Civic Engagement Headlines
HBCU Alumni From the Class of 1968 to Discuss “Memory Stability Practices for an Aging Generation” During Their 50th Golden Class Reunion
Now, Dr. Singleton is writing about one of the upcoming senior class table topics for discussion during the celebration of their 50th Golden Class Reunion: “Memory, Mobility and Aging”.
Read MoreEXCLUSIVE Former GOP Chair Steele Says He Knows Identity of Op-Ed Writer
“No individual will want to go to the boss or go public, so they sit there talking and they write a letter together and give it to one person to take it – in this case to the press,” Steele
Read MorePoliticians, Lies and Election Legitimacy – It’s an Old Story
I’m a scholar of 19th-century American history and politics. Whether an election should be overturned because of the lies of a third-party group may seem like a very contemporary and topical issue…
Read MoreBoston City Council Member Ayanna Pressley Becomes the Latest New Young Candidate to Win Big
At a time when pushback against the Trump administration’s divisive policies towards minorities and immigrants have been featured, Pressley’s vigorous campaign captured the imagination of the nation’s current political climate.
Read MoreBlack Student Activists Face Penalty in College Admissions
In the book, legal scholars Devon Carbado and Mitu Gulati argue that in the “post-racial” era, white-controlled organizations prefer to hire “‘good blacks’ who will think of themselves as people first and black people second.”
Read MoreCampaign Season Is Moving Into High Gear – Why Some Votes Mean More Than Others
While there is much talk about the fiscal deficit or the infrastructure deficit, less attention is paid to the mounting democratic deficit. The more undemocratic tendencies of the U.S. electoral system are growing stronger.
Read MoreCall to Action: NAACP Statement on Kavanaugh’s Troubling Civil Rights Record
What we do know of Judge Kavanaugh’s civil rights record is deeply troubling. His views on voting rights, affirmative action, equal employment, fair housing, and criminal justice could shut the courthouse door on justice for a generation.
Read MoreCommentary: There Is a Black Wave Sweeping Across the State of Florida
The fight for the soul of the Democratic Party starts with the unification, mobilization, and organization of the base. Gillum is a bold powerful voice for change, and the question is, “Will the Florida Democratic Party get behind this progressive candidate 150%?”
Read MoreRoland Martin Launches New Digital Show on Politics This Week
Journalist Roland Martin launches his new digital show, Roland Martin Unfiltered, this week. The show will feature a live stream broadcast on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Periscope and IGTV, Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. eastern.
Read MoreRight-Wing Pundits and Politicians Exploiting Mollie Tibbetts’s Death to Push ‘Profoundly Racist’ Agenda
Tibbetts’s father rebuked those who “knowingly foment discord among races,” noting that this “incites fear in innocent communities and lends legitimacy to the darkest, most hate-filled corners of the American soul.
Read MoreBlack American Political Victories Sweep Nation, More to Be Done
“His election as the first Black governor of Florida is one historical account however the fact that the Democratic Party has not been in control of the Florida legislator for over 20 years is another milestone,” Gillum said. Bobby Henry, publisher of NNPA member The Westside Gazette in Florida, said more work is yet to be done.
Read MoreJohnson C. Smith University Alumni President Applauds “A Call to Colors” – GDN Exclusive Part XVII
“I think it’s now coming home,” she maintained. “I think that people are getting engaged all over the country in understanding that if things are going to change, they have to be part of the solution. No longer can you sit on the sidelines and wait for somebody else to do it.”
Read More‘Big Victory for Voting Rights’ as Federal Judges Strike Down ‘Brazen’ Partisan Gerrymandering by North Carolina GOP
Republican State Rep. David Lewis told the North Carolina General Assembly in 2016, “I think electing Republicans is better than electing Democrats. So I drew this map to help foster what I think is better for the country.”
Read More350 Action Celebrates Primary Victory for Gubernatorial Candidate Andrew Gillum
Today, Florida is one step closer to having a visionary, progressive governor with bold plans to tackle the climate crisis. Andrew Gillum has refused to be bought by the fossil fuel industry, while remaining a powerful voice for a just transition to a renewable energy economy.
