Who are Imus' top 10 enablers? According to Alternet, they are: James Carville, CNN analyst, ex-presidential adviser, who defends Imus' right to "free speech"; Bob Kerrey, New School president, former senator and former Democratic presidential candidate, who would "welcome" the chance to be on the show again; Rudy Giuliani, Republican presidential candidate, former New York City mayor, whose campaign says it will not boycott Imus; Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Republican presidential candidate, who talks about "second chances"; New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Democratic presidential candidate, who thinks Imus has "paid his debt" for his mistake; Tim Russert, NBC News anchor, who will only appear on the show if his bosses allow it; Frank Rich, New York Times columnist; Sam Tanenhaus, New York Times editor; Jeff Greenfield, CBS News analyst; and Howard Kurtz, Washington Post and CNN media commentator, who credits an appearance on the Imus show with boosting the print order for his book Spin Cycle by a whopping 700 percent (25,000 copies to 200,000 copies).

(See also: How Much Is Don Imus Worth?)

Divided Values: Why Do Blacks Say Theirs Can't Be Viewed as a Single Race?

A Harvard University professor is upset over a recent Pew Research Center study that found 37 percent of blacks feel "blacks today can no longer be thought of as a single race." Values of the black middle class have become more aligned with whites than poor blacks because of an increasing class divide, the report found. Henry Louis Gates Jr., author of the forthcoming In Search of Our Roots, writes in a New York Times opinion piece that "It's time to examine the differences between black families on either side of the divide for clues about how to address an increasingly entrenched inequality. We can't afford to wait any longer …"

Drawing on historic analysis projecting today's socioeconomic division among black families, Gates condemns the lack of attention to this "self-perpetuating class divide," which has been fueled by an increase of out-of-wedlock births--69 percent today, compared with about 24 percent in 1965--and single-parent households run by women--45 percent of black households today compared with 24 percent in 1965. What fuels the divide? Land ownership, writes Gates, who studied the family trees of 20 successful African Americans, including Oprah Winfrey, and found that 75 percent of these people descend from at least one line of former slaves who acquired land by 1920, a time when only a quarter of African Americans owned property. "People who own property feel a sense of ownership in their future and their society. They study, save, work, strive and vote," writes Gates. "And people trapped in a culture of tenancy do not."

(See also: Rodney King's Question: Why Can't We All Just Get Along? and Is Black Income Declining? Our Baloney Meter Checks It Out)

Why So Few People of Color in Fed Executive Ranks?

A new report shows that representation of people of color in the Senior Executive Service, which is a step down from presidential Cabinet members, at six legislative agencies dropped from 17.5 percent in 2002 to 16.8 percent in 2007, reports The Federal Times. Women are more represented than people of color--35.8 percent, up from 31.6 percent five years earlier. People of color at three of the agencies also earn an average of $6,000 less than whites, and women earn $10,000 less than men, on average, at three of the agencies. The six agencies studied, including the Government Accountability Office and Congressional Budget Office, did not argue the report's findings at a Nov. 13 hearing but said they were endeavoring to make progress on this issue. Part of the problem is a historic lack of a pipeline of talented people of color in federal service. 

(See also: Which Federal Agencies Fail at Diversity? EEOC Tells All)

Want to 'Google' Your Own DNA?

Rapidly decreasing genetic-testing costs, frustration with existing options and a renewed presence of the debate is giving rise to a new industry that will show how people's biology makes them who they are for just $1,000 and a saliva sample, reports The New York Times. Those who purchase the service log into online accounts and search the "Genome Explorer" to understand what genetic differences cause certain ailments like arthritis or other biological characteristics. But what if you don't like what you find out? Some are concerned that a woman who learns she carries a gene that causes diseases, for example, might be less likely to have kids--in essence, "discriminating" against the unborn child. Others are worried employers could use the information to discriminate against them in employment. Some healthcare providers say the public is generally unequipped to interpret this information and would require expert assistance, reports The New York Times. 

(See also: Nobel Prize Winner Apologizes for Calling Blacks Intellectually Inferior and Are DNA Tests for Real? Black Prof. Not Convinced)

Higher Caregiving Costs Leave Families Out to Dry

A new study finds that caring for an aging loved one costs an average $5,531 annually in out-of-pocket costs--10 percent of respondents' salaries, reports The New York Times. Financial challenges are compounded for people who earn less, who disproportionately are people of color. For those who make $25,000 a year, 20 percent of their annual income is channeled into caregiving costs for aging parents, spouses and friends, according to the study of 34 million Americans who provide such care, conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving and Evercare. For those in the sandwich generation, who tend to be people of color because they have larger extended families, times are especially difficult. The report calls for government assistance for family caregivers in the form of tax credits, tax deductions or other stipends to help ease the burden.   

Read the May 2007 issue of DiversityInc magazine to learn more about the sandwich generation.

Breast-Feeding Mom Forces Immigration-Law Change

Federal immigration officials were under fire after removing a nine-month-old child from her nursing mother, who was an undocumented immigrant, during an Ohio raid. The baby girl, who was born in the United States and is a citizen, was put in the care of social workers while the mother was sent to jail to await deportation, reports The New York Times. Uproar from Latino and women's health groups spurred the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release new guidelines last week on how immigration officials should treat pregnant women, nursing mothers, single parents and other undocumented immigrants with specified family-care responsibilities during raids.

(See also: What to Do When Immigration Raids Leave Behind Traumatized Children)

Tough Immigration Laws Mean Lost Business

Arizona is among the border states enacting harsh laws to control and prevent undocumented immigration. A new measure that takes effect in January will impose significant fines on businesses employing undocumented workers in the state--first offense means a temporary revocation of business licenses; second offense means your business license could be revoked for good. The hard-line legislative reaction is already pushing much of the burgeoning Latino population--employees, business owners and consumers--to leave the state seeking a better quality of life, reports Reuters on MSNBC. Arizona is one of more than 40 states that have enacted more than 180-immigration-related laws in 2007. How does your state measure up?

Ala. Church Pastor in '63 KKK Bombing Dies at 82

The Rev. John H. Cross Jr. died Thursday at a hospital in Georgia, reports The Associated Press. After the 1963 bombing of his Birmingham, Ala., church in which three ex-Ku Klux Klansmen were convicted, Cross dug through the remains looking for survivors, then led the funeral services, during which Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the eulogy for three of the four girls who were killed. Cross, who dedicated his life to inspiring cross-racial unity and empowerment, had suffered from strokes, internal bleeding and other medical problems. He was 82.

Can Immigrants Revive a Small Town?

The town of Newburgh in upstate New York was hit hard in the 1960s and 1970s by racial tensions, poor economic development, an upsurge of single-parent households, the virtual extinction of factory jobs and a dearth of an educated work force to fill the growing gap. Now, things are starting to look up, reports The Wall Street Journal, thanks to an influx of Italian and Latino immigrants who are building up the city by establishing new small businesses, spurring a wave of urban renewal that promises to return the town to its previous commercial splendor.

Read the September 2007 issue of DiversityInc magazine to learn how Indian immigrants revived a small New Jersey town.

Top Questions on Social Security

As the first wave of baby boomers becomes eligible for Social Security in January, many of the estimated 78-million population has questions about how to get checks, how much they'll get and how to file. Read all about the top questions baby boomers have regarding Social Security and get the answers from The Wall Street Journal.

Immigrant Gardener Gives Back Via Scholarships