Speak Out!

A Washington Post article addresses the fight in Mississippi over whether post-Katrina funds should be allocated to more affordable housing or to boost employment and economic development.

The Gulfport port project has become a symbol for both sides. The port lost about 700,000 square feet of storage facilities and other infrastructure in the storm, and regional leaders have long hoped for a port expansion that would position the area to benefit from the

According to an article on Black Politics on the Web, a new report by AARP’s Public Policy Institute shows that influenza and pneumonia vaccination rates for older African Americans and Hispanics lag significantly behind those of whites.

“It’s tragic that America loses so many lives each year to preventable diseases,” said AARP Board Member Jacob Lozada.

What can the new president and Congress do to help the education system in the U.S.?

According to the executive director of the National Coalition of Girls' Schools, brain science is revealing insights about how people think, learn and view the world and that there are differences in how information is processed by the male and female brain. Is an all-girls education a valuable option or is it merely sex segregation?

The California Supreme Court ruled that doctors may not discriminate against gays and lesbians in medical treatment, even if the procedures being sought conflict with physicians' religious beliefs. An L.A. Times article quotes:

"The 1st Amendment's right to the free exercise of religion does not exempt defendant physicians here from conforming their conduct to the . . . antidiscrimination requirements," Justice Joyce L.

Back in the 1990s, term limits were touted as a way to reform government, and cities, towns and some 15 states enacted limits for their legislators. Recently, the idea is being revisited—a topic covered by a USA Today op-ed debate:

It's easy to see how term limits became so popular.

A New York Times article addresses the issue of being young, Black and Republican in today's political landscape:

“There was something annoying about the idea that if you were black, you had to be Democrat,” Mr. Ivory said. “The blog started out as a means to vent.” While some blacks lean conservative on issues like abortion and gay marriage, Web sites like Mr.

A lot can happen in a month and a half before a general election. That's the amount of time before Election Day in which people, in some states, can take advantage of "early voting." Why should or shouldn't we do away with presidential campaigning once early voting begins?

In a survey earlier this year by the Research and Policy Institute of California (RPIC), perceptions of African Americans and Latinos throughout the state were analyzed. Although this survey was limited to the state of California, the findings may mirror results in other states:

Of five key priority issues affecting minorities to date, global warming was consistently ranked the lowest priority, according to the survey.

It's been widely reported that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said it was "unacceptable" that there were so few Black people in the U.S. diplomatic corps:

Speaking in Washington, D.C.