(2019-02-05). Pressure Mounts on Prosecutor to Drop Controversial Case Against Black Police Chief. therealnews.com 
After the Maryland Court of Special Appeals overturned the misconduct conviction of Pocomoke's first black police chief Kelvin Sewell, the ACLU of Maryland submitted a petition urging Special Prosecutor Emmitt Davitt not to retry the case
(2019-02-05). US "border security": Troops, torture, barbaric prisons. wsws.org While the Democrats claim to oppose Trump's wall, they support all the other repressive actions carried out against defenseless immigrants and refugees.
(2019-02-04). Chicago: Emergency demonstration to demand, "Hands off Venezuela! Not another U.S. coup!" fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL — A Chicago protest to demand an end to U.S war moves against Venezuela is set for Tuesday, February 5, 5: 30 p.m., at the Federal Plaza, (219 S. Dearborn Street.) | "The people of Venezuela are in urgent need of solidarity. Join us to stand against the blatant attempt by Trump to overthrow the democratically elected government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela," say protest organizers. | The demonstration is being organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and is endorsed by: U.S. Palestinian Community Network, Chicago ALBA Solidarity Committee, Black Lives Matter – Chicago, Party for Social…
(2019-02-04). UN: Act to End China's Mass Detentions in Xinjiang. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-02-04). Justice Department to Probe Federal Jail in New York City. truthdig.com Officials will investigate how a Brooklyn detention center lost heat and electricity last week without having a backup system in place.
(2019-02-04). High School Could Have Been Hell for My Transgender Son. Don't Make It Hell for the Next Kid. aclu.org I had hoped that my son would wait until after high school to come out as transgender. But I realized I'd prefer a thriving son over a dead daughter. | This piece was originally published on USA Today. | When I gave birth to my first baby, the doctor said, "It's a girl!" Before I even knew my child, those words helped me imagine the future. | But the future was different from what I expected. | By the time my c…
(2019-02-04). The Supreme Court Is Considering Whether the Government Can Dodge the First Amendment by Outsourcing Its Power. aclu.org A case about a video banned from public access cable TV could have important implications for our constitutional rights. | The First Amendment bars the government from censoring speech that it doesn't like. That rule also goes for a private organization that takes on a government role. But when exactly is an organization considered a stand-in for the government? The Supreme Court will soon hear a case to decide. | Before smartphones, the internet, and digital cameras, it wasn't easy to get your videos in front of…
(2019-02-04). NAACP and RWJF Partner to Improve Health Equity. naacp.org Leveraging grassroots activism and cross-sector commitment for better health for everyone in America February 4, 2019 Princeton, N.J. — The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have expanded their partnership to improve health and opportunity in communities of color across the United States. For almost 10 years, […]
(2019-02-04). As Virginia Governor Waffles on Blackface Yearbook Photo, NAACP Leader Calls His Apology "Invalid" democracynow.org 
Democratic Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is facing calls to resign after a photo surfaced on his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook page showing a man wearing blackface posing next to a man wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Northam apologized for the photo on Friday, but walked back his statements on Saturday, claiming neither of the men in the photo was him. He did admit to using blackface to portray Michael Jackson at a dance contest. We speak with Reverend Kevin Chandler, president of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP.
