Black Princeton Students Pulled Over by Police, Then This Happened - The Root

Black Princeton Students Pulled Over by Police, Then This Happened - The Root: Exchanges between black youth and the police don't always have to end in violence.

What began as a unfortunate incident of alleged police profiling in Princeton, N.J., ended with a public-forum discussion with the officer who did the profiling.

According to one member of the Black Youth Project 100, or BYP100, a youth-centered black activist group, the police pulled over a car carrying members leaving a conference on Princeton University's campus. The officer cited a broken taillight, but upon investigation the vehicle was found to be intact. The unidentified officer let the group go, but when they asked him to take part in a discussion, he agreed to meet the young people at another location, offering them free parking as an apology so they could talk at will.

And so he did.

SAT Scores for Black Students Don't Predict Success - The Root

SAT Scores for Black Students Don't Predict Success - The Root: Major changes are coming to the SAT. Both the SAT and the ACT are used to influence admissions and placement at colleges and universities in the U.S. In 2016 the SAT will return to a 1,600-point scale from 2,400, eliminate antiquated vocabulary words and assess students’ understanding of context rather than rote memorization. The essay section will also be optional. In addition, the test will no longer penalize students for wrong answers, and the reading-comprehension section will incorporate subjects that students typically learn in high school and middle school.

Throughout the history of the SAT and ACT, black students’ average scores have been the lowest among all race groups. Currently, the national average for black students on the ACT is 17, compared with 22 for white students, and the national average for black students on the SAT is 860, compared with 1,061 for white students. Black students’ scores on the SAT and ACT have been relatively flat for the last 20 years, although significant gains have been made in black students’ graduation rates and college-degree attainment.

The disparity in those numbers raises questions about the significance of the SAT in predicting long-term college success for African Americans—or any student, for that matter.

Bias a Factor in Suspending Black Students

Bias a Factor in Suspending Black Students: WASHINGTON (NNPA) – A new collection of research shows that despite the myths surrounding Black student behavior, poverty and severity of the offense have very little to do with the rate Black students are suspended from school.

Rather, the studies point a finger in another direction: the implicit bias perpetrated by school officials.

The Discipline Disparities Research-to-Practice Collaborative, a group of researchers, educators, advocates, and policy analysts funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies and the Open Society Foundations, compiled the research on school discipline.

According to the Collaborative, more than 3 million students from kindergarten to 12th grade were suspended during the 2009-2010 school year, twice the rate of suspensions since the 1970s. Black students are nearly 3.5 times as likely to be suspended than their White peers.

Latinos will pass whites as majority ethnicity in California in March | Daily Sundial

Latinos will pass whites as majority ethnicity in California in March | Daily Sundial: In the wake of the ethnic studies debacle at Cal State Los Angeles, educators believe the forecasted change in California’s demographic profile represents a significant event and could become a catalyst for debate, not only in diversity reform throughout all levels of education, but in hiring practices.

In Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2014-2015 budget summary, Latinos were projected to eclipse whites as the plurality, or largest racial/ethnic group, in the state by a margin of 39 percent to 38.8 percent, respectively, this month.

The Department of Finance previously projected the Latino and white populations would draw even by the middle of 2013, but a decline in birth rates caused a slight deviation in the estimate.

While the shift in demographics is not unique — states like New Mexico and Hawaii have a Latino and Asian plurality, respectively — Mary Pardo, Chicano studies department chair, believes the change is significant for a state as populous and diverse as California.

Yes, Schools Do Discriminate Against Students Of Color -- Reports

Yes, Schools Do Discriminate Against Students Of Color -- Reports: A so-called school-to-prison pipeline flows from school discipline that lands disproportionately on students with disabilities and students of color, according to a set of reports by 26 experts released on Thursday.

African-American students and students with disabilities are suspended at "hugely disproportionate rates compared to white students," said a report by the Discipline Disparities Research-to-Practice Collaborative, which includes experts from fields such as advocacy, policy, social science and law. Latino students, girls of color, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students also were disproportionately suspended -- a punishment the report said increases dropout risks and helps push troubled students out of classrooms and into the justice system.

"We already knew that African Americans were disproportionately affected, but this new research is also saying that it's also Latino students, it's also students with disabilities, it's also girls of color," said Russell Skiba, the Indiana University professor who directed the project. "LGBT students may be at risk for increased discipline. These things have a big effect on achievement."

