Latest news with #racialidentity
Fox News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Mamdani in the Hot Seat over "Black" Box
The NYC Democratic Socialist mayoral front runner is in hot water for checking a very interesting box… I'm Tomi Lahren, more next. Senator Elizabeth Warren walked so Zohran Mamdani could run. He's in the hot seat for checking both 'Asian' and 'Black or African American' on his 2009 application to Columbia University. Mamdani claims he checked those boxes because being from Uganda with Indian heritage, there wasn't another box he felt matched his racial identity. He insists he didn't check those boxes to gain an advantage in the admissions process, though many on social media still find it a little suspicious… More importantly, this harkens back to one of the reasons we must eliminate DEI from the college and job application process. It should be about merit, not quotas. Furthermore, it's the Left that is OBSESSED with race and also cultural appropriation, so it stands to reason some aren't happy he conveniently identified as Black, though he clearly is not. Look, I don't really care what box he checked on a college application. I am far more concerned that he's a radical with communist ideas. It's all such a CLOWN SHOW! I'm Tomi Lahren and you can watch my show 'Tomi Lahren is Fearless' at Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
New York Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
How Do You Self-Identify? For Many Americans, Checking a Box Won't Do.
Natalie Bishop was a little girl in Texas the first time she was asked to specify her race and ethnicity on an application. The daughter of a South Korean-born nurse and a white military veteran, she asked her mother what box to check on a form from school. 'My mom said check the 'white' box — it'll give you more opportunities,' Ms. Bishop, a 38-year-old manufacturing engineer who now lives in Los Angeles, said with a laugh. But as she grew up, omitting the Asian half of herself felt wrong, she said, and even now, queries about her race still feel a little like trick questions. 'When the time comes for me to check a box,' she said, 'I still ask: 'What am I? What am I today?'' Such questions have become more common as attempts by governments and institutions to capture the nation's demographics have fallen out of sync with a population whose makeup increasingly defies longstanding labels. Last week, racial identity and box-checking came up in New York, after Zohran Mamdani — the Democratic nominee for mayor, who is of Indian heritage and was born in Uganda — confirmed to The Times that, as a high school senior, he had identified himself on a Columbia University college application as 'Asian' and 'Black or African American' and also wrote in 'Ugandan' on the form. Some opponents sought to make political grist out of Mr. Mamdani's choice on the form, pointing out that he is not Black and questioning whether he had tried to gain an unfair advantage in the university's admissions process. Mr. Mamdani, a state lawmaker from Queens who is a dual citizen of the United States and Uganda, denied trying to game the system and said he had simply sought to capture the complexities of his background. Both of his parents are Indian; his father's family had lived in Uganda for decades, and Zohran Mamdani spent his early years there. The term African American has generally been used to describe Americans whose ancestors were from the Black racial groups of Africa. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former In-N-Out employee suing the company for $3M after he says he fired for refusing to shave his sideburns
A former In-N-Out employee is suing the burger chain for more than $3 million, saying he was discriminated against and fired because to his hairstyle. According to NBC Los Angeles, 21-year-old Elijah Obeng filed the lawsuit in early June in Compton Superior Court. He accuses In-N-Out of wrongful termination, racial discrimination, harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and failure to prevent workplace discrimination. I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Obeng, a Black man, says he started working at the Compton In-N-Out after graduating from high school. But as his hair grew longer, he says management repeatedly reprimanded him for violating the company's dress code, which requires hair to be tucked neatly under a hat. The lawsuit says Obeng began braiding his hair to comply with the policy, but that wasn't enough. He says supervisors then told him to shave his sideburns, which he considers part of his cultural identity. After refusing, Obeng says he was written up for issues and passed over for promotions. On May 25, 2024, a supervisor allegedly sent him home in front of coworkers and told him to remove his sideburns. Obeng called the incident humiliating. When he chose not to comply and instead said he'd return for his next scheduled shift, he was fired days later. The company cited previous write-ups as the reason for termination, but Obeng believes he was let go for pushing back against what he describes as racially biased policies. So, what are his legal rights? Discrimination laws can vary by state, but