Category: Law

  • Our real police/race problem: Diverse forces, white resentment, and America’s persistent divides Salon 2015-01-02 Jim Sleeper Why diverse police forces can’t seem to trump the economics of racism, or the twisted politics of white resentment Nearly two decades before last month’s murders of New York police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu by a black…

  • Professor Jared Ball on Ferguson and the Media Truthout 2014-12-29 Dan Falcone At the recent “Shrouded Narrative teach-in” at American University, Dan Falcone met Jared A. Ball, a professor of communication studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, who discussed, “Propaganda and Media.” In this interview, father and husband, author of I MiX What…

  • Wickham: Silence of NYC’s good cops widens divide USA Today 2014-12-30 DeWayne Wickham, Distinguished Professor of Journalism and Dean School of Journalism Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland When Mayor Bill de Blasio stepped to the podium Saturday to eulogize Rafael Ramos, one of two New York City cops killed by a black gunman, Ismaaiyl Brinsley,…

  • Is NYPD’s War on Mayor Bill de Blasio Partly War on His Black Family? AlterNet 2014-12-30 Terrell Jermaine Starr, Senior Editor The cops’ fight with the city’s progressive mayor smacks of white supremacy. In September 1992, the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association organized thousands of New York City cops to storm City Hall to protest then-mayor David…

  • WATCH: Jesse Williams of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ on Race Heavy 2014-12-22 Paul Farrell, Breaking News Editor Actor Jesse Williams appears in a viral video that was published on December 17. The Grey’s Anatomy star take aim at racism and double standards in America, including public housing discrimination, specifically in Chicago. The star goes on to discuss…

  • White? Black? A Murky Distinction Grows Still Murkier The New York Times 2014-12-24 Carl Zimmer In 1924, the State of Virginia attempted to define what it means to be white. The state’s Racial Integrity Act, which barred marriages between whites and people of other races, defined whites as people “whose blood is entirely white, having…

  • Obama’s message of hope and change is all but lost amid the chaos of Ferguson The Guardian 2014-08-22 Patricia Williams, James L. Dohr Professor of Law Columbia University, New York, New York The president is being pressed to take sides in a personal, political and structural tragedy in a divided nation In 2008, the year…

  • I’m black, British and just moved to New York. After the Eric Garner decision, I can’t breathe The Guardian London, United Kingdom 2014-12-06 Lanre Bakare, Commissioning Editor Guardian US, New York, New York Before I moved to the US, I knew their names: Rodney King. Michael Stewart. Trayvon Martin. Vonderrit Myers Jr. Kajieme Powell. I…

  • The Obamas: How We Deal with Our Own Racist Experiences People Magazine 2014-12-17 Sandra Sobieraj Westfall Barack and Michelle Obama (Gillian Laub) The Obamas open up about raising their daughters, the impact of stereotypes, and what’s on the POTUS dance party playlist. The protective bubble that comes with the presidency – the armored limo, the…

  • Mr. Obama Considers the Nationwide Protests From Three Points of View The New York Times 2014-12-12 Brent Staples, Editorial Writer Barack Obama understood when he sought the presidency that a black candidate who spoke candidly about racism would never attract enough white support to win. He avoided using race as a platform for grievance, kept…