Blacks

Dec 6 2012

Communities struggling before the economic crisis must be part of the recovery

In a recent speech before the Operation HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit in Atlanta, Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, warned that the current housing recovery is leaving communities of color behind. In his remarks, he acknowledged that racial discrimination in housing persists despite federal fair housing laws and the Community Reinvestment Act.

Dec 6 2012

It will operate 19 sites, across 15 cities and communities throughout L.A. County

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) will operate the 2012-2013 Winter Shelter Program between Nov. 1, 2012, and March 14, 2013. The majority of shelters opened Dec. 1 and will end March 1, while the remaining sites will be open from Dec. 14 to March 14, and Nov. 1 to Jan. 30.

The program will provide 1,491 beds at 19 sites in 15 cities and communities throughout the city and county of Los Angeles.

Nov 22 2012

Policies may discriminate against Blacks, Latinos

In a petition filed Monday with the California Public Utilities Commission, The Greenlining Institute asked the CPUC to hold a proceeding before the end of 2012 to consider policies regarding background checks for workers in CPUC-funded energy efficiency programs. Greenlining expressed concern that without CPUC guidance, utility companies could unilaterally implement policies that exclude qualified, responsible workers and discriminate against Latino and African American job-seekers.

Nov 22 2012

Region dictates preference

Turkey and stuffing are Thanksgiving Day must-haves, but not everyone makes them the same way. When it comes to stuffing, where you live might make a difference in how you make it.

According to a new survey by Mrs. Cubbison’s Kitchen in Los Angeles, celery and onions top the ingredients list, then its regional differences:

• People in the Northeast and West are more likely to add carrots and sausage.

Nov 15 2012

Prisoners believe they have the potential for good with proper help

Trevon seemed to almost peep over the back row of the pew in the chapel at the Norco Correctional Facility. Slight of frame, he didn’t look much older than 16 years with neatly cut dreadlocks and wide, dark eyes. His voice was a bit unsteady, but definitive about the matter at hand: “Prison can be a black box,” he declared. “It’s designed to make you oblivious to real life.”

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.