Tag Archives: civil rights

Woke is not enough

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Bennett Minton

The Reverend Dr. William Barber was in my neighborhood last night. For those who would like an introduction: Dr. Barber is the pastor of a North Carolina church and former head of the state NAACP. In 2014 he founded Repairers … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, Uncategorized, Voting | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Jim Crow makes a last stand in the Old Dominion

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Bennett Minton

“Don’t boo. Vote.” – President Obama at the Democratic Convention The struggle to do just that goes on, as illustrated by three recent court decisions. In two federal cases, appeals courts struck down voter ID laws in Texas and North … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, Uncategorized, Virginia legislature, Voting Rights Act | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jim Crow makes a last stand in the Old Dominion

Donald Trump gives the GOP its comeuppance

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Bennett Minton

Upon signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Bill Moyers related decades later, President Johnson said, “I think we just delivered the South to the Republican Party for a long time to come.” It’s a popular story (though its truth … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, election campaign, gerrymandering, Uncategorized, Voting Rights Act | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Abraham Lincoln had it pretty good

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Bennett Minton

When our 16th president was inaugurated, seven of the 11 Confederate states had already walked. South Carolina’s secession resolution, like those of other rebellious states, was unambiguous that slavery was the cause: A geographical line has been drawn across the … Continue reading →

Posted in Abraham Lincoln, Congress, Supreme Court, U.S. Constitution, Uncategorized, Voting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Civil Death”: Florida’s Criminal Disenfranchisement

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Bennett Minton

The Honorable Rick Scott Tallahassee, Florida Dear Governor Scott: Belated congratulations on your reelection in November. I don’t write to every governor, but as a non-resident, property-tax-payer who spends about half the year in the Sunshine State (summers too – … Continue reading →

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A wake – or awake? – in Baltimore

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Bennett Minton

After riots broke out in cities across the country in the summer of 1967, President Johnson appointed the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders. Known as the Kerner Commission after its chairman, Illinois Governor Otto Kerner, it issued a 426-page … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

‘Disappeared’ from the African-American community

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Bennett Minton

For every 100 white women age 25 to 54 not in jail, there are 99 white men. For every 100 black women 25-54 out of jail, the equivalent number of black men is 83. That means that for this age … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, Prison industry | Tagged , , | 1 Comment