Sunday, August 31, 2014

From NY to Texas, KKK recruits with candies and fliers - CNN.com

From NY to Texas, KKK recruits with candies and fliers - CNN.com: (CNN) -- Carlos Enrique Londoño laughs at the Ku Klux Klan recruitment flier recently left on the driveway of his suburban New York home. It's unlikely the group would accept him.

"I'm Colombian and dark-skinned," said Londoño, a painter and construction worker who has lived in Hampton Bays on Long Island for 30 years.

The flier was tucked into a plastic bag along with a membership application, the address for the KKK national office in North Carolina, a list of beliefs and three Jolly Rancher candies.

The packages appear to be part of a wider recruitment effort by the Klan across the country, Ryan Lenz, senior writer for the Southern Poverty Law Center, told CNN on Saturday.

‘It just doesn’t add up’: Amid Ferguson fallout, students sound off on race in America | PBS NewsHour

‘It just doesn’t add up’: Amid Ferguson fallout, students sound off on race in America | PBS NewsHour: ERIN DEVANY: I feel like after hearing about the situation, I realized that if we have to protest the killing of unarmed youth in our nation, then we really don’t live in a free country at all.

MICHAEL BRAXTON: I shouldn’t be scared because of the color of my skin, whether you’re white, Mexican, black, Indian – we should all have the same justice. I mean, it just doesn’t add up to me.

YAHYA YUSSUF: I feel like Ferguson was like a true showing of what the nation truly feels about equality between minorities and the majorities in certain communities.

HENRY CHAVEZ: It’s definitely let me know that justice and race are still a big topic to focus on in America — that racism is still something that exists and that equality amongst races themselves isn’t fully met yet.

ANTHONY PALMER: After the events of Ferguson, I found a magazine about racial profiling from July 30 of 2001. This magazine brought to my attention that even since 2001, racial profiling has been still present and that our government is kind of ignoring what’s happening in today’s world.

A Photographer Captures The Often-Overlooked 'Aunty' Couture : Code Switch : NPR

A Photographer Captures The Often-Overlooked 'Aunty' Couture : Code Switch : NPR: "Ugh, she dresses like SUCH an aunty!" is usually not something you'd want to hear about your style, if you're South Asian.

An "aunty" or "aunty-ji" (depending on where you want to fall on the graph of respect and familiarity) is what you call a lady roughly around your mother's age. So, the family friend who has seen you grow up, your mom's co-worker, the lady next to you in the grocery line or the nosy neighbor whose questions about your love life you endure because she makes a killer biryani — they all qualify.

While the stereotype makes aunties famous only for food and unsolicited advice, their style — like this salwar-kurta and sneakers combo, a staple — has not always been in the spotlight. Until now.

How 'Sassy' Came To Mean Something Both Sweet And Sour : Code Switch : NPR

How 'Sassy' Came To Mean Something Both Sweet And Sour : Code Switch : NPR: In our semi-regular Word Watch feature, we take a look at a word or phrase that's caught our attention, whether for its history, usage, etymology, or just because it has an interesting story.

I'm sometimes described as "sassy," and when that happens I choose to take it as a compliment. I always think of Sarah "Sassy" Vaughan's spirit, verve and "sass."

You see, "sassy" started out as "saucy," according to the Oxford English Dictionary, which defines it as:

"Impudent, saucy, 'cheeky.'"
"Outspoken, provocative."
"Conceited, pretentious."
"Self-assured, spirited, bold."
"Vigorous, lively."
"Stylish, 'chic'."

I always assume the part that begins with "self-assured" and ends with "chic" is what people are saying about me. ::blinks innocently::

Native American Artists Reclaim Images That Represent Them : Code Switch : NPR

Native American Artists Reclaim Images That Represent Them : Code Switch : NPR: There's been a lot of discussion about the name of a certain Washington football team — with lawsuits arguing that it is disparaging, and media outlets choosing not to use it in their content.

But while the debates around the language are raging, the logo — also a part of the trademark lawsuit — remains emblazoned on hats, T-shirts, and picnic blankets around the capital.

The logo has been the team's brand ambassador for a long time and this team isn't the only sports team to use Native American imagery. It's also not something that is exclusive to sports teams; caricatures and motifs depicting indigenous people have long been used to sell stuff — cigars for one, but also things like chewing gum and butter.

Marchers in D.C., Ferguson, nationwide call for justice 3 weeks after Michael Brown shooting | WJLA.com

Marchers in D.C., Ferguson, nationwide call for justice 3 weeks after Michael Brown shooting | WJLA.com: FERGUSON, Mo. (AP/WJLA) - Hundreds converged on Ferguson on Saturday to march for Michael Brown, the unarmed black 18-year-old who was shot and killed by a white police officer three weeks ago to the day. His death stoked national discourse about police tactics and race, which the rally's organizers pledged to continue. 

In Washington, D.C., marchers started at Union Station and planned to "disrupt business as usual" and shut down H Street NE on a busy Saturday night, organizers said.

Protesters across the country have marched and called for reforms to law enforcement agencies, including demilitarization, police review boards and body cameras.

In the past week, protesters have also demonstrated at the White House, the Justice Department, and in other neighborhoods.

Solve this math problem: The gender gap - LA Times

Solve this math problem: The gender gap - LA Times: Earlier this month, Maryam Mirzakhani became the first woman in history to win a Fields Medal — "math's Nobel Prize." This is a cause for celebration, but also for reflection.

Things are definitely better than they once were for women in mathematics. In the late 18th century, Sophie Germain, who made significant contributions to number theory despite having no formal schooling, had to use a male pseudonym initially to get the attention of renowned scholars Joseph-Louis Lagrange and Carl Friedrich Gauss, who later mentored her.

Sonia Kovalevsky, a 19th century Russian mathematician now known for her work in mathematical analysis, was only allowed to audit university courses because she was a woman. Ultimately, she earned her doctorate through the private tutoring of a mentor who recognized her talent.

China complains SAT may impose American values on its best students - LA Times

China complains SAT may impose American values on its best students - LA Times: Chinese students have shown an insatiable appetite for attending U.S. colleges — last year alone, more than 235,000 were enrolled at American institutions of higher education. But now, some in China are grousing that the SAT may impose American values on its best and brightest, who in preparation for the exam might be studying the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights instead of “The Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung.”

“Including content from America's founding documents in a revised U.S. college entry exam has drawn attention in China, with worries the materials may impose the American values system on students,” China’s official New China News Agency said last week.

After Ferguson, Race Deserves More Attention, Not Less - NYTimes.com

After Ferguson, Race Deserves More Attention, Not Less - NYTimes.com: MANY white Americans say they are fed up with the coverage of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. A plurality of whites in a recent Pew survey said that the issue of race is getting more attention than it deserves.

Bill O’Reilly of Fox News reflected that weariness, saying: “All you hear is grievance, grievance, grievance, money, money, money.”

Indeed, a 2011 study by scholars at Harvard and Tufts found that whites, on average, believed that anti-white racism was a bigger problem than anti-black racism.

Yes, you read that right!