(2019-02-04). Youth and College Director Tiffany Dena Loftin Recognized by NBC. naacp.org 
This #BlackHistoryMonth NBC BLK recognized 10 women shaping their environment and altering the lives of those in their communities. Our Youth and College Director, Tiffany Dena Loftin, was recognized for using her voice and talent to make sure young black people's lives matter. Loftin has been raising her voice since she was an undergraduate at […]
(2019-02-04). British MPs: Female Saudi Activist Prisoners Being Tortured. telesurenglish.net A group of women Saudi gender activists in jail since at least last April are being tortured and held in inhumane prison conditions, according to an ad hoc British parliamentary committee. | RELATED: | Saudi Woman Arrives in Canada After Being Granted Asylum | A report released by the special multi-party parliamentary committee found that the group of about 10 Saudi female activists, arrested nine months ago when advocating for women's equality and the right to drive, have been subje…
(2019-02-04). Headlines for February 4, 2019. democracynow.org Calls Mount for VA Gov. Northam to Resign over Racist Yearbook Photo, Trump Sends Aid to Venezuela, Says Military Intervention "An Option", Trump: U.S. Should Maintain Troops in Iraq to "Watch" Iran, Trump Floats Another Gov't Shutdown or Nat'l Emergency over Border Wall Funding, El Salvador Elects Outsider Nayib Bukele as President, Mexico Denies Entry to U.S Lawyers & Journalists Working with Migrants, Iraq: Gunman Shoots Novelist Alaa Mashzoub, Amnesty Int'l: Boko Haram Killed At Least 60 in Nigeria Attack Last Week, Russia Suspends INF in Response to U.S. Withdrawal, U.N.: At Least 29 Children Died on Way to…
(2019-02-04). Virginia Governor Roiled by Racism, Sexual Misconduct Charges. telesurenglish.net Virginia politics went into further turmoil Monday as the lieutenant governor of the eastern U.S. state, where the governor is under intense pressure to resign, was accused of sexual misconduct. | RELATED: | Pressure Continues on 'Blackface' Governor to Step Down | A few dozen protesters gathered at the state capitol in Richmond to demand that Northam, a white man, step down, while Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, who is black, said there was "a lot of uncertainty" in the s…
(2019-02-04). Virginia Legislative Black Caucus: Governor Northam Must Resign over Blackface Yearbook Photo. democracynow.org 
Calls are mounting for Democratic Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to resign after a photo surfaced from his medical school yearbook page showing a man wearing blackface posing next to a man wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. On Friday, Northam apologized for the photo in his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook. However, on Saturday, he reversed course and claimed neither of the men in the racist yearbook photo was him as he initially thought. As Northam resisted growing calls for his resignation, he admitted to a separate instance of blackface: darkening his face to imitate Michael Jackson in a 1984 dance c…
(2019-02-04). US: Tasers Claimed 49 Lives in 2018 Through Police Violence. telesurenglish.net Taser death is a form of police violence that is claiming lives in the United States despite being called non-lethal, a recent Reuters report revealed. | RELATED: | Maduro Calls For Peace, Non-intervention From US | Warren Ragudo died after two Taser shocks by police intervening in a family altercation. Ramzi Saad died after a Taser shock by police during a dispute…
(2019-02-04). Historian: Americans Must Face Violent History of Blackface Amid Virginia Gov. Racist Photo Scandal. democracynow.org 
We discuss the history behind calls for Democratic Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to resign after a photo surfaced on his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook page showing a man wearing blackface posing next to a man wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. The yearbook also features an image of a white man in a wig, dress and black face. The photo's caption reads, "'Baby Love,' who ever thought Diana Ross would make it to Medical School!" Another photo in the yearbook shows three men in blackface. We are joined by Rhae Lynn Barnes, assistant professor of American cultural history at Princeton University and auth…
(2019-02-04). Want to Eradicate Hunger in America? Take on Racism. thenation.com Want to Eradicate Hunger in America? Take on Racism.
(2019-02-04). 'Crimes Against Humanity': Abuses Persist at Immigrant Detention Centers as DHS Hands Out 'Waivers' to Contractors. commondreams.org A poorly regulated system of handing out "waivers" to contractors which run immigrant detention facilities has allowed many abuses at the facilities to persist for years, according to a new report by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/immigrants_prisons_0.jpg…
(2019-02-04). Governor Northam Must Resign Over Blackface Yearbook Photo. truthout.org Calls are mounting for Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to resign after a photo surfaced from his medical school yearbook page showing a man wearing blackface posing next to a man wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. On Friday, Northam apologized for the photo in his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook. However, on Saturday, he reversed course and claimed neither of the men in the racist yearbook photo was him as he initially thought. As Northam resisted growing calls for his resignation, he admitted to a separate instance of blackface: darkening his face to imitate Michael Jackson in a 1984 dance co…
(2019-02-04). Over a thousand federal inmates in New York City jail held for more than a week in dark, frigid conditions. wsws.org Over 1,600 inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn have been without heat and hot water, and with limited electricity and communications since a fire last Sunday.
