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December 2, 2008 4:26:44 AM CST

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OPINION

 Can Michelle Defy Stereotypes? 

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

Washington Post Washington Post 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 African-American journalist tells Nelson. Society sees categories: the hip-hop vixen, the capable Aunt Jemima, and the "angry black woman." More »

More about:  Michelle Obama • African-Americans • racial inequality • black women • stereotypes • glass ceiling

 Racial Divide
  Persists Despite
 Obama: Poll 

Racial attitudes have barely budged despite groundbreaking run

New York Times New York Times 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 and white Americans differed on almost every question on race relations—although both agreed America is ready for a black president. More »

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

 S. Africa Reclassifies
 Chinese as 'Black' 

Group can now benefit from post-apartheid equality programs

Times (UK) Times (UK) 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 controversial policy forces large companies to give some of their equity to black-run entities. More »

More about:  South Africa • race relations • apartheid • racial inequality • Chinese

opinion

MLK Son:
We Need Cabinet Post
for Poverty

40 years later, much work remains, he says

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Atlanta Journal-Constitution 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 that will "transcend the ceremonial." The poverty rate is 12%, same as 1968, and it now affects 36 million Americans. More »

More about:  poverty • Martin Luther King Jr. • racial inequality • Martin Luther King III

Older (White) Americans Live Longer, Larger

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

Reuters Reuters 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 large," a researcher tells Reuters. "There is a big wealth gap between whites and blacks." More »

More about:  obesity • race • elderly • aging • senior citizens • racial inequality • National Institute on Aging

Michelle Obama College Thesis Muses on Race

Studies void between blacks and whites at Princeton and beyond

Politico Politico 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 will always be black first and a student second." More »

More about:  Barack Obama • Michelle Obama • African Americans • college student • blacks • racial inequality • Princeton University • whites • thesis

For Blacks, Income Ladder More Like Chute

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

Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal 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 not have equal chances of moving up the income ladder,” the study’s author concludes. More »

More about:  race • parenting • middle class • racial inequality

Watson Retires Amid Race Furor

Watson leaves job as Laboratory head

New York Times New York Times 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 after he said that black people were  less intelligent than white. More »

More about:  DNA • race relations • genetics • Long Island • racial inequality • James Watson

Black Enlistees Plummet 58%

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

Boston Globe Boston Globe 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 war and general mistrust of the Bush administration as the most immediate causes for the downturn. More »

More about:  Iraq war • Defense Department • demographics • racial inequality • enlist

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

Move could hasten release of key player in Louisiana race case

Reuters Reuters 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 grounds that Bell couldn't be tried as an adult. More »

More about:  civil rights • Al Sharpton • racial inequality • Jena Six • Mychal Bell

Firefighter Settles for $1.5M in Dog Food Case

Fire officials called incident a prank

Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times 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 vetoed the amount and forced the last fire chief to retire. More »

More about:  Los Angeles • court • firefighters • racial inequality

US Lags in Life Expectancy

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

Associated Press Associated Press 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, high infant mortality, and racial disparities are most likely to blame for putting the US behind most industrialized nations. More »

More about:  obesity • health care costs • racial inequality • life expectancy • infant mortality

Four in 10
US Kids Can
Balance Books

First national test
reveals exposure
to economic ideas

Washington Post Washington Post 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 11% know how shifts in the unemployment rate impact income and spending, the Washington Post reports. More »

More about:  education • inflation • race • unemployment • high school • student • economics • investment • racial inequality

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