Washington, DC – Earlier this week President Barack Obama; Attorney General Eric Holder; senior advisor to President Obama, Valerie Jarrett; and director of the Domestic Policy Council, Cecilia Munoz; met with Black leaders of civil rights organizations at The White House to discuss jobs, income inequality, voter suppression, criminal justice reform and other issues that […]
Have Blacks lost their spirit for social activism?
by Jessica Williams-Gibson – Some are concerned that the kind of activism advocated by leaders such as Rev. Derek King (left) and Rev. Al Sharpton is not as strong in the Black community today as in the past. During the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s, African-Americans mobilized and marched for issues such […]
AG Holder says US election systems must be free of discrimination, attempts at political gain
By Associated Press — Attorney General Eric Holder vowed Tuesday to fully enforce civil rights protections in next year’s elections amid a flurry of activity by states to redraw political boundaries and impose requirements that could reduce voting by minorities who enthusiastically supported Barack Obama in the 2008 election. … Currently, the Justice Department is […]
The Miseducation of an American Treasure – By Carl D. West
After having some extended conversations and looking at the REAL life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr over the last few weeks, and not the commercial version of this incredibly gifted, thoughtful, compassionate, concerned and giving soul of a man, I’ve come to some serious conclusions about America and my people (Black people). America or […]
Has Hip Hop Changed Race Relations in America?
By Dwayne West (TBTNews Service) – Hip hop mogul Jay – Z (Shaun Carter) and urban spokesperson for President Barack Obama, recently stated that hip hop culture has done more for race relations in America the last 30 years than any other individual, genre or movement. And I concur! This of course will disturb some […]
Civil Rights?
By Raynard Jackson – As the two supposed premier civil rights groups gather this week and next for their annual conventions (the N.A.A.C.P and the National Urban League, respectively), I want to challenge their agendas and then pose a few questions for them to answer. When civil rights are discussed in the media, you never […]
In Prison Reform, Money Trumps Civil Rights
By Michelle Alexander (NYTimes.com) – The legal scholar Derrick A. Bell foresaw that mass incarceration, like earlier systems of racial control, would continue to exist as long as it served the perceived interests of white elites. Thirty years of civil rights litigation and advocacy have failed to slow the pace of a racially biased drug […]
Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birthday: Is the Drug War the Next Big Civil Rights Issue?
With Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday approaching, we are forced to draw connections between the war on drugs and the disintegration of low-income and black communities in America. As Dr. King so poignantly reminds us in his critique of the Vietnam War, “a time comes when silence is betrayal.” With many communities disparately impacted by […]