As President Obama and GOP candidate Mitt Romney court Latino voters, CNN takes an In Depth look at what matters most to this diverse group, and how that will influence elections.
(CNN) – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on Saturday announced its backing of same-sex marriage, more than a week after President Barack Obama also expressed support for the issue.
"The mission of the NAACP has always been to ensure political, social and economic equality of all people," Roslyn M. Brock, chairman of the NAACP's board of directors, said in a statement.
By the CNN Wire Staff
(CNN) - Trayvon Martin's girlfriend, talking to him on the telephone, heard the teenager saying "get off, get off," in the moments before his cell phone cut off and he was shot dead, according to a recording released Friday of the girl's interview with a prosecutor.
Another witness, however, seems to put Martin on top of George Zimmerman for at least part of the struggle, according to another recording.
"Where I first walked out there, the black guy was on top, and the only reason I can tell that was because the guy that was on the ground under him at that point wrestling was definitely a lighter color," the witness, whose name has not been made public, said in the interview.
Martin was African-American. Zimmerman is a white Hispanic.
Another witness said the heavier of the two appeared to be on top.
"I know after seeing the TV of what's happening, comparing their pictures, I think Zimmerman was definitely on top because of his size," the witness said.
The recordings provide the most detailed look yet into previously reported witness statements detailing the last moments of Martin's life.
Editor’s Note: Rinku Sen is the President and Executive Director of the Applied Research Center (ARC) and the publisher of Colorlines.com.
By Rinku Sen, Special to CNN
(CNN) –With the news that, for the first time in U.S. history, the majority of American babies are not white, it should put to rest use of the term “minorities” as a reference to America’s black, Latino, Asian and Native American residents.
Nearly 30 years ago, I learned to think of myself as a person of color, and that shift changed my view of myself and my relationship to the people around me.
It is time for the entire nation, and our media in particular, to make the same move.
By the CNN Wire Staff
(CNN) - Trayvon Martin had drugs in his system when he was fatally shot earlier this year by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, according to autopsy results released Thursday.
Martin's blood contained THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, according to an autopsy conducted February 27 - the day after the teenager was shot dead.
Toxicology tests found elements of the drug in the teenager's chest blood - 1.5 nanograms per milliliter of one type (THC), as well as 7.3 nanograms of another type (THC-COOH) - according to the medical examiner's report. There was also a presumed positive test of cannabinoids in Martin's urine. It was not immediately clear how significant these amounts were.
He died from a gunshot wounded to chest fired from "intermediate range," according to the medical examiner's report, which was one of several documents on the case released Thursday by the office of special prosecutor Angela Corey.
By Stephanie Siek and Joe Sterling, CNN
(CNN)– U.S. minorities now represent more than half of America's population under the age of 1, the Census Bureau said, a historic demographic milestone with profound political, economic and social implications.
The bureau - defining a minority as anyone who is not "single race white" and "not Hispanic" - released estimates on Thursday showing that 50.4% of children younger than 1 were minorities as of July 1, 2011, up from 49.5% from the 2010 Census taken in April 2010.
"2011 is the first time the population of infants under age 1 is majority minority," said Robert Bernstein, a Census Bureau spokesman.
The latest statistics - which also count the national population younger than 5 as 49.7% minority in 2011, an increase from 49% in 2010 - portend a future of a more racially diverse America, with new and growing populations playing more important roles politically and economically in years to come, analysts say.
Editor's note: Maya Rockeymoore, Ph.D., is the director of Leadership for Healthy Communities, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and president of Global Policy Solutions, a policy consulting firm in Washington, DC. This piece was written in association with The Op-Ed Project.
By Maya Rockeymoore, Special to CNN
(CNN) – Talking about being overweight is always an uncomfortable topic, no matter what color you are.
But when the New York Times ran an editorial, “Black women and fat”, it opened a wound most of us would like to ignore.
After all, aren't there more important things to talk about when it comes to African-American women and our lives?
Why talk about the “sugar down below’’as the author Alice Randall put it, when black women are facing high rates of unemployment, poverty and HIV/AIDS?
Since the publication, I have been discussing obesity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Weight of the Nation Conference and at screenings for the HBO documentary, Weight of the Nation.
