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☆ Opinion | The 50-Year Fight to Dismantle Affirmative Action
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Jerome Karabel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In a historic commencement address at Howard University on June 4, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson laid out the intellectual and moral basis for affirmative action. Affirmative action offered a way to take into account far-reaching differences in personal circumstances and to begin to right a historic wrong. After a brief honeymoon of public support, affirmative action was met with a powerful backlash, and the policy has been under attack ever since. The intensity and duration of the attack is sad confirmation that many Americans remain unwilling to reckon with the barbarity of our racial history. In response to Reconstruction, Southern white people developed an entirely new and mythical history of slavery, the Civil War and ultimately Reconstruction.

Persons: Lyndon Johnson Organizations: Howard University, Civil, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Black, School of Medicine, of California Locations: Southern

☆ Opinion | If the Supreme Court Abolishes Affirmative Action, Here’s What Women Need to Do
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Shira A. Scheindlin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Any day now the Supreme Court will decide two cases that will determine the future of affirmative action — one involving race-conscious admissions at the University of North Carolina and a companion case involving Harvard. Although debates around affirmative action have typically focused on people of color, the policy has also applied to gender, and women have been among affirmative action’s greatest beneficiaries. Now, after decades of allowing these programs in college admissions, the Supreme Court appears poised to weaken or dismantle efforts to make higher education more available to members of historically underrepresented minority groups. If the Supreme Court overturns or neuters this well-settled law, every one of us who proudly bore the title “the first woman” must work to ensure underrepresented communities maintain access to elite educational institutions. Opponents of affirmative action suggest that it is no longer needed because the United States has reached the stage where everyone is treated equally.

Persons: ” Organizations: University of North, Harvard, U.S, Southern, of, National Association of Law Locations: University of North Carolina, of New York, United States

☆ Burundi-born ex-police officer seeks to be Greece's first Black lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Karolina Tagaris | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Conservative New Democracy party candidate Spiros Richard Hagabimana arrives for an election campaign event at the neighbourhood of Nikaia, near Athens, Greece, May 12, 2023. REUTERS/Louiza VradiSALAMINA, Greece, May 16 (Reuters) - In working-class neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Athens, Spiros Richard Hagabimana is going door-to-door in an election campaign that could see him become Greece's first Black lawmaker. Dressed in a suit and tie, Hagabimana walks the streets of the constituency he is contesting in Greece's May 21 election, meeting voters in farmers' markets and cafes. 'I WOULD HAVE BEEN FINISHED'Hagabimana first arrived in Greece in 1991 on a scholarship to study at the Naval Academy. Hagabimana, then a National Police officer, refused orders to suppress demonstrators and was jailed and beaten, he said.

☆ Hakeem Jeffries is enjoying an early honeymoon leading House Democrats. But one day, he'll have to make 'hard commitments.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

House Democrats say Hakeem Jeffries is a better listener and is more consensus-oriented than Pelosi. There's one big reason for it: House Democrats can't pass any of their own bills right now. Pelosi and Jeffries on the House floor after she announced she would step down from party leadership on November 17, 2022. 'He gets it'Jeffries, 52, has enjoyed a rapid ascent to the top of the Democratic caucus. "There were always very different views within the Democratic caucus on people who voted their district," said Slotkin.

☆ Right-wing radio host Elder announces 2024 Republican presidential bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - Right-wing U.S. radio host Larry Elder, a Black lawyer who has denied there is systemic racism in America, has announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Elder calls himself the "Sage from South Central," referring to a largely African American district of Los Angeles. He left Los Angeles after high school, attended Brown University in Rhode Island and earned a law degree at the University of Michigan. After practicing law in Cleveland, he returned to Los Angeles in the 1990s and began his career as a radio host, later becoming syndicated nationwide. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican serving in the U.S. Senate, has formed an exploratory committee.

