Race and ethnicity – The News Desk

In death, 3 decades after his trial verdict, OJ Simpson still reflects America’s racial divides

12Apr

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

In death, 3 decades after his trial verdict, OJ Simpson still reflects America’s racial divides

For many people old enough to remember O.J. Simpson’s murder trial, his 1995 exoneration was a defining moment in their understanding of race, policing and justice. Nearly three decades later, it still reflects the different realities of white and Black Americans.Some people recall watching their Black co-workers and classmates erupting in jubilation at perceived retribution over institutional racism. Others remember their white counterparts shocked over what many felt was overwhelming evidence of guilt. Both reactions reflected different experiences with a criminal justice system that continues to disproportionately punish Black Americans.Simpson, who died Wednesday, remains a symbol of racial divisions in American society because he is a reminder of how deeply the inequities are felt, e...

Barbie doll honoring Cherokee Nation leader met with mixed emotions

3Dec

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

Barbie doll honoring Cherokee Nation leader met with mixed emotions

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An iconic chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller, inspired countless Native American children as a powerful but humble leader who expanded early education and rural healthcare.Her reach is now broadening with a quintessential American honor: a Barbie doll in the late Mankiller's likeness as part of toymaker Mattel's “Inspiring Women” series. A public ceremony honoring Mankiller’s legacy is set for Tuesday in Tahlequah in northeast Oklahoma, where the Cherokee Nation is headquartered.Mankiller was the nation's first female principal chief, leading the tribe for a decade until 1995. She focused on improving social conditions through consensus and on restoring pride in Native heritage. She met with three U.S. presidents and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, ...

Illinois appeals court affirms actor Jussie Smollett’s convictions and jail sentence

2Dec

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

Illinois appeals court affirms actor Jussie Smollett’s convictions and jail sentence

An appeals court upheld the disorderly conduct convictions Friday of actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lying about it to Chicago police.Smollett, who appeared in the TV show “Empire,” challenged the role of a special prosecutor, jury selection, evidence and many other aspects of the case. But all were turned aside in a 2-1 opinion from the Illinois Appellate Court.Smollett had reported to police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two men wearing ski masks. The search for the attackers soon turned into an investigation of Smollett himself, leading to his arrest on charges he had orchestrated the whole thing.Authorities said he paid two men whom he knew from work on “Empire,” which filmed in Chi...

Native American storytellers enjoying a rare spotlight, a moment they hope can be more than that

22Nov

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

Native American storytellers enjoying a rare spotlight, a moment they hope can be more than that

NEW YORK -- The financial crisis of 2008 hit Mary Kathryn Nagle differently. As a playwright and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, she saw parallels to events that negatively impacted Indigenous people centuries ago.Her play “Manahatta” juxtaposes the recent mortgage meltdown when thousands lost their homes to predatory lenders with the shady 17th-century Dutch who swindled and violently pushed Native Americans off their ancestral lands.“A lot of times history does repeat itself," Nagle says. “I’m really interested in the ways in which we can connect to our past, carry it with us, learn from it, and maybe change outcomes so that we’re not just doomed to repeat the past in the present.”Nagle's 2018 play has landed in New York City at the prestigious Public Theater this winter and it's just...

James McBride wins $50,000 Kirkus Prize for fiction for “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store”

12Oct

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

James McBride wins $50,000 Kirkus Prize for fiction for “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store”

Three books that explore and celebrate the diversity of American culture were awarded Kirkus Prizes on Wednesday night, with each winner receiving $50,000ByThe Associated PressOctober 11, 2023, 8:42 PMNEW YORK -- Three books that explore and celebrate the diversity of American culture were awarded Kirkus Prizes on Wednesday night, with each winner receiving $50,000. James McBride's “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store,” a novel set in an eclectic Pennsylvania town in the 1930s, won in the fiction category. Héctor Tobar's “Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of ‘Latino’” received the nonfiction award, and Ariel Aberg-Riger's ”America Redux: Visual Stories From Our Dynamic History" won for young reader's literature.The awards were presented by the trade publi...

