On Steps of US Supreme Court, AG Rosenblum Rallies Abortion Rights Supporters
Speaking at an ACLU-organized rally on the steps of the United States Supreme Court this morning, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum made an impassioned defense of abortion as essential healthcare, and of medication abortion as a key part of those healthcare rights. The rally coincided with arguments being presented inside the Supreme Court in the AHM (Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine) v. FDA (Food & Drug Administration) case.
Should College Essays Touch on Race? Some Feel the Affirmative Action Ruling Leaves Them No Choice
When the Supreme Court ended affirmative action, it left the college essay as one of few places where race can play a role in admissions decisions. Yet the added weight of the college essay has fallen unevenly on students of color, who often feel pressure to exploit their hardships as they compete for a spot on campus.
Bird Flu, Weather and Inflation Conspire to Keep Egg Prices Near Historic Highs for Easter
The cost of filling a basket or completing a Seder plate reflect a market scrambled by disease, high demand and growing costs for farmers. While global prices are lower than they were at this time last year, they remain elevated.
Strippers' Bill of Rights Bill Signed Into Law in Washington State
Gov. Jay Inslee signed the measure on Monday which creates safer working conditions for people in the adult entertainment industry. The law requires employee training in establishments to prevent sexual harassment, identify and report human trafficking, deescalate conflict and provide first aid.
The Portland Art Museum presents Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks
Exhibition on view March 30 - August 11, 2024. Programs to include sneaker-focused Summer Camps and in-gallery activities ...
Portland Street Response Hosts Town Hall
PCCEP is seeking community input to help shape their recommendation in support of Portland Street Response. ...
Joint Center Responds to the U.S. House Office of Diversity and Inclusion Disbandment
This decision jeopardizes the establishment of policies to support diverse communities and threatens the pursuit of inclusivity for...
Bonamici, Kaine Praise Billion Dollar Increase for Child Care, Early Childhood Learning
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) —members of the House Committee on Education and Workforce and the...
Portland Rose Festival 2024 Court Member from Benson Polytechnic High School Announced
The Rose Festival Princess from Benson Polytechnic High School, Laedyn Romero, was selected March 22. ...
What's keeping egg prices high for Easter? It's not just inflation
Egg prices are at near-historic highs in many parts of the world as the spring holidays approach, reflecting a market scrambled by disease, high demand and growing costs for farmers. It’s the second year in a row consumers have faced sticker shock ahead of Easter and Passover, both...
Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95
SEATTLE (AP) — Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, and who taught generations of climbers during his more than 250 trips up Mount Rainier, the tallest peak in Washington state, has died at age 95. RMI Expeditions,...
Georgia ends game on 12-0 run to beat Missouri 64-59 in first round of SEC tourney
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Blue Cain had 19 points, Justin Hill scored 17 off the bench and 11th-seeded Georgia finished the game on a 12-0 run to beat No. 14 seed Missouri 64-59 on Wednesday night in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Cain hit 6 of 12 shots,...
Georgia faces Missouri in SEC Tournament
Missouri Tigers (8-23, 0-18 SEC) vs. Georgia Bulldogs (16-15, 6-12 SEC) Nashville, Tennessee; Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. EDT FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bulldogs -3; over/under is 147 BOTTOM LINE: Georgia plays in the SEC Tournament against Missouri. ...
COMMENTARY: Is a Cultural Shift on the Horizon?
As with all traditions in all cultures, it is up to the elders to pass down the rituals, food, language, and customs that identify a group. So, if your auntie, uncle, mom, and so on didn’t teach you how to play Spades, well, that’s a recipe lost. But...
A Full Court Press to Get the Lead Out
With a “goal of identifying and remediating lead hazards in at least 2,800 Lancaster County homes,” LG Health is setting an example for the private sector. And the Biden-Harris administration’s focus on environmental justice and access to clean and safe...
OP-ED: Congress Is Right: Federal Reserve’s Reg II Will Hurt Minority Communities in America
The Fed is taking every effort to promote income equality and workplace diversity and inclusion, but Regulation II would undercut its great work in this respect and cause potential harm to millions of minority families. Now that a congressional coalition has...
OP-ED: A Silent Killer No More
Data from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City shows that more than 13 percent of African American men between the ages 45 and 79 will develop prostate cancer in their lifetimes. And Black men have a 70 percent higher rate of developing...
US changes how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity. It's the first revision in 27 years
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage. ...
Key findings from AP's investigation into police force that isn't supposed to be lethal
Every day, police in the U.S. rely on common use-of-force tactics that, unlike guns, are meant to stop people without killing them. But when misused, these tactics can still end in death. Over a decade, more than 1,000 people died after police subdued them through physical holds, stun...
Why did more than 1,000 people die after police subdued them with force that isn't meant to kill?
Carl Grant, a Vietnam veteran with dementia, wandered out of a hospital room to charge a cellphone he imagined he had. When he wouldn’t sit still, the police officer escorting Grant body-slammed him, ricocheting the patient’s head off the floor. Taylor Ware, a former Marine and...
Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 31-April 6
Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 31-April 6: March 31: Actor William Daniels (“St. Elsewhere,” ″Boy Meets World”) is 97. Actor Richard Chamberlain is 90. Actor Shirley Jones is 90. Musician Herb Alpert is 89. Actor Christopher Walken is 81. Comedian Gabe Kaplan...
How to make an Easter ham last all week
The beauty of making a baked ham for Easter (or any holiday or large gathering) is that there's bound to be leftovers. Leftover ham, which will last for up to five days in the fridge, can be a springboard for other meals during the week. Of course you’ll want a sandwich or two, but...
