Racial Justice

Labor Should Shift Its Focus To Organizing Black Workers

May 16, 2015 Andrew Elrod, www.inthesetimes.com Strategize! History, Labor Union, Racial Justice, Worker Rights and Jobs

In 1956, as Martin Luther King Jr. and Bayard Rustin struggled to sustain the historic boycott of segregated public transit in Montgomery, Alabama, Rustin turned to the union leader A. Phillip Randolph for advice. The carpool for black workers was faltering. “Go up to Birmingham,” Randolph told them, “where the steel workers are making enough to afford two cars. Ask them to donate their second car.” According to historian Judith Stein, King reported the steel workers saved the boycott. At their height, American labor unions proved an invaluable resource to the civil rights movement—through both financial security, which helped enable private activism, and the institutional funding of organizations like SNCC and events like the 1964 March on Washington.

Food Not Lawns: Interview With Water Activist Susana De Anda

May 13, 2015 Sarah Mirk, Bitch Media, www.truth-out.org Create! California, Human Rights, Racial Justice, Water

I come from a farmworker family and I went to school not to avoid working in the fields, but to ensure that we provide respect for those that do work in the fields. When I graduated, my first job was as a community organizer, which was life changing. I learned about social infrastructure and that people can actually create change once they organize. It’s not okay to live in fear of becoming sick if you drink tap water. It’s not okay that our children go to school with water fountains that don’t produce safe drinking water. When you realize that’s not okay and that it’s not happening in wealthier communities, you start to think, “How do we change it?” More than a million people in California are exposed to illegal and unsafe levels of contaminated tap water. There are studies that show that if you are low-income, a person of color, and you live in the Central Valley, you’re going to have higher chances of having polluted water.

No Indictment In Madison Police Killing Of Tony Robinson

May 13, 2015 Zoe Sullivan and Oliver Laughland, www.theguardian.com Educate! Criminal Justice, Impunity, Law, police brutality, Racial Justice

The white officer who shot dead biracial 19 year-old Tony Robinson in Madison,Wisconsin will not face criminal charges it was announced on Tuesday, more than 10 weeks since the teenager’s death. Following an inquiry by Wisconsin’s state division of criminal investigation [DCI], the Dane County district attorney Ismael Ozanne declined to prosecute Madison police officer Matt Kenny, who responded to a number of 911 calls on6 March reporting Robinson was acting erratically and had allegedly assaulted at least one person in the street outside his shared apartment. At a packed press conference, Ozanne delivered a detailed description of Kenny’s fatal encounter with Robinson, drawing from the officer’s account and dashcam footage from Kenny’s patrol car.

Baltimore: ‘We Want Justice, By Any Means Necessary’

May 12, 2015 Valentina Dallona, www.roarmag.org Resist! Baltimore, police brutality, Poverty, Racial Justice, Youth

These are important days, not only for Baltimore, but for the entire country. People had to resort to bricks and fire in order to be heard, but finally the authorities (and the world) can no longer ignore the voices of the youth, the mothers, the fathers of Sandtown, who have much to talk about. They talk about the constant abuse of the police force and the everyday racism that consigns black people to a sub-human status. They talk about how the city authorities have completely divested from these neighborhoods, privatizing the little social housing that was left, closing down the recreation centers and cutting down water provisions to those households that cannot afford to pay the bills, while at the same time spending millions of dollars in TIFs and other subsidies to the big downtown developers. They also talk about jobs, or more precisely the lack thereof, and the absence of perspectives for most of the black youth of Baltimore (and so many other cities in the United States). Because racism is the mask exploitation hides under. It constitutes yet another instrument to oppress marginalized communities and undermine social solidarity.

The Origins Of Stop-and-Frisk

May 12, 2015 Alex Elkins, www.jacobinmag.com Educate! History, police brutality, Racial Justice

In the 1950s police officials in other cities took up, and expanded, the stop-and-search tactics pioneered by the LAPD, embracing a proactive, preventative theory of crime fighting. Chiefs from San Francisco to New York City began to prioritize the street stop or field interrogation as a way to conduct surveillance of suspicious people and habitual offenders, elevating a very old tactic — patrolmen had always stopped and searched persons they deemed suspicious — into official strategy. Tellingly, “stop-and-frisk” did not become a thing, hyphenated and conjoined, until 1964, the year New York State passed the country’s first law under that name. As stop-and-search policing became more deliberate and systematic, police presence in minority neighborhoods became heavier and more intrusive. While police continued to ignore murders of black people, they were increasingly quick to pounce on a corner if a few black men gathered there to gossip or talk politics.

