Last year, a version of the ordinance that exempted menthol cigarettes was opposed by Black council members Mark Ridley-Thomas, Marqueece Harris Dawson and Curren Price. They argued that studies have found Black Americans are the racial/ethnic group most likely to use menthol cigarettes and are 25 times more likely than White Americans to do so.
But last week, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) unanimously ruled that the NCAA policy must fall in line with the country’s antitrust laws and that the organization does not have the authority to deny student athletes the right to receive compensation for their athleticism or fame.
So, for me, 2021 is about hope and about working for a better life for all and a better nation together as we rise from the terrible test that 2020 has been. It is about recommitting to one another and to good works to help our brothers and sisters in need. And even before we voted for inclusion, we were already making good trouble. White, Black and Brown nationwide took to the streets this past spring and summer to ask our nation — to demand of our nation — that we address the systematic racism that has plagued this country since its founding. That has torn the very fabric of our country and created so much pain and loss. With one voice, all were saying: ‘Please, at long last, fix this.’” — Ray Curry, Secretary-Treasurer, UAW
To measure America’s progress in harmonizing racial groups, WalletHub researchers measured the gaps between blacks and whites across 22 key indicators of equality and integration in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Second-Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) joined Rep. Xochitl Torres-Small (NM-02), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and other Democratic Members of Congress in Alamogordo, New Mexico to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Felipe Gomez-Alonzo, an 8-year old Guatemalan migrant boy, while in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody on Christmas Eve. Additionally, the Members investigated operational issues related to the new medical practices that Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen put in place following Felipe’s death.
California’s new law is the latest development in the nationwide debate over bail, which many people say unfairly punishes people for being poor. Other states including New Jersey, Alaska and New Mexico have overhauled their bail systems, although no other state has completely eliminated bail.
Recently, Vivint Solar—one of the largest sellers of solar panels in this country—was sued in California by a Black employee who alleges that his superiors likened him to a monkey; used a racial epithet against him; and that his coworkers used cardboard boxes to build a fort around their desks that was marked as “White only.” The complainant’s lawyer provided pictures of this absurd and abhorrent cardboard façade to the media and The Sacramento Bee published the photo.
Seven University of New Mexico students chartered this week an undergraduate chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi-one the nation’s oldest Greek-letter fraternities established by African-American male students.