TheRepublic.com - Race and ethnicity News

Myanmar leader to meet Obama but stalls on reforms

Sat, 18 May 2013 03:39:40 -0400

WASHINGTON - Myanmar President Thein Sein's historic White House visit next week is the culmination of U.S. outreach to a former pariah regime. That's been based on a principle of taking "action for action" by deepening ties in response to democratic reforms.

Tougaloo College plans civil rights commemorations

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:02:28 -0400

JACKSON, Mississippi - Tougaloo College is starting an 18-month commemoration of the civil rights movement, 50 years after the effort helped reshape the American political and social landscape.

Shrewd Ga. businesswoman fought stereotypes

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:22:50 -0400

ATLANTA - As a shrewd businesswoman with keen insight and endless aspirations, Ophelia DeVore worked for much of the 20th century to smash stereotypes and empower black women by teaching them poise, confidence and the courage to get ahead in a world deeply etched by racial discrimination.

Michelle Obama speaks of 'hunger' for education

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:13:07 -0400

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland - First lady Michelle Obama spoke passionately about the importance of education to the African-American community in a commencement address Friday, urging more than 600 graduates of Bowie State University to honor the school's history and to pass their commitment to education on to future generations.

Fired officer: I did not target blacks

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:46:40 -0400

CLAYTON, Missouri - The former St. Louis County police lieutenant fired over allegations of racial profiling says his accusers lied, and he wants his job back.

Playwright takes on 'Clybourne Park' with new work

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:47:15 -0400

BALTIMORE - Growing up in Britain, Kwame Kwei-Armah saw the American classic "A Raisin in the Sun" perhaps more often than any other play, with its powerful portrayal of race relations.

Christie campaign debuts Spanish ad

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:37:10 -0400

TRENTON, New Jersey - Gov. Chris Christie's campaign is launching its first Spanish-language television commercial of the 2013 campaign in which both candidates are courting votes of Latinos.

KKK application taped to black Iowa pupil's locker

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:07:13 -0400

DES MOINES, Iowa - A Ku Klux Klan application form has been taped to the locker of a black student at a middle school in the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale.

3 arrested in Vancouver, Wash., bar incident

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:31:32 -0400

VANCOUVER, Washington - Three Clark County, Washington, men have been arrested for investigation of felony assault and racially motivated malicious harassment in a March 18 disturbance at a Vancouver bar.

Federal oversight of LAPD officially ends

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:59:16 -0400

LOS ANGELES - A judge has officially ended more than a decade of federal oversight of the Los Angeles Police Department that was triggered by a corruption scandal involving abusive officers.

Brown nominated for US district judgeship in Miss.

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:53:58 -0400

JACKSON, Mississippi - President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated Jackson attorney Debra M. Brown to be a U.S. District judge for northern Mississippi.

Drake U. launches program to retain minorities

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:51:50 -0400

DES MOINES, Iowa - Drake University in central Iowa has launched an initiative to recruit African-American students and other minority groups as part of an effort to increase the school's retention rate.

Brown v. Board site to mark anniversary of ruling

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:54:10 -0400

TOPEKA, Kansas - The Brown v. Board of Education National Historic site will display a black doll used in a series of famous race studies to mark the 59th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ended legal segregation in public schools.

Racist graffiti found at LA County high school

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:39:34 -0400

AGOURA HILLS, California - A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of whoever painted racist graffiti at a Los Angeles County school.

Brown v. Board site to mark anniversary of ruling

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:50:44 -0400

SC slave cabin dismantled for Smithsonian display

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:25:41 -0400

EDISTO ISLAND, South Carolina - As a cool sea breeze wafted across a 17th century South Carolina plantation that once grew prized sea island cotton, workers this week carefully disassembled, measured and numbered wooden planks from a dilapidated antebellum slave cabin.

African-American Okla. judges honored by Senate

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:06:50 -0400

OKLAHOMA CITY - Four groundbreaking African-American judges have been honored by the Oklahoma Senate.

Segregated Battle Creek exhibit on display in June

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:13:27 -0400

BATTLE CREEK, Michigan - Because of decades of discriminatory practices and policies in the housing market, Detroit is the most segregated city in America, a recent study found.

Bill modifies traffic stop collection requirements

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:52:03 -0400

HARTFORD, Connecticut - Connecticut lawmakers are considering a bill that requires police officers to record additional details of their traffic stops.

Chicago parents file lawsuits over school closures

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:50:42 -0400

CHICAGO - Parents of Chicago public school children filed a pair of lawsuits Wednesday claiming the city's plan to close dozens of schools violates the civil rights of students with disabilities and children who are black.

Longer US white majority if immigration slows

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:28:07 -0400

WASHINGTON - Without increased immigration, whites would lose their U.S. majority in 2046, three years beyond official projections, and the nation's population would not reach 400 million until after 2060, a decade or more later than forecast, according to census estimates Wednesday.

South Africa: Winnie Mandela's items to be sold

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:20:44 -0400

JOHANNESBURG - Dozens of paintings, a silver tea set and other items belonging to Nelson Mandela's ex-wife Winnie will be auctioned next week to pay off debts she owes to a South African school.

NY appeals court approves of FDNY hiring oversight

Tue, 14 May 2013 20:23:17 -0400

NEW YORK - The city's fire department must subject itself to court supervision for five years to ensure it does not discriminate against blacks and Hispanics in its hiring practices, a federal appeals court said Tuesday.

2 plead guilty to swastikas and nooses at homes

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:12:21 -0400

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Two Spring Hill men have pleaded guilty to painting swastikas and racial slurs and hanging nooses at the homes of African-American families.

Kan. ed board member criticized for racial comment

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:00:29 -0400

TOPEKA, Kansas - Several black leaders in Topeka said Tuesday that a Kansas State Board of Education member's use of a racial slur during a meeting last month was unnecessary and inappropriate.