A Louisiana justice of the peace has resigned weeks after he refused to marry a couple because the bride was white and the groom was black. The former justice, a white man named Keith Bardwell, said at the time he would usually recuse himself of performing marriages for mixed couples because it would "affect their kids." His decision was controversial.

New Mexico hotel owner Larry Whitten sparked controversy after he asked his employees to change their Hispanic names to "easier-to-pronounce" English names. Whitten, who fired some employees for refusing to comply with his rules, also asked employees to speak only English.

New Mexico hotel owner Larry Whitten sparked controversy after he asked his employees to change their Hispanic names to "easier-to-pronounce" English names. Whitten, who fired some employees for refusing to comply with his rules, also asked employees to only speak English.

Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle has apologized to Dallas' Spanish-speaking community after he discovered that police officers had written nearly 40 bogus tickets to city residents for being "non-English speakers."

Jazz musician Harry Connick, Jr. calls out an Australian TV show after they feature "The Jackson Jive," a Jackson 5 tribute band performing in blackface. (via Buzzfeed)

Henry Louis Gates, likely America's most famous academic of African-American descent, was arrested by police on Saturday. He had locked himself out of his home when a neighbor reported the sight of a black man breaking into a house.

A Pennsylvania swim club accused of discriminating against a day-care center group of black and Hispanic children has invited the group back to use its pool.

A Pennsylvania swim club is denying accusations that it discriminated against a children's day camp group because the kids were black.

Former Hooters waitress Melody Morales is suing the Hawaiian Tropic Zone for denying her a job because she didn't "speak white" and acted "ghetto." The Puerto Rican-Dominican Morales claims a manager told her "I am not going to ruin my business with your Latin accent."

Hate crimes against Latinos rose by almost 35% between 2003 and 2006, according to hate crime statistics published annually by the FBI. In California, the state with the largest Latino population in the U.S., hate crimes against Latinos almost doubled in the same period. (via Metafilter)