(2019-02-04). Chicago police receive lessons in ethics… from officers accused of abuse — report. rt.com 
Officers accused of abuse have been put in charge of a Chicago police program designed to curb incidents of "racist police violence," The Intercept has revealed, raising serious questions about the force's efforts at reform.
(2019-02-04). Lights Are Back On at New York City Jail, But Prisoners Still Lack Heat. truthout.org More than 1,600 prisoners at a Brooklyn federal detention center were forced to endure freezing temperatures during last week's polar vortex, with no heat, no light, no hot water for showers and no hot meals. Demonstrators rallied throughout the weekend to protest the conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center, which is run by the Bureau of Prisons. Prisoners communicated with protesters by banging on the jail windows. On Sunday afternoon, some of the protesters, including family members of those incarcerated, were pepper-sprayed by guards. Democracy Now! was there on the ground. By 6: 30 pm, officials sai…
(2019-02-04). Polar Vortex Shows Incarcerated Workers Bear the Brunt of Extreme Weather. truthout.org On January 28, an image of Cook County Jail prisoners shoveling snow went viral after it was posted on the La Villita community Facebook page and then shared by the Chicago Community Bond Fund. The city of Chicago was preparing for an arc…
(2019-02-03). "'Vicious' And 'Brutal'" — Life Inside a Freezing Federal Prison With No Heat. theintercept.com 
Inside accounts are seeping out of a New York prison where hundreds of people have been incarcerated without heat as the city endured arctic weather.
(2019-02-03). Officers Accused of Abuses Are Leading Chicago Police's "Implicit Bias" Training Program. theintercept.com Sergio Herrera, a Chicago police officer, was accused in a 2010 lawsuit of teaming up with another officer to mace and beat a black man for no reason. The man was sitting in his parked car when Herrera's colleague approached the vehicle. As the man went to retrieve his identification, the officer told him to "cuff up," at which point Herrera entered the fray, spraying the man with mace according to the lawsuit. Both officers then allegedly proceeded to throw the man to the ground, strike him in the head with handcuffs, and dig their knees into his back. When the man asked for medical assistance, his pleas were ig…
(2019-02-02). There Is No Argument for Ralph Northam to Keep His Job. thenation.com There Is No Argument for Ralph Northam to Keep His Job…
(2019-02-02). Virginia governor admits to KKK/blackface yearbook photo, refuses to resign. rt.com 
Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia is refusing to resign over photos from his medical school yearbook showing him wearing either a KKK costume or blackface. He campaigned in 2017 on accusing his Republican opponent of racism.
(2019-02-02). Philippines: Congress Aims to Lock Up More Children. hrw.org 
| | | | | | In this photo taken last year in Manila, children are detained in a Bahay Pagasa detention center, the same type of facility the Philippine government plans to use under a proposed new law that would lower the age of criminal responsibility. | | © 2018 Carlos Conde/Human Rights Watch | (New York) — Philippine legislators should reject a draft law to lower the age of criminal liability from 15 to 12, Human Rights W…
(2019-02-02). Brooklyn detainees bang on prison windows for help during cold weather blackout (VIDEO). rt.com 
Shocking footage filmed outside a federal prison in Brooklyn, New York, shows inmates apparently banging on the walls and windows of their cells to draw attention to their freezing conditions.
(2019-02-02). Liberal host Bill Maher makes 'racist' fried chicken retort to black Republican congressman. rt.com 
The media personality made the uncalled-for joke in the middle of a heated, but unrelated, exchange with Republican Congressman Will Hurd — in an incident more egregious than Maher's 2017 "house n*****" controversy.
(2019-02-02). Demand Grows for 'Racist' Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's Immediate Resignation. theantimedia.com 
(CD) — Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is facing intensifying demands for his resignation from all sides on Saturday after a photo from his medical school days surfaced on Friday exposed "uninhibited" racist behavior from his past. While the image shows one person in blackface standing next to another individual in a Ku Klux Klan uniform, Northam …
(2019-02-02). 'Wasn't me, I wore blackface on another occasion': Virginia gov backpedals on yearbook photo scandal. rt.com 
Ralph Northam, who is under pressure to resign as governor of Virginia over an offensive photo from his yearbook, denied he was either of the two men shown in the picture. A day earlier he said otherwise.
