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The Historic Political Gains Made By Black Women In 2018
When Ayanna Pressley heads to Congress in January, the newly elected Massachusetts representative will work from the same office that Shirley Chisholm once occupied decades ago. The symbolism is powerful: Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress 50 years ago, while Pressley is part of the incoming class of Black women who made history of their own in 2018. The November midterm elections saw five new Black women nab seats in the House, according to Higher Heights for America and the Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University. In 2019, that cohort will join the 20 Black women already in office including Representatives, non-voting Delegates, and a U.S. Senator. The Congressional Black Caucus will have 50 members, the largest number to date.
Settlement requires ‘anti-hate training’ for internet troll
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — An internet troll who harassed a black college student with racist messages on social media has agreed to a court settlement requiring him to get “anti-hate training,” apologize in writing and on video and publicly renounce white supremacy.
Tuesday’s settlement agreement would resolve Taylor Dumpson’s claims against one of the defendants she sued in April over an online harassment campaign orchestrated by a neo-Nazi website publisher.
The “troll storm” started after she became the first black woman to serve as American University’s student government president. Her suit says The Daily Stormer publisher Andrew Anglin directed his site’s readers to cyberbully her. Dumpson sued Anglin and two people who harassed her. Her settlement agreement is with Evan James McCarty, who posted online under a pseudonym. Anglin hasn’t responded to the suit.
Oklahoma Sees Major Increase in Voter Registration Among Low-Income People by Making Registration More Accessible at Public Assistance Agencies
Advocates Praise Oklahoma’s Progress Adding Thousands of Voters to Rolls During Three-Year Settlement NEW YORK, WASHINGTON and OKLAHOMA CITY – Voting rights advocates are praising important progress in registering low-income people to vote through Oklahoma public...
Landmark Settlement Between Hate Incident Perpetrator and Survivor Announced in Dumpson v. Ade
WASHINGTON, D.C. – One of the defendants in Dumpson v. Ade has reached a positive settlement agreement with the plaintiff in a case filed by American University’s first female African American student body president, who was harassed and threatened by white...
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Reacts to Gov. Cuomo’s Call for Legalized Recreational Marijuana
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, released the following statement in response to Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York’s announcement that he will push for legalizing...
Leading Civil Rights Group Calls for Congressional Action Against Russian Efforts to Influence African American Vote
New Senate-Commissioned Reports Show Russia Specifically Targeted African Americans On Social Media During The 2016 Presidential Election WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law,...
Election Protection Releases Preliminary Report on 2018 Midterm Elections
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Election Protection, the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition, led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, released a “2018 Midterm Elections Preliminary Report” identifying trends of problems experienced by...
Election Protection to Announce Findings of Preliminary Report on 2018 Midterm Elections
Press call on December 13 at 1:00 pm ET WASHINGTON, D.C. – Election Protection will hold a press call at 1:00 pm ET on December 13, 2018 to announce the findings of its newly released report on the 2018 Midterm Election. Election Protection, the nation’s largest...
4 days, 5 reports of hate crimes, and a disturbing trend developing in America
(CNN)Over the course of four days, five reports of hate-related incidents recently made national headlines. The news illustrates a disturbing trend, civil rights groups say.
On Friday, December 7, a fire destroyed a Jehovah’s Witnesses house of worship. It was the fifth attack this year targeting the religious group in Washington state, federal officials said.
The next day, a black man was assaulted at a bar in Lynnwood, Washington, by eight self-professed members of a neo-Nazi skinhead group, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. Members of the group allegedly yelled racist slurs during the incident, and an employee identified as an Asian man was injured as he tried to intervene. On Sunday, Pittsburgh officials said that anti-Semitic pamphlets were being spread throughout the city, including in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, the site of a mass shooting that targeted Jews in October.
Courts side with Maryland HBCUs in long-standing case over disparities in state higher education
A federal judge this week ordered Maryland to remedy the lack of investment in the state’s historically black colleges and universities, in an effort to resolve a decade-old lawsuit over inequality in public higher education.
The state must establish a set of new, unique and high-demand programs at each historically black institution, the judge declared.
Since 2006, a coalition of alumni from Maryland’s four historically black institutions have been locked in litigation with the state to dismantle what they say are vestiges of racial segregation. The group says Maryland has underfunded Morgan State University, Coppin State University, Bowie State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and allowed other state schools to duplicate their programs, placing pressure on enrollment.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Continues Fight to Remedy Mistreatment of Maryland’s Historically Black Institutions
4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to Hear Arguments from Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Partners in Front of Three-Judge Panel RICHMOND, VA – Today, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil...
National Civil Rights Group Reacts to First Degree Murder Conviction of James Alex Fields, Jr.
WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued the following statement in response to the first degree murder conviction of James Alex Fields, Jr., for the 2017 killing of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia: “James Fields is the...
Georgia to pick new elections chief amid voting rights debate
(Reuters) – Georgia voters return to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new elections chief in a state where critics accused Republicans this autumn of exploiting the position to suppress minority voting rights. Republican Brad Raffensperger and Democrat John Barrow were forced into a runoff in the secretary of state race after neither candidate secured a majority of the vote in the Nov. 6 general election as required by state law. The contest has showcased the partisan divisions still rankling the state after its hard-fought governor’s contest, which saw widespread reports of voting problems during an election overseen by the Republican candidate, Brian Kemp, then secretary of state. Kemp’s narrow victory over Democrat Stacey Abrams, who sought to become the nation’s first female African-American governor, followed complaints of hours-long waits in heavily minority precincts, polling equipment failures and concerns about absentee ballots getting rejected under stringent rules that voters’ signatures exactly match the records on file.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Condemns Actions By Lawmakers in 4 States That Would Gut Ballot Initiative Outcomes and Undermine Reform
Officials in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan and North Carolina Move to Block Pro-Democracy Reform WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, released the following statement in response...
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Reacts to Indictment of Amber Guyer for Murder of Unarmed Black Neighbor
WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, released the following statement following the indictment of Amber Guyger, a white former Dallas police officer charged with the murder of...



