Ethnic News

NEW YORK (AP) — Hip-hop moguls Jay Z and Russell Simmons and rapper-actor Common on Wednesday pressed for changes to the state's criminal justice system amid protests over the killings of unarmed black people by white police officers who weren't criminally charged. Simmons and Jay Z discussed reforms with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Common joined Simmons later at a City Hall news conference with activists demanding a slate of changes to policing and prosecution. "We want to promote the end of police protecting police and not prosecuting police," Simmons said. In the past two weeks, grand juries have decided not to indict officers in the chokehold death of New Yorker Eric...

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) -- University of Virginia students demanded answers about an arrest that left a classmate injured, and some were not satisfied with what they heard Friday during a forum with law enforcement officers. Representatives of a black student organization repeatedly chanted in unison, "Answer the question we asked," after officials gave broad answers to questions about Alcoholic Beverage Control officers' training and tactics. Dozens of black students marched out of a university auditorium in the middle of the forum with fists raised, shouting "black lives matter." The saying has become widely known following the killings of unarmed black men by police officers in Missouri and New York. About 500 students and community members ...

For low-income students in middle school, the key to academic achievement may be participating in community service instead of religious activities. A new study out last week from New York University researchers found only some types of extracurricular activities have a positive impact on the academic achievement of low-income middle schoolers. The idea behind the research -- based on survey results taken over three years of 625 low-income NYC middle school students -- was to better understand how extracurricular activities can shield low-income youth from some of the perils of middle school. The survey called on students to report their level of involvement in extracurricular activities and grade point averages. As the study notes, the transition from elementary school to ...

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 31: Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers goes up for a dunk against the Sacramento Kings on October 31, 2015...

ImageContent(5628e9b8e4b0aac0b8fbc7da,5628e6dd1400002200c7a8c0,Image,HectorAssetUrl(5628e6dd1400002200c7a8c0,Some(),Some(jpeg)),Maddie Meyer via Getty Images,Richard Sherman looks on during the Seattle Seahawks' ;game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sept. ;20, 2015.) Never one to keep his opinions to himself, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman effectively accused the NFL of prioritizing revenue over players’ rest and recuperation on Wednesday when he was asked how difficult it is to have only the “four-day turnaround” between games necessitated by Thursday Night Football. "I mean, it's rough," Sherman responded. "It's rough on...

There are more than 60 shows on the three end-of-year lists I've come up with -- Top 10 Shows, Best New Shows and Best Returning Shows. More than five dozen shows rated shout-outs, and I've probably forgotten a few. As I said in the introduction to my Top 10 list, TV's middle is doing great. That vast territory between the very top tier and the sketchier lower levels is thriving, with all sorts of outlets commissioning all sorts of fare. And when it comes to the moving target that is a television show, I don't demand perfection (as if anyone could ever satisfactorily define what that is), I just demand engagement, entertainment and ...

After a tragedy, this police officer was forced to make a difficult decision. When Nathan Bradley of the Georgia State Patrol arrived at the scene of a car wreck on Saturday, he discovered that Donald and Crystal Howard, who had been out buying face paint and candy for their kids for Halloween, had died in the crash. The state trooper went to the Howards' home address with the county deputy and deputy coroner to break the news. But when he showed up, he was greeted by four kids, ages 6-14, all in costume -- a sight that left him speechless, BuzzFeed reported. ; He was able to contact the kids' grandmother, Stephanie Oliver, who needed to drive from Florida to take custody of them. Because the grandmother had to travel...

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) -- Ferguson's mayor says Darren Wilson remains on administrative leave a day after the grand jury did not indict the officer in the shooting death of Michael Brown. Wilson was placed on leave Aug. 9, the day the white officer fatally shot 18-year-old Brown, who was unarmed and black. Mayor James Knowles said at a news conference Tuesday that Wilson's status with the department had not changed. Wilson had been with the Ferguson police force for less than three years before the shooting. © 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or...