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Copper thieves vandalize Rosa Parks' Montgomery home

Copper thieves vandalize Rosa Parks' Montgomery home: MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Copper thieves struck the apartment complex where Rosa Parks lived when she made civil rights history, and authorities are seeking the public's help in catching those responsible.

Parks' former apartment, unit 634, was one of many in the Cleveland Court Housing Community heavily damaged in thieves' hunt for copper pipes and tubing over the weekend.

The Montgomery Housing Authority, which oversees Cleveland Court, reported extensive interior damage Monday night to kitchens and bathrooms in 11 of the buildings on Rosa Parks Avenue.

The Invisible Quality of Whiteness in Our Schools - Higher Education

The Invisible Quality of Whiteness in Our Schools - Higher Education: Much has been made about recent Census reports highlighting the fact that White students are no longer the numeric majority in U.S. public schools. Awareness of these changes is important, but statistics on students’ racial demographics tell only part of the story. Interviews with educators at a Southern California high school where more than 80 percent of the students are Asian Americans or Latinas/os reveal that how, even when Whites are a small percentage of students, whiteness still dominates.

As is the case in schools throughout the U.S., most of the educators at the school I refer to as SCHS are White. Three-quarters of the administrators and half of the teachers are White compared to more than 90 percent of the students who are of color. While race alone does not determine perspective, this racial gap between educators and students is glaring. It is a reflection of educational barriers, historical differences and varied immigration patterns. This gap also hinders students’ access to racially diverse role models and approaches.

Alvernia University Bets $10M on Poor City’s Kids - Higher Education

Alvernia University Bets $10M on Poor City’s Kids - Higher Education: READING, Pa. — On the second day of class at Reading Senior High School, teacher Eric Knorr directs his students’ attention to the banners hanging on the wall. Syracuse. Temple. Brown. Penn State. All of them brought back by former students who bucked the odds and went to college.

“You need to make sure you have a plan,” Knorr exhorts the class. “Because your plan will lead to a banner, OK? It will lead to an opportunity to go to college.”

Long seen as a way out of poverty, higher education eludes most students at Reading High. The public schools here are plagued by low test scores in reading, math and science; the school district has one of the highest dropout rates in the state; and, in a city where almost 60 percent of the population is Hispanic, many students’ parents speak little or no English.

Report: ‘Nothing New’ About Tensions Between Black Youth, Police - Higher Education

Report: ‘Nothing New’ About Tensions Between Black Youth, Police - Higher Education: With Americans reeling from the unrest stirred by the recent shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., a report released by the University of Chicago’s Black Youth Project finds that tensions between African-American young adults and law enforcement are a national problem and have been around for years.

The Black Youth Project (BYP), which is a program of the university’s Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture, released its “The Policing of Black Communities and Young People of Color” report late last week. The release has coincided with national polls that have documented racially-divergent attitudes Americans overall have about local police emerging in the wake of the August 9 shooting of Brown.

In Denmark, Group Helps American Students of Color Feel at Home - Higher Education

In Denmark, Group Helps American Students of Color Feel at Home - Higher Education: In a globalized world, travel is increasingly seen as a critical part of rounding one’s character, and an essential part of an undergraduate career. Yet, comparatively few students of color are going abroad. Those that do can find themselves in countries where they are a distinct minority, making the transition away from home and other familiar places even more difficult.

Denmark does not immediately come to mind when thinking of popular study abroad destinations. In fact, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE), it ranked 21st on the list of countries students flock to. Yet the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) has a uniquely sensitive approach to accommodating the minority students who do travel there. To assist their integration into Danish life, the Institute created the Diverse Identities Social Club, directed by Heather Wallerson Krog, an American-born expatriate.

HBO miniseries to revisit Yonkers desegregation saga

HBO miniseries to revisit Yonkers desegregation saga: YONKERS, N.Y. — In May, actor Jim Belushi tried to save the Land of Oz as the voice of the Cowardly Lion in the animated film, Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return.

Now he's tapped to play a mayor who says he tried to save Yonkers from itself.

Belushi will portray former Yonkers Mayor Angelo Martinelli, part of the growing cast of Show Me a Hero, an upcoming HBO miniseries by award-winning producer David Simon that will delve into the tempest that was the city's desegregation battle in the late 1980s.

"It's never really gone away," said Martinelli, who is "delighted" to be played by Belushi. "I don't know if anybody will be able to capture those days. Those days were tumultuous. I had friends that turned against me because I wanted to settle that thing. I probably got a few extra gray hairs that I didn't need."

U.N. urges U.S. to stop police brutality after Missouri shooting | Reuters

U.N. urges U.S. to stop police brutality after Missouri shooting | Reuters: (Reuters) - The U.N. racism watchdog urged the United States on Friday to halt the excessive use of force by police after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white policeman touched off riots in Ferguson, Missouri.

Minorities, particularly African Americans, are victims of disparities, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) said after examining the U.S. record.

"Racial and ethnic discrimination remains a serious and persistent problem in all areas of life from de facto school segregation, access to health care and housing," Noureddine Amir, CERD committee vice chairman, told a news briefing.

Teenager Michael Brown was shot dead by a white police officer on Aug. 9, triggering violent protests that rocked Ferguson - a St. Louis suburb - and shone a global spotlight on the state of race relations in America.

Friday, August 29, 2014

Black infant mortality rates down, but racial gap persists - Metro - The Boston Globe

Black infant mortality rates down, but racial gap persists - Metro - The Boston Globe: The stairs to the attic were getting harder to climb for Stefanie Lawrence, then a 19-year-old pregnant with her first child. The air was always damp, aggravating her chronic asthma. She had moved there, into her relative’s home, because she and her mother could no longer afford a place of their own.

Worse still, Lawrence had no health insurance. She worried her unborn child would be affected by the turmoil buffeting her.

But three months into her pregnancy, a cousin told her about city health department nurses who help mothers navigate pregnancy and the months that follow, part of a campaign to reduce the troubling infant mortality rate among black women. She signed up.

And on a summer day in 2012, Lawrence gave birth to Destiny, a healthy, 7-pound baby girl.

Today in Boston, black infants such as Destiny are more likely to celebrate their first birthdays than ever before.

A report scheduled to be released Friday shows that infant mortality — the measure of how many babies die during the first year of life — has reached a historic low for black children.

Sexist Depictions Of Latinas Aren't Just A Hollywood Thing : Code Switch : NPR

Sexist Depictions Of Latinas Aren't Just A Hollywood Thing : Code Switch : NPR: I have a love-hate relationship with actress Sofía Vergara's rise to fame. On the one hand: Wow, there's a Latina on a major hit TV show. (As a recent University of Southern California study found fewer than 5 percent of actors and actresses, in top films are Hispanic.) The fact that I can tune into Modern Family and hear a passing reference to my mother's home country reminds me that American culture is changing.

On the other hand, watching La Sofía (as we call her in my family) sway her rear end across the screen — or have her pompis rotated onstage at the Emmys this week — destroys any scrap of hope I harbor that Hollywood is starting to get Latinas right.