Minority Male Students Face Challenge to Achieve at Community Colleges - Students - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Minority Male Students Face Challenge to Achieve at Community Colleges - Students - The Chronicle of Higher Education: Although black and Latino male students enter community colleges with higher aspirations than those of their white peers, white men are six times as likely to graduate in three years with a certificate or degree, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Center for Community College Student Engagement at the University of Texas here.

The report’s findings are all the more puzzling, it says, given that minority men are more engaged than their white classmates in tutoring, study-skills sessions, and other practices the center identifies as key to college success.

The report, "Aspirations to Achievement: Men of Color and Community College," is based on responses from more than 145,000 male community-college students to the center’s annual survey on student engagement from 2010 to 2012.

High school students attend 24th annual Latino College Expo and Leadership Summit at NYU's Kimmel Center - News 12 Bronx

High school students attend 24th annual Latino College Expo and Leadership Summit at NYU's Kimmel Center - News 12 Bronx: NEW YORK - High school students from all over the city looking to leave their mark on the world are looking toward the Latino College Expo and Leadership Summit to point them in the right direction.

More than 95 colleges and about 1,000 students filled the event space at New York University's Kimmel Center.

This marks the 24th year of the massive expo for Latino students and families. The entire day is filled with guest speakers, separate workshops for parents and students and college representatives to answer questions and recruit applicants.

Organizers say the theme of the event is motivating the students to make the college choice right for them.

One Bronx student says she will be the first in her family to go to college, and wishes to make them proud.

Tutors with Latino Student Fund help kids with much more than just homework | WJLA.com

Tutors with Latino Student Fund help kids with much more than just homework | WJLA.com: (WJLA) - Every Saturday morning, National Cathedral School fills to the brim with students from all over the region.

It's a free tutoring session for Hispanic students, through the Latino Student Fund.

What makes this one so different?

The tutoring is one-on-one, and students have the chance to stay with the same tutor for years, said Executive Director Maria Fernanda Borja.

"I think you build a trust, and trust is the most important thing for the Hispanic/Latino community," Borja described.

Students have responded remarkably to the concept.

"Just to have a program that really reaches out to Latino students and understands the struggles.... I thought it was amazing," said 17-year-old participant Eva Salmeron.

The volunteer tutors say the experience is a special one for them, as well. Mark and Michele Lerner have tutored the same kids for five years straight.

One of the Lerners' students, Tatiana Osorio, comes all the way from southern Maryland for her sessions.

Latin American Herald Tribune - Black, Latino Students in U.S. Disproportionately Suspended

Latin American Herald Tribune - Black, Latino Students in U.S. Disproportionately Suspended: CHICAGO – African Americans, Latinos and sexual minorities are among the groups that are “disproportionately” punished with suspension for behavior problems in public schools, according to a study released Thursday by the Discipline Disparities Research-to-Practice Collaborative.

The study, headed by Indiana University Professor Russell Skiba, says that suspensions increase the possibility of dropping out of school and push problem students toward the judicial system.

At the presentation of the study, which was conducted over three years and participated in by 26 nationally recognized experts and attorneys, Skiba said that the high presence of African Americans among the students punished for bad conduct was expected.

Medal of Honor: A Wrong Put Right | The Obama Diary

Medal of Honor: A Wrong Put Right | The Obama Diary: On March 18th, 2014, President Barack Obama will award 24 Army veterans the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry.

These veterans will receive the Medal of Honor in recognition of their valor during major combat operations in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Each of these Soldiers’ bravery was previously recognized by award of the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest military award; that award will be upgraded to the Medal of Honor in recognition of their gallantry, intrepidity and heroism above and beyond the call of duty.

In 2002, Congress, through the Defense Authorization Act, called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veteran war records from WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, to ensure those deserving the Medal of Honor were not denied because of prejudice. During the review, records of several Soldiers of neither Jewish nor Hispanic descent were also found to display criteria worthy of the Medal of Honor. The 2002 Act was amended to allow these Soldiers to be honored with the upgrade – in addition to the Jewish and Hispanic American Soldiers.

Neil deGrasse Tyson on "Cosmos," How Science Got Cool, and Why He Doesn't Debate Deniers | Mother Jones

Neil deGrasse Tyson on "Cosmos," How Science Got Cool, and Why He Doesn't Debate Deniers | Mother Jones: Last Sunday's debut of Cosmos, the rebooted series from Fox and National Geographic, made television history. According to National Geographic, it was the largest global rollout of a TV series ever, appearing on 220 channels in 181 countries and 45 languages. And, yes, this is a science show we're talking about. You will have to actively resist the force of gravity in order to lift up your dropped jaw and restore a sense of calm to your stunned face.

