Beleaguered Councilman Marion Barry said he broke no laws in awarding a controversial contract to a former aide with whom he also had a romantic relationship. However, the councilman and former leader frequently dubbed “Mayor for Life,” admitted he showed poor judgement by continuing a relationship with the woman. “I didn’t use good judgment in […]
Category: NEWS
One Year Later: Stimulus Having Unequal Impact
At 1 year old, President Obama’s signature cure for the ailing economy has not yet gained even footing—especially within communities of color, advocates say. However, contrary to mostly Republican criticisms, the $800 billion stimulus has had some positive impact. “It’s working pretty much exactly as advertized,” said Josh Bivens, an economist with the Washington, D.C.-based […]
Three Major Denominations Plan “Great Gathering”
Three major Black Methodist denominations will come together from March 1 to March 3 to discuss issues facing Black males and their roles in Black families and communities. Representatives from the African Methodist Episcopal, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion and the Christian Methodist Episcopal churches held a press conference at the National Press Club in […]
Surgeon General Launches Mental Health Campaign for African-American Community at Howard University
It was a crime so heinous, so hideous, that it defied many, if not most people’s imagination. A disturbed Washington, D.C., mother had apparently killed her four African-American daughters, ages 5 to 17, and left their bodies rotting in their home for seven months while she went about her daily routine. The bodies were discovered […]
53-Year-Old Man Crashes Aircraft into Texas IRS Building
A Texas man flew his small plane into an Austin federal office building on February 18 in an apparent suicide attack on offices of the Internal Revenue Service located inside. Two people were killed and two hospitalized after Joseph Stack, 53, flew his Piper Cherokee PA-28 into the seven-story office building. The office contains an […]
A 100th Anniversary That Begs Compassion and Giving
It was one hundred years ago this year that Chicago physician Dr. James B. Herrick first described the strangely shaped red blood cells on the blood film of a medical student from Grenada. He gave a name to a condition that today still haunts tens of thousands of patients across the nation – sickle cell […]
Secrets Exposed, Myths Vanquished at Minority Business Summit Luncheon
There were no tennis shoes, jeans or sweatshirts present at the Minority Business Summit’s “Men of Influence” luncheon on February 20, just neatly creased slacks, fashionable ties and double-breasted suits. But the only thing sharper than the dress code may have been the entertaining and sharp dialogue among the event’s guests. Inside the Billie Holiday […]
Jackson Expresses Outrage Over Ore. Police Shooting
The Rev. Jesse Jackson denounced the shooting of Aaron Campbell in Portland, Ore., calling the incident an outright “execution” and expressing anger that another unarmed Black man has been gunned down by police. Campbell, 25, was killed January 29 by a White police officer after stepping out of an apartment with his hands over his […]
Eight American Missionaries Released from Haitian Custody
Eight of the 10 Americans detained in Haiti have been freed on their word by a Haitian judge and have returned to the U.S., according to The Grio.com. The missionaries from Idaho were charged with kidnapping for trying to take 33 children from the country. The two remaining Americans remain in custody while the judge […]
Rapping Soldier to Face Court Martial in Iraq
A soldier facing a court-martial for allegedly making threats in a rap video he sent to the Pentagon can be sent overseas to go on trial in Iraq, a federal judge ruled on February 17. Lawyers for U.S. Army Spc. Marc Hall requested that the soldier’s trial take place in the United States and not […]
No Federal Charges Filed in Bell Shooting
Five New York City Police officers will not face civil rights charges in the 2006 shooting death of Sean Bell, the U.S. Justice Department announced February 16. Bell, 23, was shot leaving his bachelor party at a strip club in the early morning hours of November 25, 2006, his wedding day. A review of the […]
California Admissions Ruling Challenged
A coalition of civil rights groups is bringing a new challenge to a California law that prohibits the state from considering race in state university admissions. The lawsuit was filed in Oakland on Feb. 16 by the Michigan based Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration, and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means […]

