Jesse Beason, executive director of the Portland Community Land Trust, sat down to speak with The Skanner about where the organization is headed, how it has weathered the economic downturn and whether or not the Land Trust's clients can still get loans...

Former congressman and NAACP president Kweisi Mfume spoke in Vancouver, Wa. last week at Fort Vancouver High School.
Before the speech, he sat down for a discussion about criminal justice reform, responsibility, the economy and class in America...

The head of the UN's body charged with combating piracy has advocated establishing a UN force to fight the piracy problem off Somalia's coast—but the problem may be more complex than simple banditry on the high seas. A spokesman for the pirates, who reportedly use the autonomous region of Puntland as their base, told Al Jazeera some of the ransom money will be used to help clean up waters off the Somali coast ravaged by years of toxic waste dumping.

This Sunday, April 26, will mark the 100th full day since the inauguration of America's first Black president. January 20 was a day marked with tears of joy and painful reminiscing. But, specifically, how is the new president doing on issues pertaining to African Americans from a civil rights perspective? Pointing out that 100 days is simply not enough time to tell, some civil rights leaders give him an A so far; most also noting an 'incomplete' on the grassroots economy.

Shyan Selah is no stranger to teen violence and aggression. He saw it in his hometown of Federal Way, and later in Los Angeles, Calif., where he became a professional musician. Selah created his own record label, Brave New World Records, which he later expanded to Brave New World, Inc. after relocating to Seattle. The company's slogan: Be Brave. In 2008, Selah was invited to apply that principal to local youth after an invitation to partner with the Southwest Boys and Girls Club of King County -- where multiple members of the club were touched by gang violence in the area.

Short takes on upcoming film releases from major motion pictures to indie movies and foreign films.

Yet Canyon Creek, the heart of Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One, is the site of a major Supreme Court battle over the federal government's often used and most effective tool in preventing voting discrimination against minorities. The utility district's elected five-person board manages a local park and pays down bond debt. Because it is in Texas, the board is covered by a section of the Voting Rights Act that requires approval from the Justice Department before any changes can be made in how elections are conducted. That requirement applies to all or parts of 16 states, mostly in the South, with a history of preventing blacks, Hispanics and other minorities from voting. The utility district is challenging that section of the law, which Congress extended in 2006 for 25 years. The Obama administration is defending it. . . .

NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous; NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund President, Director-Counsel John Payton and victims of voter intimidation will address a rally in front of the Supreme Court in support of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, United States' Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in the case of Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One v. Eric Holder, Jr, Attorney General, et al. . . .

The Bay Area Rapid Transit agency has hired an organization of black law enforcement executives to conduct a review of the department following the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a white transit officer. The agency's board of directors Thursday awarded the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives a $128,000 contract to assess BART police's diversity and the training officers receive about cultural awareness and the use of force, among other things. The group is also expected to review the agency's internal investigation and hiring practices. . . .

Although rapper Nas received backlash over his racial epithet-titled album before switching it to "Untitled,'' he says earning a Grammy nomination for his controversial disc encouraged him to keep speaking his mind. "It showed that I'm here and my voice is relevant,'' he told The Associated Press on Thursday night during an event held by BMI, a performing rights organization. "It shows my work is appreciated.'' Some like the Rev. Jesse Jackson criticized Nas, calling his original title choice, which used a racial slur referring to black people, morally offensive and too degrading. Nas decided to changed the title but the lyrics stayed the same for the gold-selling album, which was released last summer. Nas, who calls himself a "street disciple and political voice of hip-hop,'' feels he was able to get his message across. "It tends to scare people and offend them,'' he said. "That's what it's supposed to do. A record is supposed to do that every once in a while. . . .