Politics

As Politico put it late last month, one of the “little-noticed” sections of the Wall Street reform bill gave the government power to kill contracts with firms that fail to initiate diversity in the workplace. Saying that it expects “fair inclusion” of women and minorities, the new law “goes further than any previous attempt by…

Recent statements challenging the impartiality of U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker — the author of last week’s decision striking down California’s anti-gay marriage law — are sadly reminiscent of arguments challenging the impartiality of black judges presiding over civil rights cases 30 years ago. The leader of the conservative Family Research Council gave robust voice…

When he signed into law the bill that reduces the disparity in penalties for crack and powder cocaine offenses, President Barack Obama narrowed the “racial” gap in drug sentencing Tuesday by some 82 percent. Yet he did not close it. Civil rights leaders that struggled mightily for parity under this unjust federal policy, which filled…

Recently, an anonymous member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) charged that the ethics investigations of Representatives Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) demonstrate that black lawmakers face disproportionate levels of ethical investigation than their white colleagues. Right-wing pundits, like Bernie Goldberg, immediately cried foul, arguing that the assertion constituted “playing the race card”…

During his birthday weekend, President Barack Obama played ball with NBA superstars at Fort McNair. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Alonzo Mourning, Grant Hill, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Maya Moore and a host of others were in attendance. Afterward the group had a barbecue at the White House. Now, that’s what we call a birthday celebration.…

First lady Michelle Obama was harshly criticized for taking a vacation during a recession and going to Spain. Some questioned the first lady spending taxpayers’ money on a lavish excursion and why she would vacation in Spain as opposed to America. We say, spoken like a true American — many of whom have never been…

By Hank Klibanoff Attorney General Eric Holder is circulating in Congress his second report on the Justice Department’s efforts to solve 109 murder cases in the South during the 1950s and ’60s that appear to have been racially motivated. What began as a Justice Department initiative in 2006 to investigate cold cases became a mandate…

It’s perhaps a short walk from trashing the legacy of Thurgood Marshall during the Elena Kagan confirmation hearings to the Republican leadership’s latest affront to the civil rights history of this country. But the push to open hearings on the 14th Amendment, in order to challenge the birthright-citizenship provisions of the landmark Civil War amendment,…

The recent release of more than 90,000 documents by Wikileaks gives the strong impression that President Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan is in disarray. The body count of U.S. soldiers is rising. Last month represented the highest number of monthly U.S. casualties to date in Afghanistan, and this month’s casualty figures may be worse. Meanwhile, the…

The start of a new season of Mad Men has had its loyal followers wondering what’s next for the talented but conflicted alpha male Don Draper as he leads a group of disaffected executives in the launch of a new ad agency on Madison Avenue. In its past seasons, the Emmy-nominated series deftly revealed personal and…