Racism

October 28, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) released the following statement today after President Obama signed into law the Department of Defense Authorization bill, legislation that included the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Amendment. Dodd was an original cosponsor of the underlying legislation, the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.

“Hate crimes destroy families, damage communities, and offend our core American values,” said Dodd. “The shared values that define us as Americans are stronger than our differences. This legislation makes it clear that in a country where so much unites us, there is simply no place for hatred and discrimination, and I applaud the President for signing this important measure into law today.”    » read more »

United States Senator Roland W. Burris Delivers Floor Statement on Senate Resolution to Apologize for Slavery

June 18, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Roland W. Burris today delivered a statement on the Senate floor supporting Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) for their introduction of a resolution to apologize for slavery, Jim Crow laws, and policies of segregation and hate.

Senator Burris made the following remarks from the Senate floor:    » read more »

June 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit today rejected a challenge to the conviction of James Ford Seale, a former member of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of Mississippi.

Seale was convicted by a federal jury in Mississippi in 2007 and sentenced to three life terms in prison. The jury determined that Seale and other Klansmen conspired to abduct, interrogate, beat and eventually murder Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charlie Eddie Moore, both 19 years old at the time of their murders.    » read more »

State NAACP Calls for Board Member to Resign and Full Investigation to be Conducted

May 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC—The NAACP announced today a letter sent by the North Carolina State Conference demanding the resignation of Burke County School Board member Rob Hairfield.

From September 2008 to as recent as February 2009, Hairfield sent expletive laden and racist emails from his personal email account.    » read more »

Issues First Letter to Procter & Gamble CEO to Address Dramatic Racial Discrimination in U.S. Advertising Industry;First Step In Bringing Racial Equality To Madison Avenue

WASHINGTON, DC --- On the heels of the public launch of the Madison Avenue Project, and a recent study that exposed pervasive racial bias in America’s advertising industry, the NAACP has sent a letter to Procter & Gamble Co. Chairman of the Board/CEO A.G. Lafley asking the big budget advertiser require their advertising agencies to use diverse teams in creative and account management positions.    » read more »

Remedies would benefit millions of potential borrowers

March 13, 2009 -- Today, the NAACP filed separate lawsuits in U.S. District Court in California against two of the country’s largest lenders, Wells Fargo, and HSBC. These lawsuits allege systematic, institutionalized racism in sub-prime home mortgage lending. The remedies being asked for in the lawsuit include measures for increased accountability and transparency.

* Original Complaint against Wells Fargo Bank & Wells Fargo Home Mortgage    » read more »

March 2, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) - Blacks have been arrested nationwide on drug charges at higher rates than whites for nearly three decades, even though they engage in drug offenses at comparable rates, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Using data obtained from the FBI, the report reveals the extent and persistence of racial disparities in US drug-law enforcement. The data also show that most drug arrests are for nothing more serious than possession.    » read more »

February 24, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - Gary Moss and Devan Klausegger of Medford, Ore., pleaded guilty today to conspiring to interfere with civil rights, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King for the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Karin J. Immergut for the District of Oregon.    » read more »

February 24, 2009 -- "We welcome Rupert Murdoch’s statement that the New York Post will endeavor to be more sensitive to the communities it serves, but unfortunately his apology fails to answer how the Post will do so.

Mr. Murdoch could resolve this unfortunate situation in 15 minutes by meeting to develop substantive measures to ensure that this type of incendiary incident does not happen again.    » read more »

February 17, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) – Four leading nongovernmental organizations issued a statement on February 16, 2009 applauding the decision by the US Department of State to send a negotiating team to Geneva to participate in the Durban Review Conference, Human Rights Watch said today. The statement was signed by Timothy E. Wirth, president of the United Nations Foundation; Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch; William H. Luers, president of the United Nations Association of the USA; Karin Ryan, director, Human Rights Program of The Carter Center; and Mort Halperin, former director of policy planning, US Department of State.    » read more »

White tenants forced to move for hosting black neighbors at their home

January 26, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that it has obtained a $63,000 settlement in a housing discrimination case involving a white family who was forced to move from their Tallassee, Alabama home after a visit from their African American neighbors. Brought under the Fair Housing Act, HUD alleged that the family's landlord told the tenants that they had to leave if they intended to have African-American visitors.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- As John McCain tries to court minority voters today, a new report on Politico.com highlights how the Republican Party's "highly publicized" outreach over the last few years has lacked infrastructure and has yielded little results. The article focuses on candidate recruitment, noting that while Democrats have several candidates in "winnable House races who are either black or Hispanic," the GOP has none.

John McCain rally: Photo by james (CC)    » read more »

May 13, 2008 -- Reverend John Hagee today apologized for his offensive comments about Catholics. Despite spending a year courting Hagee's endorsement and refusing to distance himself from the controversial pastor, John McCain reportedly played no role in the apology. McCain has repeatedly refused to publicly denounce Hagee's discriminatory comments about women, African-Americans, America Muslims or LGBT Americans or renounce Hagee's endorsement.

John McCain in front of his campaign bus, the "Straight Talk Express": Photo by Howie Luvzus (CC)    » read more »

May 13, 2008 -- MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today issued an executive order directing his administration to take significant steps to reduce racial disparities in Wisconsin’s justice system. Governor Doyle called for swift action to implement specific recommendations presented by his Commission on Reducing Racial Disparities in the Wisconsin Justice System.    » read more »

May 11, 2008 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell has signed into law Senate Bill 604, An Act Concerning Hate Crimes, which strengthens state law by making it a crime to display a noose as a way of harassing or threatening someone.

“Connecticut simply will not tolerate bigotry or racism,” Governor Rell said. “Let this bill send that message loud and clear. Using a noose – a symbol of the racially motivated lynchings during the late 19th and first half of the 20th century – to intimidate anyone because of their race or any other characteristic is a repugnant and cowardly act. No one should be subject to that kind of treatment.    » read more »