At the center of the show is the "heir apparent" to legendary science popularizer and original Cosmos host Carl Sagan: the impassioned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who appeared on this week's episode of the Inquiring Minds podcast to talk about what it's like to fill Sagan's shoes (stream below). On the podcast, Tyson discussed topics ranging from what we know now about the cosmos that Sagan didn't (top three answers: dark matter and dark energy, the profusion of discovered exoplanets, and the concept of parallel universes, or the "multiverse") to why science seems to have gotten so supercool again.

New Contenders Emerge in Quest to Identify Yale’s First African-American Graduate - NYTimes.com

New Contenders Emerge in Quest to Identify Yale’s First African-American Graduate - NYTimes.com: For Richard Henry Green, recently declared to have been Yale College’s first known African-American graduate, fame, or at least the certainty of his claim on history, was fleeting.

Just last month, an Americana specialist at the Swann Auction Galleries made public the discovery that Mr. Green, the son of a New Haven bootmaker, had attended Yale 17 years before Edward Bouchet, an 1874 graduate previously thought to have broken its color barrier. But while Mr. Bouchet spent a century and a half on that pedestal, his accomplishments praised with every honor, from academic symposiums to undergraduate fellowships to a portrait in Yale’s main library, the scant weeks since Mr. Green unseated him have brought nothing but new challengers.
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A letter collection that led to Richard Henry Green’s gaining a Yale distinction that once belonged to Edward Bouchet, an 1874 graduate.
Discovery Leads Yale to Revise a Chapter of Its Black HistoryFEB. 28, 2014

According to an article in the journal Afro-Americans in New York Life and History, a man named Moses Simons may in fact have been the first undergraduate to break Yale’s color barrier.

Bethann Hardison’s Cause: More Diversity in Fashion - NYTimes.com

Bethann Hardison’s Cause: More Diversity in Fashion - NYTimes.com: Bethann Hardison, the fashion industry gadfly, has adopted a slogan: “Activism needs to remain active.” Her cause is the lack of diversity on fashion’s runways, its magazine pages and its ad campaigns. It is one that she has pursued vocally for years, as the ebb and flow of trends steer models of color into and out of favor. Now, for being a persistent thorn in the side of an industry that often prefers to ignore the issue, Ms. Hardison is to receive the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Founders Award in June. Most thorns get plucked. This one is getting a trophy.

“I became so emotional, because all I could think about was the revolution,” Ms. Hardison said of her reaction. “Viva la revolution. First thing, I said, ‘I’ve got to call Fidel!’ ”

Mellon Mays Fellows Making a Mark in Academia - Higher Education

Mellon Mays Fellows Making a Mark in Academia - Higher Education: Dr. Sean Decatur arrived at Swarthmore College intending to become an engineer, but within two years, his interests turned to chemistry and Black studies.

“It was pretty clear at that stage I wasn’t going to become an engineer, but I also had no idea what I was going to do after I graduated,” Decatur recalls.

A professor in a Black literature course helped Decatur make up his mind, by encouraging him to apply for a new fellowship designed to increase the number of college professors of color. In 1989, Decatur became one of the first recipients of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship.

The fellowship paid for a small stipend during Decatur’s junior and senior years, travel to academic conferences, two summer research projects and regular social gatherings with faculty members.

Diverse Docket: Southern Miss Wins Race, Origin, Ethnic Suit from Former Grad Student - Higher Education

Diverse Docket: Southern Miss Wins Race, Origin, Ethnic Suit from Former Grad Student - Higher Education: The University of Southern Mississippi has again defeated a former graduate student’s race, national origin and ethnic discrimination suit.

The 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a lower-court ruling that dismissed the case of Maria Salcido, a part-time student in the university’s marriage and family therapy master’s program.

Salcido initially filed an internal complaint with the university and a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. After the OCR inquiry found no Title VI violations, the university proposed a plan to help her finish her degree requirements even though she had moved out of state, according to the decision.

Where Are the People of Color in Children’s Books? - NYTimes.com

Where Are the People of Color in Children’s Books? - NYTimes.com: Of 3,200 children’s books published in 2013, just 93 were about black people, according to a study by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin.

