In federal challenge to Mississippi law, arguments focus on racial discrimination and public safety
A federal judge will consider arguments over racial discrimination, public safety and local democracy as he decides whether to block appointments to a state-run court set to be created on Jan. 1 in part of Mississippiโs majority-Black capital city.
Civil rights groups warn tourists about Florida in wake of 'hostile' laws
The NAACP over the weekend issued a travel advisory for Florida, joining two other civil rights groups in warning potential tourists that recent laws championed by Gov_ Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers are โopenly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.โ.
Free expungement program offers people opportunity to wipe records clean, deadline Feb. 1
Hundreds of people in Bexar County and surrounding areas may be eligible to have their criminal records wiped clean as the Texas Legal Services Center of Austin and the San Antonio NAACP Branch offer free expungement services.
NAACP says Jackson's water problems are civil rights issue
The NAACP on Tuesday accused Mississippi of discriminating against Black residents by denying badly needed federal funds for drinking water infrastructure in Jackson and instead diverting money to largely-white communities that needed it less.
Curry, WNBA players receive Jackie Robinson award from NAACP
The NAACP has given him its Jackie Robinson Sports Award. And, for the first time, the nation's oldest civil rights organization is recognizing more than one person by honoring the WNBA Players Association. AdโI am so proud of the WNBA players for this well-deserved recognition of their continued activism and advocacy for social justice and equality," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement provided to the AP. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, outspoken on many issues himself, admires the WNBA players for their activism. โI love what the WNBA players have done.
Black woman becomes face of Missouri following NAACP warning
Nearly four years after the NAACP warned travelers that their civil rights may not be respected if they visit the state, a Black woman has become the face of Missouri's tourism campaign. (Missouri Division of Tourism via AP). โ A Black woman has become the face of Missouri's tourism campaign, nearly four years after the NAACP warned travelers that their civil rights may not be respected if they visit the state. Pictures also show her posing as a Foodie Mo, Barbecue Mo, Lake Mo, History Mo and more. He said Visit Missouri, the tourism website that features Mo, โauditioned over 200 actors and actresses with strong ties to Missouri.
Black women persevere to lead in Vermont despite harassment
(AP Photo/Jessica Hill)Mia Schultz has watched three other Black women in Vermont leave leadership posts in the mostly white state because of harassment and threats. Democratic state Rep. Kiah Morris, who was the only Black woman in the Vermont state Legislature, resigned that year partially in response to harassment from a self-described white nationalist. Anyone holding public office or high profile advocacy roles takes on risks as a public figure, but Black women face harassment and threats of violence aimed at them for both their gender and race. It's a challenge Black women leaders across the United States face and coincides with a surge of women, and women of color, running for office. Just this week during Vermont's annual town meetings, at least three Black women won seats on town and school boards.
Black Lives Matter supporters in San Antonio point to double standard for mobs at US Capitol
SAN ANTONIO โ Watching largely white mobs rampage through the U.S. Capitol, supporters of the local Black Lives Matter movement said the disparity was painfully obvious. โIf those were black people, what we would have saw was a bloody Wednesday,โ said Valerie Reiffert, a founder of Radical Registrars. Dr. Gregory Hudspeth, president of the San Antonio branch of the NAACP, agrees with Reiffert. Hudspeth said President Donald Trump has โinvitedโ domestic terrorism, one of the reasons why the NAACP wants him impeached. Factory said what needs to happen are โuncomfortable conversationsโ and support for groups that advocate change like Black Freedom Factory.
Jury: Black bikers' race was a factor, but city won't pay
COLUMBIA, S.C. โ The city of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was motivated by race when it created a traffic plan designed to โsuck the funโ out of Black Bike Week, a federal jury has found. But the same jury sided against the bikers, saying the city probably would have imposed the plan anyway. The Black bikers have been particularly frustrated by a 23-mile (37-kilometer) one-way no-exit traffic chute that funnels them out of town during the peak nights of Atlantic Beach Bikefest, otherwise known as Black Bike Week. The NAACP has tussled in court with the city, as well as local restaurants and a hotel, over their responses to the Black bikers for nearly two decades. That settlement expired in 2015, when the new traffic plan was established.
