide.
Lori Drew of St Louis, Missouri was indicted on Thursday on one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorisation to obtain information to inflict emotional distress.
Each of the four counts carries a maximum possible penalty of five years in prison.
Drew allegedly helped create a fake MySpace account to contact neighbour Megan Meier who thought she was chatting with a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans.
At the time of the incident, the Drews and the Meiers lived four doors apart in Waterford Crystal Drive, in the town of Dardenne Prairie. More...
BBN Recommends..."Obama Is an Appalachia Problem, Not a Whites Problem"
May 15, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nns) According to exit polls, Hillary Clinton won 67 percent of the white vote in West Virginia, America's third whitest state. Yet in early March, Barack Obama won 60 percent of the white vote in Vermont, the nation's second-whitest state. What gives?
America is learning a lot about race this year, most recently that not all white voters are alike. There are enormous regional differences in how whites vote, differences with deep historical roots.
Clinton's romp in West Virginia, and in all likelihood another in neighboring Kentucky next week, do not prove that Obama has a problem with white voters generally or that whites have turned on him in recent weeks. More...
Curious George publisher may sue over T-shirt. Cobb Cty (GA) bar selling shirts combining book character's picture, Obama's name
May 14, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ajc) The publishing company that owns the Curious George image says it is considering legal action to stop the sale of a T-shirt depicting Barack Obama as the monkey from children's books.
The T-shirts are being peddled by Marietta bar owner Mike Norman at his Mulligan's Bar and Grill in Cobb County. They show a picture of Curious Georgie peeling a banana, with the words "Obama '08" underneath.
Rick Blake, a spokesman for publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which owns Curious George, said Wednesday that the company didn't authorize the use of the character's image, but hasn't been in touch with anybody selling or manufacturing the shirts.
"We find it offensive and obviously utterly out of keeping with the value Curious George represents," Blake said. More...
7-year-old takes grandma's car for joyride. Young Boy: "It's fun to do bad things....I wanted to do hood rat things."
May 11, 2008 by editor (View Source)
A 7 year old Florida boy took his grandmother's car keys and went for a 'joy' ride with his friend who 'smokes cigarettes. ' What more can we say. Watch the video for yourself. . . More...
An unusual blend of cultures: Mexican and black. Immigrants from Costa Chica share an ancient ethnic heritage and culture that few outsiders know about.
May 11, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(lat) Every Sunday, on a chewed-up soccer field in Pasadena, Mexican immigrants play a game they learned barefoot in the dusty pueblos along a remote stretch of the Pacific coast.
The Costa Chica team -- named for the picturesque coastline south of Acapulco -- has cut a winning path through the heart of an immigrant-dominated league in Pasadena, capturing three championships in two years.
Its players are agile and swift. And they've quickly earned the respect and admiration of opponents who at first didn't know what to make of their talented adversaries.
"Are you really Mexican?" they are sometimes asked. More...
Quiet Virginia Wife Ended Interracial Marriage Ban in State. The Loving v. Virginia decision overturned long-standing legal and social prohibitions against miscegenation in the United States.
May 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) Mildred Jeter Loving, 68, a black woman whose refusal to accept Virginia's ban on interracial marriage led to a U. S. Supreme Court decision in 1967 that struck down similar laws across the country, died of pneumonia Friday at her home in Milford, Va.
The Loving v. Virginia decision overturned long-standing legal and social prohibitions against miscegenation in the United States. More...
“Immigrants Feel Less Welcome in Frederick (MD).” Concepcion Ramirez: "People are scared of the police now," 20, who came to Frederick from Mexico in 2003.
May 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) In just over a decade, Frederick County has been transformed from a bucolic, timeless community of dairy farms and strawberry festivals to a fast-paced mosaic of high-tech firms and housing developments, Pilates classes and exotic eateries, mega-stores and McDonald's.
