African-Americans

AJ+ | – “Burning buildings, shattered glass, riot police: This looping portrait of Baltimore – on TV and online – has become the defining narrative of protests spurred by the death of Freddie Gray. But beyond sensational headlines, his death has also brought community, faith and art to the front line.” AJ+: “Baltimore Protests: What […]

African-Americans

Thoughts On Freddie Grey Protest by a Young Baltimore Resident

contributors

@hotdamnirock | – A call for disciplined protest from a young Baltimore resident with a foul mouth. Warning: Language. h/t Reddit.com Hotdamnirock: “Thoughts On #FreddieGrey Protest”

African-Americans

Tensions Boil Over After Baltimore Police Call Protesters “Lynch Mob”

contributors

By Lauren McCauley, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) Demonstrators still seeking answers over the mysterious and troubling death of Freddie Gray, who died of a spinal injury while in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department, circled City Hall on Thursday after Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that he had called in state troopers to help […]

African-Americans

Can Police Who Kill be held Accountable?

contributors

By Alba Morales | ( Human Rights Watch) The murder charge against Michael Slager, the South Carolina police officer who fatally shot 50-year-old Walter Scott in the back on April 4, is unusual. Between 2005 and 2011 murder or manslaughter charges were brought against just 41 officers in the United States. FBI figures, which notoriously […]

African-Americans

African-Americans still struggle for Full Citizenship Rights, Voting Rights

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – 50 years after the Selma march to Montgomery, African-Americans still face substantial impediments to their full citizenship in the United States. We all saw the scene in the film “Selma” where the Oprah Winfrey character has to pass an arbitrary test to vote (and is always failed by […]

African-Americans

50 Yrs after Selma – Good News: Black President; Bad News: Asks for Return of Voting Rights

contributors

Barack Obama | (Whitehouse.gov) – The White House: “President Obama Delivers Remarks on the 50th Anniversary of the Selma Marches” Full text of President Obama’s speech at Selma: It is a rare honor in this life to follow one of your heroes. And John Lewis is one of my heroes. Now, I have to imagine […]

African-Americans

In New Gilded Age, Social Protest dominates Academy Awards Ceremony

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – If social and economic inequality were a mine, and if America were deep in this mine with a canary in tow, the canary would long since have expired. Some 400 billionaires have more wealth than the bottom half of Americans. We lived through a year of dramatic incidents […]

African-Americans

Giuliani & Obama: Immigrant Families and Really Loving America

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – Rudy Giuliani maintains that Barack Obama doesn’t love the United States of America because of the way he was brought up. Obama was largely brought up after age 10 by his grandmother and grandfather on his mother’s side, Madelynn Dunham and Stanley Armour Dunham. Stanley Dunham enlisted in […]

African-Americans

Old White Men Dominate Sunday Political Shows Yet Again

contributors

MediaMatters4America | – [A study of the Sunday political television shows demonstrates that 87% of the single-person interviews are done with white males, and 66% of all interviews are, though white men are only 32% of Americans. Women of color were interviewed 6% of the time, though they’re about a fifth of Americans. White women […]