Tag: Civil Rights

Welfare Is a Human Right: How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War on Poverty With Annelise Orleck

In her book, Storming Caesars Palace: How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War on Poverty, Annelise Orleck not only shares the history of Clark County Welfare Right Organization’s (CCWRO) ascent and activism but also provides an insightful guide to community organizing.

“I loved the CCWRO’s insistence that poor women are experts on poverty and can run their own programs better than so-called professionals. And they did! … They demanded to know why a state that took tax revenue from gambling and prostitution was considered morally acceptable, but mothers trying to feed their kids were called cheaters. They were fearless.”

Student-Athletes Can Now Sue Discriminatory Universities for Money Damages, a Victory for Title IX

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U.S. District Court Judge Todd W. Robinson ruled that the female student-athletes suing San Diego State University (SDSU) for violating Title IX can pursue claims for equal athletic financial aid, equal treatment and retaliation. The decision is the first in the nation to hold that female student-athletes can sue their schools for damages.

“SDSU has been cheating its female student-athletes out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in equal athletic financial aid each year… And it blatantly retaliated against its female student-athletes for standing up for their rights. Now, it can be held accountable.”

In ‘The Third Reconstruction,’ Peniel E. Joseph Outlines the U.S. Struggle for Racial Justice in the 21st Century

In recent months, historians have clashed over whether history should be used as a tool for the politics of the present. But Peniel E. Joseph’s latest work, The Third Reconstruction: America’s Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century demonstrates that not only is the personal political, but the past is too.

Joseph argues the dynamics of the present are never truly knowable until we anchor them to the contours of the past. This means to look at the Black women and queer Black people who have guided movements for social justice throughout American history.

Antisemitism Is Not a Partisan Issue. Why Are We Treating It Like One?

Antisemetic attacks have increased 34 percent over the past year, and one in four Jews said they experienced antisemitism in the U.S. during that same time period.

We feel alone and scared, and we’re calling on you—our friends and neighbors—for help. It’s time for all of us, regardless of race, religion or ethnicity, to stand together and denounce the recent rise in antisemitic attacks.

Coalition-Building Is Key to Moving Women’s Political Leadership Forward

We are at a pivotal moment where we need to move towards greater equality more rapidly, so the path to gender parity in civic and political leadership is not 200 years long.

Let’s move beyond partisan politics and individual missions to achieve our collective goal of increasing the number of women in elected and appointed positions across the country, and bringing our country closer to a representative democracy. We can only do this if we work together.

The U.S. Is Breaking International Human Rights Law With Roe Decision

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With the Supreme Court’s abortion decision, the U.S. finds itself in numerous human rights violations: the right to equality and nondiscrimination, the right to privacy, the right to life, the right to health and the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

It is crucial to take inspiration from feminists across the globe in using international human rights laws to stop states from eroding abortion access.

Pennsylvania Republicans Pave the Way for Banning Abortion With ‘Shameful, Undemocratic’ Tactics

The measure, which would require a second round of legislative approval, is the first step to enable a ballot question on a constitutional amendment that would declare that the Pennsylvania Constitution does not protect the right to abortion nor any right to public funding for abortion.

“Anti-abortion legislators in the Pennsylvania Senate … are using the constitutional amendment process to bypass the governor and they are legislating in the middle of the night to avoid your scrutiny as they erode your rights,” said PPPA executive director Signe Espinoza. “It’s shameful, undemocratic and wrong.”

Alito’s Opinion Is a Blueprint for Rolling Back Civil Rights While Claiming to Protect Black Fetuses

The right-wing has been gunning for the gains of the civil rights movement, the women’s movement and the LGBT movement for decades. With Alito’s draft opinion, they have a blueprint for how to roll back these rights. They have now put in place a Supreme Court that is more than willing to carry out the goal of obliterating civil rights for historically marginalized people and solidify white male power. Moreover, Alito’s perspective ignores a long history of Black activism for birth control, abortion and reproductive justice, as well as the long-term alliance between white supremacist and anti-abortion movements. We cannot let them do this.