Mississippi school sued for canceling prom over lesbian student
A Mississippi high school faces a lawsuit over its decision to cancel its prom rather than allow a lesbian high school student attend with her girlfriend.
The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, alleges that officials at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Mississippi, are violating the student’s First Amendment right to freedom of [...]
Black Methodist Leaders Deny NAACP Controversy
The NAACP said today that its economic boycott of South Carolina remains in force, despite comments to the contrary.
The organization imposed the ban in 2000 when lawmakers declined to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol. But, according to local news reports, state Sen. Robert Ford—who is Black—declared that this week’s [...]
100 Year Old Doctor
White Sorority Step-Off Win Causes Controversy
Should a White sorority be allowed to win a historically Black step competition? The judges of the Sprite Step-Off Challenge think so. The girls of Zeta Tau Alpha, a predominantly White sorority from the University of Arkansas beat out five other teams to win the coveted prize of $100,000 at the national Sprite Step-Off competition [...]
Black farmers: Government to fund racial bias settlement
The head of the National Black Farmers Association said Thursday the U.S. government has agreed to pay qualified farmers $50,000 each to settle claims of racial bias.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said those farmers may also pursue a claim for actual damages from the bias, and potentially receive up to $250,000.
The settlement, which covers as [...]
Commercial flights to Haiti to resume Friday
American Airlines announced Tuesday it will resume commercial flights into Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Friday, making it the first airline to do so.
Commercial flights ended on January 12, when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake killed more than 200,000 people and damaged many of the country’s buildings, including some at Toussaint Louverture International Airport, in the capital.
The first flight [...]
Boy, 12, faces adult murder charges
On a chilly morning in February 2009, state police found 26-year-old Kenzie Houk in her bed with a bullet though her head. She was eight months pregnant.
The search for her killer ended with the most surprising murder suspect residents of Wampum, Pennsylvania, had ever seen: 11-year-old Jordan Brown, the son of the victim’s fiancé.
He is [...]
Presidents stand united for Haiti
President Barack Obama on Saturday brought together his White House predecessors, Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Bill Clinton, for a joint appeal for victims of Haiti’s devastating earthquake.
“By coming together in this way, these two leaders send an unmistakable message to the people of Haiti and to the people of the world,” Obama said [...]
Poll: Blacks optimistic about future
A year after the election of America’s first African-American president, blacks in the United States are expressing optimism about racial progress not seen in a quarter-century, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center.
Thirty-nine percent of African-Americans said the “situation of black people in this country” is better than it was five years [...]
Utah Elects First Black Woman Mayor
Meet Mia B. Love, mayor of Saratoga Springs and the first Black woman to be elected mayor in Utah, Desert News reports.
“I am honored to do this and I don’t take it lightly,” Love said at her swearing in ceremony. “I am really, really excited about where Saratoga Springs is going.”
In 2008, the U.S. Census [...]
