Brown University to Donate $10 Million for Slavery Ties
When Brown University first learned of its school's ties to Henry Laurens, a planter and political leader of one of the largest slave-trading homes, board members at the university announced they would begin a series of new commitments to atone for the institution's slavery ties. These new commitments include a continuing academic partnership with several historically black colleges and universities that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. The new programs follow a report of the school's Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice that found much of Brown's endowment came from slave owners' wealth. The most significant commitment will pertain to Providence, R.I.
, public schools, which will include a $10-million endowment to create The Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence.
Read more.
NASA Issues New Plan for Astronauts Who Lose It
Just in case another astronaut decides to go overboard the same way Lisa Nowak--astronaut, wife and mother-of-three--did, NASA is implementing a plan to help astronauts who suddenly "lose it" in space. (See also: Astronaut Workplace Obsession: 7 Ways Your Office Can Avoid This Problem) Nowak's arrest on charges that she tried to kidnap and kill a woman she regarded as her rival for another astronaut's affections earlier this month put NASA under the spotlight and has led NASA to review its psychological-screening process. The incident inspired NASA to issue a new detailed set of written procedures for dealing with a suicidal or psychotic astronaut in space. The documents, obtained this week by The Associated Press, say the astronaut's crewmates should bind his or her wrists and ankles with duct tape, tie him or her down with a bungee cord and inject him or her with tranquilizers, if necessary. NASA spokesperson James Hartsfield said they will decide on a case-by-case basis whether to abort flights or send the astronaut home. Read more.
Bank Credit Cards Not Aimed at Terrorists
Are people without credit cards a greater risk than terrorists? Several bank executives and outside critics are still fuming over Bank of America's plan to offer credit cards to people without Social Security numbers or credit histories out of fear they are bad credit risks--or worse, connected to terrorism. But advertising veteran Javier Palomarez says it's perfectly legal and logical. Palomarez says new credit-card holders are grateful to have a card and the ability to build up credit histories. Supporters of BofA and Palomarez feel a distinction needs to be made between undocumented immigrants wanting to build up credit, and terrorists. Bank of America is No. 25 on The 2006 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list. Read more.
Cuba Ahead on Gay Rights?
While Massachusetts allows gay marriages and only four states allow same-sex unions with few legal rights, it seems the Cuban government may be ahead of the United States on gay rights. During the mid-1990s, Cuba authorized the production and viewing of the Academy Award-nominated film "Strawberry and Chocolate" about the awkward friendship between a straight man and a gay man, both battling homophobia. Since the movie debut, the Cuban government's intolerance of gay people has given way to a more egalitarian treatment of gays and lesbians. Public persecution of gays and lesbians has declined sharply. Cuba may even be on the verge of enacting a law that gives same-sex couples some form of legal status. Read more.
Employers That Hire Undocumented Immigrants Are Targeted by Govt.
The U.S. government is increasingly arresting corporate officers, employers, managers, contractors and facilitators for the hiring and harboring of undocumented workers. A significant number of arrests were made in 2003 and the arrests are growing. IFCO Systems North America, the nation's biggest recycler of wooden pallets, is one company branded for knowingly hiring undocumented workers. Agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau have already targeted 52 IFCO workshops in 26 states, arresting 1,187 foreigners. In total, seven IFCO middle managers have been arrested and charged. Five of them are soon expected to plead guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, reports The Walt Street Journal.
Sorority Recruitment Gets Bad Rep
Sororities are a talking, walking popularity contest. If you don't fit the mold, you won't get into the fold. The Oxford, Ohio-based sorority Delta Zeta is in trouble over the eviction of 23 former members, and the sorority has a history with discrimination. Worried that a negative stereotype of the sorority was contributing to a decline in membership that had left its Greek-columned house half-empty, Delta Zeta's national officers interviewed 35 DePauw University-Indiana members in November, quizzing them about their dedication to recruitment. They judged 23 of the women insufficiently committed and later told them to vacate the sorority house. The 23 members included every woman who was overweight. They also included the black, Korean and Vietnamese members. The dozen students allowed to stay were slender and popular with fraternity men, individuals conventionally considered as pretty women. Six of the 12 were so infuriated they quit. Read more.
James Brown's DNA Sample Settled
The late James Brown's fourth wife, Tomi Rae Hynie, is finally getting what she's wanted--a paternity test that would prove whether or not the soul singer was the biological father to one of their six adult children. Since Brown's death two months ago, several other paternity claims had been made against the singer. Hynie, who did not like the way Brown's trustees originally wanted the DNA collected, has now come to an agreement with Brown's trustees on how to collect the samples, tells CNN.com.
FBI Investigates 1950s Racial Cases
There are reportedly 74 racially motivated cold cases still under investigation in 11 states that trace back to the civil-rights era, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The center, which reports on hate crimes, recently forwarded their list of cases to the FBI, which would help open up future investigations. The Montgomery, Ala.-based center's researchers say many of the people on its list died at the hands of law-enforcement officers and 32 of the deaths happened in Mississippi. If whites were charged, they often were exonerated by sympathetic juries, researchers said, according to CNN.
Civil-Rights Lawyer Dies
Will Maslow, former leader of the American Jewish Congress and civil-rights lawyer noted for his efforts on behalf of African Americans and other underrepresented groups, has died. Maslow devoted decades of his career to challenging barriers to the rights of blacks, Jews and other traditionally underrepresented groups in employment, education and other fields. During World War II, he headed a federal committee on employment practices, investigating discrimination in defense contracts. At the American Jewish Congress, he founded the Commission on Law and Social Action, modeled on the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. His cause of death has not been announced. Read more.
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