Walgreen Co. to Settle Racial-Bias Lawsuit

Walgreen Co. agreed to settle a civil-rights class-action lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis, Mo. Walgreen Co. will pay $20 million to as many as 10,000 black store managers and others as part of the settlement. Walgreen Co., the nation's biggest drugstore chain, was accused of denying promotions based on race. The lawsuit charged that the chain discriminated against black managers, pharmacists and other employees by assigning them to work in stores that were not performing well in neighborhoods where there was little room for advancement. The settlement, which still must be approved by the court, will prohibit store assignments based on race and will call for Walgreen Co. to be monitored for at least four years. Reported by The Chicago Tribune.

White Mayor Stands By Comments on Black Youths

Despite a request for an apology from the NAACP, Mayor Pat McCrory of Charlotte, N.C., who is white, stands by comments he made about black youths in his community. McCrory's comments came in a letter he wrote to the city manager in which the mayor commended the police for their presence during a mass arrest of 169 people--mostly black--the night before. In the letter, McCrory wrote that "too many of our youth, primarily African American, are imitating and/or participating in a gangster type of dress, attitude, behavior and action." Ken White, president of the Charlotte branch of the NAACP, responded by saying, "Mr. McCrory's comments reinforce that stereotype, especially to those inclined to hold onto racist thinking and behavior." What else did the mayor say? Read more.

U.S. Officials Urge Mental-Health Changes in Military

Top U.S. officials, including S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, are calling for a change in the way the military handles mental-health issues. More than one-third of troops and veterans suffer from mental-health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, according to a panel of government officials. Casscells urged Congress on Thursday to improve mental-health assessments, strengthen privacy protections and add a "buddy system" to change military stigmas against seeking help for anxiety and depression. The Army plans to hire 25 percent additional mental-health specialists, but Casscells feels this may be hard to fulfill because of the difficulty in recruiting and retaining active-duty professionals. The Pentagon and Congress are currently reviewing 95 recommendations made last month by a task force chaired by Navy Surgeon General Donald Arthur. The review panel issued an urgent warning that more money and a shift in focus on prevention and screening needs to occur. Read more.

Hindu Prayer in Senate Brings Protesters

Three protesters disrupted the opening daily prayer at a Senate hearing on Thursday that was led by a Hindu chaplain. The prayer has been led by religious figures from different faiths, but this was the first time that the prayer was said by a Hindu chaplain.  When the guest, Chaplain Rajan Zed from Nevada, began his prayer, the protesters started shouting "No Lord but Jesus Christ" and "There's only one true God." Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church of State, said the protest demonstrated a lack of tolerance from the "religious right." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid addressed the attacks on the Hindu chaplain. "I think it speaks well of our country that someone representing the faith of about a billion people comes here and can speak in communication with our heavenly father regarding peace," said Reid after the disruption according to CNN.com. Should prayers be allowed at Senate hearings?

Obama Draws Cheers at NAACP Convention

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., drew more cheers than any other democratic presidential candidate at an NAACP civil-rights forum on Thursday, according to The Associated Press. The presidential hopeful got a huge response from the crowd when he assailed the Bush administrations' record on race relations. "I know what you know, which is that despite all the progress that has been made we still have more work to do," said Obama. After the forum, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards were caught by a FOX News microphone discussing the forum as The Houston Chronicle reports. What did they say, and how did crowds greet the other candidates?

(See also: Obama the Rock Star--Can Hillary Compete? and Who Would Vote for Obama? You'll Be Surprised at New Results)

Don Cheadle Plays Pioneer Shock Jock

"Talk to Me," starring Don Cheadle as shock jock Petey Greene, revisits the life of one of radio's first shock jocks. Ralph Waldo Greene, as Petey was called on his birth certificate, was beloved in Washington's black community from the late 1960s until he died of cancer in 1984. Petey, who served in prison for 10 years for armed robbery, was famous for his profane language and high-impact shock value. Following the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Petey helped to calm the city streets. But does "Talk to Me" paint an accurate portrait of the historic radio personality? What are critics saying? Read more.

(See also: Is Don Imus Making a Comeback?)

Richardson Says Gay Slur Meant Playfully

Presidential candidate Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., said Thursday that his use of a Spanish word that some consider offensive to the LGBT community was not meant to offend. He apologized and expressed that he meant the word in a playful way. The comment was made by Gov. Richardson on March 29, 2006, while a guest on Don Imus' syndicated radio program. Richardson, the only Latino candidate, feels the unearthing of this radio clip is a compliment to his campaign. "It's probably a sign from other campaigns that they are a little worried about me," he said. On LGBT rights, Richardson told The Associate Press that "My record is the strongest among the presidential candidates on gay-rights issues and I'm puzzled by the timing of this. When it happened a year ago, nobody seemed to think it was terribly important." How does the the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation feel about the comment? Read more.

Surgeon-General Nominee Testifies Before Senate

President Bush's nominee for surgeon general, James W. Holsinger Jr., testified before a Senate panel on Thursday about politics and science. Holsinger told the panel that he would resign if he was asked to put politics over science on an important issue when his predecessor said he had been handcuffed by politics. Holsinger's nomination has been criticized by many because of a paper he wrote in 1991 entitled the "Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality." Holsinger also testified that he would support bans on the advertising of prescription drugs and sugary children's cereals and said that high-school students should be told that condoms are an appropriate form of birth control. What else did the controversial nominee say? Read more.  

(See also: Is Bush's Surgeon-General Nominee a Homophobe? and The Holsinger Controversy: Confirmation Hearing for Bush Surgeon-General Nominee Set for Tomorrow)

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