Journalism bill leaves small, minority-owned news out in the cold
December 15, 2022In September, lawmakers in Washington rushed through major legislation that would reward massive, legacy media corporations at the expense of smaller community-focused and minority-owned newspapers. While the Journalism Competition Preservation Act (JCPA) is meant to protect publications like those in the National Newspaper Publishers Association, it would ultimately threaten our ability to inform our communities, […]
Why the pundits and junk polls got the midterm elections wrong
December 9, 2022I am angry at the chorus of armchair pundits who created a dominant media narrative around the red wave with little evidence of it. I’m furious about that because for those of us who do the work on the ground to persuade [people] to vote, it was actually a challenging narrative environment when voters and […]
How can we influence the courts that influence our lives?
December 2, 2022As I write this, the final few races are being called in the midterm elections that were held weeks ago. It’s clear that that the House will be closely divided, with Republicans holding a very small majority. History shows that in midterm elections, the party that doesn’t hold the presidency typically gains a lot of […]
Voters make an important down payment on democracy’s future
November 23, 2022A lot of good news came out of this month’s elections—and enough bad news to remind us that we can never let our guard down when freedom and democracy are at stake. This year, democracy itself was on the ballot, and voters made an important down payment on its future. In 2020, Americans voted not […]
Seven top takeaways from this year’s Midterms
November 18, 2022As the dust settles on the midterm elections and the warnings of a “Red Wave” evaporate, it’s time to take a deep breath and take stock of what we’ve learned. There are many takeaways from the elections this year – and here are a few that top the list for me. If there’s one thing […]
Tell the Supreme Court: we still need Affirmative Action
November 11, 2022One of the great joys of my life is teaching. I’m fortunate to teach classes on social justice at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the most respected schools in the country. Penn has a longstanding commitment to affirmative action, and I have seen first-hand how diversity in the classroom benefits all my students. There’s […]
Some politicians confuse freedom with irresponsibility
November 4, 2022As extreme weather caused floods in Kentucky, collapse of the water system in Jackson Mississippi, and the savage destruction of central Florida – to say nothing of fires and drought and a growing water shortage in the West – we ought to agree on two simple realities: America faces a growing challenge from both catastrophic […]
Business, bank groups sue to stop CFPB’s fight against financial discrimination
October 28, 2022On September 28, two of the nation’s largest and most influential business groups filed a lawsuit against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and its Director Rohit Chopra. The action aims to prevent the CFPB from using its existing authority to protect consumers from racial discrimination when seeking mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, bank accounts, […]
Black Wombs Matter: See Aftershock
October 21, 2022Did you know that Black women are three or four times more likely to die from childbirth complications than White women? Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL), who heads the Congressional Black Caucus Health Brain trust, says the data are direr depending on where a mother lives. In Illinois, Black women are six times as likely to […]
This November, unite to defend the Black vote
October 14, 2022Right before our last national elections in 2020, thousands of Black voters in Detroit got a call from someone posing as a woman named “Tamika Taylor.” She warned them that if they voted, the government would collect their personal information and come after them for credit card debt, outstanding warrants, even forced vaccinations. The calls […]