Politics
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Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin Found Guilty of Corruption
A federal jury found former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin guilty of 20 out of 21 charges of corruption, including various instances conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud, NPR reports. Nagin, 57, was accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks, as well as siphoning money and granite into a business owned…
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Attorney General Eric Holder: Restore Voting Rights to Ex-Cons
Attorney General Eric Holder is calling for a group of 11 states to restore voting rights to their ex-felons as part of his initiative to fix flaws in the criminal-justice system that have a disproportionate effect on minority groups, the Associated Press reports. “It is time to fundamentally rethink laws that permanently disenfranchise people who…
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Obama to Sign Executive Order Raising Minimum Wage for Federal Contract Workers
President Barack Obama is set to sign an executive order on Wednesday, effectively raising the minimum hourly wage of federal contract workers to $10.10, according to a press release. The White House touted how the order would “benefit hundreds of thousands of people” working on the federal contracts who are currently making less than $10.10.…
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Moral Movements: Civil Rights Coming Back to the Future
Black History Month reminds us of the way in which black activism has historically transcended purely race matters to rise into the stratosphere of universal movements for social justice. Fifty-four years ago this month, four black North Carolina A&T students launched a lunch counter sit-in at Woolworth’s in Greensboro, N.C., that sparked a social and…
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Russian Olympic Torchbearer Blames Racist Obama Tweet on Hackers
Former figure skater Irina Rodnina, who lit the Olympic flame for the Sochi opening ceremony, is now saying that her racist Obama tweet from last year was due to hackers, The Guardian reports. Rodnina, who now serves as a member of parliament from President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia Party, won three Olympic gold medals in…
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Report: US Attorney General Eric Holder to Step Down This Year
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder plans to step down some time this year, according to the New Yorker’s Jeffrey Toobin, whose feature story is slated to run in the magazine’s Feb. 17 issue, the Washington Times reports. The first African-American attorney general told the writer that he planned to remain “well into” 2014, but he…
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Will the Next Black Senator Be a Familiar Face From Oklahoma?
Oklahoma. With its wide ranges, tornado alleys and young, upstart NBA franchise, it’s the last place you’d think of when considering black political hotbeds. But as Sen. Tom Coburn prepares to retire after a yearslong battle with cancer, black Republicans in the Sooner State are seeking to flip that script on its head. A crowded…
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Why the Black Vote Is Crucial in 2014
In 2012, history was made—again. For the first time, African-American voters turned out at a higher rate than the national average, and helped lift President Barack Obama to a second term while helping Democrats add eight seats in the House of Representatives. As we honor the 88th Black History Month, we celebrate the strides so many…
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Why Some HIV/AIDS Patients Are in Limbo Under Obamacare
Some health care advocates are crying foul after a dispute over federal subsidies, and the interpretation of guidelines that prevent fraud has resulted in scores of patients in Louisiana being booted from their Obamacare plans, Reuters reports. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana argues that it is not trying to keep people with HIV/AIDS…
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80,000 at Moral March Protest Injustice
“Forward together, not one step back,” chanted a crowd estimated at 80,000 in Raleigh, N.C., this weekend. But along with the chants was the realization that history is repeating itself with renewed legislative battles over efforts to diminish voting rights and fights for economic justice. And these setbacks have reignited civil rights activism across the…