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Sharpton's Ancestor Was Owned by Thurmond's "The Rev. Al Sharpton, the prominent civil rights activist, is descended from a slave owned by relatives of the late senator and one-time segregationist Strom Thurmond, a genealogical study released Sunday reported. "It was probably the most shocking thing of my life," Sharpton said of learning the findings, which were requested and published Sunday by the New York Daily News. He called a news conference to respond publicly to the report. "I couldn't describe to you the emotions I have had . . . everything from anger to outrage to reflection to some pride and glory." Sharpton, 52, said he had suspected that his forebears may have been slaves but had never attempted to confirm that or find out any details. "I had never really traced my family history, particularly on my father's side, since my parents separated when I was going on 10 years old," he said. The newfound knowledge that his great-...

EXCELLANT article (thanks Rudy) in Christianity Today about racism and multi cultural staffing at Christian organizations. I used to take a certain amount of pride in being the first African American on staff at Christianity Today. But I was routinely humbled when I realized that being first isn't all it's cracked up to be. When you're the only one, there's always a sense that you're in an extremely unstable position, as if one healthy gust of wind could topple you—and with you, the hopes of other people with your skin color. Sometimes, I had to remind myself to "be black," to make sure the rest of the editors weren't overlooking some important point or advancing something that might be insensitive to nonwhites. This became exhausting. On the one hand, I wanted to be a good race man and represent "my people" well. But on the other, I hated all that responsibility. I just wanted to be an excellent journalist. The author concludes: So let me p...