GENDER | RACE
Whitewashed Journalism: Why do only White-passing Latinas make it to our screens?

Source: Feminspire

By Raquel Reichard | Feminspire
(July 5, 2013) - The embarrassingly low number of Latinas hosting shows on English-language news networks or leading mainstream cable news programs can intimidate any Latina hoping to make a career in news media.

But realizing that the bulk of these women could pass as white can deter interested and talented Afro-Latinas from even pursuing a job in the field. Read more

GENDER
AP: Texas abortion bill falls after challenge

By Jim Vertuno and Chris Tomlinson
(AP via Yahoo! News | June 26, 2013) - Despite barely beating a midnight deadline, hundreds of jeering protesters helped stop Texas lawmakers from passing one of the toughest abortion measures in the country. Read more

Video: Senator Wendy Davis took position agains the Abortion bill

Source: NowThis News via BuzzFeed

"It's a Girl" was screened at Shippensburg University

LINK TO THE SCREENING COVERAGE

Southern University professor Lisa Delpit’s latest book has garnered national attention.

(Photo credit: The Advocate Staff)

Click to read FULL STORY.

RELIGION
Sikh Caucus formed in U.S. Congress: A "historic landmark"

Photo Credit: The Times of India

By Chidanand Rajghatta

(April 26, 2013 | The Times of India) - With their distinctive, colourful turbans, their storied industry, and their expansive presence all over the world across a range of professions, Sikhs are easily India's most prominent ethnic community.

On April 25, the community that has also given India its 13th - and first Sikh Prime Minister, established its voice on Capitol Hill, seat of the US legislatures, with the formation of the Sikh Congressional Caucus aimed at ensuring they get a fair hearing in a country where they began settling more than 100 years ago. Read more

Boston bombing: U.S. Muslims react with fear, frustration, and new resolve

By Husna Haq

(April 25, 2013 | Source: Christian Science Monitor) - When the bombs at the Boston Marathon exploded a week ago Monday, a familiar chain of events and emotions unfolded for many in the American Muslim community: shock and grief, followed by an unspoken dread that the perpetrators could be Muslim; condemnation of the attack; fear of reprisals – and of being conflated with the acts of violence; and quietly, an inward examination of what went wrong. Read more

For Indonesian atheists, a community of support amid constant fear

By Sara Schonhardt

(April 26, 2013 | New York Times) - Karina is an atheist, but her friends jokingly call her “the prophet.” That is because she is helping nurture a community for unbelievers in predominantly Muslim Indonesia, where trumpeting one’s disbelief in God can lead to abuse, ostracism and even prison. Read more.

Religion-related stories:
Iraq's government suspends licenses of Al Jazeera and 9 other TV channels

Islamists in Russia: The Boston bombs have put new focus on Russia’sIslamist republics

Contributed by Debra Mason

GLBTQ
LSU students celebrate first university-sponsored LGBTQ graduation ceremony
Critics say it is a "waste of money"

By Chelsea Brasted, NOLA.com |
The Times-Picayune
(May 15, 2013) - Louisiana State University students Tuesday celebrated their first-ever Lavender Graduation, honoring accomplishments of LSU's lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender, queer and questioning population and their supporters. About 20 students walked across the stage in the Cotillion Ballroom at the Student Union in front of family and friends. Read more

But this sponsorship of the event drew some criticisms. Read the story: Louisiana LGBT Graduation Ceremony Riles Critics Who Think It’s A Waste Of Money

GLBT Stories:
Minnesota legalizes gay marriage

Obama endorses LGBT-inclusive immigration reform

Iceland's Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir: Legacy of the world's first out Lesbian Prime Minister

AFRICAN AMERICANS
NABJ honors Boston University’s Michelle Johnson as journalism educator of the year

LATINOS | IMMIGRATION
In Mexico, families hope immigration reform will trigger reunions

Photo: Jude Joffe-Block

By Jude Joffe-Block,Fronteras Desk/PRI's The World via New America Media
(May 13, 2013) - It’s a typical Sunday in the town of Tepeapulco, in Mexico’s central highlands. Families gather, cook and catch up.

And that’s the scene at Santiago Domínguez’s home. At 82-years-old, he’s the family patriarch. He’s wearing pressed slacks, his dark hair smoothed back. By lunchtime, he’s surrounded by relatives. Read more

More Stories on Latino/Hispanic Issues:
Hispanics in the U.S., not only Mexicans

How American films are chasing elusive Hispanic dollars?

Hispanic High School Graduates Pass Whites in Rate of College Enrollment

GLBTQ
DiversityInc.: Boy Scouts to end gay ban for members, not leaders

By Barbara Frankel | DiversityInc.

