Civics 2/20

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

New to URL Media? Subscribe below to receive our weekly newsletters.

A View From the Ground

News and information about politics, government, civic participation and engagement from the URL Media network.

Credit: Outlier Media

Rep. Rashida Tlaib asks Michigan residents to vote against Biden: In an appeal to early voters over the weekend, Rep. Rashida Tlaib took to X to urge Democrats in Michigan to vote “uncommitted” in protest of President Biden’s policy in Gaza: "We don't want a country that supports war and bombs and destruction. We want to support life. We want to stand up for every single life in Gaza[…] This is the way you can raise [your voice]. Don't make us even more invisible." AsAmNews reports that more than 30 state and local officials have vowed to vote "uncommitted" during next week's Democratic Party primary on Feb. 27. Read more here.

How to stay engaged after casting your vote in an election: Have you ever wondered what happens to your ballot after you vote? Ever wondered who won the election and when that public official would begin their term? Perhaps you already know these answers but could use further guidance on how to make sure your elected official keeps their word. In this civic engagement guide published by Outlier Media, a nonprofit news organization based in Detroit, Michigan, where there will be a presidential primary next Tuesday, Feb. 27, citizens learn what to do after casting their vote. From researching ballot initiatives to interacting with elected officials on social media (and/or writing them at their campaign headquarters), you too can become empowered with the information in this guide. Useful for those in and outside of Detroit, check out other key insights of the Detroit Documenters Voters Guide below.

A coffee machine camera at an Amazon warehouse in Minn. raises concerns about surveillance in the workplace: On Feb. 9, an Amazon employee in Maple Grove, Minnesota, discovered that a coffee vending machine had taken photos of the breakroom. When the employee pushed the button, they discovered half a dozen random photos taken in the breakroom. The discovery triggered suspicion and paranoia among warehouse employees at a time when the retail giant has been fined for its use of technology to track employee's productivity in excessive ways. Now the warehouse is in the process of replacing the machine. Sahan Journal has more here.

Growth in Somali culture programs aims to address language loss: Many Somali parents in Minnesota are concerned that their children, many of whom were born in the United States, are losing their connection to their heritage language.

“As a person who comes from a strong cultural background, one of my biggest fears for my family and in the Somali community as a whole, is losing our language, traditions and culture,” said Salom Abdulle, who is raising a 13-year-old daughter in Minnesota, where 86,000 people of Somali descent live. (According to the Minnesota Compass, based on U.S. Census data, Somali is the second most common non-English language spoken in the state.)

Abdulle believes the less Somali her daughter knows, the more disconnected she will be from the rest of her family and community. But is this fear actually backed by research? Sahan Journal spoke with a University of Minnesota instructor who specializes in second language acquisition and others about culture programs aimed at reversing language loss among second-generation Americans. Read more here.

Plus: The nation’s first East African magnet school opens in Minn. (URL Media)

More: Spanglish: A fluid language for a fluid identity (Luz Media)

DEI is in jeopardy: Several high-profile Oklahomans have jumped on the anti-DEI train echoing a national trend among public schools and higher education in the U.S., writes John Neal for The Oklahoma Eagle. Last December, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an Executive Order restricting DEI at state universities and agencies, and State Superintendent Ryan Walters is calling for a new “administrative rule” to ban DEI programs and efforts in Oklahoma schools. Read more to learn what's at stake.