Gay student settles lawsuit against NY district - washingtonpost.com

Gay student settles lawsuit against NY district - washingtonpost.com: ALBANY, N.Y. -- A gay teenager in upstate New York who had claimed he was relentlessly bullied by classmates while school administrators stood by settled his lawsuit Monday against the school district.

Jacob - who is identified as 'J.L.' in the lawsuit and doesn't want his name revealed - sued the Mohawk Central School District in federal court last summer with help from the New York Civil Liberties Union. Now 15, he said school officials did virtually nothing to stop bullies who picked on him because he acted differently from other boys.

The U.S. Department of Justice had sought to intervene, citing the "important issues" it raised in enforcing federal civil rights laws.

Under the settlement filed in federal court, the district agreed to implement changes to protect students from harassment, including additional staff training. The district will report on its progress to the Civil Liberties Union and federal justice officials.

The district also agreed to pay $50,000 to Jacob's family and to reimburse them for counseling services. The district didn't admit to any wrongdoing under the settlement.

Teacher who inspired 'Stand and Deliver' film dies - washingtonpost.com

Teacher who inspired 'Stand and Deliver' film dies - washingtonpost.com: LOS ANGELES -- Jaime Escalante, the math teacher who transformed a tough East Los Angeles high school and inspired the movie 'Stand and Deliver,' died Tuesday. He was 79.

Escalante died at his son's home near Sacramento, after battling bladder cancer for several years, family friend Keith Miller said.

An immigrant from Bolivia, he transformed Garfield High School by motivating struggling students to excel at advanced math and science. The school had more advanced placement calculus students than all but four other public high schools in the country.

Edward James Olmos played Escalante in the 1988 film based on his story.

"Jaime exposed one of the most dangerous myths of our time - that inner city students can't be expected to perform at the highest levels," Olmos said. "Because of him, that destructive idea has been shattered forever."

Bipartisan Effort Vowed on Congressional Review of ‘No Child’ Law

Bipartisan Effort Vowed on Congressional Review of ‘No Child’ Law: While gridlock is the norm on many domestic issues, Republicans and Democrats are pledging a joint effort to address the future of the No Child Left Behind law. Though work is just underway, the pledge is giving analysts some confidence that lawmakers will examine NCLB’s most difficult topics, from achievement among students of color to the future of persistently failing public schools.

“The need for change is indisputable,” National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel says. With one-third of ninth-graders failing to graduate high school, the system “is failing to meet the needs of too many students, and educators are chafing under a system that unfairly measures schools and students based solely on test scores.”

Under shadow of 1957, Arkansas stays out of health-care fight - washingtonpost.com

Under shadow of 1957, Arkansas stays out of health-care fight - washingtonpost.com: LITTLE ROCK -- As 14 states move forward with a lawsuit to block President Obama's new health-care law, calling it an unconstitutional infringement on state sovereignty, Arkansas is nowhere to be found.

'They tried it here in Arkansas in '57 and it didn't work,' Gov. Mike Beebe (D) told reporters recently. 'I think you got to tell people the truth. And if I understand the law, the truth is the federal government can't just be defied by the state governments.'

There are memorials here to the events of 1957, when a previous Arkansas governor rejected federal authority and tried to prevent nine black students from attending all-white Little Rock Central High School. It took U.S. soldiers to protect the students, who made history during an epic struggle over racism and federal power.

To Beebe and Attorney General Dustin McDaniel (D), the lawsuits filed last week and a states'-rights measure proposed for the November ballot are unwelcome echoes. In the face of an implicit request from 33 Republican state legislators to enlist in the court fight, McDaniel remains unmoved.

Trailblazing Black Scientist Encourages Women To Follow Suit : NPR

Trailblazing Black Scientist Encourages Women To Follow Suit : NPR: Host Michel Martin speaks with Shirley Jackson — president of Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute — and the two discuss being a woman in the male-dominated field. Jackson is the first African-American woman to run a top research university.

...Why does the presence of women in the sciences seem to lag, especially in the U.S., where women have been told for years that they can do whatever they want? We wanted to know more about this, so we've called upon Shirley Jackson. She is the president of Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. It's the country's oldest technological university, and she is the first African-American woman to run a top research university.

Shirley Jackson was appointed by President Obama to serve on his council of advisers on science and technology. And she also served in the Clinton administration as chairman of the U.S. nuclear regulatory commission. And we're pleased to have you with us. Thank you for speaking with us.

Man pleads guilty in plot to go on 'killing spree' against blacks - CNN.com

Man pleads guilty in plot to go on 'killing spree' against blacks - CNN.com: A Tennessee man accused of planning a 'killing spree' against African-Americans in a 2008 plot that included then-presidential candidate Barack Obama as a target, pleaded guilty Monday to eight charges in connection with the crime, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Daniel Cowart, 21, of Bells, Tennessee, admitted to conspiring with Paul Schlesselman of West Helena, Arkansas, in planning to kill more than 100 African-Americans, according to the Justice Department.

The two are self-described white supremacists who met online through a mutual friend, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Jackson, Tennessee, said.

The men were arrested in October 2008 after an aborted robbery attempt outside Jackson, according to court records.

Preserving Black History, With Help From the Smithsonian

Preserving Black History, With Help From the Smithsonian: ATLANTA – Like so many Black Americans before him, Marvin Greer figured slavery and migration had hopelessly scattered the heirlooms of his family's past.

Now he's found some of them, but he's not sure how to keep them intact.

The 23-year-old history buff looked on anxiously recently as a Smithsonian Institution worker catalogued and inspected his personal trove of portraits and military discharge papers, part of a museum-led push to help families like Greer’s save their history.

Years after author Alex Haley first encouraged Blacks to research their roots, many are digging into attics and garages to find the rest of their history—captured in letters, portraits, beloved dolls and other long-forgotten heirlooms."