But before I got too far into thinking that the solution is getting more Latinas hired in Hollywood, I considered Spanish-language television. The sad news is that even when Latina women are in the majority on TV screens, the industry still focuses on their rear ends.

Plea To Ferguson's Leaders: To Help Heal, Acknowledge Our Hurt : Code Switch : NPR

Plea To Ferguson's Leaders: To Help Heal, Acknowledge Our Hurt : Code Switch : NPR: Ferguson, Mo. is a study in contrasts. It boasts spacious Victorians in its historic section, with lush green lawns, many featuring 'I Heart Ferguson' signs. Just blocks away, there's a burnt-out QuikTrip. The signs here read "Hands Up, Don't Shoot." In some cases, there are boarded-up windows advertising plans to reopen, or decorated with the town's thanks for the love and support.

Not far from either: A mound of teddy bears and dried flowers mark the spot where 18-year-old Michael Brown fell after being shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Brown's death not only put a spotlight on these contrasts, but has also encouraged people to try to address them.

That was the Rev. Willis Johnson's hope. He's the pastor of Wellspring Church, which hosted a community conversation Thursday night. In welcoming the audience, Johnson acknowledged he's "gone from feeling hurt, to wanting to hurt," but he said he hoped the event would be a step to healing a "community in trauma."

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Warren Buffett's son buys Rosa Parks archive

Warren Buffett's son buys Rosa Parks archive: DETROIT — Hundreds of items that belonged to civil rights icon Rosa Parks that have been sitting unseen for years in two warehouses — in Detroit and New York City — have been sold to a foundation run by the son of billionaire investment guru Warren Buffett, the younger Buffett said Thursday.

Howard Buffett said his foundation will make sure that the items, which include Parks' Presidential Medal of Freedom, will be put on public display because they belong to all Americans.

"I'm only trying to do one thing: preserve what's there for the public's benefit," he said. "I thought about doing what Rosa Parks would want. I doubt that she would want to have her stuff sitting in a box with people fighting over them."

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Despite Racial Disparity, Alumni Group Backs Test-Only Policy for Elite Schools

A group of alumni of eight prestigious public high schools in New York City issued a statement on Tuesday in support of keeping a test as the sole criterion for entry, inserting themselves in a long-running debate over the admissions process and its impact on the schools’ racial makeup.

Some legislators and civil rights groups have blamed the test-only policy for the fact that very few black and Hispanic students are admitted to the eight so-called specialized high schools, in comparison with their numbers in the city’s school system over all. Mayor Bill de Blasio said during the mayoral campaign that the schools should use a broader set of measures for admission, but his power to make that change is limited.

State law mandates that the test, known as the Specialized High School Admissions Test, be the only standard for admission to the three biggest schools — Stuyvesant High School, the Bronx High School of Science and Brooklyn Tech — and an attempt to change that law fizzled earlier this year.

Study: Minority-Serving Schools Serve Students of Color as Well as Predominantly White Institutions - Higher Education

Study: Minority-Serving Schools Serve Students of Color as Well as Predominantly White Institutions - Higher Education: A new study challenges the notion that Black and Latino students are less likely to earn a college degree if they attend minority-serving institutions, such as historically Black universities or Hispanic-serving universities.

The study, “The Effect of Enrolling in a Minority-Serving Institution for Black and Hispanic Students in Texas,” reports that Black and Latino students who enroll at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) are equally as likely to complete college as Black and Latino students who attend other colleges and universities. The study, which focuses on three cohorts of college enrollees from 1997 to 2008, was published in the Research in Higher Education journal in late July.

Dr. Stella Flores, the study’s lead author and an associate professor of public policy and higher education at Vanderbilt University, said that conventional graduation statistics show that college completion of Black students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) falls about 7 percent below non-MSIs, and Latino student graduation rates lag by roughly 11 percent at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) when compared to Latino completion at non-MSIs.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Civil rights attorney George Barrett dies at 86

Civil rights attorney George Barrett dies at 86: NASHVILLE — George Barrett, the irrepressible, octogenarian civil rights attorney who continued to work full-time on behalf of voters, laborers, investors and other groups until earlier this month, died Tuesday night. He was 86.

The cause of death was acute pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, which sent Barrett to the hospital about two weeks ago, a family spokeswoman said.

Barrett cut a self-assured figure in Nashville's legal community for more than 50 years after graduating from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1957 and taking a job at the law firm of Cecil Branstetter, who was becoming one of the South's leading labor lawyers. Routinely calling himself "The Citizen," Barrett took on authority figures with an attitude of righteous indignation whenever he thought they were abusing their power.

Black, White and Baseball - NYTimes.com

Black, White and Baseball - NYTimes.com: SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — IF you were looking last week for a thread of hope amid all the hurt in America and savagery abroad, for something to thrill to and cheer about, this is where you found it, on a baseball diamond in central Pennsylvania that really did amount to a field of dreams.

It was here, at the Little League World Series, that Mo’ne Davis captured the country’s hearts. A 13-year-old wunderkind from Philadelphia, she was believed to be the first black girl to play in the series. She was definitely the first girl ever to pitch a shutout. She landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated, exploded stereotypes about women and sports and did it with a poise and grace that most people twice or even four times her age struggle to muster.

She was some story. So is a lanky white man who watched her from a seat behind home plate, gripped by nervousness, pride and a gnawing regret.

Racial Divide in United States Defies Easy Change - NYTimes.com

Racial Divide in United States Defies Easy Change - NYTimes.com: WASHINGTON — The tragic shooting of a black teenager by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo., has sparked an intense debate about the state of race relations in America, but there’s little indication much will change.

Predictably, Barack Obama, the first black president, is at the center of the debate. Should he speak out more forcefully? Should he go to Ferguson? Is this a teaching moment?

This recalls the expectation that his election would magically transform an issue that has plagued the United States for hundreds of years. Mr. Obama did not run as a black candidate; had he done so, he would have lost. In office, he has given speeches and promoted initiatives on race, but he has not governed as a black president.

Where are first graduates of Urban Prep? - Chicago Tribune

Where are first graduates of Urban Prep? - Chicago Tribune: As a student in the first class of Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men, Tyler Beck found himself enveloped in a nurturing environment where teachers came in early and stayed late to help tutor struggling students. There, the boys formed a brotherhood and learned affirmations that kept them pumped up to achieve.

"We were taught, 'Each one reach one,' and 'It takes courage to excel.' We all learned to help each other because we all wanted to succeed," Beck said. "There were people who could say they'd been right where you were from and they could say they knew what your life was like."

But four years later, at the idyllic East Coast private college to which Beck was accepted, the atmosphere was dramatically different. And even though he had earned a full academic scholarship to attend, Beck was not prepared.

BBC News - US schools to have non-white majority

BBC News - US schools to have non-white majority: White pupils in state schools in the United States are set to be in the minority for the first time when schools return for the new term.

According to official forecasts, enrolments for the 2014-15 school year will mark the threshold when ethnic minorities become the majority.

This demographic shift has been driven by rising numbers of Hispanic pupils.

Figures are gathered by the US Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics.

