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Caught on tape: Bizarre robbery of liquor store

7:20 AM on 07/27/2009

Watch the surveillance video of the robbery Police in Dearborn, Michigan have released surveillance video of a robbery and shooting at a liquor store in hopes that someone might recognize one of the two robbers. A close look at the video suggests one of them might have gone to great...

Former boxing champ Vernon Forrest shot and killed

By theGrio via AP

12:30 PM on 07/26/2009

Former boxing champion Vernon Forrest was shot and killed during an apparent robbery in Atlanta, police said Sunday. Atlanta Police Sgt. Lisa Keyes said in an e-mail Sunday that Forrest may have been robbed and was shot "multiple times in the back"...

Black Republicans voice concern about GOP's future

By theGrio

8:22 AM on 07/26/2009

Sarah Palin's resignation from her role as governor of Alaska has prompted new questions about the GOP's leadership and future. While Michael Steele made history by becoming the first black chairman of the Republican National Committee...

Debating race is a true American pastime

By Cheo Tyehimba

7:57 AM on 07/26/2009

Where's Rodney King when you need him? Ever since Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was arrested last week for disorderly conduct after breaking into his own home, I've been thinking a lot about King...

How to attract black Republicans: 7 tips for Michael Steele

By Shamara Riley

7:48 AM on 07/26/2009

Since his election as the Republican National Committee's first black chairman, one of Michael Steele's goals has been to diversify the GOP. He has banned the word "outreach" from the GOP lexicon - viewing it as an afterthought approach - but has been actively working to build ties with young...

Defining ourselves: Are we black, African American or 'other'?

By David Brown

7:15 AM on 07/26/2009

With roots stemming from the continent of Africa and beyond, is it virtually impossible to find an all-encompassing label to categorize blacks in America? The term "African-American" is too narrow for some. But what, if anything, will emerge in its place?...

E. Lynn Harris broke barriers for black writers, gays

By Ronda Racha Penrice

5:28 AM on 07/26/2009

News that best-selling author E. Lynn Harris had died at the age of 54 shocked his fans and friends. On tour promoting his latest novel, "Basketball Jones," about the closeted relationship of an NBA player and his long-term boyfriend, Harris was reportedly in Los Angeles meeting with Tracey Edmonds, ex-wife...

Afro Punk expands narrow vision of black authenticity

By Mariama Eversley

9:10 AM on 07/25/2009

On a sunny day at the corner of Lafayette and Flatbush, thrashing punk rock is heard flowing out of the Brooklyn Academy of Music parking lot. Skateboarders of all ages are doing tricks on half-pipes, and seasoned BMX bikers are flipping over ramps. Graffiti artists are spray-painting murals. This is...

Author E. Lynn Harris dies at age 54

By theGrio via AP

4:09 PM on 07/24/2009

E. Lynn Harris, a pioneer of gay black fiction and a literary entrepreneur who rose from self-publishing to best-selling status, has died, his publicist said Friday. He was 54. Publicist Laura Gilmore said Harris died Thursday night after being stricken at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills...

Obama admits overreaction in Gates response

By theGrio via AP

2:50 PM on 07/24/2009

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Trying to tamp down an uproar over race, President Barack Obama said Friday he used an unfortunate choice of words in commenting on the arrest of black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. and could have "calibrated those words differently."

Best-Selling author E. Lynn Harris dies at 54

By Essence Magazine

1:18 PM on 07/24/2009

Essence tells us about the life of the author and his untimely demise. Renown author E. Lynn Harris passed away on Friday, July 24, at the age of 54, according to the Arkansas Times. The celebrated author's personal assistant confirmed that his health had declined but would not provide any...

Cambridge cops want apology

By theGrio via AP

12:55 PM on 07/24/2009

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) -- A multiracial group of police officers on Friday stood with the white officer who arrested a prominent black Harvard scholar and asked President Barack Obama and Gov. Deval Patrick to apologize for comments the union leaders called insulting.

The Afro Punk movement; an outspoken subculture grows

By Julia Mayes

12:12 PM on 07/24/2009

Though often overlooked or seen as contradictions to the norm, members of the Afro Punk community could soon be headed the direction they never expected -- mainstream. Growing numbers of African American youth are following the leads of pop artists and celebrities and adopting Afro Punk fashions. Meanwhile, long-time practitioners...

GOP may make "stupidly" remark Obama's Willie Horton moment

By David A. Wilson

10:45 AM on 07/24/2009

Police Commissioner Robert Haas speaks to reporters at Cambridge, Mass., Police headquarters,Thursday (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds) I winced when I heard Obama use the word "stupidly" in describing how the Cambridge police acted in arresting the Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. It's not that I disagreed with the president. A...

A psychologist's take: Gates case is all too typical

By Dr. Jeff Gardere

9:46 AM on 07/24/2009

As we all know by now, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard's prominent scholar of African American History, was arrested for disorderly conduct at his home in Cambridge Massachusetts on July 16, 2009, after a report of a possible break in. It turns out that Dr. Gates and his driver...

Raising the minimum wage helps, doesn't hurt

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

9:00 AM on 07/24/2009

I am a curious professor, a compassionate capitalist and the owner of a small business. All of these hats create a complex perspective on whether or not it is a good idea to increase the minimum wage. After all, we are in a recession, and one might be tempted to...

Friends, coworkers support Sgt. Crowley

By theGrio via AP

8:17 AM on 07/24/2009

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) -- Supporters say the white policeman who arrested renowned black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. in his home is a principled police officer and family man who is being unfairly described as racist.

Police: Parents criticize 8-year-old rape victim

By theGrio via AP

8:00 AM on 07/24/2009

PHOENIX (AP) -- Officers responding to a report of hysterical screams found an 8-year-old girl partially clothed and four boys, barely in their teens, running from an empty shed. The boys, ages 9 to 14, face charges ranging from sexual assault to kidnapping, police said Thursday. Authorities in Phoenix say it's one of the most horrific cases they've ever seen.

'Negro' to 'African-American': What are we?

By Farah Griffin

4:24 AM on 07/24/2009

Since the arrival of Africans in what would become the United States, the issue of naming has been central to black identity. The ability to name oneself, as an individual and as a group, is an act of self-determination. Throughout our history, the names chosen by black people to identify...

First black newspaper thrives as print industry struggles

By Kumasi Aaron

6:37 PM on 07/23/2009

As so many of the nation's newspapers are shuttering, one publication continues to thrive through the decades. The Philadelphia Tribune is the oldest, continuously published black newspaper in the country, now celebrating its 125th year...

July 2009

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