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We Are Family! Brad, Barack, Angelina and Hillary
Compiled by the DiversityInc staff
March 26, 2008
We Are Family! Brad, Barack, Angelina and Hillary
Barack Obama is a distant cousin of actor Brad Pitt, and Hillary Clinton is related to actress Angelina Jolie. That would definitely make for an uncomfortable Thanksgiving dinner this coming November. Clinton, who is of French-Canadian descent on her mother's side, is also a distant cousin of singers Madonna, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette. Obama, the son of a white woman from Kansas and a Black man from Kenya, can call six U.S. presidents, including George W. Bush, his cousins. McCain is a sixth cousin of first lady Laura Bush, according to researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, reports The Associated Press. Read how DNA tests help uncover hidden Black history.
H&R Block Charges Gay Couples More to File Taxes, Says ACLU
Under Connecticut law, gay and lesbian couples can enter into civil unions, which grant the same state rights and privileges as marriage. Since 2005, 1,846 same-sex couples have entered into a civil union in the state. But American Civil Liberties Union attorney Rebecca Shore is accusing H&R Block of discriminating against Connecticut's same-sex unions because the company does not provide online filing for taxpayers in civil unions and charges them a higher fee, according to 365Gay. The ACLU of Connecticut is asking H&R Block to allow gay couples in civil unions to file their state taxes online. The ACLU is representing a Hartford couple that tried to file their Connecticut taxes using H&R Block's online system in January, only to be told that the tax preparer's system couldn't accommodate civil unions. A message said H&R Block's computer program doesn't "support Connecticut civil unions" and advised the couple to visit an H&R Block office. That request is discriminatory because it would be more time-consuming and cost the couple about $155 more to file their taxes, says the ACLU, according to 365Gay. Read about which credit cards LGBT people prefer. Also find out about the same-sex marriage laws in your state.
Walgreens Settles $24M Race-Discrimination Lawsuit
Walgreens settled a $24-million discrimination lawsuit that alleged the company discriminated against thousands of Black employees nationwide, according to the EEOC, reports STLToday.com. The settlement resolves two lawsuits filed in federal court in East St. Louis: an EEOC suit filed last year after complaints from more than 20 current or former employees, and a class-action lawsuit filed in 2005 by 14 current and former Black employees. The Black employees alleged that Walgreens created "a pervasive policy of race discrimination." The settlement does not force Walgreens to admit to any wrongdoing. In the suits, employees and former employees claimed that Black employees were paid less than white employees with similar jobs and that Black applicants for management-trainee positions were rejected because of their race. They also alleged that the company steered Black managers to certain stores and denied them promotions. Read renowned lawyer Weldon Latham's advice on avoiding discrimination lawsuits.
Desmond Tutu Honored by N.Y. LGBT Group
The New York--based International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) will honor Desmond Tutu with its 2008 Outspoken Award as part of the organization's "A Celebration of Courage" human-rights ceremony on Tuesday, April 8, in San Francisco, reports 365Gay. "There is really only one name in the world that immediately conjures up moral leadership in pursuit of dignity for all people on earth, and that is Desmond Tutu," Paula Ettelbrick, IGLHRC's executive director, told 365Gay. "Archbishop Tutu's vision of a world in which human rights are respected has always explicitly included LGBT people, despite the fierce opposition he has faced from his peers and colleagues. He has challenged political apartheid in South Africa and continues to challenge spiritual apartheid within his religious community." Read which companies are best for LGBT workers.
American Muslims Turn to Home Schooling
Puberty for many Muslim-American women is a time when their families take them out of high school for home schooling, reports The New York Times. Taking teenage girls out of public schools is a way to protect them from prejudices but also helps build a strong Muslim identity, reports the Times. Parents who home school tend to be converts, Hina Khan-Mukhtar, who home-schools her three sons, told the Times. Immigrant parents that Khan-Mukhtar has encountered generally oppose the idea, seeing educational opportunities in America as a main reason for coming to this country in the first place. Read what being a Muslim in America really means.
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