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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: racial inequality

racial inequality stories: 15 news summaries

 White Firefighters'  
 Bias Claims Head  
 to High Court 

Conn. team complained after promotion test dumped

Apr 10, 09 10:12 AM CDT
(Newser) - Hoping to become lieutenants, 77 New Haven firefighters took a promotion test—but when none of the 19 black firefighters qualified, the city jettisoned the results. Their hopes dashed, 17 white firefighters sued the city for racial discrimination, and the case is now set for the Supreme Court. It marks... More »

MORE ABOUT:
John Roberts • race • New Haven • firefighters • Connecticut • racial inequality • US Supreme Court • racial equality • racial discrimination

OPINION

Phelps Gets Off Easy Thanks to Image, Not Race

Goody-goodies, black
or white, see minimal
hit for taking hits

Feb 5, 09 2:01 PM CST
(Newser) - Those who think Michael Phelps would be facing harsher treatment if he were black are “stuck in the 1960s,” Jason Whitlock writes for Fox Sports. “Image is everything whether you're black or white.” Only bad boys get hung out to dry when controversy calls—Phelps was... More »

MORE ABOUT:
sports • Michael Phelps • marijuana • marijuana legalization • image • racial inequality • controversy • Jason Whitlock

OPINION

 Can Michelle Defy Stereotypes? 

Why hasn't the 'Claire Huxtable' generation been accepted into the mainstream?

Jul 20, 08 10:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - It's no wonder Michelle Obama is being criticized from all sides: She's an outspoken, successful black woman, writes Sophia A. Nelson in the Washington Post. "This society can't even see a woman like Michelle Obama. All it sees is a black woman and attaches stereotypes," a prominent female... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Michelle Obama • stereotypes • racial inequality • black women • glass ceiling • African-Americans

 Racial Divide
  Persists Despite
 Obama: Poll 

Racial attitudes have barely budged despite groundbreaking run

Jul 16, 08 12:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - Barack Obama's often hailed "post-racial" run for the White House is, in fact, unfolding in an America still sharply divided by race, a New York Times/CBS News poll has discovered. The lives of most Americans are as racially segregated as they were 8 years ago, the poll says. Black... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • race • race relations • poll • racial inequality • New York Times/CBS News poll • African-Americans

 S. Africa Reclassifies
 Chinese as 'Black' 

Group can now benefit from post-apartheid equality programs

Jun 19, 08 11:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - South Africa's high court has decided Chinese people should be reclassified as black, the London Times reports. The country's 20,000 citizens of Chinese origin had complained that they were left out of programs aimed at reversing inequalities created under apartheid, despite having been discriminated against under white rule. A... More »

MORE ABOUT:
South Africa • race relations • racial inequality • apartheid • Chinese

opinion

MLK Son:
We Need Cabinet Post
for Poverty

40 years later, much work remains, he says

Apr 4, 08 7:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - The son of Martin Luther King says the nation can best commemorate the 40th anniversary of his father's assassination by taking concrete action to fight poverty. In an essay in the  Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Martin Luther King III called on the presidential candidates to commit to creating a Cabinet position, one... More »

MORE ABOUT:
poverty • racial inequality • Martin Luther King Jr. • Martin Luther King III • Office of Financial Empowerment

Older (White) Americans Live Longer, Larger

Study sees age, wealth increasing, but gap remains between races

Mar 28, 08 4:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Americans over age 65 have better financial security, are better educated and expected to live far longer than ever, a study finds—but huge gaps remain between results for whites and those for blacks and Latinos. "The life expectancy gap between whites and blacks has narrowed but is still... More »

MORE ABOUT:
obesity • race • elderly • aging • racial inequality • National Institute on Aging • senior citizens

Michelle Obama College Thesis Muses on Race

Studies void between blacks and whites at Princeton and beyond

Feb 23, 08 7:46 AM CST
(Newser) - Michelle Obama’s 1985 Princeton thesis—whose unavailability at the university has prompted blogger suspicions—discusses the concerns of a black woman in a sphere dominated by whites. In the 96-page document, scored by Politico from the Obama campaign, Mrs. Obama writes that to white students, it seems “I... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • African Americans • Princeton University • Michelle Obama • thesis • racial inequality • college student • African-Americans • white people

For Blacks, Income Ladder More Like Chute

Middle-class children much less likely to pass parents than whites

Nov 13, 07 7:07 PM CST
(Newser) - Middle-class African Americans are much less likely to surpass their parents’ income than their white counterparts, a new study finds. Overall, two-thirds of American adults earned more than their parents, adjusted for inflation. But among the black middle class, 69% are making less. “Black children and white children do... More »

MORE ABOUT:
race • parenting • middle class • racial inequality

Watson Retires Amid Race Furor

Watson leaves job as Laboratory head

Oct 25, 07 12:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - Amid outrage over recent racial remarks, Nobel Prize-winning geneticist James Watson is retiring as chancellor of Long Island’s Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the New York Times reports. Watson, 79, said his departure was overdue but admitted this wasn’t how he’d wanted to leave. The lab suspended Watson... More »

MORE ABOUT:
genetics • DNA • race relations • James Watson • Long Island • racial inequality

Black Enlistees Plummet 58%

Lack of support for
Iraq war, distrust of Bush, perceived racism cited as reasons

Oct 8, 07 4:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - The number of black enlistees in the US military has dropped by 58% since 2000, Defense Department statistics show—a decline dramatically sharper than any other demographic group. In the same period, white applicants are down 10% and Hispanics 7%. The Boston Globe cites lack of support for the Iraq... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Department of Defense • enlist • racial inequality • demographics • Iraq war

DA Ends Bid to Try 'Jena 6' Teen as Adult

Move could hasten release of key player in Louisiana race case

Sep 27, 07 4:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - A prosecutor has given up attempts to have one of the Louisiana teenagers at the center of a civil-rights furor tried as an adult, Reuters reports. Mychal Bell, 17, was convicted in June of battery in the beating of a white classmate, but an appeals court overturned the verdict on... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Al Sharpton • civil rights • racial inequality • Jena Six • Mychal Bell

Firefighter Settles for $1.5M in Dog Food Case

Fire officials called incident a prank

Sep 22, 07 6:11 PM CDT
(Newser) - An LA firefighter who sued over a meal mixed with dog food has settled with the city for $1.5 million, the Los Angeles Times reports. Fire officials called the dog food incident a prank, but Pierce alleged racism. The city offered $2.7million last year, but Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Los Angeles • firefighters • court • racial inequality • Tennie Pierce

US Lags in Life Expectancy

America places 42nd, behind most developed countries; inequality, obesity blamed

Aug 12, 07 1:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - The US has slipped to 42nd place in international rankings of life expectancy, the AP reports. Two decades ago, the US was in 11th place. The downgrade is partially due to the fact that the more countries are included in the survey, but rising health insurance costs, skyrocketing obesity rates,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
obesity • health care costs • infant mortality • life expectancy • racial inequality

Four in 10
US Kids Can
Balance Books

First national test
reveals exposure
to economic ideas

Aug 8, 07 9:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - A new national test reveals that four in 10 U.S. high school students can grasp economic concepts like tariffs, banking and investment—a result that one expert says is “not discouraging.” Results showed that three in five students can point to factors that increase national debt while... More »

MORE ABOUT:
education • inflation • race • high school • economics • unemployment • investment • racial inequality • student

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