Post-racialism Threatens Equal Protection Jurisprudence, Legal Scholars Say

Post-racialism Threatens Equal Protection Jurisprudence, Legal Scholars Say: WASHINGTON – When the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned his dream of the “beloved community” where his children “would be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” did he imagine the millennial post-racial society? Is King’s promised land a place where race plays no role in qualifying individuals in the U.S.?

Professor Trina Jones of the University of California Irvine School of Law prefers a contextual reading of King’s words, giving them meaning within the framework of Jim Crow America.

“This brand of colorblindness was in fact useful at a certain point of time in a segregated society … it was a powerful progressive tool for people of color who were subordinated because at least it brought them to the level of Whites in the eyes of the law,” she said. “So colorblindness had some utility but it’s problematic today.”

Climate Change-Themed STEM Curriculum Developed for Tribal Colleges

Climate Change-Themed STEM Curriculum Developed for Tribal Colleges: The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) has developed a unique program to help improve American Indian students’ achievement in the STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. AIHEC has partnered with tribal colleges to create an introductory curriculum on climate change that students and instructors can share online.

Funded by a National Science Foundation Geosciences Award, the Tribal College Climate Change Course Series helps students and faculty at small, often remote tribal colleges gain entree to science courses to which they might not otherwise have access, according to Katherine Mitchell, director of STEM Initiatives at AIHEC.

Breaking Color Barrier Not Unique to Auburn’s First Black Head Basketball Coach

Breaking Color Barrier Not Unique to Auburn’s First Black Head Basketball Coach: AUBURN, Ala.— Auburn's Tony Barbee doesn't hesitate when asked about the significance of becoming the school's first Black head basketball coach.

After all, it's not his first time breaking the color barrier.

“Absolutely there is. Very similar to the significance of me being the first African-American coach at UTEP, with the Glory Road tradition and the background,'' Barbee said, referring to the Texas Western (now UTEP) team that broke a color barrier by winning a national title in 1966 with five Black starters.

Bus riders see inequities in proposed Metro fare increases - washingtonpost.com

Bus riders see inequities in proposed Metro fare increases - washingtonpost.com: Metro's proposal to raise fares would disproportionately affect commuters who depend on bus transportation and are least able to pay, according to outraged bus riders whose complaints are backed by Metro data.

Rail passengers, who face a 15 percent increase in fares, have a median income of $102,000; 75 percent are white, 18 percent are unemployed, and one in 50 lives in a household without a car.

Bus riders face a 20 percent rise in fares. They have a median annual income of $69,000; 50 percent are minorities, 23 percent are unemployed, and one in five has no car in the household, according to a Metrobus rider profile from 2007, the latest such data available.

Telework firm urges federal training on hiring disabled workers - washingtonpost.com

Telework firm urges federal training on hiring disabled workers - washingtonpost.com: Almost half of human resources officials responsible for hiring and retaining federal workers say they have not received adequate training on how to manage and retain employees with severe disabilities, according to the results of a survey by the Telework Exchange and the Federal Managers Association set for release Monday. Many are also unfamiliar with mandates designed to promote the hiring of disabled applicants and hiring rules that allow for the noncompetitive hiring of disabled people.

Though 71 percent of the respondents said their agencies are committed to hiring disabled workers, 40 percent said they have not received adequate training to effectively manage disabled employees, according to the survey. The Telework Exchange, continuing its push for advancing teleworking, and the Federal Managers Association partnered on the study in advance of a conference set for next week that will press the Obama administration on the teleworking option for federal workers.

Paying tribute to longtime Howard University president James Edward Cheek - washingtonpost.com

Paying tribute to longtime Howard University president James Edward Cheek - washingtonpost.com: Three generations of the Howard University community gathered Friday to remember James Edward Cheek, the longtime Howard president who envisioned a 'second emancipation' of African Americans through scholarship.

Cheek died Jan. 8 in North Carolina at 77. He was buried there, while fierce snowstorms forced the postponement of a memorial service in Washington.

The service, held in the Howard chapel, was about reclaiming Cheek's legacy. He led Howard through the 1970s and 1980s and largely built the campus that stands today.

Cheek came to Howard at 37 and unleashed a torrent of energy. He hired hundreds of faculty members, multiplied the operating budget nearly tenfold, led a massive building program and launched the nation's first black-owned public television station. He earned the respect of students and silenced campus protests -- for a time, anyway.

California Officials Condemn Racist Acts on Campuses

California Officials Condemn Racist Acts on Campuses: SAN FRANCISCO – University of California officials on Wednesday condemned recent incidents of racism and intolerance on campus and promised to promote greater diversity and inclusion.

At a meeting of the UC Board of Regents, administrators and board members apologized to students for the acts that have raised racial tensions and sparked heated debate about race and diversity within the 10-campus system.

The incidents include a picture of a noose found at UC Santa Cruz, swastikas spray-painted at UC Davis and an off-campus 'Compton Cookout' party that mocked Black History Month at UC San Diego.

“All the regents regret that any member of the UC community had to endure such disgusting acts of bigotry,” said Russell Gould, who chairs the board. “They are a disgrace to the values of this institution.”

Tech Savvy HBCUs Keeping Pace With Innovation, Others Lag

Tech Savvy HBCUs Keeping Pace With Innovation, Others Lag: When Alexander Johnson, a college freshman studying for a career in animation, began pondering colleges to attend, the opportunity to use modern computer technology tools in his classes played a major role in his consideration.

Today, Johnson considers himself lucky to be among the students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with access to an array of computer-animation facilities and tools, as a student at Morgan State University.

“At my last college (a private technical institute), we really didn’t have that at all,” says Johnson, as he took a brief break from working on an animation program in the new Animation Lab at Morgan State’s School of Communications. “It would have taken about 16 hours to do what now takes three or four seconds,” Johnson says, comparing the school he transferred from with Morgan State.

