From MAHAMOOD MUBARAK ALI, Sungai Petani, Kedah.

Organizers from Unidos, a youth group that opposes the Mexican-American studies ban that went in to affect January 1st in Tucson, have started organizing their own weekly ethnic studies classes.

"We're teaching the traditional curriculum, if a student was in the Mexican American history perspective classes they defaulted to a traditional history class," Sean Arce told Feet in Two Worlds. Arce is the co-founder and director of the Tucson Unified School District's Mexican American studies program.

"We want to plant a seed, to keep learning about our history and culture," Jesus Romero a member of Unidos told Feet in Two Worlds.

Sixty percent of the over 55,000 students in the Tucson school district are Latino.

Below are images courtesy of Chris Summitt.

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes football is in danger of returning to the bad old days of widespread racism unless the authorities do more to eradicate the issue.

The illiberal anti-racist campaign - the ridiculous drive to turn the working classes into overt anti-racists patrolled by - get this - the police - has caused the craven FA to damn Terry...

ENGLAND star is stripped of the captain's armband for the SECOND time as a result of storm over racism allegations

Death threats have been made against anti-racism 'flagger' who monitors Craigslist's Vancouver site and reports especially threatening racist posts to police.

Death threats have been made against anti-racism 'flagger' who monitors Craigslist's Vancouver site and reports especially threatening racist posts to police.

ENGLAND star is stripped of the captain's armband for the SECOND time as a result of storm over racism allegations

This February, I challenge every immigrant in the country to attend or engage in at least one Black History Month activity each week. If you're a person who would do this anyway, make a special effort to take another immigrant with you who would be less inclined without your invitation, pushing or cajoling.

There are so many reasons that immigrants need to know a lot about black history.

The relationship between black Americans and immigrants of every stripe has historically been touchy, and our alliances have been built against the best efforts of slave holders, corporations and politicians to maintain racial hierarchies that served white supremacy right up to, well, today. European immigrants in New York City rioted when they were drafted to fight for the Union in the Civil War, and Vijay Prashad has written eloquently in "The Karma of Brown Folk" about the ways in which South Asian immigrants have tried (fruitlessly) to identify with white folks, whom we were taught to see as the "real" Americans long before we ever arrived on these shores.

Second, today's immigrants, with large numbers coming from Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands and Latin America, would not be here at all if it weren't for the moral pressure of the Civil Rights Movement forcing changes in 1960s immigration policies.

Finally, in my own experience building multiracial organizations for 25 years, it is all too easy for black Americans to fall off the grid. People see other faces of color, and find it convenient not to notice that black people aren't among them. While the modern racial justice discussion needs to reach beyond black and white, neither is it okay to just leave out the black.

For those of you who are readers, consider participating in the Facebook virtual book discussion of "The Warmth of Other Suns" that our Drop the I-Word campaign has launched. The virtual book club will meet over the next five weeks, in partnership with the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.

"The Warmth of Other Suns" was the best piece of non-fiction I read last year. Journalist Isabel Wilkerson follows three black Southerners on their journeys West and North, giving us a picture of the enormous internal migration that black folks engaged over half a century. Black Americans are not immigrants--their entry into the United States was forced by the trans-Atlantic slave trade. But the story of the Great Migration is about the descendants of enslaved people taking their destinies into their own hands. It didn't solve all their problems, to be sure, but it did open up a space in American politics and culture that didn't exist before the migration.

These migrants escaped Jim Crow--the segregation that ruled Southern life as whites reacted to Emancipation with new rules enabling the ongoing theft of black labor, the violence that controlled black communities and the institutional arrangements that made it impossible for black people to get their feet under them. Wilkerson places the Great Migration in the context of the pilgrims escaping religious persecution, the Irish escaping hunger, the Jews escaping Nazism and the Chinese escaping the implications of being landless. "What binds these stories together was the back-against-the-wall, reluctant yet hopeful search for something better, any place but where they were," she writes. "They did what human beings looking for freedom, throughout history, have often done. They left."

Starting this week, people who care about dropping the i-word, of all colors and all ages will reading this book and discuss it online. The discussion will take place every Wednesday from 2 p.m. EST on the comment section of the Drop the I-Word Facebook page, which you can access by liking the page itself. If you're not on Facebook, creating a profile is very easy. Ask the nearest 10-year-old to show you how.

And if this isn't the way you want to celebrate Black History Month, there will be no dearth of resources to help you find a way that suits. Whatever that way, the important thing is that immigrants engage. We can only move forward on immigrant rights and racial justice with a clear and deep knowledge of how black communities have sustained themselves over a long time, against the greatest odds.

