Tuesday, March 4, 2025
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A View From the Ground
News and information about politics, government, civic participation and engagement from URL Media's network of Black and Brown publishers.
Good evening. Today, we’re covering the importance of telling women’s stories, the teachers’ union suing over Trump’s attack on schools, the beginning of Islam’s holy month, and more.Need a break from doom scrolling? We’re co-hosting a special livestream event with The Electorette Podcast at 1:30pm ET on March 5. Seasoned host Jenn Taylor-Skinner will be joined by Kimberley A. Johnson, the irreverent voice behind the Start Me Up podcast, to break down the dysfunctional first months of Trump 2.0 — and what Democrats need to do better. Bring your questions to ask live (and be ready to vote on memes!). The stream will kick off on both The Electorette’s Instagram and Youtube.Plus, we’re bringing you the latest updates at url-media.com as events unfold. Have a question? Write to us at [email protected].
Credit: Svitlana Unuchko / iStock
Teachers union sues to stop Trump ban on history in schools: In the wake of the Trump administration’s all-out assault on anything equity related, teachers are ready to hit back, according to AsAmNews.The American Federation of Teachers, one of the largest educator unions, filed a lawsuit last Wednesday over the efforts to “ban meaningful instruction” on the true facts of American history. This includes lessons on things like Jim Crow laws and slavery, the displacement of Native tribes, Japanese American internment camps, school desegregation and the civil rights movement. Under the policy, the White House can cut funding from any school that does not comply. Students would bear the brunt, missing critical knowledge and the opportunity for growth that these topics offer. That disservice is already on full display in the dozens of states that have banned or are trying to ban discussions of critical race theory in classrooms. Advocates maintain that these attacks are unconstitutional. Yet momentum seems to be growing as the Senate confirmed Linda McMahon, President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education, yesterday. Trump voiced the idea of shuttering the entire department — or at the very least slashing its funding — and McMahon appears on board and loyal as ever, Politico reports.“It is … not possible to teach bare factual information about history without acknowledging structural racism — but doing so would now seem to constitute illegal discrimination in the eyes of the Department of Education,” the lawsuit reads, per AsAmNews.Get the full story →
Women's history internet search: The results are very...white: Happy Women’s History Month! And no, not just to white women, as many celebration posts across the internet would lead you to believe. Too often, the mainstream narrative represented during this month is limited to the accomplishments of white women, such as within the suffragette movement or the fight for equal pay, Luz Media explained in a piece from its archives.It’s not that these feats should not be recognized and celebrated — they just need to include the colossal contributions of everyone else. “In no time in history … has anything been built through the labor of one group of women alone,” Raina Vale writes in the outlet. For example, how many suffragists of color do you know? Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells may come to mind, but what about other Black pioneers like Mary Church Terrell, or Nannie Helen Burroughs? Plenty more contributed to winning the vote, including Native women like Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin, Asian women like Patsy Mink, and Latinas like Jovita Idár. Learn their stories here.Not to mention, many of the issues these great women fought — voter suppression, reproductive injustice, domestic violence, and more — are still alive and well in America, especially for Black and Brown communities. This Women’s Month, take time to celebrate history’s changemakers, and honor their work by bridging it to the present day. Here are a few organizations to consider joining and supporting this month: Girls Who Code | Malala Fund | National Women’s Law CenterMore from Luz Media → Plus: Watch our fourth and final movie pick for Black History Month (URL Media)
Minnesota Democrats sound alarm over GOP proposal to slash Medicaid funding: House Republicans found a narrow victory last week as they flipped enough hesitant party members to vote yes on a federal spending blueprint. The proposal would require a steep $2 trillion reduction in spending, as well as pave the way for a planned $4.5 trillion in tax breaks, according to Sahan Journal. While it doesn’t say it outright, the blueprint would critically endanger Medicaid funding, which provides health care to over 72 million children, seniors, and people with disabilities. The reason is that Medicaid gets its funding from the Energy and Commerce committee, which would need to cut $880 billion in the next 10 years under the proposed package. In Minnesota, where about 1 in 5 people and 42% of children rely on the program, Democratic leaders are pushing back against the budget resolution, including State Sen. Zaynab Mohamed and Sen. Tina Smith. Over a dozen Republican legislators also wrote a letter to Congress opposing the cuts, Sahan Journal reports. Get the rest → Plus: St. Thomas, UMN lose teacher training grants due to Trump cuts (Sahan Journal)
Ramadan etiquette: A guide for people who are not Muslim: Ramadan began Friday night, and for Muslims, it’s the holiest time of the year. The month-long holiday is a time dedicated to drawing nearer to spirituality, community, and generosity. Fasting from food, water, and personal pleasures from sunup to sundown is also a central component for many. The specifics vary from person to person. Fasts begin after a pre-dawn meal called suhoor, and are broken each evening with a meal called iftar.Epicenter NYC has put together
on etiquette for non-Muslims during this month. They include understanding the daily schedule of Ramadan, being flexible with scheduling plans or time-off requests, as well as how to be respectful if participating in any break-fasts or events. Ramadan is an all-important time for Muslims, yet the norms and systems in the United States are mostly in favor of other religions. That means taking the time to consider the needs of those observing the holiday can go a long way. It’s also important to recognize that this Ramadan, like last year’s, is an especially challenging time for Palestinian Muslims — who are
Ramadan traditions in the wake of Israel’s destruction.
Those trying to celebrate in the U.S. are also
, including rising food prices making iftars more expensive and immigration fears curbing attendance at community gatherings, Sahan Journal explains.
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Trump Accuses India Of Using USAID Funding For Voter Turnout (India Currents)
INVESTIGATION: CoreCivic’s Plan to Turn Leavenworth Into an ICE Concentration Camp (The Kansas City Defender)
“Nickel Boys” is a harrowing rumination on optimism versus cynicism (Baltimore Beat)
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