http://www.thedefendersonline.com A civil rights blog promoting informed discourse on issues of race, justice, equality and democracy. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:59:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/aig-lenders-pay-for-discriminating-against-blacks/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/aig-lenders-pay-for-discriminating-against-blacks/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:09:46 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12578 Doug Miller Two subsidiaries of American International Group Inc. (AIG), the “ too big to fail” insurer that received one of the biggest slices of the federal financial services bailout, will pay more than $6 million to settle allegations that they discriminated against African Americans by charging them higher fees for mortgages transacted during a period from 2003 to 2006.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/aig-lenders-pay-for-discriminating-against-blacks/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/victory-for-now-for-gay-marriage-in-d-c/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/victory-for-now-for-gay-marriage-in-d-c/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:09:17 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12592 Jackie Jones Gay and lesbian couples are now able to marry legally in the nation’s capital. A large part of making that happen came from a direct campaign to win the support of the city’s African-American residents, long believed to be opposed to such a law.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/victory-for-now-for-gay-marriage-in-d-c/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/precious-and-the-oscars/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/precious-and-the-oscars/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:08:45 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12584 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/precious-and-the-oscars/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/we%e2%80%99re-not-the-na%e2%80%99vis-the-true-ecology-of-avatar/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/we%e2%80%99re-not-the-na%e2%80%99vis-the-true-ecology-of-avatar/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:08:23 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12602 Eisa Nefertari Ulen It is entirely fitting that the character that must risk the most in this film, and change completely, is a white dude. Cameron has explored geo-political realities facing our world that make the politics of color in this film work.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/we%e2%80%99re-not-the-na%e2%80%99vis-the-true-ecology-of-avatar/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/the-abdication-of-desiree-rogers/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/the-abdication-of-desiree-rogers/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:07:22 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12577 Janet Singleton White House Social Secretary Desirée Rogers stepped down from her position this month, and said farewell: She told the Chicago Sun Times that serving the country “had been an honor and a privilege.” She was leaving, she said because she wants to “explore opportunities in the corporate world.” She denied her decision stems from the scandal in which a couple and a separate individual were able to sneak into a state dinner given by the Obama administration to honor Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/the-abdication-of-desiree-rogers/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/hollyhood-real-life-in-la-la-land/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/hollyhood-real-life-in-la-la-land/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:05:13 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12583 Eisa Nefertari Ulen As we digest and debate the results of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards—including the racial aspects of various wins and nominations—Hollywood insider Valerie Joyner’s debut novel, Hollyhood, has special resonance and relevance.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/hollyhood-real-life-in-la-la-land/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/james-waller/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/james-waller/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:49:53 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12604 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/james-waller/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/remembering-selma-1965-and-the-march-that-changed-america/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/remembering-selma-1965-and-the-march-that-changed-america/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:53:57 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12559 The Editors Friday, March 5, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) marked the 45th anniversary of the “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma in the spirit the marchers of that day would have appreciated—by working with the citizens of Selma and other communities to ensure the voting rights won that day remain secure.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/remembering-selma-1965-and-the-march-that-changed-america/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/attorney-general-eric-holder-bids-jake-henderson-farewell/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/attorney-general-eric-holder-bids-jake-henderson-farewell/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:54:53 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12536 Maynard Eaton The nation’s top lawman cleared his busy schedule on March 1, to travel to Atlanta to attend the funeral of Jacob Henderson, Jr., a pioneering military attorney during the 1960s who became an expert on international travel and a leading Atlanta businessman.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/attorney-general-eric-holder-bids-jake-henderson-farewell/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/what-civil-rights-organizations-can-learn-from-du-bois-and-the-early-years-of-the-crisis-magazine/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/what-civil-rights-organizations-can-learn-from-du-bois-and-the-early-years-of-the-crisis-magazine/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:10:37 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12522 Stacey Patton Late last month my mentor, the great Pulitzer-prize winning historian David Levering-Lewis, invited me to be his special guest at the 100th anniversary celebration of the NAACP’s Crisis Magazine. A rapt audience gathered inside the New York Hilton Hotel’s Trianon Ballroom to hear Lewis and current Crisis editor Jabari Asim have a conversation about the magazine’s early years and its first intrepid editor-in-chief, W.E.B. Du Bois.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/what-civil-rights-organizations-can-learn-from-du-bois-and-the-early-years-of-the-crisis-magazine/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/the-business-of-you-credit-card-rules-feel-more-like-a-shell-game/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/the-business-of-you-credit-card-rules-feel-more-like-a-shell-game/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:10:13 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12525 Jackie Jones The Center for Responsible Lending...has laid out what the new credit card policy legislation that went into effect Feb. 21 really will and won’t do.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/the-business-of-you-credit-card-rules-feel-more-like-a-shell-game/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/theodore-lamont-cross-1924-%e2%80%93-2010/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/theodore-lamont-cross-1924-%e2%80%93-2010/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:09:41 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12532 John Payton The death on February 28 of Theodore Lamont Cross deprives the world and American society and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. of an extraordinary counselor and friend.