In Washington, D.C., if you’re indigent and Black you are more likely to end up in the judicial system, according to a report released July 27 by the Justice Policy Institute. “Capital Concern: The disproportionate impact of the justice system on low-income communities in D.C.,” is a fraction of a nationally-focused report on the intersection […]
Author Archives: DavidRushing
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Posted inNational News
NAACP Targets Racism in the Tea Party; Conservatives Fire Back
The NAACP drew national headlines this week during their annual convention in Kansas City, Mo. when they adopted a resolution that called on the Tea Party to dismiss bigoted elements from their organization. The resolution was based on what NAACP delegates felt was a “vitriolic” year of Tea Party demonstrations, during which participants used racial […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Students Use Journey to Explore Race Relations
In the spirit of the Freedom Riders, 22 District-area African-American and Jewish high school students recently embarked on a journey to retrace the steps their ancestors took in their shared trek toward equality, justice and racial harmony. The students, participants in Operation Understanding, D.C.’s initiative to create new social justice leaders, will this month visit […]
Posted inNational News
Obama Administration Unveils National HIV/AIDS Strategy
The Obama administration took a monumental leap forward Tuesday by announcing the country’s first-ever National HIV/AIDS strategy (NHAS), activists say. However, they wonder if $30 million is enough to adequately address the epidemic. The plan, which aims to reduce the annual number of new HIV infections by 25 percent within five years, was announced by […]
Posted inNational News
Department of Justice Files Suit Against Arizona
The Department of Justice this week filed a lawsuit against the state of Arizona, claiming that its immigration law, S.B. 1070, unconstitutionally interferes with the federal government’s authority to set and enforce immigration policy. S.B. 1070, which made failure to carry immigration documents a crime and allows police the discretionary power to detain anyone suspected […]
Posted inNational News
From Homeless to Medical School
Ryan Johnson is in his fourth year of medical school and has developed an educational platform that could revolutionize medical institutions in the future. Though he is on what many call the road to success, a rare illness and stretches of homelessness made Ryan’s path less than ideal. A native of Charlotte, N.C., Johnson, 33, […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Obama Administration Launches Ambitious Plan to End Homelessness
Obama administration Cabinet members and officials from the U.S Interagency Council on Homelessness on June 22 unveiled “Opening Doors: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness,” the administration’s latest federal initiative targeting homelessness. Officials said the plan will involve joint action by the council’s 19 member agencies along with local and state partners […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Local Entrepreneur Considering Others
When his father passed away more than a year ago, Azim Al-Sala’m wanted to find a way to not only honor the man who instilled principles of kindness and charity in him, but also carry on his positive legacy. A native Washingtonian, Al-Sala’m, 33, founded Consider Someone Else, a social networking Web site that aims […]
Posted inNational News
Student’s Graduation Status in Limbo Due to School Miscues
This time of year, most high school seniors are either on vacation or finalizing plans to attend a college in the fall. But due to a policy issue, Brittany Hemphill of Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta, Ga., is still waiting for her high school diploma. Hemphill, an honors student, was sent a notification […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
New Activist Group Calls for Boycott of Comcast
For years, cable service provider Comcast has opted not to carry African-American owned channels on its nationwide platforms, and Stanley E. Washington has had enough. Washington, president and CEO of the newly-formed National Coalition of African-American Owned Media, or NCAAOM, is calling for African-American families to disconnect their Comcast services immediately and boycott the company […]