The Legal System
Fighting Hate Crimes and Supporting Victims
This overview of hate crimes offers tips on how the public can fight against hate crimes and support victims of intolerance. It also demonstrates how Sikhs and the American public responded to the mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, including by lashing out at Muslims. Lastly, the overview contains information about hate crime victim...
Sikh Temple Shooting Inspires Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes
Following the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin shooting which left seven dead, including the gunman, a spate of anti-Muslim hate crimes swept across the United States. This overview highlights the major incidents of Islamophobia that took place in August 2012.
Racial Controversies During the 2012 Presidential Race
This overview recaps the most racially insensitive remarks of the 2012 presidential race and other incidents that sparked racial controversies during the campaign.
Recap of the Travyon Martin Case and Aftermath
This overview of the Trayvon Martin case provides information on the events leading up to the 17-year-old’s murder, the controversies the case has sparked and biographical details about Martin and killer George Zimmerman. The summary also includes quotes from prominent figures about the case.
Facts About the Trayvon Martin Shooting
The killing of 17-year-old African American Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, 2012, for “looking suspicious” as he walked through a gated community in Florida galvanized the black community and others across the nation to speak out against the series of killings of unarmed black men.
Notable Quotes About the Trayvon Martin Case
The killing of unarmed black youth Trayvon Martin Feb. 26, 2012, by a neighborhood watchman named George Zimmerman in Sanford, Fla., who thought the teen looked suspicious divided the nation along racial and political lines and led those in the public eye to make a series of provocative comments about injustice. This roundup of quotes shows the...
Who Benefits From Affirmative Action in College Admissions?
Affirmative action and minorities are often linked, but are the ethnic groups who need it most reaping its benefits in college admissions? A look at how affirmative action plays out among Asian-American and African-American students suggests maybe not.
The Affirmative Action Debate: Five Concerns
Is affirmative action really necessary? Better yet, is reverse discrimination an actual problem? Decades after affirmative action was introduced, debates about its pros and cons live on. Learn who benefits most from affirmative action in college admissions and what impact banning affirmative action in certain states has had. Do race-based preferences have a future in America?
Ricci v. DeStefano: A Case of Reverse Discrimination?
A group of white firefighters alleged that the city of New Haven, Conn., discriminated against them when it threw out a test that they passed at a 50% greater rate than blacks. Performance on the test was the basis for promotion. By discarding the test, the city prevented eligible white firefighters from advancing. Does this case, known as Ricci v. DeStefano, constitute reverse discrimination?
Affirmative Action Bans in Universities: Who Gains?
How have affirmative action bans in California, Texas and Florida affected student enrollment in public universities in those states? Enrollment of white students has declined following affirmative action’s demise. On the other hand, Asian American enrollment has risen dramatically while black and Latino enrollment has dipped. How can the...
What Is Affirmative Action?
Definition of affirmative action.
Contemporary Affirmative Action: An Overview of Legislation
Debates have raged for years about the pros and cons of race-based preferences. But what’s the state of contemporary affirmative action, and is it helping to end discrimination? A review of recent laws and Supreme Court decisions involving affirmative action paints a picture.
Review of Racial Profiling
This review of racial profiling defines what the practice is, the groups it most affects and why profiling is an ineffective law enforcement practice.
The Case Against Racial Profiling
After 9-11, racial profiling garnered much support. Opponents of racial profiling, however, say the practice is ineffective and actually hinders legal investigations. So, what alternatives exist? Moreover, what can you do if you’re racially profiled?
The Real Trayvon Martin: Facts About the Slain Youth’s Life
Trayvon Martin faced a smear campaign by killer George Zimmerman and his defense team as well as by right-wing extremists in the months after his death. The slain teen’s family and friends have tried to set the record straight about his life by providing the media with info to piece together a bio of Trayvon that goes beyond the stereotypes that...
The Real George Zimmerman
Information from his family and friends, previous run-ins with the law and general facts about his life paint a ragtag biography of George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old man who killed Trayvon Martin, setting off a national debate about race and violence.
Sikhs and South Asians Weigh in on Temple Shooting
After a white supremacist gunned down six people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, a number of Sikhs in the United States wrote about their responses to the shooting, the media’s response to the shooting and the discrimination Sikhs have long faced in the U.S.
Do Stop-and-Frisks in New York City Amount to Racial Profiling?
Each year tens of thousands of black and Latino New Yorkers are stopped and frisked by police. While city officials says the stop and frisk program has cut down on crime, civil liberties advocates say it constitutes racial profiling.
Latinos on the Receiving End of Racial Profiling and Police Brutality
Once upon time African Americans were the racial group most closely associated with acts of racial profiling and police brutality. Increasingly, however, Latinos are the group on the receiving end of police brutality, deadly force and other abuses of law enforcement’s power.
Shopping While Black: How to Detect This Practice and Respond…
Being followed around in stores, treated rudely or ignored by staffers may all be signs of "shopping while black." How can you tell if you’re being racially profiled while shopping, and what can you do about it?
Are Blacks Evolving on Gay Marriage?
Research on opinions about gay marriage has revealed that black voters are more likely to support gay marriage in 2012 than they were in 2008. In 2012, there was very little difference between the percentage of blacks who opposed same-sex marriage and the percentage of whites who did.
Top 3 Supreme Court Cases Involving Japanese Internment
After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government ordered more than 110,000 Japanese Americans into internment camps. Many went without a fight, but three notable Japanese Americans named Fred Korematsu, Minoru Yasui and Gordon Hirabayashi were among those who demanded that their constitutional rights be protected, taking their cases all...