Children are aware white males have monopolized the US presidency, and most attribute the trend to racial prejudice, according to a study published Sunday.

Calling into question the idea children live in a color- and gender-blind world, researchers at the University of Texas, Austin, reveal “most elementary-school-aged children are aware there has been no female, African-American, or Hispanic President.”

In addition, “many of the children attribute the lack of representation to discrimination,” said Rebecca Bigler, professor of psychology at the University of Kansas, and lead author of the study, published in the journal Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy.

The research team interviewed 205 children aged five to ten in 2006, a year before Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama began their historic bids for the White House. Clinton lost to Obama in the primary fight for the Democratic nomination.

The study asked the children, from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, about their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about the US presidency, and specifically about similarities between presidents and the absence of female, African-American and Hispanic presidents.

A third of the children said the white male monopoly was due to “racial and gender bias,” and another third believed members of the excluded groups “lacked the skills to hold the position,” according to the study.

One in four participants told researchers they thought it was “illegal for women and minorities to hold the office of president.”

The study found children were generally optimistic about the possibility that they could be president.

Girls who attributed the lack of female presidents to discrimination, however, were more likely to believe they could not become president.

“The US presidency is a high profile case of racial and gender exclusion,” Bigler said in a statement.

“And because this topic is not typically explained to children, they appear to create their own explanations for the exclusion,” she said.

The 2008 presidential election between Republican candidate John Mcain and Obama, who is black, has the potential to significantly alter children’s view, said Bigler.

“If Obama loses his bid for the presidency, there may be little change in children’s attitudes, but it could fuel their perception that American voters are racially prejudiced,” she said.

“In contrast, if Obama wins children may believe that exclusionary laws and racial prejudice no longer shape the outcomes of the presidential elections.”

Popularity: 15% [?]

When did extreme become mainstream?–That’s the question immigrant advocates, labor leaders, civil rights groups, and Latino organizations are asking in a full page ad in Capitol Hill newspapers this week as supporters of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) march into the offices of Congress, demanding an impractical and hateful agenda of mass deportations, worksite raids, and other expensive and ultimately ineffective approaches as part of their “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” gathering.

The September 10 broadcast of CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight program will further stoke FAIR’s flames as it airs live from the site of the annual “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” event, along with dozens (or so FAIR claims) of radio hosts from across the country. Hateful extremism is a difficult challenge and sad reality that our nation faces. However, its appearance in mainstream politics and media marks a disturbing social regression for the United States as hate groups and extremists are allowed to define the debate on immigration.

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Popularity: 22% [?]

The Associated Press

SMITHFIELD, N.C. — A civil rights group said Tuesday it will investigate a North Carolina sheriff’s office for possible racial profiling after the sheriff said in published comments that “Mexicans are trashy,” and later apologized for making broad statements.

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina said its first step was to file a public records request with the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office for documents of traffic checkpoints and arrests. The group wants the paperwork by Sept. 19.

Executive Director Jennifer Rudinger said the request seeks county arrest records since January 2004, jail records, and documents from traffic checkpoints. Eight other groups also joined the request.

The action comes after Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell apologized for comments he made in an article published Sunday in The News&Observer of Raleigh. An attorney representing the sheriff’s office said Tuesday he had received and would review the ACLU’s request.

“If lawful and appropriate, we will make the information responsive to the request available for inspection,” attorney Ronnie Mitchell in a statement.

In the article, the newspaper said Bizzell drove slowly through a neighborhood, pointing out piles of garbage and cars with no license plates and remarking, “Mexicans are trashy.” He was quoted as saying illegal immigrants living in his county were “breeding like rabbits” and spreading a culture of drunkenness and violence.

The newspaper also wrote that Bizzell said he sympathized with laborers who know the same calloused-hand work he did as the son of a farmer, and acknowledged immigrants have enriched the lives of many of his constituents.

He later said he didn’t intend to make broad statements that reflected on legal and law-abiding Hispanics.