Civil Rights Battles, in Black and White - Lens Blog - NYTimes.com

Civil Rights Battles, in Black and White - Lens Blog - NYTimes.com: Some of the most gripping images in “Road to Freedom” went unseen for decades. Pictures showing a mob attacking and setting fire to a bus carrying Freedom Riders in Anniston, Ala., are chilling in their step-by-step precision. Yet they were locked away in the files of a law firm.

They’re seeing the light of day again as part of “Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1968,” an exhibit of 150 images organized by the High Museum of Art. The pictures capture the unforgettable moments and forgotten heroes of the struggle for equal rights. They will be on display from March 28 through Aug. 11 at the Bronx Museum of the Arts.

Julian Cox, the curator of photography at the High Museum, has assembled an impressive permanent collection of pictures from the civil rights era. “Road to Freedom” gave him an opportunity to show the work of unheralded photographers alongside that of celebrated photojournalists. It also gave him a vehicle to underscore how crucial photography was in raising consciousness — and anger — about the routine denial of rights to African-Americans not so long ago.

Slurs Preceded L.I. Attack, Victim’s Friend Says - NYTimes.com

Slurs Preceded L.I. Attack, Victim’s Friend Says - NYTimes.com: ...They were on their way to a friend’s house when they saw the seven young men approach. Mr. Loja said he took two steps back, and then the insults started. Mr. Loja said the group called him and Mr. Lucero “Mexicans” and “illegals” and used racial and ethnic slurs against blacks and Hispanics.

Mr. Loja recalled one of them saying, “You come to this country to take our money from us.”

Mr. Loja gave his testimony on Wednesday in the hate-crime trial of the Long Island teenager prosecutors have charged with fatally stabbing Mr. Lucero that evening. The teenager, Jeffrey Conroy, 19, is accused of second-degree murder as a hate crime, gang assault and other charges. The authorities said Mr. Conroy was one of seven Patchogue-Medford High School students who attacked Mr. Lucero as part of the sport they called “beaner hopping” or “Mexican hopping.” Mr. Conroy has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Mr. Loja’s testimony was the most dramatic moment in the trial so far, and was the first time that a witness had recounted the attackers’ racial and ethnic epithets.

Black Trustee Flap Sparks S.C. Football Boycott Effort

Black Trustee Flap Sparks S.C. Football Boycott Effort: COLUMBIA S.C.— Black lawmakers are urging Black football recruits to reconsider playing for the University of South Carolina because the school could lose its lone Black trustee.

State Rep. David Weeks, chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he doesn't think there are enough votes in the Legislature to get lawyer Leah B. Moody appointed to a full term on the 22-member board next month.

She is the board's only Black member and is finishing the term of a trustee who resigned before pleading guilty to bank fraud.

“We are asking young athletes to be aware ... there are folks in this state who say it's fine to play ball but not be on the governing board,” Weeks said.

Diversity Officers Group to Launch State Chapters

Diversity Officers Group to Launch State Chapters: The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), rapidly emerging as a premier organization of diversity officers in public and private colleges and state systems of higher education, will expand its activities later this year to include state chapters, the organization’s leaders decided in Phoenix at their annual meeting earlier this month.

Giving the young group of seasoned diversity professionals more organized reach in individual states will help NADOHE “collectively advance” the work individuals and smaller groups have already done, says NADOHE President Glen Jones, senior associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at Arkansas State University.

Dr. Jones says having state chapters will also enhance the networking abilities of various local groups around the country as individual and isolated groups find colleagues they can share information with and “collectively advance the work that’s out there” on such efforts as globalization, scholarship policies and new recruitment and retention strategies.

Negative Images 'Brainwash' African Americans : NPR

Negative Images 'Brainwash' African Americans : NPR: Ad man Tom Burrell calls out negative images of African Americans in the media for perpetuating the myth of black inferiority. In Brainwashed, he examines the history of the myth and how contemporary culture reinforces it.

Burrell cites slave auction posters as amongst the earliest ads in American history. 'Advertising came in many, many forms' Burrell says. 'Images and words are very powerful,' he continues, 'and they conveyed and carried out this whole idea of African Americans being less-than, not as good as.'

Report Urges More Job Help For Black Americans : NPR

Report Urges More Job Help For Black Americans : NPR: In Washington, Congress has passed long-debated health care legislation and an economic stimulus bill. But the National Urban League says that's not enough for black Americans grappling with the worst recession in decades.

Now the group, with its annual report, 'The State of Black America,' is pushing for jobs specifically targeting urban areas with high unemployment.

A Turning Point?

The Urban League's report, which was released Wednesday, compares the relative status of blacks and whites in five areas: economics, health, education, social justice and civic engagement. This year, it also compared the well-being of Hispanics and whites.

Census Campaign Targets Tech-savvy Hispanic Youth

Census Campaign Targets Tech-savvy Hispanic Youth: LOS ANGELES – Groups pushing for robust Hispanic participation in the 2010 census are enlisting a new corps of foot soldiers in their battle to reach that hard-to-count demographic: tech-savvy, smart-phone-toting young people.

The “Be Counted, Represent” campaign offers music downloads and a chance at concert tickets to cell phone users who share their e-mail addresses and phone numbers with organizers and forward information about the census to their friends.

Principal organizers Voto Latino and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund stress in their messages that undercounted areas risk losing funding for transit, infrastructure and other needs, as well as political representation.

They hope those messages promoting participation in the count will zip throughout the social networks of the young who can persuade reluctant parents to fill out and return their census forms.

Meeting Brings Ohio University, HBCU Officials Together for Collaboration

Meeting Brings Ohio University, HBCU Officials Together for Collaboration: Beginning this week, six faculty at Ohio’s Central State University began talking among themselves about iPods, social media, clouds, Skype and other information technology tools.

That’s just the way Dr. Juliette Bell, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Central State, wants them to spend some of their time after attending last weekend’s Interlink Alliance conference that focused on teaching the perpetually wired millennial student.

