Last night, Brooklyn teenagers took to the streets to express their outrage over the death of 16 year-old Kimani Gray. What began as a vigil for Gray quickly turned into a much more confrontational protest. These young people are fed up.
1. The state of Connecticut sentenced Tonya McDowell to five years in jail in part for sending stealing a free education. McDowell, who was homeless at the time, used a babysitter’s address to enroll her son in a school that was not in the district where she had last lived permanently. McDowell wanted to send […]
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has announced the appointment of David J. Johns as the executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans.
Now all the teachers couldn’t reach me And my momma couldn’t beat me Hard enough to match the pain of my pop not seeing me (Jay-Z) I was speaking to a middle school student that I am mentoring through a non-profit in Chicago, and the student explained to me an event in his life growing […]
The absolutely gorgeous Kelly Rowland recently opened up about her struggles with colorism. Over time she came to embrace her color, and realized that beauty comes in all shades. Hopefully Kelly Rowland’s story will inspire other young people facing the same insecurities.
Tennessee police chief Shane Sullivan uses lie-detector tests to keep racists off the force. Experts say it’s a first in the law enforcement application process. And Sullivan says it’s working. Should departments across the country use polygraph tests to weed out racists?
A woman named Sarah Darling accidentally dropped her engagement ring homeless man Billy Ray Harris’cup. Rather than pawn it, Harris returned it to her. Since then, his actions have gone viral, and supporters have raised $175,000 for him. Amazing.
A new NYC ad campaign is facing criticism for using fear and shame to prevent teen pregnancy. Sad photos of infants with tag lines like “Honestly mom…chances are he won’t stay with you. What happens to me?” Is a fear-based campaign like this going too far?
Yesterday, it was reported that a baby born with HIV had been cured, making this only the second time in history when such an event has occurred and the first time a child has been deemed free of the viurs. The now two-year-old’s mother had not received any kind of HIV treatment or prenatal care during her […]
Chicago city treasurer Stephanie Neely has called for a version of New York’s “Stop and Frisk” program to combat the city’s gun violence crisis. This program denies our young people of their dignity and constitutional rights, and treats law-abiding people like criminals.
A white teen in Illinois has been convicted of attacking and helping to put a noose around the neck of a black teen. His punishment: 2 years probation and to write an essay about lynching. Does this punishment fit the crime, or did this kid get off easy?
Zoe Saldana responds to Nina Simone film controversy: “I’m doing it for my sisters and my brothers and I don’t care who tells me I’m not this or I’m not that. I know who I am and I know what Nina Simone means to me.”
