On Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, Biden, and Harris Vow Continued Push for Voting Rights
John Lewis, a young civil rights leader, and congressman, was beaten and had his skull fractured when he was 25. John Lewis, a young civil rights leader, and congressman, was beaten and had his skull fractured when he was 25. “They achieved passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, which enshrined critical protections for voting rights in federal law,” the vice president stated. But the Shelby County Supreme Court decision in 2013 undermined the Voting Rights Act, making it more difficult to prevent discrimination. Conservative Supreme Court has gutted the Voting Rights Act over the years.
thewestsidegazette.comAt Least 10 Million New Black Voters Likely Headed To Polls Nov. 8
The votercade purposely chose routes that historically had low turnouts, but by the excitement the tour created that might be about to change. “Voting is a celebration, everyone wins, when Americans can honor their constitutional right to vote,” says Arnwine. Arnwine pointed to Georgia, one of the most oppressive states in the nation for Black voters, where her coalition and the votercade made a major difference. Morgan State, South Carolina State, and North Carolina Central are just a few college campuses the votercade rolled up on. To encourage people to vote, gift cards are to be given to those who can return the most signed pledge cards.
thewestsidegazette.comBlack church tradition survives Georgia's voting changes
Black church leaders and activists in Georgia rallied Sunday in a push to get congregants to vote — a longstanding tradition known as “souls to the polls” that is taking on greater meaning this year amid new obstacles to casting a ballot in the midterm elections. At Rainbow Baptist Church just outside Atlanta, about two dozen cars and a large bus emblazoned with the image of civil rights icon John Lewis formed a caravan in the parking lot. Teresa Hardy, an organizer with voting rights group The Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, led a prayer before the caravan set out for a polling site at a nearby mall.
news.yahoo.comSchumer: 'We made progress' on voting bill, filibuster rules
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats "made progress” toward changing the Senate’s filibuster rules to advance voting legislation, despite the dramatic collapse of the package that his party says is central to protecting democracy.
George Floyd memorial statue in New York City defaced again
A statue honoring George Floyd in New York City’s Union Square Park was vandalized on Sunday, police said. Nearby statues of late Congressman John Lewis and Breonna Taylor, a Louisville, Kentucky, woman shot and killed by police last year, apparently weren’t touched. Sunday's act wasn't the first example of vandalism to the statue memorializing Floyd, whose killing at the hands of police in Minneapolis last year galvanized a racial justice movement across the country.
news.yahoo.comAn Open Letter to Sen. Minority Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans
But today we invite you to take much more meaningful action to honor their legacies by passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act. In the spirit of Dr. King and your esteemed colleague John Lewis—whom we all admire—we are requesting a meeting with you to discuss this as expeditiously as possible. Dr. King, John Lewis, Rev. In 1965, a young John Lewis and other activists were beaten and bloodied as they marched for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, but they pressed on. Weeks later, enough leaders in Congress had the moral conscience to support the Voting Rights Act, and it was signed into law soon thereafter.
thewestsidegazette.comMaking Good Trouble
Rep. Bush is in her first term as a member of Congress representing St. Louis, Missouri. Rep. Bush grabbed a sleeping bag and camped out on the steps of the U.S. Capitol for several days to shame people into action. Bush’s good troublemaking also brought needed attention to the fact that Congress had approved $46.5 billion to help renters and their landlords, but some states and counties hadn’t distributed a penny of it even months after they got the money. When I saw people criticizing Rep. Bush for her tactics, I thought of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham jail. They’re looking for people to help them make good trouble.
thewestsidegazette.comRep. Waters to Join Congressional Delegation to San Diego for Christening of USNS John Lewis
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is leading the Congressional delegation. The program is dedicated in honor of the late Congressman John Lewis of Georgia. “John Lewis’ legacy and impact on this world is undeniable and I am so pleased to join Speaker Pelosi for this Congressional delegation to honor our beloved friend and guiding light,” said Congresswoman Maxine Waters. “John Lewis was more than a fighter. “I hope that with the christening of the USNS John Lewis, Americans from every walk of life will join us in honoring his legacy and commit to doing everything in their power to protect the right to vote for all Americans.”