“Many faculty still use the old lecture format and many of today’s students are more accustomed to a faster pace technology way of doing things,” she said. “So getting [students] engaged is really more difficult if you’re using the old lecture format.”

New Orleans Journal - New Orleans ‘Indians’ Look to Copyrights for Protection - NYTimes.com

New Orleans Journal - New Orleans ‘Indians’ Look to Copyrights for Protection - NYTimes.com: His calling, however, is as one of the Mardi Gras Indians — a member of the Yellow Pocahontas tribe, to be exact — the largely working-class black New Orleanians who create and wear ornate, enormous feathered costumes and come out three times a year to show them off.

He is also one of a number of Indians who have become fed up with seeing their photographs on calendars, posters and expensive prints, without getting anything in return.

Knowing that there are few legal protections for a person who is photographed in public — particularly one who stops and poses every few feet — some Mardi Gras Indians have begun filing for copyright protection for their suits, which account for thousands of dollars in glass beads, rhinestones, feathers and velvet, and hundreds of hours of late-night sewing.

Board Votes to Allow Undocumented Immigrants Access to N.C. Community Colleges

Board Votes to Allow Undocumented Immigrants Access to N.C. Community Colleges: RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina's community college board on Friday approved allowing illegal immigrants to enroll next year, a move that could drop a contentious issue in the lap of state lawmakers in an election year.

The State Board of Community Colleges voted 13-1 to admit illegal immigrants to classrooms if they graduated from a U.S. high school, pay out-of-state tuition of about $7,700 a year and don't displace a citizen. The opposing vote came from Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton.

The country's third-largest community college system has changed its illegal immigrant admission policy four times since 2000. The change on admitting foreign citizens comes at a time when unemployed workers are jamming classrooms.

But North Carolina also has one of the country's largest populations of illegal immigrants, with about 678,000 in 2008, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

Survey: U.S. Women and Minority Scientists Often Discouraged from Pursuing STEM Careers

Survey: U.S. Women and Minority Scientists Often Discouraged from Pursuing STEM Careers: As the first Black woman astronaut, Dr. Mae Jemison is used to breaking barriers. But like many accomplished women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, Jemison has experienced discriminatory treatment during the formative years of her training.

As a college student, Jemison encountered what a majority of female scientists reported in a new national survey as they pursue STEM careers: demoralizing discouragement by a college professor.

She distinguished herself early as a high-achieving student passionate about science and during grade school teachers nurtured her enthusiasm. But the college laboratory proved an unwelcoming environment, said Jemison, who earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from Stanford University and an M.D. from Cornell University.

“I never had a direct confrontation,” she said, adding that some professors “doubted my intellectual capabilities,” and tried to make feel “like I didn’t belong.”

Bridging a class divide, one English lesson at a time - washingtonpost.com

Bridging a class divide, one English lesson at a time - washingtonpost.com: In Honduras, Ana Carolina Ebanks was a public defender. But when she immigrated to the United States six years ago, the career did not come with her. Today, she has a job on the campus of American University, a short walk from its law school. She works in the student dining hall, making burritos.

"You know, when you come to this country, it's impossible," she said. "You can't work in your career. It's frustrating. I'm frustrated."

But now Ebanks has help in her bid to resume her law career. Through a program called Community Learners Advancing in Spanish and English, or CLASE, AU students are teaching English to the workers who clean their dorm rooms and cook their meals. Students meet the employees where they work, or in dorm lounges and conference rooms, to eat, drink and conjugate.

HBCU Leaders Consider Partnerships Key to Remaining Competitive in Online Era

HBCU Leaders Consider Partnerships Key to Remaining Competitive in Online Era: Creating partnerships to link students across campuses and offering online academic programs to students were two of the solutions presidents of some of the country’s historically Black colleges and universities say will help keep their institution competitive as more options for higher education emerge.

With 181 academic programs located on its Washington, D.C., campuses, Howard University has more programs than any of its competitors, said Dr. Sidney Ribeau, president of the institution.

“We have everything from your health to your soul,” he said.

Report Examines Why Women are Under-represented in STEM Fields

Report Examines Why Women are Under-represented in STEM Fields: Studies have shown that girls and young women express interest in math and science at similar rates as boys and young men, but somewhere between that initial interest and graduation from college they have chosen another path. Conventional theory has been that females are less interested or less adept at math and science than males, but research has shown another story.


“In schools and in homes the environment that is created serves to subtly and perhaps in some cases not so subtly discourage girls or encourage them to focus on other areas, even if they might have a brimming interest and ability in science,” said Dr. Andresse St. Rose, one of the contributors to “Why So Few: Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.”

Tens of thousands rally for immigration reform in D.C. - washingtonpost.com

Tens of thousands rally for immigration reform in D.C. - washingtonpost.com: Tens of thousands of immigrants and their supporters from across the United States packed the National Mall Sunday in a last-ditch effort to spur Congress and the White House to overhaul the nation's immigration system and offer the nation's 10.8 million illegal immigrants a path to citizenship this year.

Under a glorious blue sky, the festive crowd beat drums and waved American flags and placards reading "Change takes Courage," and "Obama Don't Forget Your Promise!"

City officials do not give official crowd estimates, so it is difficult to determine whether turnout reached the more than 200,000 estimated by organizers. However, the demonstration stretched from 7th street to 12th street in a dense carpet of humanity--the movement's largest show of strength since 2006, when a series of mass rallies in favor of the legalization plan erupted in cities across the country.

Boy Charged in Wal-Mart Bias Case in New Jersey - NYTimes.com

Boy Charged in Wal-Mart Bias Case in New Jersey - NYTimes.com: WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The authorities in southern New Jersey said Saturday that they had arrested a 16-year-old boy for activating a public-address system at a Wal-Mart store last week and ordering “all black people” to leave.

The boy, from Atlantic County, was charged by Gloucester County authorities with bias and intimidation and harassment in connection with the episode last Sunday. If convicted, he could face up to a year in a juvenile detention center, officials said. His name was not released because he is a minor.