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/theodore-lamont-cross-1924-%e2%80%93-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/cartoon-march-5-2010/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/cartoon-march-5-2010/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:09:14 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12529 Kevin Eason Kevin Eason is a freelance editorial cartoonist and Illustrator from NJ. His brand of satire covers news events in politics, entertainment, sports and much more. Kevin’s work features include: TVOne, NABJ, WBLS_107.5FM, EURweb and various newspapers & magazines throughout the country.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/cartoon-march-5-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/02/a-crack-in-the-danziger-bridge-cover-up/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/02/a-crack-in-the-danziger-bridge-cover-up/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:41:12 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12509 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/02/a-crack-in-the-danziger-bridge-cover-up/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/02/roy-brown/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/02/roy-brown/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:36:20 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12505 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/02/roy-brown/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/01/passing-the-torch-assessing-the-toll-the-famu-jail-in-50-years-later/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/01/passing-the-torch-assessing-the-toll-the-famu-jail-in-50-years-later/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:38:50 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12490 Tananarive Due Fifty years ago, my mother, Dr. Patricia Stephens Due, and my aunt, Priscilla Stephens Kruize, were among five Florida A&M University students who spent 49 days in jail after being arrested for ordering food at a Tallahassee Woolworth lunch counter—the first “jail-in” in the fledgling civil rights movement of the 1960s.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/01/passing-the-torch-assessing-the-toll-the-famu-jail-in-50-years-later/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/01/will-the-%e2%80%98real%e2%80%99-michelle-obama-please-stand-up/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/01/will-the-%e2%80%98real%e2%80%99-michelle-obama-please-stand-up/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:50:28 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12477 Jill Nelson One could ask that question of Michelle Obama, but without expectation of the satisfying “reveal” provided by the game show. Not only are the stakes way too high, but the object of our attention and affection is too smart, pragmatic, in control, and cognizant of history and her own recent experience to fall for the fleeting drama of full disclosure.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/01/will-the-%e2%80%98real%e2%80%99-michelle-obama-please-stand-up/feed/ 2 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/01/one-on-one-barack-obama-vs-scott-brown-in-the-gym/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/01/one-on-one-barack-obama-vs-scott-brown-in-the-gym/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:32:14 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12478 Mark Lassiter If Scott "Downtown" Brown and "The Big O" (with a sincere apology to Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson) consider practicing for their charity game together, they cannot violate party boundaries or be seen in public. Their clandestine practice session would sound something like this.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/01/one-on-one-barack-obama-vs-scott-brown-in-the-gym/feed/ 3 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/obama-administration-offers-settlement-for-black-farmers/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/obama-administration-offers-settlement-for-black-farmers/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 03:31:15 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12467 The Editors For more than a decade, the class-action lawsuit involving tens of thousands of the nation’s black farmers on the one side and the federal Department of Agriculture on the other stood as a dramatic symbol of the institutional racism undermining even black Americans involved in one of America’s mythic occupations.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/obama-administration-offers-settlement-for-black-farmers/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/father-of-african-american-cinema-receives-stamp-of-greatness/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/father-of-african-american-cinema-receives-stamp-of-greatness/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:45:13 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12446 Ralph Richardson Spike Lee and John Singleton are great—and significant—but neither blazed the trail or overcame the odds that the Father of African-American Cinema did. Indeed, they owe their careers to him, though few of the folk who go to see movies today even know who he is, or that he, a black man born less than 20 years after the Civil War, was an innovator and major influence in American cinema.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/father-of-african-american-cinema-receives-stamp-of-greatness/feed/ 6 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/the-business-of-you-fat-chance-of-survival/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/the-business-of-you-fat-chance-of-survival/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:44:36 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12451 Jackie Jones Over the past 20 years, cancer death rates for men have decreased by 21 percent for men and 15-16 percent for women, but increasing obesity rates threaten to reverse those trends, especially for African-American women, according to Otis Brawley, M.D., chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/the-business-of-you-fat-chance-of-survival/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/tara-betts-arc-hue/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/tara-betts-arc-hue/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:44:11 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12445 Eisa Nefertari Ulen In her debut collection of poetry, Arc & Hue, Tara Betts articulates deeply-felt human emotion in a lyrical, beautiful way. Betts is a poet for the people.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/tara-betts-arc-hue/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/arvin-mcgee/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/arvin-mcgee/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:01:15 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12434 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/23/arvin-mcgee/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/22/ldf-defends-chicago-black-firefighters/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/22/ldf-defends-chicago-black-firefighters/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:28:14 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12438 The Editors Washington, D.C. -- February 22 -- In a closely-watched case involving the hiring of black firefighters in Chicago, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. today urged the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent mis-interpreted technical rules from blocking the correction of discrimination in employment.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/22/ldf-defends-chicago-black-firefighters/feed/ 2 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/19/juvenile-detention-facilities-in-new-york-state-the-ghetto-dynamic-at-work/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/19/juvenile-detention-facilities-in-new-york-state-the-ghetto-dynamic-at-work/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:11:16 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12424 The Editors In the past six months two separate bodies investigating New York State’s juvenile prisons – one a federal agency; the other, a state-appointed commission -- have produced scathing reports of a system beset by longstanding calamitous problems.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/19/juvenile-detention-facilities-in-new-york-state-the-ghetto-dynamic-at-work/feed/ 1