Study: Native Americans came to the New World in three waves – USATODAY.com

Study: Native Americans came to the New World in three waves – USATODAY.com: Native Americans streamed into the New World in at least three waves of migration starting more than 15,000 years ago, a gene study released Wednesday suggests.

North and South America were totally empty of people until the first arrivals from Siberia crossed a land bridge into Alaska, spreading in a few thousand years to the tip of South America. The genetic study may help settle a debate between a long-held view that the populating of the continents came as one event instead of the more recently supported notion, backed by this study in the journal Nature, that the migration happened in three distinct waves. 

"Our study makes clear that mixing of these three ancient populations is the story of Native American arrival," says geneticist David Reich of Harvard Medical School, lead author of the study.

ACLU alleges Michigan school district violated students’ ‘right to learn to read’ - The Washington Post

ACLU alleges Michigan school district violated students’ ‘right to learn to read’ - The Washington Post: In the first case of its kind, the American Civil Liberties Union is charging that the state of Michigan and a Detroit area school district have failed to adequately educate children, violating their “right to learn to read” under an obscure state law.

The ACLU class-action lawsuit, to be filed Thursday, says hundreds of students in the Highland Park School District are functionally illiterate.

“None of those adults charged with the care of these children . . . have done their jobs,” said Kary L. Moss, executive director of the ACLU of Michigan. “The Highland Park School District is among the lowest-performing districts in the nation, graduating class after class of children who are not literate. Our lawsuit . . . says that if education is to mean anything, it means that children have a right to learn to read.”

- The Washington Post

- The Washington Post: Charles E. Davis, 63, hustled down Constitution Avenue on Wednesday, perspiration beaded on his face and passing out fliers while every so often joining in with the protesters he was trailing and chanting, “Our City! Our Jobs!”

He was one of hundreds of people demonstrating around the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture construction site between 14th and 15th streets NW and demanding fair-hiring practices from Clark Construction.

The protesters, sponsored by D.C. Jobs or Else, have accused the Bethesda-based company of not doing enough to hire local residents, specifically minority-owned businesses. Clark is the largest construction contractor for the District.

Research Initiative to Examine Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Success

Research Initiative to Examine Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Success: The Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund and the National Commission on Asian-American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE) have secured $2 million in foundation grants to fund one of the largest research projects to explore Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) college student success.

The funding announcement came late last month during the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) third annual education summit in Washington D.C. More than 200 people attended, including college and university presidents, scholars, and foundation leaders. APIASF and CARE announced the Partnership for Equality in Education through Research (PEER) project, a three-year $2 million initiative funded by The Kresge Foundation, USA Funds, and The Walmart Foundation.

NAACP Convention To Tackle New Voting Laws

NAACP Convention To Tackle New Voting Laws: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People says its newest battle is really an old one.

This year's NAACP national convention, which kicks off this weekend in Houston, is focusing on voter participation and the civil rights organization's efforts to fight what it sees as restrictive voting laws that have been passed by various states the last few years.

Between 6,000 and 7,000 members are expected to attend the group's 103rd convention. Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder and Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, are among the scheduled speakers.

The theme of the convention, which starts Saturday and runs through July 12, is "NAACP: Your Power, Your Decision - Vote." NAACP officials said their main priority this year is making sure that everyone, regardless of race, creed or economic status, will have the right to vote during this fall's elections.

Texas To Test Voting Rights Act In U.S. District Court

Texas To Test Voting Rights Act In U.S. District Court: The Voting Rights Act - a cherished safeguard for minority voters since 1965 - has been under siege for two years and this week faces one of its toughest tests on an apparent path to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Twenty-five hours of argument, starting on Monday and spread over five days, will help the judges of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decide whether Texas can require voters to present a photo identification at the polls.

Formulated at a time of racial turmoil, the Voting Rights Act passed 77-19 in the U.S. Senate and 333-85 in the House of Representatives. The votes transcended party lines to protect black voters of all political ideals.