(April 19, 2013) - Under pressure from corporate donors, the public and President Obama, the Boy Scouts of America today announced an end to its ban on gay members. But the policy would still not allow gay or lesbian scout leaders. Read more

New poll: Support remains high for gay marriage – but opposition grows

By Emma Margolin
(April 12 | MSNBC) - Don’t celebrate marriage equality just yet. A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds the issue may have gained just as many enemies as it has friends. Read more

ASIAN AMERICANS
Pew research vs. Asian Americans

By Julia Huang | The Huffington Post

(April 4, 2013) - Recently, some legitimate questions have been raised about The Pew Internet and American Life Project's new "Demographics of Social Media Users" study for failing to include Asian-Americans. Unfortunately, Pew's response has only highlighted the glaring problem that for 20 years Asians have been regularly excluded from all of their research studies, not just this latest one on digital aptitude. Read more

Asian-American Article:
UC Irvine Asian-American frat’s awful blackface video as bad as it sounds

RELIGION | POLITICS
"Stereotypes of Muslims and support for the War on Terror"

By John Wihbey | Journalist's Resources

(April 22, 2013) - Ten years after the 9/11 attacks, a Pew Research Center survey painted a complex portrait of Muslim-Americans living in the United States.

Among adults, 63% were born abroad and a quarter of the entire population — an estimated 2.75 million in all — had arrived since 2000. Of those surveyed, 60% feared the rise of Islamic extremism in America; 21% believed there was support for extremism among Muslims in the United States; and opinions were split between those who believed the “War on Terror” was a sincere effort to combat terrorism versus those who felt it had other motivations. Read more

GENDER | GENERATION
Study: Interventions to address sex-difference in math achievement can reduce gender inequity in STEM profession

By Alexandra Raphel

(April 25, 2013 | Journalist's Resource) - Gijsbert Stoet and David C. Geary in their research -- “Sex Differences in Mathematics and Reading Achievement Are Inversely Related: Within- and Across-Nation Assessment of 10 Years of PISA Data" -- found that a "large difference between boys’ and girls’ achievement in math has implications for the under-representation of women" in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

According to the Department of Education, 31% of the degrees and certificates in STEM fields were earned by women in 2008-2009. While this represents an increase of approximately 6% since 2000, this is still troubling given that women represent over 50% of enrollment in bachelor’s (57.4%) and master’s (62.6%) degree-granting institutions. Read more

RACE
"Accidental Racist" song triggers a debate

LL Cool J and Brad Paisley explain Controversial Song (Source: ABC via thebreakingnews0)

By Barbara Frankel

(April 12, 2013 | DiversityInc.) - Is there anything good about “Accidental Racist,” the duet by country singer Brad Paisley and rapper LL Cool J explaining the white Southerner’s need to wear “racist” symbols, like the Confederate flag?

The negative outcry from music lovers and the press has been huge. Critics have called it “the worst song ever” and “actually just racist.” And two days after it was released, the song’s video seems to have been taken down from YouTube. Read more

Related story:
New York Times Podcast: "‘Accidental Racist’ and the Possible Value of a Flawed Song"

Can you really be an 'Accidental Racist'? A country song says yes, but many say
absolutely not

By Jesse Washington | AP National Writer

(Updated on April 12, 2013) - Southern white men don't usually drive racial dialogue. For as long as race has riven America, they have been depicted more often as the problem than the solution. Read more

Follow the coverage #AccidentalRacist

Tweets about "#accidentalracist"

RELIGION | CULTURE
"Bridge building"
Cross-cultural program between Jewish and Turkish Muslim teens in South Brooklyn

By Steve Lipman
(April 10, 2013 | The Jewish Week) - Hayrunnisa Kalac, a teenager from northern New Jersey who attends high school in southern Brooklyn, stepped into a taxi outside of Port Authority Bus Terminal Sunday morning and told the driver her destination: the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in Battery Park City. Read more

AFRICAN AMERICANS
"Geno Smith the latest to pay the black tax"

By Jarrett Bell | USA Today Sports

(April 22, 2013) - Not a student of the game. Not committed or focused. Marginal work ethic. When a Pro Football Weekly scouting report on West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith surfaced recently, containing damning proclamations by analyst Nolan Nawrocki about the habits of the top-rated passer in the NFL draft, it made me shake my head. Read more

IMMIGRATION
AP's dropping of "Illegal Immigrant" could have wide ramifications for media

By Jack Mirkinson
(April 3, 2013 | Source: Huffington Post) - The decision by the Associated Press to drop the term "illegal immigrant" could have far-reaching ramifications for the media industry.

The AP said on Tuesday that it has decided to abandon the contentious term, which many Latino and immigrant-rights activists have long called dehumanizing. The wire service's decision is bound to be influential; it has perhaps the most widely-used style guide in the country. The Huffington Post, for instance, uses a modified version of the AP guide. (HuffPost uses the term “undocumented immigrant.") Read more.

Related Stories:
Who is afraid of immigrants with criminal records?

AP dumps "illegal immigrants" but not neutrality

GLBTQ
5 big takeaways from inside the Supreme Court's DOMA hearing

By Kerry Eleveld
(March 27, 2013 | Advocate.com) — Lawyers for Edie Windsor in her challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act struck an optimistic tone after today's hearing before the Supreme Court. Here's a look at some of the most important moments as they happened in the courtroom. Read more.

