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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- Strengthening Democracy & Voting Rights
Voting rights bill for a fair democracy at the heart of Alabama’s Lobby Day 2025
Hope has always been the foundation of change. It has carried generations of Alabamians through struggles for justice, propelled movements forward and kept communities united, even in the face of overwhelming barriers. Today, that same hope fuels the fight for a more inclusive democracy in which every voice is heard, every ballot is counted and…
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On Cesar Chavez Day, let’s remember those who make it possible for us to eat
Today, March 31 is Cesar Chavez Day, and for those of us in the Latino community, this day and year are more significant than others. As Latinos, we are in a political quagmire like we have never experienced before. Latinos are the targets of a xenophobic, anti-immigrant wave that is washing over our nation simply…
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
Black. Jewish. Divided by Hate. Stronger Together
In 1915, an armed mob abducted and lynched Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager in Georgia, in one of the most infamous acts of antisemitic violence. His murder followed a trial marred by antisemitism, fueled by conspiracy theories and exploited by a rising Ku Klux Klan. But Frank’s lynching wasn’t just about antisemitism — it…
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
Recognizing International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
This year, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (today, March 21) celebrates the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), a human rights treaty the United States has ratified along with 181 other nations. U.S. compliance with the treaty has always been a…
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- Strengthening Democracy & Voting Rights
‘The march continues, and apathy is not an option’
In an op-ed published today in Daily Kos, Southern Poverty Law Center President and CEO Margaret Huang reflects on 60 years of struggle, marching and sacrifices for civil, voting and human rights for all Americans. She cites the path of Sheyann Webb-Christburg, one of the youngest marchers attempting to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in…
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- Strengthening Democracy & Voting Rights
Beyond Bloody Sunday’s 60th anniversary: Be a foot soldier for our future rights
Black Alabamians in Selma stiffened their spines and marched resolutely across the Edmund Pettus Bridge 60 years ago today. The brave foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement knew the risks that lay ahead of them. They marched anyway, propelled by their belief that, in a democracy, all people must be afforded the right to…
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
Books on protest movements of the civil rights era for adults and children
Protest movements played a decisive role in shaping the history of our rebellion-born nation. In the 20th century alone, mass protest movements led to women’s suffrage, the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s and the end of the Vietnam War. This list includes groundbreaking nonfiction books for adults and thought-provoking books for young readers…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
Some traveled west: Altadena residents draw on Black community strength
In 1963, my maternal grandfather left his homeland in the Mississippi Delta, fleeing a white mob trying to kill him for fighting to protect his family’s farmland. At the time, my mom was only 9 years old. Instead of fleeing north, he headed west to Pasadena, California, where some of his family members had migrated…
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- Ending Unjust Imprisonment
A call for justice and compassion: Louisianans must reject Act 3 on March 29
As Louisiana’s policy director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, I work to ensure our state’s policies bring fairness and justice for all, especially the most vulnerable people. But I write this not just as an advocate for civil rights, but as a father. When I think of not only my children, but all children…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
Zora! Festival celebrates culture, preservation wins for historic Black community
Every January for more than a quarter century, the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community (P.E.C.) has called thousands of people together from across the globe to celebrate the extraordinary writer, folklorist and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston in the place that raised her, the town of Eatonville, Florida — the first self-governing, all-Black municipality in the…
