(2018-09-19). I Came to the U.S. Fleeing Horrific Abuse in My Home Country. Jeff Sessions Wants to Send People Like Me Back. aclu.org People like me come from countries where the justice system does not protect women and girls. To deny us refuge says our lives mean nothing. | I don't have a lot of memories of my childhood that don't involve violence. My father beat my mother up all the time in our hometown a few hours outside of Mexico City. He hit her with his hands and with any object he could find. Several times he used a knife to cut her. I think my father's sexual abuse of me started when I was 4 or 5. | I lived in terror of this man who claimed my body as his and thought of me as disposable. He could hit me or touch my most private parts…
(2018-09-19). Sesame Street Issues Statement Denying Bert and Ernie Are a Gay Couple — And That's a Problem. alternet.org 
The Internet over the past few days has exploded — mostly with joy. | Are Bert and Ernie a same-sex couple? According to their award-winning Sesame Street writer, yes. According to the non-profit organization behind Sesame Street, no. And that's a problem. "I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert & Ernie, they were" a gay couple, writer Mark Saltzman told (2018-09-18). A European Court Just Ruled NSA Surveillance Practices Violate Human Rights. mintpressnews.com 
The suit was brought by Amnesty International, Big Brother Watch, the ACLU, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and other civil liberties groups.
(2018-09-18). Some Schools Need a Lesson on Students' Free Speech Rights. aclu.org An alarming number of schools improperly discipline students for their speech — especially students of color. | School is back in session, and that means school administrators may be back to surveilling students on social media and unjustly disciplining them for what they say on it. | We've seen both of these troubling trends before. And in today's era of inspiring student (2018-09-18). In Guatemala, a Tireless Search for Parents Separated From Their Children. aclu.org Working with the ACLU, human rights defenders look for missing parents in villages and remote regions of the country. | When Lesly Tayes, a Guatemala City-based tax lawyer, first saw images of children locked in cages inside immigration detention facilities near the southern U.S. border, she was stunned. "It made me very upset and sad," she said. "Later I learned that Guatemala had the highest number of separated families and I felt even worse. I wanted to help." Within weeks, she'd have her chance. | Earlier this summer, the ACLU sued the Trump administration over its policy of separating parents from their chi…
(2018-09-18). How Facebook Is Giving Sex Discrimination in Employment Ads a New Life. aclu.org We're taking on Facebook and 10 companies for using the social platform to direct job ads toward men, excluding others. | In 1967, the newly formed National Organization for Women staged a weeklong protest of The New York Times and other newspapers. Their demonstration targeted the long-standing practice of printing classified listings in two separate columns: "Help wanted: Male" and "Help wanted: Female," which of course resulted in the exclusion of women from high-paying jobs and indust…
(2018-09-18). Blavity Op-Ed: Millennials Can Be The Power Bloc In November Elections — If We Choose To Be. naacp.org NAACP Youth and College Division leader Tiffany Dena Loftin penned a piece for Blavity the importance of millennial voters in the upcoming midterm elections: "School is back in session for the NAACP's Youth and College Division, members are entering the school year after a tough and emotional summer. While young folks should have been enjoying summer jobs […]
(2018-09-18). Kavanaugh Character Witness Mark Judge in 1983 Yearbook: 'Certain Women Should Be Struck Regularly, Like Gongs'. alternet.org 
Judge's Georgetown Prep 1983 yearbook page has a few astonishing quotes. | In her once-confidential letter Dr. Christine Blasey Ford said there was a witness to the alleged sexual assault and attempted rape by Brett Kavanaugh: Mark Judge, who she said w. . .
