social issues
Race & Society
Blame it on a Black Man is what Bonnie Sweeten decided to do when she planned an elaborate scheme which bilked her employer and well intentioned people seeking to help her out of at least $1million. She placed a fake 911 call saying that her 9 year old daughter had been kidnapped by Black men in order to obtain riches from people desirous to help her. While she placed the call, both her and the child had gone to Disney World. She has been sentenced to 8 years in prison and forced to repay the illicit money.
Racial Bias in Bankruptcy Filings have been determined by a study conducted by law professors who have observed that bankruptcy lawyers have been steering African Americans into a bankruptcy filing that is less advantageous for them more so than non African American filers.
Pepsi's Employment Background Check Ruled Discriminatory according to the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Their formal investigation determined that more than 300 'black applicants' were disaffected due to irrelevant criminal background checks the company performed on certain individuals seeking work with the beverage manufacturer.
Private Danny Chen's death can be called by some as the result of military hazing, but his parents believe he was racially targeted based on treatment their son told them in detail he received whilst trying to serve his country.
NYPD stop and frisk policy will go on trial. Officer Michael Dargjati wrongfully arrested an African American man, charged him with resisting arrest, made false statements on the official report and bragged about in a taped recording to a friend. This case will hopefully be used to start a national movement to end racial profiling which has often culminated in the harassment of African Americans.
Colorblindness = Racism? Many people don't understand what they mean when the term colorblindness is used. This particular psychologist speaks about it from a health perspective.
Oscar Grant Murder has 3 year anniversary when former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle shot Grant, 22, in the early hours of New Year's Day 2009 while trying to handcuff and arrest him as he lay, face down and unarmed, on the platform. Other passengers captured the shooting on cameras and cell phones.
Cleaning While Black has become the new mantra in Philadelphia according to a discrimination lawsuit settlement which stated that a hiring manager was instructed not to accept any referrals from the cleaning crew nor hire more persons reflecting the crews' ethnicity.
Education
Teaching Kids to Be Slaves is the latest homework assignment that a Detroit, MI area school handed to its students at Strong Middle School. The kids were told to write a journal about their slavemaster and how they could possibly escape.
African American students paddled at rates higher than any other groups. According to figures from the Mississippi State Department of Education published in the Clarion Ledger, African American boys and girls make up 66% and 77% of students who receive corporal punishment.
Los Angeles Unified School Districts admits to miseducating English language learning and African American students in a deal to avoid legal ramifications with the Department of Education, the LAUSD has agreed to correct these errors by implementing a number of strategies to include a pilot project for a community school in a predominantly African American neighborhood to address health and social issues in order to promote student success.
White Students Expelled Two to Five Times Less Than African American Students according to a study conducted by the Washington Post which included suburban schools in Southern Maryland, Fairfax and Prince George's counties.
Ethnic Studies Programs Not Welcome in Arizona declared by Judge Lewis Kowal in a ruling in which he called the study of Mexican American history and contributions by stating it promoted "racial resentment, advocated ethnic solidarity and activism against the white people."
From School to Jail is the mindset established by the NYPD. In its latest statistics released the department reports that 93% of all student arrests are African Americans and Latinos while the former group makes up only 29% of all New York city students. Some of the arrests were for offenses such as riding bikes on sidewalks.
A Different Camp Forces Students to Confront America's History of Racism in Williamsburg, VA where teachers are encouraging students to think about the causes of their attitudes created by the society they grew up in.
The Contempt for African American Students has boiled over in a clarion call for the parents to begin taking control of their children's lesson plan or continue to suffer a fate that has become all too well known.
Using Slavery to Teach Math makes as much sense as using The Trail of Tears to teach love and compassion yet this is exactly what is being done in one Georgia school.
American Justice
Former Wachovia Bank launders drug money and no one goes to jail. Wachovia was instead fined less than 2% of its $12.3 billion yearly profit for laundering money for Mexican drug cartels.
FEMA Orders Katrina Victims to Return Federal Aid while the majority of them are still struggling to survive and fully recover.
Health & Fitness
Depression diagnosis is more widespread in elderly African Americans yet less likely to be treated than the rate for Caucasians.
The cause of Alzheimer's Disease has not been determined, however there are risk factors that researchers say can influence who gets Alzheimer's and to what degree.
88% of African American women are obese according to a study in the Applied Research in Quality of Life. While self esteem is not a problem in these women, the underlying health morbidities remain. The news release of the study results did not speculate as to why the obesity rate is so high.
January is national Glaucoma Awareness Month. Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness for African Americans and 6 to 8 times more common for which no cure has been found as of yet.