Visit the Drop the I-Word blog to learn how the book club works.

Ramarley Graham, 18, was shot and killed by a NYPD officer in the Bronx on Thursday afternoon after running into his home as undercover officers pursued him. He's the third person the NYPD have killed in a week. According to the police spokesperson, he was unarmed.

Paul J. Browne, the New York Police Department's chief spokesman, said there was "no evidence that he was armed" when the officer, a member of a narcotics unit, shot him once in the upper left chest, the New York Times reports.

The Graham shooting is the third time in a week that a member of the NYPD had killed a suspect. On Jan. 26, an off-duty police lieutenant shot a 22-year-old carjacking suspect in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. And on Sunday, an off-duty detective shot a 17-year-old in Bushwick, Brooklyn, during a mugging, authorities said.

In Graham's case, police found a small bag of marijuana in the toilet at the home he entered after the pursuit, the NY Times reports. "It's likely the story will thicken and the NYPD will argue the cop acted in self defense, but right now it looks like the cops killed a kid trying to get rid of a little pot," said Seth Freed Wessler, Colorlines.com's investigation reporter. 

"Despite directives from the NYPD Commissioner to stop arresting people for simple possession of marijuana, the NYPD actually conducted more marijuana arrests in 2011 than in the previous year," Wessler said.

In New York City, marijuana arrests strike people of color the hardest. Last year the NYPD made a near-record number of low-level marijuana arrests, making 2011 the second-most prolific period for marijuana arrests in NYC history. Close to 87 percent of those arrested for marijuana were black or Latino, while only 10 percent were white.

"The daily practice of harassing black and Latino kids with stop and frisk policing and then arresting them for simple possession of pot would be bad enough even if it did not lead to shootings. In this case in the Bronx, it looks like the day-to-day drug war left this 18-year-old kid dead," Wessler said.

Style blogs are wildly popular these days. There's the "Sartorialist," Bill Cunningham's "On the Street" and now there's "Children with Swag."

Check out some of the miniature street style below and visit Childrenwithswag.tumblr.com for more.

We're ending the day as often as possible by celebrating love. We welcome your ideas for posts. Send suggestions to submissions@colorlines.com, and be sure to put Celebrate Love in the subject line. You can send links to videos, graphics, photos, quotes, whatever. Or just chime in to the comments below and we'll find you. Be sure to let us know you've got the rights to share any media you send.

To see other Love posts visit our Celebrate Love page.

MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell had a hard hitting interview with Komen founder and CEO Nancy Brinker on Friday. Hours later she also went on to issue an apology on Komen.org.

Brinker said the entire Komen drops Planned Parenthood controversy is a "mischaracterization" because they "still have three grants they are committed to at least another year through the end of the grant cycle."

And in a backtracking moment she also said "Planned Parenthood will probably be eligible in the next grant cycle."

Brinker also said Karen Handel, the self-identified "staunchly and unequivocally pro-life" vice president of public policy, had "nothing to do with this decision."

"We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives," Brinker wrote on Komen.org's blog.

"Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer. Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process. We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities," Brinker went on to write.

The image above is part of a great "Florida Primary" photo essay put together by the New York Times. The picture above is of Santorum addressing the congregation at the Worldwide Christian Center in Pompano Beach on Jan. 22. The look on the face of the kids in the back is priceless.

And another picture that's actually disturbing is the one below. "Punching puppets of Mr. Romney and Mr. Obama on the Romney campaign bus. Mr. Gingrich had stressed that he was the best Republican candidate to challenge Mr. Obama in debates, but Mr. Romney challenged that notion with his strong showings in Florida."

(h/t HuffPost)

FAAN Mail, a media literacy/media activism project formed by women of color, have created the hashtag #WishiLearnedinHS to call attention to the Ethnic Studies ban in Arizona.

FAAN Mail explains why they started the hashtag:

This hash-tag has been created in response to the Ethnic Studies ban in Arizona. It is designed to bring attention to the cultural gaps in our education; the gaps that widen as governments and school districts privilege some histories, while silencing other cultures and points of view. Over the next 5 days, beginning February 1, we ask that you Tweet, Facebook, or blog what you wished you learned in high school, in response to the below question: What do you wish you learned in high school as it relates to various cultural identities, histories, and perspectives?

[View the story "#WishiLearnedinHS Updates" on Storify]

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz wore a sombrero during Media Day ahead of Super Bowl XLVI.