Black bikers see racism in Myrtle Beach, SC, traffic plan
COLUMBIA, S.C. โ Motorcycle clubs roar into Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, each May for separate week-long rallies, one mostly white, the other mostly Black. White bikers rolling in days earlier for Harley Week each May are treated differently, Black bikers say. In opening arguments last week to five Black and four white jurors, an NAACP lawyer said Myrtle Beach during Bikefest is โlike a city under martial law," The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported. The Atlantic Beach event soon sprawled into nearby towns, including Myrtle Beach, where most of the 35,000 residents are white. Myrtle Beach city and Chamber of Commerce officials refused to talk about the trial.
Nearly 70,000 marchers return to National Mall 57 years after MLKs I Have a Dream speech
Fifty seven years ago Friday, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and delivered his I Have a Dream speech, pushing for racial justice. In commemoration of Kings speech, around 70,000 marchers returned to the same location with the message that the dream has yet to be fully realized. We will fulfill my grandfathers dream, shouted Dr. King Jr.s granddaughter from the podium on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. That is, were not there yet.Under the theme Get Your Knee Off Our Necks, marchers traveled from the Lincoln Memorial to the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument, condemning ongoing racial injustices. Notable figures like reverend Al Sharpton, and Martin Luther King Jrs son, MLK III, also withstood the heat and put pandemic fears aside, speaking out at the demonstration.
Tyler Perry's work honored with 2020 Governors Award
NEW YORK Tyler Perry has won awards from the NAACP and BET. Now he's getting a big one from the Television Academy: He and his foundation are the recipients of the 2020 Governors Award. Tyler Perry has changed the face of television and inspired a new generation of content creators. He pioneered a new brand of storytelling that engages people of color both in front of and behind the camera, and his shows have resonated with a global audience, said Governors Award selection committee Chair Eva Basler in a statement. The award honors an individual or organization in the television arts and sciences whose achievement is so exceptional and universal in nature that it goes beyond the scope of annual Emmy Awards recognition.Previous recipients of the Governors Award include Star Trek, American Idol, Masterpiece Theater and Comic Relief.
Popovich provides history lesson on Indiana lynchings, meaning behind Billie Holiday song Strange Fruit
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Gregg Popovich provided a history lesson Friday morning in an effort to keep awareness of racial injustices at the forefront of the NBAs restart in Orlando. Prior to the Spurs game against the Utah Jazz, Popovich discussed at length the details surrounding the 1930 lynchings in Marion, Indiana, which occurred 90 years ago Friday. It essentially became a protest song to detail the history of African-American lynchings. I read that and then learned that between the Civil War and 1950, there were 6,500 lynchings. Shameful.Popovich has been one of the most outspoken individuals on social justice since the NBA restarted play in Orlando.
NAACP San Antonio members, law enforcement officers come together for Call to Action town hall
SAN ANTONIO โ Members of the NAACP San Antonio branch brought together law enforcement officials to speak about the racial divide in the Alamo City. The Call to Action Town Hall was livestreamed on Facebook. Call To Action Posted by NAACP San Antonio Branch on Friday, June 5, 2020The panelists brought up different ideas to end racial injustices in San Antonio. NAACP members said they are just ready for a significant change after all these years. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar and District Attorney Joe Gonzales were in attendance.
Photos from history: How San Antonio protested during civil rights movement
San Antonio has been here before: Decades following the civil rights movement and farmworker strikes, locals have remained defiant in the face of police brutality, racism and inequality. Images from UTSAs Special Collections, which include stills from the San Antonio Express-News and San Antonio Light, show the citys presence during movements of civil rights and farmworkers. San Antonio civil rights activist arrested in the 1960s supporting ongoing protestsThe integration was one way San Antonio has fought to be welcoming to all, she said. And that movement continues to be an example to hundreds across San Antonio as they focus on addressing racial injustice in the wake of Floyds death. She is also the program director for the Bethel Prevention Coalition that works with African Americans in San Antonio to reduce drug and alcohol abuse.