Urban Prep High School senior Krishaun Branch listens to the school's founder, Tim King, during graduation ceremonies. In 2006, King founded the successful charter school in Chicago to prepare black American males for college and career success. Of the 107 young men graduating this year, 100 percent are bound for college.

One has to wonder, especially when reading a recently released report that says that on average only 47 percent of black males (versus 78 percent of non-Latino white males) in the United States graduated from high school in 2007-2008.

Those appalling figures - reported on U.S. national news programs – were provided by the Schott Foundation for Public Education, which promotes quality education for all children. The report, “Yes We Can: The 2010 Schott 50 State Report on Black Males in Public Education,” (PDF, 2.5MB) calls the statistics evidence of both an educational and economic national crisis.

The picture doesn’t seem much brighter in the numbers provided by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.

Looking at the 2008 high school dropout rates for both sexes, IES found that 9.9 percent of blacks dropped out and 18.3 percent of the Hispanics did.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that blacks represent about 12 percent of the total U.S. population; Hispanics about 15 percent.

Economic concerns aside, can high percentages of secondary school dropouts in almost a third of the population bode well for a democracy?

J. Scott Orr runs m.America.gov, a version of the America.gov website designed for cell phones and other mobile devices.

There they were in the White House’s State Dining Room, some 90 quests gathered at sunset, the flicker of white candles causing shadows to dance about gray, silken tablecloths. They were ambassadors, congressmen, government officials and community leaders, assembled to break their daily Ramadan fasts at an iftar with President Obama.

The event marked the Muslim month of fasting and self-reflection, but it was, at the same time, a celebration of religious freedom, tolerance and the history of Muslims in America.

“It is a testament to the wisdom of our Founders that America remains deeply religious – a nation where the ability of peoples of different faiths to coexist peacefully and with mutual respect for one another stands in stark contrast to the religious conflict that persists elsewhere around the globe,” Obama told the guests as they nibbled pitted dates and drank yogurt beverages.

“Our Founders understood that the best way to honor the place of faith in the lives of our people was to protect their freedom to practice religion,” Obama said. He went on to quote President Thomas Jefferson who wrote in 1786 that “all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion.”

Speaking of the third U.S. president, Obama noted that it was 200 years ago that Jefferson arranged a sunset dinner for a visiting Tunisian ambassador in what would be the first White House iftar. It wasn’t until the Clinton administration, though, that iftars returned to the White House, where they have become an annual tradition.

“Islam has always been a part of America,” Obama said, adding that Muslim immigrants “became farmers and merchants, worked in mills and factories. They helped lay the railroads. They helped to build America.” Obama said the first Islamic center was founded in New York City in the 1890s and a mosque built in 1934 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is still in use today.

Along with Christmas parties, seders and Diwali celebrations at the White House, Obama said, iftars “remind us of the basic truth that we are all children of God, and we all draw strength and a sense of purpose from our beliefs.”

Take a look at the full list of invited guests or watch a video of Obama’s remarks.

Volunteers from George Washington University help prepare food at D.C. Central Kitchen. D.C. Central Kitchen works with other organizations and professional chefs to turn leftover food into meals for thousands of individuals in shelters, transitional homes and rehabilitation clinics. It also offers counseling and referrals to social services for at-risk individuals and provides nationally recognized culinary job training. (State Dept./Jane K. Chun)

Visit D.C. Central Kitchen’s website to learn more.

J. Scott Orr runs m.America.gov, a version of the America.gov website designed for cell phones and other mobile devices.

John F. Kennedy was right; it is all about what you can do for your country.

In fact, Kennedy’s famous words were never truer than they are today as democracies the world over are turning to their citizens, their businesses, their nongovernment organizations, their charities and saying, okay, who’s got ideas?

In the United States, President Obama has devoted $50 million to his Social Innovation Fund to encourage eureka moments in the minds of Americans. It could be new ways to help schools save money, to grow small businesses, to reduce carbon emissions, whatever. The point of the program is that when ideas strike, they should be supported, exploited and replicated.

David Cameron, the newly-minted British prime minister, has a similar idea. He calls it the Big Society and its goal is to empower social entrepreneurs by getting Westminster out of the job of micromanaging and into the job of promoting public involvement in the creation of what he calls “communities with oomph.” His Big Society rules are simple: “If it unleashes community engagement – we should do it. If it crushes it – we shouldn’t.”

Social innovation and social entrepreneurship are hardly new. But with democracies the world over facing ceaseless challenges, economic and otherwise, these concepts are gaining new currency. And it’s not just from the Obamas and the Camerons of the world; many individuals have taken to the task without prodding from politicians or governments.

Among the best known is Muhammad Yunus, who was 25-years-old and studying in the United States under a Fulbright fellowship, when a revolutionary idea struck him. Returning to his native Bangladesh, Yunus began offering small-businesspersons, mostly women, small loans at reasonable rates of interest. Yunus’ micro-credit idea was so successful it was copied around the world and earned him a Nobel Prize and a U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.

