13th amendment

Slavery on Ballot for Voters in 5 U.S. States

More than 150 years after slaves were freed in the U.S., voters in five states will soon decide whether to close loopholes that led to the proliferation of a different form of slavery — forced labor by people convicted of certain crimes.

Colorado Votes to Abolish Slavery, Finally

The Secretary of State’s Office said the amendment to Colorado’s Constitution received 65 percent of the votes already counted. “The margin is such that there is no doubt,” Lynn Bartels, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, told reporters.

The Constitution is a Shield for Civil and Human Rights

In a few weeks, the Senate will decide whether a D.C. Circuit Court judge named Brett Kavanaugh should be the nation’s next Supreme Court justice. And from my office window, I can already hear the battle cries.

Ava DuVernay, Nipsey Hussle, Dr. Melina Abdullah & More Talk “13th”

Must see panel discussion surrounding Ava DuVernay’s Oscar-nominated documentary, “13th” which explores the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and America’s perilous transition from slavery to mass incaceration.

Panelists included filmmaker Ava DuVernay, rapper, social activist and business owner Nipsey Hussle, Black Lives Matter Co-Founder and educator Melina Abdullah, Los Angeles Police Commissioner Cynthia McClain-Hill, Esq., and award-winning civil rights attorney, host and moderator for the evening, Areva Martin.

Sponsored by Blackwood Alliance and The California Endowment, panelists and the artist community gathered at the historic Nate Holden Theatre in Los Angeles.

President Obama Celebrates 150th Anniversary of the 13th Amendment

Ask Americans what the Emancipation Proclamation is and most who know of President Abraham Lincoln’s executive order will respond like 20-year-old Ebony Harris, a student of Howard University from Chicago, Ill., and say, “Isn’t that the thing that freed the slaves?” But, the Emancipation Proclamation did not actually free the slaves. It freed three of the four million slaves in states that were in revolt against the Union during the Civil War. What’s more,, and it was n’ot permanent. Ask peoplethem about the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, and most responses sound like Josephine Jacob-Cox’s, a schedule manager for the