World To Review US Human Rights Record

May 11, 2015 Jamil Dakwar, www.aclu.org Educate! Human Rights, Immigration, police brutality, Racial Justice, United Nations, United States

Starting Monday, the United States' human rights record will be subject to international scrutiny by the U.N. Human Rights Council. It may just be the perfect catalyst for the Obama administration to make good on past and present wrongs that should never be associated with a liberal democracy predicated on respect for human rights. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is part of a regular examination of the human rights records of all 193 U.N. member countries and will be the second review of its kind for the U.S. since 2010. The review comes at a critical time when the U.S. human rights record has been criticized for falling short of meeting international human rights standards. From racially biased policing and excessive use of force by law enforcement to the expansion of migrant family detention and from the lack of accountability for the CIA torture program to the use of armed drones abroad, the U.S. has a lot to answer for.

Do Black Lives Matter In Seattle As Much As Tacos Do?

May 11, 2015 Reagan Jackson, www.seattleglobalist.com Resist! #BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter (BLM), Racial Justice, Seattle

Now its time for Seattle to affirm the same. In this liberal bubble where pets are treated like people and everyone must recycle and compost, in a city with the nation’s highest minimum wage, where we regularly tout our progressive values, I felt a disconnect. In the middle of the street on a gorgeous sunny Saturday I looked around at the 200 others in attendance and wondered, where is everyone else? Why aren’t there thousands here standing with us? Shortly after the march, I caught the light rail to the International District for the Taco Truck Showdown and had my question answered. Half of Seattle was shoved into the two-block corridor lined on either side with food cards pedaling tacos from every ethnic background. There were pho tacos, duck tacos, Hawaiian tacos, curried goat tacos, chicken tikka tacos and so much more. And people were lined up for hours to stuff their face.

Teaching While Black: Institutional Racism At Claremont Middle School

May 11, 2015 Black Oakland, www.whatshappeningblackoakland.com Educate! Education, Racial Justice, Teaching

The New York Times recently published an article about racial disparities in the teaching field which showed that “despite the fact that minority students have become the majority in this country, more than 80 percent of teachers are white.” (Rich, 2015) The article cited this trend in major East Coast cities however, it’s something that extends into the city of Oakland. Claremont Middle School is not just an isolated incident of institutional racism fueled by poor leadership, it’s a microcosm highlighting the poor treatment of black teachers in the U.S public school system. It raises many questions regarding institutional racism, and if school systems truly believe in the ability and agency of black educators.

Climate Activism: Erasure Of Queer & Trans* People Of Color

May 9, 2015 Ceci Pineda, www.bluestockingsmag.com Strategize! Environmental Justice, People of Color, Queer, Racial Justice, Trans

There is a dangerous silence around the impacts of climate change on our communities within academia, the climate movement, and even our own work to confront violence in our communities. In academia, there is scant research, literature, and scholarly discussion delving into how climate change will impact QT* communities, and in particular QT* communities of color. Yet across the board, the scarce literature that exists highlights how QT* communities are disproportionately impacted. Nonetheless, there is little to no acknowledgment of how climate change disparately impacts us or of our role in the climate movement. We are pushed to the back of marches and the visible narratives that arise linking queers and climate change erase our experiences and realities as QT*POCs.

John Hopkins, Federal Policies & Slumification

May 9, 2015 Sean Nevins, www.mintpressnews.com Educate! Baltimore, Capitalism, Government, Higher Education, Racial Justice

The world watched last week as protesters stormed the streets of Baltimore to oppose police brutality and demand justice for Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old man, who died of spinal injuries suffered in police custody on April 19. But racist policing policies aren’t the only factor leading police officers to allegedly treat Gray, and others like him, inhumanely and disregard his cries for help inside that police van. Contempt for black life in Baltimore and indeed across the United States is also manifested through a legacy of discriminatory housing policies, which include federally mandated discriminatory housing and lending practices, as well as predatory redevelopment projects which benefit one group of people while displacing and disregarding others.