Book Review: 'Glorious Exploits' turns classical history into an endearing comedy about tragedy
Best friends Lampo and Gelon are potters by trade, but their souls are filled with poetry. It’s 412 B.C. and the city of Syracuse doesn’t know what hit it when these two hatch up the best worst idea: They’ll put on a play using the Athenian prisoners of war who are starving to death down in...
Russian veto brings end to UN panel monitoring enforcement of North Korea nuclear sanctions
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia vetoed a U.N. resolution Thursday in a move that effectively abolishes the...
VP Harris says US agencies must show their AI tools aren't harming people's safety or rights
U.S. federal agencies must show that their artificial intelligence tools aren't harming the public, or stop using...
Pope, looking strong, washes feet of 12 women at Rome prison from his wheelchair
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of 12 women inmates at a Rome prison during a Holy Thursday...
Venezuelans are increasingly stuck in Mexico, explaining drop in illegal crossings to US
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Venezuelan migrants often have a quick answer when asked to name the most difficult stretch...
King Charles stresses importance of kindness as he skips pre-Easter service amid cancer treatment
LONDON (AP) — King Charles III on Thursday stressed the importance of friendship and acts of caring in a...
Four people die in Spain in separate incidents after falling into sea along coast amid high winds
MADRID (AP) — Four people have died in three separate incidents on Spain's Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines...
This year began with promise. But, it ended with disappointment for many African-Americans. Tragically, this country is quite used to bad things happening to Black people especially within the justice system.
In January, President Barack Obama began his second term. However, southern White radicals vowed to stop implementation of the Obama-care law leading one to wonder if Tea Party members would oppose affordable healthcare if it came from a nonBlack President.
It was 150 years ago that Abraham Lincoln’s military order, the Emancipation Proclamation, ended slavery in those same rebellious southern States. Then, as the fight for freedom continued race-based criminal laws replaced slave laws.
In February, Christopher Dorner, African-American, began a killing spree he said was triggered by racism. A well-respected Los Angeles police officer and veteran of the Naval Reserves, Dorner’s Manifesto revealed he was fired after reporting excessive force by LAPD.
Dorner claimed the abundance of racism he experienced on his job, and at all-White schools he attended, drove him to kill. Dorner allegedly took his own life when trapped by police. Some called Dorner insane others said a modern-day Nat Turner, referring to the leader of a Virginia slave rebellion in 1831. However, the possibility racism was a core issue in this case was disregarded.
Fear of Trayvon Martin, 17, an unarmed African-American teenager led George Zimmerman, 28, a White Latino, to walk free of murder charges. Zimmerman pled self-defense in the shooting death of Martin last year on a rainy night in a Florida subdivision. An all-female jury believed him. Protesters used Trayvon Martin’s hooded sweatshirt and Skittles candy as symbols of racial injustice.
The Zimmerman case highlighted Florida’s Stand Your Ground law which allows fight instead of flight. However, a Florida jury gave Marissa Alexander, African-American, a 20 year sentence for firing a warning shot at her physically abusive husband. However, an appellate court said Alexander must receive a new trial.
Efforts to repeal Stand Your Ground laws around the country and boycott Florida are ongoing. Signs of solidarity with Trayvon Martin were on display at the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Hundreds of leaders spoke to thousands who joined in front of the Lincoln Memorial for this anniversary March. Unfortunately, little of substance came from this mass gathering as the Black community followed a predictable path of protest and then silence.
A stunned silence followed the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Shelby County, Alabama, a known violator of the Voting Rights Act. The Court ruled that a preclearance provision within the Act violated the rights of southern States like Alabama. Within hours, Texas and North Carolina passed stricter voting laws.
This year marked the 50th anniversary of the Gideon v. Wainwright case. In 1963, the Gideon case ruled free attorneys must be provided to indigent defendants in most criminal cases. However, Public Defender programs are underfunded and understaffed.
Defendants languish in jail because they cannot afford bail. Plea bargains have taken the place of jury trials. Too many of these defendants are Black. A criminal record means millions of Americans cannot vote, gain employment, get financial aid, or live in government housing.
New York City’s Stop and Frisk policy led to the humiliating search of millions of African-American men, women, and children. Stop and Frisk is based on a civil rights era case Terry v. Ohio which allows police to pat-down someone if there is reasonable suspicion of imminent danger. However, courts found police engaged in racial profiling.
Like voting rights, the Supreme Court restricted the ability of affirmative action to assist students of color. Cases in Texas and Michigan challenged any use of race in college admissions even when race was only one factor among many.
An honor student Hadiya Pendleton, 15, was killed in Chicago only days after performing in President Obama’s Inaugural Parade. Like so many Black children lost to urban gun violence, her death was seen as different from the young lives taken at suburban Sandy Hook Elementary School in late 2012.
These childhood tragedies are divided by some artificial line between suburban violence, mass killings, and urban gun violence. If families came together, advocacy against gun violence would be stronger.
This year ended with two events of note. The first was the passing of Nelson Mandela – World Leader, President, Political Prisoner, Freedom Fighter, Lawyer. The second one was a membership drive for the Ku Klux Klan in Maryland.
Both events remind a discouraged Black community that the price of freedom is vigilance.
Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, an Associate Professor of Constitutional Law at John Jay College in New York City, is author of “Race, Law, and American Society: 1607 to Present,” and a journalist covering the U.S. Supreme Court, United Nations, and major legal issues. Twitter: @GBrowneMarshall