race relations news stories on Newser

Super PAC: We'll Hammer Obama With Jeremiah Wright

Kevin Spak — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:05:56 CDT

Top Republican strategists have devised a plan to "do exactly what John McCain would not let us do" and bombard the public with incendiary Jeremiah Wright soundbites just in time for the Democratic National Convention in September. The plan was commissioned by Chicago Cubs owner Joe Ricketts, who would pump...

Man Sells Trayvon Martin Shooting Range Targets

Kevin Spak — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:02:37 CDT

You might want to be sitting down for this one: An anonymous and extremely classy businessman has been selling shooting range targets designed to look like Trayvon Martin online, WKMG of Orlando reports. The targets don't actually use Martin's face but the intent is clear: They show a silhouette of...

Dear Hipster Racists, You're Still Being Racist

John Johnson — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:30:06 CDT

If you haven't heard the phrases "hipster racism" or "ironic racism" being thrown around of late, allow Lindy West to educate you with an epic explainer and takedown at Jezebel . "It's, you know, introducing your black friend as 'my black friend'—as a joke!!!—to show everybody how totally not...

Past Decade Sees Biracial Baby Boom

Matt Cantor — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:30:05 CDT

The number of biracial American babies has zoomed upward during the past decade, according to census data, in what analysts call a positive sign for US race relations. The increase has been driven by more interracial couples as well as more parents choosing to identify their kids as mixed-race, the...

New Neighbors Hold Black Man, Family at Gunpoint

Kevin Spak — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 15:49:11 CDT

The Kalonji family got a nasty surprise when it tried to change the locks on its newly-purchased Georgia home last week: Their new neighbors threatened them with guns, called the police, and had them arrested, WSBTV reports. Jean Kalonji says a man and someone who might have been his son...

Bachmann: Obama 'Waving a Tar Baby' on Gas Prices

Kevin Spak — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:04:05 CDT

Michele Bachmann stepped into a sticky situation this week, when she used the term "tar baby" while discussing President Obama's energy policy. In an interview with the conservative blog The Shark Tank on Wednesday, Bachmann opined that Obama is responsible for high gas prices, and shouldn't be blaming oil speculators...

Ted Nugent: 'I'm a Black Jew at a Nazi-Klan Rally'

Kevin Spak — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:41:04 CDT

Ted Nugent isn't exactly backing off the controversial comments he made at an NRA rally. In a radio interview with conservative Dana Loesch yesterday, Nugent said he stood by his comments "100%," although he insisted he wasn't trying to threaten anyone. But what caught the Hollywood Reporter 's ear was...

Barry Apologizes for 'Dirty' Asian Comments

Kevin Spak — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:12:43 CDT

Marion Barry finally sort of apologized today after coming under a hail of criticism for comment disparaging Asian business owners. "We got to do something about these Asians coming in and opening up businesses and dirty shops. They ought to go," the four-time mayor of Washington, DC, said Tuesday, at...

Spike Lee: Hollywood Clueless About Black People

Kevin Spak — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:52:20 CST

Spike Lee screened his latest film— Red Hook Summer, a quasi-sequel to Do the Right Thing— at the Sundance Film Festival last night, but what really got people talking was the profanity-laden tirade he delivered in the Q&A afterward. The fireworks started when surprise attendee Chris Rock stood up and...