The changes have also brought thousands of Hispanics, some legal immigrants and others not, who have migrated up Interstate 270 to meet the demand for construction and service jobs. Until now, the county has handled the influx with outreach classes in schools and community policing programs. Chic Hispanic restaurants flourish in downtown Frederick, and working-class Latinos have remained relatively invisible.
Suddenly, however, their presence is igniting a controversy that some fear could escalate into the kind of war over illegal immigration that has torn apart Prince William County. More...
In Our Nation’s Capital: "D.C. Slayings, Nerves Spike. Patterns and Suspects in Month of Violent Crimes Still Hazy."
May 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) One homicide victim was a plumber who got into an argument while shooting dice. A woman was beaten to death with a blunt object. Another victim, awaiting trial for credit card fraud, was shot to death while sitting in his sport-utility vehicle.
April was a deadly month in the District, with 18 homicides, nine of them in Northeast Washington neighborhoods west of the Anacostia River. On one Saturday, four people were fatally shot within four hours. More...
Sean Bell family, backers 'organize'. Various pro-Bell groups also are going online to organize a national boycott of stores and gas stations from May 19-23.
May 01, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) Sean Bell's family held a raucous meeting on Tuesday night in a Manhattan union hall with hundreds of supporters to organize a massive show of civil disobedience aimed at shutting the city down. "There will be several actions within the next 10 days," said the Rev. Al Sharpton. "These policemen should know they have not, I repeat not, closed this case. " Bell's dad said any protests will be peaceful. More...
Katie Couric/CBS Under Fire for Bad Reporting on Immigration. aired a one-sided and inaccurate report about illegal immigrant women who give birth to their children in the United States.
April 30, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(politico) As if Katie Couric didn’t already have enough problems.
Weighed down by record-low ratings at the anchor desk of “CBS Evening News,” and by reports suggesting she will leave that post two years before her multimillion-dollar contract expires, Couric now has civil rights groups — mostly Hispanic — on her back.
And for good reason.
The CBS newscast that carries her name recently aired a one-sided and inaccurate report about illegal immigrant women who give birth to their children in the United States. The news story challenged the broader constitutional law of birthright citizenship and stated — without providing the correct context — that the births cost U. More...
Supreme Court upholds Indiana's voter ID law. GOP have pushed for laws to combat 'voter fraud.' Democrats argued they are attempts to discourage elderly and poor people from casting ballots.
April 28, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(chitrib) The Supreme Court cleared the way today for state election officials to require voters to show a government-issued photo identification before casting a ballot.
The 6-3 decision upheld Indiana's Republican-sponsored voter ID law, the nation's strictest, against complaints from Democrats that it will deter thousands of poor, disabled and elderly persons from voting.
At least 20 states require voters to show some form of identification at the polling place, but courts have been split over whether these requirements are constitutional.
Nearly all of these state laws have been sponsored by Republicans who say there is a need to combat "voter fraud. " Democrats have opposed them just as strongly, arguing they are thinly veiled efforts to discourage some people from voting. More...
It's official: Hurricane Katrina chased out a huge chunk of N.O. voters, remaking the region's electoral landscape
April 27, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nola) The political landscape has shifted, especially in New Orleans.
Though voter rolls have remained virtually untouched since the flood, the comparison of voter turnout in the 2003 and 2007 gubernatorial contests shows that about 100,000 fewer people cast ballots last year in New Orleans and seven surrounding parishes than in the 2003 race.
Losses weren't borne equally by racial and party-affiliated groups, according to the analysis by University of New Orleans political scientist Ed Chervenak. For instance, a disproportionate loss among black voters across the region helped drive up white voters' share of the electorate, from two-thirds in 2003 to nearly three-quarterslast year.
Democrats also lost ground, with their participation sliding from 58 percent of the electorate in 2003 to 51 percent in 2007, the report shows. More...
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus denounced House Democratic leaders Wednesday as "spineless" and no better than Republicans for failing to take on comprehensive immigration reform.
