An estimated 40 percent of white Americans and about 25 percent of nonwhites have friends only of their own race, according to the Raw Story, which cites a recent ongoing poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos. The figures highlight how segregated the United States remains in the wake of a debate on race sparked by last month’s…

(The Root) — Four African Americans are among 16 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, according to a statement released by the White House on Thursday. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the award established by President John F. Kennedy.  “The Presidential Medal of Freedom goes to men and women who have dedicated their…

Sixty-two years after Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer and doctors removed tumor cells from her body, her family is now being brought into the decision-making process concerning research with those cells. The study of her cells has netted profound medical and biological discoveries, the New York Times reports. Henrietta Lacks was only 31 when…

In a deal announced Wednesday, New York City will no longer store the names and addresses of people who were targets of the police department’s controversial stop-and-frisk program and whose cases have been resolved or dismissed, according to CBS. The deal signed Tuesday resulted from a May 2010 lawsuit brought in state court in Manhattan…

A North Carolina pastor, Rodney Wills, faced the wrath of his congregation after attending a Rick Ross concert. Ross was described by a deacon in the church as “tearing down the kingdom of God,” according to BlackAmericaWeb. Wills was also spotted nine months ago at a Lil Wayne concert. [Twenty-six-year-old] Rodney Wills was fired from…

After the sale of the Washington Post was announced on Monday, Bob Butler, the president of the National Association of Black Journalists, said he would request a meeting with the new owner, Jeffrey P. Bezos, to determine the impact on employees, especially NABJ members, according to Richard Prince’s Journal-isms. The Washington Post Co. stunned its…

Some longtime vacationers on Martha’s Vineyard are complaining that the raised al-Qaida threat could mean increased security and traffic jams when the Obamas arrive on the island this weekend, the Daily News reports. The first family arrives this Saturday and in order to protect the President, Secret Service is proposing shutting down a main road…

In an effort to continue the conversation about race in America and to explore “Stand your ground” laws, Ebony magazine has released a special edition of its September issue, according to the Huffington Post. The publication is rolling out four separate covers with the headline “We Are Trayvon,” featuring the slain teenager’s family, Sybrina Fulton…

U.S. diplomatic posts in 19 cities in the Muslim world will be closed at least through the end of the week, the State Department said Sunday, citing “an abundance of caution,” the Associated Press reports. On Friday, the Obama administration announced the closings over the weekend, and officials issued a global travel alert, warning that…