According to the police, the boy picked up a public-address telephone in the Wal-Mart in Washington Township, one of two dozen accessible to the store’s customers, and said, “All black people, leave the store now.”

Black College Leaders Briefed on Historic Health Care, Education Legislation

Black College Leaders Briefed on Historic Health Care, Education Legislation: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and other congressional leaders addressed college presidents, administrators and students representing the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities and other predominantly Black schools just hours before Democratic leaders released a bill Thursday that combined highly sought education funding and student loan reform with historic legislation that aims to revamp health care.

“You come here at a really crucial time in history,” Pelosi told delegates attending the 36th annual meeting of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), as she described components of the “Healthcare and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010,” a bill that packages initiatives in the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) with health care reform initiatives that have been the focus of intense debate on and off the Hill over the past year.

Immigrant groups reach out to blacks - washingtonpost.com

Immigrant groups reach out to blacks - washingtonpost.com: Organizers of a march for immigrants' rights in Washington on Sunday are reaching out to African Americans, hoping to bring the two communities together around an issue that has been a wedge between them.

The campaign includes ads for the march on urban radio stations along the East Coast, asking for listeners to lend their support. "Everyone has been hurt by the economy, especially African Americans and immigrants. The truth is, together you can demand real change," the ads state.

The effort is part of a broader strategy among Hispanic, black and Asian civil rights groups to unite on areas of common interest and to get Congress and the Obama administration to enact major legislation on jobs and immigration -- even as the nation's political leaders are focused on health care.

Column: Latinos need help to end 'dropout crisis' - Opinion - USATODAY.com

Column: Latinos need help to end 'dropout crisis' - Opinion - USATODAY.com: President Obama recently outlined his plans for improving the nation's schools in a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 'For America to compete and to win in the 21st century ... we will need a highly educated workforce,' he said. Obama noted that more than a million kids do not finish high school each year, and that over half of these are black and Hispanic.

The dropout problem has long bedeviled the Hispanic community. According to a 2009 report by the Pew Hispanic Center, the Latino high school dropout rate is 17% — nearly three times the rate for whites (6%), and almost double the rate for blacks (9%). Hispanics also attend college at lower rates than their peers.

This is not to say Latinos don't value education. Nearly three-quarters of those who didn't attend college said it was due to cost. While many Latino immigrants come here for a better life for their children, financial pressures often force their kids to cut their education short and start working.

President Obama is seeking $900 million for school turnaround grants. These federal funds would be distributed to states and school districts willing to improve their graduation rates and academic achievement. Obama also urged educators, elected officials, and business leaders to help solve the 'dropout crisis.'

Officials Urge Raising the Academic Bar for NCAA Tournament Teams

Officials Urge Raising the Academic Bar for NCAA Tournament Teams: ...Nineteen women’s teams in the tournament have 100 percent graduation rates. Ninety percent of White female players graduate, an increase of 1 percent from last year. Seventy-eight percent of African-American female players graduate, an increase of 3 percent. Among the men, 84 percent of White players graduate, up 6 percent from a year ago, and 56 percent of African-Americans graduate, a 2-percent increase. Players who transfer or leave prior to graduation to play in the NBA do not count against the graduation rate.

There is, however, a continuing persistent gap between White and African-American basketball student-athletes. Lapchick, Duncan, and Benjamin Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, all stated that the bar must be raised across the board.

“This is really about putting a spotlight on the books,” Jealous said. “There is a spotlight on the court. We all know how these teams perform on the court and how they’ll do in this competition. What we tend not to pay attention to is what they do with these athletes, whether or not they actually graduate.”

“Let’s stop for a second,” Jealous added. “Let’s focus on the books to make sure we set the same sort of high expectations the fans have for the teams’ performances on the court for the players in the classroom.”

Report: Low Hispanic College Completion Rates Endanger U.S. Attainment Goals

Report: Low Hispanic College Completion Rates Endanger U.S. Attainment Goals: Examining college performance across the range of U.S. higher education, a new study of college graduation data by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) reveals that Hispanic students graduate at lower rates than their White peers across similarly ranked colleges, from the nation’s least selective to its most selective institutions. Even many federally designated “Hispanic-Serving” Institutions are graduating fewer than 50 percent of their Hispanic students, and, nationally, 51 percent of Hispanic students who begin college finish a bachelor’s degree within six years, compared to 59 percent of White students, according to the new report.

Tulane University Institute Finds Racial Divide Over Post-Katrina Public School Changes

Tulane University Institute Finds Racial Divide Over Post-Katrina Public School Changes: NEW ORLEANS – Numbers unveiled last week at a symposium on the pre- and post-Hurricane Katrina education of Black children in New Orleans provide yet another example of a racial divide.

Those numbers were from a survey of New Orleans voters for Tulane University's Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives. They showed a higher percentage of White voters (80 percent) than Black voters (57 percent) who say the state made the right decision in taking over most public schools in the city. Also, a significantly higher percentage of Whites (44 percent) than Blacks (24 percent) think the schools have improved since Katrina. While 63 percent of Whites in the survey opposed returning control to the Orleans Parish School Board, only 49 percent of Blacks surveyed were opposed.

Minority-Serving Schools Report Working Harder To Connect Students With Jobs

Minority-Serving Schools Report Working Harder To Connect Students With Jobs: When college placement officers talk of helping students and alumni find jobs today, they cite many new hurdles and challenges stemming from the nation’s economic slump and dramatically changed job market.

Gone are the days when even the best candidates at the best schools can be picky. College job fairs and career days, popular recruiting tools since the 1980s, are having a hard time drawing recruiters as their ranks thin. Signing bonuses and relocation allowances are now few and far between, if offered at all. Generous vacations and attractive employer-paid health and savings plans are a thing of the past.

