Amid the national discussion on immigration, NPR‘s Joel Rose debunks the idea that immigrants increase crime. Elected officials from Pennsylvania to Arizona have argued that undocumented immigrants contribute to higher crime rates, but some social scientists tell a different story. They argue that first-generation immigrants actually make their communities safer — and they point to…

Nelson Mandela was admitted to the hospital for a routine checkup in South Africa on Saturday, reports CNN. “Doctors are conducting tests and have thus far indicated that there is no reason for any alarm,” according to a statement from the presidential office Saturday. In January, Mandela completed his recovery from a lung infection and…

Saturday marks the 16th anniversary of the death of rapper Notorious B.I.G., and Vibe took a look at the MC’s relationship with the Coogi fashion brand and who wore it before him, like one of America’s favorite dads. During the mid-90s, Christopher Wallace undoubtedly made it a hood priority to rock the iconic knit pattern.…

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…

Clutch magazine‘s Evette Dionne wonders whether the “Big Three” networks will take the show as a lesson about putting some color in prime-time lineups. The Big Three (ABC, CBS, and NBC) have notoriously blacklisted brown faces from their primetime lineups. Before Kerry Washington landed the lead role in “Scandal,” an African-American woman hadn’t starred in…