thewestsidegazette.com‘Be Hopeful’: Where The John Lewis Voting Rights Act Stands 1 Year After Legendary Congressman’s Death
The proposed update to the Voting Rights Act would restore key provisions that undermine Republicans’ efforts to decrease access to the ballot. More than 150 companies have expressed their support for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to be enacted into law, NBC News reported. What would the John Lewis Voting Rights Act do? Specifically, “The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act responds to current conditions in voting today by restoring the full protections of the original, bipartisan Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was last reauthorized by Congress in 2006, but gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013,” the bill’s language says. Beatty said that the only way to counter these restrictive voting laws is to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
thewestsidegazette.comAmid growing frustration, White House pushes voting rights
The Biden administration has unveiled new efforts to help protect voting rights as complaints grow louder from civil rights activists and other Democrats that the White House has not done enough to fight the push from several Republican-led state legislatures to restrict access to the ballot.
As frustration mounts, a White House push on voting rights
The Biden administration has unveiled new efforts to help protect access to the ballot as complaints grow louder from civil rights activists and other Democrats that the White House has not done enough to fight attempts by Republican-led state legislatures to tighten voting laws.
Black Teens Tased, Kneed by Cops for Boardwalk Vaping: ‘Glad We Made It Out Alive’
TwitterIt was supposed to be a weekend trip to celebrate high school graduation, but it turned into something far more traumatic. A group of eight teens from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who’d traveled three hours to the beachfront town of Ocean City, Maryland, were walking on the boardwalk Saturday evening when police approached them about the local vaping ordinance one of them was allegedly violating.According to five of the teens who spoke exclusively to The Daily Beast, the vape was put away. B
news.yahoo.comMississippi city honors Freedom Rider legacy 60 years later
Mississippi's capital city is honoring the civil rights activism of the late Rev. C.T. Vivian 60 years after he and other Freedom Riders were arrested upon arrival in Jackson as they challenged segregation in interstate buses and bus terminals across the American South. After several days in a local jail, the young activists were transferred to Mississippi's notorious Parchman prison, where guards beat Vivian and others — one of many times that Vivian faced violence as he worked to dismantle systemic racism and injustice. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba proclaimed Wednesday as C.T. Vivian Day.
news.yahoo.comKid reporter who interviewed Obama at White House dies at 23
The student reporter who gained national acclaim when he interviewed President Barack Obama at the White House in 2009 has died of natural causes, his family says. Damon Weaver was 23 when he died May 1, his sister, Candace Hardy, told the Palm Beach Post. Weaver was 11 when he interviewed Obama for 10 minutes in the Diplomatic Room on Aug. 13, 2009, asking questions that focused primarily on education.
news.yahoo.com‘It’s hard to look at’: Donald Trump makes National Portrait Gallery debut
Photo of ex-president will make way for a painted portrait as gallery says Trump’s team is considering artists A photo of Donald Trump at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images A picture is worth a thousand tweets. Donald Trump gained immortality of sorts on Friday when he made his debut at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. But he also ran into some “good trouble”. Canny curators have placed the 45th president face-to-face with a painting of John Lewis, the late congressman and civil rights hero whose habit of making what he called “good trouble” included boycotting Trump’s inauguration. “Keeping him honest!” remarked Eric Bargeron, 40, a book editor from Columbia, South Carolina, as he observed Lewis in an exhibition called The Struggle for Justice, staring across the room at Trump in the popular America’s Presidents show. The photo of Trump was taken by New York–based Pari Dukovic for Time magazine on 17 June 2019, the day before the president officially announced he would seek re-election. It shows him sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, wearing his trademark long red tie. A man takes a selfie with the photo of Trump at the National Portrait Gallery. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP The picture is accompanied by a caption in neutral museum language, noting that Trump was elected “after tapping into populist American sentiment” and that he “put forth an ‘America First’ agenda”. It records his two impeachments and says the coronavirus pandemic “became a key issue during his re-election campaign”. The caption adds: “Trump did not concede [defeat], and a mob of his supporters, who refused to accept the results, attacked the US Capitol complex on 6 January 2021, when Congress was working to certify [Joe] Biden’s win.” The caption also appears in Spanish, a policy rarely seen at the Trump White House. In another symbolic twist, the Trump picture has supplanted Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of Barack Obama, which is embarking on a year-long, five-city tour. Trump is now back-to-back with the famous Hope poster featuring Obama, by the artist Shepard Fairey. The gallery, part of the Smithsonian Institution, reopened to timed pass holders on Friday after a six-month pandemic shutdown. It includes a special exhibition of portraits of first ladies, from Martha Washington to Melania Trump. A trickle of visitors made their way to see Trump, whose likeness never quite made it to Mount Rushmore, join the pantheon of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt on the gallery walls. Dan Freedman, a British documentary maker based in Louisville, Kentucky, was celebrating his 40th birthday but did not see Trump at first. “I deliberately averted my eyes,” he said. “It’s cool they put Obama behind the bad guy.” A bronze-looking emblem with the number 45 is visible next to the photo of Trump. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP Freedman made a noble sacrifice for the Guardian, walking across the room to study the Trump portrait. “He looks like an insecure man holding the desk to believe in himself,” he reported. “He doesn’t look very humble.” Fellow Brit Fran McDonald, a professor at the University of Louisville, agreed: “It’s hard to look at. I started to take a picture of it and then decided I don’t want it on my phone. I’m so relieved we don’t have to look at him or listen to him any more. It was a relentless assault on the senses to have him in the 24-hour news cycle.” The gallery draws visitors from all over America but judging by Friday’s crowd there will be few Trump worshippers eager to turn this into a “Make America Great Again” shrine ahead of a potential White House run in 2024. Kevin Newman, 38, a police sergeant from Chicago, said he was “not a fan” of Trump. “I was interested in how they would portray him because he was a controversial president,” he said. “They have made him look good. If they had made him look bad it would have inflamed the controversy. They didn’t make him look orange.” The photo will make way for a painted portrait – the gallery says Trump’s team is considering artists. Newman added: “He obviously cares very much about his image so it be interesting to see who he picks.” Trump could look to the 1968 painting of Richard Nixon for a template. The artist, Norman Rockwell, admitted that, finding Nixon’s appearance elusive, he decided to err on the side of flattery. Meg Krilov and James Fogel were visiting from Trump’s birthplace, New York. Krilov, 65, a retired physician, said of his portrait: “He looks very unhappy. I don’t think he really wanted to be president. He wanted to be king.” Her husband Fogel, 70, a retired judge, added: “He was treasonous. He tried to overthrow the government. And I guess he’s still trying.” Did it feel strange to see a former reality TV host, credibly accused of paying off a porn star, enshrined in the same room as Lyndon Johnson and George HW Bush? “It felt strange the entire time,” Fogel said. “It continues to feel strange.”
news.yahoo.comJohn Lewis' newest graphic novel will be posthumously released this summer
A new graphic novel by late Representative John Lewis will be released this summer, publisher Abrams ComicArt announced. The book, "Run: Book One" is the sequel to another graphic novel series, "March" that covered the life story of the congressman and accomplished civil rights activist. Lewis wrote the graphic novel with former co-collaborator Andrew Aydin, who also worked on the "March" series. The new comic book by late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis covers an "often overlooked chapter of civil rights history." The graphic novel covers an "often overlooked chapter of civil rights history."
cbsnews.comLatest graphic novel about John Lewis coming in August
FILE - This Nov. 18, 2016 file photo shows Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., in the Civil Rights Room in the Nashville Public Library in Nashville, Tenn. The award-winning graphic novels about the congressmen and civil rights activist John Lewis will continue a year after his death. Abrams announced Tuesday that Run: Book One will be published Aug. 3, just over a year after Lewis died at age 80. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)NEW YORK – The award-winning series of graphic novels about congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis will continue a year after his death. Abrams announced Tuesday that “Run: Book One” will be published Aug. 3, just over a year after Lewis died at age 80.