It records the number of pupils in the state school system across the United States - and it publishes forecasts of enrolments in the years ahead.
Population shifts

The figures show a steady decline in the numbers of white pupils since the mid-1990s and a broadly stable number of black pupils, but a sharply rising number of pupils identified as Hispanic.

The school figures show the number of Hispanic pupils has more than doubled over the past two decades and is projected to continue rising in the next decade.

Black Arundel officers criticize union donation to Ferguson cop - baltimoresun.com

Black Arundel officers criticize union donation to Ferguson cop - baltimoresun.com: A group of African-American police officers in Anne Arundel County said Monday they were "shocked" by their union's donation to a white Missouri police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teen.

In a letter to the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 70, which represents Anne Arundel's rank-and-file police, the officers blasted the decision to donate to a fund for Officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson, Mo., police department.

"While we appreciate the support that the union offers to officers in need, there comes a time where leaders must take a step back and look at the totality of their decisions," wrote Cpl. Kam Cooke, a bike patrol officer and acting president of Anne Arundel's Black Police Officers Association.

In Ferguson, Court Fines And Fees Fuel Anger : NPR

In Ferguson, Court Fines And Fees Fuel Anger : NPR: Racial Disparity In Ferguson Traffic Stops

Data from the Missouri state attorney general's office show that black drivers are stopped in Ferguson in disproportionate numbers, even though Ferguson police are more likely to find contraband when they stop white drivers.

Blacks make up 67 percent of the city's population, but are 86 percent of motorists stopped by police. Whites make up 29 percent of the population, but 12.7 percent of vehicle stops.

"However, this data seems at odds with the fact that searches of black individuals result in discovery of contraband only 21.7 percent of the time, while similar searches of whites produce contraband 34 percent of the time," the ArchCity Defenders report notes.

Which Outlets Aren't Calling The Redskins 'The Redskins'? A Short History : Code Switch : NPR

Which Outlets Aren't Calling The Redskins 'The Redskins'? A Short History : Code Switch : NPR: Football season is upon us once more, which means another year of swirling debate around just what to do about the Washington Redskins' name.

Now, the Redskins' hometown paper, The Washington Post, has waded into the fray: Its editorial board that the nickname would no longer appear on its op-ed pages.

"[T]he matter seems clearer to us now than ever, and while we wait for the National Football League to catch up with thoughtful opinion and common decency, we have decided that, except when it is essential for clarity or effect, we will no longer use the slur ourselves."
An October study from Pew Research found
that at least 76 outlets and journalists have moved to limit or ban the use of the team's name — a number that has obviously ticked up since then. (For the record, NPR's official policy is to use the team's name when reporting on it. But since the Redskins aren't very good and we don't do a ton of sports reporting anyway, we don't have a whole lot of opportunities to use or not use the name.)

Poll: Whites and blacks question police accountability

Poll: Whites and blacks question police accountability: As Michael Brown was laid to rest in Missouri, a USA TODAY/Pew Research Center Poll finds Americans by 2-to-1 say police departments nationwide don't do a good job in holding officers accountable for misconduct, treating racial groups equally and using the right amount of force.

While most whites give police low marks on those measures, blacks are overwhelmingly negative in their assessment of police tactics. More than nine of 10 African Americans say the police do an "only fair" or poor job when it comes to equal treatment and appropriate force.

The shooting of the unarmed black teenager by a white police officer two weeks ago in a St. Louis suburb has sparked protests across the country and spotlighted a federal program that sends military equipment to local law enforcement agencies.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Despite Promises, Little Progress in Drawing Poor to Elite Colleges - NYTimes.com

Despite Promises, Little Progress in Drawing Poor to Elite Colleges - NYTimes.com: As the shaded quadrangles of the nation’s elite campuses stir to life for the start of the academic year, they remain bastions of privilege. Despite promises to admit more poor students, top colleges educate roughly the same percentage of them as they did a generation ago. Yet the percentage of high-performing, low-income students in the general population is twice that at prestigious campuses.

A series of federal surveys of selective colleges found virtually no change from the 1990s to 2012 in enrollment of students who are less well off despite a huge increase over that time in the number of such students going to college. Similar studies looking at a narrower range of top wealthy universities back those findings. With race-based affirmative action losing both judicial and public support, many have urged selective colleges to shift more focus to economic diversity.

Being "Black-ish": Column

Being "Black-ish": Column: Do you ever feel as if you are swimming upstream in a river? How about the feeling that you are running into the wind, uphill? Perhaps you could provide some other cliché that implies that one is working harder than one might and against the prevailing opinion of the crowd.

I often feel that way. I do so because I continue to teach African American history at the university level when there are so many cultural clues that many don't feel it is important. I was reminded of my predicament when I learned of a television show, "Black-ish" starring Anthony Anderson, which will air for the first time in Fall 2014 on ABC.

The Hollywood Reporter described the show as an "upper-middle class black man who struggles to raise his children with a sense of cultural identity despite constant contradictions and obstacles coming from his liberal wife, old-school father and his own assimilated, color-blind kids." Anderson plays a successful executive with all the trappings; an enviable address, an expensive automobile, and, perhaps most importantly, a closet reserved solely for his shoes. Yet he wonders what elements of African-American cultural his children must give up in order to "fit in."

Black America and the burden of the perfect victim - The Washington Post

Black America and the burden of the perfect victim - The Washington Post: An information war is being waged in Ferguson, Mo., each salvo meant to shape public perceptions of Michael Brown and Darren Wilson.

Through this war we’ve learned that the 18-year-old Brown had marijuana in his system when he was killed, suggesting he was of poor character, and that police officer Wilson shot Brown six times, a use of force that could seem reckless or excessive. We’ve been told that Brown was a “gentle giant” who would have started attending classes at a technical college this month, but we’ve also seen a grainy convenience-store video in which he does not look gentle. We have seen a video of Wilson receiving an award, looking professional and happy, but we’ve also heard about him cursing at a Ferguson woman who had been maced, weeks before the town began to smolder.

Such snippets and images are efforts to shape public opinion about these men. They could influence St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch as he weighs whether to bring charges against Wilson. They could also influence the potential jury pool, showing prejudicial evidence that may not be admissible at trial.

Ferguson Situation Comes Down to Matter of Dignity - Higher Education

Ferguson Situation Comes Down to Matter of Dignity - Higher Education: On Aug. 9, police in Ferguson, Mo., shot Michael Brown to death, an unarmed Black teenager. The closed way in which the police responded to requests for information on the shooting and their aggressive actions against peaceful protestors in the aftermath of the shooting have opened yet another sore spot in a nation that is splintering from all levels of gross inequality. The fissures ripping at the nation come from race and class, as we struggle to regain our economic footing; the simple ability of Americans to hold a job, feed, shelter, cloth and provide for the health of their families. It boils down to the simple word: Dignity.

A problem with America is the paradox that it can be a nation with high compassion, but also a nation with no empathy. Central American children fleeing violence and in desperation making a long and dangerous journey to the land they think is full of milk and honey, with streets lined with gold, are greeted by angry mobs as their buses take them to detention centers.