Related Story:
Human Rights Campaign and its allies apologize for "silencing undocumented, trans activists at Supreme Court rally."

Juan Gonzalez speaks about immigration policy at Shippensburg University

By Anna Seils*
(March 28, 2013) - “We need to confront intolerant views that still think everything should be the way it was.” Well-known Latino journalist and Democracy Now co-host Juan Gonzalez made this comment while sharing his insights on immigration policy in the United States at a lecture hosted by Shippensburg University’s Ethnic Studies program on March 27.

“The reality is over the last 60 years, the third world has come to the west,” Gonzalez said. He also observed that the political influence of new immigrants, particularly Latino voters, is growing.

Gonzalez said Americans usually use three categories to group immigrants. One of the categories is the level of communication in English. The second category is to “get to the back of the line.” This is the thought that those who are undocumented should not jump ahead of those who are applying for United States citizenship the legal way. Gonzalez said that all lines are not equal, and, for Chinese, Indians and Mexicans, the line is 20 years long.

*This is an excerpt from a learning note of Diversity and the Media student at Shippensburg University.

DIVERSITY | IDEOLOGY
On same-sex marriage and other social issues, study says Louisianans are more conservative

By Diana Samuels, NOLA.com
(April 9, 2013) - Louisiana residents are, perhaps unsurprisingly, significantly more conservative than the national average on social issues such as same-sex marriage and legalization of marijuana, according to a new report released Tuesday by Louisiana State University's Public Policy Research Lab.

AFRICAN AMERICANS | ETHNIC MEDIA
USA Today's Yamiche Alcindor gets NABJ
award for "emerging journalist of the year"

Yamiche Alcindor

(April 5, 2013 | NABJ) –The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announces the selection
of USA Today's Yamiche Alcindor as the 2013 Emerging Journalist of the Year Award recipient.
Read more.

NABJ honors Prudential’s Dawn Kelly with annual media professional award

Dawn Kelly

(April 5, 2013 | NABJ) - The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announces the selection of Dawn Kelly, Vice President and Account Team Leader of Global Communications for Prudential Financial, Inc., as its 2013 Pat Tobin Media Professional Award recipient. Read more

GENDER STUDIES
Sexist comments find their way to the UK press

(March 28, 2013 | Media Diversity Institute) - The editor of the magazine Esquire for the UK, Alex Bilmes, has sparked the controversy last week by comparing the women featured in the magazine to the ‘cool cars’ and naming them ‘ornamental’.

During an Advertising Week Europe panel discussion in London Bilmes appeared alongside Cosmopolitan U.K. editor Louise Court and offered his view of the women as objects. Read more.

CIVIL RIGHTS | DIVERSITY
Pulitzer Prize winners, rights leaders and scholars to discuss civil rights history and its implications at LSU on April 17 - 18

News Release

(March 25, 2013) - Pulitzer Prize-winning veteran journalists, civil rights leaders and scholars will congregate at Louisiana State University on April 17-18 to discuss the history of the civil rights movement and its implications for racial equality in contemporary society.

Jointly sponsored by LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication, its Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs and the Media Diversity Forum, the program is a highlight of the school’s celebration of its 100th anniversary in journalism education. Read rest of the release.

GLBTQ
Developing Story: Majority of justices question constitutionality of DOMA

By Robert Barnes and Sandhya Somashekhar
(March 27, 2013 | The Washington Post) - A majority of the justices on the Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 law which withholds federal benefits from legally wed gay couples by defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. Read more

Related Stories

Gay marriage equality box spreads on social media

ASIAN AMERICANS
Event Coverage: Check out the updates from Asian-American media festivals in San Francisco

Dosa Hunt CAAMFest 2013 Trailer (Source: CAAMChannel)

By Vincent Pham
(March 19, 2013) - CAAMFest has started and will continue until March 24, 2013. Formerly known as the San Francisco International Film Festival, CAAMFest is one of the largest Asian and Asian American-themed media festivals in the United States and is sponsored by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM). Click to get more updates

Beyond the Bad and the Ugly: Stereotypes and Asian American Pop Culture - A Summit at the Japanese American National Museum (March 23, 2013) in Los Angeles, CA.

This event brings together artists, academics, advocates and critics for a candid discussion of negative and distorted images of Asians in U.S. popular culture — and how to address, erase or subvert them. More info here

Summit Facebook Page

GLBTQ
Pew Research: Changing attitude on gay marriage from 2001 - 2013

(March 20, 2013) - In 2001, Americans opposed same-sex marriage by a 57% to 35% margin. But today, there is slightly more support for same-sex marriage than opposition to it, with 49% in favor and 44% opposed. Click here to play the animated slideshow.