Ever since, it has served as the U.S. government's chief check on the fairness of election rules imposed by local governments.

'Endgame: AIDS In Black America' Explains Origins Of Crisis, Looks For End In Sight (VIDEO, LIVE CHAT)

'Endgame: AIDS In Black America' Explains Origins Of Crisis, Looks For End In Sight (VIDEO, LIVE CHAT): In the time it takes to read this article, someone in the United States will contract HIV and, according to recent statistics, there's a 50 percent chance he or she will be black.

HIV/AIDS is a health crisis that has long since reached epidemic proportions, yet many say racial disparities among those affected by the disease have garnered too little attention.

"The story of HIV in black America is about the private consequences of the politics of race," filmmaker Renata Simone says. Her work on the subject spans some 20 years, from the first national series on HIV in 1989, "The AIDS Quarterly with Peter Jennings," to an edition of the PBS network's "Frontline" called "ENDGAME: AIDS in Black America," airing Tuesday night.

First a noose, now a swastika found on Davis school campuses - latimes.com

First a noose, now a swastika found on Davis school campuses - latimes.com:  Last month, a hangman's noose was found hanging from a goalpost on the Davis High School football field. Now a second school in Davis is the site of a possible hate incident after a swastika was found burned on a junior high campus.

The symbol was charred on some picnic tables at Holmes Junior High. Police say the incident could have occurred anytime between Friday and Monday.

The noose incident prompted a heated community meeting over the prominence of reported hate crimes in Davis over the years.

Police said they had not collected any evidence that suggested the swastika incident was related to the noose that was found. No suspects have been identified, but police are still investigating.

Experts: Expanding Age Gap between Whites and Minorities May Increase U.S. Racial Divide

Experts: Expanding Age Gap between Whites and Minorities May Increase U.S. Racial Divide: A generation gap in several states between older Whites and younger Latinos and African-Americans has race relations experts concerned that age differences in the population are influencing spending and public policy in areas such as education, transportation, immigration and infrastructure.

As the United States rapidly advances toward having a majority-minority population, Whites continue to grow older, while non-Whites are increasingly younger. Evidence is mounting that what has been considered a racial divide in the country is also crystallizing into a generational divide.

Newly-released U.S. Census data demonstrate a rapidly widening racial age gap. The median age for white Americans is 41, but is 32 for Blacks, 31.6 for Asians and 27 for Latinos. Across the country, 80 percent of senior citizens are White, while nearly half of the nation’s youth are of color. Such significant age disparities, some experts on race relations say, may be having far-reaching implications on resources invested in programs and areas benefiting younger generations.

Targeting Blacks, Latinos for College Success: No Man Left Behind

Targeting Blacks, Latinos for College Success: No Man Left Behind: This winter, Jacobbie Watts, a young man from Lexington, Ky., enrolled at the College of New Rochelle School of New Resources to study business and education. “I want to get a ‘good’ job,” he said enthusiastically. “I have worked since graduation from high school, but only in low-paying jobs where I could not see a future beyond the position that I was in. Getting a college education means better living, success, higher self-esteem and probably relieves a little stress.”

Watts joins the ranks of hundreds of Black and Latino men who enrolled in college this term. Many are aware there will be challenges, but many of those who find those challenges daunting will also find supportive programs to help them reach their goals.

In Jasper, Texas, a political battle inflames racial scars - latimes.com

In Jasper, Texas, a political battle inflames racial scars - latimes.com: Reporting from Jasper, Texas—
On June 11, just before the City Council fired this town's first African American police chief, the Rev. John D. Hardin addressed the packed council chambers, blacks sitting on one side, whites on the other.

Hardin, the 82-year-old pastor of the black Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, paraphrased lyrics from an old song by Texas country legends Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, "Just to Satisfy You":

Somebody's gonna get hurt before we're through,

And don't be surprised

If that somebody is you.