Hispanic residents featured in the article said they had noticed an increased law enforcement presence and felt targeted at traffic checkpoints. Rudinger said her group’s action will depend on what it finds.

“A bunch of us in the civil rights community were deeply alarmed,” she said. “If a law enforcement agency is found to be enforcing the laws unequally, that is a violation of federal and state law.”

Popularity: 18% [?]

Via California Chronicle

California Political Desk
September 05, 2008

SACRAMENTO – Opposition to a recent policy by the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) to require its athletes to speak English starting next year continued to grow today as several more organizations called on the Tour to rescind the new rule. Yesterday, Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) announced several other leading civil rights groups who are also joining him in opposition.

Among the latest in opposition is California´s conference of the nation´s largest and strongest civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In addition, the following organizations also announced joining the coalition opposed to the LPGA´s policy: Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Californians for Disability Rights, Filipinos for Affirmative Action, California Immigrant Policy Center, Korean American Coalition, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, Sojourn to the Past – A Civil Rights Education Project, Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), California Alliance for Retired Americans, and the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC).

“The nation´s most prominent organizations for civil rights, seniors, the disabled, LGBT, women, and various ethnic communities are overwhelmingly opposed to the LPGA English mandate,” said Yee. “We will continue to fight to ensure this discrimination ends. If necessary, we will picket LPGA events, urge sponsors to withdraw support, go to the courts, introduce legislation, or do whatever else it takes for the LPGA to rescind this policy. Our nation has made great strides in ensuring civil rights for all; we should not be taking steps backward.”

“It is unfortunate that the LPGA has decided to turn back the clock on the idea of advancing equal opportunity and America´s relationships with other parts of the world,” said Alice Huffman, President of the California State NAACP. “Speaking English has nothing to do with playing the sport. The LPGA should seriously reconsider its approach.”

Despite there being no relevance to the sport, the LPGA claims that it is important for players to be able to interact with American media and event sponsors. In fact, no other professional sports league in the United States requires such a mandate. One major sponsor, State Farm, has already announced they may no longer support the LPGA if they do not rescind the policy.

There are 121 international golfers on the LPGA Tour, coming from 26 different countries. This year, the Tour held events in ten countries.

“Clearly, the LPGA fails to realize that broadening the talent pool to welcome international players is in the best interest of the Association,” said EunSook Lee, NAKASEC Executive Director. “This policy is discriminatory, particularly against South Korean players who are significantly represented within the LPGA membership. We are also concerned that the new policy may violate state law. The LPGA´s English-Only is a great step backwards in the advancement of golf and we urge the Association to rescind their new policy.”

“This is another horrendous example of anti-immigrant sentiment,” said Lillian Galedo, Executive Director of Filipinos for Affirmative Action.

“Californians for Disability Rights applauds Senator Yee for taking a strong stance against discrimination and for inclusion,” said Laura Williams, President of Californians for Disability Rights, Inc. “The LPGA action to enforce an English speaking only policy is a major step back to a time when exclusion and discrimination based on our differences was not only tolerated, but encouraged. Do they intend to allow ASL for deaf and hard of hearing? Or make accommodations for persons with learning impairments, which makes a second language difficult if not impossible? Californians and Americans should not return to the dark ages of excluding all but a narrow scope of young white able-bodied.”

“English-only policies breed intolerance and misunderstanding and have no place in athletics or civil society,” said Vincent Pan, CAA Executive Director. “The Olympics have shown how sports can help bridge communities and make the world smaller, with sponsors who appreciate and value language and cultural diversity.”

Other organizations in opposition to the LPGA policy include the California National Organization for Women (NOW), Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), Equality California, Latino Issues Forum, Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), Asian American Coalition for Civil Rights, Applied Research Center, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Legal Aid Society – Employment Law Center, and Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality.

“Denying access based on language capability or country of origin is unfair, unreasonable, and discriminatory,” said Yee. “Omitting qualified players from LPGA membership is inappropriate and unsuitable for the world we live in and poorly reflects on the increasingly diverse population of California and the United States.”

Popularity: 63% [?]