Politics
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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…
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Former Fla. Governor Left GOP Because of Race-Based Hostility Toward Obama
Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist called out the GOP in a Tuesday interview with Fusion, saying that he defected from his former party because of its aggressive opposition to the president because of Obama’s race. “I left the Republican Party because Republican leadership went off the cliff. They’re so hard right now, they won’t cooperate…
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Despite Apathy Among Millennials of Color, Dems Aren’t Going to Concede 2014
With only six months to go before the midterm elections, a meta-narrative is emerging that the electoral landscape favors the GOP. Journalists, political strategists and talking heads across the political spectrum are regurgitating the pollster line that a majority of potential voters—especially the ever elusive “independent”—are leaning Republican in 2014. And polling data suggest that…
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US Sending Advisory Team to Nigeria to Help Locate Abducted Schoolgirls
The U.S. is sending a team of officials to help aid the Nigerian government in locating and recovering more than 200 schoolgirls who were kidnapped, Time reports. The Obama administration is prepping to send a team of military, law-enforcement and hostage negotiators to the country. The girls were captured by the Islamic militant group Boko…
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Upstate New York Comptroller’s Tweet to Melissa Harris-Perry Called Racist
The comptroller for Dutchess County, N.Y., a northern suburb of New York City, is facing the wrath of politicians and citizens alike after tweeting a message in which he referred to MSNBC news anchor Melissa Harris-Perry as a “damned dirty ape,” the Daily News reports. Jim Coughlan, a Republican who is also eyeing a state…
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Can the US Play a Role in Rescuing the Missing Nigerian Schoolgirls?
When the bizarre disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 captured the global imagination like missed episodes of Lost, an international military search and rescue response was swift. Two months and a dying black box ping later, no expense has been spared in the effort to find 240 passengers now presumed dead. Weeks going on a…
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Obama Mocks ‘Stellar 2013’ at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
President Barack Obama hammered failed GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney for his infamous comment about poor Americans and the “47 percent” during the campaign trail. On Saturday, the president turned the remark against himself during his speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C. “I usually start these dinners with a few self-deprecating…
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Black Jobless Rate Still Nation’s Highest
The unemployment rate among African Americans is nearly double the national rate, even as the economy appears to be improving. Unemployment among blacks was 11.6 percent in April, down from 12.4 percent in March, according to figures released by the U.S. Department of Labor. But even with that improvement, blacks lagged behind the rest of…