April 24, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ap/breibart) The Congressional Hispanic Caucus denounced House Democratic leaders Wednesday as "spineless" and no better than Republicans for failing to take on comprehensive immigration reform.
Leaders of the all-Democratic caucus, which numbers two dozen, criticized their party leadership at a news conference for scheduling hearings on enforcement legislation and specific visa issues instead.
Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona called the Democratic caucus "spineless," while Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois said Democrats were proving themselves "no better than the Republican majority we replaced. More...
Black College Student Attacked by Jewish Gang in Crown Heights (BK). Grand Jury Probing Incident. Cops: Hasidic community taking page from rappers' “No Snitch” Code.
April 24, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) The Brooklyn district attorney will seat an investigative grand jury to probe the beating of an unarmed black man by two Jewish men in Crown Heights, the Daily News has learned.
The victim - a 20-year-old college student and the son of a cop - has met with prosecutor Charles Hynes about the April14 attack in a neighborhood with a long history of racial tension.
"He's an excellent young man, and I met with him personally to assure him that I would do everything in my power to bring to justice those who humiliated him," Hynes said Wednesday.
Daily News columnist Errol Louis revealed details of the troubling attack in Wednesday's editions, citing fears of unrest if arrests are not made soon.
Police sources say their investigation has been slowed by the refusal of neighborhood Hasidic residents to cooperate with authorities. More...
Ta-Nehisi Coates, ‘This Is How We Lost to the White Man’. The audacity of Bill Cosby’s Black conservatism.
April 20, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(atlantic) Has Dr. Huxtable, the head of one of America’s most beloved television households, seen the truth: that the dream of integration should never supplant the pursuit of self-respect; that blacks should worry more about judging themselves and less about whether whites are judging them on the content of their character? Or has he lost his mind? (BBN recommends reading the entire article. View Source). . . More...
U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis on Obama: "I'm going to tell you something, That boy's finger does not need to be on the button."
April 14, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(politico) U. S. Rep. Geoff Davis, a Hebron Republican, compared Obama and his message for change similar to a "snake oil salesman" [at a Northern Kentucky Lincoln Day dinner].
He said in his remarks at the GOP dinner that he also recently participated in a "highly classified, national security simulation" with Obama. More...
Florida apologizes for role in slavery.
April 06, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(reposted on 4. 6. 08 from tampabay. com) More than 140 years after a former Florida governor described Africans as "a wild barbarian to be tamed and civilized," the Legislature on Wednesday apologized for the state's role in sanctioning slavery.
The House and Senate approved a resolution expressing "profound regret for the involuntary servitude of Africans, and calling for reconciliation among all Floridians. More...
Study: About 1 in 50 infants in the U.S. are victims of nonfatal child neglect or abuse.
April 03, 2008 by editor (View Source)
About 1 in 50 infants in the U. S. are victims of nonfatal child neglect or abuse, according to the first national study of the problem in that age group.
The study focused on children younger than 1, and found nearly a third were one week old or younger when the abuse or neglect occurred.
Most of these cases involved neglect, and may in part reflect families without health insurance that are not getting adequate care for their children, said David Finkelhor, who is familiar with the data but was not involved in the study. More...
Civil Rights Icon Johnnie Carr, 97, Dies. Johnnie Carr to Young People: "Look back, but march forward."
February 24, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ap) Johnnie Carr, who joined childhood friend Rosa Parks in the historic Montgomery bus boycott and kept a busy schedule of civil rights activism up to her final days, has died. She was 97.
Carr died Friday night, said Baptist Health hospital spokeswoman Melody Ragland. She had been hospitalized after a stroke Feb. 11. More...
Commentary: "NAACP's Bond late to the game on Dem delegate battle." Will Someone Please Help the NAACP?
February 18, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(cnn) NAACP Chairman Julian Bond's decision to weigh in on the Democratic Party's conundrum when it comes to seating delegates from Michigan and Florida has created a firestorm of discussion on blogs and talk shows, and frankly, I'm still unclear as to what his intent was.