Award-winning PBS documentary ASK NOT

(March 18, 2013 | ASK NOT Film) - Award-winning PBS documentary ASK NOT is a compelling exploration of the history and effects of the U.S. military’s "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Read more

More GLBTQ articles
Who are "UndocuQueer"? News reports shed light (Source: New America Media, Mar. 8, 2013)

Christine Quinn makes bid as NYC's first female and gay mayor (Source: Advocate, Mar. 10, 2013)

Intensified antigay attitudes in Russia
(Source: Advocate, Mar. 13, 2013)

New York Attorney General to NFL: Investigate teams asking about sexual orientation
(Source: Advocate, Mar. 14, 2013)

RACE | GENDER
"When cold cases stay cold"

Photo Credit: Associated Press (via The New York Times)

By Dan Barry, Campbell Robertson and
Robbie Brown
(March 16, 2013 | The New York Times) - In the spring of 1965, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington received a letter from Concordia Parish in northeastern Louisiana. Addressed to the bureau’s director, J. Edgar Hoover, the letter pleaded for justice in the killing of a well-respected black merchant. Read more

The Maid Narratives : "Often overlooked" topic in women's history

Photo Credit: LSU Press

By Katherine van Wormer
(March 20, 2013) - One group that is often overlooked in the history of women and human rights are the women who worked as domestic servants in the segregated South. We should note that it was such workers who in Montgomery, Alabama engaged collectively in the first successful Civil Rights struggle, the Montgomery bus boycott, 1955-1956. This is where the young Martin Luther King got his start.

New book, The Maid Narratives, is dedicated to women who worked as maids in the Deep South and who showed both resilience and resistance in the face of mass oppression. Read more

RELIGION | SOCIAL COHESION
"Jewish New Yorker campaign against anti-Islam ad"

By Voices of NY
(March 11, 2013 | Voices of NY) - For the grandson of Holocaust victims, the anti-Islam posters in subway stations last fall triggered a call to action: starting the crowd-funded advertising campaign “Talk Back to Hate.” Read more

Original article posted on the Jewish Daily Forward
"Talking Back to Anti-Muslim Subway Ad"
By Michael Kaminer

GENDER STUDIES
Women make significant gains in workplace and education, but NOT in pay

(March 8, 2013 | Pew Research Center) - Each year, International Women’s Day is celebrated on this date, with this year’s theme being “The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum.”

A Pew Research Center study last year of government data found that over the course of the past four decades, women have been making significant gains in their labor force participation and educational attainment. Read more

Related Articles
What's international women's day?
(By Steph Solis, Christian Science Monitor,
March 8, 2013)

Women, work and work/life balance: Research roundup
(by Margaret Weigel, Journalist's Resource,
Feb. 28, 2013)

ETHNIC MEDIA
Awards and honors for best ethnic media journalists in Southern California

(Photo credit: Alejandra Alarcon/Coachella Unincorporated)

(March 8, 2013 | New America Media) - On March 7, 2013, leading diversity organizations honored exceptional journalism work among Southern California's ethnic media at a gala held at KPCC's Crawford Family Forum at SCPR's Mohn Broadcast Center in Pasadena. The event was presented by New America Media, the Los Angeles Multicultural Leadership Network [LAMLN], with support from the California Community Foundation [CCF] and KPCC.

Complete list of winners and honorees

ABILITY
AP stylebook adds entry on mental illness

By Julie Moos
(March 7, 2013 | Poynter) - The Associated Press has introduced guidance on how to use information about mental illness in coverage. “Do not describe an individual as mentally ill unless it is clearly pertinent to a story and the diagnosis is properly sourced,” the new Stylebook entry begins. Read more

VEIWPOINT DIVERSITY
Washington Post appoints its first ‘reader representative’

By Joff Sonderman
(March 7, 2013 | Poynter) - Doug Feaver will act as an advocate for readers in The Washington Post. Feaver
will respond to the questions and concerns raised by readers.

Feaver was a career Postie — a reporter and editor for 29 years on the Business, Metro and National desks. He then became executive editor of washingtonpost.com in 1998 and retired in 2005. He stayed involved for a few more years with a blog called dot.comments that responded to reader comments on the site. Read more

NATIVE AMERICANS
CBS, 'Mike & Molly' under fire for "racist" joke

(March 3, 2013 | MSN TV) - CBS producers have come under fire for airing an episode of Melissa McCarthy's hit comedy series "Mike & Molly" which has offended members of the Native American community. Read more [Picture source: Associated Press]

DIVERSITY
Affirmative action in university admissions: Research roundup

By Alexandra Rapel
Research has shown that diversity experiences at college can have positive effects for students’ civic growth and their healthy participation in a globalized world. Read more

Related Articles
Literature can help build racial divide

GENDER STUDIES
Wonder Women: Untold stories of American Superheroines

Synopsis
(Source: WonderWomenDoc.com) -- WONDER WOMEN! The Untold Story of American Superheroines traces the fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. From the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s to the blockbusters of today, Wonder Women! looks at how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society’s anxieties about women’s liberation. Read more

Check out more video/films on diveristy

GLBTQ
#MarriageEquality

"Respect for Marriage" campaign: Obama, Cheney, Powell support marriage equality in
new ad

By Sunnivie Brydum
(Feb. 20, 2013 | Source: Advocate) - A coalition supporting the freedom to marry has launched a $1 million campaign highlighting endorsements from leaders across the political spectrum, including President Obama and several high-profile former Republican leaders. Read more

Related Stories
Jon Huntsman backs marriage equality, calls on GOP to evolve

France moves closer to marriage equality

Facebook removes "Bareback" fan page

DIVERSITY
Can the use of Twitter make certain people
"less racist"?