It wasn't so much a warning as a plea for this East Texas logging town to avoid racial conflict.

For black Americans, financial damage from subprime implosion is likely to last - The Washington Post

For black Americans, financial damage from subprime implosion is likely to last - The Washington Post: The implosion of the subprime lending market has left a scar on the finances of black Americans — one that not only has wiped out a generation of economic progress but could leave them at a financial disadvantage for decades.

At issue are the largely invisible but profoundly influential three-digit credit scores that help determine who can buy a car, finance a college education or own a home. The scores are based on consumers’ financial history and suffer when they fall behind on their bills.

For blacks, the picture since the recession has been particularly grim. They disproportionately held subprime mortgages during the housing boom and are facing foreclosure in outsize numbers. That is raising fears among consumer advocates, academics and federal regulators that the credit scores of black Americans have been systematically damaged, haunting their financial futures.

Land-grant College Anniversary Celebration Includes Cultural Dimension

Land-grant College Anniversary Celebration Includes Cultural Dimension: Considering the steel pan drum originated in Trinidad and Tobago, few people associate the state of West Virginia with steel drum bands. However, the West Virginia University steel drum ensemble has received standing ovations following daily performances at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., over the past week and a half.

Led by Dr. Michael Vercelli, director of the World Music Performance Center at West Virginia University (WVU), the band has played a wide variety of songs, from traditional Trinidadian tunes to "The Star-Spangled Banner" to even a cover of "On the Floor" by Jennifer Lopez.

“[The West Virginians are] representing a musical style and culture that isn't their own, but it's something that they've embraced,” says Cristina Diaz-Carrera, program coordinator of the Campus and Community section at this year’s Smithsonian festival. “I think this is what the festival is all about—exploring cultural boundaries."

A Prescription for Diversity among Medical Doctors

A Prescription for Diversity among Medical Doctors: Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Louis Sullivan is all too familiar with the myriad of challenges plaguing the medical profession.

For one, he says, the nation’s longstanding critical shortage of primary care physicians lingers on. In addition, he notes that, although 30 percent of Americans are African-American, Latino or Native American, those populations now make up less than 10 percent of those working as physicians and dentists.

Sullivan hopes his newly-launched initiative will help address those issues in Ohio and create a model that may be replicated nationwide.

The Education for Service model is a key element in the partnership between Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) and Cleveland State University (CSU). The initiative aims to encourage minorities to become primary care doctors working in underserved Northeast Ohio neighborhoods.

AIDS In Black America: A Public Health Crisis : NPR

AIDS In Black America: A Public Health Crisis : NPR: Of the more than 1 million people in the U.S. infected with HIV, nearly half are black men, women and children — even though blacks make up about 13 percent of the population. AIDS is the primary killer of African-Americans ages 19 to 44, and the mortality rate is 10 times higher for black Americans than for whites.

A new Frontline documentary, Endgame: AIDS in Black America, explores why the HIV epidemic is so much more prevalent in the African-American community than among whites. The film is produced, written and directed by Renata Simone, whose series The Age of AIDS appeared on Frontline in 2006.

On Thursday's Fresh Air, Simone is joined by Robert Fullilove, a professor of clinical sociomedical studies at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, and chairman of the HIV/AIDS advisory committee at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Unemployment rises among black Americans, figures show | Business | guardian.co.uk

Unemployment rises among black Americans, figures show | Business | guardian.co.uk: One of the most jarring figures in the labour statistics is a rise in unemployment among African Americans, from 13.6% to 14.4%, double the rate for the white population.

The proportion of white Americans out of work was static at 7.4%, and while the jobless rate for Latinos remained high at 11%, it too was unchanged from May.

Algernon Austin, the director of the race, ethnicity and economy programme at the Economic Policy Institute, said the figure for black Americans had been hovering at or above 14% for the past three years, even with a 'recovery' supposedly under way. "It is an extremely high rate to be stuck at," Austin said. "That is the really important news."

