Former USDA official Shirley Sherrod claims she was abruptly fired by the Obama administration because the White House feared Glenn Beck would target her in a segment on his show. (Which he did anyway, of course.) Ben Jealous, NAACP president, claims that he was “snookered” by “the right” into misrepresenting, exploiting and demonizing Sherrod. The way the Obama administration and the NAACP bungled the case of Shirley Sherrod should disturb and alarm everyone concerned with fairness, courage and racial honesty.

Denied due process, Shirley Sherrod was misrepresented, exploited, demonized …

I know there’s a need for the NAACP, but I have not always been sure that the organization itself understands where it is needed in the times since the white-hot days of the 60’s and 70’s. Like many of my contemporaries, I have been frustrated with the NAACP’s slowness to embrace and utilize digital technology to get important work done. Further, I’ve sometimes perceived lack of a unifying focus. I let my membership lapse.
But my friend Kevin Myles, president of NAACP Kansas, has been steadfast in his commitment to the …

While some people are overly invested in the trial of former BART transit cop Johannes Mehserle who was convicted Thursday of involuntary manslaughter for shooting Oscar Grant, life will go on. It seems much of the outrage stems from those who have focused primarily on the race of the cop in question, making Oscar Grant the poster child for racism conspiracy theories.
What most do not realize is there is little “new” about cases such as these. While historically there has been an established pattern of aggression where innocent men were …

Please, can you explain to me why the word “Negro” is still being used in casual discussion in 2010? (…2008 to be precise…)

Most importantly, please explain to me, after so much interracial dialogue, why some white people cannot distinguish between racial ignorance and racial hatred?
Trent Lott’s comments on longing for a segregated America = Racial Hatred
Harry Reid’s word choice in his description of Barack Obama’s acceptability to white voters = Racial Ignorance
Disturbing racial ignorance, but not surprising. [Added 5:45a]
I watched racially stunted and ever-stubborn Joe Scarborough refuse …

We have Nina Turner, a black politician, being caricatured as Aunt Jemima in a black newspaper, the Call & Post. Why? Because she disagreed with them on some legislation. Unacceptable in my opinion and the good news is, I think, most black folks are fed up with this kind of silencing tactic as well.

Read my full article over at Aol’s BlackSpin. Here’s an excerpt:
The decision by Call & Post, owned by Don King, to call-out Nina Turner by portraying her as the subservient, smiling, always-white-people pleasing Aunt Jemima, because she …

Mike Huckabee has done something reasonable and, in these divided times, that makes it newsworthy and admirable. In a talk at the Hudson Union Society, where he discussed his forthcoming book, “A Simple Christmas”, Huckabee pushed back against the conservatives who criticized President Obama’s visit to Dover Air Force base. Via Huffington Post:
When he [Barack Obama] was at Dover the other day, and went there to pay respect for soldiers, I heard a lot of people on the Right say “Aw, that’s just a cheap photo-op.” No, I think it …

Jesse Jackson who not long ago expressed his support for then presidential candidate Barack Obama by wanting to “cut his nuts off,” has now turned his attention to supporting health care reform legislation in his own inimitable way. Via Talking Points Memo:
The Rev. Jesse Jackson on Wednesday night criticized Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) for voting against the Democrats’ signature healthcare bill.
“We even have blacks voting against the healthcare bill,” Jackson said at a reception Wednesday night. “You can’t vote against healthcare and call yourself a black man.” Source: …

Results of a study that claims to expose a correlation between high implicit racial bias and resistance to Obama’s health care reform initiatives popped up in my twitterstream this morning. (Follow me @allaboutrace) “Racial prejudice a factor in opinions of Obama, study finds ‘Hidden biases’ behind opposition to president and his healthcare plan” was released by UC Irvine.
“We show that Obama’s race – not just the ideological character of his policies – is a factor in some of the opposition to his proposals,” said Eric Knowles, assistant professor of psychology …

As I read Andrew’s second essay, I begin to accept that we live in mutually exclusive social realities. And that’s a painful recognition for me. As friends we share revulsion at the exploding deficit, clarity about keeping government out of our bedrooms and the belief that it is an inalienable right to keep guns in our homes. Further, we both do our best to accept each person we encounter as an individual without slathering on layers preconceived notions and expectations of stereotypical behavior.
But on the broader political plane, we’re …

By Andrew Padula
The Democratic party has been very effective at painting Republicans with the label of “racists”. I can understand why we are an easy target and vulnerable to racial persecution. Much has happened culturally in the past half century. Imagine the reaction that people would have today to the uncut images portrayed in Disney’s “Song of the South” or the language of “Blazing Saddles”. Try to visualize the images of urban ghetto life as portrayed in the police shows of the 70’s or …

By Andrew Padula
I never thought that I would see the day when I would voice my support for Rush Limbaugh and Juan Williams in the same sentence. Life has gone from the sublime to the absurd. To me, the question of whether or not Conservatives are Racists is as perplexing as it is vexing. How has such an ugly image become attached to a political philosophy which is based upon the traditional patriotic values of individual liberty, freedom, and opportunity for all.
A question was recently …

I ‘m disappointed that Maine voted against marriage equality. I hoped we had this one. Donations and door knocks weren’t enough – yet. And I know that the fight for equality and equal protection for all does indeed mirror the civil rights struggle of the 60’s. Which side are you on?
READ: Ta-Nehisi Coates A Thought on Gay Marriage in Maine – The Nation
Obama is deliberating while the Democrats are indeed dithering.
READ: Jonathan Pitts-Wiley brings down the hammer on ‘please like me…’ Democrats.
This isn’t a matter of beliefs. It’s downright …

Conservatives keep repeating their talking points about how the “conservative movement” has nothing to do with race, marriage equality, abortion rights or other “social issues,” and Lord knows, I try to take these folks at their words. After all, sky high spending, exploding deficits and expanding government make me uncomfortable too. We could find some common ground on those issues.
But I didn’t suddenly discover my inner miser just as our black president took over the monetary reigns. I was squawking about the trillions being spent on the endless …

Fort Drum is the primary employer in NY-23. Palin appointed Conservative party congressional candidate Doug Hoffman is committed to funding this military base, also known as a “government employer.” Hoffman’s Conservative concession is that, if he’s elected, he’s pledged to refrain from using earmarks to get those dollars needed keep Fort Drum afloat. And by the way, Doug Hoffman hasn’t explained how he’ll do that.
So here’s what I don’t understand. From Frank Rich:
Who exactly is the third-party maverick arousing such ardor? Hoffman doesn’t even live in the district. …

I’ve just returned from three weeks away from the USA. I was visiting Switzerland as I do frequently. Though still wading through the fog of jet lag, I see that Switzerland and its excellent and accessible health care system is being bandied about as a role model for what universal, comprehensive, private, health insurance coverage could look like here in America. Guess what? The Swiss health care system would never fly here.
There are a couple of reasons. The first reason Swiss health care couldn’t work here? It’s because we don’t …