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The Race Relations Reporter is a weekly electronic bulletin of news, surveys, and a chronicle of race-related incidents of discrimination, hate crimes, and hate group activity from across the United States. This bulletin is sent to subscribers each week at their personal e-mail account address. Subscriptions are $24 for 52 weekly issues. See sample, below: THE RACE RELATIONS REPORTER * QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. If we are to make progress in this area, we must feel comfortable enough with one another and tolerant enough of each other to have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us.” — Attorney General Eric Holder, addressing Justice Department employees, February 18, 2009 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ * NEW DOCUMENTARY FILM TELLS THE HISTORY OF BLACKS IN GOLF: Today the highest-ranked golf player in the world is an African American. But the success story ends there. Tiger Woods is the only black golfer today who is qualified to play on the PGA Tour. * SURVEY FINDS THAT BLACK TEENAGERS HEAVILY FAVOR MENTHOL-FLAVORED CIGARETTES: A report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 21 percent of all teenagers who smoke cigarettes choose the brand Newport, a mentholated cigarette. But more than 75 percent of black teenagers who smoke cigarettes choose the Newport brand. * AFTER FOUR YEARS, COMMISSION ON TEACHING BLACK HISTORY IN NEW YORK SCHOOLS SHOWS LITTLE PROGRESS: In 2005 the state of New York created the Amistad Commission. The commission was created to promote the teaching of black history in the state’s public schools. * NEW TOOL FOR BLACKS SEARCHING THEIR ROOTS: The Web site Ancestry.com has added the records of more than 30,000 slaves from shipping manifests at the port of New Orleans. The records will help African Americans who subscribe to the service to search their roots. The manifests document the movement of slaves from the mid-Atlantic states to the Deep South in the 1810 to 1860 period. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ * NAMPA, IDAHO: Four whites were indicted for an attack on a black man at a Wal-Mart in Nampa, Idaho. The white men discussed beating the man while they were at the checkout counter. They then waited in the parking lot for the black man to come out of the store. One white man asked the black man what country he thought he was in and threw a lit cigarette at the man. The other whites yelled threats and racial slurs. When the black man tried to flee, he was tackled. He was beaten and kicked while he lay on the ground. (Lewiston Morning Tribune, 2-13-09) * DENVER, COLORADO: A U.S. flag that had been defaced with racial slurs and hate symbols was found flying on a flagpole outside a school in Denver, Colorado. The flag had been raised at night. (Associated Press, 2-13-09) * NEW YORK, NEW YORK: The widow of a black man who died while training for a position with the New York City Fire Department has filed notice of her intent to pursue a $10 million wrongful death suit against the city. The woman claims that her husband was subjected to more strenuous training exercises than white recruits, which led to his death. The training regimen was used, according to the widow, in an effort to keep blacks from joining the department. (New York Daily News, 2-13-09) * BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS: A class-action lawsuit has been filed by African Americans who unsuccessfully applied for positions as long-haul truck drivers for Wal-Mart. The suit claims that Wal-Mart uses word-of-mouth referrals from current drivers as their primary recruitment strategy. As a result, the predominantly white work force of truckers tended to recruit friends and family members who also were white. (Class Action Law Monitor, 2-15-09) * MECHANICSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA: Racist fliers were left on doorsteps in Mechanicsburg and Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The fliers bore the name of the Creativity Movement, formerly known as the World Church of the Creator. The fliers were headlined, “Love Your Race” and included the slogans, “White People Awake” and “Save the White Race.” (Harrisburg Patriot-News, 2-17-09) * BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: An employee of the University of Alabama at Birmingham was accused of using her work computer to send a racist e-mail message mocking President Obama. The message consisted of a poem entitled, “Da Night afo’ Crizzmus.” * SOUTH DENVER, COLORADO: Fans of a high school basketball team in South Denver, Colorado, were heard taunting black players on the opposing team. When black players were at the foul line taking free throws, the fans were mocking them with jeers of “Buckwheat” and other racially derogatory terms. (Rocky Mountain News, 2-18-09) * GREAT BARRINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Posters for a dance sponsored by the Black Student Union at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, were defaced with racist graffiti. The word “Niggers” was written on two separate posters. * NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: A race discrimination lawsuit was filed against Tennessee State University, a historically black educational institution in Nashville. Whites make up 17 percent of the total enrollments at the university. The plaintiffs in the case allege that blacks receive preferential treatment in grading and in the awarding of grant money. The suit accuses several faculty members of creating a “pervasive hostile environment based upon race, color, and natural origin.” (Nashville City Paper, 2-19-09) * NEW YORK, NEW YORK: The New York Post apologized for printing an editorial cartoon that some observers claim compared President Obama to a chimpanzee. The Post defended its action but apologized to those who felt offended. Al Sharpton held protests outside the newspaper’s office. (New York Post, 2-19-09) * CHILLICOTHE, OHIO: A local business volunteered to powerwash racist graffiti off a city park restroom after the city of Chillicothe, Ohio, could not pay to have the graffiti removed. The graffiti included racial slurs and the depiction of a lynching. (Chillicothe Gazette, 2-19-09) * JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI: Several African Americans filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming that they were discriminated against in hiring and promotion decisions by the Mississippi Highway Patrol. There are 608 troopers in the Mississippi Highway Patrol. Slightly more than 200 are African Americans. However, the black troopers claim that they are passed over for promotions in favor of less-qualified whites. (Associated Press 2-19-09) * CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: A RE/MAX franchise in Chicago agreed to settle a housing discrimination lawsuit. The suit charged that an agent for the firm steered minority home seekers to neighborhoods where the vast majority of residents were members of the particular minority group. The agent showed fewer homes to minority clients than to white clients and did not make follow-up calls to minority home buyers. * CONCORD, CALIFORNIA: A BMW car dealership in Concord, California, was accused of racial discrimination in a federal lawsuit. A sales manager reportedly told a sales trainee, “If you want to make it in this store, you have to take care of Mr. and Mrs. Blue Eyes and Blond Hair. The dealership was also accused of offering minority car buyers higher interest rates on car loans and lower deals on trade-ins. The dealership was also accused of limiting test drives for minorities to one block around the building whereas potential white buyers were permitted to go on long test drives. (Contra Costa Times, 2-19-09) * TRACKING HATE CRIMES: For week February 15-21, the term “hate crime” appeared in the nation’s major newspapers and magazines 192times. This is less than the 269 mentions of the term in the prior week. To contact The Race Relations Reporter, e-mail us at RRR@jbhe.com or call (212) 399-1084. © 2009 The Race Relations Reporter Past Race Relations Reporter
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