Read More#WhipTheVote: Progressives Launch Campaign to Pressure 24 Democrats Who Still Haven’t Vowed to Oppose Kavanaugh
“This is one of the toughest fights yet of the Trump era,” Elizabeth Beavers, associate policy director of Indivisible, said in a statement. “Every Democrat needs to come out loud and clear in opposition to this nominee…”
Read MoreLamont Carey Helps Former Criminals Change Their Future and See Value in Their Skills and Experiences
Carey is dedicated to helping the formerly-incarcerated see their value and change their futures. He also works with youth regularly to keep them on the right path. For more information on Carey’s businesses, visit www.contactvisits.org
Read MoreProposed EPA Roll-Backs Have Air of Injustice; Will Hurt People of Color
It took much time and work to get the Clean Power Plan in place that eliminating it is just short of insane. The president’s announcement sent me back to our 2002 report “Air of Injustice: African Americans & Power Plant Pollution.”
Read MoreVoter Suppression Scheme Snuffed out in Georgia
“Our community partners beat back a voter suppression scheme that was being undertaken by officials in Randolph County. Remarkably, officials were trying to shutter 7 of 9 polling sites in this poor, majority Black community…”
Read MoreGeorgia NAACP Continues to Push Against Attempt to Close Black Voter Polling Places
According to reports, the Board of Elections is scheduled to hold a final meeting on these proposed closings on August 24th – the Georgia NAACP will make its presence visible at this meeting.
Read MoreNAACP Calls for Investigation into Air Marshalls Targeting of Black Passengers
“The targeting of the African American flyers is sickening and utterly unacceptable,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “We are moving forcefully with our partners…”
Read MoreOP-ED: America’s Teachers Need More Community, Parental Support
Let’s attend to school meetings to find out how to provide them additional support. Let’s attend city and the state meetings to advocate for competitive pay.
Read MoreDNC Gives Pennsylvania Democratic Party $175k Grant
The DNC is proud to partner with our state parties to expand our engagement in all communities and support Democratic candidates running up and down the ticket.
Read MoreFour Reasons Why Anti-Trump Latino Voters Won’t Swing the Midterms
The so-called “Latino vote” has always been more promise than reality for Democrats. My political science research indicates that a Latino blue wave is not likely to tip the upcoming election in Democrats’ favor.
Read MoreDemocrats and Republicans Must Do More to Engage African Americans
Because Black voters overwhelmingly vote for Democratic candidates, it would make sense for the Democratic Party to avoid treating Blacks like piñatas and taking them for granted.
Read MoreAnita Earls on High Court Candidacy: “I Restore Faith in Our Courts” A Call to Colors Exclusive
Until she decided to run for public office, Attorney Anita Earls was the Executive Director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, “a North Carolina based civil rights nonprofit that partners with communities of color…
Read MoreThe initial success of the Voting Rights Act in increasing minority voter registration is striking and impressive: In the decades after Johnson signed the act, black voter registration in the South soared… " />
Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America
By Ari Berman
The initial success of the Voting Rights Act in increasing minority voter registration is striking and impressive: In the decades after Johnson signed the act, black voter registration in the South soared…
Expand, Don’t Restrict, Voters’ Access to the Polls
Over the course of our history, we’ve expanded the franchise from the sole preserve of white male property owners to most all citizens 18 and older — regardless of race, gender, or wealth.
Read MoreCharlottesville Struggles with Race, History and Survival
Anti-racism protesters bristled when a phalanx of state troopers, local police, hovering helicopters, and at one point, National Guardsmen with rifles and armored vehicles, flooded the corner of Fourth…
Read MoreWhat Harvard Can Learn From Texas: A Solution to the Controversy Over Affirmative Action
Opponents charge that taking into account an applicant’s race or ethnicity amounts to “reverse discrimination.” Supporters recognize that disadvantaged minorities have been losing ground…
Read MoreWhy Native Americans Struggle to Protect Their Sacred Places
While Congress created the American Indian Religious Freedom Act to provide “access to sacred sites,” it has been open to interpretation. Native Americans still struggle to protect their sacred lands.
Read MoreAs a Young Reporter, I Went Undercover to Expose the Ku Klux Klan
We exposed Duke as the con man who’d bluffed his way into a run of free publicity to spew is pro-white nonsense – a transparently perverse message that somehow has regained currency today.
Read MoreMichelle Obama Joins Voter Registration Drive for the Midterms
The Obamas have been relatively quiet since departing the White House in early 2017, but that is likely to change. The former president and the former first lady’s launch of “When We All Vote” is likely to be only the first of several post White House efforts they will participate in.
Read MoreCitizenship Through the Eyes of Those Who Have Lost the Right to Vote
Restricting ex-felons from voting really says that, if you have committed a crime in the U.S., you can never be a full citizen again, even after serving punishment. That message suggests that they are always second- or third-class citizens.
