Should I be surprised that Brigham Young University students don't even know basic facts about Black History Month--such as the month it's celebrated or who the key figures in black history are? Some would argue that I shouldn't. After all, BYU is overwhelmingly white and Mormon in a state with the same demographics. But after watching a video of a man in blackface interviewing BYU students about black history, my jaws dropped.

Outside of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., most of the students interviewed couldn't name one important figure in black history. A few did mention Malcolm X but couldn't really explain who he was. One student simply described him as "bad." Another couldn't think of Rosa Parks' name, asking whom "the lady on the bus" was. No one named important abolitionists such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass or Sojourner Truth. Evidently, I'm seriously out of touch because I thought these figures were pretty textbook examples of famous blacks in history. Read More...

It's not as if Arizona needs any more bad press. Just recently Gov. Jan Brewer faced criticism for waving her finger in President Barack Obama's face. Shortly before that the U.S. Department of Justice issued a report accusing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio of racial profiling and mistreatment of Latinos. And of course in 2010, Arizona became subject to a series of boycotts after passing SB 1070, a law to crackdown on unauthorized immigration which critics said amounted to racial profiling. Now Republican Congressman Cecil Ash is at the center of controversy for suggesting that white people need a holiday in their honor.

Ash made the proposition on the House floor Jan. 30 (not because February happens to be Black History Month but) because Hispanic Congressman Richard Miranda called for a holiday to observe Latinos in the state--Latino American Day. Ash quipped that he'd support such a holiday only if Arizona established an observance for whites when their share of the population shrivels. "I'm supportive of this proposition," he said. "I just want them to assure me that when we do become in the minority you'll have a day for us." Read More...

Fred Korematsu may not be a household name, but like Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez, he's one of the few people of color to have a holiday in his honor. The state of California began celebrating Korematsu Day Jan. 30, 2011. So, who was Korematsu and why is his legacy important?

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When President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address on Tuesday, he suggested that race ceases to matter to those who serve in the armed forces. "When you put on that uniform, it doesn't matter if you're black or white; Asian or Latino; conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or straight," he said. "When you're marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails. When you're in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one nation, leaving no one behind."

But tell that to the families of Private Danny Chen of New York City and Lance Corporal Harry Lew, 21, of Santa Clara, Calif., and you're likely to hear a very different point of view. Both Chen, 19, and Lew committed suicide after fellow soldiers bullied them. White soldiers reportedly taunted Chen repeatedly with racial slurs such as "gook," "chink" and "dragon lady." Chen wrote to family members that, "They ask if I'm from China a few times a day. They also called out my name, 'Chen,' in a goat-like voice sometimes for no reason." Moreover, the New York Times reports that after Chen neglected to turn a water heater off one night, soldiers dragged him out of bed and threw rocks at him. Read More...