More Jacko, Less Whacko

Multiracial African Americans, don't leave blacks behind: Thomas Williams

(NEWSER) - Interracial marriages may be on the rise in America, but with racial problems still so prevalent, mixed-race black people have an "ethical obligation" to identify as black, writes Thomas Chatterton Williams in the New York Times . Williams says he is grateful to live in modern America, where he has married a blue-eyed, blond-haired French woman, but the reality is that "a new multiracial community could flourish and evolve at black America’s expense. Indeed, the cost of mixed-race blacks deciding to turn away could be huge." More»

In response to question about race, president checks one box

(NEWSER) - When he filled out his census form yesterday, President Obama identified himself as African-American. The son of a black Kenyan and a white Kansan, Obama had the option to check more than one box. He didn't hesitate before choosing "Black, African Am., or Negro," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs tells USA Today . The first family's form also reflected the fact that Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, lives with the Obamas in the White House, notes the AP . More»

(NEWSER) - Bill O’Reilly can’t figure out why African Americans would care about Michael Jackson’s death. “Michael Jackson has white children, and he chose to have white children,” he said on his show last night. “And the face deal, I don’t even want to get into.” Yet a recent Pew polls shows black Americans have been more interested in Jackson’s various memorials than white Americans. More»

African-Americans remain less employed, more often imprisoned than whites

(NEWSER) - Though a black family occupies the White House, inequality between African-Americans and whites persists in the US, a study by the Urban League says. Blacks are twice as likely to be jobless, three times more likely to be poor, six times more likely to have spent time in prison. A composite “equality index” puts the socio-economic status of blacks at 71% of whites, CNN reports. More»

(NEWSER) - A Chicago family is trying to use its household spending to invest in the black community by buying exclusively from black-owned businesses for 1 year, the Tribune reports. The Andersons’ ambitious “Ebony Experiment” has them driving 14 miles for groceries (and farther for other stuff) and has earned hate mail accusing them of racism—but they say it’s worth the costs. More»