☆ A Christian group has amassed more than 12,000 signatures to oust the Tennessee Republican leader who expelled two Black lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Christians are calling for Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton's resignation. A petition gained more than 12,500 signatures after Sexton led a vote that expelled two Black lawmakers. A lone white lawmaker, who stood with the two expelled members, was spared in the expulsion vote. Thousands of Christians are calling for the resignation of Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican, who sparked national outrage for heading a vote that expelled two Black lawmakers earlier this month. Audio leaked by The Tennessee Holler last week appeared to reveal infighting among Tennessee Republican lawmakers, some of whom complained that they had been labeled racists following the expulsion vote.

☆ GOP's early 2024 pickle: Support 1 of 3 minority candidates for president or stick with the aggrieved white guy who could be a convicted felon by Election Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Republican Sen. Tim Scott has inched closer to challenging Donald Trump in 2024. Current polling casts Trump, who is battling multiple investigations, as the odds-on favorite. Market research firm Morning Consult shows both Scott and Ramaswamy polling at only 1%, and Haley polling at 4%. And that's after he was arraigned on 34 counts of falsifying business records, charges Trump and his House GOP defenders assert are politically motivated. "Our divisions run deep, and the threat to our future is real," Scott said of the existential crisis at hand.

☆ 'You can't expel our voice' -Black lawmaker voted back in TN
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Politics'You can't expel our voice' -Black lawmaker voted back in TNPostedThe Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted in favor of restoring Black state lawmaker Justin Pearson to the Tennessee House of Representatives after he was expelled last week for protesting gun violence on the chamber floor.

☆ Nashville board reinstates Black lawmaker expelled from Tennessee House
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Omar Younis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 10 (Reuters) - A Nashville-area county council on Monday voted to reinstate Representative Justin Jones to the Tennessee House of Representatives, reversing Republican lawmakers who ousted Jones and another young, Black legislator last week for staging a gun control protest on the House floor. The Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County voted 36-0 to make Jones, 27, the interim representative. Before the vote, the spokesperson said the House would seat whomever the county legislatures appoint "as the constitution requires." Jones and Pearson, 28, have both said they hoped to be reappointed and that they would run again in special elections. Republicans also targeted Gloria Johnson, who is white, for expulsion, as she joined Jones and Pearson in the floor protest.

☆ Nashville board reinstates Black lawmaker expelled from statehouse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsNashville board reinstates Black lawmaker expelled from statehousePostedA Nashville-area county council on Monday (April 10) voted to reinstate Representative Justin Jones to the Tennessee House of Representatives, reversing Republican lawmakers who ousted Jones and another young, Black legislator last week for staging a gun control protest on the House floor.

☆ Tennessee state legislature has 'always been a toxic work environment,' according to ousted Black lawmakers who say they've had a' target' on them from the start
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two ousted Tennessee lawmakers said that the state legislature has always been "toxic." Former Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson told NBC News they've always had a "target" on them. Jones and Pearson were expelled last week by their GOP colleagues over their gun control protest. "It has always been a toxic work environment to work in the Tennessee State Capitol," Pearson said during an interview Sunday on NBC News' "Meet the Press" alongside Jones. Jones also accused the GOP-led Tennessee House of Representatives of being "more beholden to the NRA than their own people and their own districts" and specifically called out Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton.

REUTERS/Karen Pulfer FochtApril 9 (Reuters) - Two Tennessee Democrats who were expelled from the Republican-dominated state House of Representatives last week over their participation in a gun control protest said on Sunday that they hoped to soon reclaim their seats. Metro Council Member Kevin Rhoten said on Twitter that he had been bombarded with emails since Thursday asking him to vote to appoint Justin Jones for the District 52 seat, and that he planned to do that. "I would be honored to accept the appointment of the Shelby County Commission and to run in a special election," Pearson told NBC on Sunday. Videos posted to Twitter showed the two Black lawmakers, Representatives Jones and Pearson, shouting through a bullhorn on the House floor, saying "No action, no peace!" Only two other Tennessee state representatives have been expelled by their colleagues since the Civil War era: one in 1980 for soliciting a bribe in exchange for blocking legislation and another in 2016 after being accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women.

