|
After $3.7M Reverse-Discrimination Lawsuit, New Orleans District Attorney Resigns
Compiled by the DiversityInc staff
October 31, 2007
After $3.7M 'Reverse-Discrimination' Lawsuit, New Orleans District Attorney Resigns
Embroiled New Orleans District Attorney Eddie Jordan resigned Wednesday, citing a reverse-discrimination lawsuit against his office, reports MSNBC. Jordan, who is black, was accused of firing 35 white employees and hiring black employees to replace them. A judge found his office liable for $3.7 million, but Mayor Ray Nagin says the city can't afford to pay. Jordan is stepping down to try and prevent the office's assets from being seized, but representatives for the plaintiffs say this isn't about Jordan, and they want their money.
Will Stanley O'Neal Get a Second Chance?
We all know the saying "The higher you climb, the harder you fall." So why is it that high-profile CEOs of color and women who fail in their jobs have a harder time getting back up than white men in similar positions? Former Merrill Lynch CEO E. Stanley O'Neal may have a tough time getting a second chance, reports The Wall Street Journal, if the legacies of others such as Franklin Raines, former CEO of Fannie Mae, and Carly Fiorina, ousted Hewlett-Packard CEO, are any indication of his future.
Social Networking for People With Disabilities Equals ROI
"Niche" social-networking sites are all the rage these days. Now there's one for a not-so-small niche--the more than 50 million people with disabilities living in the United States, reports The New York Times. Disaboom.com, which launched Oct. 1, expects to have more than a million unique visitors each month by the end of February and to double that next year. Some companies, such as Ford Motor Co. and Johnson & Johnson, both in The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity®, are signing up to advertise their products and recruitment packages on the site--and Ford has already seen returns.
First Openly Gay NBA Player Stars in Ad
Openly gay former basketball star John Amaechi, who was the subject of ex-NBA star Tim Hardaway's derogation, is featured in a 20-second public-service announcement by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, according to the group. The PSA campaign, which premiered Tuesday to mark the beginning of the 2007-2008 NBA season and is called "Be an Ally & a Friend," highlights 22 public figures from television, film and sports to combat LGBT stereotypes.
(See also: Announcing the First Openly Gay NBA Player and Ex-NBA Star Declares 'I Hate Gay People')
More Criticism for the Knicks
Things haven't gotten much better for the Knicks after losing a high-profile sexual-harassment lawsuit earlier this month. NBA Commissioner David Stern is criticizing the team for poor management, reports The New York Times. "There were many checkpoints along the way where more decisive action would have eliminated this issue," Stern tells ESPN. Madison Square Garden Chairman Jim Dolan, who had to pay a portion of the $11.6-million settlement out of his own pocket, says things might get better for the Knicks if they could win a few games this season. But with a six-year losing track record, things aren't looking up for the franchise. What does Knicks Coach Isiah Thomas, who was the subject of the sexual-harassment allegations, say in response to Stern's criticism? Not much. "I didn't hear what he said," Thomas told The New York Times, "but Jim made a statement for the organization, and the statement speaks for itself."
(See also: Stripteases, Porn, the B-Word: Isiah Thomas Is Not Alone in Sex Harassment)
How to Close the College Achievement Gap?
Higher education is trying to take the lead in closing the achievement gap, a move many in the field believe is long overdue. A new plan by 19 colleges and universities seeks to reduce the college-achievement gap in half within eight years by improving college-graduation and attendance rates among low-income students and students of color, reports Inside Higher Ed. The statistics are daunting: Whites are twice as likely as blacks and three times as likely as Latinos to earn a bachelor's degree by age 29, and white students tend to progress much faster through the college curriculum than black and Latino students, according to Inside Higher Ed.
More News Digest >>
Send Your Comments About This Article Now
© DiversityInc 2008 ® All rights reserved. No article on this site can be reproduced by any means, print, electronic or any other, without prior written permission of the publisher.
|
|