By Sarah Milstein
(Feb. 21, 2013 | Dogs and Shoes) - I'm going to assume that you're not a KKK-type racist. You are on the internet, so I'm taking a bit of a risk, but you are probably not looking for lynchings to cheer and demanding that black nurses at the hospital stay away from your white newborn. You're not a racist in the sense that you're not actively advocating for white supremacy. Read more

The Maynard Institute's repost:
How to use Twitter to go beyond your fault lines?

IMMIGRATION
Jose Antonio Vargas’ emotional call for immigration reform

(Source: Think Progress)

By Igor Volsky | Think Progress
(Feb. 13, 2013) -- Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas delivered powerful testimony at a hearing about immigration reform on Wednesday afternoon, reviewing his personal history as an undocumented immigrant who came to America as a child and did not become aware of his illegal status until he applied for a driver’s permit at age 16. Read more

Contributed by Janet Izard

ASIAN AMERICANS
Progress Kentucky draws criticisms for "anti-Asian" tweet

(March 1, 2013 | DiversityInc.) - This time, it’s the liberals who are accused of being racist—and with good cause. A liberal Super Political Action Committee (PAC) in Kentucky tweeted that GOP Senator Mitch McConnell’s wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, was using her connections to send jobs to China, and included a link to an earlier article accusing her of racism toward U.S. workers. Read more

Related Article:
Stereotypes and challenges in diversity management

GENDER STUDIES
Few female day laborers try job in NYC cleanup

By Amy Lieberman | WomensENews
(Feb. 25, 2013) -- Rosa Vasquez shifted from side to side on a broad cement overpass above a highway in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, one recent cold and bright Wednesday afternoon. She accepted a flyer for an upcoming scaffolding training session and said she would consider attending the meeting. Eight women huddled in winter jackets nearby did not look up, standing silently as Vasquez answered a stranger's questions. Read more

Gender disparity persists in media industry Though there are more women news directors than before

(Feb. 22, 2013) —The Women’s Media Center Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2013 was released today. It details the persistent gender disparity in a range of media businesses and institutions that rank among the greatest influencers in American society. Read more

LATINOS/ HISPANICS
4th international conference on "Spanish-Language Media & Latino-oriented Markets"

(Feb. 24, 2013) - The Center for the Study of Latino Media & Markets at the Texas State University's School of Journalism and Mass Communication organized the 4th international conference on "Spanish-Language Media & Latino-oriented Markets" on Feb. 21 - 23, 2013 in San Marcos, Texas. Click HERE to find more information about the sessions and topics covered in this conference.

Contributed by Federico Subervi

AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES
U.S. Office for Civil Rights asked to ban American Indian mascots in Michigan public schools

By Ellen Staurowsky
(Feb. 12, 2013 | Source: The Huffington Post) - For over four decades, American Indian organizations, individuals, and their allies have sought to eliminate the use and abuse of American Indian imagery in the marketing and promotion of athletic teams in school and professional settings. Read more

Native Journalism: Unsung Heroes
Journalist Richard LaCourse

NATIVE AMERICANS
Native Americans speak on sports imagery

By Paul Lukas
(Feb. 13, 2013 | ESPN) - As the debate over the use of Native American imagery by sports teams continues to heat up, the discussion is particularly intense in our nation's capital, where there's a growing movement to change the local NFL team's name from a racial slur to something more palatable. Read more

DIVERSITY
Maya Angelou talks race and politics

By Koran Addo | The Advocate
(Feb. 14, 2013) - Just six days before she is set to touch down in Baton Rouge to host “A Night with Maya Angelou,” the iconic poet and civil rights activist held a handful of media representatives in rapt attention Wednesday at LSU. Read more

GLBTQ
Thousands march for LGBT pride in Mumbai

By Anna Leach
(Feb. 4, 2013 | Gay Star News) - Mumbai was colored rainbow on Saturday for the fifth Queer Azaadi Mumbai pride march.