College Students Step Up in Ferguson - Higher Education

College Students Step Up in Ferguson - Higher Education: The protests that have swept up Ferguson, Mo., following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, in part have been powered by the young people. Some are local and others have come there to help organize.

Antonio Parker, a student at University of Missouri-St. Louis, said that he has been at protests during the day.

“When I’m there, it’s calm, people are just chanting, trying to get their voices heard,” he said. “When I was down there, the police that were there during the day, don’t seem to be as on edge as they are at night, from what I’ve been told. A lot of people think that the message is getting covered up by all the looting, but I think the message is still being carried out—justice for Mike Brown.

“The Black community, we are tired of police brutality.”

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Bob Motley, Last Surviving Negro League Ump, Recalls Baseball History : NPR

Bob Motley, Last Surviving Negro League Ump, Recalls Baseball History : NPR: Bob Motley, a 91-year-old from Kansas City, Mo., has lived through remarkable times in our history.

His story is one of a black man in love with baseball. Racial integration didn't come to the major leagues until 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the color line at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

But it was another 19 years before a black man, Emmett Ashford, appeared behind home plate. In the interim, black umpires called balls and strikes in the Negro League.

Motley is the last surviving ump from Negro League baseball. He also served with the first-ever black Marine regiment in World War II, the Montfort Point Marines.

50 Years Before Ferguson, A Summer Of Riots Racked The U.S. : Code Switch : NPR

50 Years Before Ferguson, A Summer Of Riots Racked The U.S. : Code Switch : NPR: Fifty years ago this summer — a half-century before the protests in Ferguson, Mo. — riots broke out in seven cities in New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Pennsylvania, sparked by confrontations between black residents and their predominantly white police forces.

In Philadelphia, the violence began after dark, in late August.

"It was a hot day and just wasn't too much activity in the hood, as they say," remembers Kenneth Salaam, who was 15 years old in 1964.

He was hanging out in his North Philadelphia neighborhood with friends when police cars began zipping by one after another. He ran towards the action, blocks away from his home.

"It's crowds of people, police, and then you're hearing glass breaking, and now I know it's a riot!" says Salaam, who adds it wasn't clear at first what sparked the violence. "There were so many rumors as people were coming."

Saturday, August 23, 2014

For Parents Of Young Black Men With Autism, Extra Fear About Police : Code Switch : NPR

For Parents Of Young Black Men With Autism, Extra Fear About Police : Code Switch : NPR: Lorraine Spencer has been watching the news from Ferguson, Mo., where an unarmed black 18-year-old was shot and killed by police, and worrying about her own son's safety. Jermaine is 16 years old and bi-racial, with a dark complexion. He also has autism and wants to be more independent, especially as he nears adulthood.

"It's my worst nightmare," she says. "I have the issue with him not understanding, possibly, a command to put your hands up or to get on the ground. So, yes, it's scary."

According to the advocacy group Autism Unites, people with autism spectrum disorders are seven times more likely to interact with police over their lifetimes, compared with people without a cognitive disorder.

Study: White People Support Harsher Criminal Laws If They Think More Black People Are Arrested | ThinkProgress

Study: White People Support Harsher Criminal Laws If They Think More Black People Are Arrested | ThinkProgress: A recent study suggests that, if you are white, and you are presented with evidence that our criminal justice system disproportionately targets black people, then you are more likely to support harsh criminal justice policies than if you were unaware of this evidence. According to a study by Rebecca Hetey, a post-doctoral fellow in Stanford’s Psychology department and Jennifer Eberhardt, her faculty advisor, informing white people that African Americans are significantly over-represented in the prison population “may actually bolster support for the very policies that perpetuate the inequality.”

Forty percent of the nation’s prison population is black, as compared to only 12 percent of the population as a whole.

To reach their conclusions, Hetey and Eberhardt conducted two experiments involving white subjects. In the first, white people were asked to watch one of two videos containing mug shots. In one video, 25 percent of the mug shots were pictures of black men, while in the other video, 45 percent of the mug shots depicted African American males.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Chief: St. Louis officer on leave after video tirade

Chief: St. Louis officer on leave after video tirade: Video has surfaced showing a St. Louis County, Mo., police officer engaging in an hour-long lecture in which he rails against "our undocumented president," the "black-robed perverts" of the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. laws that promote equality, prompting the police chief to put him on administrative leave.

Officer Dan Page gained notoriety last Monday after shoving CNN host Don Lemon during live coverage from Ferguson, Mo., where protests erupted after police fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9. On Friday, CNN telephoned the St. Louis County Police Department to say the news organization had obtained a tape of Page speaking to an organization called the Oath Keepers, which describes itself as a group of current and former law enforcement and military personnel compelled to disobey rules that members believe violate the Constitution.

President Wilson Endeavors to Make Morehouse College a World-Class Destination - Higher Education

President Wilson Endeavors to Make Morehouse College a World-Class Destination - Higher Education: ATLANTA — From the moment he took over as president of his alma mater, Dr. John Silvanus Wilson Jr. has been conveying a vision for Morehouse College that includes achieving excellence.

His mantra, “Toward Capital and Character Preeminence,” is an initiative aimed at transforming the historic college into a world-class campus, while simultaneously producing a generation of men who will go on to become change agents like so many of their predecessors.

“Preeminence in capital and character is a powerful combination seldom exhibited by institutions of higher education,” says Wilson, who stepped down as executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 2013 to lead the nation’s only African-American men’s college.

“So we are looking to increase institutional capital enough to have a sustainably world-class living and learning environment, and enhance institutional character enough to reliably produce more graduates who will help heal the world in distinctive ways,” he says.

50 Years Later, TRIO Programs Paving Pathways to Success - Higher Education

50 Years Later, TRIO Programs Paving Pathways to Success - Higher Education: WASHINGTON — At the age of six or seven — long before she became a college chancellor — Cynthia Azari got a tough lesson in economics for migrant farm worker families such as hers.

She and her sister had just dragged a bag full of cotton that they had been picking all day to place it on the scale. A grower told them that they had only earned 85 cents for their labor. This was before, she said, child labor laws protected the children of migrant farm workers.

“That probably could buy a loaf of bread and eggs and a quart of milk, but as a child I thought: I can’t do this,’” Azari said, recounting the years when she and her family lived in small shacks picking cotton and grapes in Texas and California. “There was no way I was going to work like this for the rest of my life.”

A Mother's White Privilege

A Mother's White Privilege: As the ongoing events in Ferguson, Missouri show us, America's racial tensions didn't disappear when George Wallace backed down from the schoolhouse door. Dr. King didn't wave a magic wand, and we never got together to feel all right. White America remembers this at ugly flashpoints: the Rodney King beatings, the OJ Simpson trial, the Jena Six, Trayvon Martin's death. White America recoils in horror not at the crimes -- though the crimes are certainly horrible. It's not the teenagers gunned down, the police abuse, the corrupt trials. It's this: at these sudden, raw moments, in these riots and demonstrations and travesties of justice, White America is forced to gaze upon the emotional roil of oppression, the anger and fear and deep grief endemic to the black American experience. Black America holds up a mirror for us.

