Harvard Professor Roland Fryer is someone you should know about. He works to quantify the impact of race and inequality on American society. An Economics professor, Fryer applies the tools of economic modelling and analysis to investigate situations that are often discussed without a framework for evaluation. His studies include:
‘The Causes and Consequences of Distinctly Black Names’
‘Acting white: the social price paid by the best and brightest minority students’
‘Measuring Crack Cocaine and its impact’ on urban neighborhoods
 His latest project is The American Inequality Lab:
… is devoted to understanding the causes and consequences of inequality …

Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he has been compelled to deal with racial issues from unusual perspectives. I believe his point of view adds a lot to our discussion, so I welcome Andrew and his column The Topsoil to Allaboutrace.com. As Andrew says, “You gotta turn the topsoil to plant a crop!”
On the rare occasions when full time musicians are not playing, or sitting home flat broke, most of us like diversions that are far and away from nightclub life.  I have always been a …

I always get a queasy feeling when any of the television networks declare that they have a show that is ‘thought provoking.’ That dull discomfort crests into full blown nausea when the thoughts they purport to provoke revolve around race in America. I have just watched a clip from ABC’s Fall series ‘Cavemen,’ and discussed the pilot with a trusted friend who’s watched the entire thing. It is apparent that ABC thinks intent is an ample substitute for insight.
Watch clip from ABC series ‘Cavemen’
Caveman 1 “I always wondered what Reba McEntire would …

Young sailors taking in the sights during New York’s Fleet Week 2007.
Photo courtesty Joseph O. Holmes www.joesnyc.com / www.manhattanusersguide.com

Yet another intriguing issue has been raised by Angelina Jolie. This time it’s Jolie’s portrayal of Mariane Pearl in the upcoming film ’A Mighty Heart.’ Already some in the blogoshpere have dubbed Jolie’s acting a performance in blackface. They’ve got this one all wrong.

I get a little rush whenever I hear that a role originally written with a white actor* in mind has been cast with a black actor. In the world of fiction, I think the actor or actress who most distinctly captures the director’s vision for the film is the one who should be …

UPDATE – 6/28/07 – UPDATE – PLEASE READ
The latest racial assault in Jena, Louisiana began on the morning of September 1st 2006, when three nooses were found dangling from a tree at the local high school. The day before, at a school assembly, an African American student had asked the vice principal if he could sit under the tree – traditionally, a place where only white kids sat.
What happens next is a flashback to the racial injustice brought out into the light during our country’s most turbulent Civil Rights battles. Read on.
The following …

A lot of hurt and unexpressed frustration are going around.  Every time allaboutrace.com first comes up in discussion, the person I’m talking to expresses concern about the tense state of race relations in America. It seems to be an almost universal concern which cuts across racial, religious and political labels. I’d thought that quite a few people would see the whole discussion of race in 2007 as a superfluous exercise. But that’s not what I’m finding and that has been eye opening.
I strongly encourage all of you to comment freely on what you read. There is no …

Contributor Andrew Padula obtained his AA in Mass Communications at Montgomery College and then went on to receive his BA in Media Arts from the University of Maryland. He tossed it, his words, to do post graduate studies at Musicians Institute of Hollywood (rock star school). Andrew has been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz Central as well as on Carlos Santana’s recent DVD release “Montreux Blues Summit”. This is his post.
It pains me greatly …

The New York Times confirms something I have observed anecdotally. In today’s article ‘New Demographic Racial Gap Emerges,’ reporter Sam Roberts cites new Census data and asserts:
With the number of nonwhite Americans above 100 million for the first time, demographers are identifying an emerging racial generation gap. That development may portend a nation split between an older, whiter electorate and a younger overall population that is more Hispanic, black and Asian and that presses sometimes competing agendas and priorities.
“The new demographic divide has broader implications for social programs and education spending for …

One of the most important actions we can take to get a clearer picture of what is going on around us is to relentlessly question the source of information presented to us. Because of my experience in network news, I talk a lot about this with friends. In my experience, network news production staffs could not be accurately described as a malicious, cabal of conspirators, just in a hurry. The pace is so fast that as a producer you tend to reach for the interview subject who’s available, or maybe who’s come …

I was not aware of the T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility until nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez, creator of The Unapologetic Mexican site, posted this in early March. The entire post is stimulating and I encourage you to read it. But, here is the line that grabbed my attention:
HUTTO PRISON recycles devious yet tired tactics. Smile with the goodface. Put a satin tie around the crooked neck. Dress up for the Press, hiding away that which cannot withstand judgment.
theunapologeticmexican.org
This statement now seems prescient because today’s New York Times claims that Jorge …

In March of 1857, the United States Supreme Court ruled that people of African ancestry were not, and could never become, citizens of the United States of America. The Dred Scott decision asserted that blacks were property. And because no state or federal government could take a citizen’s property away from him, this decision meant that any slave who managed to escape to a “free state” would be hunted down and returned to bondage and his or her “owner.” This decision enraged many of the most vocal abolitionists and politicians …

It’s been exactly two months since the inception of Allaboutrace.com. March 10th was chosen because in 1990, President George H.W. Bush declared that day Harriet Tubman Day.
Starting Monday, you’ll find the site’s appearance changed for the better. We’ve got a big week ahead. Stay tuned.
Best,
Carmen

Greetings all! I will have inconsistent web access for the next several days. I will post if I can, but things will be up and running again next week. In the meantime, please click around Allaboutrace.com and maybe check out some posts you missed. Your comments and ideas are always welcomed.
In advance, thank you for your patience and support.
Carmen

Contributor Andrew Padula obtained his AA in Mass Communications at Montgomery College and then went on to receive his BA in Media Arts from the University of Maryland. He tossed it, his words, to do post graduate studies at Musicians Institute of Hollywood (rock star school). Andrew has been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz Central as well as on Carlos Santana’s recent DVD release “Montreux Blues Summit”. This is his post.

I have two very …