civil rights
Black churches can lead the way on voting rights
By Rev. Susan K. Smith and Rev. Levon C. Manzie We suspected it for years, and now we know it: Jim Crow was never dead. You might even say he was too mean to die. We know this because in too many places, the forces of racism are raging as laws aimed squarely at suppressing […]
Biden signs law making Juneteenth a new federal holiday
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law legislation declaring a legal public holiday annually on June 19, the date of the end of slavery in the U.S. known as Juneteenth. “Throughout history, Juneteenth has been known by many names—Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, Liberation Day,” Vice President Kamala Harris said at the White […]
Teachers come under pressure as politicians, parents battle over ‘critical race theory’
WASHINGTON — Teachers from Tennessee to Iowa to Ohio are swept up in a wave of outrage led by GOP politicians nationwide over how schools teach kids about race in U.S. history. Conservatives have pilloried much instruction about systemic racism as “critical race theory,” even when that academic term has never been mentioned. A half […]
House Agriculture panel probes ‘systemic’ USDA discrimination against Black farmers
WASHINGTON — The House Agriculture Committee on Thursday heard about how Black farmers have faced decades of racial discrimination in their dealings with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The committee’s chairman, Rep. David Scott, (D-Ga.), said the testimony at the virtual hearing would help the panel craft legislation that aims to increase the number of […]
U.S. Justice Department to send staff to monitor polling places in 18 states
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice will have staffers on the ground in 44 counties and cities across 18 states on Election Day, including Cuyahoga County, monitoring for violations of federal voting-rights laws — fewer states than in 2016. The localities this year are in battlegrounds like Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, […]
‘You just have to act’: Thousands outraged by police brutality rally at March on Washington
WASHINGTON – On the 57th anniversary of the original March on Washington and in the throes of a pandemic, thousands of demonstrators on Friday joined Democratic lawmakers on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to demand Congress act on police brutality and voter suppression. The event, organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, […]
At least 26 trans people have been killed in the U.S. this year. This is who they are.
As of July 31, at least 26 trans people have been killed in the U.S. this year, and a vast majority of them were people of color. The violence each of them endured is horrific and should not happen to anybody, especially those who are merely trying to be who they are. Those who perpetrate […]
Civil Rights hero John Lewis changed America making ‘good trouble’
Civil Rights icon and longtime Georgia Congressman John Lewis, who advocated for change through nonviolence, died late Friday night at the age of 80. The Atlanta Democrat was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in late December. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed his death, saying the country had lost “one of the greatest heroes of […]
LGBTQ+ rights in Ohio: A changing landscape in the workplace
Since the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage, lawmakers and advocacy groups have continued to focus on issues of LGBTQ+ discrimination in the workplace and other venues. This led to the June 15, 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision in three consolidated sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination cases. The decision […]
Black Americans, crucial workers in crises, emerge worse off – not better
On June 19, 1865 – 155 years ago – Black Americans celebrating the day of Jubilee, later known as Juneteenth, may have expected a shot at real opportunity. Freedom from slavery should have been freedom to climb up the economic ladder, helped – or at least not hindered – by a nation newly rededicated to […]
Race is a big factor in Ohio police killings
According to CNN, police shot and killed about 1,000 people in the United States in 2018. Compare this to Germany, where police shot and killed 11 people, Sweden, where police shot and killed six people, the U.K., where police shot and killed three people, and New Zealand, where police shot and killed a whopping one […]
Civil rights groups urge Congress to combat police brutality
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of civil rights organizations urged U.S. congressional leaders to quickly pass legislation to address police killings of black people in the wake of a series of recent deaths that have ignited protests around the country. “In recent weeks, the chronic structural issue of police killings against Black people across our country has, […]