Opinion: Tim Wise: What is post-racial? Reflections on denial and reality
Editor’s note: Tim Wise is the author of six books on race, including his most recent: Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority. He tweets at @timjacobwise.
By Tim Wise, Special to CNN
(CNN) - Being asked to describe what “post-racial” means is a bit like being asked to describe a leprechaun, cold fusion or unicorns: we know what is meant, but, if we are willing to be honest, we also know that none of the four describe something real, something tangible, something true.
To me, “post-racial” is little more than a nonsense term devised by people (mostly white, frankly), who would simply rather not deal with the ever-present reality of racism and ongoing racial discrimination.
It is a diversion, intended to paper over the divisions that have long roiled our nation, and continue to do so today.
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Opinion: Who says raising boys is easier?
Editor's note: LZ Granderson, who writes a weekly column for CNN.com, was named journalist of the year by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and a 2011 Online Journalism Award finalist for commentary. He is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com and the 2009 winner of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation award for online journalism. Follow him on Twitter: @locs_n_laughs.
By LZ Granderson, CNN Contributor
(CNN) - My son had barely taken his first breath when the people in the hospital started telling me how lucky I was.
Not because he was healthy, mind you, but because he was a he.
"It's easier to raise boys," I was told.
And for a while I actually believed them.
Then I started paying attention.
Did you know boys are more likely to drop out of high school than girls? Or that there are more female college students than male? And did you know the imprisonment rate for men is roughly 15 times higher than the rate for women?
If this is what boys being easier to raise than girls looks like, could you imagine how many men would be in jail if raising girls got any harder? We worry so much about girls getting hurt - and justifiably so - but interestingly enough, the stats show it's our boys who are more likely to get robbed, attacked or even murdered. We see girls as fragile orchids and boys as plastic plants. But let's face it: At the core of this line of thinking isn't safety - it's sex.
Arizona city council hopeful says politics - not poor English skills - kept her off ballot
San Luis, Arizona, resident Alejandrina Cabrera, made national headlines after she was denied a bid for city council because some say she doesn't speak English well enough.
Cabrera was born in the United States, but grew up mostly in Mexico and moved back to Arizona as a teen. In the border city of San Luis, though, most residents speak Spanish. She says she's being kept from the ballot as political payback because she spearheaded two recall campaigns against the mayor.
She plans to take her appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court.
Opinion: Latinos won't forget Romney's 'anti-immigrant' talk
Editor's note: Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a CNN.com contributor and a nationally syndicated columnist.
By Ruben Navarrette Jr., CNN Contributor
Miami, Florida (CNN) - Responding angrily to a campaign ad from Newt Gingrich accusing him of being anti-immigrant, Mitt Romney insisted during last week's Republican debate at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville that he has no problem with immigrants.
Perhaps not. But the dishonest and cynical way in which the former governor of Massachusetts has dealt with the immigration issue on the campaign trail shows that he has a problem being consistent.
In Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Romney attacked Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for immigration proposals that Romney said amounted to "amnesty" for illegal immigrants.
But last week, in Florida, where Hispanics account for 22.5 percent of the population, we caught a glimpse of a kinder and gentler Romney. He told the Hispanic Leadership Network, a center-right group, that he would create a "temporary worker permit" for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States.
Celebrating Chinese New Year in New York
New Yorkers celebrated the Chinese New Year with a parade through the city's Chinatown last weekend. It's the Year of the Dragon, a culturally revered symbol of good luck and prosperity. IReporter NYCfoto captured the good cheer - and the confetti.
See more images of the Lunar New Year celebration on CNN iReport
Engage: Study says racial segregation in U.S. cities drops
Engage with news and opinions from around the web about under-reported stories from undercovered communities.
Manhattan Institute study: Residential segregation at historic low in American cities, but it's not the 'end of segregation' - USA Today
Also see: Opinion: John McWhorter: Segregation is down
Q&A with GOP strategist Ana Navarro on tonight's Republican Florida primary - The Atlantic
Marine pleads guilty in Lance Cpl. Harry Lew hazing-suicide death, sentenced to 30 days, reduced rank - The Los Angeles Times
Girl Scouts broadens brand in promotional leadership ads during 100th Anniversary - The New York Times
Camilla Williams, 1st black contract singer with New York City Opera, dead at 92 - BBC News
Opinion: The risks of ignoring race in the workplace
Editor's note: Evan P. Apfelbaum is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His research has been featured in journals including Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Science, and Developmental Psychology and has been covered by a range of media outlets, including The New York Times, BBC, and National Public Radio.
By Evan P. Apfelbaum, Special to CNN
(CNN) - Larry, one of the employees you supervise, hasn't been performing his job up to expectations. But you've been reluctant to take him aside and speak with him candidly: Like most senior people in the company, you are white. What if Larry, who is black, takes your criticism the wrong way or, worse, thinks you are racist?
The last thing you want is for others to think your actions were influenced by race. So you've held off talking to him about performance issues that you'd likely have raised with your non-minority employees. You're relieved that a potentially thorny situation was averted, even pleased with your capacity to be so racially sensitive.
But in fact, recent research suggests, you have not done your company, your employee, or yourself much good. However well-intentioned, striving to create the appearance of colorblindness by sidestepping the specter of race can be more of an obstacle than an asset to good management practice.
Opinion: It's not your grandpa's Florida
Editor's note: John Avlon is a CNN contributor and senior political columnist for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. He is co-editor of the new book "Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns."
By John Avlon, CNN contributor
(CNN) - Florida is the traditional tie-breaking primary in the January gantlet - but there's very little that's traditional about the Sunshine State. It is a sprawling cross section of 10 media markets and one of the most diverse states in the nation, containing communities of voters across the political spectrum.
But we talk about politics in shorthand, and many stereotypes endure long after they are bypassed by reality. So here are three stubborn myths about the Sunshine State to think about as Floridians go the polls on Tuesday.
1) It's senior-citizen central: This stereotype started in the post-war boom, as legions of grandparents sought out the warmth of Florida to ease their aching bones. The state came to be seen as a land of early-bird specials, bad drivers and retirement communities punctuated by amusement parks - "God's waiting room." But in the 1980s, young families began to move into Florida en masse, following economic opportunity and now-ubiquitous air-conditioning.
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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