The vice president was my role model — and my friend.
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Tag Archives: Civil Rights and Liberties
Georgia Faith Leaders to Urge Boycott of Home Depot Over Voting Law
Black religious leaders representing more than 1,000 churches in the state are planning a “warning shot” for other Republican-led states that are trying to limit voting access.
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Justice Dept. Restores Use of Consent Decrees for Police Abuses
Attorney General Merrick Garland rescinded a Trump administration policy curbing use of the decrees, which provide a way to force changes in police departments.
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The Twists and Turns of Black History
In different ways, three new books guide readers through the long struggle for equal rights.
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Biden’s Choice for Civil Rights Post Has Worked to Defend Voting Rights
Kristen Clarke, the nominee for a top Justice Department role, vowed at her confirmation hearing to use legal tools to ensure ballot access.
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Why Tucker Carlson Is Obsessed With Kristen Clarke
She’s a fighter for civil rights. Of course Fox News is trying to smear her.
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Biden Urges Calm After Police Shooting. Activists Want Answers.
The police shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota has renewed questions about what the administration will be able to accomplish on policing.
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Inside Corporate America’s Frantic Response to the Georgia Voting Law
Companies like Delta are caught between Democrats focused on social justice and populist Republicans. They face major political consequences no matter what they do.
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Virginia, the Old Confederacy’s Heart, Becomes a Voting Rights Bastion
For nearly 50 years, the state was subject to Voting Rights Act rules meant to deter racial discrimination. Those federal guidelines are now shredded, but Virginia just recreated them on its own.
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Alvin Sykes, 64, Self-Taught Legal Defender of Civil Rights, Dies
After dropping out of high school, he studied law at the public library, then used his knowledge to reopen cold cases, including Emmett Till’s murder.
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Edith Prentiss, Fierce Voice for New York’s Disabled, Dies at 69
She was passionate — and relentless — about making the city she loved navigable for everyone.
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What Are the ‘Kill the Bill’ Protests in Britain All About?
Britain’s policing and crime bill has set off a string of demonstrations in cities around the country. So what is the proposed legislation and why are people protesting against it?
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He Redefined ‘Racist.’ Now He’s Trying to Build a Newsroom.
The author Ibram Kendi and The Boston Globe team up to cover racism, inspired by Boston’s 19th century abolitionist newspapers.
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U.K. Police Bill Protesters Turn Violent at Bristol Rally
A “kill the bill” rally deteriorated into chaos as protesters attacked the police in a southwest Britain city.
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Do We Have to Pay Businesses to Obey the Law?
A motel owner in 1964 sued over being forced to accommodate Black patrons. Now agribusinesses are borrowing his argument to bar union organizers.
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What a ‘Talking Filibuster’ Might Mean for the Senate
President Biden and some Democrats support changing Senate rules to require holding the floor with speeches — and, perhaps, singing and recitations from Dr. Seuss. Here’s how that worked in the past.
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‘This Is Jim Crow in New Clothes’
Senator Raphael Warnock’s first speech on the Senate floor brought the past into the present.
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With Biden Endorsement, Push to Weaken Filibuster Gains Traction
Activists and lawmakers say momentum is on their side but warn of a prolonged fight as Republicans dig in and some Democrats remain unconvinced.
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Illinois Prison Guard Pleads Guilty for Role in Beating Inmate to Death
Willie Hedden is one of three guards at the Western Illinois Correctional Center charged in the May 2018 assault of Larry Earvin, who was handcuffed at the time.
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Biden Nominees Vow to Avoid Politicizing Justice Dept.
The president’s picks for the department’s No. 2 and 3 spots pledged to restore independence to law enforcement.
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Biden Will Revisit Trump Rules on Campus Sexual Assault
The Biden administration will examine regulations by Betsy DeVos that gave the force of law to rules that granted more due-process rights to students accused of sexual assault.
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President Biden Will Revisit Trump Rules on Campus Sexual Assault
The Biden administration will examine regulations by Betsy DeVos that gave the force of law to rules that granted more due-process rights to students accused of sexual assault.
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Supreme Court Case Could Limit Options to Fight Republican Voting Restrictions
The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments on an Arizona case that could further undermine the ability of the Voting Rights Act to protect access to the ballot.
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Vernon Jordan, Civil Rights Leader and D.C. Power Broker, Dies at 85
Mr. Jordan, who was selected to head the National Urban League while still in his 30s, counseled presidents and business leaders.
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A Supreme Court Test for What’s Left of the Voting Rights Act
While state legislatures consider new voting restrictions to address claims of election fraud, the justices will hear arguments on what kind of legal scrutiny such laws should face.
