Politics
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An Open Letter to Those Who Still Believe in the NAACP
On Aug. 3, 1994, syndicated columnist Carl Rowan (pdf) published the first of four blistering columns on the NAACP. It began: “It is sickening to watch the death of the NAACP, a once-proud organization now being strangled by two incredibly arrogant leaders.” The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at that time was…
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Legalized Marijuana: Will White People Get All the Good Weed?
If the president of the United States says legalizing marijuana is all good, then it must be, right? If the first two states to fully legalize pot are sending their NFL teams to the Super Bowl, then the green stuff must not be all that bad, correct? And if 55 percent of Americans are fine…
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Roe v. Wade Anniversary: For Black Women, the Issue Is Contraception
Today marks the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion. The decision is rightly credited with saving the lives of thousands of women: According to the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, prior to Roe, 5,000 women died annually from illegal abortions. So while many women are alive thanks to Roe, a strong argument can be…
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GOP Candidate Who Called for Obama’s Hanging Gets a Visit From the Secret Service
As it turns out, it’s never a good idea to call for the hanging of a president. It could get you some very serious attention from the men in black who guard the nation’s leader. According to the Tampa Bay Times, while Joshua Black—the political candidate seeking to win a seat in the Florida House…
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Obama Administration Targets Sexual Abuse at Colleges
President Barack Obama has set his sights on finding a solution to rampant sexual assault, particularly on college campuses, the Associated Press reports. It’s an issue that rarely gets attention from the White House despite its broad reach into so many Americans’ lives. Obama is expected to sign a presidential memorandum on Wednesday to create…
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South Africa Officials Affiliated with Phony Interpreter Resign
Two officials of South Africa’s ruling party have handed in resignations following the phony interpreter incident at patriarch Nelson Mandela’s memorial in December, the Associated Press reports. According to the AP, the officials, Bantubahle Xozwa – who allegedly owns the company that hired the fake interpreter and was the head of the African National Congress’…
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Under Chris Christie, Blacks and Latinos Got Shorted on Sandy Relief
To say that this has been a bad month for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie would be something of an understatement. On top of the ongoing “bridge-gate” scandal, he’s now fighting allegations that his administration used Superstorm Sandy recovery funds to both strong-arm Hoboken’s mayor on a development deal and promote himself in election-year advertisements. …
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The President Should Attack Out-of-Control College Costs
Seeking a reprieve from Republicans, Edward Snowden and the website that couldn’t, President Obama and the first lady held a feel-good event to push the issue of expanding college opportunity. There were lots of smiles, bucket-loads of remarks on heavy policy lifts and the sense that the White House would do its best to guarantee…
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Some Folks Don’t Like Me Because I’m Black, Says Obama
It seems that some white Americans, and the modern-day Republican Party in particular, have found themselves stuck between Barack and a hard place. The nation’s tortured history of racial discrimination and violence against African Americans has left the promise of a color-blind society as elusive as Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. President Obama has skillfully…
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NAACP Leader Calls Sen. Tim Scott a ‘Dummy’ for Tea Party
The NAACP president in North Carolina, the Rev. William Barber, slammed black Republican Sen. Tim Scott for being a “dummy” for the Tea Party, according to Talking Points Memo. At a speech on Sunday to members of the South Carolina NAACP, Barber made the fiery comments, encouraging people to not “give up the so-called high…