In Philadelphia, the school board announced a decision to close 23 schools this week, and poor, minority neighborhoods will feel the pain, reports the New York Times. Around the country, districts including Chicago, Newark and Washington have been echoing that rationale, with officials citing budget gaps as they draw up lists of schools to close…

Following the Newtown, Conn., massacre and the death of Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton, many city and state leaders have been mulling over gun control actions, but South Dakota has made a decision “authorizing school employees to carry guns on the job,” reports the New York Times.   Passage of the law comes amid a passionate nationwide…

On Saturday morning, Uhuru Kenyatta was declared president of Kenya, following an election against challenger Prime Minister Raila Odinga, reports the Wall Street Journal. “The constitutionally sanctioned process of electing a new set of leader to take us to the next level has been thwarted by another tainted election,” Mr. Odinga said, adding that his…

(The Root) — Thanks to census records, many African Americans can trace some of their family’s history, but what about those lost during slavery? Fordham University seeks to answer that very question with a new Burial Database Project of Enslaved African Americans, based on user-submitted information and led by Sandra Arnold, senior secretary of Fordham’s…

On Sunday, former basketball star Dennis Rodman talked with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos about his new friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his questionable human rights practices, writes Politico. Asked by Stephanopoulos about Kim’s threats to the destroy the United States, and his family’s horrendous record on human rights, Rodman said: “I don’t…

Blackboard Wars, a reality show about high school in the vein of Lean on Me, is set to air on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN soon, and an advisory group will host a meeting on Tuesday to talk about their misgivings about the show’s impact, reports the Lens. The Future Is Now Executive Board will be meeting at the…

2013 will be a solid year for black narratives as Fruitvale, writer-director Ryan Coogler’s film about slain California youth Oscar Grant, and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, starring Idris Elba and Naomie Harris, hit screens in the fall, reports Shadow and Act.   Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale, which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience…

While it is Kevin Hart’s moment in Hollywood, his humor didn’t necessarily translate to his SNL hosting stint on Saturday night. A number of the skits fell flat, although some were funny, like when the Think Like a Man star played the race card in a spoof of the zombie drama The Walking Dead, writes…

On Friday, Congress and President Obama were unable to resolve the sequester debates raging in Washington, and the POTUS says middle-class families can expect to feel a squeeze, reports the New York Times. “I will not be part of any back-room deal, and I will absolutely not agree to increase taxes,” said Senator Mitch McConnell…