The House of Representatives acknowledged Tuesday the use of Black slaves in the construction of the U.S. Capitol, ordering officials to place a marker inside the new Capitol Visitor Center using some of the original stone quarried by those slaves for the building. "This physical and permanent marker will pay tribute to the blood, sweat and tears of the African-American slaves who helped build this magnificent building and ensure that their story is told and never, never, ever forgotten,'' said Democratic Rep. John Lewis, a noted civil rights activist during the 1960s. The vote was 399-1 ...

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The recent outrage in response to the Cambridge Police Department's arrest of prominent Harvard Professor Henry Louis "Skip" Gates was not the first time that the Cambridge Police Department was nationally embarrassed amidst a racial incident.

RALEIGH (NNPA) - On July 14, 2008, when then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama addressed the NAACP Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, he reminded all of his former days as a community organizer on the desperate streets of Southside Chicago, setting up job training, "after-school programs to help keep kids off the streets, and block by block, we helped turn those neighborhoods around."

RICHMOND (NNPA) - Can you imagine being arrested and jailed for trespassing on private property you own or control? That's what happened to Otis Smith Jr., according to Richmond General District Court records.

A new Internet data map offers a first-of-its-kind, county-level look at HIV cases in the U.S. and finds the infection rates tend to be highest in the South. The highest numbers of HIV cases are in population centers like New York and California. However, many of the areas with the highest rates of HIV -- that is, the highest proportion of people with the AIDS-causing virus -- are in the South, according to the data map, which has information for more than 90 percent of the nation's counties and Washington, D.C. ....

The Snuggie, a wearable blanket that conjures up coziness and relaxation for most, is now making some consumers uncomfortable with its new rebate program through a company called Great Fun. After purchasing a $20 Snuggie, consumers receive a rebate check for $8.95, which features the following inscription ...

A group of black police officers in Philadelphia want a federal judge to shut down an Internet discussion forum on which officers have allegedly posted hundreds of racist comments. The Guardian Civic League on Monday filed a request for an injunction ...

Until a few years ago, the memory of three African American soldiers was buried beneath the sandy, desert in New Mexico, their remains left behind by the military and to the mercy of looters. With some investigating and modern forensics, government archaeologists excavated the remains and identified them as ...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ The U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing the case of a suburban Philadelphia swim club that has been accused of racial discrimination. ... After the incident, Club President John Duesler said in a statement that "there was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club." He denies race was a factor ...

As summer heats up and yields thousands of unemployed teenagers anxious for a break from school and looking for something to do, Black leaders and state governments are hoping that President Obama's investment in youth initiatives will help put them to work – boosting the economy and away from crime. . . .