Today is National Voter Registration Day!! https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/
Go to vote.org to check your registration. The rules are different in every state. Put early voting days or vote-by-mail deadlines on your calendar. #WethePeople #Democracy #NationalVoter Registration Day
Well now, here’s an idea. Let’s make the main thing, the main thing.
LaTosha Brown, a Selma native who co-founded Black Voters Matter, issued a statement saying that it is time to reimagine American democracy.
Source: Voting rights activist calls for federal Department of Democracy
Voter disenfranchisement is an American tradition – we look at the historical roots of civil death
Source: Civil death: how millions of Americans lost their right to vote | US news | The Guardian
A consequence of COVID-19 is widespread DMV closures and the inability to register to vote. You can read about Nevada’s experience here. DMVs and other voter registration options are sparse or non-existent in most states. Additionally, organizations that usually engage in voter registration activities are unable to do so in this state of emergency. #voterregistration #votingrights #COVID19
Filed a complaint in Florida seeking accommodations for the many Floridians who are displaced and/or unable to cast ballots in the presidential primary. Read the full complaint here:
Considering expanding the vote to all residents of a locality regardless of citizenship status, read here.
Jan. 27, 2020 By Kristen Torres “The Queens delegation is split over a city bill that would grant green card holders and many other legal immigrants.”
Source: Queens Council Members Split Over Granting Non Citizens NYC Voting Rights | Jackson Heights Post
The fight over the restoration of voting rights continues in Florida. The state supreme court ruled that Amendment 4, which potentially returned the right to vote to more than1 million people in Florida, required the completion of fines and fees before voting rights could be restored. Read the story here.
This article argues for a constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to vote. It highlights the recent gains in rights of restoration work as examples for the need for uniform standards.
A federal judge in North Carolina blocked it’s voter ID law finding, among other things, troubling racial disparities. “The evidence suggests that minority voters are not just less likely to have an acceptable form of ID, but that the legislature excluded photographic ID that could have greatly reduced that discrepancy,” the judge wrote.
January 1st is a significant day in civil rights history. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which proclaimed that “all persons held as slaves … are, and henceforward shall be free.” It is said that slaves in the confederate states watched all night on December 31, 1862, to see what freedom looked like on January 1st. Accordingly, 157 years later, in the African American culture, we continue to attend watch night services on New Year’s Eve. Maybe in 2020, we can truly see what freedom looks like. #freedom #watchnight #vote
Civil rights museums to visit in Alabama are discussed here: Venture Bound: Alabama museums detail civil rights movement
Restoration of rights has become a focal point in recent years. This article highlights the misinformation that takes place in Illinois and elsewhere across the country. Illinois is among the few states where formerly incarcerated regain their voting rights after release, but many are misinformed and unaware.
Source: Misinformation impedes voting rights of Illinois’ formerly incarcerated | Chicago Reporter
On an individual level, there are probably DACA recipients who have jobs other Americans want. But on a broader scale, DACA recipients are helping grow the economy.
Source: FACT CHECK: Are DACA Recipients Stealing Jobs Away From Other Americans? : NPR
There’s a wide range of dependence across and within the states. Here’s a state-by-state look at how welfare, education and roads could be impacted by the next budget that Trump signs.
History often focuses on children of the movement—youngsters who were active participants in the fight for civil rights. But there were other young people who played a part in that history, as well—descendants of the movement, those who witnessed their parents or relatives fight to end segregation in the South.
And here is their stories……
This year’s honorees, Victoria Gray Adams, Lawrence Guyot Jr., Col. Lawrence Roberts and Lucimarian Tolliver Roberts all stood as symbols of hope and perseverance in the face of tough circumstances.
This article discusses the harm that Trump’s unfounded pronouncement of voter fraud could do the right to vote. You can read more here: http://www.phillytrib.com/news/trump-s-voter-fraud-unicorn-could-pose-grave-threat-to/article_0e763bde-6374-50cc-a2f0-6af4af1801a7.html
Republican lawmakers plan to submit a bill to the state legislature that would serve as a setback to the restoration of rights for previously convicted persons. You can read more here.
