What Makes a Black Sellout?

On and off the bench, they often work at cross-purposes

(NEWSER) - The lives of Sonia Sotomayor and Clarence Thomas have parallels—humble beginnings, fatherless childhoods, Yale Law, affirmative action—but their conclusions are contrary. “For the first time, the Supreme Court would include two minority judges, but ones who stand at opposite poles of thinking about race, identity, and opportunity,” Jodi Kantor and David Gonzalez write in the New York Times. 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»

'Skin pigment trumps ideas' among Dems: Kass

(NEWSER) - Roland Burris says this is his media moment, but Illinois' "circus of the politically bizarre" still belongs to Rod Blagojevich, John Kass writes in the Chicago Tribune. No hapless jester, the brazenly calculated governor has dumped Democrats back into the racial politics Obama was supposed to transcend. More»

Super Bowl ad guidelines leaked to TMZ

(NEWSER) - Acura apologized this week over a casting document for its Super Bowl commercial that requested a black actor who is "not too dark." The casting sheet had specified: "Nice Looking, friendly. Not too dark." reports TMZ . An actor angry at being passed over for the commercial, which starred Jerry Seinfeld, leaked the document to the website. More»