California has several laws designed to protect workers in cases like this. California law prohibits workplace discrimination based on race, including hairstyles connected to cultural identity. Obeng's lawsuit may rely on the CROWN Act, a 2019 state law that bans discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles like braids, locs, twists and afros. Under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), employees are also protected from: Racial discrimination Retaliation for asserting those rights Harassment based on protected characteristics In California, policies that disproportionately impact certain racial or cultural groups — like grooming rules that punish Black hairstyles — may be illegal if they're not essential for safety or job performance. Read more: No millions? No problem. With as little as $10, here's of diversified assets usually only available to major players In California, employers aren't just expected to avoid outright discrimination; they're also required to make reasonable accommodations for cultural expression, including hair. That matters, especially given the long history of Black employees being told their natural hair or protective styles are 'unprofessional.' If you're facing a situation like Obeng's, here are steps you can take to protect your rights: Keep a written record of interactions with supervisors, discriminatory comments, policy inconsistencies and disciplinary actions. Forward any relevant emails from your work account to your personal email in case you lose access. Review your employee handbook and familiarize yourself with protections under your state's civil rights laws. In California, visit the Civil Rights department online. If you're in another state, look into local enforcement laws. File a formal, written complaint with HR or your supervisor. Keep a copy for your records and include all relevant documentation, and stick to the facts. If your complaint isn't addressed, you can file a report with the Civil Rights Department in California. In other states, contact your labor or human rights agency. If your concerns still aren't resolved, you may want to speak with an employment lawyer. They can help you explore options, including a potential lawsuit for discrimination or wrongful termination. Obeng's case is still unfolding, and In-N-Out has not publicly responded to the lawsuit. But for workers across the country, it's a reminder that cultural expression, including hairstyles, is protected by law in many states. And when those rights are violated, employees have options. This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchases. Here's how to buy the coveted asset in bulk Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Money doesn't have to be complicated — sign up for the free Moneywise newsletter for actionable finance tips and news you can use. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
The Independent
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Anti-woke activist applauds his ‘friends' at the New York Times for Zohran Mamdani college application ‘scoop'
Right-wing activist and self-styled 'independent journalist' Christopher Rufo lauded his 'friends at the New York Times ' this week after it was reported that the Gray Lady rushed to publish a controversial story about how Zohran Mamdani filled out his college application because it didn't want to get 'scooped' by Rufo. Just before the July 4th holiday weekend, the Times sparked outcry when the paper dropped a piece about the New York City mayoral candidate having identified himself on a 2009 application to Columbia University as both 'Asian' and 'Black or African American.' Mamdani is of Indian descent and was born in Uganda. The 33-year-old state lawmaker told the Times that while he doesn't consider himself Black, he does see himself as 'an American who was born in Africa.' He also explained that, as a 17-year-old, he was attempting to represent his complex ethnic and racial background with the limited options provided on the form. 'Most college applications don't have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background,' Mamdani said, adding that he also wrote on the application that he was born in Uganda. 'Even though these boxes are constraining, I wanted my college application to reflect who I was.' While criticism has focused on the newsworthiness of the piece in general, with intense debate centered on the Times' framing of how Mamdani self-identified in high school as a scandal, much of the outrage has also concentrated on the main source of the story. As initially published, the Times article noted that the story revolved around documents that had been hacked from Columbia's computer systems and provided to the paper by an 'intermediary' known as Crémieux, whom they merely identified as 'an academic and an opponent of affirmative action.' Journalists and researchers of right-wing extremism, however, quickly pointed out that Crémieux is the social media pseudonym of Jordan Lasker, a purveyor of white supremacist and eugenicist views whose public identity has been known for months. Amid the growing outcry, the paper would later update its article to indicate that Crémieux 'writes often about IQ and race' while editor Patrick Healy publicly defended the decision to publish the story and grant the source anonymity. 