Sure, he and others have the freedom to weigh in on the issue. But why be a Julian-come-lately now, when the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization said nothing when the initial Democratic National Committee rules were made?
The DNC was clear: only four states, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, will vote before February 5. The first two didn't like the competition, but after hearing criticism that ethnic and geographic voices were not playing a part in determining the nominee, the party moved up Nevada because of the Latino population and it's a Western state, and South Carolina because of its black population and it's a Southern state.
DNC officials dropped the hammer and said if anyone else moved up, they would be severely punished. More...
Katrina victims urged to leave toxic trailers. U.S. health officials warn of risky levels of formaldehyde fumes
February 14, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(msnbc) U. S. health officials are urging that Gulf Coast hurricane victims be moved out of their government-issued trailers as quickly as possible after tests found toxic levels of formaldehyde fumes.
Fumes from 519 trailer and mobile homes in Louisiana and Mississippi were — on average — about five times what people are exposed to in most modern homes, according to the U. S. More...
Controversial Halloween party photos released. Partygoer used skin darkening makeup. Homeland Security Official Judged Contest.
February 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(cnn) The federal government has released to CNN more than 100 photographs of a Halloween party that temporarily threatened to derail the nomination of a top Department of Homeland Security official.
The images included several digital photos that the official had ordered erased because they were deemed to be inappropriate and offensive.
At the party, Julie Myers, then-acting chief of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), part of the Department of Homeland Security, gave an award for "most original costume" to an employee wearing prison stripes, a wig with dreadlocks and face-darkening makeup.
Immediately after posing for a photo with the winner, Myers later told Congress she recognized that she made an error in judgment and ordered the photos deleted from the camera.
Myers said she did not know the employee was wearing skin makeup, but ordered the photos destroyed because she did not think that "recognizing an escaped prisoner in any way was beneficial to the agency's goal of treating everyone in our custody with dignity and respect. More...
Drives in 5 states target affirmative action -- Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma on Hit List.
January 31, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(lat) Intent on dismantling affirmative action, activists in five states have launched a coordinated drive to cut off tax dollars for programs that offer preferential treatment based on race or gender.
The campaign aims to put affirmative action bans on the November ballot in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The effort is being organized by California consultant Ward Connerly, who has successfully promoted similar measures in California, Michigan and Washington.
Supporters of affirmative action say the initiatives will be hard to block, given that Connerly has a proven ability to raise funds and persuade voters, even in more liberal states.
"They've targeted states where there's a white majority electorate and a vocal, if small, extreme anti-immigrant right wing," said Shanta Driver, who runs By Any Means Necessary, a coalition that defends affirmative action. More...
UPDATE: An Arrest in the Stepha Henry Case; Student Missing Since May ‘07
January 19, 2008 by Editor (View Source)
(BBN) Stepha Henry, a young aspiring attorney from New York, has been missing since May of 2007 while on vacation in Florida. Mainstream media did not grant her the same ‘missing’ wall-to-wall coverage it gives to others. That kind of immersion coverage helps to put pressure on a case and often helps to determine if the victim is dead or alive. This was not the consideration afforded Stepha Henry whose mother and family has suffered not knowing where her daughter is, or what happened to her.
A suspect has been arrested, but Stepha’s body has not been recovered. More...
Mean Spirited Va. Bill Targets Workers Who Speak No English
January 17, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) A Republican state senator from Fairfax County has introduced a proposal that would allow a boss to fire employees who don't speak English in the workplace, which would make them ineligible for unemployment benefits.
Sen. Ken Cuccinelli II said the law is needed because a growing number of employers in Northern Virginia are frustrated that some immigrants never learn English, although they said they would when they were hired.
"The point here isn't to be mean; the point is to allow circumstances to give employers their own ability to hire and fire people who may not speak English," Cuccinelli said.
Some Democrats and immigration rights activists said they were outraged at Cuccinelli, saying the bill demeans the 1 in 10 Virginians who were born outside the United States. More...