"If he wins the Super Bowl, he's going to have the best of two worlds: the English-speaking culture and a Spanish-speaking culture," Daniel Vinas, an associate producer with Univision in Miami, told Yahoo! Sports. "It's going to be unbelievable. We've had some Hispanic players who have done great things in the NFL ... but the whole crossover appeal that Victor will have? It's going to be unreal."

I don't know if it was Cruz that decided to put that sombrero on but who ever came up with that brilliant idea to show his 'crossover appeal' should Wikipedia 'sombreros' because they come from Mexico. Cruz is of African-American and Puerto Rican descent

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 243,000 in January, and the unemployment rate decreased to 8.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS )reported Friday.

The number of unemployed persons declined to 12.8 million in January. Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (7.7 percent) and blacks (13.6 percent) declined in January. The unemployment rates for adult women (7.7 percent), teenagers (23.2 percent), whites (7.4 percent), and Latinos (10.5 percent) were little changed.

Black unemployment saw the biggest drop -- from 15.8 to 13.6 percent. And for the first time in a long time, those numbers aren't being fudged (much) by people who have dropped out of the workforce. Unemployment overall is at 8.3 percent now, and the BLS says that workforce participation is holding steady.

"These numbers are important because one, we now have the lowest unemployment rate in nearly three years. It's also one of the biggest drops in black unemployment--nearly two points--that the BLS has recorded in years," said Shani O. Hilton, Colorlines.com's D.C. Correspondent.

"What makes this particularly heartening, though, is that unlike other points in the decline, the decline isn't happening because Americans are giving up looking for work. The BLS reports that workforce participation is holding steady," Hilton went on to say.

UPDATE 2/3/2012 2:00pm EST: Komen's founder has issued an apology and said Planned Parenthood will "probably" be eligible for future grants. For the latest visit Colorlines.com/planned-parenthood.

The Atlantic is reporting Komen's top public health official, Mollie Williams, resigned in protest immediately following the board's decision to cut off Planned Parenthood. The news comes hours after Komen.org was temporarily hacked and as Planned Parenthood is announcing they're experiencing a surge in donations.

Jeffrey Goldberg at The Atlantic reports on Williams' resignation:

The decision, made in December, caused an uproar inside Komen. Three sources told me that the organization's top public health official, Mollie Williams, resigned in protest immediately following the Komen board's decision to cut off Planned Parenthood. Williams, who served as the managing director of community health programs, was responsible for directing the distribution of $93 million in annual grants. Williams declined to comment when I reached her yesterday on whether she had resigned her position in protest, and she declined to speak about any other aspects of the controversy.

According to sources close to both Williams and Komen, "Williams believed she could not honorably serve in her position once Komen had caved to pressure from the anti-abortion right."

Donors reacting to Komen's decision to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood contributed $650,000 in 24 hours, nearly enough to replace last year's Komen funding, Planned Parenthood executives told the Washington Post on Wednesday.

Planned Parenthood averages 100-200 donations on any given day, but when the Komen decision made headlines it received contributions from more than 6,000 online donors.

"People respond powerfully when they see politics interfering with women's health," Tait Sye, a spokesperson for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told the Post. "That's why we've seen a tremendous outpouring of support." 

Hackers also made their own contribution early Thursday morning. 

"For the few that accessed the site around 12:30AM on Thursday, they were redirected from the regular site (www.komen.org) to an artificial site made by the hackers (ww5.komen.org). The job was so inclusive that even in search engines, you were only able to find the hacked site," Gather.com reported.

The hackers re-designed a Komen banner ad that promoted its marathon to read "Help us run over poor women on our way to the bank."

Only 46% of Americans approve of the job Obama is doing as President but chances are a lot more people approve of the image above.

The photo above of President Obama holding three-year-old Arianna Holmes was released by the White House yesterday. Her mom works as a Special Assistant in the International Economic Affairs office of the National Security Staff.

The image inspired the slideshow below. Captions come from the White House.

July 5, 2011 - President Barack Obama gets a hug from a little girl as he greets Wounded Warriors and their families in the State Dining Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Sept. 5, 2011 - President Barack Obama hugs a woman in the crowd after addressing the Labor Day celebration in Detroit, Mich. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

May 23, 2011 - President Barack Obama embraces Liz Sherwood-Randall, Senior Director for European Affairs, at College Green in Dublin, Ireland. Sherwood-Randall was blown over by strong winds earlier in the day and injured her wrist. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

This one isn't exactly a hug photo but just read the caption... it might as well just be a hug.

