Tavis Smiley: People of Color More Influential in Presidential Politics

The All-American Presidential Forum with all major Democratic candidates at Howard University will be broadcast live in primetime on PBS Thursday night. It will mark the first time three journalists of color, as well as a moderator of color, posed questions to presidential candidates. In September, GOP candidates will gather at a similar forum in Baltimore. Tavis Smiley, who will moderate the debate, wrote in a USA Today op-ed that this follows an upsurge in political activity by people of color. The black-American vote was up 25 percent in the 2004 election. Smiley wrote that the Latino vote is imperative as well. Read more. (See also: Whose Presidential Campaign Is Worst for Diversity?)

N.Y. Assembly Passes Gay-Marriage Bill

Tears, testimonials and, appropriately, a marriage proposal greeted New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's same-sex-marriage equality bill, which was ratified by an 85-61 margin. Democrats hold a 108 to 42 majority in the Assembly. That the first-ever floor vote on the bill could be so close is a testament to the controversy remaining around the subject. "Everbody who voted yes and is not on the island of Manhattan thinks this vote puts them at peril," said Assembly member Daniel O'Donnell, the bill's sponsor in that chamber. Read more. (See also: Gay Marriage Is Good Business)

Isaiah Washington Says ABC Fired Wrong Actor

"They fired the wrong guy," Isaiah Washington said to the Houston Chronicle about his dismissal from ABC's "Grey's Anatomy." Washington was let go on June 7, just a month before filming for the new season was to begin. He has been slammed with negative publicity since October when he allegedly used an anti-gay slur during an on-set disagreement with co-star Patrick Dempsey and then subsequently used the slur on TV at a nationally televised awards show. Washington said T.R. Knight, who plays Dr. George O'Malley, stirred up the notion that the slur was targeted at him and created a negative work environment. Washington also alleged that Knight likely wanted a salary increase and a more substantive role for his character. Read more.

Creditos123.com Launches Universidad Financiera

Immigrants encounter a brand-new set of financial situations that could potentially drive them into bankruptcy if handled incorrectly. Creditos123.com is building the largest collection of personal-finance articles in Spanish, which soon will be available in English as well. The articles were thought out specifically with the immigrant worldview in mind, taking into consideration situations that others wouldn't need to address. Creditos123.com also shares videos where people can listen to the answers to some of the most common personal-finance questions among Latinos. Read more.

N.J. Voters to Decide on Stem-Cell Funding

A day after President Bush vetoed a bill that would have eased constraints on federally funded embryonic-stem-cell research, New Jersey's legislature decided to take the issue to its voters. This November, N.J. voters will decide whether to approve borrowing $450 million to pay for 10 years of stem-cell research under legislation approved Thursday by the state's legislature. "The potential yield on this investment—in terms of lives saved, hope restored and economies revitalized—is unlimited," said Senate President Richard J. Codey, a Democrat. Read more.

Black Consumers Target of Atlanta Seminar

Metro Atlanta is the final leg of a three-city seminar tour sponsored by San Francisco-based Wells Fargo (No. 20 on The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list) that features speakers such as Tavis Smiley and NBA legend Dominique Wilkins. The seminars are geared toward black consumers, with topics such as consumer and entrepreneurial finance, homeownership, traditional investment and savings and retirement, and business ownership. Read more.

Schools Fail Black-Male Students

The graduation rate for black boys is a disgrace, and the education system's failure to provide an environment where black boys can be successful is almost criminal, writes Floyd Weatherspoon, professor of law at Capital University Law School in Ohio, in a USA Today op-ed. Black-male students are disproportionately suspended and expelled from school, systematically excluded from advanced and college-preparatory classes and overrepresented in special-education classes. Read more.

GM to Rev-Up On-Star Marketing With Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods' days as a Buick pitchman are coming to a close so that General Motors can use him a broader role, said Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of North American sales, service and marketing (General Motors is No. 34 on The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list). LaNeve said the product strategy of how to best use Woods is to sell cars based on their own attributes, not on their ties to a particular celebrity. Woods has had a sponsorship agreement with Buick since 1999 and agreed to a new deal in 2004 believed to be worth more than $40 million over five years. Read more.

Black Farmers Back to Negotiating Table

Lawmakers began hearings Thursday on two proposals aimed at addressing a huge portion of claims that were denied because black farmers missed a filing deadline. Many farmers have said they didn't know about it. At issue is the 1999 settlement of a class-action lawsuit by black farmers—from Georgia and other Southern states, primarily—who alleged the Agriculture Department routinely denied them loans because of their race. The department agreed to pay at least $50,000 to farmers who could show they faced discrimination. About two-thirds of the 22,442 farmers who filed have won claims, and the government has paid almost $950 million in compensation, according to a court-appointed monitor. Read more.

Chinese Play Translates MLK's Dream

Can a Chinese man successfully portray the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on stage? Should he darken his face and change his features to do it? Should American notions of political correctness determine how one of China's premier theatrical troupes stages a play? "That's the real beauty and challenge of the play—how do you translate Martin Luther King?" said Caitrin McKiernan, the 27-year-old American co-producer. "I don't think we're going to resolve all this, but it's a start. And I hope this play goes beyond Beijing, beyond China. I want the play to be performed all over the world." Read more.

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