Two-thousand people marched for LGBT rights urging the Indian government not to overturn the 2009 Delhi High Court decision to decriminalize gay sex. Read more

Weekly Roundup

ONE archives exhibit highlights queer L.A. mags dating back to the 1940s

Nepal to host UN seminar on GLBTI human rights

Immigration poll finds more support for gay rights

GLBTQ
Pentagon to extend certain benefits to same-sex spouses

By Ernesto Londoño
(Feb. 5, 2013 | Washington Post) - The Pentagon has decided to extend new benefits to the spouses of gay personnel, according to officials and people notified about the decision, responding to the increasingly vocal appeals of same-sex couples in the military. Read more

LATINOS | IMMIGRATION
Immigration reform, Latinos and emerging dynamics: Research roundup

By Leighton W. Klein

(Jan. 31, 2013 | Journalist's Resources) - As the November 2012 national election demonstrated, the Hispanic electorate has increasing political clout, and projections show that this power will only increase in the coming decades. Read more

Related story
Day laborers fear being left out of immigration reform

AMERICAN INDIANS
American Indian museum tackles racism in US sports

By Brett Zongker, Associated Press
(Feb. 6, 2013 | Yahoo Sports News) - The Washington Redskins' team name has been the subject of legal battles, political debate and now will be part of a scholarly discussion at the Smithsonian about the use of Native American mascots and nicknames in American sports. Read more

Related Story
National Geographic invites proposals for films about indigenous and underrepresented minority cultures

ASIAN AMERICANS
'Make Me Asian' app removed from Google Play store

By Gene Demby
(Jan. 17, 2013 | NPR) - American Idol accused of racism? That’s what nine Black former contestants claim—and they plan to file a discrimination lawsuit against American Idol for trying to improve show ratings by exploiting Blacks.

The "Make Me Asian" app let users alter photos to turn faces into stereotypical Asian caricatures —- think Fu Manchu-style mustaches and rice paddy hats. Its creator, "KimberyDeiss," developed similar apps, like Make Me Indian, . . . Read More

AMERICAN INDIANS
Native American women warriors receive mainstream national coverage on CBS

By Vincent Schilling
(Jan. 21, 2013 | Indian Country Today) - The Native American Women Warriors, an all Native American women’s color guard, consisting of female veterans from all branches of service, have received National and mainstream media coverage on their participation in the 2013 Inaugural festivities. Read more

National Geographic Invites Proposals for Films About Indigenous and Underrepresented Minority Cultures

By Jodl Rave
(Jan. 17, 2013 | Buffalo's Fire) - Launched in 2004, the National Geographic Society‘s All Roads Film Project provides a platform for filmmakers working to showcase indigenous and underrepresented minority-culture communities through the works of first-person storytellers and to promote knowledge, dialogue, and understanding with a broader, global audience. Read more

FILM | AMERICAN INDIANS
Hopi: Songs of the fourth world

Learn more about this film on the website of Hearts & Hands Media Arts

AFRICAN AMERICANS | BLACKS
"Get in. Get Happy." Controversy: VW's Super Bowl 2013 commercial

"Blackface with voices?"
By Luke Visconti

(Feb. 1, 2013 | DiversityInc.) - Ordinarily, I wouldn’t bother writing about Super Bowl ads, but there’s one coming up this Sunday from Volkswagen that is a good “teachable moment.” The Volkswagen ad in question features a white guy (we learn in the ad that he is from Minnesota) who speaks in what sounds to me like a mashup Rastafarian/Jamaican accent and who is inanely happy. Read more

AFRICAN AMERICANS | BLACKS
9 black contestants found "discrimination" in American Idol

(Jan. 30, 2013 | DiversityInc.) - American Idol accused of racism? That’s what nine Black former contestants claim—and they plan to file a discrimination lawsuit against American Idol for trying to improve show ratings by exploiting Blacks. Read More

More News
Health News: Segregated Blacks More Likely to Die of Lung Cancer [via DiversityInc.]

GLBTQ
Media coverage of LGBT people and their issues in China, Russia and Brazil

Dane Claussen, our editor for LGBTQ, has gathered following news stories concerning the issues encountered by LGBT people in Russia, China and Brazil. Click the links to the stories below:

Russia moves to enact anti-Gay law nationwide [Time]

Violence against LGBT people in Brazil [Advocate.com]

Proposed laws allow wives of gay men an annulment in China

GLBTQ
Obama sounds historically LGBT-Inclusive message in inauguration speech

(Jan. 21, 2012 | Advocate.com) - President Obama’s speech for his second inauguration broke new ground in inclusiveness, with the first use of the word “gay” in reference to sexual orientation and a call for LGBT equality. Read more

I'm Just Anneke and The Family Journey: Two award-winning documentaries about transgender youth

(Jan. 10, 2013 | Source: The Youth and Gender Media Project) – Click HERE to visit one-minute trailer of "I'm Just Anneke."

FILM | GENDER
Girl Trouble

By Margaret Evans
(Jan. 21, 2013 | Source: Critical Images) – The "Girl Trouble" is a film about girls in the juvenile justice system, an award-winning documentary produced by Critical Images Inc., and is featured on the PBS Nationally-Acclaimed Series: Independent Lens. The film is an intimate look at the compelling personal stories of three teenagers entangled in San Francisco's juvenile justice system. Read the review.

