2023 Civics Edition
July 18, 2023
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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.
Credit: Lara Witt
'People treat us like the throwaway state': Alabama is an anomaly when it comes to abortion rights in the South. Abortion is completely illegal in the state, and is considered a felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison. For its "One year post-Roe" series, Prism's Editor-at-Large spoke with Jenice Fountain, who is the executive director of the Yellowhammer Fund, a reproductive justice organization that provides legal resources and funding to communities in the state, about "cultural organizing" in the state. Without organizations like the Yellowhammer Fund, many communities would be left without proper care and an understanding of their reproductive rights. "We don’t know what’s happening that’s making people think they can access abortion again in Alabama," said Fountain. Read more here.
Attorney for Tulsa Race Massacre reparations case discusses dismissal and survivors’ next steps: Following a years-long legal battle, the last three known victims who survived an attack by a white mob that took the lives of approximately 300 African Americans in what is known as the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921 were recently denied reparations for historical damage. But, as McKenzie Haynes, an attorney for the case, shared on WURD Radio last week, they are "not giving up yet." She reports the plaintiffs (pictured above) — Lessie Benningfield Randle, Viola Fletcher and Hughes Van Ellis Sr. — have begun the appeal process to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Haynes also discusses the case's history and why it was dismissed with prejudice (meaning it can never be filed again in state court). 🎧 Listen to the interview here.
More: Black Chambers responds to recent dismissal of lawsuit seeking reparations for Tulsa Race Massacre Survivors (The Oklahoma Eagle)
The downfall of Affirmative Action: What happens now?: The latest episode of Our Body Politic focuses on last month’s Supreme Court ruling that will be at the center of conversations for years to come. Guest host Karen Grigsby Bates, founding member of NPR’s groundbreaking “Code Switch” podcast, is joined by experts who discuss the history of affirmative action, what the recent decision means, as well as students about their most pressing concerns. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here.
NASA astronaut makes history: Victor J. Glover Jr. is set to become the first Black person to visit the moon. Glover Jr. will participate in NASA’s Artemis II mission, which marks the first time in almost 50 years that humans have left low-Earth orbit. Watch The Yard reports the astronaut credits this achievement to NASA's mission and his membership in Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. “Every day, I try to live out the words of our [fraternity’s] motto, ‘culture for service and service for humanity,’ and the NASA mission, ‘NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery.'” The mission will take place over ten days next November. Read more here.
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