It’s the Fourth of July in America, and a U.S. citizen sits in solitary confinement in New York — and he hasn’t even been convicted of a crime.read more

The Obama administration deserves praise for its response to the coup in Honduras. It sends a hopeful signal that Washington’s traditional support for such undemocratic power grabs has ended.read more

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s confession of an extramarital affair has reignited old arguments over private behavior and the public trust. Sanford resigned from his position as head of the Republican Governors Association, but should he also surrender his gubernatorial seat?read more

“Suddenly new possibilities and expectations were in the air,” historian Martin Duberman writes in his 1993 book, “Stonewall.” “People began to dream about something other than getting from one day to the next with a minimum of discomfort.”read more

This summer, there’s good news for many black and Latino youth around the country. The federal government has designated $1.2 billion of the $787 billion stimulus package for the creation and support of 125,000 summer jobs for disadvantaged youth.read more

This June 22, many people with disabilities should be celebrating the 10th anniversary of our independence day.read more

The federal government must address hate crimes in a meaningful way. A major hate crimes bill, The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes/ Matthew Shephard Act, quietly vetoed in 2007 during Christmas break by President Bush, has passed the House of Representatives, and is up for a vote by the Senate.read more

We cannot allow ourselves to become a force for oppression of one group in the name of liberating another.read more

A Puerto Rican woman from a poor neighborhood in the South Bronx should bring her unique experiences and sympathies with her to positions of power. And if she sympathizes with groups of people who, for too long, have been ignored or invisible in our society, that is a strength of character — not a character flaw.read more

In his speech to the Muslim world, President Obama offered little that was new. And he didn’t connect the dots in his bullet-point lecture. He failed to recognize how the multiple problems that hover over the region are increasingly linked and feed dangerously off each other.read more

The United States should stop standing in the way of Cuba rejoining the Organization of American States. When every other member wants to lift the suspension on Cuba, Washington should accept that.read more

President Obama’s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court reminds us of the importance of diversity in the judiciary. In order to have a vibrant democracy and a fair justice system, our courts should reflect the richness and variety of America.read more

I remember the crackdown at Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, like it was yesterday, though it’s now been 20 years since the Chinese government crushed the student pro-democracy movement.read more

Judge Sonia Sotomayor deserves our support for the U.S. Supreme Court. She’s earned it not because of who she is but because of how she thinks and what she has accomplished.read more

The California Supreme Court’s recent decision on gay marriage is a tragedy. It hobbles families, discriminates against mothers and fathers and children, and endorses the horrific idea that civil rights can be repealed by a vote.read more