And white America is terrified to look.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

HBCUs Looking Abroad in Effort to Remain Competitive - Higher Education

HBCUs Looking Abroad in Effort to Remain Competitive - Higher Education: HBCUs have a rich heritage of educating generations of political, business and scientific leaders from Africa and Asia and developing partnerships with institutions overseas. For decades, many historically Black colleges also played a critical role in overseas development work.

But these days many HBCUs lag behind predominantly White institutions in international engagement. They are less likely to attract foreign students or send their own students abroad. Many are hobbled by weak finances and insufficient personnel. Some do not even have international student offices.

But given the consensus that producing college graduates who are competitive and possess the requisite skills to succeed in a global marketplace is critical, there is growing concern that HBCUs, which award 22 percent of bachelor’s degrees to Black students, are being left behind.

How To Sell Diverse Books: A Bookstore Owner's Advice : Code Switch : NPR

How To Sell Diverse Books: A Bookstore Owner's Advice : Code Switch : NPR: On what makes a diverse book

The [criterion is]: One, the book must feature a main character of color in a story that is not driven by racial issues. So mainstream stories of kids having all kinds of adventures and different genres of literature. ...

I think there are so many books published about issues that the consumer culture has developed this idea that books with brown faces on the cover are going to be heavy, serious books. And while those books are very valuable and important and wonderful books to read, they also don't describe the entire experience of human life in this country.

On the notion that "the market reflects the buyer" in the publishing world 

I think publishing, marketing dollars go to certain books more than other books. And I think we tend to narrow our definition of what will sell even before the book gets out of the gate. ...

The Sleepy Road Near Our National Conversation On Race : Code Switch : NPR

The Sleepy Road Near Our National Conversation On Race : Code Switch : NPR: On television, it's hard to get a sense of just how small the stretch of West Florissant Avenue — the thoroughfare in Ferguson, Mo., that's drawn international attention after the killing of Michael Brown — really is.

On either side of West Florissant, there are nail salons and barber shops, liquor stores and Chinese food spots, convenience stores and places where you can buy refurbished electronics or pay your utility bills. Because of the unrest, lots of the stores are boarded up, some as precautions against vandalism and looting, others as a result of it. Some are open — and have graffiti on the wooden boarding to indicate as much — while some are temporarily closed, presumably until things calm down. There's the QuikTrip, was burned down after an inaccurate rumor circulated that its owners called the police on Brown not long before he was shot.

To Achieve Diversity In Publishing, A Difficult Dialogue Beats Silence : Code Switch : NPR

To Achieve Diversity In Publishing, A Difficult Dialogue Beats Silence : Code Switch : NPR: Last spring, a group calling itself We Need Diverse Books launched a Twitter campaign to press for greater diversity in children's books. Writer Daniel José Older supports the campaign, but he doesn't think it goes far enough.

"We need diverse agents, we need editors, we need diverse book buyers, we need diverse illustrators, and we need diverse executives and CEOs at the top, too." 

Older says the industry needs to take an honest look at who holds the power over who gets published. Because as things stand now, Older argues, writers of color often find themselves navigating a world that makes them feel unwelcome.

"Well, let's start out with what we know, which is that publishing is overwhelmingly white," he says. "Now, that's not a controversial fact, but sometimes to point it out becomes a controversial thing — to speak that truth."

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Here's What Happens to Police Officers Who Shoot Unarmed Black Men | Mother Jones

Here's What Happens to Police Officers Who Shoot Unarmed Black Men | Mother Jones: In the week since 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, initial autopsy findings, police reports, and eyewitness accounts have begun to provide some insights into the circumstances of his death. But plenty of questions remain unanswered, not the least of them: Where is Officer Darren Wilson, and what's likely to happen to him?

Wilson, who was put on administrative leave after killing Brown, reportedly left home with his family a few days before his name was made public. A fundraising campaign launched on August 17 has already raised more than $10,000 to cover the financial needs of Wilson's family, "including legal fees." (The campaign has since increased its goal to $100,000.)

It remains to be seen whether Wilson will face criminal charges, but a limited review of similar killings by police suggests that the officers more often than not walk away without an indictment, and are very rarely convicted. Delores Jones-Brown, a law professor and director of the Center on Race, Crime, and Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, looked at 21 publicized cases from 1994 through 2009 in which a police officer killed an unarmed black person.

Public opinions on Brown killing show division by race

Public opinions on Brown killing show division by race: JUDY WOODRUFF: It turns out that there is a sharp racial divide in the United States when it comes to reactions to the shooting of Michael Brown and the ongoing protests in Ferguson.

[nh_link align="right"]That’s one of the findings revealed in a new survey by the Pew Research Center.

Here to explain is Carroll Doherty. He’s the director of political research there. And he joins us.

We thank you for being here today.

CARROLL DOHERTY, Pew Research Center: Thanks for inviting me.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So, your poll done nationally. It was August 14 through 17, so done last Thursday through Sunday, you were just telling me. And it shows a really — some stark findings about how whites and blacks view the question of whether race is an issue here.

CARROLL DOHERTY: That’s the first question, whether race is an issue or whether it’s getting too much attention.

BBC News - Macy's settles racial profiling allegations from shoppers

BBC News - Macy's settles racial profiling allegations from shoppers: Under a deal with New York's attorney-general Macy's agreed to a series of changes at its 42 stores across the state.

Staff at Macy's, one of US retailing's big names, were said to have targeted shoppers because of their colour.

US actor Rob Brown was among customers suspected of theft or fraud.

Some complaints against Macy's were from customers who, despite not concealing goods, were detained after moving between floors at the Manhattan store.

Other customers who spoke poor English, and were suspected of shoplifting or credit card fraud, were not allowed to make phone calls or have an interpreter, and were required to sign documents that they could not understand.

CNN host: Nat. Guard said ‘you never know’ what Ferguson ‘n*ggers’ are going to do

CNN host: Nat. Guard said ‘you never know’ what Ferguson ‘n*ggers’ are going to do: CNN host Don Lemon, who has spent recent days reporting from Ferguson, recalled on Tuesday that a member of the National Guard had called protesters the n-word.

During a CNN town hall event about the racial divide in the U.S., an African-American member of the audience asked what safeguards could be put in place to prevent officers from overreacting when dealing with black men.

The Black Sphere’s Kevin Jackson noted that putting body cameras on officers changed the dynamic in police stops.

“If there’s a camera, he knows he’s got to check himself,” Jackson explained. “And if you know an officer has a camera, you also have to check yourself.”

Gordon Parks' 1950s Photo Essay On Civil Rights-Era America Is As Relevant As Ever

Gordon Parks' 1950s Photo Essay On Civil Rights-Era America Is As Relevant As Ever: The images, originally titled "The Restraints: Open and Hidden," were first taken for a photo essay for Life Magazine in 1956. The essay chronicles the lesser-seen daily effects of racial discrimination, revealing how prejudice pervades even the most banal and personal of daily occurrences. Parks doesn't photograph protests, rallies, acts of violence or momentous milestones in civil rights history. No, he prefers the quieter moments in and around the home.

