During a moving and far-reaching speech on Saturday, President Barack Obama pushed Congress to fight for the restoration of a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, condemned the long shadow of racism that still haunts the nation, and celebrated economic and social gains for people of color in America since the pivotal civil rights…

Several Illinois college football players said they were just joking when they dressed in Ku Klux Klan hoods and robes to parody the popular 2003 film Bad Boys II, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, the Chicago Tribune reports. The players, including some who are African American, also carried Confederate flags, the report says. But instead of…

After a funeral home filed a $35,000 claim against the estate of Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks over unpaid bills, the baseball team and its owner stepped up Friday to pay the costs, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “Cubs management and the Ricketts family [the team’s owner] have addressed the issue,” said Joseph Donnellan, owner…

U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said Friday that the Department of Justice is prepared to dismantle the Ferguson, Mo., Police Department after the DOJ found a widespread pattern of racial bias against blacks on the the city’s force, Reuters reports. “We are prepared to use all the power that we have … to…

Protests broke out late Friday after a 19-year-old Madison, Wis., man was shot and killed inside his home by a police officer after an alleged struggle, according to Madison Police Chief Mike Koval, the New York Daily News reports. Details were still sketchy early Saturday, but initial reports allege that the officer was assaulted after…

Protests erupted last week after models for an Italian designer emerged on the catwalk sporting glittery blackface at Milan Fashion Week. Claudio Cutugno presented his collection on Feb. 24 as part of his all-black themed show, which featured sheer blouses and feathered embellishments, according to E News. “I’m all for unique and interesting styles that…

A South Florida police chief found himself on the wrong side of the law last week after he was arrested on a charge of soliciting a prostitute. Miami Gardens Police Chief Stephen Johnson, 53, was fired late Friday after he was arrested at a Dania Beach motel during a sting operation conducted by the Broward…

A celebration Friday for outgoing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder brought tears to President Obama’s eyes during a performance by Aretha Franklin, who “literally” sang his praises, CNN reports. “I think about all the young people out there who have seen you work and have been able to get just an innate sense, without knowing…

Responding to a lawsuit filed by the family of Tamir Rice, Cleveland city officials blamed the 12-year-old youth for inciting a police officer to fatally shoot him as he played on a playground, according to Cleveland.com. The response came Friday to a lawsuit filed by the Rice family, stating that the child “died and his…

Anthony Mason, a onetime popular New York Knick who represented the city’s scrappy teams of the 1990s, died Saturday morning, according to the Washington Post. He was 48. Mason, who also played with the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, was hospitalized this month in Atlanta for treatment of congestive heart failure and underwent several procedures,…