(2018-09-18). Immigrants Seeking Shelter After Hurricane Florence Fear Deportation as FEMA Shifts Funds to ICE. democracynow.org 
While the worst of Hurricane Florence is over, officials say the most dangerous flooding is yet to come for residents of the Carolinas and Virginia, as thousands have been ordered to evacuate their homes and hundreds more have sought rescue from rising floodwaters. But undocumented immigrants have expressed concern they will encounter immigration enforcement if they seek help. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has reallocated nearly $10 million from FEMA's budget to ICE to pay for detention space and deportations. We speak with Laura Garduño García, a DACA recipient and Greensboro-based organizer with Siembra N…
(2018-09-18). ACLU suing Facebook after 'women excluded' from seeing certain job ads on platform. rt.com 
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit against Facebook, accusing the social media giant of gender discrimination in job advertisements on its platform. |
(2018-09-17). Congress Is Poised to Give Trump Administration Powerful New Spying Powers. aclu.org Congress is once again using "national security" as magic words to increase the government's surveillance powers in dangerous and unaccountable ways. | The Trump administration wants more spying power — and Congress appears poised to give it to them. | Touting national security to justify spying powers that jeopardize our constitutional rights is a strategy that we have seen before. It happened with the Patriot Act after 9/11, and members of Congress and government officials are now employing similar arguments again. This time it involves a drone bill that some in Congress are (2018-09-17). A Full Investigation Is Needed Into the Sexual Assault Allegations Against Brett Kavanaugh. aclu.org Both Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, should testify under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee. | Over the weekend, details of serious charges of sexual assault alleged to have been committed by Judge Brett Kavanaugh became public, as did the name of the woman raising these allegations. In a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein and (2018-09-17). NAACP President to Commemorate African Maafa. naacp.org Event to honor ancestors and mark African holocaust in Brooklyn, NY Baltimore, MD — On Tuesday, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson will speak at the 24th Commemoration of The Maafa at the St. Paul Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York at 7pm EST. President Johnson will address the relevance of the African Maafa and the current […]
(2018-09-17). NAACP to Host National Call to Action Tele-Townhall Conference Call on Wednesday. naacp.org 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 17, 2018 CONTACTS: NAACP@sunshinesachs.com and Malik Russell: mrussell@naacpnet.org | Thousands to discuss social and political climate for Blacks in America | WASHINGTON (September 17, 2018) — With less than 50 days to the critical midterm elections, the NAACP will be holding a national call to action Tele-Townhall conference call on Wednesday, […]
(2018-09-16). Statement: Kavanaugh Allegations Impact Character and Fitness to Serve on Supreme Court. naacp.org Washington, D.C. — NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson issued the following statement on the recent allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh: "For far too long we've seen the majority leadership in Congress pander to the dangerous decisions of the Trump Administration, and the recent allegations against Brett Kavanaugh have only confirmed that enough […]
(2018-09-15). NAACP Provides Disaster Management Resources in the Wake of Hurricane Florence. naacp.org NAACP, the nation's foremost civil rights organization, released the following statement regarding Hurricane Florence: "On Friday, Hurricane Florence, deemed by meteorologists to be a beast of a storm, made landfall in North Carolina, and it has already proved to be fatal," said Jacqui Patterson, Senior Director, NAACP Environmental Climate and Justice Program. "Although […]
(2018-09-14). Trump's New Attack on Immigrant Children. aclu.org The government has proposed new regulations which are a roadmap for keeping immigrant children and families locked up indefinitely. | Last Thursday, two federal agencies announced new regulations concerning the detention of immigrant children. They are nothing less than a roadmap for keeping children and families locked up indefinitely. | The proposed regulations have a very clear goal, which is to terminate a longstanding federal consent decree — known as the Flores Settlement Agreement — that sets nationwide…
(2018-09-14). 'Attica Is Every Prison; and Every Prison Is Attica'. aclu.org Forty-seven years later, the uprising that shocked the world continues through the demands of prisoners for human rights. | On Sept. 9, 1971, prisoners at Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York rebelled over extreme crowding, racism, and brutal living conditions. They took control of the prison and sought to negotiate with state officials over their demands. Four days later — and 47 years ago this week — the uprising was crushed in a massive assault by the state police, National Guard, and corrections officers. Forty-three people lost their lives, most of them during the retaking of the pris…