"Bodies Of 4 Girls Found in SE (DC) House." Why didn't school officials do anything when the kids didn't show up?
January 09, 2008 by editor (View Source)
BBN: What happened in this Southeast DC house? How could this happen? Why didn’t school officials sound the alarm when the kids didn’t show up for school? (WAPO). . . U. S. More...
POLL: Tension Among Blacks, Latinos, Asians, But Optimism Reigns
December 22, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(newamericamedia) The nation’s first multilingual poll of Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans has uncovered serious tensions among these ethnic groups, including mistrust and significant stereotyping, but a majority of each group also said they should put aside differences and work together to better their communities.
“This extraordinary poll reveals some unflattering realities that exist in America today,” said Sandy Close, Executive Editor and Director of NAM, the nation’s first and largest collaboration of ethnic news media. “The sponsors of the poll strongly believe the best way to move forward is by identifying the problems and initiating a dialogue that can bring ethnic groups closer together in their fight for equality and against discrimination. ”
Broadly, the poll of 1,105 African-American, Asian-American and Hispanic adults found that the predominantly immigrant populations - Hispanics and Asians - expressed far greater optimism about their lives in America, concluding that hard work is rewarded in this society. By contrast, more than 60% of the African Americans polled do not believe the American Dream works for them. More...
Commentary: Black men must reclaim our children. Nearly 70 percent of black kids are born to unmarried parents.
December 11, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(roland martin/cnn) As the mug shots of the alleged killers of NFL star Sean Taylor were shown on television, I kept wondering when we were going to see their parents step forward. I saw a couple of mothers, but their dads were missing in action.
Dads matter, and it's ridiculous for us to act as if all it takes is a loving mom.
We can spend all day talking about the ills afflicting urban America -- and there are plenty that are institutional -- but the decaying value of life in inner cities clearly can be traced to the exodus of fathers from the lives of so many young men. Excuses often are tossed about as to why black men leave their children (and their children's moms) to fend for themselves. More...
Rev. John H. Cross Jr., Pastor of Birmingham, Alabama 1963 Church Bombing that Killed Four Black Girls Dies.
November 18, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(ap/npr) The Rev. John H. Cross Jr. , who dug through the rubble of his Alabama church looking for survivors of a bombing, then presided over a funeral for some of the youngest victims of civil rights-era violence, has died. He was 82. More...
Study: Blacks See Growing Values Gap Between Poor and Middle Class. Optimism About Black Progress Declines.
November 14, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(Pew Study) African Americans see a widening gulf between the values of middle class and poor blacks, and nearly four-in-ten say that because of the diversity within their community, blacks can no longer be thought of as a single race, a new Pew Center survey has found. The survey also finds blacks less upbeat about the state of black progress now than at any time since 1983. Looking backward, just one-in-five blacks say things are better for blacks now than they were five years ago. Looking ahead, fewer than half of all blacks (44%) say they think life for blacks will get better in the future, down from the 57% who said so in a 1986 survey.
Whites have a different perspective. More...
“Bush Justice Dept. voting rights section taken over by ideologues interested in denying ballot to minorities, poor people and groups likely to vote Democratic.”
November 06, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) "In Defense of Voting Rights". . . A House Judiciary subcommittee was the site of a sad spectacle the other day: John Tanner, who heads the Justice Department’s voting section, trying to explain offensive, bigoted comments he made about minority voters. It was a shameful moment that crystallized the need for immediate steps to fight for the rights that Mr. More...
(BBN Recommends) An epidemic's unseen cause. Women trade sex for drugs, with AIDS the result.
November 04, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(baltimore sun) While just a teenager in the 1970s, she danced on The Block, where she snorted cocaine and heroin and sold sex in back rooms. Later, with her addictions firmly rooted, she set out on her own, offering her body on the streets of West Baltimore as a deadly virus was spreading.
The years have worn away at Sharon Williams, whose deeply lined face, reddened eyes and pained expressions tell of poor health, nights in abandoned buildings and customers like the man who kicked her down a flight of stairs, breaking two ribs and puncturing a lung.
