Hopewatch
Hopewatch amplifies the unwavering commitment of people who tirelessly advocate for racial and social justice.
Get the latest investigative reporting from Hopewatch
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
Offended by the truth? Good. White supremacy has always feared education
The war on public education is nothing new. It’s a modern tactic rooted in a long history of denying Black people access to knowledge. During slavery, it was illegal in many Southern states to teach enslaved people to read. After emancipation, white mobs burned Black schools and attacked Black educators. During Jim Crow, unequal funding…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
5 things $45 million could pay for instead of a massive military parade
On June 14, the U.S. Army plans to roll tanks and march troops through the streets of Washington, D.C., in a massive parade to celebrate its 250th anniversary. The parade, which will reportedly cost taxpayers up to $45 million, also coincides with President Donald Trump’s birthday. Though the parade has not been officially linked to…
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- Strengthening Democracy & Voting Rights
Whether a natural disaster strikes or not, Florida’s voters deserve better
When a Category 5 hurricane tears through a Florida community, voters should not have to wait for the governor to issue an executive order just to cast a ballot. Yet that’s exactly what happens in Florida. State law does not allow local election officials to act quickly in response to an emergency, even though they…
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Five reasons you should oppose the backward House budget reconciliation bill
The U.S. House of Representatives last week narrowly passed its budget reconciliation bill that cuts billions from Medicaid and SNAP — to give massive tax breaks to corporations and wealthy people. Here are five reasons why you should oppose this bill: 1. It forces children and families to go hungry. The bill slashes nearly $300…
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- Strengthening Democracy & Voting Rights
Power of the vote will sustain democracy through and beyond AAPI Heritage Month
Each May, during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I reflect on my family’s journey to this country — and the path that brought me to public service. My grandparents were refugees of the Korean War. My mother came to Georgia in the 1980s seeking the American Dream — not riches, but dignity. A…
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- Ending Unjust Imprisonment
Five years after George Floyd’s death, anger and work toward justice remain
“Say your ABCs. But say it without singing the alphabet song.” This was the first of two commands I was given during a traffic stop in 2002. I was a 25-year-old graduate student in North Carolina, driving home from campus that night. A police officer pulled me over for allegedly speeding on the interstate and…
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
Civil Rights Memorial Center to host art and activism showcase, block party
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Civil Rights Memorial Center (CRMC) will partner with 21 Dreams Arts & Culture to showcase art and activism in its many forms this month. Whether through exhibits at local museums and historic sites, local gatherings or sporting events and activities, there are a plethora of spaces that share the story…
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Creative Combat: 10 steps for resistance in an age of crisis and chaos
We live in chaotic times. Yet much of the political, legal and activist response is shackled to the ways of the past. The recent “Hands Off” demonstrations are indicative of the problem. The protests brought groups together and motivated (mostly older and white) liberals but did little to change the status quo. How, then, to…
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- Strengthening Democracy & Voting Rights
Power of the People: The SAVE Act and its threat to American democracy
At our democracy’s imperfect founding, only white men who owned property could vote. Through significant struggle and sacrifice, we’ve made progress. The Reconstruction amendments, the 19th Amendment, the Indian Citizenship Act, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — over time, these landmark developments have made voting rights real for people of color, women, language minorities…
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- Strengthening Democracy & Voting Rights
SPLC president and CEO speaks out on SAVE Act’s danger to our democracy
While the nation watches the slow-rolling car crash that has been the Trump tariff policy, Republicans in Congress have been moving forward on another part of the Project 2025 agenda: making it more difficult to vote. The House passed its version of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act last month, with every Republican representative…
