Politics
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Obama on Brown v. Board: The 1st Major Step in Ending ‘Separate but Equal’
On the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, President Barack Obama described the 1954 case as the first major step in dismantling the “separate but equal” doctrine that had justified Jim Crow, according to statement released by the White House. “As we commemorate this historic anniversary, we recommit…
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The Root Interview With NAACP's New President Cornell William Brooks
The NAACP, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, has named Cornell William Brooks its 18th president and chief executive officer. The New Jersey-based civil rights lawyer, human rights activist and ordained minister, replaces interim leader Lorraine C. Miller, who filled the vacancy created by Benjamin Jealous’ departure at the end of 2013. “With…
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Michelle Obama Warns of Growing School Resegregation
First lady Michelle Obama issued a warning Friday about the return of school segregation nearly 60 years after it was struck down by the Supreme Court’s decision in the pivotal Brown v. Board of Education, according to a statement released by the White House. Speaking to about 1,200 graduating high school seniors and their families…
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GOP’s 19-Year-Old ‘Rising Star’ Says School Choice Will Help Close Achievement Gap
In the state of Maine, you’re more likely to bump into a Democrat or Independent than a Republican, so being a black Republican and living in a town that has not elected a Republican state representative in decades, I understand what it’s like to be in the minority. But being in the minority didn’t stand…
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Post-Mandela South Africa Is a Nation on Edge
That an embattled African National Congress won the latest round of South African elections was not at all surprising. However, this particular election was a curious inflection point in the post-Mandela era, presenting a number of alarming transitions for what was, up until very recently, Africa’s most powerful and stable democracy. In the wistful wake of…
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Why Newark Turned From Booker to Baraka
When I grew up in Newark, N.J., in the 1970s and early 1980s, Kenneth Gibson held office as the city’s first black mayor. He had a famous quote: “Wherever American cities are going, Newark will get there first.” In his postelection speech Tuesday, Newark Mayor-elect Ras Baraka thanked Gibson for the phrase and repeated it.…
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Ras Baraka Elected Mayor of Newark
On Tuesday night, Newark, N.J., elected its new mayor, Municipal Council member Ras Baraka—and chose a new direction for itself, the New York Times reports. Baraka, the son of activist and poet Amiri Baraka, won approximately 54 percent of the vote, with 96 percent of the precincts reporting. His opponent, Seton Hall School of Law…
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60 Years After Brown v. Board, Education Is Still the Civil Rights Issue of Our Time
Sixty years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools violated our basic equal rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution—a decision that gave birth, in large part, to the civil rights movement in our country. But while the Brown v. Board of Education case is a historic event to be celebrated,…
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Allen West: US Interest in Nigeria and Boko Haram Is ‘Fishy’
Former Florida Rep. Adam West called the focus on the terrorist group Boko Haram and the missing Nigerian girls “fishy” in a Monday column on his blog. In the post, West points out that the girls were kidnapped almost a month ago, rendering the story nonbreaking news. He also notes that Boko Haram is well-known for…
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Saving Our Sons, And Our Daughters Too
When I became a mother nearly 15 years ago to a precious baby boy, I made a silent promise, that I would be active and engaged in every facet of his life, from early childhood to adulthood, and that I would be his partner in education, from our home to his school. I am his…