Ethnic News

Ava DuVernay's "Selma," which chronicles Martin Luther King's struggle to get Lyndon B. Johnson to pass the Voting Rights Act in 1965, is the Oscar contender everyone has been waiting for this year. But following the film's first New York screening on Monday night, awards chatter wasn't the only thing press members were buzzing about. It was Bradford Young, the 37-year-old cinematographer, who is credited with harnessing the film's power. "This is a collaboration I cherished. This is an artist who I believe speaks to us," Young said about DuVernay during a Q&A after the screening. "Whatever image you see up there that you like, it was generated by her brain first and transfused to...

Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said he regrets saying "there's not a racial divide in Ferguson" back in August. "I mean, I regret saying it because it's an argument that's difficult to have," Knowles told Al Jazeera America. "Because yes, there are racial divides in this country. There are divides between men and women. And I was defensive. I took the stand that I felt somebody was attacking what I knew to be a good community who embraced diversity, who loved our neighbors … I'm obviously very, very much regretting having said that, but I think people, again, need to recognize that those divides, those differences [doesn't] mean this community didn't have good race...

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri grand jury has been hearing evidence for months as it weighs whether to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the Aug. 9 fatal shooting of Michael Brown, which was followed by sometimes violent protests. Some answers to common questions about the grand jury: ___ Q: What is the grand jury deciding? A: The grand jury is considering whether there is enough evidence to charge Wilson with a crime and, if so, what that charge should be. ___ Q: How is the grand jury different from other juries? A: The grand jury will determine only whether probable cause exists to indict Wilson, not whether he is guilty. If the jury...

WHEREAS, the City of Ferguson, the St. Louis region, and the nation have experienced racial discrimination since before the nation's founding; and WHEREAS, despite the clear chicanery of the St. Louis County judicial system, protesters persist with hope for justice instead of fatalism; and WHEREAS, the seemingly pre-determined outcome of the grand jury would be met with understandable rage; and WHEREAS, the State of Missouri has been prepared to inappropriately respond to any reaction to these announcements; and WHEREAS, our citizens have the right to peacefully assemble and protest but will be treated like criminals; and WHEREAS, our citizens and...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — As a grand jury weighs possible criminal charges against the police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, Missouri's governor has again activated the National Guard in an effort to avoid more unrest in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson. Unlike in August, when Gov. Jay Nixon asked the troops to help provide security after protests turned occasionally violent, his latest move is pre-emptive. It comes ahead of any decision on whether Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson, who is white, will be indicted for the Aug. 9 shooting death of the black 18-year-old. There also are some operational differences this time. When Nixon last declared a state of emergency, he put the Missouri State...

One summer night in 2012, Luis Paulino was walking around his East New York neighborhood when he came upon a group of police officers surrounding a young black man. Onlookers told him that the young man had been stopped for riding his bike on the sidewalk. But what appeared to Luis to be a minor incident suddenly exploded in violence. "More officers started arriving on the scene," he recounts. "They continued to beat his legs. Then he was thrown in handcuffs. They maced him; they tazed him." Standing on the very corner where his own life had changed forever ...

TK Intro

Are you the kind of person who can't pass up a good sale on clothes? Do you have clothing sites bookmarked on your browser? Are you having trouble closing your dresser drawers? You may own too much clothing. Don't worry -- a lot of people share the same dilemma. And the first step to making a change is recognizing you may have a problem. So, if you have ever experienced any of these 14 situations, you may want to make a change in your life. Maybe. All photos courtesy of Getty and Dana Oliver

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) on Monday couldn't answer a question asking who's in charge of policing protests that may flare when a grand jury decides whether to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson for the death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. St. Louis County has 90 municipalities, and none seemed in accountable for the police response to often turbulent protests that followed Brown's shooting in August. As the grand jury nears a decision and activists prepare for new protests, Nixon on Monday ordered a state of emergency and activated the National Guard -- but didn't put state law enforcement in charge. Missouri's most famous politician -- former President Harry Truman -- popularized the phrase, "The buck stops here...

As the nation waits to hear whether a Missouri police officer will face charges for killing unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., the FBI is warning law enforcement agencies across the country that the decision “will likely” lead some extremist protesters to threaten and even attack police officers or federal agents. Peaceful protesters could be caught in the middle, and electrical facilities or water treatment plants could also become targets. In addition, so-called “hacktivists” like the group “Anonymous” could try to launch cyber-attacks against authorities.