'What matters most here is whether the information was true and factual—it was, confirmed by Mr. Mamdani; that it was independently confirmed; and that it is relevant to the public,' Healy told the Columbia Journalism Review, though he did acknowledge on social media that it was 'fair feedback' for readers to want to know more information about Crémieux. On Sunday night, Semafor Media added another wrinkle to the roiling controversy over the Times story when it reported that the paper rushed to publish the story on Thursday afternoon over concerns that Rufo would beat them. 'Two people familiar with the reporting process told Semafor that the paper was aware that other journalists were working on the admissions story, including Rufo,' Semafor noted. Rufo has risen to prominence in recent years as a crusader against critical race theory, DEI policies, and 'woke' ideology. Semafor pointed out that Rufo confirmed that he had been reporting out the story when the Times article dropped on Thursday, adding that he would follow up with additional details over the coming days on his Substack. Meanwhile, in an apparent effort to further tweak progressives and spark additional backlash against the paper over the Mamdani story, Rufo applauded the Times for its report and suggested they were on the same page. 'Bummer to get scooped, but kudos to my friends at the New York Times for being first to publish the story,' the conservative provocateur tweeted on Sunday evening. A Times spokesperson declined to comment to Semafor on whether Rufo's reporting prompted the paper to race ahead with its story, instead pointing to Healy's statement to CJR explaining his reasoning for publishing the piece. Among journalists and writers at the Times, opinions on the story have been divided, reigniting long-standing tensions between left-leaning staffers and editorial leaders. Times columnist Jamelle Bouie, for instance, has deleted several Bluesky posts in recent days criticizing the paper, including one slamming the paper for not telling 'readers if your source is a nazi,' because he said it violated the Times' social media guidelines. At the same time, senior editors at the paper appeared to be in agreement over the decision to publish the piece, while veteran Times journalists felt that the reaction to the story showed why it was worth pursuing in the first place. 'The fact that this story engendered all the conversation and debate that it has feels like all the evidence you need that this was a legit line of reporting,' a senior reporter told Semafor. As for the revelation that the paper was racing against Rufo to get the story out first, several media critics took the paper to task for seemingly being manipulated by the right-wing media ecosystem. 'Anyway if you banged out this dumb f***ing story while running out the door for the holiday weekend, in league with racist criminals, because you were worried about getting 'scooped' by Chris Rufo, what you're telling the world is that you CONSIDER YOURSELVES TO BE IN THE SAME BUSINESS AS CHRIS RUFO,' Indignity editor Tom Scocca posted on Bluesky. 'Indeed. The correct story is the manipulative stylings of Chris Rufo,' tech columnist Kara Swisher – who once hosted a podcast for the New York Times – reacted to Scocca.
New York Times
05-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Mamdani Once Claimed to Be Asian and African American. Should It Matter?
The disclosure on Thursday that Zohran Mamdani identified his race as both 'Asian' and 'Black or African American' as a high school senior applying to college has provoked sharply different reactions. Three of his rivals in New York City's mayoral race have strongly criticized Mr. Mamdani, with two suggesting potential fraud and calling for further investigation. Right-wing pundits have flocked to social media to call Mr. Mamdani a liar — and worse. And his supporters have rallied to his defense, angrily characterizing the disclosure as a politically motivated hit job with no bearing on the mayor's race, one advanced by a right-wing academic who has promoted eugenic views. The varied responses followed Mr. Mamdani's acknowledgment on Thursday that he had 'checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background' while filling out an application to Columbia University in 2009. He said he had not been trying to gain an edge through Columbia's race-conscious affirmative action admissions program — and, indeed, he was not accepted to the school. The New York Times could find no speeches or interviews in which Mr. Mamdani referred to himself as Black or African American, and he said in an interview that applications to Columbia and other colleges were the only instances when he could recall describing himself as such. Representative Ritchie Torres, a Bronx Democrat who endorsed Mr. Mamdani's chief rival, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, in the primary, said that he believed that, 'within reason, we should all be the arbiters of our own identity.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