Author and activist Louise Meriwether, who wrote the novel ‘Daddy Was a Number Runner,’ dies at 100

11Oct

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

Author and activist Louise Meriwether, who wrote the novel ‘Daddy Was a Number Runner,’ dies at 100

NEW YORK -- Louise Meriwether, the author and activist whose coming-of-age novel "Daddy Was a Number Runner" is widely regarded as a groundbreaking and vital portrait of race, gender and class, has died. She was 100. Meriwether died Tuesday at the Amsterdam Nursing Home in Manhattan, according to Cheryl Hill, a filmmaker who said she is part of the author's “extended family.” The cause was old age, Hill said. "Daddy Was a Number Runner," published in 1970, tells of a poor Black community in Harlem during the 1930s as seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Francie Coffin. The narrative is a grim panorama of gangs, gambling, confrontations with the police and endless worrying about money. But it is also a testament to the human spirit, whether Francie's growing consciousness of her sexuality ...

Breakers Dominika Banevič and Victor Montalvo qualify for next year’s Paris Olympics

25Sep

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

Breakers Dominika Banevič and Victor Montalvo qualify for next year’s Paris Olympics

Lithuanian teenager Dominika Banevič and American Victor Montalvo have qualified for next year’s Paris Olympics after winning the World Breaking Championship on SundayByThe Associated PressSeptember 24, 2023, 7:16 PMJapan's Shigeyuki Nakarai, known as B-Boy Shigekix, competes during the World Breaking Championships in Leuven, Belgium, Sunday, Sept 24, 2023. For much of the last year, breakers from around the world have been competing for a shot at Olympic gold when the competitive hip-hop dance form makes its debut at the Paris Games in 2024. Whoever is crowned the top b-boy and b-girl in Belgium will directly qualify to the games next summer. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)The Associated PressLEUVEN, Belgium -- Lithuanian teenager Dominika Banevič and American Victor Montalvo both qual...

Rolling Stone founder removed from Rock Hall leadership after controversial comments

17Sep

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

Rolling Stone founder removed from Rock Hall leadership after controversial comments

NEW YORK -- NEW YORK (AP) — Jann Wenner, who co-founded Rolling Stone magazine and also was a co-founder of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, has been removed from the hall's board of directors after making comments that were seen as disparaging toward Black and female musicians.“Jann Wenner has been removed from the Board of Directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation,” the hall said Saturday, a day after Wenner's comments were published in a New York Times interview.A representative for Wenner, 77, did not immediately respond for a comment. Wenner created a firestorm doing publicity for his new book “The Masters,” which features interviews with musicians Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend and U2’s Bono — all white and male. ...

Illinois appeals court hears arguments on Jussie Smollett request to toss convictions

12Sep

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

Illinois appeals court hears arguments on Jussie Smollett request to toss convictions

CHICAGO -- Jussie Smollett's lawyers told an Illinois appellate court Tuesday it should toss the former “Empire” actor’s convictions for staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and then lying about it to Chicago police, arguing that anger over the case led to properly dismissed charges being improperly restored. Smollett, foregoing his usual three-piece suits in favor of a casual beige jacket and blue jeans, slipped into court for the hour-long oral arguments Tuesday and sat on spectator benches. He seemed to listen intently, leaning forward to follow the debate before the three-judge panel.Smollett, 41, didn't speak to reporters after the hearing, and Chicago TV station WGN showed footage of him from behind leaving the court building via an alley, wearing a hat and di...

From piñata to postage stamp, US celebrates centuries-old Hispanic tradition

9Sep

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

From piñata to postage stamp, US celebrates centuries-old Hispanic tradition

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The U.S. Postal Service on Friday rolled out its latest special edition postage stamps, paying homage to a tradition with global roots that has evolved over centuries to become a universal symbol of celebration. The release of four new stamps featuring colorful piñatas coincides with a monthlong recognition of Hispanic heritage in the U.S. and the start of an annual festival in New Mexico where the handmade party favorites are cracked open hourly and children can learn the art of pasting together their own creations.Piñatas are synonymous with parties, although their history is layered and can be traced to 16th century trade routes between Latin America and Asia and the efforts of Spanish missionaries to convert Indigenous communities to Christianity. It was through d...