Democracy Wire

As we honor and work to advance the legacies of Black change-makers this Black History Month, we here at Common Cause want to take a special moment to highlight some of our Democracy Fellows – as well as the transformative work they have spearheaded at their Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

As we remember and honor the legacies of Representative John Lewis, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, and many other Black leaders – we also want to take a moment to appreciate the many Black history-makers who work right here at Common Cause. 

I am encouraged by the decision in the Chauvin case but I am in no way relieved. The criminal justice system has a history of failure in similar cases. This one conviction does not absolve a system that has disappointed the families of Michael Brown, Antwon Rose, Breonna Taylor, Walter Scott and so many others.

What happens next time, if a black individual is killed by the hands of police but there is no video footage of that incident? As a black man that question angers me because I am not sure the outcome of that trial would be the same.