The Va. governor acted one month after the state Supreme Court threw out a broader clemency effort.
Source: McAuliffe restores voting rights to 13,000 felons – The Washington Post
Texas has agreed to significantly dilute it’s voter ID law for November’s election, according to a joint filing with minority groups. A federal judge still has to approve the proposed fixes.
Source: Texas, minority groups agree on temporary remedy for voter ID – San Antonio Express-News
This decision allows more than 600,000 citizens, who were shut out, the opportunity to cast a ballot in 2016. #restoreVRA #voterid #Texas
A majority of the full U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the heavily litigated and controversial Texas voter ID law does have the effect of discriminating against minority voters, and ordered the state to devise a remedy to that problem before the November elections. “We conclude that the district court did not clearly err in determining that SB 14 has a discriminatory effect on minorities’ voting rights in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act,” the court majority wrote.The unexpected ruling against the Republican-backed voter ID law by the conservative appeals court came as it faced a Supreme-Court-imposed deadline of Wednesday to rule in the case.
Source: Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Texas Voter ID Law
Here’s a good piece that addresses the frustration over the lack of convictions in the Freddie Gray case. Even if they don’t lead to prosecutions, hopefully, we can have real talk and real change. #policereform #civilrights #FreddieGray
On Monday, Police Lt. Brian Rice became the third officer acquitted in the death of Freddie Gray. Rice, 42, was the highest-ranking officer of six officers charged in Gray’s death. He was cha…
Source: Prosecution’s Case in Freddie Gray’s Death Continues to Have an Uphill Battle
When I served at the DOJ, federal observers were an important part of maintaining order in some jurisdictions. DOJ believes that the Shelby decision eliminates most election day coverage. #RestoretheVRA
WASHINGTON – Federal election observers can only be sent to five states in this years US presidential election, among the smallest deployments since the Voting
Ahead of November, a number of important voting law cases are still up in the air nationwide. Here’s a breakdown of where some of the big cases stand.
Source: A Guide To The Big Photo ID, Early Voting And Other Voting Law Cases : NPR
Here’s a nice graphic with the breakdown of USSC decisions.
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe defended his decision to restore the voting rights to more than 200,000 persons. Criticism from those who believe that the punishment should continue long after citizens have completed their sentences, including probation and parole, has been relentless. In the first month of the governor’s order, approximately 6,000 persons registered to vote; compared with less than 2,000 the previous year. You can read more here:
The US Supreme court in a 4-3 decision upheld the use of race as a factor at the University of Texas. This means that other schools who use race as one of many factors in its admissions decisions should feel a little more secure for now. Read more here.
Here’s an interesting article that connects past and present realities. GRD
Fifty years ago, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. made his first public visit to South Carolina to deliver a speech on a school field in Kingstree about the importance of voting. About 5,000 came out on a rainy day to hear him.
Source: Post and Courier
In Maryland and Virginia, former felons have the ability to vote, with some restrictions. For example, in Virginia, they must complete probation or parole. Nonetheless. 40,000 persons in Maryland and more than 200.000 persons in Virginia now have access to the ballot box. These measures, however, may be met with litigation that could affect their ability to vote in the 2016 election. Read the New York Times article here.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) sent a letter to North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory stating that House Bill 2, which among other things, requires persons to use the bathroom of their birth, violates two civil rights laws-Title VII (employment discrimination) and Title IX (sex discrimination). Read more here.
Interestingly, HB2 was hastily passed, much like NC’s restrictive voting law passed in 2013 after Shelby v. Holder that removed same day registration, limited early voting, and instituted a restrictive voter id requirement.
Civil rights case involving disabled riders and Uber drivers, read more here:
Here’s an interesting article found in the Washington Post that discusses new millennium housing discrimination on sites, like AirBnB. A recent study showed that racial sounding African American names could determine, in some circumstances, whether a room/house was available for rent. Read more here:
New and more restrictive laws are in place in some Super Tuesday states. http://ow.ly/YWuKn
After months of unrest, student protests, and a presidential resignation, The University of Missouri has appointed Michael Middleton as the interim president of the university. Middleton is no stranger to the university or the fight for Civil Rights. In 1968, Middleton became the third black student to graduate from the University’s law school. Shortly after graduation. Middleton started his legal career in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. His professional and personal experiences may be just what the University needs.