AFRICAN AMERICANS
Oxygen cancels "All My Babies' Mamas

(Jan. 15, 2013 | Color Of Change) - The Oxygen Media canceled production of the reality television show "All My Babies' Mamas." The network's decision comes after more than 45,000 ColorofChange members signed a petition demanding the show be canceled. Read more

Contributed by Janet Izard

Related story
ACT NOW: "Tell Oxygen Network to cancel All My Babies' Mamas"
Click here to go to the petition page.

Related story:
MSNBC is favorite among blacks

DIVERSITY
Relaxation of media law could threaten media diversity in U.S., critics say

By Zach Dyer
(Jan. 14, 2013 | Source: Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas Blog) – The Federal Communications Commission looks poised to revoke a 30-year-old rule banning cross-ownership of newspapers and broadcast stations, according to several sources. Read more

GLBTQ
Weekly round-up (Week of Jan. 8)

(Jan. 12, 2013) – Our LGBTQ assistant editor Dane Claussen gathered several stories from Advocate.com on gay rights discussion in politics, a survey on public perception about homosexual relationships and the election of first transgender woman to the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

Republican political insiders: Marriage equality an issue best avoided

First trans woman elected to DNC

Latest poll: Fewer people find being gay is a sin

GENDER STUDIES | RELIGION
Understanding the feminist perspective
of Islam
Arab American Association participants reflects

By Amplifyer Webmaster
(Jan. 7, 2013 | Source: Amplifyer) – Before beginning my internship at Arab American Association of New York (AAANY), I was nervous because I was unsure what to expect. Would I be judged as a “bad Muslim”? Would I be labeled as useless because of my inability to speak the Arabic language? Would I even have a meaningful experience? Read more

AMERCIAN INDIANS
MSU offers Native American Studies courses online

(Jan. 7, 2013 | Source: MSU News Service) - Montana State University offers several online graduate and undergraduate courses in Native American Studies for spring semester, 2013. Read more

GLBTQ
Steven Soderbergh: Every studio rejected Liberace film as 'Too Gay'

By Tim Molloy
(Jan. 4, 2012 | The Wrap) - Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh says his upcoming film about Liberace is airing on HBO instead of getting a theatrical release because studios thought it was "too gay." Read more

Related story:
What 'Straight-Actor' really means

Round-up: Gay rights, politics and religion

(Jan. 2, 2013 ) - For this week's round-up on the news coverage of gay issues, our assistant editor Dr. Dane Claussen spotted following three stories in the intersection of religion and politics:

Obama says Hagel qualified for Cabinet position (Source: Advocate.com)

Gay support leads to ugly Church breakup in Texas (Source: Advocate.com)

Pope's Christmas speech: The issue of Gender (Source: Advocate.com)

DIVERSITY
For a diversity champion, the challenges have not changed

By Joe Grimm
Originally published on Freedom Forum's Diversity Institute website
(Jan. 2, 2013 | Maynard Institute) - Wanda Lloyd will be leaving her post as executive editor of the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser and montgomeryadvertiser.com on Feb. 1, but she’s not retiring. Read more

A Maynard Institute staff wrote: There were 7,400 journalists of color according to the 2006 American Society of News Editors census of daily newspapers. By the 2012 census there were 5,000.

Commentary: Al Jazeera in U.S. market with a Current TV deal?

By Uchenna Ekwo (Repost by New America Media)
(Jan. 4, 2013) -- The refusal of Time Warner Cable and other cable and satellite distributors to carry the services of Al Jazeera America led the giant pan-Arab news network to purchase the struggling American channel, Current TV. Read more

Immigrants are the new "media makers" in new Europe

By Raj Jayadev
(Dec. 29, 2012 | Source: New America Media) - Images flash on the big screen of a Vietnamese teen breakdancer shapeshifting his body while his voice narrates his life. I’ve seen these images, these movements, before back home in San Jose, Calif., but this is the first time I’ve heard a Vietnamese hip-hopper speaking Czech. Read more

DIVERSITY
Time has come for ordinary people to lead discussion on guns: Maynard

By Dori J. Maynard
(Dec. 20, 2012 | Source: Maynard Institute) - My first job out of college was in Bakersfield, Calif., far from the Northeast where I was born and raised.

There were a multitude of differences that required not only an adjustment but also a complete recalibration of what I expected from the world. Bakersfield was far from a culture of Sunday brunches, The New York Times and Woody Allen-loving moviegoers. In those early 1980s, New Yorkers were still unabashed Allen fans. Read more

ESPN analyst's comments on racial identity reveals weaknesses in sports discussion

By Eric Deggans
(Dec. 14, 2012 | Source: National Sports Journalism Center) - If you ever wondered whether people of color could say things that are just as prejudiced, stereotypical and clueless about race as white people, ESPN analyst Rob Parker obliterated any doubt on Thursday. Read more

"If only Mitt Romney had read my book before talking about Obama's 'Gifts' to certain voters"

By Eric Deggans
(Dec. 13, 2012 | Maynard Institute) -- As media coverage of Mitt Romney's remarks about women and people of color getting "gifts" to vote Obama washed over media, I had one thought: I wish he had read my new book. Read more

AFRICAN AMERICANS
NABJ's 2013 Hall of Fame: A conversation with the honorees

(Jan. 3, 2013 | Source: NABJ) - The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) invites students, faculty and journalists to a special event to meet and discuss the careers of NABJ's 2013 Hall of Fame honorees. Click here to read the backgrounds of honorees.

