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In an interview on SIRIUS radio's "Make It Plain" with host Mark Thompson, one of Malcolm X's daughters, Malaak Shabazz, declared her support for Barack Obama -- calling him and his wife Michelle the "present-day" version of her father and her mother Betty Shabazz.
Read more: Newsday.com
The Tom Joyner Morning Show and the NAACP National Voter Fund have partnered to launch 1-866-MYVOTE1 as part of a year-long voter registration, education and empowerment campaign.
''This is truly one of the most exciting and important presidential election years we've ever had,'' said Joyner, the nationally syndicated radio personality whose radio show is aired in 115 markets reaching nearly eight million listeners. ''This partnership with the NAACP National Voter Fund is our way to make sure we register as many voters as possible, and give our community the tools to become active players in this year's election.''
Read more: The Louisiana Weekly
On this day in 1964, the Kentucky boxer known to all as Cassius Clay, changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
In the past two months, Senator Barack Obama has built a commanding coalition among Democratic voters, with especially strong support among men, and is now viewed by most Democrats as the candidate best able to defeat Senator John McCain, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.
After 40 Democratic primaries and caucuses, capped by a winning streak in 11 contests over the last two weeks, Mr. Obama has made substantial gains across most major demographic groups in the Democratic Party, including men and women, liberals and moderates, higher- and lower-income voters, and those with and without college degrees.
But there are signs of vulnerability for Mr. Obama in this national poll: While he has a strong lead among Democratic voters on his ability to unite and inspire the country, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is still viewed by more Democrats as better prepared for the job of president. And while he has made progress among women, he still faces a striking gender gap: Mr. Obama is backed by two-thirds of the Democratic men and 45 percent of the women. White women remain a Clinton stronghold.
Read more: The New York Times
In his first major public address since a cancer crisis, Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan said Sunday that presidential candidate Barack Obama is the "hope of the entire world" that the U.S. will change for the better.
The 74-year-old Farrakhan, addressing an estimated crowd of 20,000 people at the annual Saviours' Day celebration, never outrightly endorsed Obama but spent most of the nearly two-hour speech praising the Illinois senator.
"This young man is the hope of the entire world that America will change and be made better," he said. "This young man is capturing audiences of black and brown and red and yellow. If you look at Barack Obama's audiences and look at the effect of his words, those people are being transformed."
Read more: Associated Press
Top Republican strategists are working on plans to protect the GOP from charges of racism or sexism in the general election, as they prepare for a presidential campaign against the first ever African-American or female Democratic nominee.
The Republican National Committee has commissioned polling and focus groups to determine the boundaries of attacking a minority or female candidate, according to people involved. The secretive effort underscores the enormous risk senior GOP operatives see for a party often criticized for its insensitivity to minorities in campaigns dating back to the 1960s.
Read more: The Politico
I will admit that I didn’t watch one minute of the Oscars but I did catch this segment on the View and was shocked that Whoopi wasn’t included in the Oscar tribute...
Whoopi Goldberg seemed sad and choked up on "The View" Monday when her fellow co-hosts discussed how she was not included in a montage featuring Oscar hosts during the Academy Awards telecast.
Read more: AOL News
On this day in 1975, Elijah Muhammad (77), leader of the Nation of Islam, dies in Chicago.
The Democratic superdelegates are starting to follow the voters — straight to Barack Obama.
In just the past two weeks, more than two dozen of them have climbed aboard his presidential campaign, according to a survey by The Associated Press. At the same time, Hillary Rodham Clinton's are beginning to jump ship, abandoning her for Obama or deciding they now are undecided.
The result: He's narrowing her once-commanding lead among these "superdelegates," the Democratic office holders and party officials who automatically attend the national convention and can vote for whomever they choose.
As Obama has reeled off 11 straight primary victories, some of the superdelegates are having second — or third — thoughts about their public commitments.
Take John Perez, a Californian who first endorsed John Edwards and then backed Clinton. Now, he says, he is undecided.
"Given where the race is at right now, I think it's very important for us to play a role around bringing the party together around the candidate that people have chosen, as opposed to advocating for our own choice," he said in an interview.
Read more: Associated Press
Condoleezza Rice's name on the Republican ticket is a dream to some, but not a reality she can see happening.
The secretary of State told reporters Friday she will not be a vice presidential candidate in the upcoming election.
"I have always said that the one thing that I have not seen myself doing is running for elected office in the United States," she said at a news conference to discuss her recent trip to Africa. "I didn't even run for high school president. It's sort of not in my genes."
Read more: Associated Press
