By The Editors
The worst earthquake in more than 200 years hit the already devastated nation of Haiti the afternoon of January 12, leveling a hospital, damaging the United Nations mission and plunging the capital of Port-au-Prince into darkness as electricity and telephone service were wiped out. The quake hit just after 5 p.m., at an estimated magnitude of 7.0., with aftershocks of 5.9.

By George E. Curry
I thought I knew Cornel West, the most public of public intellectuals. But it was not until I read his memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud that I realized how much I didn’t know about my friend.

By John Payton
Today provides a moment for reflection on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., born 81 years ago on this day. It is also a moment of intense anguish for the survivors and those continuing to suffer in the wake of the tragic earthquake in Haiti.

By Paula Woods
In presenting the true story of the 1995 South African Springbok’s underdog run at the Rugby World Cup, director Eastwood and Morgan Freeman (who stars as Nelson Mandela and served as an executive producer) aim to not only honor the spirit and achievement of Nelson Mandela but also to humanize his drive to reconcile a country torn apart by apartheid and years of violent resistance.

By Paula L. Woods
“Young people read comics,” Mandela said in a 2005 speech that launched the autobiographical series on his life. “The hope is that the elementary reading of comics will lead them to the joy of reading good books….If the comic reaches new readers, then the project will have been worthwhile.”

By Pamela Scully & Clifton Crais
The decision by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) to investigate the gender of South African runner Caster Semenya has resulted in numerous editorials, blogs and discussions in which the IAAF’s examination of Caster Semenya’s body and sexuality have been compared to the sufferings endured by Sara Baartman, better known in Europe and the USA by her stage name the “Hottentot Venus”.

By Eisa Nefertati Ulen
Trees crash in forests all the time, no one is there to hear, but they still make sounds. Protests happen all over the world, no one records the clashes with police on cell phones, but they still make sounds. They make cries. Yelps. They roar.

By Stacey Patton
Last week’s Supreme Court ruling, which denies prisoners the constitutional right to post-conviction DNA testing that could prove their innocence, says something bigger about the quality of justice in America.

By Chinyere Osuala
Overcoming Discrimination, a documentary produced by 11th and 12th graders, explored the topics of racism and heterosexism both in the media and among their peers.

By The Editors
On the evening of January 6, New York Cities School Chancellor Joel Klein and Reverend Al Sharpton engaged in a dynamic discussion about the relationship between the educational achievement gap and human rights in the United States.