☆ A Tennessee RNC member says vote to expel 2 Democratic lawmakers over a gun control protest hurt the GOP brand: 'You've energized young voters against us'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Republican National Committee member told The Times that ousting 2 Democratic lawmakers "didn't help" the GOP. Tennessee state Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were removed from their positions by the GOP-led House. Brock argued that the party should have considered arguments from the lawmakers over gun reform. "You've energized young voters against us. Both Jones and Pearson can be reappointed to their seats, but special elections will also have to be set by the governor.

☆ Harris backs expelled Tennessee lawmakers, chides Republicans for ousting them
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Cheney Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Republicans who control the Tennessee House of Representatives on Thursday expelled two young Black lawmakers who last week led protesters into the well of the House floor, while a resolution to remove a white representative came up one vote short. The Republicans ousted Justin Pearson, 28, of Memphis, and Justin Jones, 27, from the Nashville area. They staged the protest for gun reforms following the March 27 shooting at a Nashville school that killed three 9-year-old students and three adults. With a 75-23 advantage over Democrats in the House, Tennessee Republicans took the extraordinary measure to expel their Democratic colleagues, citing their disruption of orderly House business. Just two state lawmakers had previously been expelled since the U.S. Civil War.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 6 (Reuters) - Republicans in control of the Tennessee House of Representatives expelled two Democratic representatives on Thursday for breaking decorum during a gun control demonstration at the statehouse last week in the wake of the latest school shooting. The resolution to oust a third Democratic member who stood with them during the protest on the House floor, Gloria Johnson, a white woman, came up one vote short. That protest came four days after a Nashville school shooting killed three 9-year-old children and three school staff members. [1/10] Protesters gather in the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., April 6, 2023. Johnson, Jones and Pearson have said that taking part in the protest was within their First Amendment rights - the constitutional right to freedom of speech.

☆ A white Tennessee lawmaker survived expulsion while 2 young Black lawmakers lost their seats for protesting gun violence. She says the result 'might have to do with the color of our skin.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A white lawmaker in Tennessee survived a vote to expel her but two Black lawmakers lost their seats. But the motion to expel Rep. Gloria Johnson failed 65-30, falling short of the two-thirds majority required to remove her. Meanwhile, two Black lawmakers — Rep. Justin Pearson and Rep. Justin Jones — were expelled with 69-26 and 72-25 votes respectively. Johnson, Pearson, and Jones have been known to protesters in Tennessee as the "Tennessee Three," per NBC News. "Two young Black lawmakers get expelled and the one white woman does not?

☆ Rep. Gloria Johnson, who survived GOP's push to punish her, says it's 'pretty clear' why she was spared but 2 Black Democratic lawmakers were thrown out
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Gloria Johnson said it's "pretty clear" why two Black lawmakers were expelled from Tennessee's House of Representatives. Republicans kicked out Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones on Thursday night. Last Thursday, Johnson, along with Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, interrupted a House session to protest gun violence in the state. The Tennessee House voted 72-25 to expel Jones, with Pearson also expelled after a 69-26 vote, according to CNN. Johnson said both Jones and Pearson were spoken to "in a demeaning way" during Thursday's vote.

☆ Harris chides Tennessee Republicans for ousting state lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Cheney Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Republicans ousted Justin Pearson, 28, of Memphis, and Justin Jones, 27, from the Nashville area. They staged the protest for gun reforms following the March 27 shooting at a Nashville school that killed three 9-year-old students and three adults. [1/7] U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an address after the Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expel two Democratic members, representatives Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, for their roles in a gun control demonstration at the Tennessee State Capitol, in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., April 7, 2023. With a 75-23 advantage over Democrats in the House, Tennessee Republicans took the extraordinary measure to expel their Democratic colleagues, citing their disruption of orderly House business. Just two state lawmakers had previously been expelled since the U.S. Civil War.