Yet she remained a prostitute to support herself and her habits. Not even the discovery 12 years ago that she had been infected with HIV changed that. More...
Cautionary Tale: One Black Man Down, Two Left Standing. Merrill Lynch CEO Stanley O’Neal Resigns Today.
October 30, 2007 by editor (View Source)
Whether you follow the goings on of Wall Street or you don’t, know this: There are but three Black CEO’s spread out either in a Wall Street firm or head of a multi-national conglomerate – Stanley O’Neal of Merrill Lynch, Kenneth Chenault of American Express and Dick Parsons of Time Warner, Inc.
Today, Stanley O’Neal resigned after a “tumultuous” quarter that under his leadership included death blow decision making which led to a ‘write down’ (corporate speak that means very bad) last quarter. That poor decision making by all measures is a real no-no on Wall Street and in Corporate America. For most, though, O’Neal’s business failure would be viewed as an unacceptable error in judgment with stern consequences (corporate speak: termination, with a sweet severance package). But for Black folks it is an all out fatal blow to a career with greater consequences. More...
Louis Farrakhan: U.S. Political Climate Threatening to African-American Men. Black Men Headed for Extinction.
October 25, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(upi) Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan offered a stern warning in Atlanta that the U. S. political climate is threatening to African-American men.
Farrakhan said Tuesday at a ceremony marking the 12th annual Holy Day of Atonement and the 12th anniversary of the Million Man March at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center that he believes black men may be headed for extinction, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Wednesday.
"Politics and the racial environment is threatening the human family," Farrakhan said. More...
(VIDEO) Bill Cosby and Dr. Alvin Pouissant on "Meet the Press" Discuss Issues Facing Blacks in America.
October 14, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(mtp) Entertainer Bill Cosby and Harvard Medical School Psychiatry Professor Dr. Alvin Poussaint tackle the controversial and complicated issues facing black communities across the nation and discuss their new book, "Come On, People: On the Path from Victims to Victors. " . . . More...
New York: African Burial Ground National Monument Opens Friday, October 5th.
October 02, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(gothamist) A memorial to thousands of people buried in downtown Manhattan will open to the public Friday at 1 p. m. , and there will be a candlelight procession at 8 p. m. from Battery Park to the monument at Duane and Elk Sts. More...
Errol Louis: Bill O'Reilly Deserves Applause.
September 30, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) UPDATE: Prosecutors Can’t Find Evidence from Wayne Williams Case. Williams is Serving Life for Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered Black Children.
The dustup over Fox commentator Bill O'Reilly's remarks about black culture was much ado about nothing - and a reminder of the clanging hypocrisies and shameful silences that pass for public discussion of race relations in America.
I've met O'Reilly only a couple of times and have no idea what makes him tick. But the comments, especially when heard in context, were obviously O'Reilly's awkward way of trying to enlighten a segment of his audience - and for that he should be commended, not condemned. More...
Latino Pride: Trailblazing Newsman Ruben Salazar Honored with Postal Stamp.
September 28, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(lat) In honor of trailblazing newsman Ruben Salazar's relentless efforts to chronicle the complexity of race relations in Los Angeles, the U. S. Postal Service in 2008 will issue a commemorative stamp of the former Los Angeles Times reporter and columnist.
"He was a groundbreaker for Latinos in this country, but his work spoke to all Americans," Postmaster Gen. John E. More...
The Body of Nailah Franklin has been identified. She Was Missing Since Sept. 19.
September 28, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(AP/suntimes) A badly decomposed body found behind several vacant businesses in Calumet City this week is that of an Eli Lilly Co. sales representative reported missing nine days ago, authorities said Friday.
Dental records were used to identify the body of Nailah Franklin, 28, who was reported missing Sept. 19 after she didn't show up for a work meeting, Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said. The cause of death was inconclusive, Bond said. More...
