race 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...

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...

Acura Apologizes for 'Not Too Dark' Casting Call

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:00:05 CDT

Acura apologized this week over a casting document for its Super Bowl commercial that requested a black actor who is "not too dark." The casting sheet had specified: "Nice Looking, friendly. Not too dark." reports TMZ . An actor angry at being passed over for the commercial, which starred Jerry Seinfeld,...

Zimmerman: Trayvon Martin Pummeled Me

Kevin Spak — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:38:05 CDT

Trayvon Martin punched George Zimmerman, climbed on top of him, and banged his head into the sidewalk several times before a bloodied Zimmerman shot and killed him. Or at least, that's what Zimmerman told police in the wake of the shooting, and authorities tell the Orlando Sentinel that witnesses have...

Mixed-Race Americans Must Identify as Black

Mark Russell — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:44:58 CDT

Interracial marriages may be on the rise in America, but with racial problems still so prevalent, mixed-race black people have an "ethical obligation" to identify as black, writes Thomas Chatterton Williams in the New York Times . Williams says he is grateful to live in modern America, where he has married...

Black Women Heavier, Happier With Bodies

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:31:00 CST

Hefty can be heavenly. That seems to be the feeling of many black women. While they tend to be heavier than white women, they're significantly happier with their bodies, a Washington Post / Kaiser Family Foundation survey has discovered. While only 41% of average-sized or thin white women report having...

Falling From Favor: The Term 'African American'

Mark Russell — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:29:59 CST

African Americans are increasingly shunning, well, the very term "African American," with many just preferring "black" amid increasingly complex origins and loyalties, reports the AP . "African American" rose to popularity in the 1980s, thanks in large part of Jesse Jackson's 1988 run for the presidency, but it's America that looms...

ESPN Turns Michael Vick White

Kevin Spak — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 09:13:51 CDT

ESPN the Magazine sent tongues wagging yesterday with a piece entitled “ What if Michael Vick were white? ” that was accompanied by a photoshopped image of Vick sporting a decidedly different complexion than usual. Many were outraged—including the article’s author, Touré. “I asked them not to call it What If...

Nivea Sorry for Ad Urging Black Guy to 'Re-Civilize'

Kevin Spak — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:10:05 CDT

Hey African-American men, does your afro make you feel ... like a savage? Because Nivea for Men seems to be betting that it does. The company is under fire for a new ad bearing the slogan “Re-Civilize Yourself” over an image of a black man holding the head of his old,...