Some photos focus on inequality -- a "colored" line at an ice cream stand or black children window shopping amongst all white mannequins. Others hint ominously at violence, as one child plays with a gun and another examines it solemnly. Such images are especially haunting in retrospect, considering the recent death toll of American black men in this country, over half a century after these photographs were taken.

Yet the majority of Parks' photos focus on the positive over the negative, showing a different breed of civil rights documentation.

Ferguson Shows the Urgent Need for Diversity Still Exists - Higher Education

Ferguson Shows the Urgent Need for Diversity Still Exists - Higher Education: For all your friends who believe we’re somehow “post-racial,” I hope they’ve been watching the news unfold in Ferguson, Missouri.

If we’re celebrating 50 years after the signing of the Civil Rights Act, it’s hard to believe after watching the news there’s been that much progress.

50 years? All negated by a few days in Missouri.

I lived in St. Louis just 13 years after the Civil Rights Act passed and can attest to the segregation that existed back then. Give it time? St. Louis has only calcified in its segregated trends since then, and it has established a negative legacy in everything from housing, education, employment and particularly in law enforcement.

Would more Black cops have helped in Ferguson?

You bet.

And when the Missouri State Highway Patrol was put in charge to help the majority White cops, they weren’t much better. A 2011 report showed the troopers had a minority employee makeup of just 4.62, plainly stating that “the largest disparity exists among Blacks.”

NYPD Chokehold Death Will Go To Grand Jury, Prosecutor Says : The Two-Way : NPR

NYPD Chokehold Death Will Go To Grand Jury, Prosecutor Says : The Two-Way : NPR: A prosecutor in New York is asking a grand jury to consider charges in the death of Eric Garner, who died last month in police custody after an officer placed him in a chokehold, as NPR's Joel Rose reports.

The 43 year-old Staten Island man died after police attempted to arrest him for selling loose cigarettes. Cell-phone video taken by a bystander shows Garner gasping "I can't breathe" as one officer places him in a chokehold, and several others pin him to the ground. The New York City medical examiner's office ruled the death a homicide.

For weeks, protesters led by the Rev. Al Sharpton have called for criminal charges against the officers involved in Garner's death. Sharpton will lead another protest march to the District Attorney's office on Saturday.

Teen births: Most are in the South and Southwest

Teen births: Most are in the South and Southwest: More teens are having babies in the South and Southwest while the fewest are in the Northeast, according to new state-by-state breakdowns of federal data out Wednesday.

Births per 1,000 teenagers (ages 15–19) range from a low of 13.8 in New Hampshire to a high of 47.5 in New Mexico, according to the report from the National Center for Health Statistics based on 2012 data, the most recent available for the states.

In addition to the wide state variations, the same can be said for racial and ethnic breakdowns. Asian or Pacific Islanders had the lowest 2012 rate at 9.7, compared with Hispanic teens who had the highest rate at 46.3. Rates for the other groups are 20.5 for white, 34.9 for American Indian or Alaska Native and 43.9 for black teens.

"Birth rates for Hispanic teens are higher than for other groups," says demographer Stephanie Ventura, the report's co-author. "Right now, even though they dropped a tremendous amount, they are still higher than other groups.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

The Racist Housing Policies That Helped Fuel The Anger In Ferguson | ThinkProgress

The Racist Housing Policies That Helped Fuel The Anger In Ferguson | ThinkProgress: Ferguson, MO, which erupted in chaos this week after police shot an unarmed teenager, has seen extensive racial segregation over the last century. The long history of discriminatory policies has bred simmering tensions about race that have burst forward after the death of Mike Brown.

Ferguson is a prime, and egregious, example of discriminatory housing policies and segregation. Out of 50 metro areas across the country, the St. Louis area where Ferguson is located is the ninth most segregated between whites and blacks.

That fact is a result of both white flight and public policy working in tandem. St. Louis began redlining with a ballot measure in 1916, which won by a substantial majority, creating an ordinance that designated some areas as “Negro blocks.” While it was struck down a year later when a similar ordinance in another area was ruled against by the Supreme Court, realtors were undeterred.

The Horrific Risk Of Gun Violence For Black Kids In America, In 4 Charts

The Horrific Risk Of Gun Violence For Black Kids In America, In 4 Charts: In a moving letter to the family of Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, mourned the American epidemic of gun violence against children:

I will support you and your efforts to seek justice for your Michael and the countless other Michaels & Trayvons of our country. The 20 Sandy Hook children. Jordan Davis. Oscar Grant. Kendrick Johnson. Sean Bell. Hadya Pendleton. The Aurora shooting victims. The list is too numerous to adequately mention them all. According to The Children’s Defense Fund, gun violence is the second leading cause of death for children ages 1-19. That is a horrible fact.

Brown, who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, earlier this month, and Martin, who was slain in Florida by a former neighborhood watch captain in 2012, were both unarmed black teenagers who lost their lives to gun violence.

Experts: K-12 Population Shift Toward Students of Color Will Shed Light on Resource Inequalities - Higher Education

Experts: K-12 Population Shift Toward Students of Color Will Shed Light on Resource Inequalities - Higher Education: For the first time ever, non-Hispanic Whites are projected to make up less than 50 percent of the U.S. K-12 public school population. The National Center for Education Statistics has estimated that minorities will comprise 50.2 percent of students in public school classrooms in the 2014-15 academic year.

The shift comes as the nation’s public schools have enrolled surging numbers of non-White Hispanic children in recent years. Non-White Hispanic children will account for 25.8 percent of American public K-12 students this school year and 28.5 percent in the 2019-20 academic year. In 2009-10, 22.8 percent of American students were Latino, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Non-Hispanic Whites are projected to make up 49.8 percent this year and 46.9 percent in 2019-20 of American public school students. African-American enrollment in public schools will be 15.4 percent this year and 15 percent in 2019-20. Among American public school students, Asians will make up 5.2 percent this year and 5.3 percent in 2019-20; Native Americans will be 1.1 percent in 2014-15 and 1 percent in 2019-20.

My Good Neighborhood May Not Look Like Your Good Neighborhood - Higher Education

My Good Neighborhood May Not Look Like Your Good Neighborhood - Higher Education: A good colleague, Vasti Torres, wrote a piece years ago entitled “Mi Casa Is Not Always Like Your House.” In this piece she encouraged folks to use a culturally sensitive lens in the context of higher education. Most importantly, she talked about Latino students from a Latina perspective.

I was reminded of her piece when a new faculty member asked me about housing, schooling and just living in this part of the country, and how I navigated finding a place as an African-American female.

I began with a response similar to that of Torres. “What I consider to be a great neighborhood and great schooling is certainly different from what many folks consider to be great neighborhood and schooling,” I said.

When I decided to move to Indianapolis, I asked folks from here about where I should live. Most folks offered similar advice: there were a handful of neighborhoods that were not only great, but they had great schools — and just plain old great neighborhoods.

Digital Media Institute Connecting HBCU Campuses to Their History - Higher Education

Digital Media Institute Connecting HBCU Campuses to Their History - Higher Education: Twenty historically Black colleges and universities came together this summer in Atlanta for one unique initiative to bring their histories alive: the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship/HBCU Summer Institute for Digital Scholarship, in collaboration with the HBCU Library Alliance.

