News & Commentary

On the heels of the arrest of two Black men in a Philadelphia Starbucks comes the unsettling story of Chikesia Clemons. According to Clemons, her request for plastic utensils turned into a disagreement between her and the server, and the server called the police.

Campaigns like #MeToo and #TimesUp have brought sexual harassment to the forefront of the national conscience like never before. But the conversation hasn’t been as inclusive as it should be. The movement must do more to reflect the voices and needs of the transgender community, a demographic that consistently gets overlooked despite facing sexual violence at staggering rates.

The travesty in Lakeith’s case is at the intersection of a number of different issues targeted by criminal justice reformers.

His call for civil rights and racial justice was answered by an assassin’s bullet. King understood the urgency of now.

Mark Zuckerberg will soon appear before Congress to address recent news that a company called Cambridge Analytica harvested the data of some 50 million Facebook users in the service of its influence and propaganda campaigns. Members should use this opportunity to press Zuckerberg on Facebook’s collection, use, and sharing of sensitive user data — including on why the company has not taken more steps to prevent discriminatory ads that may run afoul of our civil rights laws.

The 2018 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature adjourned on Thursday, March 29. Following general elections in 2018, the 2019 Session will commence in March. Since many legislators are not seeking re-election, there will be several new members in both houses.

We have not had a legislative update since Week 8, but now that session is winding down, we expect to see more last minute movement on bills; however, bills that are still in committee in the originating chamber are unlikely to pass at this point.

Last week, a committee passed SB181, a bill that would allow display of the Ten Commandments on public property and in public schools. It now moves to the floor in the Alabama House, which could debate it as early as tomorrow, March 13. It has already passed in the Senate, so if it passes in the House, it will be on the ballot in November.

After rescinding DACA, Trump tweeted: “Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can't, I will revisit this issue!” The time has come for him to fix a manufactured crisis of his own making.