Author Archives: Julianne Malveaux

By the time you read this, perhaps the disturbing story of Rachel Dolezal, the prevaricating White woman who passed for Black, led the Spokane NAACP, and wove a web of elaborate lies, would have receded from media headlines. Probably not. I expect additional disclosures, a book, and a reality show. While most African Americans have concluded that Dolezal is a mentally impaired liar, too many Caucasians, obsessed with race, are likely to give this story legs.

The unemployment rate rose just a bit in May, an indicator that Wall Street and Main Street are celebrating because that means more people are looking for work and that more people are optimistic.

When racist attitudes, either conscious or subconscious, are combined with the discretionary powers that law enforcement officers have, the result is a differential outcome, with African Americans more likely to be the targets of “blind justice.”

When Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 derailed on May 12, federal budget observers wondered if the underfunding of our nation’s fraying infrastructure was at least partly responsible for the deaths of eight people (according to the New York Times) and the injury of 200 more. Despite these questions, House Republicans voted to reduce President Barack Obama’s request for Amtrak funding from $2.45 billion to $1.14 billion. The Republican proposal not only reduces the current level of funding for Amtrak (which is $1.4 billion), it also delays or eliminates needed capitol for improvements.

Baltimorean Freddie Gray is neither the first, nor will he be the last person to die in police custody. According to a 2011 report from the Department of Justice, 4,813 people died in police custody between 2003 and 2009 (the most recent data, reported in 2011). However, not every state reports their data, so the number is probably higher. A new report is scheduled to be released this year or next.

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, about 1.7 million people will receive their Bachelor’s degrees, and another nearly 750,000 will receive associate’s degrees this May and June. The numbers have been rising over the past 10 years, with 22 percent more receiving bachelor’s degrees (the growth in women’s degrees is faster than that of men), and 12 percent more associate’s degrees (again, with the degrees awarded to women growing faster than those awarded to men).

What happens to a dream
deferred?

When a colleague dropped the line, “You can’t hashtag your way to freedom,” I loved it! I laughed out loud, and promised that I’d not borrow the line, but steal it because I was so enamored of it. I’ve used it quite a few times since then, and gotten my share of grins and guffaws. So I used it again and again, always getting the same reaction.

Two prominent Black Maryland officials– Montgomery County Executive Issiah Leggett and Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III–have endorsed Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a White man, over Black Rep. Donna F. Edwards in the race to replace retiring Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski.

Has the Great Recession ended with our economy returning to normal? That may be “conventional wisdom,” or the word we get from those who think that there is no more intervention needed to stimulate the economy. President Barack Obama has bragging rights on the reduction of unemployment rates and the fact that economic growth is robust. Citing these improvements, our Republican Congress wants to continue to tighten the federal budget belt. Despite this, the Federal Reserve Bank’s Open Market Committee says that there is too much slack in the labor market, and that unemployment rates could be lower than they are now.