☆ U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thomas' career marked by controversies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) - Clarence Thomas' career as a U.S. Supreme Court justice began following one of the most contentious confirmation battles in Senate history and 32 years later this conservative champion continues to draw controversy. As one of the most conservative justices in a conservative-heavy Supreme Court, Thomas has been a lightning rod for liberals who have been frustrated by his rulings and his tone. Just last summer, Thomas sparked an uproar on the heels of the Supreme Court overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which established the right to abortion. Amid outrage among Democrats in Congress, Thomas said Supreme Court precedents protecting rights to contraception, same-sex intimacy and gay marriage ought to be reconsidered in future cases. Thomas, only the second Black justice to serve on the highest U.S. court, is known for not shying away from controversy, despite an almost Sphinx-like demeanor during Supreme Court sessions.

☆ Bodycam footage of Tyre Nichols' fatal beating will be released today. But many fear video will do more harm than good.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Yoonji Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The police department fired the five officers, who are facing murder charges, and are expected to release video footage of the arrest on Friday evening. RowVaughn Wells, Nichols' mother, has refused to watch the video, and urged parents not to show kids the video when it's released. Video footage can be retraumatizingMembers of the Black community have similarly said they won't be watching the video of Nichols' death, and are urging the public not to share the video. Others have shared steps on limiting exposure to graphic video footage. Citizens in Memphis await the release of video footage of Tyre Nichols' death.

☆ On King’s holiday, daughter calls for bold action over words
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Bernice King, who leads The King Center in Atlanta, said leaders — especially politicians — too often cheapen her father’s legacy into a “comfortable and convenient King” offering easy platitudes. The service, organized by the center and held at Ebenezer annually, headlined observances of the 38th federal King holiday. ... A prophetic word calls for an inconvenience because it challenges us to change our hearts, our minds and our behavior,” Bernice King said. At Ebenezer, Warnock, who has led the congregation for 17 years, hailed his predecessor’s role in securing ballot access for Black Americans. But, like Bernice King, the senator warned against a reductive understanding of King.

☆ New York congressman Hakeem Jeffries is the new House Democratic leader, succeeding Nancy Pelosi
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday succeeded Speaker Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic leader. Jeffries has become the first Black lawmaker to lead a major party in Congress. Jeffries, a Brooklyn native, served in the New York State Assembly before joining Congress in 2013. After being elected by his fellow Democrats, Jeffries has become the first Black lawmaker to lead a major political party in Congress. With veteran Reps. Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Jim Clyburn of South Carolina having previously stepped aside from their House leadership roles, Jeffries is now one of the most prominent figures in the Democratic Party.

☆ In apparent dig at McCarthy, Democrat Hakeem Jeffries nominated for speaker as a leader who does not 'grovel' to Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Democrats, now in the minority, nominated their leader Hakeem Jeffries for House Speaker. Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who Trump called "my Kevin," is struggling to win enough votes. Jeffries, of course, lost the vote on Tuesday, now that House Democrats are in the minority this Congress. Trump famously called McCarthy "my Kevin" and backed him for House Speaker. Alex Wong/Getty ImagesJeffries, a 52-year-old New Yorker, succeeds House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic leader this Congress.

Former House Speaker John Boehner paid a tearful tribute to Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday at the unveiling of her official portrait in the U.S. Capitol. "My girls told me tell the speaker how much we admire her," Boehner said, choking back tears as he spoke. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., greets former Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, during a portrait unveiling ceremony for Pelosi in the U.S. Capitols Statuary Hall on Dec. 14, 2022. Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesPelosi, who in 2007 became the first female speaker of the House, had joked about Boehner’s penchant for tears when she spoke at his portrait ceremony in 2019. She will be succeeded by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the first Black lawmaker to lead a congressional caucus.

☆ How Big Law fumbled its own Rooney rule on diversity
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Elizabeth Olson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Several law firms adopted the Mansfield rule in 2017, which aims to increase diversity in leadership. It's effectively the NFL's two-decade-old Rooney rule: a requirement that nonwhite candidates be considered when teams hire for coaching and front-office jobs. Law firms followed professional football in 2017 with its version of the Rooney rule, called the Mansfield rule. At first, the Rooney rule seemed to catch on when teams started to hire more coaches of color and a dozen general managers of color when that position was added to the Rooney rule. "For the Rooney rule to work," he said, "there has to be a true commitment from the owners.

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