News
North Carolina — Alysa Stanton, who made headlines when she became the country’s first black woman rabbi, will be leaving her Greenville, N.C. pulpit — after the congregation that hired her less than two years ago decided not to renew her contract. Stanton said the decision to leave was not hers, and that she fully […]
Bobby Robinson, the founder of one of the first rap labels, Enjoy Records, and the first record man to sign a bonafide hip-hop act from the streets of the Bronx — Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five — died Saturday at the age of 93. I was lucky enough to be able to meet and […]
The big story right now is the murder of a federal judge, John Roll, and the attempted murder of Representative Giffords (D-AZ) by a deranged young man (the police have him in custody and are currently seeking a possible accomplice) at a mall in Tuscon. A number of other people were also killed and wounded […]
I spent some time this week with NAACP officials analyzing the Georgia Prison Strike that occurred last month. The fallout has been unbelievable, as some of the inmates were reportedly beaten with hammers for choosing to participate in the work stoppage. One of the inmates allegedly has brain damage and is in a wheelchair as […]
Late last week, Michael Eric Dyson appeared on an NBC political show and said amongst other things, that President Obama deserved a “C-“grade for his handling of Black issues. He also said President Obama is scared to address race. Video after the excerpt Below is an excerpt from an article on Black unemployment Among white […]
We’re already over a week into this new year and I would hate for any more time to pass without acknowledging, or resolving to keep certain folks and events in our hearts and minds from the year 2010. Time can march on coldly, so it’s up to us to keep our attention focused on a […]
// http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47331.html Tucson — Speaking on a rare bipartisan telephone briefing, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ chief of staff Pia Carusone described the Arizona Demcorat’s state as “sort of alert,” in the wake of the attempted assassination, which claimed the lives of six people, including federal District Court Judge John M. Roll and Giffords’ outreach director, Gabe […]
Arizona –Shortly after news broke that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) had been shot at a congressional event in her district, observers began noting that she had, during the campaign, literally been Sarah Palin’s target. But a Palin aide is now explaining that it was all a misunderstanding: the infamous image was never meant to evoke […]
WASHINGTON — Some of the most pointed comments in the wake of Saturday’s tragic shooting in Arizona regarding the dangers of vitriolic political discourse have come from Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, who said his state has “become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry.” As a consequence of speaking out, Dupnik is now coming under […]
Arizona — Across the political spectrum, the first reactions to the news of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ shooting Saturday were horror and grief. For many in the tea party movement, another reaction quickly followed: Don’t try blaming this on us, too. The populist conservative movement – which exploded across the political landscape in 2009 in angry […]
Arizona — The man accused of the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was charged Sunday afternoon with federal crimes that could carry the death penalty if he is convicted. Prosecutors charged Jared Lee Loughner, 22, with five counts — killing federal government employees, attempting to assassinate a member of Congress and attempting to kill […]
Arizona –Very few people survive being shot in the head at close range, but all indications are that Gabrielle Giffords is one of the lucky few. Doctors are cautiously optimistic about her condition, but are reluctant to speculate on her recovery. The swift response of people on the scene – emergency workers and medical staff […]