Born in Mississippi in 1910, Hinton moved to Chicago in the late '20s, played with Cab Calloway for many years and ended up in New York as one of the city's first black session musicians.

NPR: 'Playing the Changes' Chronicles Jazz Great Hinton

European stocks ended a bumpy session in the black Tuesday, underpinned by stronger-than-expected U.S. consumer-confidence data, a well-received Italian bond auction and hope that euro-zone policy makers will make progress in tackling the region's debt crisis.

WSJ: European Stocks Finish Higher

The next day Jackson was given another cordial reception when he became the first black since Reconstruction to address a joint session of the Alabama legislature.

CNN: From Protest To Politics

But a late-session rally brought stocks back into the black, following reports that a top Greek politician, viewed as a contender to be the next prime minister, signaled a commitment to implement austerity measures despite previously opposing them.

WSJ: Dow Claws Back Into the Black

There is someone else at that interrogation session: an observer, who wears a black hood and removes it to shake out a glorious curtain of reddish-gold hair.

NEWYORKER: Dead Reckoning

In a question-and-answer session with Smiley at the State of the Black Union, Clinton was asked about remarks her husband made while campaigning for his wife in South Carolina, including his reference to Jesse Jackson having won primaries in the state during the 1980s.

CNN: Obama takes heat for skipping State of the Black Union

Even the Black Panthers, who sallied into town for a shameless publicity session, praised the white sheriff, Billy Rowles, for his efficient handling of the case.

ECONOMIST: Race relations

On a recent day, Mr. VanDemark patrolled his students' workout sporting a cutoff T-shirt and the remnants of a fairly spectacular black eye that he'd sustained during an early-morning sparring session.

WSJ: Music Students Hit the Boxing Ring

After the session concluded, Renee Ogletree, a school official who is a lesbian and also black, said she had wrestled with that same idea.

NPR: Chicago Proposes Gay-Friendly High School