race

A George Washington University professor who apologized in an essay last week for assuming “identities within a Blackness that I had no right to claim” resigned, the university said.

A George Washington University professor apologized in an essay Thursday for assuming “identities within a Blackness that I had no right to claim.”  Jessica Krug, a historian with a specialty in Africa and imperialism, said she had identified as North African, Black and Caribbean “when I had absolutely no right to do so — when doing so is the very…

The next time the soft serve truck rolls around your block, don’t be surprised if kids start singing “ice cream rules everything around me.” That’s because Wu-Tang founder and producer RZA has teamed up with Good Humour to create a new jingle for trucks across the country. It’ll replace the most commonly heard jingle, “Turkey in the Straw,” a...

Netflix dating series “Indian Matchmaking” sheds light on the realities of arranged marriages and has led to a slew of tweets, including those from Dr. Mythri Jegathesan, a Professor at Santa Clara University, who is questioning the editing of the reality show and says it lacks representation of South Asian Americans.

Sindy Marisol Benavides is a Honduran American immigrant and public servant working to bring the American dream to other Latinos, women, and immigrants. She is the chief executive officer of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the oldest Hispanic civil rights organization in the country, founded in 1929. Benavides serves on numerous civic boards, is the former vice…

The Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler is the 52nd pastor of Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia and is a native of Oakland, California. Mother Bethel has the distinction of being the birthplace of the African Methodist Episcopal denomination and founded by Bishop Richard Allen in 1794. The land that the bishop purchased for the church in 1791 is…

John C. Yang is the president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. He focuses his efforts on public policy, education, litigation and advocacy to elevate issues germane to Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and other minority communities. Yang is an attorney with two-plus decades of corporate expertise in policy and litigation. He is a former senior adviser…

Mike Render, aka Killer Mike, is a Grammy Award-winning rapper, businessman and activist. He made his musical debut on Outkast’s 2000 LP “Stankonia.” The Atlanta native hosts the Netflix series “Trigger Warning With Killer Mike,” has released five albums as a solo artist and four albums with Run the Jewels, owns barbershops and co-owns Bankhead Seafood with rapper T.I....

David J. Johns serves as executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition. The civil rights organization empowers Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people, including those living with HIV/AIDS. Johns is a passionate advocate for youth, social justice and public policy. He is a former executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for...

Tiana Sirmans is a celebrity correspondent and emerging journalist. The New Castle, Delaware, native recently turned 10 years old and is using her voice to mentor girls from multicultural backgrounds and to raise anti-bullying awareness. She has appeared on local and national television programs, including The Kelly Clarkson Show. She has completed internships with Arianna Huffington at Thrive Global and…

Dr. Daina Ramey Berry is the Oliver H. Radkey Regents Professor of History and the incoming chairperson of the department at the University of Texas at Austin. She’s an author and a commentator for radio and television. Her latest book, “A Black Woman’s History of the United States,” was published in 2020 and co-authored by Kali Nicole Gross.

Derrick Johnson serves as president and chief executive officer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He has spent his career fighting for justice to improve the lives of Black people and people of color. The Detroit native is a former state president of the NAACP Mississippi State Conference. Following the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina…

Sybrina Fulton is a mother and advocate for social good. The Miami native became nationally known following the killing of her 17-year-old son, Trayvon Martin. She co-founded the Travyon Martin Foundation with Tracy Martin, Trayvon’s father, to bring awareness to senseless gun violence. She also founded the Circle of Mothers, a retreat for mothers who have lost a child....

Kimberlé Crenshaw is a professor of law at UCLA and Columbia Law School. She has developed Black feminist legal theory and was named one of the top critical thinkers in the world by Prospect magazine in 2019. Based in Los Angeles, Crenshaw is the co-founder and executive director of The African American Policy Forum (AAPF), and creator of the 2014…

Kevin Jennings has been fighting for equality for decades. In 1988, he created the first school-based Gay-Straight Alliance Club while working as a history teacher in Concord, Massachusetts. He went on to serve as the assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education from 2009 to 2011. Today, he is the…

Shepherd, a former president of the American Meteorological society explains what we need to do to close the climate gap.

George M Johnson, a New York City-based LGBTQIA and HIV activist, is the author of “All Boy’s Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto,” a bestselling series of essays expounding on the young adult experience growing up Black and queer. They recently signed with Gabrielle Union and Sony TV to bring the memoir to television. Johnson also writes on a range of...

April Reign is an attorney, equity advocate, media maven and creator of the #OscarsSoWhite social media movement. As she watched the 2015 Academy Awards and was stunned to see the lack of people of color being recognized, she felt compelled to tweet with the hashtag. #OscarsSoWhite sparked entertainment industry discussions and change around diversity and inclusion that continue today. Her…

Rashad Robinson advocates for Black people and communities as president of Color of Change, a digital social justice organization with 7 million followers. Robinson’s team leads campaigns to bring awareness to inequity and mobilizes followers to solve problems. He is working to implement anti-racist initiatives and to end mass incarceration. Robinson and fellow civil rights leaders recently met with...

In late March, Ron Marlowe was still commuting to work on public transportation, and like most others, he wasn’t wearing a mask. Then one day, Marlowe came down with an incredible headache. He tested positive for COVID-19 and spent five days in the hospital. “They put me in a wheelchair and they whisked me away,” he remembered. Marlowe says...