Social Issues

White supremacist propaganda surged in 2020, report says
There were 5,125 cases of racist, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ and other hateful messages spread through physical flyers, stickers, banners and posters, according to Wednesday's report. That's nearly double the 2,724 instances reported in 2019.
Deaths of migrant children haunt former official as border surge increases
John Sanders led U.S. Customs and Border Protection under the Trump administration. At least five children died after being detained during the last surge, and he fears "history is repeating itself."
Chauvin trial: 2 jurors out, 2 added as Floyd family settlement roils court
The $27 million settlement between Minneapolis and the George Floyd family continues to hang over jury selection in Derek Chauvin’s criminal trial. There are currently nine jurors after two were dismissed Wednesday morning and another two selected in the afternoon.
Intelligence Squared debate: Is it time for slavery reparations?
A top aide to President Joe Biden recently said that the White House will “start acting now” on reparations for African Americans. Some say it’s long overdue. Reparations, they say, are important to start to address the moral injury slavery inflicted. Others say direct payments to African Americans will divide the Black community, exaggerate racial tensions and prove impossible to administer.
As gaps emerge, state hires head of vaccine equity
The Health Department’s new head of vaccine equity is looking to other states for ideas to help vulnerable communities get to the front of the vaccine line. That could include special vaccine allotments and sign-up periods for people who have struggled to get vaccinated.
Racial diversity in children's books grows, but slowly
Data suggests books about people of color stayed largely the same and there were only slight increases in books written by people of color. Experts say the true effect of 2020 on the children's book industry may be seen in the years to come.
Explainer: What is the impact of racially diverse juries?
Scholars, courts and legal groups have increasingly advocated for greater jury diversity, arguing, that by almost every metric, they make for better juries.  Of the six men and three women selected through Monday for Derek Chauvin's jury, five are white, one is multiracial, two are Black and one is Hispanic. They range in age from their 20s to their 50s.
Chauvin trial: Judge weighs delay as Floyd family settlement roils case
Prosecutors pushed back Tuesday afternoon on defense arguments that news of a $27 million settlement between Minneapolis and the George Floyd family may taint the process to pick a jury in Derek Chauvin’s criminal trial.