May 8, 2009 - President Barack Obama bends over so the son of a White House staff member can pat his head during a family visit to the Oval Office. The youngster wanted to see if the President's haircut felt like his own. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Jan. 25, 2010 - President Barack Obama hugs retiring White House butler James Ramsey, as First Lady Michelle Obama looks on, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 15, 2011 - "Call him the baby soother. At the Congressional picnic on the South Lawn, the First Lady held a young baby who began crying (top photo). The President then came over to hold the same baby and was able to quiet her down as the First Lady reacted in astonishment in the background of the bottom photo." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

May 19, 2009 - "The President was leaving the State Floor after an event and found Sasha in the elevator ready to head upstairs to the private residence. He decided to ride upstairs with her before returning to the Oval Office." (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Sept. 9, 2009 - President Barack Obama hugs Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as he enters the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

May 13, 2010 - A patron hugs President Barack Obama during a lunch stop at Duff's Famous Wings in Cheektowaga, N.Y. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

April 27, 2009 - President Barack Obama hugs First Lady Michelle Obama in the Red Room of the White House while Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett smiles prior to the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) reception, March 20, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

This last one isn't the President but it's included in here because it does include a hug attack!

May 4, 2009 - First Lady Michelle Obama is hugged by students during a visit to the LAMB bilingual school May 4, 2009, as a lead-up to the Mexican Cinco de Mayo holiday. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

Published in it's entirety, below is a statement by Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood Federation of America president, regarding Komen's recent decision.

"The outpouring of support for women in need of lifesaving breast cancer screening this week has been astonishing and is a testament to our nation's compassion and sincerity.

"During the last week, millions spontaneously joined a national conversation about lifesaving breast cancer prevention care and reinforced shared values about access to health care for all. This compassionate outcry in support of those most in need rose above political, ideological, and cultural divides, and will surely be recognized as one of our nation's better moments during a contentious political time. Planned Parenthood thanks each and every person who has contributed to elevating the importance of breast cancer prevention for so many women in need.

"In recent weeks, the treasured relationship between the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation and Planned Parenthood has been challenged, and we are now heartened that we can continue to work in partnership toward our shared commitment to breast health for the most underserved women. We are enormously grateful that the Komen Foundation has clarified its grantmaking criteria, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Komen partners, leaders and volunteers. What these past few days have demonstrated is the deep resolve all Americans share in the fight against cancer, and we honor those who are at the helm of this battle.

"Planned Parenthood has been a trusted partner with the Komen Foundation in early cancer detection and prevention services. In particular, Planned Parenthood helps the Komen Foundation reach vulnerable populations -- low-income women, African-American women, and Latinas -- especially in rural areas and underserved communities where Planned Parenthood health centers are their only source of health care. With Komen Foundation grants, over the past five years, Planned Parenthood health centers provided nearly 170,000 clinical breast exams and more than 6,400 mammogram referrals. With the outpouring of support over the past week, even more women in need will receive lifesaving breast cancer care."

Media technologist & strategist Deanna Zandt started a Tumblr this week that includes stories submitted by "women whose lives were saved or changed because they had access to affordable healthcare like cancer screenings though Planned Parenthood."

"I know I keep saying WOW, but-- in just a couple days, @PPSavedMe has gotten ~1000 followers on Tumblr," Zandt tweeted Friday. (Zandt is a board member of ARC, which publishes Colorlines.com.)

Below is a sample of the touching stories:

Just married with no health insurance, PP was the only place I could go to get affordable birth control and screenings. A pap smear turned up abnormal cells that could develop into cervical cancer. If I had waited until I had full health insurance to get screened it might have been too late to prevent cancer. I AM PRO-LIFE BUT I STILL SUPPORT PLANNED PARENTHOOD!

and another one:

I was a young latina with no money and living in a fairly conservative house where going to a "woman's doctor" meant only one thing, pregnancy. So I went to Planned Parenthood for a gyn chek up and they found abnormal cells in my pap smear.

and another one:

I was alone in a new city, between jobs and without health insurance, when I discovered a lump in my breast. After worrying about it for several weeks, I gave in and made an appointment with Planned Parenthood. The doctor there assessed my situation, agreed I should see a specialist, and referred me to a no-cost program. Luckily, my lump turned out to be normal breast tissue.

There's plenty more. Visit PlannedParenthoodSavedMe.tumblr.com for more stories and/or to submit your own story.