"NPR Rebuffs White House On Bush Talk on Race Relations." NPR Successfully Goaded by White House Press Office.
September 26, 2007 by editor (View Source)
Juan Williams is a commentator-journalist for NPR and Fox News Network. He's viewed as a conservative Black voice. This past weekend the White House Press Office offered up President George Bush to do an interview on NPR about race relations, but they wanted to pick the interviewer and it was none other than Juan Williams. NPR on the other hand wanted to decide who did the interview. It is their network after all and they decide who to assign to interviews – not the White House. More...
The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide whether voter identification laws unfairly deter poor and minority Americans from voting.
September 26, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(usat)The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to hear a challenge to Indiana's voter identification law, setting up a confrontation between officials who claim such laws prevent voter fraud and challengers who say ID requirements unfairly block some people from voting.
The case is to be argued in early 2008, and a decision is likely by June, in time for the presidential election in November.
The Indiana law requires voters to show a government photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport. In January, a panel of the U. S. More...
2 students shot at Delaware State University. Campus on lock down.
September 21, 2007 by editor (View Source)
DOVER, Del. (AP) - Two students were shot and wounded, one seriously, at Delaware State University early Friday, and the campus was locked down as police searched for a gunman, officials said.
Classes were canceled for the day and students were being kept inside.
"They've been directed to stay in their dorms," university spokesman Carlos Holmes said. "We don't know where the shooter's at. More...
Protest Set For Jena 6. Thousands from across the country expected at rally.
September 19, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(cbs) The streets around this tiny town's courthouse began filling with protesters and reporters Wednesday, a day ahead of a planned march in support of six black teenagers jailed in the December beating of a white classmate.
Thursday's march was expected to draw thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of people, dwarfing Jena's population of about 3,500. Black participants said they hoped to rekindle the spirit of the civil rights movement.
"This is the first time I've done anything like this, on this magnitude at least," said Nathaniel Ford, 47, a computer technician who traveled from Richmond, Va.
Ford said he remembers his parents' stories of Dr. More...
6 White (male and female) Goons in West Virgina Raped, Tortured and Held Captive A Young Black Woman for a Week.
September 11, 2007 by editor (View Source)
View source for the full article and a photo of the six Goons. (AP) Authorities said Tuesday they are considering hate crime charges in the case of a woman who was tortured while being held captive for at least a week, and they are investigating the possibility that she was lured by a man she met on the Internet. The victim was repeatedly called a racial slur while her captors sexually abused, beat and stabbed her, her mother said.
Six people, all white, including a mother and son and a mother and daughter, were arrested in connection with the alleged abduction of the 20-year-old black woman.
"I don't understand a human being doing another human being the way they did my daughter," Carmen Williams said Tuesday from her daughter's room at Charleston Area Medical Center General Hospital. More...
2007 Hispanic Heritage Month - Septembr 15th through October 15th
September 10, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(nclr) Each year, from September 15 to October 15, the United States celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize the economic, cultural, and social contributions of the more than 44. 3 million Latinos residing in the U. S. The dates of Hispanic Heritage Month were selected to include the Independence Day celebrations of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Chile, and to incorporate October 12 – Día de la Raza – a holiday celebrated throughout Latin America to observe the colonization, exploration, and multicultural heritage of the Americas.
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Grace and Dignity: Effi Barry, DC's former first lady and ex-wife of Marion Barry Dies of Leukemia
September 07, 2007 by editor (View Source)
On Thursday, September 6th former first lady of Washington, DC and ex-wife of former Mayor Marion Barry died of Leukemia. She was 63 years old. Washingtonians and those who followed the Barry years remember Effi as a woman who under intense pressure for her husband's scandalous years as mayor she remained graceful and dignified.
(WAPO) On June 25, Effi Barry, battling leukemia and facing the fact that the search for a bone marrow match had failed, sat for a series of interviews about her life. The city's former first lady and ex-wife of Marion Barry described herself as a person of faith. More...