Cambridge Mayor Calls Gates Arrest 'unfortunate'

Cambridge, Massachusetts mayor E. Denise Simmons says a panel of experts will be taking a close look at the July 16th arrest of Prof. Henry Louis Gates. Simmons says the group's goal is to update the city's law enforcement practices.

Analysis: President Obama Asserts His Blackness

By: Michael H. Cottman

Was President Barack Obama out of line when he told Americans that police in Cambridge, Massachusetts “acted stupidly” in the recent arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates?

"I could've calibrated those words differently," Obama acknowledged at a surprise appearance before the White House press corps Friday afternoon.

Despite the president's back peddling on his choice of words, black America nonetheless witnessed a profound moment seven months into his term: Obama asserting his blackness from the White House bully pulpit while discussing the arrest of a fellow black man - a friend - by a white police officer.

Analysis: President Obama Asserts His Blackness....

911 Caller: 'They Were Pushing the Door In'

Cambridge police released a copy of the 911 call that led to the controversial arrest of black Harvard scholar Henry Louise Gates Jr. and a resulting national debate about racial profiling.

Gates Says 'Yes' to Beer With Crowley

In a statement to The Root, the Harvard professor says he would meet with the cop who arrested him, as President Obama has suggested.

By: The Root Staff

Statement from Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

"It was very kind of the President to phone me today. Vernon Jordan is absolutely correct: my unfortunate experience will only have a larger meaning if we can all use this to diminish racial profiling and to enhance fairness and equity in the criminal justice system for poor people and for people of color.

Gates Says 'Yes' to Beer With Crowley....

Weekly Address: Health Insurance Reform, Small Business and Your Questions

The President discusses a key factor that has been considered in the development of the health insurance reform proposals that are being considered: the impact of reform on small business. Go to WhiteHouse.gov to read a new Council of Economic Advisers report and give your feedback.

Cop in Black Scholar Arrest Is Profiling Expert

The white police officer who arrested renowned black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. in his home was hand-picked by a black police commissioner to teach recruits about avoiding racial profiling.

President Obama's Primetime Press Conference on Health Reform

President Obama delivers remarks at a primetime press conference focused on health insurance reform, before taking questions from the media. The President explains how his plan will benefit every American, and where the plan currently stands.

Obama Takes on Health Care Reform, Gates' Arrest

By: Michael H. Cottman

President Barack Obama told Americans Wednesday night that police in Cambridge, Massachusetts “acted stupidly” in arresting Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates last week during a heated dispute inside Gates’ home.

"I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played," Obama said during a prime-time news conference at the White House in response to a question from the Chicago Sun Times' Lynn Sweet.

Obama acknowledged that Gates is "a friend” and admitted he may be "a little biased" about his opinion of the situation.

Obama Takes on Health Care Reform, Gates' Arrest....

Obama Says Officer 'Acted Stupidly' in Arrest of Skip Gates

By Dayo Olopade

Given President Barack Obama's reluctance to dwell on the issue of race in America, it was a surprise to hear the president's forceful comments on last week's controversial arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr., The Root's editor-in-chief.

At the close of his prime-time press conference on health care Wednesday, the president addressed the touchy issue head on. He criticized the police officer who arrested Gates, saying "any one of us would be pretty angry" about the intrusion into a private home, adding that the Cambridge police department "acted stupidly" in going through with the arrest.

Says Officer 'Acted Stupidly' in Arrest of Skip Gates....

Riot Police Separate Protesters in Texas Town

Groups traded shouts of 'black power' and 'white power' on the streets of Paris, Texas. Troopers moved in to keep apart black separatists and white supremacists during protests over the handling of the dragging death of a black man last year.

Texas Town Readies for Protests in Dragging Case

By: Jeff Carlton

DALLAS (AP) — Police and residents of an eastern Texas town are bracing for dueling protests between black and white extremists over a prosecutor's decision to drop murder charges against two white men accused in the death of a black friend who was run over by a vehicle and dragged beneath it.

The protests Tuesday in Paris are expected to pit members of the New Black Panthers and Ku Klux Klan against one another. Others, including members of the Nation of Islam and a local group, the Concerned Citizens for Racial Equality, also will take part.

Texas Town Readies for Protests in Dragging Case....

Lawyer's Statement on the Arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Charles Ogletree gives Gates' side of the story in controversial arrest of The Root's editor-in-chief.

By: The Root Staff

Statement on Behalf of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. -- by Charles Ogletree

This brief statement is being submitted on behalf of my client, friend, and colleague, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. This is a statement concerning the arrest of Professor Gates. On July 16, 2009, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 58, the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor of Harvard University, was headed from Logan airport to his home [in] Cambridge after spending a week in China, where he was filming his new PBS documentary entitled “Faces of America.” Professor Gates was driven to his home by a driver for a local car company. Professor Gates attempted to enter his front door, but the door was damaged. Professor Gates then entered his rear door with his key, turned off his alarm, and again attempted to open the front door. With the help of his driver they were able to force the front door open, and then the driver carried Professor Gates’ luggage into his home.