Read MoreSmith College Incident Is Latest Case of Racial ‘Profiling by Proxy’
This incident did not happen in isolation. It is just the latest in a string of cases referred to as profiling by proxy – instances where police are summoned to a situation by a biased caller. We make this observation as researchers with a keen interest in how race comes into play during day-to-day interactions
Read MoreIda B. Wells: How Grassroots Support and Social Media Made a Monumental Difference in Honoring Her Legacy
Growing up in the Windy City, I met people who had never heard of Wells, only recognized her name from a housing project that bore her name; or confused her with someone they thought invented the hot comb.
Read MoreCelebrations as Baltimore Set to Become First Major American City to Outlaw Water Privatization
Human rights advocates and union workers are celebrating as Baltimore is poised to become the first major American city to amend its charter to bar privatization of the public water system.
Read MoreNew Scorecard Shows Only 12 House Democrats Have Fully Embraced Game-Changing Progressive Agenda
“To build an equal and just society in which every person can live a healthy life, Members of Congress must support bold progressive policies that address the public health and environmental crises that are ripping our country apart,” the groups declared.
Read MoreStill There: Black Power Behind Bars – The Arrest of Delbert Africa in August 1978
Jalil Muntaqim, 66, a former member of the Black Panthers and its underground Black Liberation Army, has spent almost 47 years in prison for his part in the 1971 murders of two New York City police officers.
Read MoreSocialism on the Rise as Americans Seek Out Bold, Humane Alternatives to the Brutality of Capitalism
“Socialism is no longer a dirty word in the U.S.” The thousands of democratic socialists in the United States who have been organizing and fighting for justice in political obscurity for years likely never thought their ideas would be the subject of heated
Read MorePush For Federal Voter ID, Claiming You Need Identification Just to Buy Stuff at Stores
President Donald Trump used a rally in Florida on Tuesday night to spew fresh nonsense about the need for national Voter ID cards while bizarrely claiming that people need identification in the United States just to buy stuff at stores.
Read MoreA More Perfect Union – Renewal of Energy and Commitment to the Democratic Values
But we cannot take our ability to deliver on them for granted. Without a renewal of energy and commitment to the democratic values of the Constitution, without acting on the call issued by the Preamble, we could lose them.
Read MoreMississippi Civil Rights Museum Tells Authentic Stories From the Movement
The Klansmen bullets ripped through the darkness splintering wood and shattering glass as they fired on Dahmer’s house; one of them hurled a Molotov cocktail through the window; the Klan wanted to burn Dahmer and his family alive.
Read MoreNow Is the Time for Black Youth to Take the Mantle of Leadership in America
The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which represents over 200 Black-owned media companies across the U.S., recognizes that civic-minded, young Black people are an important part of the future of America.
Read MoreHip-Hop Icon MC Lyte Talks About Her Role for the NNPA’s Discover The Unexpected HBCU Journalism Program
Hip-hop legend MC Lyte is the national spokesperson for the NNPA’s Discover The Unexpected Journalism Fellowship program. The NNPA DTU Journalism Fellowship was designed to give HBCU students practical experience with the Black Press.
Read MoreLinda Coleman Sticks With Issues in 2nd District Race – A Call to Colors Exclusive
Former State Representative Linda Coleman is banking that the voters of the Second Congressional District are more interested in issues like affordable health care, jobs and improving education…
Read MoreMoney, Politics and Justice Anthony Kennedy: Revisiting Citizens United
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is one of retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s most maligned rulings. Many condemn the opinion for treating corporations as people, money as speech, and elections as commodities
Read MoreThis Is Why Migrant Parents Travel with Children
Bill Fletcher, Jr., says that blaming migrant parents for the current Trump-instigated crisis is another display of the ignorance and a racial blind spot for much of White America.
Read MoreA Significant Positive Step for Democratic Party, Barbara Lee Announces Bid for House Caucus Chair
Although she is aware of the potential milestone, Lee emphasized her ability to unite Democrats across demographics. “Poverty affects everyone: rural, urban, people of color, and white working class,” she said.
Read MoreRep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and the NNPA Call for Congress to Address Disparities in Federal Ad Spending
Dr. Chavis added that the report exposed the consequences of systemic racial discrimination in both Republican and Democratic administrations when it comes to federal advertising spending.
Read MoreAs Progressive Agenda Grows ‘Big Money Interests’ and Corporate Democrats ‘Should Be Scared’
“There is a reason why the corporate Democrats are getting nervous,” the Vermont senator concluded, “and that’s because we are making real progress in transforming the party and the nation.”
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