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House Passes Sweeping Gay and Transgender Equality Legislation
The bill, which was first passed by the Democratic-led House in 2019, faces a steep climb in the Senate.
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House Passes Sweeping Gay and Transgender Equality Legislation
The bill, which was first passed by the Democratic-led House in 2019, faces a steep climb in the Senate.
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Independent Report Is Highly Critical of Colorado Police in Death of Elijah McClain
A panel commissioned by the Aurora City Council also found “serious concerns” with an internal police investigation into the 2019 death of Mr. McClain.
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Garland Says as Attorney General He Will Combat Domestic Extremism
The judge is also expected to affirm his commitment to equal justice under the law and to vow to root out widespread discrimination.
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Students Punished for ‘Vulgar’ Social Media Posts Are Fighting Back
A lawsuit against the University of Tennessee questions when schools can discipline students because of their online speech.
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N.Y. Repeals Law That Critics Say Criminalized ‘Walking While Trans’
The anti-loitering law was designed to discourage street prostitution, but was viewed by L.G.B.T.Q. advocates as a cudgel to harass transgender people.
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Two Biden Priorities, Climate and Inequality, Meet on Black-Owned Farms
The administration has pledged to make agriculture a cornerstone of its plan to fight warming, but also to tackle a legacy of discrimination that has pushed Black farmers off the land.
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What Should Drive Biden’s Foreign Policy?
The fiery Cold War liberalism of Hubert Humphrey provides a guide on how to act, abroad and at home.
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Biden Seeks to Define His Presidency by an Early Emphasis on Equity
Only two presidents before him have used their inaugural weeks to push for equality with the same force, according to one historian.
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Hank Aaron, Baseball’s Home Run King Who Defied Racism, Dies at 86
He held the most celebrated record in sports for more than 30 years.
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The History Behind ‘Mob’ Mentality
Why do some mass gatherings turn violent? Experts in crowd behavior say there’s still much to learn.
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We Need a Second Great Migration
Georgia illuminates the path to Black power. It lies in the South. Follow me there.
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Justice Dept. Seeks to Pare Back Civil Rights Protections for Minorities
A late move by the Trump administration would stop enforcement of protections against discriminatory practices that have a “disparate impact” on protected groups.
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What We Know About the Shooting of Jacob Blake
The police shooting of Mr. Blake ignited protests in Kenosha, Wis., including one in which the authorities said a teenager fatally shot two demonstrators.
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2 Cleveland Police Officers Avoid Federal Charges in Killing of Tamir Rice
Finding a lack of evidence to prosecute, the Justice Department ended a five-year inquiry into the death of the 12-year-old Black boy, who had been carrying a pellet gun when an officer shot him.
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Knocking on Two Million Doors in Georgia
Control of the Senate could hinge on Black voters — and on an ambitious effort to get them to the polls in the largest numbers ever for the Jan. 5 runoff elections.
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The Supreme Court Was Right to Block Cuomo’s Religious Restrictions
The balance between Covid-19 precautions and civil liberties doesn’t need to be a partisan issue.
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Macron’s Rightward Tilt in France Sows Wider Alarm
One bill would reach into Muslim life, and another would place new restrictions on filming of police. Critics say they’re part of a drift toward repressive government policies.
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Republicans Rewrite an Old Playbook on Disenfranchising Black Americans
As they try to somehow reverse Joe Biden’s victory, President Trump and his allies have targeted heavily Black cities, painting them as corrupt and trying to throw out huge numbers of votes.
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Drew Days, First Black Head of Civil Rights Unit, Dies at 79
Born in the segregated South, Mr. Days, who later became solicitor general, knew from an early age that he wanted to work for civil rights.
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The Challenge of Black Patriotism
For Black Americans, loving the country and criticizing it have always been inseparable — something other Americans have often struggled to understand.
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Lucille Bridges, Mother of Civil Rights Trailblazer, Dies at 86
In 1960, Ms. Bridges enrolled her daughter Ruby in an all-white school in New Orleans and escorted her there, breaking through segregation.
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With the Election Looming, the Nation’s Divisions Play Out in the Streets
Disruptions in New Jersey, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and elsewhere reflect a bitter, uncertain election.
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Justice Dept. Is Said to Quietly Quash Inquiry Into Tamir Rice Killing
Supervisors denied civil-rights prosecutors’ request to use a grand jury for their investigation into the 2014 shooting of a Black boy by a Cleveland police officer, but did not tell his family.
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How Trump Destroyed America’s Naïveté
America let some of the worst fears of the founders come true.
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