Politics
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NAACP: End the War on Drugs
At its annual convention in Los Angeles, the NAACP has passed what it’s calling a historic resolution that calls for an end to the war on drugs. The headline is likely to make critics of the organization’s agenda wonder whether this is a case of misplaced priorities, given the dire economic circumstances of African Americans…
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Radio Host Fired for McDonald's-Boycott Call?
It was a no-brainer for 21-year-old Jentri Casaberry when he recently took time off from work at a McDonald’s on Chicago’s South Side to tend to the bedside of his prematurely born son, Nyeem. He was glad he did. The child died at 9:15 p.m. CDT on July 13 at the University of Chicago Hospital,…
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Don't Forget Blacks in the Deficit Struggle
Republicans have linked the issue of raising the debt ceiling to the deficit and are using the debt issue as a hammer to repeal three important social entitlement programs to which several conservative Republicans have been ideologically opposed from their inception. Since these programs became law in 1965, many of those Republicans have disliked the…
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Obama, Lincoln and the Art of Compromise
Ta-Nehisi Coates, in his op-ed column in the New York Times, tackles the fine art of compromise, arguing that it requires magnanimity as well as a hard line. The administration of President Obama has never held much regard for its left flank. Admonished by the vice president to “stop whining,” inveighed against by the…
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Can the Constitution Solve the Debt Crisis?
President Obama is engaged in an intellectual civil war with Congressional Republican leadership and their Tea Party Caucus. Unlike the battles being fought in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, the standoff between Republicans and President Obama is not a war of religious ideology and weapons of steel, but a politically manufactured…
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Herman Cain Apologizes to Muslim Leaders
News One is reporting that Republican Herman Cain is apologizing to Muslim leaders for vitriolic remarks he made about Islam while campaigning for the presidential nomination. On Wednesday, Cain met with four Muslim leaders in Sterling, Va. He said in a statement later that he was “truly sorry” for comments that may have “betrayed” his…
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4 Questions With the NAACP's Youth Expert
NAACP National Field Director Stefanie Brown also directs the organization’s Youth and College Division. She spoke to The Root at the 102nd NAACP Annual Convention in Los Angeles and explained why questions about the group’s relevance are one of her pet peeves. The Root: Does having a black president help or hinder progress on the…
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4 Questions With Isaiah Washington
Actor Isaiah Washington attended the 102nd NAACP Annual Convention in Los Angeles, where he signed copies of his book, A Man From Another Land: How Finding My Roots Changed My Life, and chatted with The Root about civil liberties for gays, tracing his roots and how he feels about the NAACP Image Awards. The Root:…
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4 Questions With Ben Jealous
NAACP President Benjamin Jealous spoke with The Root during the 102nd NAACP Annual Convention in Los Angeles. He says President Obama “gets it,” stresses the urgency of fighting voter-ID laws and explains the definition of “employment discrimination 2.0.” The Root: Does having a black president help or hinder progress on the issues that are affecting…
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Marc Morial on NUL's Pull With Obama
The National Urban League’s National Conference opens Wednesday in Boston. The 101-year-old organization’s president, Marc Morial — a former mayor of New Orleans — sat down with The Root in the league’s New York offices overlooking the city’s waterfront. A frank, wide-ranging conversation covered the nation’s current economic struggles as well as the Urban League’s…