A Mighty Oak Has Fallen - Dr. Vincent Gordon Harding (July 25, 1931 - May 19, 2014)

D.L. Chandler; Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove; Rose Marie Berger
Dr. Vincent G. Harding, Civil Rights pioneer, colleague, advisor and speechwriter for Dr. Martin Luther King, died this week at age 82. He drafted King's anti-Vietnam War speech, "Breaking the Silence". As people like King and Rosa Parks became icons, Harding insisted that America could not celebrate their lives without continuing to devote ourselves to the work they and many others had done.

Race Matters - Justice Sotomayor's Dissent

William Greider; Julianne Hing; Justice Sonia Sotomayor
The Michigan case, Judge Sonia Sotomayor explained, is simply the latest example of an old and familiar abuse of the Constitution. The white majority used its power to change the rules in the middle of the game and deprive racial minorities of a fair shot at acquiring their just political rights.

The Disgraceful Rejection of Debo Adegbile

Scott Lemieux The American Prospect
Republicans voted against his approval as part of a broader anti-civil rights agenda, but the 7 Democrats who joined them ought to be mortified by their own cowardice.

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Labor Long Intertwined with Civil Rights

Jens Manuel Krogstad USA Today
Though the unions held themselves up as civil rights advocates, white workers often saw their black counterparts as a threat because they competed for the same jobs. In response, black workers formed coalitions to change unions from within. The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, for example, was founded in 1972. One union stood out when it came to opportunity and access for black workers: the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters with its significant black membership.

Friday Nite Videos -- Feb 21, 2014

Portside
Ellen Page at Time to Thrive. Flashmob: Ravel's Bolero. Truthful Tuesdays in South Carolina. 'Ew!' with Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell & First Lady Michelle Obama. Carolina Slim -- Every Day I Have the Blues.

Friday Nite Videos -- Feb 24, 2014

Portside
Michael Sam and the NFL. Language and Human Nature. Moral March on Raleigh. Are We Descended from Martians? Pete Seeger Speaks.

Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Rights, and the Legacy of Massive Resistance

Abigail Perkiss National Constitution Center
The Oklahoma legislature may consider a bill to end government licensing of marriage entirely. The bill, which is part of a broader strategy to avoid same-sex unions throughout the state, calls to mind efforts by lawmakers in the 1950s to undermine federally-mandated desegregation by shutting down public schools in the American South.

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Pete Seeger had profound impact on labor movement

Ross E. Weingarten The Poughkeepsie Journal
Pete Seeger marched and performed at hundreds of rallies for different unions over the years. "Pete has always had an interest in the labor movement and has been associated with unions," said, Henry Foner, who had known Seeger for more than 60 years. "Whenever there was a problem that a union had, Pete was always available."

Old South vs. New South: The 3rd Reconstruction

This interview was filmed four months prior to the launch of the Moral Monday movement, on Jan 3, 2013 in Durham, NC by Annabel Park & Eric Byler of Story of America. Rev. Dr. William Barber provides a seven minute reframing of American history that is surprisingly, even shockingly timely in the context of America's present-day battle over voting rights.

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