“These colleges are a really important part of the educational system of the United States that often gets overlooked,” says Sarah Melton, digital projects coordinator at the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship (ECDS). “It was really a privilege to work with these librarians and learn more of where they were coming from.”

As the capstone project of a multiyear grant by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the initiative was designed as an outward-facing program to finish off a set of internal projects that Emory had already completed on campus.

Scholars: Civil Rights Act Hasn’t Leveled Societal Playing Field for Minorities - Higher Education

Scholars: Civil Rights Act Hasn’t Leveled Societal Playing Field for Minorities - Higher Education: SAN FRANCISCO — The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was supposed to end racial discrimination, but people of color might have just as much difficulty today accessing the same health care, educational and employment opportunities as Whites as they did prior to the passage of the historic legislation.

That was the somber consensus of a panel of scholars who examined racial hierarchy in the past 50 years.

For example, the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries have developed race-specific products, such as a drug for African-Americans who endure heart failure, said Dr. Dorothy Roberts, the George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Furthermore, pharmaceutical officials claimed that patients’ medical reactions to the drug differed along racial lines, suggesting that innate differences exist among racial groups.

Making matters worse is when scholars treat race as merely a study of biological differences and ancestry rather than as social construct. “This is what leads to the persistence of racial inequality and a racial caste system,” Roberts said.

Holocaust Survivor Hedy Epstein, Arrested in Ferguson Protest, Says Racism Is Alive in America

Holocaust Survivor Hedy Epstein, Arrested in Ferguson Protest, Says Racism Is Alive in America: Hedy Epstein turned 90 on August 15, and she spent much of last week celebrating. Friends and family traveled to her home in St. Louis, Missouri, to join in the festivities—so many of them, in fact, that it wasn’t until yesterday that she finally had a day to herself. Epstein left her home in the afternoon, accidentally leaving her cell phone behind. By around 4:30pm, she’d been arrested.

A human rights activist and Holocaust survivor, Epstein had been following the unrest in nearby Ferguson, where an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, was shot and killed by police on August 9. Ever since, tensions have escalated. Protesters have taken to the streets for nine consecutive nights. Reporters have been arrested and threatened. There have been scattered reports of gunshots, looting and fires, plus countless photos and videos showing an over-militarized police force firing rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowds.

‘Who Speaks Wukchumni?’ - NYTimes.com

‘Who Speaks Wukchumni?’ - NYTimes.com: Throughout the United States, many Native American languages are struggling to survive. According to Unesco, more than 130 of these languages are currently at risk, with 74 languages considered “critically endangered.” These languages preserve priceless cultural heritage, and some hold unexpected value — nuances in these languages convey unparalleled knowledge of the natural world. Many of these at-risk languages are found in my home state of California. Now for some, only a few fluent speakers remain.

This Op-Doc tells the story of Marie Wilcox, the last fluent speaker of the Wukchumni language, and the dictionary she has created. I met her through the Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival, an organization that encourages the revival of languages like Wukchumni. Through training and mentorship, it has supported Ms. Wilcox’s work for several years. Ms. Wilcox’s tribe, the Wukchumni, is not recognized by the federal government.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Even before Michael Brown’s slaying in Ferguson, racial questions hung over police - The Washington Post

Even before Michael Brown’s slaying in Ferguson, racial questions hung over police - The Washington Post: FERGUSON, Mo. — When an unarmed black teenager and a police officer crossed paths here last weekend with fatal results, the incident cast a blinding spotlight on a small police department struggling for authority and relevance in a changing community.

Since the shooting, the department has been criticized for how police have handled the response to the incident and for not disclosing key details, including the name of the officer involved.

The department bears little demographic resemblance to the citizens of this St. Louis suburb, a mostly African American community whose suspicions of the law enforcement agency preceded Saturday afternoon’s shooting of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old who this week had been headed to technical college.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Military Revises 'Racially Biased' Hairstyle Rules

Military Revises 'Racially Biased' Hairstyle Rules: WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Tuesday that the military will allow female service members to have a wider range of hairstyles after the services came under fire for using derogatory language and banning many styles that are popular with African-American women.

The controversy started in March, when the Army released new rules regarding tattoos, hairstyles, grooming and uniforms for soldiers. One of the new regulations banned women from having twists, dreadlocks and multiple braids/cornrows that are bigger than a quarter of an inch.

Black service members quickly spoke out about the rules, arguing that they were racially insensitive and objected to language that called such styles "matted" and "unkempt." Sgt. Jasmine Jacobs of the Georgia National Guard started a petition about the matter on the White House website, writing, "These new changes are racially biased and the lack of regard for ethnic hair is apparent."

Diabetes Rate Soars, Especially Among Blacks And Hispanics

Diabetes Rate Soars, Especially Among Blacks And Hispanics: While Americans can now expect to live longer with diabetes, about two in five will develop the disease over the course of their lifetimes -- a significant jump from previous rate estimates, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers also found that black and Hispanic people are disproportionally affected, with a lifetime risk of more than 50 percent compared to the general population's 40 percent.

These findings have implications for a generation who are still children: The rate increases apply to adults, but also to those born in the first decade of the new millennium, reported Mother Jones.

"We weren't necessarily surprised that it increased, but we didn't expect it to increase this much," the study's lead author, Edward Gregg, chief of the epidemiology and statistics branch in the Division of Diabetes Translation at the CDC, told HealthDay. "Forty percent is a humbling number."

Math's Highest Honor Is Given To A Woman For The First Time : The Two-Way : NPR

Math's Highest Honor Is Given To A Woman For The First Time : The Two-Way : NPR: Four mathematicians were today awarded the Fields Medal, including Iranian Maryam Mirzakhani, the first female mathematician to be given the honor that's often called math's equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

Mirzakhani, 37, is a professor at Stanford University, and was honored in Seoul, South Korea, for her "striking and highly original contributions to geometry and dynamical systems."

Here's more from Stanford:

"The award recognizes Mirzakhani's sophisticated and highly original contributions to the fields of geometry and dynamical systems, particularly in understanding the symmetry of curved surfaces, such as spheres, the surfaces of doughnuts and of hyperbolic objects. Although her work is considered 'pure mathematics' and is mostly theoretical, it has implications for physics and quantum field theory."

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

White Students No Longer To Be Majority In School

White Students No Longer To Be Majority In School: KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (AP) -- The cheerful sign outside Jane Cornell's summer school classroom in Pennsylvania's wealthiest county says "Welcome" and "Bienvenidos" in polished handwriting.

Inside, giggling grade-schoolers who mostly come from homes where Spanish is the primary language worked on storytelling with a tale about a crocodile going to the dentist. The children and their classroom at the Mary D. Lang Kindergarten Center, near both mushroom farms and the borough's bucolic red-brick downtown, are a subtle reminder of America's changing school demographics.

For the first time ever, U.S. public schools are projected this fall to have more minority students than non-Hispanic whites enrolled, a shift largely fueled by growth in the number of Hispanic children.