Civil Rights & Immigration
Fighting anti-trans legislation is suicide prevention
This commentary originally appeared in Source New Mexico. I’m trans. This year I turn 30, and my teenage self would be beyond surprised — not just at the joys that fill my life, but the fact that I’m alive at all. I’m part of the last generation that didn’t quite have the language for the […]
Anti-trans sports bill sprouts from ignorance. We owe Kansas kids respect and support.
This commentary originally appeared in the Kansas Reflector. The world is a big, complicated and majestic place. There’s a lot we don’t understand. But just because we don’t understand every single bit of the world, that doesn’t mean we should hate the parts we don’t. That doesn’t mean we pass laws against them. Likewise, the […]
Despite nationwide outcry, FL Senate pushes through “Don’t Say Gay” bill
This story originally appeared in the Florida Phoenix. In a bitter, emotional atmosphere that rose to a national level, the Florida Senate in the final days of the legislative session approved a bill that limits certain conversations on sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida’s public school classrooms. HB 1557, the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” […]
White House allows Ukrainian nationals to stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is granting Temporary Protected Status that will shield Ukrainian nationals living in the United States from deportation, following pressure from members of Congress. “Russia’s premeditated and unprovoked attack on Ukraine has resulted in an ongoing war, senseless violence, and Ukrainians forced to seek refuge in other countries,” […]
U.S. House panel hears from DHS about problems with ‘remain in Mexico’ immigration policy
WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials outlined to House members on Wednesday problems with a Trump-era immigration policy that federal courts are forcing the agency to follow. One of the Department of Homeland Security officials, Blas Nuñez-Neto, said that the court-ordered Migrant Protection Protocols is a flawed policy program and the agency believes […]
Juneteenth would become official Colorado holiday under proposed law
Last year, President Joe Biden signed legislation to make June 19 — or Juneteenth, a day long celebrated by African American communities across the country — a federal holiday. Juneteenth commemorates when in 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and ensured that enslaved people there would be freed. It’s celebrated as the day when […]
Texans go to the polls under sweeping new voting restrictions
HOUSTON — With less than two days until Texas’ primary election, Cedric and Myrtis Tatterson sat in a community center gym in Houston to fulfill the training required of them as election judges. Though they have both served as judges in numerous past elections, Tuesday’s primary will be the first since Texas’ Republican-controlled legislature passed […]
Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke at an event led by a white nationalist and has no regrets
WASHINGTON — Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is doubling down on her decision to give a speech at a far-right conference with ties to white supremacists over the weekend. In a statement released Sunday night, Greene argued that she went to talk to audience members about “America First” policies. “We’re going to focus […]
COVID underscores lack of whistleblower protections
This story originally appeared at Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. FORT WORTH, Texas — Inside a partially completed Amazon warehouse here, workers last summer walked on conveyor belts four stories high without safety harnesses, welders used plasma torches while surrounded by flammable cardboard boxes, and laborers raised metal racks alongside a moving […]
Here’s what ‘equity’ means to Mesa County students who have experienced discrimination
Two 16-year-old Palisade High School students — Maya McDaniel and Charlotte Allen — thanked school board members at the Feb. 15 Mesa County Valley School District 51 Board of Education meeting for not firing school Superintendent Diana Sirko, Assistant Superintendent Brian Hill, and the director of equity and inclusion, Tracy Gallegos. The school board addressed […]
NAACP installs Portia Prescott as new Colorado state conference president
Portia Prescott became the new president of the NAACP Colorado Montana Wyoming State-Area Conference on Saturday during a virtual ceremony that included appearances by elected officials and the installation of officers and executive committee members. Prescott succeeds Rosemary Lytle as president. During a speech after she was sworn in, Prescott spoke about how important the […]
Black women in the U.S. House push for Supreme Court pick with a civil rights track record
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri Thursday led a coalition of Black women members of the U.S. House in a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to pick a Black woman for the Supreme Court — which he has promised — who has a track record of protecting civil rights. “The appointment […]