DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers. Huzzah for Friday!

Mayor Bloomberg wants to give ex-cons a boost in finding jobs “As part of a $127 million initiative to boost the prospects of underemployed black and Latino men, including those who’ve had brushes with the law, the mayor ordered city agencies not to ask about a job applicant’s criminal record until after they make it through the interview process.” (New York Post)

Who is ‘marrying out,’ and why some people are more likely to than others Interesting Q+A by our sister blog, Multi-American, which asked questions like why black Latinos are more likely to marry out than white Latinos. Answer? “Hispanics, if they are white, they can just sort of blend in, where blacks never would, never could.” (multiamerican.scpr.org)

Why the new biracial Spider-Man matters “It’s about a black kid in D.C., a Dominican kid in the Bronx or a young Mexicano from California being able to read a comic and come away from it saying, “I can be Spider-Man.” Generations of minority comic-book fans before this day, couldn’t say such a thing.” (The Washington Post)

Black Student Sues School Over ‘Wigger Day’ Perhaps you are wondering, how does one celebrate ‘Wigger Day’? “Students wore clothes and behaved in a manner that “‘from their perspective, mimicked black culture.’” (The Root)

Why Are White Guys Climate Skeptics? “As conservative white males become less numerous and powerful, this might increase the tendency toward protectionism/withdraw/hostility, particularly on the question of climate change.” (Mother Jones)

As people of color become a majority, is it time for journalists to stop using the term ‘minorities’? Ten years ago, the San Diego City Council voted to ban use of the words “minority” and “minorities” in all official city documents. “City leaders said “minority” implied being minor and inferior.” (poynter.org)

Good morning, DCentric readers! In the mood for some links?

DC Emergency Assistance Runs Dry as Temperatures Heat Up Sick of the heat? Imagine if you needed emergency funds for utilities or rent when “the shelter system is nearly at capacity and new families without any place to stay are still being turned away.” (dcfpi.org)

A Fascinating Look at the Political Views of Muslim Americans Gallup poll: “its most attention grabbing finding is the fact that Muslim Americans are more likely than Christians or Jews to believe that targeting and killing civilians is never justified, whether it is done by the military or an individual. Put another way, Christians and Jews are more comfortable with civilians being targeted and killed by a wide margin.” (The Atlantic)

Kreayshawn: “There Are, Like, Times When It Sucks Being White” Controversial new female rapper Natassia Zolot, also known as “Kreayshawn” on growing up white, in Oakland, CA: “Kreayshawn explained how it sucked to be her growing up. ‘When I was younger, growing up in the ‘hood, being the only white girl, like, there’s time when you’re like s—t, it sucks being white, you know?’” (colorlines.com)

Blacks want in on discussion over city’s bike proposal Tension over gentrification and race permeate the debate about biking in Portland: “‘The issue isn’t about race versus bikes…The issue is African Americans have not been included in the discussions about the outcomes that are taking place in their own neighborhood.’”(northeastportland.katu.com)

Hispanic growth in N.Va. led by Salvadorans, South Americans “Growth in Fairfax — traditionally a mixing bowl — has been overshadowed by the explosion in Prince William, where the Salvadoran population grew more than six times over in 10 years.” (Washington Examiner )

Good morning, DCentric readers! Here are some links for this hazy, gray day:

DC Schools’ Test Scores Drop Remember all those cheating scandals? “Reading and math scores on standardized tests dropped this year in several District of Columbia schools that are under scrutiny for possible cheating on the exams.” (WUSA)

D.C. Central Kitchen gets record food donation Food was donated by the Summer Fancy Foods Show: “This is an amazing donation,” says DCCK CEO Mike Curtin. “The caliber of food, and the largesse, is helping us further our mission in a significant way.” (bizjournals.com)

What Does Courtland Milloy Think Of Twitter? “(Milloy) once associated the time-sucking tool with D.C. gentrifiers…inspiring him to famously dub the social media platform’s local devotees ‘myopic little twits’.” (Washington City Paper)

What To Do About The Wealth Gap Reported By The Pew Research Center “let’s be real about how old the Black wealth gap really is: It dates from before the very founding of our nation, built on an economic model that equates ownership of property with power—as it does to this day. Problem is, for the first couple of centuries of America’s creation, not only was it often next to impossible for Blacks to acquire and retain property, we were the property!” (Black Enterprise)

