National

Masada Johnson gazed at the excited teenagers busily probing the colorful explosion of floor-length dresses that had been gathered just for them in preparation of their big day — prom. Watching them reminded Johnson why she was there.

Cummings is the ranking Democrat on the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the congressional panel hearing holding hearings on the Snyder administration’s decision to switch the source of the city of Flint’s water and their response to the health crisis that ensued as a result.

Ray Winans, once affectionately known as “Killer Ray,” is helping reduce gun violence in Detroit — one gang member at a time.

Planned reforms to federal drug and sentencing laws that imprisoned many African Americans have become locked up by election-year politics.

Restore the Vote was an event co-sponsored by the NAACP Minneapolis and University of St. Thomas Law School. Held at St. Thomas University on February 15, its purpose was to initiate advocacy for restoration of voting rights to ex-offenders.

Better use of technology and data could help solve the problem of mass incarceration.

That’s one conclusion that can be drawn from the work of Steven Matthews, a technology consultant who, until recently, was Chief Information Officer for the Illinois Department of Corrections.

President Barack Obama delivers the seventh and final State of the Union Address from the Capitol Building, January 12th, 2016.

Metro Transit is now looking at how to improve its policing in light of a recent report that showed Blacks and other people of color overwhelming cited for violations rather than warned, especially for “first-time fare evasion” incidents.

Supporters outside the federal building chanted Sandra Bland’s name repeatedly and after the rally, flooded Judge Hittner’s courtroom to show strength in numbers and support for the family of Sandra Bland.

Amid a tepid economy, America’s burgeoning “maker” movement is breeding a whole new generation of creative Black entrepreneurs. They are betting their futures not on traditional jobs, but on serious craft.
Whether hand-sewn, hand-made, home-forged, hand-cut or garage-built, these risk takers rely on a very old-school concept: If you have a craft, nobody can ever take your career away.

The rapid rise of Black entrepreneurs in the maker space is due, in part, to greater incubator spaces, cheaper access to collaborators, and possibly to dramatically higher Black unemployment. This has made some people much more aggressive about pursuing passions and opportunities outside of the norm.

Hundreds of people gathered at an inaugural event for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture Monday night here to celebrate the completion of the museum’s exterior in a year that marks three significant moments in American history.

Public radio historically has been diversity-challenged. This American Life’s Stephanie Foo recently wrote for broadcast a “manifesto on diversity in public radio” that uniquely pointed out “all the excuses” often heard by station execs and others “and offers simple ways to override them.”

“Diversity is such a loaded term,” said National Public Radio (NPR) journalist Kat Chow, who since 2013 covers race, ethnicity and culture for NPR’s Code Switch team. She spoke at the November 2 Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) Broadcast Journalist Series fall program at the University of St. Thomas’ St. Paul campus.