Politics

With the backdrop of the 50th anniversary of the Selma, Ala., march and yet another deadly police shooting of an unarmed black man, the National Action Network held its 17th annual convention in New York City. The Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the civil rights organization, is hosting the four-day gathering, which got…

GOP presidential hopeful Rand Paul’s slip was showing during his long, rambling and repetitive announcement Tuesday of his intent to run for president. The Kentucky senator’s campaign launch wasn’t the worst rollout we’ve seen in recent years (that award still belongs to the Obamacare website), but the mixture of misused thematic elements, poor organization and a low-quality presentation makes…

After Tuesday’s vote, the city of Ferguson, Mo., will have three black members on its City Council for the first time in Ferguson’s history.  Although it rained for much of election day, voter turnout was close to three times higher than what it was for the last City Council election in 2013. Many are saying that Tuesday’s…

“When people on the left get mad, they march. When people on the right get mad, they vote. From the standpoint of influencing government, voting beats marching,” said former Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank during a TV interview March 28.   In that interview, Frank was talking about the Occupy movement, but the sentiment could easily…

The outcome of the Nigerian election and the thus-far peaceful reaction to it is the most hopeful news out of Africa’s largest country in years. For the first time in Nigeria’s history, an incumbent head of state has been defeated at the ballot box. On May 29, when President-elect Muhammadu Buhari is sworn in, Nigeria…

Power, policy and mobilizing the political influence of African-American women. That was the focus of a lunchtime meeting of influential black women in Washington this week.   In the ornate parlor of the Dorothy Height Building, between the Capitol and the White House, more than 40 women met to discuss the role of black women…

Incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel sat through the second of Chicago’s three runoff debates looking as if he needed to pinch himself while trying not to look as if he wanted to punch his opponent’s lights out. He wasn’t supposed to be there. All bets were on Emanuel brushing aside his four much lesser-known challengers in…

“We will not be moved, we will not go back, we will not stop,” said Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner as she led a prayer outside the door of the U.S. Capitol office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as staff and U.S. Capitol police officers stirred nearby.   About 20 prominent black women arrived at…