Civics 2/13

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

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Why Utah’s discrimination against disabled people matters for everyone: America has a long history of undervaluing disabled workers, who often face discrimination and poor treatment at work and in the world. Last month, when the opportunity to better serve and meet the needs of workers with disabilities presented itself in Utah — a state where one in every four adults has a disability — legislators voted against a bill that would have required employers to pay disabled workers more than the minimum wage. Prism reports that the state representative who introduced the bill says that hundreds of employees in the state earn subminimum wages. Read more here.

Do you believe that disabled workers should be paid the same as non-disabled workers for the same job?  

Lunar New Year Parade kicks off with an annual firecracker ceremony in NYC’s Chinatown: The Lunar New Year Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival, a neighborhood tradition dating back 24 years, was held this past Saturday in Manhattan's Chinatown. The festivities, organized by Better Chinatown USA, featured a million firecrackers (associated with a ritual of dispelling evil spirits) and a lively dragon and lion dance performance. According to a festival organizer, during the late 1990s, many Chinese New Yorkers observed Lunar New Year in Atlantic City, New Jersey, instead of at home due to the declining garment industry in New York City. The organizer also adds that celebrating Lunar New Year celebrations in Chinatown is good for the economic vitality of the historic neighborhood. "This holiday is about celebrating with families, not about gambling in casinos." View photos from the event here. 

Plus: Where to Celebrate Lunar New Year 2024 in NYC this year (Documented)

What Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs’s ‘Fast Car’ duet reveals about America’s harmony: Even if anyone can sing a cover song, Kavita Das writes that Tracy Chapman's classic track, released in 1988, "Fast Car" is not just any song (and Chapman is not just any artist). A little over a week ago, the award-winning singer and songwriter made a rare appearance at the Grammys sharing a stage with country music singer Luke Combs in a duet of "Fast Car." ⁠⁠In this original piece for URL Media, Das reflects on themes that have emerged on the internet following that performance, taking issue with those who claim Combs brought Chapman 'out of obscurity.' Read her full essay here. 

More: The undeniable Black origins of country music (PushBlack)

‘Academia is killing Black women’: Educator and Associate Professor at Pennsylvania Western University Dr. Rhonda A. Matthews has worked in academia long enough to know that women like her navigate "a labyrinth of systemic challenges and nuanced barriers." 

Additionally, Black women in leadership positions face historical biases, institutionalized racism, and gendered expectations. Their research is given the most rigorous evaluation, and almost no one who looks like them calls the shots (or sits on decision-making committees), which further exacerbates inequities in receiving tenure and promotions. 

Dr. Matthews writes Black women's experiences in academia can't be fully understood without considering how they exist with both racial and gender biases, that is, an intersectionality that too often meets isolation, constrained networking and a lack of mentorship. Read more in Black Girl Times.

Asian American lawmakers fight backlash against DEI attacks: Asian American lawmakers are calling on the nation's top 100 companies to reaffirm their commitment to hiring and promoting Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders amid growing attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives by conservative politicians and billionaires like Elon Musk and Bill Ackman. AsAmNews has more. 

Watch The Yard brought together four HBCU students from across the country for the news site’s roundtable with actors from the upcoming film “Bob Marley: One Love,” which is set to premiere in theaters this week. ▶️ Watch their live discussion here.

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