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    By Lee A. Daniels
    July’s importance to African-American history underscores the fullness of the history of African Americans in and of itself. It also underscores how profoundly intertwined that history is — right down to the present moment — with the forces and ideals which led to and flowed from the actions of the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

     
 
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Is This Racist?

Poll# 7 New

What’s in a name? Sometimes, more than the creators bargained for. Gazprom, a Russian company, and Nigeria’s state-operated NNPC formed a joint oil and gas venture. They named it Nigaz (pronounced “nye-gaz”). In response, the group “Nigerians No NIgaz,” has formed on FaceBook, saying that Nigaz could be pronounced in a way that might offend black people.

Vote here!

Feature

Teachable Moment: Neo-Slavery image New

By Eric V. Copage
On June 18, the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution apologizing for slavery, the land of the free’s erstwhile “peculiar institution,” and the worst of its aftermath.

Was the apology America’s “Come to Jesus” moment regarding black people?

Feature

Detroit Diaries: Standing Up for Justice at The People’s Summit image New

By Desiree Cooper
The summit, which was held June 15 to 17, and may soon be traveling to a city near you, is a convocation of activists who have watched the bail-out of the financial institutions and the reorganizing of America’s auto industry, while wondering when any of the changes were going to trickle down to the average worker.

Feature

Supreme Court Ruling Creates New Legal Standard That Restricts Equal Employment Opportunity image

By The Editors
In a controversial and closely-watched case, Ricci v. DeStefano et al, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled in favor of white New Haven firefighters who claimed the city had discriminated against them on racial grounds because it scrapped an officers’ promotion test in which 17 white firefighters and one Hispanic firefighter met the requirements for promotion. In the test a number of black firefighters passed but none scored high enough to be considered for promotion.

In a controversial and closely-watched case, Ricci v. DeStefano et al, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled in favor of white New Haven firefighters who claimed the city had discriminated against them on racial grounds because it scrapped an officers’ promotion test in which 17 white firefighters and one Hispanic firefighter met the requirements for promotion. In the test a number of black firefighters passed but none scored high enough to be considered for pro

This Week in History

Jun 28 - Jul 4
image (1964) President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing segregation in schools, public places, and employment.
Quote of the day

You throw an anchor into the future you want to build, and you pull yourself along by the chain. — John O’Neal

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image Supreme Court Ruling Retains Core Provision of the Voting Rights Act

By The Editors
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In an opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by seven other Justices, the Court declared that “the historic accomplishments of the Voting Rights Act are undeniable.”

image The Fear of Too Much Justice

By Stacey Patton
Last week’s Supreme Court ruling, which denies prisoners the constitutional right to post-conviction DNA testing that could prove their innocence, says something bigger about the quality of justice in America.

image Supreme Court Decision Permits More Aggressive Efforts to Combat Predatory Lending

By The Editors
The U.S. Supreme Court today declared that the nation’s laws banning discrimination in lending can and should be enforced by all levels of government, not just federal agencies.

image Supreme Court Ruling Undervalues Equal Educational Opportunity

By The Editors
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), which had filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, said in a statement that the Court’s action “is likely to make it more difficult for courts to provide meaningful and lasting remedies for clear violations of federal law.”

image A Black Woman’s Perspective: Why Judge Sonia Sotomayor is One of My People

By Mamie-Louise Anderson
She is My People because she soulfully identifies with and is an advocate for the poor and for her beloved Puerto Rico, showing social conscience and sensitivity for the victimized and the willingness to fight for justice and the rule of law, never forgetting what it means to be disenfranchised, cherishing extended family in ways I may never be able to.

image Long Live the King: The Coming Martin Luther King Jr. Biopic Must Come Correct

By George Alexander
The upcoming King film has the potential to force us to reexamine his ideas and positions not only in an historical context but to also see their relevance today and for the future of an ever changing and more complex world.

image BAD—Real Bad—Michael Jackson

By Ralph Richardson
Michael Jackson died yesterday of cardiac arrest. And when he died, I believe a little piece of us died with him. Just like when Kurt Cobain, Tupac and Biggie died tragically. I am completely stunned, completely in shock, and I am completely at a loss for words. I’m sitting here right now, sitting here as the world mourns the loss of a father, a son, a brother and a genius. No matter what they say he was a genius, our genius.

image The Navy Blue Suit

By Lee A. Daniels
No one came to my father’s funeral service in late July, 1993. Well, not no one. But very few people besides me and my brother, our two sisters, and the six grandchildren. Beyond those of us gathered in sadness at the front of the spacious room of the funeral parlor in Chicago, there were only a few close family friends and aged former colleagues of his. The rest of the room was empty.

image An Unsettling Peek into the Heart of America’s Darkness—A Review of Danzy Senna’s Where Did You Sleep Last Night?: A Personal History

By Pamela Newkirk
Senna’s characters are not the stuff of fiction, but are drawn from her real life. From shards of truths, half-truths, legend, and a searing search into her personal history, Senna reveals a larger truth of America’s character of racial mixing, undue pride and shame, and unreconciled identities.