Chatterbox

Amendment Anniversary: Can laws change bias?

vmartir — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:02:36 -0600

140 years ago today, on February 3, 1870, the United States passed the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, giving blacks the vote.

The catch was that the amendment did not protect black voters against discrimination. Some states used poll taxes and literacy tests to keep them away. It wasn’t until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that blacks were able to freely vote.

What can you do?

Are you biased? Think not? Find out!

Pew News: Millennials most accepting generation

vmartir — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:23:24 -0600

Until 1967, numerous states had laws that barred whites from marrying nonwhite. The unions remained taboo for many even after the U.S. Supreme Court knocked down the statutes, until the millennials came alone.

A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that almost all Americans ages 18-29 years old accept interracial dating and marriage. This is in sharp contrast to older generations, especially Americans ages 50 or older, who are significantly more likely to be opposed to the mixing of races and ethnic groups.

Superbowl... DoSomething style!

vmartir — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:48:48 -0600

As the nation gears up to watch the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints go head to head in Sunday’s Super Bowl, DoSomething.org is putting the teams on another field: the philanthropy field. We’re rating the teams on how they add up when it comes to charity and giving back to their communities. Afterall, football is a huge money making industry so they should be giving back, right?

When a sit-in became a movement

vmartir — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:20:59 -0600

On February 1, 1960, four black college students entered a Woolworth’s lunch counter and resisted Jim Crow Law Laws by sitting down and asking to be served at whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C. They returned daily for six months until the counter was desegregated.

Dubbed the “Greensboro Four,” the men inspired thousands of peaceful sit-ins, becoming one of the central strategies of the American civil rights movement.

New Mexico tries to Increase their Green

jsteers — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:52:38 -0600

The dusty deserts of New Mexico may be the last place many think of when the words “going green” come to mind, but new developments in cutting carbon in the atmosphere have landed the state on the cutting edge of the fight against global warming.

Scientists are looking at underground caves and fissures in New Mexico as possible natural storage tanks for the carbon dioxide captured from fossil fuel plants. Carbon is one of the greenhouse gases most noted as a culprit of global warming.

Americans arrested in Haiti

jsteers — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:37:25 -0600

10 Americans were arrested in Haiti on Friday for trying to take children out of the country without proper documentation. The incident raised alarms about the rise in child trafficking seen in the earthquake-ravaged country since the disaster struck.

The Americans, part of a Baptist group from Idaho, are currently waiting to hear if their attempt to take 33 Haitian children to the Dominican Republic will be classified as child trafficking. Child welfare groups were outraged at the attempt and Haitian Prime Minister said the group is guilty of “illegal trafficking of children.”

Soda Wars go the cause route

vmartir — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:12:39 -0600

Cause marketing has become all the rage, and giants Pepsi and Coke are jumping on the service bandwagon.

Pepsi Refresh

For the past 23 years, Pepsi’s spent millions on Super Bowl ads but this year they’ve opted to allocate those funds to Pepsi Refresh, which solicits the best ideas from consumers and plans to dole out $20 million in grants to good cause and “great ideas” throughout 2010.

Side Note: One of the coolest parts of this campaign is that DoSomething.org is one of two charities advising on it. Isn't that awesome?

Youth report to world leaders: Act now!

vmartir — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:50:14 -0600

In October we told you about the Young Global Leaders’ campaign to get you in on shaping the future. This week, they took your insight to Davos, Switzerland, where the World Economic Forum (WEF) is being held all week.

The WEF provides a collaborative framework for the world’s leaders to address global issues. This year, a vital voice was included – yours.

Another victim of the downturn: School sports!

vmartir — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:59:19 -0600

Facing budget cuts, schools across the nation are slashing programs, and parents and students are up in arms.

Black History Month 2010: What does it mean and what can you do?

vmartir — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:46:16 -0600

Most of you know that February is set aside as a month to celebrate and acknowledge the accomplishments and sacrifices of African Americans in the United States. But when and how did this tradition begin?