Tag: New York Times

  • The Politics of Race The New York Times 2008-11-04 The editorial writers Lawrence Downes and Brent Staples discuss how Senator Obama’s mixed-race identity has shaped his persona and his candidacy. View the video here (00:05:13).

  • Why Race Isn’t as ‘Black’ and ‘White’ as We Think The New York Times 2005-10-31 Brent Staples People have occasionally asked me how a black person came by a “white” name like Brent Staples. One letter writer ridiculed it as “an anchorman’s name” and accused me of making it up. For the record, it’s a…

  • With DNA Testing, Suddenly They Are Family The New York Times 2011-01-24 Rachel L. Swarns ST. LOUIS — Growing up, Khrys Vaughan always believed that she had inherited her looks and mannerisms from her father, and that her appreciation for tradition and old-fashioned gentility stemmed from her parents’ Southern roots. But those facets of her…

  • Johnny Otis, ‘Godfather of Rhythm and Blues,’ Dies at 90 New York Times 2012-01-19 Ihsan Taylor Johnny Otis, the musician, bandleader, songwriter, impresario, disc jockey and talent scout often called “the godfather of rhythm and blues,” died on Tuesday at his home in Altadena, Calif. He was 90. His death was confirmed by his manager,…

  • For Many Latinos, Racial Identity Is More Culture Than Color The New York Times 2012-01-13 Mireya Navarro Every decade, the Census Bureau spends billions of dollars and deploys hundreds of thousands of workers to get an accurate portrait of the American population. Among the questions on the census form is one about race, with 15…

  • Genome Study Points to Adaptation in Early African-Americans The New York Times 2012-01-02 Nicholas Wade, Science Reporter Researchers scanning the genomes of African-Americans say they see evidence of natural selection as their ancestors adapted to the harsh conditions of their new environment in America. The scientists, led by Li Jin of the Chinese Academy of…

  • The Case of Loving v. Bigotry The New York Times 2012-01-01 Julie Bosman Photography by: Grey Villet In 1958, Richard and Mildred Loving were arrested in a nighttime raid in their bedroom by the sheriff of Caroline County, Va. Their crime: being married to each other. The Lovings—Mildred, who was of African-American and Native American…

  • Born Along the Racial Fault Line The New York Times 2011-11-06 Janet Maslin My Long Trip Home: A Family Memoir By Mark Whitaker. Illustrated. 357 pages. Simon & Schuster. As a social studies major in his junior year at Harvard, Mark Whitaker attended a debate on the subject of ethnicity. One participant was the chairman…

  • A First Time for Everything The New York Times Magazine The Lives They Lived 2011-12-22 Isabel Wilkerson While poring over the Web site Legacy.com to prepare this issue, we noticed a trend. A search of the site’s database — which includes obituaries from more than 750 newspapers across the country—turned up hundreds of obits published…

  • In Strangers’ Glances at Family, Tensions Linger The New York Times 2011-10-13 Susan Saulny TOMS RIVER, N.J. — “How come she’s so white and you’re so dark?” The question tore through Heather Greenwood as she was about to check out at a store here one afternoon this summer. Her brown hands were pushing the shopping…