A Common Ghostwriter
Earlier this week my fellow Urban Leaguers and I joined with tens of thousands of Americans who marched through the streets of Sanford, Florida, as part of the fight for justice for Trayvon Martin. Days later, we held a protest rally at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the American Legislative Exchange Council, which wrote and advocated for the shoot-to-kill law, also known as “Stand Your Ground,” that contributed to Trayvon’s death.
We also delivered a letter to ALEC demanding that the organization end its promotion of legislation involving firearms.
Most Americans know little about ALEC, as the Council is known. Ostensibly a pro-business organization, ALEC is responsible for some of the most destructive attempts in recent history to roll back gains in civil rights, consumer and worker protection, and social justice.
ALEC drafts model legislation, then hands the bills off to state legislators who introduce them - sometimes passing them off as their own work, sometimes not even bothering to change a word of the language.
The wave of voter suppression bills that have swept state legislatures over the last year were ghostwritten by ALEC. Efforts to repeal prevailing wage laws and workplace health and safety regulations were ghostwritten by ALEC. Legislation to limit collective bargaining rights, to dismantle consumer protections, to make it harder for political refugees to seek sanctuary, even to strip citizenship from native-born Americans, all were ghostwritten by the same secretive cabal that produced the shoot-to-kill law.
ALEC and its supporters must be held accountable for the consequences of the reckless laws they initiate and promote, as should the state lawmakers who carry out their bidding.
Civil Rights Community Mourns the Loss of John Payton
“Diverse democracies depend on diverse people who know and respect each other.”
- John Payton
Over the past century, the most powerful force behind America’s on-going struggle for equality has been an outstanding group of civil rights attorneys. Imagine where we would be today without lawyers like Charles Hamilton Houston – “the man who killed Jim Crow” -- or his protégé, Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, who in 1940 founded the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF). For over 70 years, LDF has been America’s first and foremost civil and human rights law firm. During that time, the organization has had just six leaders: Thurgood Marshall, Jack Greenberg, Julius Chambers, Elaine Jones, Ted Shaw and the LDF’s sixth President and Director-Counsel, John Payton who passed away last week at the age of 65.
Click here to read the full column.
Central Florida Urban League Leads the Fight for Justice for Trayvon
The Central Florida Urban League, led by President and CEO Allie Braswell, has emerged as a leading voice in the call for justice for Trayvon Martin. The affiliate was among the first to ask the State Attorney's Office and the Department of Justice to conduct an independent investigation.
“As a father, I am absolutely outraged about this travesty of justice,” Braswell said. “As we look across this great nation, we must ensure that what happened in Sanford doesn’t happen in LA, Chicago, or in other regions of our country. This tragedy is a challenge to justice everywhere. We cannot license individuals to take law enforcement into their own hands. It’s a travesty that we lost such a bright, gifted young man to racial profiling and unjust violence in our community.”
Click here to read the full article.
Triumph and Tragedy
Like bookends, two major news events that have recently captured the attention of America stand distinctly and tragically apart. One involves the senseless shooting of Trayvon Martin, 17, an unarmed Black teenager in Florida by a white Hispanic, self-deputized neighborhood watch captain; the other, Don Thompson, 48, a Black man who grew up poor but got a great education and a chance to prove his himself and will soon become the CEO of McDonald’s.
Click here to read the full article.
NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE TO RALLY AGAINST “SHOOT TO KILL’ LAW GHOSTWRITERS
National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial is among a diverse coalition of advocates, activists and civil rights leaders scheduled to address a protest rally at the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which wrote and promoted the deadly “shoot to kill” law that contributed to the death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.
WHAT: Rally in Washington, DC, to protest the ALEC campaign to pass the "Shoot To Kill" laws that protect Trayvon Martin's shooter, and delivery of demand letter to ALEC headquarters
WHEN:12 noon, Thursday, March 29.
WHERE:1100 Vermont Ave., NW Washington, DC
Early Bird Registration for Annual Conference Ends April 1
Special Early Bird discounts for the 2012 National Urban League Annual Conference in New Orleans are available only until April 1, so register now! The four-day event, July 25-28, is expected to attract as many as 4,000 registered attendees, and thousands of local community members who will be drawn to free events such as an Expo Hall featuring hundreds of exhibitors, a college fair and an employment fair.
Click here for more information.
Registration for 2012 BEEP Leadership Conference Open
Please click here to register for this year’s conference, taking place June 6-9, 2012 at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa in Orlando, Florida. This year’s theme is “Leadership Development: Empowered for Employment,” which will explore the different, varied aspects of leadership, from communication to vision, from service to excellence, arming us with the tools necessary to lead.
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