Combating Racism – Understanding Independence Day

Independence Day commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776.  Although the vote for independence took place on July 2nd, the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence two days later. The tradition of setting off fireworks on the 4th of July began in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777, during the first…

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Combating Racism – Eradicating Race Norming

Some people in our country argue that systemic racism isn’t real—that it happened in the past, during slavery and Jim Crow, but that it doesn’t exist today. Yet earlier this month, the National Football League (NFL) confessed to a practice of systemic racism in determining awards for injuries suffered while playing. This practice has been…

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Combating Racism – Celebrating Juneteenth & Father’s Day

This past Wednesday, Congress voted overwhelmingly to establish Juneteenth as a federal holiday, marking the day—June 19th, 1865—when Union Army General Gordon Granger and his troops advanced into the remote, former confederate territory of Galveston, Texas and announced that slavery was officially over in the United States. “The people of Texas are informed that in…

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Combating Racism – Felon Disenfranchisement

Today, felon disenfranchisement laws continue to impose on the civil rights of felons – America’s most disadvantaged group. To be ‘franchised’ is to have the right to vote. This basic civil right is central to any democratic nation and essential to the fundamental principles of democracy. It’s how we – the people – exercise our power through…

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Combating Racism – More Progress Is Needed

As a privileged white woman, I looked at progress that has been made to combat racism in the year since George Floyd’s murder as a glass half full, and wrote last week’s newsletter from that perspective. But since then, I’ve wondered, thanks to a conversation with a trusted Black friend, if I were a Black woman,…

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Combating Racism – Honoring George Floyd

This Tuesday will mark the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder and the anniversary of my changing my Best Self blog posts to Combating Racism blog posts.  Since May 25, 2020, Floyd’s death has sparked global protests about racial inequality and police brutality, and renewed pledges from some to fight racism. In this newsletter, I highlight…

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Combating Racism – Unveiling Injustice

QUESTION: WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THESE CASES? Bruce Bartman is a 70-year-old man from Delaware County, Pennsylvania who, in the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election, illegally registered his dead mother and dead mother-in-law as Republicans. He used an old driver’s license number to request the mail-in ballot for his mother and then…

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Combating Racism – Combating Voter Suppression – Part 4

According to an article from the May 5, 2021 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “In recent months, we’ve seen politicians at every level of government increasingly work to suppress the vote in communities of color. In the wake of the January 6th insurrection, hundreds of voter suppression bills are being promoted . . .” According to the…

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Combating Racism – The For The People Act (H.R.1)

This past Thursday, both chambers of Florida’s legislature passed an election overhaul bill that would limit the use of drop boxes; add more identification requirements for those requesting absentee ballots; require voters to request an absentee ballot for each election, rather than receive them automatically through an absentee voting list; limit who could collect and…

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