minorities

The GOP Is a Greater Threat to Free Elections

Jesse Jackson

Too often lost in the furor, however, is the far more damaging TrikiLeaks – the tricks and laws used to suppress the vote by partisans, largely Republicans here at home. After the Supreme Court’s right-wing gang of five gutted key sections of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby v. Holder, Republican-controlled states immediately ramped up efforts to create obstacles for voting, particularly for people of color.

Rampant Voter Fraud in the U.S.? No, Not Likely

Adam Gravano

At worst, the discriminatory effects of voter identification laws tend to prove minimal, mainly because their effect on elections overall has proven minimal, despite the intent to push down turnout among groups more likely to vote for one party over the other. These are results that have been repeated in the political science literature: Even though the effect in the short term falls primarily on minorities and the elderly, the overall effect on all but the closest of elections is minimal at best.

Report: Most U.S. Newsrooms Still Lack Diversity

Stacy M. Brown

The report titled, "The Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2019," is comprised of 94 studies, including original research by WMC and aggregated research from academia, industry and professional groups, labor unions, media watchdogs, newsrooms and other sources. Burton said the data in the report paints a stark picture. “It is clear that a cultural, systemic shift is necessary if all parts of the U.S. media are to achieve gender and racial parity and move toward a world where stories fully represent the voices and perspectives of diverse women,” she said.

Racial Bias and the Jury Selection Process

Stacy M. Brown

— “One of the most pernicious forms of racial discrimination and injustice in the United States criminal justice system is the racially-motivated use of prosecutorial peremptory challenges during the jury selection process,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. “Black Americans and other people of color are systematically removed from juries by prosecutors because of their race and skin color."

Why America’s Education System Is Failing

Dan Reider

Now, almost 50 years later, we can no longer ignore the obvious: that we failed to address many of the issues we faced in the ‘60s and’70s. We have spent an incredible amount of money; developed numerous social, economic, and educational programs; and otherwise tried whatever we thought would bring about major change with members on the lower end of the socioeconomical pyramid, and yet the results show our efforts have been underwhelming. 

Lack of Language Access Is a Nationwide Crisis

Angelo Franco

Among its ranks, some 19,000 officers speak as many as 70 languages other than English. But in a polyglot city like New York with a gargantuan population of 8.5 million people, that may not be enough. According to the Census Bureau, there are as many as 1.8 million Limited English Proficient (LEP) persons in New York City alone – that is almost 1 in every 4 persons that can’t communicate in English proficiently (and more than half the entire population speaks a language other than English at home). 

Minority Groups Risk Undercount as 2020 Census Approaches

Rae Ann Varona

The 2020 Census has already been listed by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) as a “high risk” federal program in its 2017 High Risk Report. The result? Derailments of important tests and resources, including the measurement element of the dress rehearsal (the only way of evaluation), and assessment strategies of communications, outreach, and partnership programs.

Study Shows Growing Spending Power, Influence of African-American Women

Stacy Brown

The report titled, “African-American Women: Our Science, Her Magic,” was released by Nielsen during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual legislative conference; it revealed that African-American women’s consumer preferences and brand affinities are resonating across the mainstream culture, driving total Black spending power toward a record $1.5 trillion by 2021.

Why the Gaming Industry Can’t Afford to Ignore Latinos or Women

Ana Gamboa

The numbers are depressing and the variety questionable. But despite the apparent apathy of the industry, recent studies have shown a growing interest from the Latino market in both purchase and expansion of video game systems, a growth that the industry has barely begun to notice.According to Simmons, Latinos are 32 percent more likely than non-Latinos to consider video games their main source of entertainment. 

Cliven Bundy, Ronald Sterling, and Affirmative Action

Imara Jones

The spectacle of racist rancher Cliven Bundy and racist NBA owner Donald Sterling underscore why minority political and economic rights cannot rest solely upon majority rule. America is changing but it’s not changing fast enough to do away with key protections, and that’s what the Court seemingly did not get.Before turning to the way in which the race-infused antics of rancher Cliven Bundy and Los Angeles Clippers chief Donald Sterling upended the Supreme Court’s rationale of a race-free America, it’s important to quickly review the action the Court took.

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