Civil Rights

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Black economic boycotts of the civil rights era offer lessons on how to achieve a just society

Signed into law 60 years ago, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination in the U.S. based on “race, color, sex, religion, or national origin.”

https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/07/04/black-economic-boycotts-of-the-civil-rights-era-still-offer-lessons-on-how-to-achieve-a-just-society/?

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? Youth lose touch with Civil Rights era

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios

The Civil Rights era is no longer the central reference point for how many young Americans understand race, justice and power — a generational shift reshaping politics, education and activism in the U.S., Axios' Russell Contreras writes. Why it matters: America's racial conversation is moving from a shared historical narrative to a fragmented, individualized one, increasingly shaped by social media, personal identity and real-time events. The last of the Civil Rights-era activists are aging. At the same time, most Americans today struggle to name important leaders in the movement or identify important moments in the struggle beyond Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Even then, the share of Americans who say they know a great deal or a fair amount about King's "I Have a Dream" speech is dropping, especially among younger Americans, suggesting that those words are fading from memory. ?️ The big picture: Younger Americans are now several generations removed from the Civil Rights Movement's defining moments, encountering its history less through classrooms or legacy media and more through algorithms and short-form video. Keep reading.

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There was ‘a bridge called Jesse Jackson’ across decades of civil rights advocacy

From the moment the Rev. Jesse Jackson stepped forward as torchbearer to what was then a largely Southern civil rights struggle — a movement with much unfinished business — he created a bridge. From the South’s fight with Jim Crow to the North’s battle with systemic racial inequality, Jackson forged a link between improbable dreams and political power. “From Martin Luther King to Barack Obama, there’s a bridge called Jesse Jackson,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Live updates: Civil Rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson has died at 84 Here are the tributes to the Rev. Jesse Jackson from leaders and activists WATCH: Rev. Jesse Jackson remembers the assassination of MLK Jr.

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• Civil rights leader Dolores Huerta said today that she was sexually abused by labor icon César Chávez decades ago. Her statement follows the publication of a major New York Times investigation into Chávez's past behavior. Read Huerta's statement ... N.Y. Times gift link.

 

César Chavez accused of sexually abusing labor rights leader Dolores Huerta and others

Labor rights activist Dolores Huerta revealed she was among women and girls who say they were sexually abused by César Chavez, the widely admired Latino icon who brought to light the struggles of farmhands while leading the United Farm Workers union.

https://apnews.com/article/latino-leaders-speak-out-about-chavez-allegations-f1b24d3c6bdf71b326b63d51f80ea957?

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Dolores Huerta ends her silence, champions decades of advocacy for marginalized groups

Dolores Huerta has dedicated her life to breaking down barriers and cemented her place in history as one of the nation’s most influential labor leaders, civil rights icons and feminist activists. It was Dolores Huerta who coined the slogan “Si, se puede” in 1972 when bringing together farmworkers in Arizona to fight a law that prohibited boycotts and strikes. Now she has shocked the world by revealing she was among the women and girls who say they were sexually abused by César Chavez while he led the United Farm Workers union. Huerta says she was fearful of speaking out because she didn’t want the movement to be tarnished. While Chavez and Huerta's names were once inseparable, elected leaders and community members are initiating efforts to rename some buildings, schools and streets after Huerta alone. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

California lawmakers want to rename César Chavez Day following sexual abuse allegations Chavez name, once an honor, now carries a stain that officials want to scrub WATCH: César Chavez accused of sexually abusing labor rights leader Dolores Huerta, AP Explains

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👀 César Chávez legacy wiped

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images

Efforts to strike or rename events honoring United Farm Workers leader César Chávez are accelerating days after accusations that he sexually abused girls and young women, Axios' Josephine Walker reports. A handful of states observe Chávez's birthday as an annual holiday on March 31. But governors and locales are pushing to rename or nix the day. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said he'll back a push to rename César Chávez Day to Farmworkers Day. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) won't issue a proclamation honoring Chávez this year. Instead, he "looks forward" to celebrating Dolores Huerta Day, honoring a UFW co-founder and one of Chávez's survivors. Chávez Day won't be celebrated in Texas or in his home state of Arizona, Govs. Greg Abbott (R) and Katie Hobbs (D) announced. Keep reading.

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My disabled son has civil rights, just like all of us

My disabled son Rob and I are often in Annapolis to advocate for health care and disability rights. If the weather’s nice, we sit on Lawyer’s Mall in front of the State House and reflect on the legacy of Thurgood Marshall, whose statue stands there. Maryland has a proud history of protecting the civil rights of marginalized people — except our state struggles to protect those same rights for disabled people.

https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/my-disabled-son-has-civil-rights-just-all-us?