Plus, I have been in more personal conversations with my friends who have confirmed how embarrassing and deeply personal the issue is in their lives.
But obesity is worth talking about for a single reason: it places our lives and those of our children at risk.
In a move that he admits could cost him some fans, New York rapper Yitz “Y-Love” Jordan, considered "the first black Jewish MC," has come out publicly as a gay man of color.
"I feel like I have wasted years of my life worrying that my ‘public reputation’ will be negatively impacted by my identity," Jordan said in a statement. "Now that I'm over 30, I simply can't care as much about what people think, despite the prospect of alienating the community I dedicated my life to as an artist and a man. My hope is it will open their eyes – and hearts."
Although he's now publicly talking about it, Jordan tells Out magazine in an interview that he's "never been conflicted about my sexuality ... Any conflicts that have come up in my life have come up because of other people's homophobia. I've always known when to be in the closet and when not to."
Editor’s note: Dereyck Moore is currently employed by NBA digital and previously worked for CNN Digital. He is a graduate of Florida A&M University, where he was a member of the FAMU marching band from 1990 to 1994.
The Florida A&M University Marching 100 band is an icon: they have played at inaugural presidential parades and Superbowls, and been a source of pride.
Ask any “Rattler”, or band member, and they will tell you the Marching 100 is a terrific reason to proclaim "I'm from FAMU".
Without the the band, homecoming won't be the same.
But the pride and exuberance I feel about my experiences in the band has been shaken to the core in light of their extended suspension after the fatal hazing of band member Robert Champion.
I believe the suspension is a necessary step to ensure the safety of young people who simply wish to play their part in a tradition, and am hopeful for the greater good.
By Mallory Simon, CNN
(CNN) – As if becoming the first black president wasn't momentous enough, Barack Obama has just been handed a new title: "First gay president."
A Newsweek magazine cover bestowed that distinction on Obama this week with a picture of the president and a rainbow halo. If you view that as a naked attempt to grab your attention, capitalize on the moment and have you pick up a newsmagazine, you might be right.
But that illustration – along with a New Yorker cover showing the columns of the White House lit up in rainbow colors – certainly shows how the president’s public support of same-sex marriage has pushed the issue back into the spotlight.
The magazines’ choices also speak to the broad cultural impact of Obama's announcement and pose questions about whether this moment may become a lasting part of his legacy.
That's not to say the president's announcement is necessarily a watershed moment. It earned him kudos and criticism despite the fact that he left the legal standing of same-sex marriage in the hands of the states and made no policy changes.
The issue also is far from resolved in the African-American community, and some conservatives say Obama's announcement comes at a political cost.
CNN.com's John Blake writes that some suggest the black church may punish Obama for announcing his support for same-sex marriage.
As millions went to church this weekend after the president's announcement, clergy across the country offered their opinions, with the words of black pastors – a key base of support for Obama in 2008 – carrying special weight in a presidential election year. But black pastors were hardly monolithic in addressing Obama's remarks.
Read the full story on CNN's This Just In blog
By Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor
Washington (CNN) – Addressing his large, mostly black congregation on Sunday morning, the Rev. Wallace Charles Smith did not mince words about where he stood on President Barack Obama's newly announced support for same-sex marriage: The church is against it, he said, prompting shouts of "Amen!" from the pews.
And yet Smith hardly issued a full condemnation of the president.
"We may disagree with our president on this one issue," Smith said from the pulpit of the Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington. "But we will keep him lifted up in prayer. ... Pray for President Barack Obama."
And Smith said there were much bigger challenges facing the black community – "larger challenges that we have to struggle with" – bringing his full congregation to its feet, with many more amens.
Days after Obama announced his personal support for same-sex marriage, pastors across the country offered their Sunday-morning opinions on the development, with the words of black pastors – a key base of support for Obama in 2008, that is also largely opposed to gay marriage – carrying special weight in a presidential election year. But black pastors were hardly monolithic in addressing Obama's remarks.
What defines you? Maybe it’s the shade of your skin, the place you grew up, the accent in your words, the make up of your family, the gender you were born with, the intimate relationships you chose to have or your generation? As the American identity changes we will be there to report it. In America is a venue for creative and timely sharing of news that explores who we are. Reach us at inamerica@cnn.com.
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