Vancouver Crack Pipe Program: City hands out fresh, clean pipes to curb transmission of HIV, hepatitis. Much like needle-exchange programs around the world, soon, Vancouver drug users will be able to receive “fresh” pipes while interacting with heath-care workers, who can offer them opportunities for rehabilitation.(slatest.slate.com)

GOP Rep. Lamborn: Associating With Obama Is Like ‘Touching A Tar Baby’ A republican lawmaker from Colorado has apologized for equating our first African American President with a “tar baby”; the phrase can be considered a racial slur. Congressman Doug Lamborn’s office also announced that he had sent a personal letter containing a “heartfelt apology” to the President. (Think Progress)

Good morning, DCentric readers! A good Tuesday to you all.

Extraordinary teachers can't overcome poor classroom situations An over-burdened teacher responds to Education Secretary Arne Duncan's recent comment that "The best thing you can do is get children in front of an extraordinary teacher." Apparently, it's not that simple. Charter school teacher Ellie Herman writes, "we can't demand that teachers be excellent in conditions that preclude excellence." (Los Angeles Times)

“Potential emerging pattern” after Second Transgendered Person Attacked in DC Two transgendered people were shot in Northeast in July: "Both cases involved transgender victims. Due to the similarities of the victims’ sexual self-identification, M.O., locations, and lookout for suspects, the cases are being investigated as a potential emerging pattern." (homicidewatch.org)

Former Slave Pen Becomes Home For Seniors In Alexandria, a historically African-American church now offers affordable housing on a block that was once a slave pen. (wamu.org)

Does American Apparel’s ‘Conical Asian Hat’ Offend You? What is more offensive? The track record of the purveyors of this iconic head gear or selling a hat some consider necessary to their livelihoods to people in rich, developed nations? (nymag.com)

How Much Affordable Housing Do We Have, Anyway? Um, it's tough to say: "The problem is, there's no central clearinghouse for that kind of information—which makes determining whether we've made any progress pretty much impossible." (Washington City Paper)

Good morning, DCentric readers! Welcome back to the work week.

There’s a bigger house of cards that hurt minorities’ wealth It is eay to blame minorities for buying homes they couldn’t afford and diminishing their family’s wealth, but that “would excuse the government for its monumental failure to tame predatory lenders. And it would absolve the lenders who came up with exotic mortgages that should never have been pitched ubiquitously, especially not to financially fragile minority borrowers. But blaming the victim is what we do so well in America.” (The Washington Post)

US debt crisis: worst off in Ward Eight face prospect of even harsher poverty “While Congress is locked in stalemate, across the Anacostia river one of America’s poorest areas remains unseen and unheard.” The woes of Ward 8 reach across the pond to the Guardian. (Guardian Unlimited)

Rosa Parks essay reveals rape attempt “”I was ready to die but give my consent never. Never, never.”…Most people know the story of Parks, a black, middle-aged seamstress who refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus…her personal papers reveal a much more complex individual, one who spent a lifetime fighting for racial equality and against the sexual violence of black women.” (The Grio)

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Good morning, DCentric readers! Today is going to be extra-hot, with a heat index that could reach 110-115 degrees; stay hydrated, check on neighbors without air conditioning and take care out there.

‘I Claim Not To Have Controlled Events…’ – Ta-Nehisi Coates From a letter to President Lincoln: “Belair [Md.] Aug 25th 1864 Mr president It is my Desire to be free. to go to see my people on the eastern shore. my mistress wont let me you will please let me know if we are free.” (The Atlantic)

Keys to D.C.’s Confidence: Housing Market, Transience High consumer confidence in D.C. may be attributed to the city’s rising real estate prices and the optimism of new residents. (Washington City Paper)

This Is Your Brain on Summer Kids forget things over the summer, but summer learning loss has disproportionate effects. Low-income students lose two months’ worth of reading skills while higher-income students actually make slight gains during summer break. (The New York Times)

5 Ways to Bring Schools and the Community Together Simple suggestions for bridging the gap between a community and its schools. Steps include creating an internship program, hosting a community garden, becoming a big brother or sister, more. (networkedblogs.com)

Elderly black women may bear brunt of budget cuts “For African-American seniors…who live in high priced urban cities, the current average annual Social Security benefit of $10,680 barely covers their current standard of living. If the proposed .03 percent cut to Social Security is passed it may increase the longevity of the insurance fund but it may not increase the longevity of the seniors the fund was created to support.” (thegrio.com)