Courts LGBTQ

Supreme Court Rules Federal Civil Rights Law Protects LGBTQ+ Workers

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that existing federal civil rights protections forbids job discrimination against LGBTQ+ workers. The decision said that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate based on a person’s sex, also covers sexual orientation. Twenty-two states plus the District of Columbia […]

Courts Politics

Attorneys General File Landmark ERA Lawsuit

Three attorneys general that represent the last three states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) have filed a lawsuit stating that according to Article V, the amendment must be added to the Constitution immediately. This lawsuit was brought forth by Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and Nevada Attorney […]

Race

White Male University Of Mississippi Students Posed with Guns in Front of Emmett Till Sign

***Warning: graphic topics of violence and racism*** On July 25, 2019 ProPublica unveiled an Instagram photo posted of three young white men in front of Emmett Till’s sign commemorating his brutal death and the ignition of the Civil Rights Movement. The students were suspended on Wednesday from their fraternity, Kappa Alpha, a historically racist institution, […]

Abortion Reproductive Rights

House Subcommittee Convened for a Hearing on the “Threats to Reproductive Rights in America”

On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties convened for a hearing on the “Threats to Reproductive Rights in America,” specifically focusing on abortion access in light of the abortion bans passed in Georgia, Louisiana, and Alabama earlier this year, all of which severely restrict people’s ability to have safe […]

Uncategorized

Long Live the Queen: The Impact of Aretha Franklin

Music and civil rights activism were big influences in Aretha Franklin’s life since a young age: her father, C.L. Franklin, a minister known as “the Man with the Million Dollar Voice,” toured the nation giving sermons and was a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Aretha herself started singing in her Detroit church’s choir and recorded her first album when she was only 14 before signing to RCA Records and Columbia Records. When she was 16, Aretha was touring with Dr. King.

Other Issues Race

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 […]

Uncategorized

Another Civil Rights Opponent Nominated for Job in Justice Department

President Trump has nominated attorney Eric Dreiband, a man who has spent his career opposing equality movements, to head the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. The role of the Civil Rights Division is to hold corporations and states accountable for compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws.

Uncategorized

Civil Rights Coalition Demands Trump Administration Protect Civil Rights

Deeply troubled by the drastic cuts within Trump’s proposed budget, the coalition called upon the administration to, “reverse course, before more individuals and communities are harmed,” with a five point list of actions ensuring the protection of civil rights: enforce the law, preserve existing policies, nominate and appoint qualified individuals, prioritize data collection, and condemn bigotry and violence.

Labor Rights

Trump Budget Proposal Aims to Reduce Civil Rights Enforcement Throughout Federal Agencies

According to the White House’s proposed budget for the 2018 fiscal year, the Trump administration is set to disband the Labor Department division that has been tasked with policing discrimination among federal contractors for nearly forty years. Such budget cuts are not limited to the Labor Department, but are also seen in the budgets of a wide array of agencies as part of efforts to limit federal government programs that promote and protect civil rights.