A HUD audit revealed that roughly 297 families are living in HUD housing but making more than the federal income limits. Congressman David Jolly threatened to cut $104 million from HUD’s budget if the agency did not fix the “problem.”
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will look into an incident between a white male resource officer and black female student that occurred in a South Carolina high school. The video shows the resource officer dragging the student across the classroom, after the student refused to leave the classroom.
On October 10, 2015, thousands upon thousands of people gathered in the nation’s capital to continue the movement for justice for all. Hear from three people who participated in the first Million Man March as they comment on the significance of the movement in their lives.
With SCOTUS’ recent rulings, many are wondering what the hollowed Voting Rights Act could mean for the 2016 elections. Journalist Ari Berhman shares his thoughts here.
“[Deuel] Ross will join what remains a small group of Black attorneys to have argued before the Court. The Supreme Court bar is largely white and male. And arguments are dominated by veteran attorneys who have repeatedly argued before the justices.Last term, veterans outnumbered first timers, 80-45. Women appeared in just 24% of arguments and attorneys of color even fewer. And other measures of diversity—LGBTQ attorneys, those with disabilities, or military veterans—barely counted.
“It’s important, certainly in civil rights cases, but really in all cases, that people of color and women and other minority groups have the opportunity to represent their clients and in some ways their country in the Supreme Court,” said Ross.”
Civil Rights Lawyer Takes Lead in High Stakes Voting Rights Case
The 2022-2023 Supreme Court term started today. After the recent Dobbs decision, overturning Roe v. Wade, many Americans fear the fate of the Constitution and how the Supreme Court will interpret it. With pending cases in the Supreme Court that touch on voting rights, Merrill v. Milligan, and free speech, 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, many citizens fear what the majority conservative bench might hold in their opinions. To stay up to date on all upcoming cases in the Supreme Court check out https://www.scotusblog.com/
I remember the first time I saw a book about and written by an African American. I was in high school, working in the school library, and saw a copy of “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” in a back room. I asked if I could check it out and was told that I could have it. They didn’t want the book in the library. As a professor, author, attorney, and African American woman, it’s important to stay vigilant. #bannedbooks efforts are connected to elections and voting rights. We must pay attention to the erosion of rights and freedoms and use our #PeoplePower to educate, organize and elect representatives who will advocate for civil rights and civil liberties. #Vote #Uncounted
Congress must pass voting rights legislation. #JohnLewisVotingRightsAct
“I think the tragedy is that we have a Congress with a Senate that has a minority of misguided senators who will use the filibuster to keep the majority of people from even voting. They won’t let the majority senators vote. And certainly they wouldn’t want the majority of people to vote, because they know they do not represent the majority of the American people. In fact, they represent, in their own states, a very small minority.”
Source: Martin Luther King Jr. was no fan of the filibuster – The Washington Post
Homer Plessy’s arrest 130 years ago led to one of the most criticised Supreme Court decisions in US history.
Source: Homer Plessy: Pardon for ‘separate but equal’ civil rights figure – BBC News
Interesting article on JFK’s influence and position on civil rights issues. Here’s a quote from the article, “I think we might be a very different country if we had not had so many assassinations,” James Baldwin told an interviewer in 1970. He said, “you know black people had a very different feeling toward government when JFK and Bobby were alive than we’ve had since.” He noted a distinctive quality the brothers shared: “Both had minds that could be reached.”
Source: JFK’s civil rights leadership still lights a path for our fractured country
Mark your calendars for this December 14, 2021, virtual event. USA TODAY’s live virtual event, “A change is gonna come: Civil rights leaders on how to fight for freedom” is scheduled for Dec. 14. It’s free.
Source: Civil rights leaders discuss how to fight white nationalism during USA TODAY free event
Some 200 people were arrested during a rally and civil disobedience at the White House calling for action on voting rights reforms.
Source: Day of action in DC for voting rights protections, promised reforms – Wisconsin Examiner
Civil Rights Today 