Maria Puente reports for the USA Today: "Secrets, comedian Chris Rock declares slyly, are bad for the human spirit. That's why he's gleefully talking out of school in his new documentary, Good Hair, which has some people rolling in the aisles and others rolling their eyes."

Washington Post reporter Robert Barnes reports on Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor's first day on the job and she was impressive: "The Supreme Court began its new term Monday with an inquisitive new justice and a case from Maryland about how long police must honor a suspect's request for an attorney. "

Kimberly Seals Allers writes for Women's eNews: "If African American, Latino and Native American babies are too often in jeopardy, that means that this country is miserably failing women of color, and black women in particular, in the process of birthing healthy babies."

In a New York Times op-ed Barbara Ehrenreich and Dedrick Muhammad write: "What do you get when you combine the worst economic downturn since the Depression with the first black president? A surge of white racial resentment, loosely disguised as a populist revolt."

In the Huffington Post, Anna Deavere Smith uses the recent Gates/Crowley incident as a launching point to discuss many surrounding issues. "But this teachable moment has been framed by the media as more than a moment about policing. It is supposedly about 'race.' The teachable moment taught us perhaps to look more closely."

C. Nicole Mason's commentary in Women's eNews begins, "I suppose it's a good thing Judge Sonya Sotomayor's confirmation hearings have been a little boring and uneventful. I keep waiting for the scandalous hidden love affair to emerge, but nothing. No affair, unpaid taxes or skeletons to derail her confirmation."

Nicholas Bakalar writes in the New York Times, "A new study suggests that people give higher customer satisfaction ratings to white men than to women and members of minorities, even when their performance is the same."

Sophia A. Nelson wrote, "There she is -- no, not Miss America, but the Angela-Davis-Afro-wearing, machine-gun-toting, angry, unpatriotic Michelle Obama, greeting her husband with a fist bump instead of a kiss on the cheek. And among black professional women like me and many of my sisters...the mischaracterization of Michelle hit the rawest of nerves. Welcome to our world."

Jill Lawrence wrote, "This week's New Yorker set off a Web-and-cable frenzy Monday over cover art that shows Barack Obama as a Muslim, Michelle Obama as a militant and the American flag aflame under a portrait of Osama bin Laden — all in the Oval Office. Reactions to the cartoon by artist Barry Blitt ranged from sadness to rage to scorn. The consensus from analysts was 'what were they thinking?'"

Congrats, Senator Obama, from one of those middle-aged white women who voted for Hillary Clinton in the primaries. Everyone is suggesting you'd better pay close attention to us. I agree completely, although not for the reasons you're hearing elsewhere.

For one ingredient behind Donna F. Edwards's improbable victory over eight-term U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn in February's Democratic primary, look to the football field.

DeNeen L. Brown writes in The Washington Post, "The 'isms' have once again been pitted against each other. Sexism or racism -- which ism is deepest? All things being equal, should a woman or a black man be lifted to the presidency? Which 'first' is the imperative first?"

In the article, NOW President Kim Gandy says, "I think people are still thinking about racism and sexism because they still exist," she says. "I wouldn't call it a dichotomy. The camps are quite diverse. There are African American women who support Hillary Clinton and white women who support Barack Obama. The campaigns crossed those racial and gender lines."

To the question of which ism has the greater burden to overcome, Gandy says, "I say that is unknowable. Having never experienced racism, I couldn't express an opinion about that." She says the greater burden depends on experience and perspective. "To suggest there is a competition between racism and sexism is delightful to people who would see us divided from each other," she says. "Until we as a country recognize the intersection of those isms and the terrible damage they do, we will not be as great as we could be as a nation."

Latifa Lyles, vice president of membership of NOW, says sexism is a huge problem in the country, a learned behavior that doesn't seem to provoke as much outrage. "I am an African American woman," Lyles says. "There is not a day when I don't think of both."

Overt racism is less prominent, she says. "In my experience, I am more likely to see some kind of sexist incident than a racist incident. Because of the prevalence, people become more desensitized to it. If someone says something more overtly racist, I would have a much stronger reaction to it because I'm not used to hearing overtly racist comments."

A United Nations committee has expressed concern about "wide racial disparities" in sexual and reproductive health in the United States.

The Washington Post asks and attempts to answer: Has racial conflict become amusement? Is the conversation about racism mere entertainment, dialogue rendered for show, inflammatory words tossed back and forth over a racial divide to excite an audience?

Five reports released today probe the health crisis that afflicts black women and makes their infants more likely to die before their first birthday. Authors implicate racism and poverty in the high levels of infant mortality and premature births.