(2019-02-01). Gandhi and American Civil Rights. consortiumnews.com Howard Thurman travelled to India and returned to the U.S. intent on bringing nonviolence to the struggles of African Americans, writes Walter E. Fluker. Howard Thurman's image on Howard University chapel's stained glass window. (Fourandsixty from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA) By… Read more →
(2019-02-01). Congress, Don't Give DHS Unrestricted Authority to Build a 'Smart Wall'. aclu.org What Congress must do to ensure that border technology doesn't trample on the rights of border communities. | On Thursday, House Democrats unveiled their proposal for a $55 billion Department of Homeland Security budget. The proposal includes some strong provisions — including no funding for a border wall, no new Border Patrol agents, and a requirement for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to cut its detention of immigrants and phase out the jailing of immigrant families. But there are also a number of troubling elements, ch…
(2019-02-01). ICE Partners Again With a Sheriff It Once Severed Ties With Because of Racial Profiling. aclu.org Sheriff Terry Johnson is known for racial profiling. He just secured $2.8 million in taxpayer funding to do ICE's bidding. | Whether it's Jeff Sessions, Stephen Miller, or Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Trump administration has a real knack for empowering and absolving people who push discriminatory law enforcement and immigration policy. Now there's another name to add to that list: Sheriff Terry Johnson of Alamance County in North Carolina. Six years after the federal government severed ties with Sheriff Johnson for his office's discriminatory policing of Latinx residents, Uncle Sam and the Alamance County Sheriff's O…
(2019-02-01). 28 Ways to Celebrate Black History Month. naacp.org Issa Rae Rooting For Everybody Black GIF from Issarae GIFs Since the 1970s, the month of February has been an exceptional period for the Black community as we devote 28 days — 29 if we're lucky — to commemorate all things Black. Black History Month is celebrated across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany […]
(2019-02-01). "Do We as a Society Have a Right to Kill?": Chinonye Chukwu's Film "Clemency" Examines Death Penalty. democracynow.org 
As the state of Texas this week carried out the nation's first execution of the year, we look at "Clemency," a new film starring Alfre Woodard that examines the death penalty from the perspective of those who have to carry out executions as well as the condemned. Woodard portrays prison warden Bernadine Williams as she prepares to oversee what would be her 12th execution as warden in the aftermath of one that was horribly botched. As her life seems to unravel, Williams, for the first time, grapples with what it means to be part of a system of state-sanctioned murder, as the execution date for Anthony Woods, playe…
(2019-02-01). 'There Is No Such Thing as a Nonracist'. progressive.org An Interview with Ibram X. Kendi…
(2019-02-01). Corporations Have Paid Out at Least $2.7 Billion in Civil-Rights and Labor Lawsuits Since 2000. thenation.com Corporations Have Paid Out at Least $2.7 Billion in Civil-Rights and Labor Lawsuits Since 2000…
(2019-02-01). Bolton Threatens to Send Venezuela's Maduro to Guantanamo Bay Prison. theantimedia.com 
(CD) — National Security Adviser John Bolton—the neoconservative who's played a key role in the Trump administration's effort to overthrow the Venezuelan government—suggested on Friday that President Nicolás Maduro could find himself locked away in the U.S. military prison at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba if he does not soon step aside. Bolton—who has repeatedly threatened U.S. military action to force …
(2019-02-01). ICE Force-feeding Immigrant Detainees on Hunger Strike. hrw.org 
| | Screenshot from a 2013 video of Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) volunteering to undergo the standard operating procedures for force-feeding of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. | © 2013 The Guardian/YouTube | ICE officials are force-feeding six immigrant detainees who are on hunger strike in Texas, according to an investigation published by the Associated Press. | The AP reported indications that nearly 30 men — mostly from India an…
(2019-02-01). Vietnam: Hanoi Misleads UN on Rights Record. hrw.org 
| | Twenty-five political prisoners currently locked up for exercising basic rights. | | © 2018 Private | (Geneva) — Vietnam presented a grossly inaccurate picture of its human rights record at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on January 22, 2019, Human Rights Wat…
(2019-02-01). The price Peter Norman paid for his anti-racism. greenleft.org.au 
The Peter Norman Story
