The St. Louis Rams have signed Michael Sam to an historic four-year, $2.65 million contract, the New Civil Rights Movement reports. The team announced Thursday that it had signed all 11 of its 2014 draft picks. Sam, a former University of Missouri defensive end, became the first openly gay player drafted into the National Football…

In a Father’s Day message released Saturday, President Barack Obama encouraged men to become more involved in their children’s lives, saying he missed the support of a father while he was growing up. “I know how important it is to have a dad in your life, because I grew up without my father around. I…

A 53-year-old Chicago man who served about 32 years in prison on a murder and rape conviction before being cleared by DNA evidence in 2012 has been charged with murder in another case, Reuters reports. Andre Davis allegedly told people attending a party at his nephew’s home on Chicago’s South Side in October that he…

Four institutions and one individual in Chicago are making a big push for the city to be the home of Barack Obama’s presidential library, with plans to submit separate bids ahead of Monday’s deadline, Pantagraph reports. The city’s Bronzeville neighborhood, a landmark in the Great Migration, is in competition with the University of Chicago, where…

A dispute involving unruly costumers at a Georgia restaurant turned deadly early Friday when a cook fired shots, killing a man, WSB-TV 2 reports. Customers reportedly watched in horror as the scene unfolded at 4:30 a.m. at a Waffle House in Fulton County, Ga., the report says. Police told the news station that Adrian Mosley,…

A popular Dallas nightspot is under investigation by city officials amid allegations that managers racially discriminated against minorities, ordering workers to deny reservations to callers who “sounded ghetto or too Asian,” according to a former employee, WFAA News 8 reports. Stephanie Guidy, a former event coordinator at Kung Fu Saloon in Uptown Dallas, told the…

R&B singer Usher rushed to Justin Bieber’s defense Saturday in an Instragram post, saying that his protégé is not racist. He also posted a photo of himself and Bieber. “As I have watched Justin Bieber navigate difficult waters as a young man, I can tell you that he hasn’t always chosen the path of his…

The driver of a tractor-trailer that struck a the luxury van carrying Tracy Morgan and his entourage early Saturday, killing one person and leaving actor in critical condition, has been charged in the accident, the Chicago Tribune reports. Kevin Roper, 35, who was driving a Wal-Mart truck, was charged with one count of death by…

First lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and President Bill Clinton were among scores of luminaries, friends and family who gathered Saturday at a memorial service to celebrate the late Dr. Maya Angelou at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. “She told us that our worth has nothing to do with what the world might say,”…

Popular comedian and actor Tracy Morgan was listed in critical condition after a six-vehicle accident in New Jersey early Saturday, authorities said, according to CNN. Morgan, a former member of the Saturday Night Live and co-star of 30 Rock was riding in a limo bus when the accident occurred in Mercer County, N.J., said Sgt.…