Watchdog Organization Outraged by 'Magic Negro'
By Aysha Hussain
May 21, 2007
Watchdog Organization Outraged by 'Magic Negro'
Media Matters of America, a media watchdog organization, has a bone to pick with conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh over the now infamous "Barack, the Magic Negro" video parody posted on the Limbaugh show's web site. They, like some others, feel Limbaugh is getting a "free pass," according to NBC's "Today Show" report. Watch the video. Although it was the Los Angeles Times writer, David Ehrenstein, who was the first to call Obama the "Magic Negro," it was Limbaugh's idea to ask voice impersonator Paul Shanklin to imitate the voice of the Rev. Al Sharpton for his parody (See also: Should Rush Be Accountable for 'Barack, the Magic Negro'? Here's What You Think). Media Matters has been a long-standing critic of other talk-show hosts, including Bill O'Reilly and most recently of former shock jock Don Imus. Paul Waldman, senior fellow at the media watchdog organization Media Matters for America, says the Limbaugh's Barack parody is inexcusable and "the equivalent of a black-faced minstrel show." Read more.
Disagreement Over Immigration Agreement
Grassroots organizations across the country are disgruntled with the recent immigration compromise reached by the Senate. While fellow Senate members and Bush administration officials congratulated one another for reaching the compromise, supporters and opponents of undocumented workers are prepared for a legislative showdown as the proposal heads to the Senate floor this week. The New York Immigration Coalition issued a statement calling the proposal unacceptable. In California, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund has vowed to oppose incoming provisions in the plan and an immigrant- and refugee-advocacy coalition based in Massachusetts called the deal "immoral, unworkable and unacceptable." Read more.
Harvard Law Review Elects First Latino President
In a historic move, the Harvard Law Review has elected its first Latino president, Andrew Manual Crespo. Some think Crespo may mirror the career path of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama. Obama was the first black president of the law review. Read more.
Michael Moore Targets U.S. Healthcare With New Film
Controversial documentary filmmaker Michael Moore is shaking things up again--but this time he's taking a stab at healthcare. His new film, "Sicko," which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in France, is a documentary that focuses on the failure of the American healthcare system. In the film, Moore exposes the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, by going inside the lives of rescue workers who have been denied insurance benefits for treatment in Cuba. Moore is also responsible for the 2002 and 2004 documentary films "Bowling for Columbine" and "Fahrenheit 9/11". They have become two of the most successful documentaries in history. Read more.
Gays Openly Serve in British Military
The British hold very different viewpoints than the United States when it comes to the "don't ask, don't tell" military policy in which gays and lesbians are not allowed to be open about their sexual orientation. The British military has allowed gays and lesbians to serve in the armed forces since 2000 without discrimination. According to the Ministry of Defense, gay and lesbian armed service members are welcome, and there are almost no incidence of prejudice. Read more.
Lesbian Woman Denied by Homeless Shelter
Michelle Wang says she was denied access to a homeless shelter because of her sexual orientation, leaving her in the dead-cold of Chicago fall weather. According to Wang, after she and her girlfriend broke up, she was forced to find a temporary place to stay overnight. Wang says when she tried contacting the New Life Interim Housing, a homeless shelter in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, explaining her situation and revealing her orientation, the staffer became agitated. The staffer then told Wang there were no beds available. A short time after Wang had been denied shelter, the city's Department of Human Services learned that New Life still had two beds available that day. Rev. Bud Ogle, a Presbyterian pastor who cofounded the shelter, apologized for Wang's troubles. However, he blamed the incident on a clerical error and not any intentional discrimination, reports The Chicago Tribune.
Sprint to Pay $57M in Age-Discrimination Lawsuit
Thousands of former Kansas Sprint Nextel Corp. employees (Sprint Nextel is No. 28 on The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list) will be vindicated after being laid off from the company almost four years ago. Nearly 1,700 employees sued the company on the basis of age discrimination attributing the mass layoffs that occurred between Oct. 2001 and March 2003 to a computer glitch that improperly targeted employees older than 40. While the final settlement is subject to court approval, the company has agreed to settle the federal class-action age-discrimination lawsuit for $57 million according to Yahoo.com.
Older Generations Earn More Money
There is a growing divide between the rich and poor in America, and according to a USA Today analysis of federal government data, a generation gap may be responsible. Older individuals are earning more money and younger people are not. The study found that over time, people who are older become richer. According to the federal government's Survey of Consumer Finance, U.S. income typically peaks at age 57 and wealth tops out at 63. Read more.
Richardson Launches Campaign
Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., will officially launch his 2008 presidential campaign today. Richardson, who raised $6.2 million in the first three months of the year, says his strategy for winning the nomination against better-funded and more famous rivals including Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, include a focus on his Latino roots and leadership skills. Richardson hopes to increase his chances by reaching out to the growing Latino communities in large cities such as Los Angeles, tells CNN.com.
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