Politics

For decades now, America has been pursuing a deeply punitive anti-crime social policy: the criminal-punishment binge. It is what lies at the root of the heavy overrepresentation of blacks — and increasingly, Latinos — in our nation’s jails and prisons. Our only hope of creating a fair and equitable criminal-justice system is to turn away…

With Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor rally set to take place near the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, the Internet is buzzing with speculation about what Fox News’ seemingly unstoppable juggernaut has up his sleeve this time. Though Beck pulls stunts — both grand and small — as a matter of course, this weekend’s event is of…

There is a general consensus concerning Rep. Charles Rangel, former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and power broker by virtue of his 40 years of connections and many years of raising money for candidates and causes he favors: He should make nice with his congressional…

It looks like Fox News’ Glenn Beck has developed a man crush on the wrong black icon. If he really wanted his audience to get in touch with a martyred ’60s-era religious conservative who espoused a sort of anti-government, pro-Second Amendment platform, he should have planned this week’s Restoring Honor rally for Malcolm X’s birthday,…

Judy Reese Morse is chief of staff to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, working under a new deputy-mayor-based governing structure never used before in this city. In her leadership role, Morse is the highest-ranked African American, and woman, in the city. The Root spoke with her about the challenges her administration has faced in continuing…

Rep. Kendrick Meek will be the Democratic candidate for U.S. senator from Florida. The black congressman defeated billionaire Jeff Greene in the Tuesday primary, setting up a tough November battle with Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running as an independent, and Republican Mario Rubio. With 74 percent of the ballots counted, Meek took a…

Eduardo Bonilla-Silva’s book Racism Without Racists is an essential read for anyone trying to understand race in 21st-century America. But even Bonilla-Silva’s thesis — that the American liberal embrace of “colorblindness” ignores the attitudes, policies and practices of institutional and unconscious racism that perpetuate racial inequality — could not have prepared us for what we…

A member of the Tea Party has put together a guide for those who are traveling to participate in Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally. Fox News’ Beck is hosting the rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The only thing more…

The era of black power in New Orleans begins with the rising of a Moon and ends with the setting of a son. Maurice “Moon” Landrieu, who is white, is widely credited as the elected official responsible for not only helping usher in desegregation in Louisiana but also finally opening New Orleans’ city hall to…

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is on that stuff. Either that or he and some of his Republican counterparts have a hard time distinguishing fact from fiction. On an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, McConnell refused to clearly state that President Obama is a Christian. When host David Gregory asked McConnell about last week’s…