| Written by Andrew Webster & Matt Norman
| Macmillan, 2018
| $34.99 | Australian sprinter Peter Norman had just run a blistering 20.6 seconds in the men's 200-metre final at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games to claim the silver medal. After he heard about the plans of the gold and bronze medallists, African-American runners Tommy Smith and John Carlos, to protest against racism in the US, Norman agreed to support their actions by wearing an Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) badge, stating: "I'll stand with you". | In The Peter Norman Story, his nephew Matt Norman, w…
(2019-01-31). What Breastfeeding Has to Do With Economic Security. aclu.org A recent study from the Center for WorkLife Law reveals the heavy toll of breastfeeding discrimination and the pressing need for more protections. | The discrimination began almost immediately after Barbara, an emergency room nurse, returned from maternity leave. Like most breastfeeding parents, Barbara needed to pump regularly to keep up her milk supply and prevent infection. But while her co-workers got smoke breaks, Barbara wasn't allowed to take time to pump, leaving her in pain: "I'd feel like my breasts [were] bursting," she said. | When she did get breaks, Barbara found herself expressing breast milk for h…
(2019-01-31). Senate Judiciary Vote on the Barr Nomination. naacp.org The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on whether or not to send the NAACP-opposed nomination of William P. Barr to the full Senate with a positive recommendation on Thursday, February 7, 2019. We need to contact the entire Senate Judiciary Committee and urge that they oppose this misguided nomination. For information on the nominee, as […]
(2019-01-31). Headlines for January 31, 2019. democracynow.org Venezuela: U.S. Urges Military to Back Guaidó as Protesters Take to Streets, Reuters: UAE Hired Ex-NSA Agents to Spy on Opponents and Critics, Congress Reintroduces War Powers Resolution to End War on Yemen, Trump Hits Back After Intelligence Chiefs Contradict Him on Iran, N. Korea, Israeli Forces Kill Teenage Palestinian Girl at West Bank Checkpoint, Israel: Thousands of Israeli Ethiopians Protest Racism, Police Brutality, Migrants: Scores Killed in 2 Boat Wrecks Off Djibouti Coast, Humanitarian Ship Docks in Italy After European Nations Agree to Process Migrants, Colombia: 2 Community Leaders Killed Amid Mounti…
(2019-01-31). Dialogue: Women's March Leaders on Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Racism & More. democracynow.org 
Thousands took to the streets for women's marches across the country on January 19, exactly two years after Donald Trump's inauguration sparked a burgeoning women's movement. But some of this year's marches were steeped in controversy. In November, Teresa Shook, one of the founders of the Women's March movement, called for the removal of the four national co-chairs: Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory, Carmen Perez and Linda Sarsour. She accused them of allowing "anti-Semitism, anti-LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform." Much of the criticism focused on links between some of the c…
(2019-01-31). Darwin pub staff take a stand against racism. greenleft.org.au 
Staff at the Rorkes pub in Darwin walked off the job on January 22 after refusing to follow the owner's orders to ban Aboriginal patrons from the premises. | Larrakia elder June Mills called for a boycott after allegations of racism against owner Mitchell McNamee came to light. | Staff told ABC News that McNamee had told them to ban Indigenous patrons using the excuse of "no singlets". Thom Brock, a former…
(2019-01-30). Smith College Overhauls Policing Practices After Black Student Racially Profiled. aclu.org 
After a Smith College employee called the cops on a Black student as she ate lunch, Smith will take up the ACLU's recommendations for police reforms. | This past July, Oumou Kanoute was a rising sophomore at Smith College, working on campus over the summer to mentor high school students interested in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, careers. A young Black immigrant and the daughter of a single mother, Oumou is exactly the kind of striver colleges like Smith seek to attract. | But Oumou felt anything but welcome on that late July afternoon. As she ate in a common room, wearing the unofficial Sm…
(2019-01-30). NAACP Challenge to 2020 Census Preparations Moves Forward. naacp.org Federal judge denies Census Bureau motion to dismiss suit over inadequate government preparations for the 2020 Census The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and its allies today won a major court ruling that allows them to proceed with a federal lawsuit challenging the government's inadequate preparations for the 2020 Census. "[T]he census must […]