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artin Luther King Jr. stayed in the back bedroom of this house

N.J. historic preservation officials insult the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

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N.J.’s refusal to list the Camden home where MLK plotted his first protest on the state’s Register of Historic Places insults the civil rights leader’s legacy. By Linn Washington Jr., — A significant “first” usually merits the designation of historic. For example, the first formal protest against racial discrimination by civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in June 1950 — an action that produced King’s first lawsuit…

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White House counsel Pat Cipollone and Representative Adam Schiff Senate Television

Why the impeachment fight is about more than Donald Trump

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Return of the Imperial Presidency? Why the Impeachment Fight Is About More Than Donald Trump. By Tessa Berenson, TIMES — As the Senate considers whether to remove Donald Trump from office, there’s more at stake in his impeachment trial than just one man’s political fate. The power of the presidency itself will expand or shrink based on the Senators’ verdict, thanks in part to the maximalist, zero-sum view of the case presented…

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Protesters in Baltimore in the aftermath of Freddie Gray's death in 2015.

The Injustice of This Moment Is Not an ‘Aberration’

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From mass incarceration to mass deportation, our nation remains in deep denial. By Michelle Alexander, NYT — Ten years have passed since my book, “The New Jim Crow,” was published. I wrote it to challenge our nation to reckon with the recurring cycles of racial reform, retrenchment and rebirth of caste-like systems that have defined our racial history since slavery. It has been an astonishing decade. Everything and nothing has…

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John Lewis

Corruption in Campaign Finance Is a Racial Justice Issue

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By Chris Kromm, Facing South — Ten years ago, on a narrow 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision that has reshaped our country’s democracy. Citizens United v. FEC opened a new era in Big Money influence in politics, fueling a dramatic rise in election spending by super PACs and other shadowy outside groups: According to the Center for Responsive Politics, independent political organizations have poured $4.5…

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Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy in St. Augustine, Florida. June 1964.

The Forgotten Socialist History of Martin Luther King Jr.

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King believed that a multiracial working-class movement was required to overcome the failings of capitalism. By Matthew Miles Goodrich, In These Times — In 1952 a 23-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a love letter to Coretta Scott. Along with coos of affection and apologies for his hasty handwriting, he described his feelings not just toward his future wife, but also toward America’s economic system. “I am much more socialistic…

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The Implicit Trust Given to Whiteness puts Black Children at Serious Risk

The Implicit Trust Given to Whiteness puts Black Children at Serious Risk

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We need to do better at protecting our children from foreign men who come to prey on them in the name of “doing good”. By NWS — Last week we were sent this image of Mr. Daniel Illescas, a Spanish model from Madrid, laying shirtless with a small Kenyan girl who he seems to have an affinity for. The child he refers to as “xxxx” (name redacted for child’s privacy)…

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