Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 134

How Companies Like Kellogg’s are Weaponizing the Courts to Break Strikes

'“For too long, the courts have sided with corporations over labor, fundamentally and perniciously reshaping American law, life and liberty,” Sara Nelson, president of the American Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, recently wrote in The New York Times. “Today, they are doing their part to unravel the American dream—and the social contract that has been in place since the 1940s, offering the working class a good life if they spend 40 hours on the job, the means to enjoy it in off hours and a secure retirement.” To discuss where things stand now with each of these important strikes and how companies like Kellogg’s and Warrior Met Coal are trying to use the courts to break them, The Real News Network Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with Larry Spencer in Alabama and Dan Osborn in Nebraska. Larry Spencer is currently serving as Vice President for District 20 of the United Mine Workers of America, which represents the 1,100 miners who have been on strike at Warrior Met Coal since April. Dan Osborn has worked at the Kellogg’s plant in Omaha, Nebraska, for 18 years and currently serves as president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), Local 50G.'

More Black Families are Homeschooling Their Children, Citing the Pandemic and Racism

'In Alabama, the co-founders of Black Homeschoolers of Birmingham say membership is growing as parents try to shield their children from racism in education and teach them about their own heritage. Joyce Burges, founder of National Black Home Educators, tells All Things Considered that since 2020, thousands of families have joined her organization. "I think you're going to see more and more parents, Black parents, homeschooling their children like never before," Burges said.'

Leon Bridges: 'For It Shall Perish And Never Leave us Again' (dir. Bradford Young)

'For It Shall Perish And Never Leave us Again⁣ – a film by Bradford Young. Featuring “Born Again”, “Steam”, and “Blue Mesas” from Leon Bridges' Gold-Diggers Sound.'

Must the Black past always be a revision of racial traum...

Must the Black past always be a revision of racial trauma? Or is there more to the story of the African-Americans experience and the culture that has been built from it? Left of Black host and Duke University Prof. Mark Anthony Neal is joined by Prof. Badia Ahad-Legardy, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at Loyola University Chicago, to discuss her latest book, Afro-Nostalgia: Feeling Good in Contemporary Black Culture, published by University of Illinois Press.

The Father of Environmental Justice, on Whether We’re All Doomed

'Robert Bullard has been trying to explain to us for more than 40 years that the word “racism” isn’t so easily defined. Long before the water crises we see in cities like Flint, Michigan, the Texas Southern University professor was warning that racism can show up in our environment, especially if we have a certain zip code or skin color. He joined Vox Conversations with Jamil Smith to discuss the global struggle to keep this world safe to live in, and how racism gets in the way.'

Working 9 to 5? 'Out of Office' author says maybe it's time to rethink that

'Journalist Anne Helen Petersen tells Fresh Air the notion that employees should be in the office for certain hours every day is an arbitrary one: "You don't need to be in an office to answer emails." In the new book Out of Office, Petersen and her partner and co-author, Charlie Warzel, make the case that the pandemic has created a rare opportunity to rethink the shape of work life — including the 9-to-5 workday.'

The Harm of Spanish-Language Disinformation

'In 2020, Latinx voters registered and voted in record numbers, now making them the second largest voting bloc in the U.S. Many of these voters are being targeted online with disinformation.  A report by advocacy group Avaaz found that 70 percent of the Spanish-language misinformation has stayed online, compared to 29% of English-language misinformation, and much of this occurs on social media sites like Facebook and YouTube. This has troubling implications for Spanish speaking voters; Equis Research found that 70 percent of Latinx voters collect their political information from sites like YouTube and Facebook. Stephanie Valencia, co-founder and president of Equis Research and Nora Benavidez, senior Counsel and Director of the Digital Justice & Civil Rights division of Free Press join The Takeaway to discuss this problem and potential solutions.'

Get Lit: The Life of Nella Larsen

'All Of It airw highlights from an interview with Cornell professor George B. Hutchinson as part of  November's "Get Lit with All Of It" virtual book club event. Hutchinson is author of the book, In Search of Nella Larsen: A Biography of the Color Line.'

What Happens When Social Workers, Not Armed Officers, Respond To 911 Calls?

'In September, Albuquerque became the latest city to establish a new category of first responder: social worker. It’s part of a growing movement to shift 911 calls for mental health, substance abuse, or homelessness away from armed officers. 1A talk's with members of Albuquerque’s new Community Safety Department.'

Why Stacey Abrams is Important for Georgia and Our Democracy by Ben Jealous

Why Stacey Abrams is Important for Georgia and Our Democracy

by Ben Jealous | @BenJealous | special to NewBlackMan (in Exile)

 

You know the old game, two truths and a lie? Here are two truths and a lie about Georgia and Stacey Abrams, who recently announced that she’s running for governor. 

 

Let’s start with the lie. The big lie is that Donald Trump lost Georgia in 2020 because of illegal votes. The big truth is that Stacey Abrams helped achieve not one, not two, but three legal statewide victories in Georgia for President Joe Biden and Senators Raphael Warnock and John Ossoff. 

 

Another truth is that Brian Kemp was Georgia’s vote suppressor-in-chief long before he became the governor. In every cycle, he manages to come up with new strategies that are even more aggressive than ones he used before. Like a comic book villain, Kemp does not grow weary in his evildoing. He’s always hatching a new plan more dastardly than the last one. 

 

That’s why we cannot take anything for granted, even though Abrams demonstrated last year how effectively she can mobilize voters. She has seen every anti-voting-rights trick in the book. Many of them were used against her when she ran for governor in 2018. Back then, Kemp was secretary of state and used the power of his office to shape election rules in his own favor.  

 

As Abrams said at the time, Kemp “won under the rules of the game, but the game was rigged against the voters of Georgia.”  

 

If we want Georgia to be safe for democracy, two things need to happen in the next 12 months. First, Congress must pass urgently needed voting rights legislation in time to go into effect by next fall. 

 

And second, everybody who showed up and turned out in Georgia in 2020 has to show up and turn out again—every individual and every group.  

 

I’m proud that the organization I lead, People For the American Way, was among those that Abrams credited with helping to achieve the historic victories of the past year. We’re going to spend the next 11 months fighting to help her get elected. And we’re asking everyone to join us in making the same level of commitment in Georgia that they made in 2020. 

  

Because here’s one more big truth. Stacey Abrams’ campaign is not only important for Georgia. It’s important for our democracy. 

 

It is easy to get discouraged by what’s happening across the country, where politicians are passing laws to discourage voting and protect their own power. Right-wing activists who are angry that Donald Trump lost the election—who refuse to admit that he lost—are being put in positions with authority to oversee next year’s elections. The very basis of our democracy is being undermined.  

 

There’s something profoundly important about Stacey Abrams demonstrating leadership at this moment. Abrams has always been guided by a fundamental faith that people can make the system work. That faith has been at the heart of her organizing. It inspired her 2018 race and her work to make Georgia’s law fair for all voters. 

 

Many people might tempted to lose faith in democracy when they see elected officials abusing their power to make it harder for some people to vote—and to limit the ability of their votes to make a difference. 

 

Stacey Abrams knows what she is up against. And knowing all that, she still isn’t giving up on our democracy. That’s inspiring. 

 

As governor, she will work tirelessly to make democracy, and Georgia, work for everyone. So let’s get to work for her.  

 

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Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way. Jealous has decades of experience as a leader, coalition builder, campaigner for social justice and seasoned nonprofit executive. In 2008, he was chosen as the youngest-ever president and CEO of the NAACP. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and he has taught at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania.

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