“It’s a difficult market this year,” says Dr. Edwin Koc, director of strategic and foundation research at the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), which surveys some 1,800 colleges and more than 900 employers for its Job Outlook survey. The outlook for 2010 graduates, says Koc, is about the same as that for 2009 graduates. There are some signs the jobs slump may be bottoming out, he says, hastening to add, “If we’re going to turn around, it’s going to be relatively slow.”

Secretary of Education Duncan proposes bans for low grad rates - USATODAY.com

Secretary of Education Duncan proposes bans for low grad rates - USATODAY.com: WASHINGTON — If U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan had his way, a dozen of the teams in the men's NCAA basketball tournament would not be eligible to play in it, including top-seeded Kentucky.

Duncan proposes teams with graduation rates of less than 40% be banned from postseason play.

"That's a low bar," Duncan said Tuesday. "If you can't graduate two out of five of your student-athletes, how serious are you about the academic part of your mission?"

The schools that have men's basketball teams with graduation rates of less than 40% are Arkansas-Pine Bluff (29%), Baylor (36%), California (20%), Clemson (37%), Georgia Tech (38%), Kentucky (31%), Louisville (38%), Maryland (8%), Missouri (36%), New Mexico State (36%), Tennessee (30%) and Washington (29%).

Those figures come from NCAA rates compiled by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida. They do not include transfers or players who leave early for the NBA. They do not reflect athletes who will play in the tourney, as they include the most recent four-year classes that have had six years to graduate.

Study: NCAA Tournament Team Graduation Rates Between Blacks, Whites Widening

Study: NCAA Tournament Team Graduation Rates Between Blacks, Whites Widening: ORLANDO Fla. – The disparity in graduation rates for White and Black players on NCAA tournament-bound men's basketball teams grew this year, according to a study released Monday.

The annual report by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida found 45 teams graduated 70 percent or more of their White players, up from 33 teams last year. But only 20 teams graduated at least 70 percent of their Black players, the same as last year.

Dr. Richard Lapchick, the director of the institute, said the expanding gap is one of higher education’s greatest failures.

“The most disturbing thing to me is that the gap continues to widen even though the graduation rates of African-American basketball student-athletes are increasing,” he said."

Catholic Church, and religion in general, losing Latinos in USA - USATODAY.com

Catholic Church, and religion in general, losing Latinos in USA - USATODAY.com: Latino population growth over the past two decades has boosted numbers in the Catholic Church, but a new, in-depth analysis shows Latinos' allegiance to Catholicism is waning as some move toward other Christian denominations or claim no religion at all.

A report out today by researchers at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., finds Latino religious identification increasingly diverse and more 'Americanized.'

The analysis, based on data from the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey, compares responses to phone surveys in 1990 and 2008 conducted in English and Spanish.

Underground Railroad Center, Scholars Cast Eyes on an Old Evil

Underground Railroad Center, Scholars Cast Eyes on an Old Evil: With great fanfare and high hopes, celebrities Oprah Winfrey, Muhammad Ali and Laura Bush helped break ground for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in downtown Cincinnati in June 2002.

Two years later, the $110 million center, 10 years in planning, opened with exhibits on how enslaved African-Americans risked their lives to make the northward trek to freedom. Yet, the project suffered declining attendance and budget cuts. Within the last three years, the center has eliminated about 30 percent of its staff.

Today, however, a comeback is imminent. The center is shifting its focus while serving as an educational focal point, research asset and change agent. Area universities use it to research human rights, advance digital technology as a teaching tool and help train future educators.

Hispanic Higher Education

Hispanic Higher Education: STEM Watch with Dr. Lorelle L. Espinosa.
According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, under-represented minority women make up nearly 15 percent of the nation’s populace 15-24 years of age – a substantial proportion of the pre-college and college-going population. Yet, the National Science Foundation reports under-represented minority women earned just 10 percent of all STEM baccalaureate degrees granted in 2006. These numbers are more dire in select STEM fields. Minority women earned less than 3.8 percent of the nation’s bachelor’s degrees in engineering and physics.

Women of color represent great potential for expanding and diversifying the STEM pipeline, calling for the importance of higher education to secure a strong pathway for this group into scientific careers. A number of colleges and universities are doing an excellent job at supporting women through the undergraduate portion of the pipeline and onto baccalaureate completion. These institutions represent the top 10 producers of STEM bachelor’s degrees granted respectively to Black, Hispanic and Native American women, according to 2008 National Center for Education Statistics data.

Missouri Students Apologize for Cotton Ball Prank

Missouri Students Apologize for Cotton Ball Prank: COLUMBIA, Mo. — Two University of Missouri students have apologized for scattering cotton balls outside the Black Culture Center in an incident that heightened racial tensions during Black History Month.

Nineteen-year-old freshman Sean Fitzgerald and 21-year-old senior Zachary Tucker were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of hate crimes and possible felony tampering. They have not been charged.

In a letter to campus leaders, local prosecutors and student groups issued Friday by their attorneys, the two ROTC students apologized for their 'inexcusable judgment.'

Book review: Wil Haygood reviews 'Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert' by Timothy M. Gay - washingtonpost.com

Book review: Wil Haygood reviews 'Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert' by Timothy M. Gay - washingtonpost.com: It is hardly a secret that Negro leagues baseball players squared off against white players on the barnstorming circuit before Jackie Robinson integrated professional baseball in 1947. Aging Negro leaguers have been telling stories about those games in their memoirs for decades. The players had to solidify their bona fides themselves, since the games were rarely covered by the mainstream (read: white) press. Now Timothy M. Gay sheds more light on the phenomenon in 'Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert.'

At U.N., Clinton rallies for more women's opportunities worldwide - washingtonpost.com

At U.N., Clinton rallies for more women's opportunities worldwide - washingtonpost.com: UNITED NATIONS -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told government delegates and activists here Friday that violence against women remains a 'global pandemic' and that their 'subjugation' constitutes 'a threat to the national security of the United States.'

