109Share

What a year 2010 has been. There’s certainly plenty to be frustrated about—the supposed recovery hasn’t reached most communities of color; the only change President Obama brought to immigration was increased deportations; politicos mounted one of the most racist campaigns in decades; and disasters both natural and man-made crippled already struggling communities around the world.

But there’s plenty to be excited about as well. As Van Jones told the hundreds of racial justice advocates we gathered in Chicago for Facing Race 2010, the political backlash of 2010 comes as the natural result of the victories the movement for racial justice has brought about in recent years. No story we covered this year offers a better example of that surging movement than the DREAM Act youth, who forced Washington to pay attention to in 2010. Their movement was the most overlooked story in journalism this year—everywhere but here at Colorlines.

Watch for yourself. Check out Jorge Rivas’ year-in-review video above, and we’ll see you in 2011.

—Kai Wright

*Haste makes waste. We originally loaded the version without Jan Brewer’s infamous remarks on SB 1070 and racial profiling. It’s in there now.