Lawyer's Statement on the Arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.....

Henry Louis Gates' Arrest Spurs Profiling Claims

By: Melissa Trujillo, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — Police responding to a call about "two black males" breaking into a home near Harvard University ended up arresting the man who lives there — Henry Louis Gates Jr., the nation's pre-eminent black scholar.

Gates had forced his way through the front door because it was jammed, his lawyer said. Colleagues call the arrest last Thursday afternoon a clear case of racial profiling.

Henry Louis Gates' Arrest Spurs Profiling Claims....

MSNBC’s Affirmative Action? Hiring Articulate Bigots

By: Deborah Mathis

Stay with me on this: You’re talking with someone about an issue or event and, with a perfectly straight face, he or she says something so outlandish, so outrageous, so ridiculous that it leaves you speechless because not even your wildest imagination had prepared you for something as beyond-the-ozone as that.

And then, when the shock wears off, and what you heard sinks in, you come up with loads of pithy rejoinders that you wished had occurred to you at the moment.

But then, you decide that it was just as well that you were speechless since what’s the use in wasting your breathe on someone who, clearly, does not have the capacity for reason?

MSNBC’s Affirmative Action? Hiring Articulate Bigots....

Filling a Black Hole

Does Exxon speak for black Americans in the climate bill debate?

By: Brentin Mock

Last week, National Black Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Harry Alford gave Sen. Barbara Boxer the business over their disagreements about the climate bill before her committee. In testimony before the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, Alford admitted that he spoke "not as an economist" and as "not a climate change expert," but as someone with "a deep understanding of small and minority-owned businesses." In other words, he knows black people. When Boxer waved an NAACP resolution supporting climate change action in Alford's face, he took offense, accusing Boxer of "racial"-izing the climate change debate, and asked pointedly: "Why are you doing the colored people's association's study with the black chamber of commerce?" Later, he added: "Let me speak for the African-American community, since I am African American."

Filling a Black Hole....

Weekly Address: Health Care Reform Cannot Wait

The President calls on Congress to seize this opportunity one that may not come again for decades and finally pass health care reform: Its about every family unable to keep up with soaring out of pocket costs and premiums rising three times faster than wages. Every worker afraid of losing health insurance if they lose their job, or change jobs. Everyone whos worried that they may not be able to get insurance or change insurance if someone in their family has a pre-existing condition July 18, 2009.

Steele: I'll Woo Blacks To GOP With "Fried Chicken And Potato Salad"

By Bil Browning

The Young Republicans convention was held in Indianapolis last weekend and their election of a racist, middle-aged woman as President isn't the only controversial item to come out of the GOP gathering.

Local Republican blog Hoosier Access was able to get RNC Chairman Michael Steele to sit down with a group of bloggers and they taped the conversation. The old gaffe-o-matic (or as I like to call him, the Republican Joe Biden!) answers a question from a gay person of color in this clip about the GOP's diversity outreach.



Steele: I'll Woo Blacks To GOP With "Fried Chicken And Potato Salad"....

Coach Jim Ellis of Pride not surprised by swim club snub

By: By Frederick Cosby

Philadelphia Department of Recreation Swim Team Coach Jim Ellis wasn’t surprised when a group of black campers was turned away from a private suburban Philly swim club – disappointed – but not surprised.

“I’ve dealt with this in the 30 years in building my swim team,” said Ellis, who created an all-black competitive swim team in the city in the 1970s that was the basis from the 2007 Terrence Howard movie Pride. “The older generation understands it, the younger generation doesn’t understand it. It’s an eye opener.”

Eyes - and mouths - are still wide nationwide from the story of black and Hispanic campers from Philadelphia’s Creative Steps Inc. who said they heard some members of the Valley Club swimming pool in Huntingdon Valley, Pa., make racial remarks and escort their children away from the pool.

Pride coach not surprised by swim club snub....

Regina Benjamin Tapped as Surgeon General

From CNN:

"President Obama announced Monday he has chosen Dr. Regina Benjamin, a family practice doctor from the Gulf Coast, to serve as surgeon general.

Regina Benjamin Tapped as Surgeon General....

Weekly Address: Recovery and the Jobs of the Future

The President explains how the Recovery Act helped end our economic free fall, and how his agenda is helping to set a new foundation for our economy. From health reform, to energy, to creating the jobs of the future, the Presidents proposals will make our economy stronger for both the current generations and our children, all in a way that will get our deficits under control.

Eyes Off the Prize

Yes, we should mourn Michael Jackson. But the Congressional Black Caucus needs to focus on more important issues.

