The plot twist in the horror movies we love to watch at this time of year (including 1978’s “Halloween”) is used so often it’s no longer surprising – the danger is inside the house, not coming from outside.
Imagine telling your boss that you’ll complete less than half of the work that’s needed, getting almost nothing done over 12 months, then asking for a raise.
Prominent civil rights leader Ben Jealous’ new book, “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free: A Parable of American Healing,” hit stores on January 10. The youngest ever NAACP president and CEO explores the construct of race and the potential for our country to heal while reflecting on his own journey in politics and beyond.
Back in August, I wrote that getting “back-to-school” this year would also mean getting back to fighting far-right attacks on education. The threats included a rising number of efforts to ban books, and the Right’s efforts to take over local school boards.
To further resist the threat of authoritarianism, we must lift up young leaders who will be democracy’s champions for this and future generations. People For the American Way’s Young Elected Officials Network is celebrating the election of young leaders as new members of Congress from across the country: Greg Casar from Austin, Texas; Emilia Sykes from Akron, Ohio; Maxwell Frost from Orlando, Fla.; Summer Lee from Braddock, Pa.; Robert Garcia from Long Beach, Calif.; Sydney Kamlager from Los Angeles, Calif; and Jasmine Crockett from Dallas, Texas. Dozens more were elected to local and state offices, building a crucial leadership pipeline.
George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer just over two years ago. His killing sparked a movement to end unjustified police killings and racist law enforcement practices. Sadly, the killings have not stopped. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act was blocked by Senate Republicans last year. The struggle continues in communities large and small. During racial justice protests that sprung up after video of Floyd’s murder spread around the world, millions of people spoke his name as they demanded accountability and justice. Now, a remarkable book examines Floyd’s life and death in the context of our history and
I was trained to fight by my grandmother, Mamie Bland Todd. She would often remind me, “Pessimists are right more often, but optimists win more often.”
I woke up this morning with my mind stayed on freedom. And how we can preserve it. Our freedom is threatened. We all need to be paying attention and preparing to take action next year. Look, I know that Christmas and New Year’s are around the corner. Millions of us are looking forward to time off work and time spent with loved ones. I can just hear people saying, “Ben, the last thing I want to think about right now is politics.” Well, let’s think bigger than that. Let’s think about freedom. All year long, the freedom to vote has been under
“In everything give thanks.” That Bible verse can be hard to put into practice. Just by being alive we can be sure of having moments of sadness as well as happiness. When you’re active in politics, you experience both wins and losses. Sometimes it can be hard to feel grateful.
A violent insurrection engulfed the U.S. Capitol just six months ago. One United States Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died and other Capitol police are still healing. Investigators are still going through video and social media documenting the attempt to disrupt congressional affirmation of President Joe Biden’s victory.
June has become the traditional month for Pride celebrations in honor of the gay and transgender people, including Black and brown gay liberation and transgender rights activists like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who fought back against harassment and abusive policing in June 1969.
There are more signs that we can expect changes at the Justice Department.
Just a few days have passed since Derek Chauvin’s conviction in the murder of George Floyd. But the images from that moment are seared in our memories forever: the murderer, led away in handcuffs.
Fair warning: this isn’t a traditional Christmas-week column. If we think of clarity as a kind of gift, though, we can be grateful that the effort to pass a much-needed COVID-19 relief bill in the waning days of this Congress makes one thing crystal clear: hurting families and small businesses will be abandoned if Republicans keep control of the U.S. Senate by winning Georgia’s January 5 runoff elections.
Off the Shelf