Alabama pastors conference invites only ‘white Christians’ | The Raw Story

Alabama pastors conference invites only ‘white Christians’ | The Raw Story: A group of pastors in Alabama says that they are not racist even though only “white Christians” were invited to their three-day conference, which will include a cross burning and be attended by Ku Klux Klan (KKK) members.

Residents in Guin, Alabama became outraged earlier this week after they noticed flyers posted around the town that read, “Annual Pastors Conference All White Christians Invited.” The groups Christian Identity Ministries and the Church of God’s Chosen told WIAT that they just didn’t have the “facilities” to accommodate non-whites.

“We’re seldom ever have been invited to black Muslim events and we never have been invited to NAACP events and we never have been invited to join Jewish synagogues events and stuff,” Christian Identity Ministries Pastor William J. Collier explained.

Why 'illegal immigrant' is a slur - CNN.com

Why 'illegal immigrant' is a slur - CNN.com: Last month's Supreme Court decision in the landmark Arizona immigration case was groundbreaking for what it omitted: the words "illegal immigrants" and "illegal aliens," except when quoting other sources. The court's nonjudgmental language established a humanistic approach to our current restructuring of immigration policy.

When you label someone an "illegal alien" or "illegal immigrant" or just plain "illegal," you are effectively saying the individual, as opposed to the actions the person has taken, is unlawful. The terms imply the very existence of an unauthorized migrant in America is criminal.

In this country, there is still a presumption of innocence that requires a jury to convict someone of a crime. If you don't pay your taxes, are you an illegal? What if you get a speeding ticket? A murder conviction? No. You're still not an illegal. Even alleged terrorists and child molesters aren't labeled illegals.

Have We Learned Our Language Lesson? In Spite of Massachusetts’ Decade-Old English-Only Law, Two-Way Bilingual Programs Demonstrate Promise and Enjoy Enduring Popularity � One Nation

Have We Learned Our Language Lesson? In Spite of Massachusetts’ Decade-Old English-Only Law, Two-Way Bilingual Programs Demonstrate Promise and Enjoy Enduring Popularity  One Nation: “We put the language majority kids in the position where they have to learn something from the Spanish speaking kids. And having students integrated together and being able to see and negotiate that…is at the basis of how you build a socially connected or interconnected group of students, and school community and society.” – Deborah Sercombe, principal, the Amigos School in Cambridge, Massachusetts

A decade ago, Massachusetts implemented a contentious English-only law that effectively banned bilingual education in its public schools. Largely overlooked in the political battle, though, was that this law did not apply to the several “two-way” bilingual/dual immersion schools that bring children from distinct linguistic backgrounds together to learn in two languages. Ten years later, these culturally and linguistically integrated dual immersion schools provide a hopeful contrast to a largely disappointing “English-only” mandate. Dual immersion schools enjoy wide popularity, academic success and provide a promising educational model in an increasingly diverse state and nation.

Not Your Father’s Suburb: Race and Rectitude in a Changing Minnesota Community � One Nation

Not Your Father’s Suburb: Race and Rectitude in a Changing Minnesota Community  One Nation: “You don’t sign up for these jobs to do nothing. You sign up for them to do what you think is the best thing for kids and their educations.” – Melissa Krull, former superintendent, Eden Prairie Public Schools

The otherwise quiet, uneventful city-suburb of Eden Prairie, erupted last year after educators proposed a new school assignment map designed to reduce racial and economic segregation. This former farming community quickly became the poster child for the racially and culturally shifting suburban landscape and a harbinger of storms to come. What differentiates Eden Prairie from the dozens, if not hundreds, of places similarly situated, is that educators here refused to cave under pressure from an organized, privileged class who saw no reason to mess with a “neighborhood school” organization that incorporated economic and racial segregation into its design. In thisStory from the Field, we learn that courage and flexibility may be the qualities educators in the changing American suburb need most of all.