Is Standardized Testing Good or Bad? Civil Rights Activists can’t seem to agree.

lfparker1 Uncategorized

Standardized testing in schools has been a longstanding and much debated practice in education. Some argue that standardized testing is a way to bring attention to the achievement gap in schools and consequently bring about solutions. Others argue that standardized testing causes school systems to “teach the test,” which results in a decreased focus on the arts and creative thinking in schools. Read more about it here, and tell us what you think.

Voting Rights Legacy of the ’60s Heads to Court as North Carolina Law Is Tested – NYTIMES

stevenramon Uncategorized

Days after South Carolina confronted its past and lowered the Confederate battle flag, North Carolina will grapple with its present-day rules that determine access to the voting booth.

A federal trial opening in Winston-Salem on Monday is meant to determine whether recent, sweeping changes in the state’s election laws discriminate against black voters. These changes were adopted by the Republican-dominated state legislature in 2013, immediately after the United States Supreme Court struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 when it ended a requirement that nine states with histories of discrimination, including North Carolina, get federal approval before altering their election laws.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/12/us/a-voting-rights-legacy-of-the-1960s-heads-to-court-in-north-carolina.html?_r=0

Watch: Civil rights leader John Lewis implores the US government to ban the Confederate flag on federal grounds

stevenramon Uncategorized

US congressman John Lewis, famed civil rights activist, rose to the floor of the House of Representatives to call on his colleagues to ban the flying of the Confederate flag on federal grounds.

 Watch Here: http://qz.com/450828/watch-civil-rights-leader-john-lewis-implores-the-us-government-to-ban-the-confederate-flag-on-federal-grounds/

Jefferson Davis Descendant Delivers Powerful Speech for Removal of the Confederate Flag

GDaniels Civil Rights ,

A descendant of Confederate President Jefferson Davis made a tearful plea for the removal of the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol.  Rep. Jenny Horne asked South Carolina lawmakers to do something “meaningful.”  After more than 13 hours of debate, the body voted to take the flag down and place it with other Civil War relics.     Read and watch here:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/09/south-carolina-rep-jenny-horne-on-her-historic-and-surprisingly-personal-speech-it-needed-to-be-done/    Let’s hope and watch for other meaningful legislative actions that make the lives of South Carolinans safer and better.

NC Voting Rights Challenge

GDaniels Civil Rights, Voting Rights , ,

The challenge to North Carolina’s restrictive voting rights law is set to begin next week.  Many believe that the decision could have vast implications for other states.  However, what is most likely to happen after the trial  is an appeal and we could be a year or more away from an impactful decision.  Read more here:  http://www.thecharlottepost.com/news/2015/07/09/local/naacp-nc-square-off-on-voting-rights-with-national-implications/ Continue reading →