Race/Related: The Laquan McDonald Case

Plus: Lupe Valdez on the Texas governor’s race, and more controversy at Ole Miss. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Saturday, October 6, 2018 [More Race/Related »]( The Laquan McDonald Case: a Turning Point or an Aberration? [Jared Steverson marched through downtown Chicago on Friday after Officer Jason Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder.] Jared Steverson marched through downtown Chicago on Friday after Officer Jason Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder. Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times [Lauretta Charlton] Lauretta Charlton I did not expect this outcome. Nearly four years ago, a truck driver called 911 to report someone breaking into vehicles in a parking lot in Chicago. When officers arrived, they found Laquan McDonald, a black teenager, near the scene. He refused to stop when they told him to. He had a three-inch pocketknife. The officers followed Laquan down South Pulaski Road and 41st Street. Officer Jason Van Dyke arrived. Dashboard-camera footage shows Officer Van Dyke shooting Laquan 16 times, the teenager’s body spinning as the bullets were pumped into it. Officer Van Dyke, who is white, was the only one to discharge his weapon. This week, he was found [guilty of second-degree murder]( and 16 counts of aggravated battery, one for each shot. Officers in police-shooting cases like these are usually acquitted. But maybe, just maybe, we’re entering a new era. We want to hear from you. Do you think the conviction of Officer Van Dyke represents a turning point or an aberration? Email us at racerelated@nytimes.com. ADVERTISEMENT Sheriff Lupe Valdez: ‘Texas Is Not a Red State. We’re a Nonvoting State.’ [Lupe Valdez, center, the Democratic nominee for governor of Texas, at a rally in June.] Lupe Valdez, center, the Democratic nominee for governor of Texas, at a rally in June. Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times The midterm elections are nearly upon us, and the breakout story this year has been the record number of women running for office. But equally impressive is the number of minority candidates on ballots across America. One minority woman is Lupe Valdez, the Democratic nominee for governor in Texas. A former Dallas County sheriff, she is also the first openly gay Latina to be nominated by a major political party for the top post in the state. Although Congress is more diverse than ever, it remains overwhelmingly white when compared with the general population. (The [sole black Republican woman]( in Congress, Mia Love, may lose her seat to a white man in November.) Money is one significant barrier of entry to politics for many minorities. Ms. Valdez is from a family of migrant workers and was raised in one of the poorest ZIP codes in San Antonio. In July, the incumbent, Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, had $28.9 million. Ms. Valdez, who on the stump has promoted a message of equality and change, had a mere $222,000. Campaigning is expensive. “I had to leave my job,” Ms. Valdez pointed out, half joking. But when black and Hispanic families already have considerably [less wealth]( than whites, quitting your job to run for office is actually a pretty big deal. According to the [Cook Political Report]( the Texas governor’s race is solidly red. Ms. Valdez faces a formidable challenge, and it’s unlikely that she will win in November. “We’re not a red state,” Ms. Valdez said. “We are a nonvoting state. If the people vote, we win. The problem is, we’re not voting.” She’s right. Many Americans are choosing not to vote. This week, Sabrina Tavernise, a National desk reporter, [wrote]( that “the last time more than half of eligible voters turned out for a midterm election was 1914.” Stay tuned to [Race/Related]( for more interviews with minority candidates heading into Election Day. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to On Politics, a new [newsletter]( by Lisa Lerer. — Lauretta Charlton $5 Million Got His Name on His Alma Mater. A Facebook Post May Erase It. [Oxford Square on an Ole Miss game day in Oxford, Miss. In a racially insensitive Facebook post, Ed Meek, a Mississippi graduate and donor, complained of deteriorating property values around campus.] Oxford Square on an Ole Miss game day in Oxford, Miss. In a racially insensitive Facebook post, Ed Meek, a Mississippi graduate and donor, complained of deteriorating property values around campus. Wes Frazer for The New York Times [Adeel Hassan] Adeel Hassan When Daniel Payne, a white junior at the University of Mississippi, saw that a major benefactor of the journalism school he attends had posted racially insensitive comments on social media, he immediately thought “it was going to be really, really bad.” The [post on Facebook]( was written by Ed Meek, 77, a Mississippi graduate and media entrepreneur. In his post, Mr. Meek complained of deteriorating property values around the university campus and declining enrollment. He attached a photo of two young black students wearing party dresses, suggesting that they — or people who looked like them — were responsible for the problems on campus and in town. The post spread quickly on social media, and within hours it looked as though the University of Mississippi, a name almost synonymous with racial strife, would be rocked by yet another controversy. But students, faculty and community members have been surprised by how the episode was handled. Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter immediately condemned the post. The journalism school faculty held an emergency meeting at 7 a.m. the following day, and two public forums were scheduled for that night. Mr. Meek had donated $5.3 million to the journalism school, which was renamed the Meek School of Journalism and New Media in 2009. The school also denounced Mr. Meek’s post. A letter was sent to the entire university community explaining the process of removing Mr. Meek’s name from the building. A subsequent note explained that Mr. Vitter planned to expedite the process. The university’s swift response was a striking contrast to recent events in which it was forced to reckon with racial controversy on campus. In 2012, racial epithets against President Barack Obama were chanted at [a student protest](. In 2014,[a noose was placed]( around a statue of James Meredith, the university’s first black student. There were no immediate attempts in the aftermath of those events to open up talks between students and the administration. Whether Mr. Meek’s name will be removed from the journalism school remains unclear. A state board will make the final decision. Students are eagerly awaiting the university’s next move. The school’s response to Mr. Meek’s post was laudable, but it “will not end the story,” Israel Rivas, 22, a senior from Los Angeles, said. “People are still going to be talking about the post and the issue of race relations on campus.” [This is an excerpt. Read the full story [here]( ADVERTISEMENT Connect With Us. [Spectators watched Marta BeatChu, a Peruvian dancer from Los Angeles, perform at the “Look Queen Battle of the Cities” event in Manhattan.] Spectators watched Marta BeatChu, a Peruvian dancer from Los Angeles, perform at the “Look Queen Battle of the Cities” event in Manhattan. Maridelis Morales Rosado for The New York Times We are celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month. Once a week, we will have a dedicated [Instagram]( photo shot by a Hispanic photographer that honors and highlights Latino culture and issues in New York City. We will also be hearing from the photographers themselves. Leave a comment with a [suggestion]( for what you would like to see. If you have experienced, witnessed or read about a hate crime or incident of bias or harassment, you can use [this form]( to send information about the incident to [Race/Related]( and our partners in the [Documenting Hate project](. On Friday, Oct. 12, in New York City, join the hosts of “Still Processing,” Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris, as they chew the proverbial fat with Samin Nosrat, whose new Netflix series is based on her best-selling cookbook “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.” Tickets are available [here](. Editor’s Picks We publish many articles that touch on race. Here are a few you shouldn’t miss. [An ‘Ancestral Memory’ Inscribed in Skin]( By ASH ADAMS AND EVE LYONS In Alaska and other areas of the circumpolar north, women have been working in the last decade to revitalize a tattooing tradition. [Should Art Be a Battleground for Social Justice?]( By WESLEY MORRIS In 2018, culture is being evaluated for its moral correctness more than for its quality. [Kerry James Marshall Paints for Chicago. His Mural Should Stay There.]( By JASON FARAGO The proposed auction of the artist’s 1995 painting “Knowledge and Wonder,” held by the Chicago Public Library, is a dreadful idea. [A White Mob Once Destroyed a Black Neighborhood in Tulsa. The City Wants to Find the Graves.]( By MIHIR ZAVERI The city’s mayor said he would reopen the investigation into the aftermath of the attack, which destroyed black-owned businesses and left hundreds of people dead. [White Kickers and Punters at Black Colleges Are a Thing]( By MARC TRACY There are not many black kickers and punters in the country, even at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities. [Why Italian-Americans Still Fiercely Defend Columbus Day]( By CHRISTINA CARON A growing number of cities are replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day, but Italian-Americans say that erases their history. Invite your friends. Conversations about race are hard, but you can help! 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