Blogger Chetly Zarko wrote to me earlier this week to point out the so-called “Michigan Civil Rights Initiative,” which would ban affirmative action in Michigan, will appear on the ballot in November in that state. Another friend reminded me of this story which the Detroit Metrotimes printed in January, but I forgot to post here, […]
I Want a Library
I just uploaded a set of photos of my neighborhood branch of the D.C. Public Library. The library has been closed since 2004 and no plan exists for its re-construction. It was closed with two other neighborhood plans and slated for demolition and re-construction, but the D.C. Board of Public Library Trustees canceled the construction […]
YP4 Virtual Town Hall Tomorrow
This call I’m helping organize for YP4 will be really interesting, one of our fellows is a published author. We are excited to celebrate Black History Month with a special Town Hall Meeting conference call: Strides for Social Justice: The Struggle for Educational Equality A discussion about past struggles for educational equality and the lessons […]
ACLU Sues the NSA Over Domestic Spying Program
The headline says it all. And guess who seems to be behind the effort? None other than my friends at the ACLU of Michigan, where I interned in 2002. A number of journalists and organizations, ranging from Christopher Hitchens to Greenpeace, have joined the lawsuit.
Wow
The headlines tell it all on this one. Detroit News: “U-M Suspends Coke Contract“ Ann Arbor News: “U-M puts contract with Coke on ice“ University Record: “U-M suspends purchase of Coca-Cola products“ Michigan Daily: “‘U’ to suspend Coke contracts in milestone decision“
Michigamua Scrutinized at Michigan
Although in general the memory of the 2000 Michigamua Tower Occupation is fading at Michigan, I have been encouraged by a new crop of activists who have sought to bring attention to the organization. Jamie Shenk is one of those students. The president of M-agination films, a unit of the University Activity Center, he became […]
Checking Out The Failures of Integration
I just finished Sheryll Cashin’s book The Failures of Integration: How Race and Class are Undermining the American Dream. Although I won’t attempt a proper book review I will offer a few thoughts. A longtime resident of Washington, D.C. (Cashin clerked for U.S. Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall, served in the Clinton White House, and […]