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Black Comics: 'We Don't All Draw Alike'

Eleven comics held a demonstration this weekend to show the lack of diversity in the comics section in Sunday newspapers. They each drew their own version of the same comic strip to show that each Black comic has a different perspective. The idea was inspired by Corey Thomas, creator of "Watch Your Head," a comic strip about a group of Black friends in college. While Thomas says that it's hard for any new cartoonist to break into an industry where "real estate is shrinking," he notes that struggle can be harder for Black cartoonists. "When grouping together cartoons based on theme, a lot of people group together Black strips with Black being considered the theme, when that is not a theme at all--the Black strips are as diverse as any other strip," Thomas told National Public Radio. They aligned the demonstration with the birthday of Black cartoon pioneer Al Harrington. While the group is saying they are not looking for "affirmative action," they say they do want equal footing.

Who Is Michelle Obama?

Barack Obama's rock-star power and message of hope have propelled the young senator to the limelight of the democratic presidential race, but according to him, none of this could have been done without his wife, Michelle. So, who exactly is Michelle Obama? While she humbly answers the question with "I am a mother," she is a 44-year-old Princeton- and Harvard Law--educated former corporate lawyer who, after watching her father go to work with multiple sclerosis and seeing a close friend die of cancer, became a hospital executive. On the campaign trail, she says her role "is to give people yet another slice of who Barack is, making him even more multidimensional," because people picking a president "want to know not just about policies ... but who are you? What do you believe in? Can I trust you?" Her comments about his foibles were meant to prevent "deifying" her husband. She says: "He's a gifted man--one of the most brilliant politicians you'll see in this lifetime--but in the end, he's just a man," reports The Wall Street Journal.

Women's Leadership: The Double Standard

How do women leaders differ from men? They are better at consensus-building and superior in other leadership qualities such as prioritizing and teamwork, reports The New York Times. But experiments show the criteria by which women leaders are judged are vastly different than for men. Clothing and appearance generally matter more for women, research shows, and surprisingly, several studies have found that it is a disadvantage for a woman to be physically attractive when applying for a managerial job, reports the Times. "It's an uphill struggle, to be judged both a good woman and a good leader," Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a Harvard Business School professor who is an expert on women in leadership, told the Times. For six ways women leaders make a difference, check out the upcoming March 2008 issue of DiversityInc magazine.  

Oprah Opens Her Own Store

Television diva and billionaire Oprah Winfrey is making herself more accessible to her millions of devoted fans. Winfrey opened her first store in her native Chicago, packed with Oprah-branded products, reports World Entertainment News Network. A statement from Winfrey's publicist claims the shop is a "specialty store full of merchandise that represents the style and taste Oprah celebrates and shares on The Oprah Winfrey Show." Find out more about The Oprah Effect.

Arizona Won't Halt Harsh Immigration Law Despite Lawsuit Threat

The battle to protect undocumented immigrants' rights suffered a minor setback on Thursday when Arizona ruled against a lawsuit by construction contractors and immigrant organizations who sought to halt a state law that went into effect on Jan. 1, imposing severe penalties on employers who knowingly hire undocumented immigrants, reports The New York Times. These rulings were a sharp change from a decision in July by a federal judge in Pennsylvania, who struck down ordinances adopted by the city of Hazleton barring local employers from hiring undocumented immigrants and local landlords from renting to them, reports the Times. As of November, 1,562 bills dealing with immigration were introduced in state legislatures in 2007, and 244 became law, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. How does your state measure up on immigration?

Age Discrimination: What You Need to Know 

The Supreme Court tightened its ruling on age discrimination, allowing workers to sue employers whose policies discriminate on the basis of age even if the policy isn't discriminatory on its face, reports the Examiner. "This is a huge decision for older workers," says Laurie McCann, senior attorney for AARP Litigation Foundation, the Washington, D.C.--based legal arm of the lobby group for older Americans, to the Examiner.

Corporations are less than happy about the decision. "We were very disappointed that the court created a new way to sue your employer," says Ann Reesman, general counsel for the Equal Employment Advisory Council, which represents more than 300 large private employers. The new decision also says employers can prevail in defending those same lawsuits simply by demonstrating a legitimate business reason for the policies that have the effect of treating older workers less favorably, which makes the effects of the decision less than clear. Get legal advice from one of DiversityInc's experts on age discrimination--what you need to know.

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