Latest Race and ethnicity News

Limits on politics, race discussion in N. Carolina gov't worker hiring, training advance

May. 31, 2023 20:07 PM EDT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina government personnel laws would prohibit job applicants from being forced to opine about politics and culture to get hired and forbid employee trainers from promoting certain concepts in Republican legislation getting close to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's desk....

Louisiana lawmakers reject resolution that opponents say target diversity, equity efforts in schools

May. 31, 2023 17:58 PM EDT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Republicans in Louisiana rejected a resolution Wednesday that sought to request K-12 schools and institutions of higher education submit a report of all programs and activities related to critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion. Authored by...

Bipartisan bill would allow tribes in Maine to benefit from federal law, stops short of sovereignty

May. 31, 2023 16:28 PM EDT

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — New legislation would allow Native Americans in Maine to benefit from federal laws despite terms of a land claims settlement, providing help to Wabanaki tribes while stopping short of full sovereignty that they've long sought. The bipartisan proposal...

Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a Syrian refugee, will travel the US

May. 31, 2023 15:21 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Little Amal, a 12-foot (3.7-meter) puppet of a Syrian refugee, will journey across the United States this fall, visiting key places in America's history to raise awareness about immigration and migration. The puppet of the 10-year-old girl will visit the U.S....

Filipino American chefs come into their own with multiple James Beard award nods

May. 31, 2023 09:49 AM EDT

Like a lot of chefs, Aaron Verzosa has been hustling the past three years to get Archipelago, his Filipino restaurant in Seattle, through the pandemic and its ripple effects. Getting a James Beard Award nomination was a validating moment. “Being able to amplify and showcase stories...

Why do Kosovo-Serbia tensions persist?

May. 31, 2023 04:28 AM EDT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo flared anew this week after Kosovo’s police raided Serb-dominated areas in the region’s north and seized local municipality buildings. There have been violent clashes between Kosovo’s police and NATO-led peacekeepers...

Japanese knuckleball pitcher Eri Yoshida plays on her own 'Field of Dreams'

May. 31, 2023 01:19 AM EDT

OYAMA, Japan (AP) — Eri Yoshida sat in the dugout of an all-dirt baseball field in rural Japan, surrounded by rice paddies, narrow roads, and traditional Japanese houses. The scene recalled instantly the 1989 film “Field of Dreams" — Asian style — and Yoshida certainly has...

Takeaways from AP's report on legislative reforms to victim compensation programs

May. 31, 2023 01:13 AM EDT

Across the country, violent crime victims are using their stories to push for changes to state compensation programs meant to help them with medical bills, relocation, funerals or other expenses. Vanessa Martinez, who survived a gunshot wound to the head, has turned to speaking at...

Victims of violent crime drive legislative change to state programs, pushing against barriers to aid

May. 31, 2023 00:57 AM EDT

Vanessa Martinez was finishing preparations for her daughter’s second birthday in September 2021 when her ex-boyfriend broke into her Mesa, Arizona, condo and shot her in the head as she frantically tried to shield their three young children. Doctors had to remove a third of her...

As Supreme Court considers affirmative action, colleges see few other ways to diversity goals

May. 31, 2023 00:20 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As an alternative to affirmative action, colleges from California to Florida have tried a range of strategies to achieve the diversity they say is essential to their campuses. Many have given greater preference to low-income families. Others started admitting top students from...