Speaking on the final day of a two-week U.N. conference on women's rights, Clinton urged U.N. member states to expand opportunities for women and end practices that subject them to discrimination and violence.

'Women and girls are bought and sold to settle debts and resolve disputes,' she told delegates to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. 'They are raped as both a tactic and a prize of war. They are beaten as punishment for disobedience and as a warning to other women who might assert their rights.'

Obama Proposal Seeks to Consolidate Minority Undergraduate STEM Programs

Obama Proposal Seeks to Consolidate Minority Undergraduate STEM Programs: The Obama administration wants to consolidate federal science programs for minority-serving institutions into a single competitive grant program, a plan that is drawing questions on Capitol Hill.

The president’s 2011 budget would take separate small programs for historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and Hispanic-serving institutions, and re-channel them into a single program, which administration officials said would still be aimed at students of color.

With minorities representing a steadily growing percentage of the U.S. population, “We have to find a way to accelerate growth,” said Dr. Arden Bement, Jr., National Science Foundation (NSF) director, to the House Research and Science Education Subcommittee.

“We felt a consolidated approach is far better than a fragmented approach,” added Bement.

Preserving a Native Language and Culture

Preserving a Native Language and Culture: At first glance, Miami University in southwestern Ohio seems an unlikely spot for a major American Indian language and cultural preservation and revitalization project. There are no reservations in the state, nor is there a significant American Indian population.

By the 1850s most of the remaining Ohio tribes were removed to reservations west of the Mississippi River, joining others who were forced from their lands by the great sweep of the Indian Removal Act. The law was enacted in response to European Americans’ demand for the fertile lands occupied by many tribes east of the Mississippi River. American Indians comprise 0.3 percent of the Ohio population, numbering a bit over 11,000 people, according to the Census Bureau.

Minority Births on Track to Outnumber White Births

Minority Births on Track to Outnumber White Births: WASHINGTON – Minorities make up nearly half the children born in the U.S., part of a historic trend in which minorities are expected to become the U.S. majority over the next 40 years.

In fact, demographers say this year could be the 'tipping point' when the number of babies born to minorities outnumbers that of babies born to whites.

The numbers are growing because immigration to the U.S. has boosted the number of Hispanic women in their prime childbearing years. Minorities made up 48 percent of U.S. children born in 2008, the latest census estimates available, compared to 37 percent in 1990.

“Census projections suggest America may become a minority-majority country by the middle of the century.

Miss. prom canceled after lesbian's date request - USATODAY.com

Miss. prom canceled after lesbian's date request - USATODAY.com: JACKSON, Miss. — A Mississippi county school board announced Wednesday it would cancel its upcoming prom after a gay student petitioned to bring a same-sex date to the event.

'Due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events, the Itawamba County School District has decided to not host a prom at Itawamba Agricultural High School this year,' school board members said in a statement.

Constance McMillen, an 18-year-old senior at Itawamba, recently challenged a school policy prohibiting her from bringing her girlfriend as her date to the April 2 prom. McMillen, who is a lesbian, and the Mississippi chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union urged school officials to reverse the policy both on McMillen's choice of date and attire. She also wanted to wear a tuxedo to the dance.

Collector donates Harriet Tubman artifacts to African American History museum - washingtonpost.com

Collector donates Harriet Tubman artifacts to African American History museum - washingtonpost.com: On a blue-covered table in a Capitol Hill hearing room, an ordinary hymnal was raised to the status of a historical object with the simple signature of its owner, Harriet Tubman.

The book of gospel hymns was among an extraordinary trove of Tubman artifacts given Wednesday to the National Museum of African American History and Culture by esteemed collector and author Charles L. Blockson. Lonnie G. Bunch, the founding director of the museum, described the November meeting in Philadelphia when Blockson, who lives there, first showed the staff the 39 objects he is donating.

"Each object in this collection humbled us, excited us and moved us to tears. And then, Dr. Blockson uncovered Harriet Tubman's personal hymnal, and I think many of us lost it," Bunch said.

Once-revered SC lawmaker freezes to death alone - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Once-revered SC lawmaker freezes to death alone - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee: When Juanita Goggins became the first black woman elected to the South Carolina Legislature in 1974, she was hailed as a trailblazer and twice visited the president at the White House.

Three decades later, she froze to death at age 75, a solitary figure living in a rented house four miles from the gleaming Statehouse dome.

Goggins, whose achievements included key legislation on school funding, kindergarten and class size, had become increasingly reclusive. She spent her final years turning down help from neighbors who knew little of her history-making past. Her body was not discovered for more than a week.

Those neighbors, as well as former colleagues and relatives, are now left wondering whether they could have done more to help.

WWII Women Airforce Service Pilots Honored With Gold Medal : NPR

WWII Women Airforce Service Pilots Honored With Gold Medal : NPR: A long-overlooked group of women who flew military aircraft during World War II were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday.

Known as Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP, they were the first women to fly U.S. military planes.

About 200 of these female aviators, mostly in their late 80s and early 90s and some in wheelchairs, came to the Capitol to accept the medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress.

In thanking them for their service, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said these female pilots went unrecognized for too long.

'Women Airforce Service Pilots, we are all your daughters; you taught us how to fly,' Pelosi said.

From Prison to Policymaking

From Prison to Policymaking: At the close of almost 25 years of winding through New York state’s prisons, former Black Panther Eddie Ellis walked away in 1994 with four college degrees he earned while incarcerated and kept treading his singular path as an activist on the issues of police, courts, crime and punishment. As he had done in prison, he organized felons and former felons. He conducted community workshops, lectured and lobbied. In 2000, before conferees who, except for him, were White criminologists and law enforcement officials, Ellis dared to ask how, given the topics at hand, he was the solitary ex-prisoner and sole Black among the invited analysts.