(2018-09-14). Trump's Border Wall Obsession Is a Threat to the Southwest Border Region. aclu.org To save lives, preserve habitats, and ensure thriving border communities, Congress should stop funding President Trump's border wall. | Given all the false rhetoric and rage that drive President Trump's fixation on building his border wall, it's critically important to step back from that noise and think about people and places that would be jeopardized if his wall obsession continues to be funded by Congress. | Take, for instance, (2018-09-14). Off-Duty Cop Tasing an 11-Year-Old Should Provoke a Clear Wakeup Call for Police Reform. aclu.org The brutal use of force against an 11-year-old Cincinnati girl reveals how desperately we need to stop police brutality. | How young is too young for a person to be tased? In Cincinnati, the answer disturbingly seems to be 7 years old. This is as shocking as it is unacceptable. | The city is purportedly reviewing its policy on the use of force, s…
(2018-09-14). NAACP's Marvin Owens to Talk Economics, Environmental Justice at CBC. naacp.org NAACP Senior Director of Economic Programs Marvin Owens to Discuss Intersection of Economics and Environmental Justice during Congressional Black Caucus Braintrust Washington, D.C. — NAACP Senior Director of Economic Programs Marvin Owens will discuss the intersection of economics and environmental justice during the 48th Annual Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference. The Environmental Justice Braintrust will focus on […]
(2018-09-14). SPLC joins Alabama civil rights groups in urging Sens. Jones and Shelby to vote against Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination. splcenter.org The SPLC is among 10 Alabama civil rights organizations that strongly urged U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby and Doug Jones today to vote against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
(2018-09-13). NAACP President Derrick Johnson Offers Hope, Encourages Black Voters to Know their Power During CBC Panel. naacp.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 13, 2018 CONTACT: NAACP@sunshinesachs.com | WASHINGTON (September 13, 2018) — NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson provided the following commentary at a Congressional Black Caucus panel on the status of minority voting rights in the nation: "As we look forward, we need to offer an opportunity to control the narrative and […]
(2018-09-13). Action Alert: Urge Senate Judiciary Committee Members to Vote "No" on Kavanaugh on Sept. 20th. naacp.org 
Senate Judiciary Committee Moves Committee Vote on Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh to Sept. 20, 2018 Urge Members of the Senate Judiciary to Vote "No" on Kavanaugh The Issue: On July 10, 2018, President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. After four days of hearings which began on Sept. 4, we […]
(2018-09-13). NAACP Launches Power of 5 Campaign, Mobilizes Voter to Take Action Before the Election. naacp.org The NAACP, the nation's foremost civil rights organization, has launched a Power of 5 campaign aimed at mobilizing voters to turn out at the 2018 midterm elections. The Power of 5 campaign charges voters to take leadership of their own spheres of influence. The charge is simple: register 5 new voters before the deadline, ensure 5 people get […]
(2018-09-12). Headlines for September 12, 2018. democracynow.org "Storm of a Lifetime": Hurricane Florence Barrels Down on Carolinas' Coast, Ahead of Florence, SC Officials Say They Will Not Evacuate Ridgeland Prison, Florence Threatens Catastrophic Waste Spills from Pig Farms, Coal Ash Ponds, 6 Years Before Florence, North Carolina Passed Law Banning Studies of Sea Level Rise, Ahead of Florence, Trump Tries to Celebrate Admin Response to Hurricane Maria, Merkley: Trump Admin Diverted $10M from FEMA to ICE to Build Detention Centers, HHS to Triple Size of Texas Tent Camp for Migrant Children, Stephen Miller's Former Rabbi Slams Him at Rosh Hashanah Services over Family Separat…
(2018-09-07). As 400+ Children Remain Separated from Parents, Trump Admin Wants to Detain Kids Indefinitely. democracynow.org 
The Trump administration is attempting to remove court-imposed time limits on the detention of immigrant children. The administration's proposal would allow immigrant families to be held in detention indefinitely, ending the long-standing 1997 Flores agreement which says that children cannot be jailed for more than 20 days. More than 400 children remain separated from their parents more than a month after a court-imposed deadline requiring the Trump administration to reunite all of the separated families. The American Civil Liberties Union says it appears ICE officials had access to the phone numbers of hundreds…
(2018-09-07). Headlines for September 7, 2018. democracynow.org Sen. Cory Booker Releases Kavanaugh Documents in Act of "Civil Disobedience", New Documents Contradict Kavanaugh's Sworn Testimony, Kavanaugh Conflates Birth Control with Abortion, Trump Admin Seeks to Allow Indefinite Detention of Immigrant Families, ICE, DOJ Subpoena Millions of North Carolina Voting Records, Top Trump Admin Officials Deny They Penned Scathing Anonymous Op-Ed, Baghdad Massacre Trial for Blackwater Mercenary Ends in Hung Jury, Gunman Kills Three at Cincinnati Bank, Then Shot Dead by Police, Cincinnati Officer Who Tased 11-Year-Old Girl Will Face Discipline, Jury Gives $1 Fine to Man Who Punched…
(2018-08-29). The Movement Against Prison Abuse—From the Inside. progressive.org Janos Marton of the ACLU's Smart Justice program talks about a growing public awareness of the rampant inequality perpetuated by prisons, jails, arrests, and prosecutions, and what people on the outside can do.