Democracy Wire

Juneteenth -- the celebration of Emancipation Day a.k.a. America's other Independence Day -- is a good time to reflect on the lingering systemic disenfranchisement that occurred after slavery ended. The prison industry has taken advantage of the “punishment exception” to the 13th Amendment. After the end of slavery, states passed discriminatory laws to arrest and imprison large numbers of freed black people. Incarcerated black people were then leased out or forced to provide free labor to private individuals and corporations. This still occurs today as states across the nation continue to lease out incarcerated people to private corporations.

Culture often leads politics and the theatre once again reflects uncomfortable truths with Harper Lee's classic, To Kill A Mockingbird starring Jeff Daniels. If you cannot watch the full nine-minute interview then skip to 6:38 and watch the final portion.

The history of denying incarcerated people the right to vote is rooted in the history of African American voter suppression. And while restoring that right is gaining traction in the 2020 campaign, Tierra Bradford says many Democratic hopefuls still don’t get the point.

Passage of the For the People Act through the U.S. House of Representatives was a historic victory for the people-led movement to create an American democracy where every voice is heard and every vote is counted. While work continues to move it through the Senate, many of the common-sense policies in the For the People Act are already in place and working in states across the country.

Democracy is on the ballot in 2018 -- and voter’s voices will be what makes difference. Find your candidates at democracy2018.org

We call on all Americans to repudiate this political hate in each and every conversation with family, friend, and colleagues. We cannot ignore the racist and intolerant invective we see in politics, repeated by some news commentators, and flourishing online. Our own president needs to repudiate this hate speech and own his own very significant contributions to setting the tone that makes people think it is okay to vilify and attack politicians, judges, reporters and others who they don’t agree with.