When:
1/17/2013 | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Where:
Newseum (Knight Broadcast Studio)
555 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001

Click here to find more information about this event.

Related story
NABJ to honor columnist Richard Prince with Ida B. Wells award

GENDER STUDIES
Commentary: Are Indian rape protests "Feminist Spring"?

By Viji Sundaram
(Dec. 31, 2012 | Source: New America Media) – As a co-founder of Narika, a Bay Area-based helpline for South Asian victims of domestic violence, I have come across many incidents of sexual assault against women in my community. It happens with numbing regularity. Read more

Related Article:
Five essentials for developing women leaders

AMERICAN INDIANS
Quick round-up of #IdleNoMore reading

(Dec. 27, 2012 | Source: Reporting in Indigenous Communities) - For journalists coming back from holidays who find themselves thrust into Idle No More coverage, here’s a quick round-up of background stories and reading . . .

Background story:
"Idle No More" is NOT just an "Indian Thing"

GLBTQ
Gingrich: Marriage equality inevitable

By Trudy Ring
(Dec. 20, 2012 | Source: Advocate) - Longtime social conservative Newt Gingrich has made a surprising admission, saying he accepts marriage equality as inevitable and he’s OK with it. Read more

Involuntary exile: Reality of binational couples

AMERICAN INDIANS
For the first time Windows will have a Native American language
Cherokee is on Windows 8

(December 18, 2012 | Source: White Wolf) - Cherokee is the first Native American language fully integrated into the new Windows 8 operating system, a fact that will be celebrated Wednesday at Sequoyah Schools in Tahlequah. Read more

GLBTQ
Marriage ban in Indiana faces political headwind

By Lucas Grindley
(December 14, 2012 | Source: Advocate) -- The politics of marriage equality in Indiana are hard to read lately. A new poll from Ball State University finds the public evenly divided, with 45% supporting same-sex marriage, 45% opposed and 10% undecided. But even with that division, 54% of respondents said they would oppose a constitutional ban on gays and lesbians being married. Read more

Related Story
Supreme Court to hear same-sex marriage arguments

AMERICAN INDIANS
Obama meets the leaders of "Tribal Nations"
Improving the plight of Native Americans

(Dec. 6, 2012 | Source: Al Jazeera) - On Wednesday, Barack Obama, the US president, hosted the fourth White House Tribal Nations Conference. It was attended by leaders of the 566 federally recognised Tribal Nations.

And though Obama has been praised by some tribal leaders for engaging in the issues facing Native American communities far more deeply than previous presidents, their problems remain myriad and severe. Read more

GLBTQ
Supreme Court to hear same-sex marriage arguments

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

(Dec. 7, 2012 | Source: The Washington Post) - The Supreme Court announced Friday it will consider whether California’s ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional and whether Congress may withhold federal benefits from legally married same-sex couples by defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. Read more

Related Story:
Mexico Supreme Court strikes down Marriage ban

GLBTQ
Policies and politics around gay issues and marriage equality

(December 3, 2012 ) - Our assistant editor Dr. Dane Claussen identified several stories that cover the initiatives for gay Muslims in France, and policy and political dimensions of gay rights and marriage equality in the U.S.

France to open world's first Gay mosque

Wedding of first same-sex couple at West Point Chapel

Court: Antigay groups can't intervene in Illinois marriage equality suit

California Congresswoman takes on "Ex Gay" therapy

GENDER STUDIES
Manship studies how women use Internet for pregnancy information

(Dec.

3, 2012 | Source: LSU) - "Most people think of technology as something that's empowering. From a feminist perspective, there's a lot of research and literature supporting that concept," said Felicia Song, lead author and Huie Dellmon Assistant Professor in the Manship School of Mass Communication. Read more

CIVIL RIGHTS
FBI records show randomness, viciousness of civil rights era violence

By Ben Wallace
(Dec. 1, 2012 | NOLA.com) -- In the annals of civil rights era violence, one Louisiana case proved especially brutal because of its seeming randomness and almost choreographed nature. But recently released FBI records demonstrate the terror of white on black attacks -- and the relative impunity in which those attacks often were carried out. Read more

DIVERSITY & COMMUNICATION
Macy's brand loyalty drops after Trump's gaffes

(December 1, 2012 | Source: DiversityInc.) - Donald Trump may have singlehandedly destroyed the “magic of Macy’s” right before the holiday shopping season. Read more

Related Story
Donald Trump's controversial comment about the President's background

AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES
Native American designers fight cultural carricatures

By Emanuella Grinberg
(Nov. 30, 2012 |CNN) -- This November, events nationwide celebrated the traditions, fashion and food of the nation's 566 recognized Indian tribes as part of Native American Heritage Month.Read more