Woman immigrant in same-sex marriage won't be deported
By Kristina Sgueglia, CNN
New York (CNN) - A New York woman releases a deep sigh of relief as she reflects on a court ruling that her spouse will not be torn from her by the looming threat of deportation.
"Now we can make plans, and we have all the time in the world," Cristina Ojeda, 26, tells CNN.
Monday, she received a letter confirming the ruling by Immigration Judge Terry Bain that will allow her wife, Argentina-born Monica Alcota, 36, to stay in the United States, according to the couple's attorney, Lavi Soloway.
Soloway said this is the first time the government had asked an immigration court to close removal proceedings against a spouse in a same-sex couple since the Department of Homeland Security announced November 17 that a "working group" would be reviewing all pending immigration cases.
Church reverses ban on interracial marriages
By Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor
(CNN) - Two weeks ago, Gulnare Free Will Baptist Church in Pike County, Kentucky, voted 9-6 to ban couples in interracial marriages from attending or participating in the church.
But on Sunday, the small church reversed its course.
Pastor Stacy Stepp told CNN affiliate WLEX on Sunday that the church voted unanimously to "accept all people regardless of race, creed, or color and to accept everyone into the fellowship of Christ."
"I tried everything in my power to try to resolve the matter before it got to where it did," Stepp told WLEX.
Engage: Postal service cuts impact black workers most
Engage with news and opinions from around the web about under-reported stories from undercovered communities.
Proposed U.S. Postal Service job cuts could hurt disproportionate number of African-American workers - The Chicago Tribune
From undocumented farm worker to brain surgeon - National Public Radio's "Tell Me More"
State lawmakers push back against NAACP study citing restricted voting rights - Politico
Near the 70th anniversary of attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese-American woman remembers the war - Kentucky.com
Study confirms what women suspect: Women multi-task more than men - The Wall Street Journal
Writer Nelson George: Hip-hop fact and fiction
Nelson George's new book, "The Plot Against Hip Hop," is a novel, but it has one foot in the real world, the one in which hip-hop exists - including characters modeled on himself, and the real Russell Simmons. But modern hip-hop is meant more to make people dance or buy products, he said. Right now, he said, hip-hop doesn't reflect the realities of its listeners.
About In America
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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