Georgia's new GOP election law draws criticism, lawsuits
(AP Photo/Ben Gray)ATLANTA – Critics of Georgia's new Republican-backed election law issued fresh calls Monday to boycott some of the state’s largest businesses for not speaking out more forcefully against the law, a day after advocacy organizations filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging it. The new election law was signed Thursday by Republican Gov. It also bans people from handing out food or water to voters waiting in line and allows the Republican-controlled State Election Board to remove and replace county election officials. “Georgia’s Election Integrity Act that I signed into law expands early voting and secures our vote-by-mail system to protect the integrity of our elections,” Kemp said in a recent tweet. But he said he does not support provisions that remove him as the chair of the State Election Board and replaces him with an appointee of the state legislature.
Democrats assail Georgia law, make case for voting overhaul
He told reporters the Georgia law is an “atrocity" and the Justice Department is looking into it. Allies meanwhile plan to fight the Georgia law, and others, in court. He called as well for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore some aspects of a landmark law struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013. Donald Trump, the former president who promoted false claims of election fraud, congratulated the Georgia governor and state leaders on the new law. 1 is vast, and its Senate counterpart would confront the new Georgia law by expanding voting by mail and early voting, both popular during the pandemic.
Voting rights, hate crimes on Senate's 'big, bold' agenda
Democrats are vowing action on several of their top priorities in April, including strengthening hate crime laws to include Asian Americans and restoring voting rights protections to combat minority voter suppression. It would seek to restore elements of the Voting Rights Act that were struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013, a decision that Democrats say left minority voters vulnerable to disenfranchisement. Democrats see it as a forceful response to voting rights restrictions advancing in Republican-controlled statehouses across the country. Republicans are strongly opposed to the voting rights bill, arguing that it would tilt elections toward Democrats and take control of elections away from the states. While strengthening background checks is broadly popular among the American public, Senate Republicans have said they oppose the two House bills.
Voting rights, hate crimes on Senate's 'big, bold' agenda
Democrats are vowing action on several of their top priorities in April, including strengthening hate crime laws to include Asian Americans and restoring voting rights protections to combat minority voter suppression. It would seek to restore elements of the Voting Rights Act that were struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013, a decision that Democrats say left minority voters vulnerable to disenfranchisement. Democrats see it as a forceful response to voting rights restrictions advancing in Republican-controlled statehouses across the country. Republicans are strongly opposed to the voting rights bill, arguing that it would tilt elections toward Democrats and take control of elections away from the states. While strengthening background checks is broadly popular among the American public, Senate Republicans have said they oppose the two House bills.
Obama in upcoming podcast credits his mother for his path
Bruce Springsteen, left, appears with former President Barack Obama during their podcast of conversations recorded at Springsteen's home studio in New Jersey. The eight-episode series covers their upbringings, racism, fatherhood and even recall a White House singalong around a piano. (Rob DeMartin/Spotify via AP)NEW YORK – Former President Barack Obama reveals in an upcoming podcast with rocker Bruce Springsteen that he chose a career of public service in part due to his mother, an acknowledgement that lands in the middle of Women’s History Month. Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, was an anthropologist who worked to help improve the lives of the poor in Indonesia. But it has blossomed into deeper conversations since he left office, Obama said in the first episode.
Biden calls on Congress to restore Voting Rights Act, signs orders to help expand access
Biden also called for Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act, which was signed into law in 1965 following a violent protest in Selma, Alabama, that left some participants injured. Biden's executive order coincides with the 56th anniversary of that protest, known as Bloody Sunday. Biden's executive order is an "initial step," according to the White House. The president plans to work with Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act, which eliminated discriminatory practices such as requiring literacy tests in order to vote. "I also urge Congress to fully restore the Voting Rights Act, named in John Lewis' honor," Biden said.
cnbc.comBloody Sunday memorial honors late civil rights giants
The Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee marks the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday — the day on March 7, 1965, that civil rights marchers were brutally beaten by law enforcement officers on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge. Vivian, and attorney Bruce Boynton were the late civil rights leaders honored on Sunday. Footage of the beatings helped galvanize support for passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Let the people vote.”Lowery, a charismatic and fiery preacher, is often considered the dean of the civil rights veterans and led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Organizers acknowledged the fallen civil rights leaders and planned to lay wreaths at the bridge in their honor.