Families Impacted By Police Violence Organize To Stop The Killings

May 8, 2015 Geoff Gilbert, www.wagingnonviolence.org Resist! Baltimore, police brutality, Racial Justice

Families United 4 Justice possesses a unique perspective on the police brutality that they are protesting: Each of its members has a family member who was killed by the police. The group seeks to bring together families from around New York State to add a personal sense of urgency that can both pressure elected officials into action and support and strengthen local coalitions opposing police brutality and profiling practices. “We’ve been thrust into this by circumstance,” explained Cynthia Howell, who began the process of bringing the families together last summer with the help of Vanissa Chan, an activist whose Forced Trajectory Project documents many of the families’ experiences.

Police Violence Shows US Hypocrisy On Human Rights Seen Worldwide

May 8, 2015 Kitty Stapp, www.ipsnews.net Educate! Human Rights, police brutality, Racial Justice, Torture, usa

Since being roundly chastised last fall by the U.N. Committee Against Torture for excessive use of force by its law enforcement agencies, the United States hasn’t exactly managed to repair its international reputation. Fatal beatings and shootings of African American and Latino citizens, mainly men, by the police have continued seemingly unabated, with the latest being the widely publicised case of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, Maryland. Gray, 25, died Apr. 19 of spinal cord injuries in what has been ruled a homicide after being arrested for allegedly carrying an illegal pocket knife. Six officers have since been charged in his murder. "As the U.S. claims a human rights mantle and criticises others for racism, it becomes the world’s greatest hypocrite." -- Michael Ratner The wave of cases – many caught on camera and shared via social media – have sparked a nationwide protest campaign grouped under the hashtag #blacklivesmatter.

Mothers Going To Washington DC To March Against Police Brutality

May 7, 2015 John Zangas, www.dcmediagroup.us Resist! Mothers, Obama, police brutality, Racial Justice, Washington

Moms are coming to Washington DC to tell the Obama Administration a few things: their children are the nation’s children and they don’t want to lose any more of their sons and daughters to police violence. Over 50 mothers who have lost children to police violence plan to rally and speak at the Department of Justice to remind America their pain is her pain. Her healing can not come without an end to police killings. They are coming to say there should not be another mother to bury their child because of police brutality. The Million Mom March on Washington will walk from Mt. Vernon Square in Washington DC to the Department of Justice on May 9th, adding yet more authenticity to the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Why I Am Marching On Mother’s Day For My Son

May 7, 2015 Valerie Bell, www.huffingtonpost.com Resist! #BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter (BLM), police brutality, Racial Justice

It's hard for me to celebrate on Mother's Day. I feel the absence of my 23-year-old son, Sean Elijah Bell, who was killed on November 25, 2006. He was out celebrating at his own bachelor party with his friends in New York City. It was only a matter of a hours before his wedding, and I was so thrilled. Sean and his friends were enjoying their night at a club where there happened to be three undercover police officers present, conducting an investigation of the club. A confrontation between patrons erupted outside. One of the undercover officer's, Isnora, said he overheard that Sean's friend was going to get his gun, and after calling in for backup, Isnora followed my son and his friends to their car.

Finally, B’more Mayor Joins Call Of Citizens For DOJ Investigation Of Police

May 7, 2015 Luke Broadwater, www.baltimoresun.com Resist! Baltimore, Civil Rights, Criminal Justice, police brutality, Racial Justice

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake asked the Justice Department on Wednesday to conduct a full-scale civil rights investigation into the pattern and practices of the Baltimore Police Department — a probe that would examine excessive force, discriminatory harassment, false arrests, and unlawful stops, searches or arrests. "We all know that Baltimore continues to have a fractured relationship between the police and the community," Rawlings-Blake said. "I'm willing to do what it takes to reform my department." The Justice Department already is conducting a "collaborative review" with Baltimore police, but its recommendations will not carry the weight of law. Such reviews differ from full-scale civil rights investigations because they are launched by agreement with local officials and are not enforced by court order.

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