By: Sherrilyn A. Ifill

Like millions of others, I’m still deeply moved by the wonderfully rich memorial service for Michael Jackson. But I can’t help but wonder whether Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, is doing Michael Jackson, her constituents or black folks a favor when she promises to bring to the floor what will be a controversial resolution deeming Jackson a “national legend … music icon” and “international humanitarian.”

Eyes Off the Prize....

Camp: Private Pa. pool turned away minority kids

By: RON TODT

HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa. (AP) — Members and officials of a private swimming pool in a predominantly white Philadelphia suburb reacted to a visiting group of minority children by asking them not to return and pulling other kids out of the water, a day camp director said, and the state is investigating.

The Creative Steps camp in northeast Philadelphia had contracted for the 65 children at the day camp to go each Monday afternoon to The Valley Club in Huntingdon Valley, camp director Alethea Wright said Thursday. But shortly after they arrived June 29, she said, some black and Hispanic children reported hearing racial comments.

"A couple of the children ran down saying, 'Miss Wright, Miss Wright, they're up there saying, "What are those black kids doing here?'''" she said.

TV's Golden Age of Rage

O'Reilly, Hannity, Olbermann and the rise of white rage on cable television.

By: Cord Jefferson

This is the modern face of cable television news: angry, emotional, mouth agape in the midst of some hateful monologue. Oh, and in case you hadn't noticed, the worst purveyors of cable news rage are all white men over 40. The era of the angry white man is officially here.

TV's Golden Age of Rage....

Obama Makes Little Impact on Race Relations

By: By Michael H. Cottman

Are race relations between blacks and whites improving since President Barack Obama took office in January?

The answer: No, according to many African Americans who say interaction between the races has not changed substantially.

According to a new CNN/Essence Magazine national poll, African-Americans still give Obama high approval marks, but now more blacks say race relations have not progressed since Obama moved into the White House.

Obama Makes Little Impact on Race Relations....

Save Pat Buchanan!

Why the jolly, red-faced Republican hitman is delivering the best news for black folks on television.

By: Adam Serwer

Pat Buchanan is a man of many bigotries. He’s praised Hitler’s “courage,” argued that black folks should be grateful that slavery took them out of Africa, fretted that Hispanic immigrants would cause the U.S. to “lose the American southwest,” compared homosexuality to alcoholism and appeared several times on a “pro-white” radio show. Buchanan’s incendiary views prompted Jamison Foser of Media Matters to ask, “What would Pat Buchanan have to say to get himself fired from MSNBC?

Save Pat Buchanan!....

Officer’s family deserves closure, but the right kind

By: By Deborah Mathis

Heaven forbid that we should ever know how Annaliese MacPhail feels. Her son, an off-duty police officer in Savannah, Georgia, was murdered 20 years ago – shot down in a fast food restaurant’s parking lot while trying to stop three men from harassing a homeless man.

Mrs. MacPhail has not gotten over it. I wouldn’t have either. And, like her, I would not rest until the murderer was brought to justice.

Officer’s family deserves closure, but the right kind....

Black Russians Curious to See Obama Straight Up

From Radio Free Europe:

"MOSCOW -- The visit to Russia by Barack Obama, the first black man to be elected president of the United States, is significant for many Russians. But for Russians of African descent, in particular, the new U.S. leader is a potent symbol of triumph over the same challenges they themselves face in a country where dark-skinned people remain rare and often unwelcome.

Black Russians Curious to See Obama Straight Up....

Bailin’ Palin

Did she finally get the memo to get out of the spotlight? Or was national politics just too nasty for Sarah Palin?

By: Lawrence Bobo

For now, the great Republican joke of 2008 has decided to step off the public stage. At least that’s how I read this weekend’s announcement from Alaska governor and former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. What will late-night comedians do? Will Tina Fey still have a job?

Of course, some time ago, I concluded that Wasilla and the Palin family were essentially a comedian’s Full Employment Act, the trailer park that keeps on giving. From unwed, teenage motherhood and OxyContin dealers to televised turkey grinding and pointless belly-aching about the humor of late-night talk show hosts, the Palin clan managed to keep themselves in the headlines. But suddenly, the heady mix of media attention, mass adulation, criticism and biting humor seems to be too much for the one-term governor.

Bailin’ Palin....

Weekly Address: On the 4th of July, Overcoming Americas Challenges

The President recounts Americas great history of overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges, and pledges to lead America in continuing that tradition. Focusing on creating a clean energy economy, comprehensive health reform, and revitalizing an education system in need of change, the President pledges not to leave these decades-old problems to yet another generation to solve.

Why Venus and Serena Own Wimbledon

Only once in the last 10 years has a Wimbledon final not featured one of the Williams sisters, and it has often featured both. This year is no exception.

By: Martin Johnson

Venus and Serena Williams will meet in the Wimbledon finals on Saturday. This may not seem like news, but the context of the Williams sisters domination of their sport is changing.

Why Venus and Serena Own Wimbledon....