As if people of color didn’t already have enough to worry about, now Harvard sociologist David Williams says that racial minorities who live in race-conscious societies get sick at younger ages, have more severe illnesses and die sooner than whites, according to Psychology Today. Williams was one of several presenters at a conference last week…

When a law requiring the uninsured to purchase health insurance takes effect on Jan. 1, 2014, the cost, the extensiveness of benefits and the number of competing insurance companies that opt in to the health care marketplaces will all depend on where a person lives, CNBC reports. The Affordable Care Act mandating those marketplaces, also…

Lauryn Hill began serving a three-month prison sentence in Connecticut on Monday after neglecting to pay more than $1 million in taxes over the last decade, the Associated Press reports. Ed Ross, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Prisons, says the Grammy-winning singer reported Monday to the federal prison in Danbury. Hill started singing…

Chicago erupted in paroxysms of violence over the Fourth of July weekend when 72 people were shot over the course of four days, according to Raw Story. At least 64 of the shootings reportedly took place by Saturday, and many appear to have been the result of gang violence. Of that 72, NBC Chicago reported that 12…

When a recent poll by Rasmussen Reports found that Americans consider blacks more likely to be racist than whites and Hispanics, the results were, well, surprising, especially in the context of the racial polarization going on in the nation right now, including New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk program, which largely targets young black and Latino males. Now,…

When George Zimmerman shot the unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin nearly a year ago, it captured worldwide attention in a backlash sparked mostly by social media, the Associated Press reports. Now, sites such as Twitter and Facebook have become a major presence at George Zimmerman’s trial, both inside and outside the courtroom. A witness who testified…

Hiring is on the uptick in at least area of the U.S. economy: temporary work, the Associated Press reports. Part-time workers are being hired at some of the nation’s largest corporations. Combined, they account for nearly 17 million people, who have only tenuous ties to the companies that pay them. From Wal-Mart to General Motors…

In a surprisingly candid interview with the Wall Street Journal, Chris Noth, famous for his role as Mr. Big on Sex and the City, among others, says that his marriage last year to longtime girlfriend Tara Lynn Wilson has prompted racist hate mail. The usually private Noth expressed dismay over opponents of interracial relationships. “When…

CNN is reporting that a Boeing 777 operated by Asiana Airlines crashed while landing Saturday at San Francisco International Airport, according to an FAA spokesman. Flight 214 left Seoul’s Incheon International Airport earlier Saturday and flew 10 hours and 23 minutes to California, according to FlightAware, a website that offers tracking services for private and…

Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé’s father and former manager, married Gena Charmaine Avery in Houston last Sunday, his representative told the Associated Press. The couple had been engaged for about a year and a half. Knowles and Beyoncé’s mother, Tina, divorced in 2011 after 31 years of marriage. The 48-year-old Avery is a realtor. The 61-year-old Knowles guided his…