From The Supremes to Maya Angelou, Hillary Gets Women of Color on Board

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has her eyes set on the one group that her rival, Barack Obama, has yet to clinch--women of color. In trying to win their votes, Clinton's campaign group planned to meet today at a Washington, D.C., hotel with nearly 300 women of color to urge them to raise money and spread the word among friends in support of her candidacy. Organizers of the gathering hoped to draw an ethnically diverse group of women from business, politics and the arts. Among those in attendance will be Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio, and Nydia Velasquez of New York. Mary Wilson, a former member of the Supremes, is also scheduled to attend, and poet Maya Angelou will deliver a video tribute. Read more.  

Bush Pushes Immigration Bill

In an attempt to save the bipartisan immigration compromise, President Bush has scheduled a rare visit to the Capitol to try to change the minds of GOP senators who oppose the bill. The measure, which legalizes up to 12 million undocumented immigrants and tightens border security, was stalled last week in the face of broad Republican opposition. Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesperson, said Bush "will talk about the fact that immigration reform is too important to let this opportunity pass, and this is the best opportunity that we have had in decades to reform the broken immigration system." Sen. Jeff Sessions, R.-Ala., told CNN that Bush "needs to help us write a better bill and not push a bill that so many of us cannot support." The president's concern over the bill is being considered one of most outward attempts to sell Congress on the immigration overhaul, which was shaped by his views and drafted by an unlikely liberal-to-conservative coalition in close consultation with two Cabinet secretaries, reports The Associated Press.

U.S. Soldiers Struggle to Receive Therapy

U.S. troops returning home that were stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan are struggling to receive the mental-health treatment they need because Tricare, the military-insurance program, has been cutting costs on therapists. Cutbacks have caused several members to wait weeks, and in most cases months, for a private therapist willing to take on members of the military. This is particularly challenging for those living in rural areas, where many troops and their families live. The Associated Press states, as a result of this, frustrated therapist groups are offering services free of charge.

Cuba Appoints First Female Episcopal Bishop

New Episcopal Bishop Nerva Cot Aguilera has become the church's first female bishop in Cuba and the developing world. Cot said she welcomes the opportunity to show what women can do if given the chance. "I feel very honored by my designation," she told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "It's a historic act that demonstrates women's possibilities." U.S. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said Cot's designation as suffragan bishop "is a wonderful reminder that leadership is primarily about gifts for service and not about gender." Read more.

Faculty Says AAUP Lacks Diversity

Faculty members at the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) are concerned about the lack in diversity at their organization. Members complained that the academy failed to promote diversity during its 93rd annual meeting with one session in particular, "Telling the Truth at Difficult Times." Anne Friedman, vice president for community colleges at Professional Staff Congress, a union that represents City University of New York workers, said she is disappointed with the AAUP. "It's always been a [predominately] white organization," said Friedman. "We talk about issues of race and diversity among students, but we need to also talk about issues of race and diversity among faculty." Friedman was among nearly 30 faculty and staff members who attended the "What's Race Got to Do with It? Social Disparities and Student Success" panel seeking out answers on how to recruit and retain diverse faculty and staff members at their institutions. Read more.

Ex-Klansman Testifies in 1964 Civil-Rights-Era Case 

The long-running civil-rights-era case involving the 1964 murder of two black teenagers is scheduled for preliminary deliberations this week because of a testimony provided against James Ford Seale. Charles Marcus Edwards, a former Ku Klux Klansman and longtime friend of Seale, said the reason he kept silent about the abduction, beating and drowning of two black teenagers all these years was because he feared retribution from fellow Klansmen. Edwards, who was granted immunity from the prosecution, said he thought he'd be a "dead man" if he ever told authorities about the Klan's dealings including the attacks on Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore in southwest Mississippi. Seale, 71, has pleaded not guilty and has denied ever belonging to the Klan. However, if convicted, he faces up to life in prison. Attorneys say Seale will not testify. Read more.

Emmett Till Killing Now a Presentation

A group of Baytown, Texas, middle schoolers decided to base their history-fair project on the 1955 killing of Emmett Till. The presentation, called "Emmett Till: The Sacrificial Lamb of the Civil Rights Movement" on the brutal murder of a black teen 50 years ago, captured so much attention, the FBI agent responsible for reopening the criminal investigation agreed to meet with the students to discuss his new findings. Till's death was reportedly caused by two Mississippi men who believed Till had whistled at a white woman. Till, one of the earliest martyrs of the civil-rights movement, died at age 14. The students also wrote a play that accompanied their presentation, earning them a spot in the National History Day competition outside Washington, D.C., tells The Houston Chronicle.

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