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Get Out: Toward an Honest Commitment to Racial Justice

By Commentaries/Opinions, Gentrification

By David J. Harris, Houston Institute Executive Director — Several weeks ago the Boston Globe published an opinion piece by editorial and staff writer David Scharfenberg in which he called for an “honest” commitment to racial integration. He dismissed the “gauzy 1963 version” of integration, insisted that “harping too much” on its virtues “can feel paternalistic,” and lamented the “disastrous busing experiment of the 1970s” which proved that “forced integration…simply doesn’t work.” Even so,…

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BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 27: Baltimore Police officers arrest a man near Mowdamin Mall, April 27, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. The funeral service for Freddie Gray, who died last week while in Baltimore Police custody, was held on Monday morning.

Even after decriminalization, nearly all of the people arrested for marijuana in Baltimore are black

By News & Current Affairs

There is a reason why the Baltimore Police Department was investigated by the Justice Department after the 2015 death of Freddie Gray. By Kelly Macias, Daily Kos — In 2014, when the state of Maryland voted to decriminalize the possession of 10 grams or less of marijuana, advocates said that it would help to reduce racial bias and systemic racism against black people. Even though data shows that blacks and whites use…

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Evaristo Sa, AFP | Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro (centre) pictured with some of his ministers in Brasilia on January 2, 2019.

Bolsonaro targets Brazil minorities, rewards farm lobby on first day in office

By Editors' Choice

The government of newly inaugurated President Jair Bolsonaro set to work quickly on Wednesday, issuing decrees that lift protections for minorities and reward his allies in agribusiness, while forging closer political ties with the US. By France24, Rueuters — Bolsonaro, a former army captain and seven-term congressman, won elections in October and was sworn in on Tuesday as Brazil’s first far-right president since a military dictatorship gave way to civilian…

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Selma marchers in 1965

Voting Rights in America — Two Centuries of Struggle

By Editors' Choice

By Bruce Hartford, Civil Right Movement Veterans — Note: This brief time-line describes an American history of oppression, persecution, and discrimination in regards to voting rights. But in all of the events described here, those affected were not submissive or passive victims, – rather they fought for their rights with whatever means they had. Similarly, much of this short summary consists of legislative and legal milestones. But those laws and…

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Shortlisted contenders, from left: Collince Oluoch; Roy Allela; Beth Koiji; Neo Hutiri; Paul Matovu. Photograph: Brett Eloff and James Oatway/Royal Academy of Engineering

Turning air into drinking water: Africa’s inspired young inventors

By Editors' Choice

Shortlisted contenders for the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa prize reveal their designs, from gloves that translate sign language into speech to smart lockers that dispense medicines. By Kate Hodal, The Guardian — The Royal Academy of Engineering Africa prize, now in its fifth year, has shortlisted 16 African inventors from six countries to receive funding, training and mentoring for projects intended to revolutionise sectors from agriculture and science to women’s health.…

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