But social entrepreneurship need not have such lofty aims. Take, Cláudia Sofia Marques Rodrigues, the president of the Cape Verdean Institute for Gender Equality and Equity, who is promoting new ways of protecting women. Working strictly through grassroots channels, Rodrigues was instrumental in gaining passage of a new law in Cape Verde that protects women from gender-based violence, creates shelters for victims and funds education and prevention programs.

So, sure, Democracy is about governments that derive their power from the people, but it is also a social partnership that carries responsibilities for all. And now, more than ever, governments are seeking out innovators, risk takers and non-linear thinkers to point out new paths.

This spring, First Lady Michelle Obama was speaking at the Time 100 Most Influential People Awards in New York City, when she turned to the pressing need for social innovation and entrepreneurship. “There are few times in history when the saying ‘we are all in this together’ would be more applicable than now,” she said.

Saturday Night Live, the weekly live comedy sketch show, has been on the air for decades. But many fans will tell you the show had a tough few years as viewers tuned out.

Then came the 2008 presidential election, and ratings soared. The actors’ impersonations of Barack Obama, John McCain, Hillary Clinton – and especially Sarah Palin – became a hit. Suddenly everyone was talking about Saturday Night Live again.

Actress Tina Fey portraying Sarah Palin

Politicians have long provided a gold mine of jokes for comedians. Growing up, I saw my parents watch the local news every night at 11 p.m. Me, I watch the Daily Show.

The Daily Show — a hugely popular fake news show, is how many young people keep up with what’s happening in the world. Between host Jon Stewart’s jokes, we actually learn a bit about politics.

But for comedians in Brazil, there will be no ratings boost ahead of their presidential elections because political jokes there have been banned. The Associated Press reports that Brazilian law prohibits television or radio broadcasters from poking fun at any presidential candidate in the three months leading up to Election Day.

Proponents of the law say it’s the best way to ensure a fair race. Those opposed say it goes against freedom of speech. What do you think?

As a daughter of immigrants, I’ve been very disturbed by Arizona’s immigration law and recent calls for courts to re-evaluate the citizenship-by-birth clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

As I have written before, my parents originally came from Taiwan to the United States to study. While they were here, they had me and my brother, and eventually decided to become naturalized citizens.

Because I have lived in the United States most of my life, I speak with an American accent and have American mannerisms. But my Asian hair texture, skin tone and eyes still seem to be what some people use when guessing my nationality. Although I am a U.S. citizen, thanks in part to the 14th Amendment, it seems not everyone understands this.

A few years ago, for example, my son’s teacher invited me to join his class at lunchtime. I was pleased by the opportunity to meet his classmates and anticipated being asked what I do for a living and other questions kids typically pose to visitors.

Instead, the only question I received was, “Do you speak English?”

At first, I was so stunned by the question that I couldn’t respond. I finally stammered out a brusque, “Yes,” then held my tongue as I felt my face flush with embarrassment and a touch of anger. Why would this child — who herself looked to be of Hispanic origin — wonder if I speak English? I may have Asian features, but why should this call into question my language ability?

The girl’s innocent question triggered a number of similar, unpleasant memories. Growing up, people sometimes would “compliment” me on how well I speak English — something I always found mildly offensive and ironic, considering how often my classmates asked me to edit their English compositions. (You can see where that led me, career-wise!)

Another question people would ask me was, “Where are you from?” When I would tell them that I was born in Buffalo, New York, they would respond, “No, I mean, where are you FROM?” I knew they really were asking, “What is your ancestry?” but I hated the implication that I’m not really American because of my ethnicity. (This past weekend a stranger in a grocery store asked me the same question, and I had to struggle to answer him politely.)

Yes, my parents are originally from Taiwan, but I’m American. I have a U.S. birth certificate, a Social Security number and a U.S. passport. I can contribute to political campaigns, vote in U.S. elections and work for the federal government. I am an Asian-American woman, not an Asian one.

As a co-worker wrote, you really can’t separate diversity from democracy in the United States, and immigration is part of what has made America strong. But it looks as though some people — adults and children — are still learning those facts.

The author during a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park

Rudy Gharib is a program officer for the Democracy Photo Challenge and manages its social media presence for the State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs.

The pictures are in, and they’re definitely worth thousands of words! We’ve seen what democracy looks like in all corners of the world. From self-portraits, to protests, ballot boxes and campaigns, there’s no limit to what democracy means. During the weeks of the contest, nearly 3,000 photos poured in from all over the world. Contestants from over 130 different countries raced to complete the phrase, “Democracy is…”

While the judges review all of the submissions, you can check out the photos too! You can see the photo challenge galleries on Picasa, and if you have a Picasa account, feel free to log in share your comments with the photographers!

Don’t forget, online global voting begins on International Photography Day, this Thursday, August 19. The winning photos will be exhibited at the United Nations this September on International Democracy Day as well as throughout other prominent public galleries in Washington, Los Angeles and possibly other cities around the world.

Good luck to the contestants!

What do you think democracy is? Tell us on our Facebook page.