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President Donald Trump shows an executive order entitled, 'Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch', after signing it beside members of his Cabinet in the Oval Office of the White House March 13, 2017 in Washington, D.C.

‘Kicking Off Black History Month,’ Trump Guts CFPB’s Ability to Curb Racial Discrimination by Banks

By News & Current Affairs

“These changes threaten effective enforcement of civil rights laws and increase the likelihood that people will continue to face discriminatory access and pricing as they navigate their economic lives.” By Jake Johnson, Common Dreams — In a move immediately condemned as yet another “shameful” effort by the Trump administration to roll back civil rights and reward big banks, the White House reportedly “stripped” a key Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) office of the power to take…

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Dave Warden, a bud tender at Private Organic Therapy (P.O.T.), a non-profit co-operative medical marijuana dispensary, displays various types of marijuana available to patients on October 19, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.

San Francisco Shows Nation Way Forward by Throwing Out Old Marijuana Convictions

By News & Current Affairs

“While drug policy on the federal level is going backwards, San Francisco is once again taking the lead to undo the damage that this country’s disastrous, failed drug war has had on our nation and on communities of color in particular.” By Jake Johnson, Common Dreams — Just weeks after a California measure legalizing the use of recreational marijuana went into effect, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced on Wednesday that…

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The Lincoln Emancipation Statue, paid for by former enslaved people and erected in Washington, D.C., in 1876, has been criticized for representing the history of slavery from a paternalistic perspective.

What Kids Are Really Learning About Slavery

By News & Current Affairs, Reparations

A new report finds that the topic is mistaught and often sentimentalized—and students are alarmingly misinformed as a result. By Melinda D. Anderson — A class of middle-schoolers in Charlotte, North Carolina, was asked to cite “four reasons why Africans made good slaves.” Nine third-grade teachers in suburban Atlanta assigned math word problems about slavery and beatings. A high school in the Los Angeles-area reenacted a slave ship—with students’ lying on the dark…

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Maurice Bishop (1944-1983) - Maurice Rupert Bishop was a Grenadian revolutionary and the leader of New Jewel Movement – popular efforts in the areas of socio-economic development, education, and Black liberation – that came to power during the 13 March 1979 revolution that removed Eric Gairy from office

High Stakes for Grenada Election on Revolution’s Anniversary

By News & Current Affairs

The announcement of the March 13 election date on January 28 gave Grenadian voters and political parties only 45 days to prepare. By Earl Bousquet — Grenadians are getting ready to head to the polls in just six weeks. Voters have been registering to cast their ballots and a host of political parties have nominated candidates for the 2018 poll after the Government set the next General Elections for March…

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Caribbean Regional Reparations a Step Closer

By News & Current Affairs, Reparations

Barbados has made another step towards the goal of obtaining regional reparations. Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS) — This step comes as members of the island’s Reparations Task Force recently presented Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Stephen Lashley, with an official report on arguments in support of reparations, in his Ministry’s Conference Room at Sky Mall. After receiving the document, Lashley noted that he was very pleased to see…

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Patrisse Khan-Cullors

‘I grew up in a war zone’: Black Lives Matter’s Patrisse Khan-Cullors on racism in America

By News & Current Affairs

By Elena Sheppard, Yahoo Lifestyle — It was a lifetime of oppression and violence that led activist Patrisse Khan-Cullors to cofound the Black Lives Matter movement, but the catalyst was one particular instant: The moment when George Zimmerman was acquitted in the killing of Trayvon Martin. Scouring Facebook after the decision was announced, Khan-Cullors came upon a post by her friend Alicia Garza (who went on to cofound the movement…

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In Ouidah, Benin, a man walks past a statue of Francisco Félix de Souza, a major slave merchant who worked in the 18th and 19th centuries in what is now Benin and is considered the father of the city. The statue is covered with lights.

An African country reckons with its history of selling slaves

By News & Current Affairs

Benin was a hub of the slave trade. But many people want to forget their families’ role. By Kevin Sieff, Washington Post — OUIDAH, Benin — Less than a mile from what was once West Africa’s biggest slave port, the departure point for more than a million people in chains, stands a statue of Francisco Félix de Souza, a man regarded as the father of this city. There’s a museum…

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Alicia Garza — Oakland, Calif.-based organizer and co-founder of Black Lives Matter

Activist Organizers’ Hopes for 2018 from Movements around the World

By News & Current Affairs

From Alicia Garza to Annie Leonard, nine organizers share their hopes for the new year. By Beverly Bell, YES! Magazine — Across the globe, 2017 brought us to new lows. Yet, even as crisis after crisis shook us to the ground, they also inspired many to rise up and take to the streets and other venues of popular power. Donald Trump as president awakened millions, sparked new cross-sectoral coalitions, and galvanized people to creative and effective action.

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Students Learn About Reparations During Youth Baton Relays

Students Learn About Reparations During Youth Baton Relays

By News & Current Affairs, Reparations

By Douglas Mcintosh — Students across the region are learning about the ills of slavery and the issues surrounding reparations through the CARICOM Reparations Youth Baton Relays. The relays have been staged in Barbados, Guyana, Suriname and St. Lucia, as well as in Antigua and Barbuda. The exchange of the baton from Antigua to Jamaica took place on October 10. The Jamaica leg was spearheaded by the National Council on Reparation (NCR), which falls under the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, in collaboration with the CARICOM Secretariat.

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