The Last King of Scotland

Actor Forest Whitaker is starring in a new movie about former Ugandan President Idi Amin. The film, entitled the Last King of Scotland, is a biography. Amin was the President/dictator of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin took power in a military coup, and ruled over the people Uganda in an often brutal [...]

"Rushing Off a Cliff:" Congress Takes Up Torture

“We don’t blame the Democrats for being frightened. The Republicans have made it clear that they’ll use any opportunity to brand anyone who votes against this bill as a terrorist enabler. But Americans of the future won’t remember the pragmatic arguments for caving in to the administration. They’ll know that in 2006, Congress passed a [...]

The Impact of Your Name

“Why do we discriminate based on names? It may not be about race but instead what some names signal about a person’s background.
“A distinctively black name tells us that a person typically comes from a neighborhood that has higher poverty, lower income, more likely to have teen mothers, et cetera,” Fryer said.
“There’s new [...]

Princeton Opens New Center for African American Studies

Princeton professor, Nobel and Pulitzer (not that Pulitzers mean anything anymore) winner Toni Morrison.

“Building on a strong core of faculty with a history of distinguished contributions to African American studies, Princeton University is establishing a new center to serve as a model for teaching and research on race in America.

“President [...]

Give $8 to History

Bill Cosby called Friday on each American to contribute $8 to help build a national slavery museum amid the battlefields of the Civil War.
Cosby, who already has committed $1 million to the project, joined Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder on Friday in launching a new campaign to raise $100 million toward the Fredericksburg museum’s $200 [...]

Terrell Owens Attempts Suicide?

A Dallas police report said Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens was taken to a hospital Tuesday evening after attempting suicide. The report said the Alabama native ingested an unknown large quantity of prescription pain medication. The police report said Owens told rescue workers “that he was depressed.”
The [...]

Study: Light-Skinned Blacks Get Better Jobs

“A controversial study on skin tone has revealed what many black folks have been whispering about for years: Light-skinned blacks are often more likely to be considered for jobs over dark-skinned blacks.”
“The University of Georgia’s unprecedented study indicates that dark-skinned blacks face a distinct disadvantage when applying for jobs, even if they have resumes superior [...]

No More Boondocks Strip?

It’s over for “The Boondocks” comic strip, at least for now. After six years — a remarkably short run for a strip that found its way into 300-plus newspapers, including The Washington Post — Universal Press Syndicate told subscribers yesterday they should start looking for someone to replace political/social satirist Aaron McGruder.
McGruder, a Columbia native [...]

"Only 16:" How Young is Too Young for a Serious Relationship?

My favorite old school crooner is the late Sam Cooke. One of my favorite Sam Cooke songs is “Only 16,” a sad but playful lament about his teen sweetheart who was too young to know she was in love.
“She was only sixteen, only sixteenI loved her soBut she was too young to fall [...]

Honor the Fallen

Emily J.T. Perez, a determined 23-year-old from Prince George’s County, rose to the top of her high school class and then became the first minority female command sergeant in the history of the U.S. Military Academy.
The State Of . . . Second Lieutenant Emily Perez. Was killed while on patrol in Iraq on September [...]