AT THE ENTRANCE to my lab’s clean room, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror: I look like a clown. I’m drowning in a disposable coverall that hangs off of me in droopy folds, and my size 7½ feet are swallowed up by the smallest rubber boots the lab had on hand—a men’s size 12. The thick mass of curls framing my face only accentuates the caricature.
Tag Archives: race
Michael V. Drake to Become the First Black President of the University of California
Michael V. Drake’s retirement was pretty short-lived.
Just a week after he left his post as the president of Ohio State University, Drake was announced as the 21st president of the University of California system. The move marks the first time a Black person has ever held the position in the system’s 152-year history. Continue reading Michael V. Drake to Become the First Black President of the University of California
The Aunt Jemima brand, acknowledging its past rooted in racial stereotypes and slavery, will be retired
Quaker Oats is retiring the more than 130-year-old Aunt Jemima brand and logo, acknowledging its origins are based on a racial stereotype.
These Twins, One Black and One White, Will Make You Rethink Race
When Amanda Wanklin and Michael Biggs fell in love, they “didn’t give a toss” about the challenges they might face as a biracial couple, Amanda says. “What was more important was what we wanted together.”
Continue reading These Twins, One Black and One White, Will Make You Rethink Race
Usain Bolt Makes History Winning His Third Consecutive Gold Medal in the Men’s 100m Final
Usain Bolt lives up to his surname ever time he steps onto a track. He loves to brag about being the fastest man on the planet, whether cameras are focusing on him or not. Whenever the Jamaican sprinter sets his feet into the block, it’s not uncommon to witness this guy make history in track and field.
Big data shows racial bias in police behavior
Stanford University just delivered further proof that massive, readily available data sets can solve tricky law enforcement problems. School researchers combing through a mix of 28,119 Oakland Police Department stop reports, officer body camera footage and community surveys havelearned that there are “significant” racial biases at play. OPD officers are not only more likely to stop a black person, but far more likely to conduct searches of black people, even though they weren’t any more likely to find something incriminating. Officers more frequently handcuffed black people without arresting them, too. And the pattern is the same regardless of the crime rate in a given region.
Continue reading Big data shows racial bias in police behavior
Meet Kevin Warren, the Highest-Ranking Black Executive in the NFL
Like most professional sports leagues, the NFL has general expectations for how its teams format their websites. Each site looks pretty much the same, with a standard menu bar and a drop-down item labeled “Team.” Most have a link marked “Front Office,” for fans to see who runs the operations on the business side. Sadly, if you were to check out who occupies these positions on most NFL team websites, you might be surprised by the lack of diversity among the executive faces. (Or, perhaps, not very surprised.)
Continue reading Meet Kevin Warren, the Highest-Ranking Black Executive in the NFL
The Fat Cat Collective 