Stories tagged "race"

Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush didn't pull any punches yesterday when he challenged Senators who were making noises about blocking the appointment of Roland Burris, an African-American, to the U.S. Senate. Embattled Governor Rod Blagojevich's announcement raised a lot of eyebrows, but Rush's statements raised even more. The Takeaway talks to Congresswoman Donna Christensen of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Second Vice-Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 111th Congress.

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The auto industry's troubles are threatening the well-being of African-Americans more than any other racial or ethnic group. New York Times contributor Mary Chapman joins The Takeaway with a look at how car manufacturing job losses are affecting the black community.

Want more? Check out Mary Chapman's article in The New York Times.

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It has long been rumored that colonoscopy screening tests are 90 percent effective at locating cancer in your colon. Yet a new study published online in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicates that the screening method is not as effective as doctors thought, often missing cancers located on a person's right side. New York Times science reporter Gina Kolata explains the study and how it might affect your next doctor's visit. To find out more, read Gina Kolata's article, "Colonoscopies Miss Many Cancers, Study Finds," at the New York Times.

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California’s Proposition Eight, which bans gay marriage, has brought to light a conservative streak among African Americans. Around seventy percent of black voters in California say they voted in favor of the ban. New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow joins The Takeaway to share his insight into why blacks voted yes on Prop Eight.

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Barack Obama's election to the top office in the United States was accomplished in part by his recruitment of thousands of new black voters. But though the president-elect is one of the more liberal members of the Senate, his constituency has a conservative streak. Nowhere is that clearer than in California, where the passage of Proposition 8 — an amendment to the state constitution that will ban gay marriage — can partially be attributed to conservative leanings among many black voters. So what does that say about the soon-to-be president's mandate? The Takeaway talks to Joe Hicks, a commentator for Pajamas TV and a talk show host with KFI.

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The Takeaway continues its series on hot-button ballot initiatives that are making headlines around the country. In Nebraska, Initiative 424 could ban affirmative action in state government and universities. It's an initiative gaining traction throughout the country largely because of the efforts of one man.

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Barack Obama's run for the White House might be hurt by racist voters, but The Takeaway talks with University of Wisconsin professor Charles Franklin who's finding more people fearful of blacks are willing to vote blue.

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In the 1966 film A Time for Burning, the burgeoning civil rights movement hit a dead end with the integration of a Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska. The Takeaway talks with filmmaker Bill Jersey and subject Ernie Chambers about their experiences and what lessons the film holds for the 2008 election.

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Black and white evangelicals, who preach from the same Bible and hold many of the same values, consistently vote for opposite political parties. Seventy-seven percent of historically black churches (which includes black evangelical churches) identify as Democrats. In 2004, 79 percent of white evangelicals voted for President George W. Bush. Randall Balmer and Lisa Harper explain that the fundamentally different historic experiences of black and white evangelicals outweigh issues of abortion and gay marriage in determining how these groups vote. Our guests talk about the historic segregation and political divide of the evangelical church and what it means for this election, with the country’s first African American presidential candidate.

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The surge in voter registration in Georgia is no surprise, but its racial breakdown is. The state has seen a 27-percent increase in black voters when compared to 2004 as the number of white voters has fallen 14 percent.

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We're in the full swing of the 2008 election cycle. But, in a groundbreaking year for race in politics, Patrik Henry Bass has noticed one influential group that's been quiet: black preachers. Traditionally, the black church has played a pivotal role in general elections. But with Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee, is the black vote locked up? Or, is there a small percentage of black conservative churchgoers who could pull a November surprise in favor of McCain?

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About two and a half million men and women serve in the U.S. military. These days, it's a job that almost certainly involves serving in a war zone, as American soldiers continue to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. So who chooses to serve in the volunteer military? In many cases, it's not people without other options. [Editor's note (9/23/2008): The number of men and women serving in the military was corrected.]

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There's a micro-sized voting bloc you probably haven’t heard about this election cycle: "Hip Hop Republican." The group has a blog, an agenda and several members attending the Republican National Convention. But what does this apparent contradiction of terms really mean? And what does the group think of the convention and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as Arizona Senator McCain's VP pick? We speak with group member Claudio Simpkins, a conventioneer, former Huckabee volunteer and student at Harvard law.

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Forget Red State - Blue State politics. But don't forget that all politics is local. The Christian Science Monitor's Patchwork Nation project is redefining political geography based on social and economic data, and in the process is clarifying the issues that will matter to Americans come November.

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It turns out that in many parts of the United States, corporal punishment is still standard operating procedure. A joint Human Rights Watch and ACLU report finds that nearly a quarter of a million students were paddled or spanked last year. Adding insult to injury, black students and special education students received a disproportionate share of the punishment. The Takeaway explores what this says about the American school system and the culture that perpetuates these modes of discipline.

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A historic demographic shift is expected to come ahead of schedule…Census projections say racial minorities—about one-third of the U.S. population now—will become a majority by 2042, and 54 percent by 2050. Pulitzer Prize-winner Dale Maharidge wrote about these issues more than a decade ago. He’s the author of “The Coming White Minority,” and other books focused on cultural change.

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