Tag: Civil Rights
Mobilizations planned as Supreme Court targets Roe
‘Time to Take to the Streets’ The push by conservative justices to overturn Roe v. Wade, said one abortion rights advocate, “is giving us an opportunity to show them how ungovernable we will be if they…
Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.: 5 things I’ve learned curating the MLK Collection at Morehouse College
Martin Luther King Jr. waves with his children, Yolanda and Martin Luther III, from the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images by Vicki Crawford, Morehouse College January 17, 2022 For…
All Americans need to worry about the Roe vs. Wade case
by Wade Rathke December 3, 2021 Little Rock All of the pundits and the smart money are saying that the Supreme Court, in arguments made currently on the Mississippi challenge to the 50-year-old decision, are…
Feds targeted BLM activists to foil racial justice protests
“The federalization of protest-related charges was a deliberate and cynical effort to target and discourage those who protested in defense of Black lives.” by Kenny Stancil, Common Dreams August 19, 2021 As Black Lives Matter protests…
Rights defenders decry advancement of Oklahoma anti-protest bills
‘The OK Legislature Wants Us Dead’ The head of the state’s ACLU accused Oklahoma lawmakers of “attempting to silence the voices of their constituents and criminalize vital calls for accountability and racial justice.” by Brett Wilkins,…
How Black poets and writers gave a voice to ‘Affrilachia’
by Amy M. Alvarez, West Virginia University and Jameka Hartley, University of Alabama April 4, 2021 ‘Untitled’ from the series ‘Imaging/Imagining.’, Photo by Raymond Thompson, Jr . Appalachia, in the popular imagination, stubbornly remains poor…
Rights advocates alarmed by US spy agency’s purchase of warrantless phone location data
“Congress must end this lawless practice and require the government to get a warrant for our location data, regardless of its source.” by Brett Wilkins, staff writer Friday, January 22 Digital rights advocates reacted with alarm…
135 Civil Rights groups oppose new domestic terrorism statutes, say tackle far-right violence with existing laws
“Members of Congress should not reinforce counterterrorism policies, programs, and frameworks that are rooted in bias, discrimination, and denial or diminution of fundamental rights like due process.” by Kenny Stancil, staff writer Echoing the concerns expressed…
Warning against further erosion of civil liberties, Tlaib leads charge against new domestic terrorism laws
“While many may find comfort in increased national security powers in the wake of this attack, we must emphasize that we have been here before and we have seen where that road leads.” by Kenny Stancil,…
Utah lawmakers seeking to legalize drivers running over street protesters
“Legislators are considering a bill that would let drivers off the hook for mowing down protesters.” by Kenny Stancil, staff writer Friday, November 20, 2020 Utah lawmakers are being condemned this week for advancing a bill…
Tens of thousands attend march in Washington on 57th anniversary of historic Civil Rights rally, today
‘Get Your Knee Off Our Necks’ “We’ve been here before, but this time we know that it is necessary to redefine public safety in order to save black lives.” by Julia Conley, staff writer Friday, August…
On 55th anniversary of Voting Rights Act, advocates call on Congress to fully restore law to honor John Lewis’s fight for justice
Since the Supreme Court gutted the law in 2013, more than 1,600 polling places have been closed, including many in largely-Black and Latino communities. by Julia Conley, staff writer Thursday, August 6 Civil rights advocates on…
Portland protesters no longer being banned from attending protests to win release from jail
After a ProPublica report, federal prosecutors and defenders made a joint request to the court that the practice be stopped. by Dara Lind July 30, 1:20 p.m. MST Federal defenders and prosecutors in Portland, Oregon, have…
‘This Is…Kidnapping’: Video shows plainclothes NYPD officers throwing protester Into unmarked van
“Our civil liberties are on the brink,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “This is not a drill. There is no excuse for snatching women off the street and throwing them into unmarked vans.” by Jake Johnson, staff…
“Defendant shall not attend protests”: In Portland, getting out of jail requires relinquishing Constitutional Rights
A dozen protesters facing federal charges are barred from going to “public gatherings” as a condition of release from jail — a tactic one expert described as “sort of hilariously unconstitutional.” by Dara Lind July 28,…
ACORN is 50
by Wade Rathke New Orleans Celebrating a 50th anniversary feels strange on a Zoom call, but that doesn’t make it feel any less of an accomplishment. As the clock passed midnight in India, the farthest extent…
Protests disrupt, no duh!
“Power concedes nothing without struggle and once the vigilance of struggle subsides, will seek to re-impose the comforts it once enjoyed.” The kumbaya of revision and co-optation later can’t alter the reality of disruption inherent in the…
Huge victory for LGBTQ Equality: US Supreme Court affirms workplace protections
“The court has caught up to the majority of our country, which already knows that discriminating against LGBTQ people is both unfair and against the law.” by Julia Conley, staff writer Monday June 15, 2020 Labor…
New York Supreme Court Judge rules protesters can be detained indefinitely
“This is suspension of habeas corpus, it is unconstitutional,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. by Jake Johnson, staff writer Friday, June 5 A New York State Supreme Court judge on Thursday rejected a petition seeking the immediate…
Birthed by HBCU students, this organization offers important lessons for today’s student activists
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) founded 60 years ago today. Jelani Favors, Clayton State University April 15, 2020 marks 60 years since the founding of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, perhaps better known as SNCC,…
Civil Rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson endorses Bernie Sanders for President
‘Our Needs Are Not Moderate’ “The most progressive social and economic path gives us the best chance to catch up and Senator Bernie Sanders represents the most progressive path.” “With the exception of Native Americans, African…
Sociologist Jeremy Slack on the Horrors that Await Immigrants Deported from the U.S.
Slack led a massive research effort to learn what happens to those whom immigration authorities deport and dump all along the Mexican border. By Lise Olsen, Feb 4, 2020, As an 18-year-old freshman at the University…
Learning from King’s last campaign
Before he died, Martin Luther King, Jr. joined a campaign to unify working people of all races. Today, nothing could be more powerful. Before he died, Martin Luther King, Jr. joined a campaign to unify working…
The issue at Parchman Prison is bad conditions not cellphones
Amsterdam If Parchman Prison in the fertile Mississippi River delta of Sunflower County is in the news, it means there’s bad news, never good news. Parchman is the only men’s state prison in Mississippi. Parchman is…