Virginia HBCUs Struggle With Legal Opinion That Bars Protection for Gays

Virginia HBCUs Struggle With Legal Opinion That Bars Protection for Gays: RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia's historically Black colleges and universities are reeling after a controversial legal opinion by Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli that would invalidate any policy erected by public colleges that bans discrimination against gays and lesbians.

'This is having a chilling effect,' says Dr. Charles Ford, a professor of history and interim associate dean of the College of Arts and Science at Norfolk State University. He says historically Black schools will be hardest hit if the opinion keeps away private foundation and grant money.

Cuccinelli issued his opinion just days after the state Legislature committee killed a bill to extend anti-discrimination rights to gay state workers. The issue is politically charged because the discrimination issue had been taken up in the Legislature after the state's conservative governor, Robert McDonnell, refused to include gays in an executive order prohibiting discrimination against state workers.

Sarah Lawrence College Hosts Women’s History Conference on Hip-hop

Sarah Lawrence College Hosts Women’s History Conference on Hip-hop: Noting that most popular music is misogynistic, Dr. Maria Cristina Santana, interim director of women’s studies at the University of Central Florida, began her talk on women and rap by posting the question, “How do we find respect in popular music?”

Santana was among the several media gurus and women’s studies scholars who exchanged notes and had robust discussions this weekend at a conference hosted by Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y. The event, “Womens History Conference: The Message is in the Music: Hip Hop Feminism, Riot Grrrl, Latina Music, and More,” started Friday evening and included the former president of Def Jam Recordings, Carmen Ashhurst, as the keynote speaker.

Santana presented on the queen of reggaeton, Ivy Queen, during the “Women Rap” panel discussion. Ivy Queen is staking a claim for women in the popular genre yet perpetuating women’s objectification and oppression with her video-vixen look, Santana said.

Conference: College Leaders Highlight Challenges, Role of Diversity During School Transformations

Conference: College Leaders Highlight Challenges, Role of Diversity During School Transformations: PHOENIX -- Dr. Allen Sessoms took over as president of the University of the District of Columbia 19 months ago with one mandate.

Either fix it or close it.

Sessoms was faced with many challenges including: dwindling enrollment, low academic standards for students along with no real tenure for professors. If professors lasted 90 days, they received tenure, he said.

'It was full of folks just put there,' Sessoms said.

The first step was to create a vision for the only public university in D.C., Sessoms said. Within 18 months, officials were on the road to turning around the historically Black institution. One of the first steps was to create a community college and a four-year flagship university with increased academic admission requirements, Sessoms said.

Reviews: Catching Up on the Black History Book Bounty

Reviews: Catching Up on the Black History Book Bounty: Black History Month shouldn’t be the only time to catch up on reading about the African-American experience. Fortunately, recent selections from university and scholarly presses, released in February to coincide with Black History Month, have been varied and noteworthy. So much so that Diverseeducation.com is offering extra reviews this month, in addition to the usual Diverse Issues Bookshelf column, to include the titles that were missed last month.

Do you pray before bed? - Faith & Reason

Do you pray before bed? - Faith & Reason: The National Sleep Foundation's annual 'Sleep in America' poll finds that we're not getting enough sleep. Unfortunately, not surprising given the stress from the economy and Americans' busy-ness. But the poll did bring to light some interesting findings on before-bed rituals.

When asked about activities done every night or almost every night, African-Americans were most likely to report praying or doing another religious activity (71%), having sex (10%) and watching TV (75%). Asians were least likely to pray (18%), have sex (1%) or watch TV (52%). Hispanics and whites fall in the middle, every night or almost every night ...

* Praying or doing another religious activity before bed: 45% Hispanics, 32% Whites
* Having sex in the hour before bed: 10% Hispanics, 4% Whites
* Watching TV: 72% Hispanics, 64% Whites

Many adults, even those who don't pray before bed now, were taught to do so as children.

Latino friends join Alzheimer's study, tackle 'cultural' issue - USATODAY.com

Latino friends join Alzheimer's study, tackle 'cultural' issue - USATODAY.com: Jose Maria Burruel was born in his grandmother's home, a tent that sat between a ditch and a drainage canal on the outskirts of Phoenix. He says the family was fortunate to find a black physician to help with the birth. At that time, he says, local white doctors wouldn't deliver Latino babies.

Now, at 84, the retired educator says he is helping improve medical care for other Latinos by participating in an Alzheimer's study at nearby Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. He's encouraging friends to do the same.

"We all have an obligation to contribute to the betterment of generations to come," says Burruel, a great-grandfather and World War II veteran.

For more than a decade, Burruel, his wife, Frances, and friends from his old neighborhood high school, Phoenix Union, have been gathering at local restaurant Bit-zee Mama's for comfort foods and company. The group of roughly 100 affectionately calls itself "El Grupo."

Report: Minorities more likely to suffer Alzheimer's disease - USATODAY.com

Report: Minorities more likely to suffer Alzheimer's disease - USATODAY.com: As deaths from heart disease and many types of cancers have dipped, living longer is putting more people at risk for Alzheimer's disease, the brain-wasting condition that a new report shows African-Americans and Hispanics are particularly vulnerable to as they grow older.

According to the Alzheimer's Association's report released today, '2010 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures,' 5.3 million people are living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. African Americans are almost twice as likely as whites to have Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, and Hispanics are about one and a half times more likely to be stricken with it.

Q&A: How Henrietta Lacks' cells fueled medical breakthroughs - USATODAY.com

Q&A: How Henrietta Lacks' cells fueled medical breakthroughs - USATODAY.com: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the story of a forgotten woman whose endlessly dividing cells have led to some of the most important discoveries of modern medicine. Tissue taken without her consent when she was being treated for cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951 became the first line of cells that could be grown in the laboratory, a holy grail of science at the time. Lacks' unwitting contribution to science marked a major turning point in research. The book also tells the sometimes heartbreaking story of her family, who only decades after their mother's death truly understood what had happened to her. USA TODAY spoke with author Rebecca Skloot.