International News
Controversial painting of South African president reopens racial divide
A white man’s painting of a black president, genitals exposed, slashed open an ugly racial divide in South Africa this week, leading to death threats against the artist, calls for the boycott of a newspaper, vandalism of the artwork and the temporary closure of a gallery. The issue grew more heated Thursday, when President Jacob [...]
Black Cuba/White Cuba
Few tourist ships dock at Havana’s famous esplanade. The United States government prohibits American businesses in Cuba. American travel to Cuba is restricted to relatives, journalists, students, and researchers. On a recent trip to Havana conducting research on the American Civil Rights Movement, this writer discovered the Martin Luther King Jr. Center as well as [...]
Modest gains mark Haitian leader’s first year
In a country where the news is typically bad, if not catastrophic, many people in Haiti look at the past year under a musician-turned-president with guarded surprise. Yes, parliament and President Michel Martelly were in a standoff that hobbled government much of the past 12 months. Yes, less than a quarter of the population has [...]
Affirmative action backed in largely black Brazil
Brazil’s top court has backed sweeping affirmative action programs used in more than 1,000 universities across this nation, which has more blacks than any country outside Africa yet where a severe gap in education equality between races persists. The Supreme Court voted 7-1 late Thursday to uphold a federal program that has provided scholarships to [...]
SEC: 11 illegally sold stock with Haiti promise
Federal regulators say 11 people exploited a disastrous 2010 earthquake in Haiti to illegally sell stock in a U.S. company that they told investors would build homes in the devastated country. The mastermind of the scheme was Kevin Sepe of Miami, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Wednesday. Sepe and five others agreed to pay [...]
