Race in America Topics

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Race in America

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  • Sikh_massacre

    Fear and Outrage in Wisconsin After 6 Killed at Sikh Temple; Gunman ID'd as White Supremacist Vet

    Six Sikh worshipers were killed in Wisconsin on Sunday after a gunman, possibly a white supremacist, opened fire in the deadliest attack on Sikhs in recent memory. The gunman entered a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and killed at least six people and critically wounded three others before a police officer shot him dead. The suspect has reportedly been identified as Wade Michael Page, a 40-year-old Army veteran. Police say they are treating...
    Aug 06, 2012 | Story
  • Hiv_test

    Rep. Barbara Lee and Dazon Dixon Diallo on Confronting the Overlooked AIDS Epidemic in Black America

    The 2012 International AIDS Conference has raised hopes that the U.S. will increase its efforts to end the epidemic both globally and here at home, where HIV/AIDS continues to pose a major health threat. Every 10 minutes someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV, and many people living with the virus don’t even know it. People of color, especially women and gay men, bear the overwhelming burden of the disease. We’re joined by Dazon...
    Jul 25, 2012 | Story
  • Button-trayvon-headshot

    Ben Jealous: "Heartbreaking" Trayvon Tapes Capture Experience of Millions Racially Profiled in U.S.

    Benjamin Jealous, the president and CEO of the NAACP, joins us to react to the new audio recordings and documents released in the investigation of Trayvon Martin’s killing. The evidence indicates a fight occurred between Martin and his alleged killer George Zimmerman, but police determined the deadly encounter was "ultimately avoidable" if Zimmerman had not pursued Martin. An autopsy also shows Martin died from a single gunshot...
    May 18, 2012 | Story
  • Button-booker

    "Booker's Place": Documentary Tells Story of Black Mississippi Waiter Who Lost Life by Speaking Out

    In 1965, Booker Wright, an African-American waiter in Greenwood, Mississippi, dared to be interviewed by NBC about racism in America, a decision that forever changed his and his family’s lives. Wright said during the interview, "I always learned to smile. The meaner the man be, the more you smile. Do all your crying on the inside." He would later lose his job, be beaten by police, and ultimately be murdered. Wright’s story is...
    Apr 30, 2012 | Story
  • Seanarce-new

    Arizona Teacher Sean Arce Fired in Latest Crackdown on Acclaimed Mexican American Studies Program

    Sean Arce, the head of the Tucson school district’s banned Mexican American Studies program, was dismissed Tuesday night amid vocal protests from dozens of supporters. Tucson’s Mexican American Studies program has been under attack following the passage of a bill which prohibits schools from offering ethnic studies courses. Arce maintains he was fired because he spoke out against what he saw as a discriminatory law targeting Mexican Americans...
    Apr 13, 2012 | Story
  • Trayvon-martin-naacp

    Van Jones on Trayvon Martin, Racial Violence and Why Obama Ignored Race Issues for Two Years

    As thousands of people across the country call for justice in the case of Trayvon Martin, we’re joined by Van Jones, longtime anti-police brutality activist and co-founder of ColorOfChange.org, which aims to strengthen Black America’s political voice. He describes fearing for his own safety while wearing a hoodie and discusses the state of race relations under President Obama. "This kind of hits close to home for me. I’m...
    Apr 03, 2012 | Story
  • Button-bell

    NAACP Slams Fox News Attack on Obama for Praising, Hugging Pioneering Black Prof. Derrick Bell

    The NAACP’s Benjamin Jealous responds to recent attacks on the late Derrick Bell, the first tenured African-American professor at Harvard Law School. Fox News host Sean Hannity played a video showing then-student Barack Obama hugging Bell during a protest over Harvard’s failure to hire minority faculty. Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Hannity’s program called Bell a "radical college racist professor."...
    Mar 13, 2012 | Story
  • Payne-mustcrop

    Rep. Donald Payne (1934–2012): Remembering New Jersey's First African-American Member of Congress

    Representative Donald Payne, the first-ever African-American congressman from New Jersey, died Tuesday at the age of 77 from complications of colon cancer. The former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus was in his 12th term in the House. In 1988, Payne explained his desire to break the color line in Congress, saying, "I want to be a congressman to serve as a role model for the young people I talk to on the Newark street corners…...
    Mar 07, 2012 | Story
  • Matthewdelmont

    Despite Rep for Integration, TV's Iconic "American Bandstand" Kept Black Teens Off Its Stage

    Last month the pioneering TV broadcaster Don Cornelius died at the age of 75. As the host of "Soul Train," many obituaries described Cornelius as the "African-American Dick Clark," the legendary host of the popular TV show, "American Bandstand," from 1956 to 1989. Clark claimed the show, which was originally hosted in West Philadelphia before moving to Hollywood, was "one of the first integrated shows on national...
    Mar 02, 2012 | Story
  • Jihad-button

    NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly Urged to Resign After Police Conceal Role in Anti-Muslim Documentary

    Representatives from the New York City Muslim community, together with local ethnic and interfaith groups, gathered at City Hall Thursday calling for the resignation of New York City Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly and police spokesperson Paul Browne after it was revealed an anti-Muslim film, "The Third Jihad," was screened to nearly 1,500 officers during training. After initial denials, the NYPD admitted the officers were...
    Jan 27, 2012 | Story