Although it has been 60 years since the Little Rock Nine entered Central High School, civil rights are still under attack.
Trump Administration Issues Indefinite Travel Ban
On September 24 the Trump administration announced its latest version of the travel ban. In the newest form of the administration’s already controversial travel ban, there are new constraints on travelers from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen on entering the United States.
Women & Girls Comprise 71% of Those Impacted by Modern Slavery
In the past year, an estimated 40 million people were victims of modern slavery, according to a report published last week by The Walk Free Foundation, International Labour Organization, and International Organization for Migration. The report estimates that of these 40 million individuals 71% of those enslaved are women.
Today is National Voter Registration Day
Today, September 26, is National Voter Registration Day. First celebrated in 2012, National Voter Registration Day serves to raise awareness about voter registration deadlines so that all eligible voters are able to participate in upcoming elections.
Missouri Celebrates an Increases in Abortion Access After Lawsuit
A Planned Parenthood clinic in Missouri will now provide patients access to safe and legal medication abortions. Missouri has some of the toughest laws on abortion and until last week, there was only one abortion clinic in the entire state located in St. Louis.
Afghan President Welcomes US Troop Increase
During his statement to the United Nations General Assembly, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan welcomed President Trump’s plan to increase United States involvement and presence in the country.
Abortion Clinics in 3 Cities Invaded by Anti-Abortion Extremists
Anti-abortion extremists invaded three reproductive health clinics in Sterling Heights, Michigan; Alexandria, Virginia; and Albuquerque, New Mexico on Friday September 15, by entering the facilities and refusing to leave.
North Carolina Labor Federation Elects First Woman President
Last week, MaryBe McMillian became the first woman to be elected President of North Carolina’s Labor Federation (NC AFL-CIO).
Republicans Race Again to Repeal Affordable Care Act and Cut Medicaid
The House and Senate intend to vote on a repeal and replace of the Affordable Care Act before the end of September, renewing the fight to defend Medicaid and affordable, comprehensive healthcare access for people across the country.
County of Durham, NC Unanimously Endorses CEDAW
In a general meeting on September 11, the Durham County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt a resolution that endorses the Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Senators Urge DeVos and Department of Education to Maintain Title IX Guidelines
Twenty-nine U.S. Senators have signed onto an open letter urging Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education to keep the current Title IX guidelines on campus sexual assault. On September 7, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced that she is working to replace the current Title IX guidelines that address campus sexual […]
Repeal of Global Gag Rule Included in Senate FY 2018 Foreign Relations Budget Bill
Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed a 2018 foreign relations budget bill which includes an amendment that would increase funding for family planning worldwide and repeal Trump’s Global Gag Rule which prohibits any non-governmental organization that receives U.S. family planning funding from offering abortion services or referrals. The amendment received bipartisan support, with Senators Collins […]
Prominent North Carolina Civil Rights Center Banned from Engaging in Civil Rights Litigation
In a 24-3 vote last week, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors (BOG), which determines the rules and regulations for the University of North Carolina (UNC) system, barred the UNC Chapel Hill School of Law’s Center for Civil Rights from engaging in civil rights litigation for minority and low-income communities. The UNC Center […]
California Lawmakers Pass Bill to Protect Rights of LGBT Seniors
The LGBT Senior Bill of Rights, introduced by California State Senator Scott Wiener, was approved by the California State Assembly on Tuesday and will now move onto the Governor’s desk to be signed into law. SB 219, also referred to as the LGBT Seniors Bill of Rights, will protect seniors in nursing facilities from discrimination based […]
Writer and Afghan Scholar Nancy Hatch Dupree dies at 89
Described as the “Grandmother of Afghanistan,” Nancy Hatch Dupree dedicated decades of her life to preserving the history and culture of Afghanistan. Her death, on September 10, has sparked reflection on the impactful work that Dupree and her husband engaged in over their decades spent in Afghanistan. Over the course of her life, Dupree published […]
Supreme Court Upholds Trump Administration’s Travel Ban by Blocking Court of Appeals Decision
On Tuesday, the United States Supreme Court blocked a lower court’s decision that exempted refugees from the Trump Administration’s travel ban. The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled that refugees who currently have contracts with resettlement sponsors or refugee organizations would be permitted to enter the country while the legality of travel ban […]
Marriage Equality Activist Edith Windsor Dies at 88
Edith Windsor, LGBTQ and civil rights activist, dies at 88 in Manhattan on Tuesday. After the death of her wife, Thea Spyer, in 2009, Windsor attempted to claim federal tax exemptions on her wife’s estate tax. Since same-sex marriage was not recognized by the federal government under the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Windsor was […]
Deadline Extended to Submit Comments to Department of Education
In June, the Department of Education opened a comment period for the public to provide input on whether the Department of Education should keep, modify, or eliminate rules that protect the civil rights of students of color, women, students with disabilities, pregnant or parenting students, immigrant students, LGBTQ students, and other groups affected by civil […]
Yale University Changes College Name to Honor Grace Murray Hopper
Yale University recently announced that Calhoun College, named after Yale graduate John C. Calhoun, a fierce defender of slavery throughout his lifetime, will be renamed for the fall 2017 semester. The University intends to rename the college in honor of Yale graduate Grace Murray Hopper, an American computer scientist, mathematician, professor, and United States Navy […]
Abortion Clinics in Texas Help Women Impacted by Hurricane Harvey
Whole Women’s Health (WWH), a group of clinics that provide abortion care and other reproductive health services, announced on September 8th that it will offer free abortions to women impacted by Hurricane Harvey in Texas for the entire month of September. They have stated that they will set up four locations in Texas in partnership […]