Reading came early to me, but I didn’t think of the words as anything special. I don’t think my stepmom thought of what she was doing as more than spending time with me in our small Harlem apartment. From my comfortable perch on her lap I watched as she moved her finger slowly across the page. She probably read at about the third grade level, but that was good enough for the True Romance magazines she read. I didn’t understand what the stories were about, what “bosom” meant or how someone’s heart could be “broken.” To me it was just the comfort of leaning against Mama and imagining the characters and what they were doing.

Later, when my sisters brought home comic books, I got Mama to read them to me, too. The magazines and comics pushed me along the road of the imaginative process. When I got my first books — “The Little Engine That Could,” “Bible Stories for Every Day,” and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” — I used them on the same journeys.

Some White People Tried To Rally For Their Race Today

Some White People Tried To Rally For Their Race Today: A smattering of white people on Saturday stood up to discrimination against their race that exists only in their minds.

The so-called "White Man March" was the brainchild of an organizer named Kyle Hunt, who wrote on his website that he expected "thousands" of people to take part in "coordinated pro-white activity."

By the looks of it, his vision may have been a bit lofty. The demonstrations appear to have mostly involved a few people here and there holding up signs decrying "diversity."

Hunt's movement did, however, earn a ton of mockery on Twitter with the hashtag #WhiteManMarchProtestSigns.

There was some participation though. Individuals from Missouri, Arkansas and even New Zealand posted photos on the event's website. Most of the photos showed no more than a couple white guys holding banners that read "'DIVERSITY' = WHITE GENOCIDE," apparently the event's rallying cry.

Pizza Chain That Markets To Mexicans Says New Promotion Isn't Profane : Code Switch : NPR

Pizza Chain That Markets To Mexicans Says New Promotion Isn't Profane : Code Switch : NPR: EDITOR'S NOTE: Fair warning - this story is about and includes the use of a Spanish-language word that some consider a profanity.

Pizza Patrón is a Dallas-based chain that's generated a lot of media buzz over the years for advertising aimed at its core customer base, Mexican immigrants. Its newest promotion uses a popular Mexican slang word that to some means "super cool," while others find it super-offensive.

The chain is getting set to launch a limited time offer, later this month, for an extra-spicy pizza with jalapeño encrusted pepperoni, topped with even more jalapeño. They are calling it La Chingona....

Click here to listen to the radio ad.

In the radio ad, a customer walks in and asks for the "pizza chingona" and is told it's only for chingones. Said customer subsequently makes a case for his chingon-ness: he can clap with one hand, make music with the rattles of rattle snakes, and live with his mother-in-law for a whole month.

Now, chingona means different things to different people. (More on that in a moment.) And as more marketing efforts reach beyond English to speak to an increasingly multilingual America, we're going to be running into this more often — same word, multiple reactions.

Before The NBA Was Integrated, We Had The Black Fives : Code Switch : NPR

Before The NBA Was Integrated, We Had The Black Fives : Code Switch : NPR: Most people have heard of the Negro Leagues in baseball and of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in the late 1940s — but relatively few people have heard of the Black Fives, the African-American basketball teams that played up until the NBA was integrated in 1950.

An exhibit at the New-York Historical Society aims to rectify that.

When basketball was invented in 1891, it was a totally white game. In 1904, Edwin Bancroft Henderson, a black Washington, D.C., gym teacher, took a summer course at Harvard and brought the game back to black segregated schools. From there, it went to YMCAs, and eventually to black teams with names like the Washington Bears and the New York Renaissance.

Claude Johnson, guest curator of this exhibit, says there are "dozens and dozens" of all-black teams that played basketball before 1950 — and that their legacy reflects the changing face of America at the time.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wins US National Book Critics Circle award | Books | theguardian.com

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wins US National Book Critics Circle award | Books | theguardian.com: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's first novel was longlisted for the Man Booker prize; her second, Half of a Yellow Sun, won the Orange prize. Now her third, the acclaimed Americanah, has beaten Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch to win the Nigerian author one of most prestigious literary prizes in the US, the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) award.

Adichie's story of a Nigerian blogger who returns to her home country from the US to meet the man who was her childhood sweetheart was much-praised in the UK the Guardian called it "impressive [and] subtle, but not afraid to pull its punches"; the Telegraph said it was "a brilliant exploration of being African in America".

Now the NBCC awards – the only US prize judged by critics – has also chosen to honour the novel, on Thursday announcing the "love story, immigrant's tale and acute snapshot of our times" as the winner of its best novel prize, ahead of The Goldfinch, Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being, Javiar Marías's The Infatuations and Alice McDermott's Someone.