There was a line in President Obama’s State of the Union address that particularly resonated with me: “Opportunity is who we are.” The question is whether we’ll provide that opportunity to the millions of immigrants who are living and working in the shadows in our country.
Recent policy changes affecting student loans, coupled with the skyrocketing cost of attending college, are creating financial traps for the most vulnerable students and their families, leaving many students drowning in unmanageable debt even if they fail to get a degree, according to the latest issue of Teaching Tolerance magazine, released today by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Amid growing income and wealth disparity in our country, we should rededicate ourselves to Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of economic justice and to helping those who are falling through the cracks in society.
Finally, our politicians are waking up to the fact that our children need a helping hand, not a pair of handcuffs. They’ve recognized the devastating consequences of the lunacy that has gripped our schools: the idea that children should be tossed out of school and, quite often, into jail for typical adolescent misbehavior.
With the support of thousands of people committed to equality, we’ve made great progress fighting hate and seeking justice in 2013, despite facing a historic backlash against the gains of the last 50 years – a radical attack on our country’s most fundamental ideals.
Not only did the star of Duck Dynasty say offensive things about LGBT people, his remarks about “singing and happy” African-American farmworkers in the Jim Crow South represent historical revisionism that should be denounced.
The Southern Poverty Law Center filed suit in federal court today to stop pervasive anti-LGBT bullying and harassment committed by students – and even faculty members and administrators – within the schools of Mississippi’s Moss Point School District.
As the holidays approach, many of us will take time to reflect upon the past year – to think about the moments that have shaped our lives and the people who’ve crossed our paths and shared our experiences.
The SPLC filed a federal lawsuit today to reverse a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) decision that will effectively revoke raises owed to thousands of guest workers as well as depress the wages of U.S. workers.
President Nelson Mandela’s death leaves human rights advocates across the world with an undeniable sense of loss. But amid the sorrow, we can take solace from the former South African president’s legacy.
