Civil & Human Rights

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Announcement from the Tucson-Southern Arizona Black Chamber of Commerce and cosponsors:

More events and contact information below the fold.

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Almost fifty years from the day of his original address at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Civil Rights Movement icon Representative John Lewis,
the last surviving speaker of the March, once again called out from
before the Lincoln Memorial for equality and voting rights. John Lewis At March On Washington: ‘I’m Not Going To Stand By And Let The Supreme Court Take The Right To Vote Away’:

“When I stood here 50 years ago, I said one man, one vote is the
African cry. It is ours, too. it must be ours,” he began, before
connecting the demands of 1963 to today’s struggles. “Almost 50 years
ago, I gave a little blood on that bridge in Selma, Alabama, for the
right to vote. I am not going to stand by and let the Supreme Court take
the right to vote away from us!”

LEWIS: You cannot stand by. You cannot sit down. You have to stand up, speak up, speak out and get in the way. Make some noise. The
vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It’s the most powerful
non-violent tool we have in a democratic society and we’ve got to use
it. Back in 1963 we didn’t have a cellular telephone, iPad,
iPod, but we used what we had to bring about a non-violent revolution.
And I said to all of the young people, you must get out there and push
and pull and make America what America should be for all of us. We must
say to the Congress, ‘Fix the Voting Rights Act.’

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Press release from the U.S. Postal Service, Postal Service Issues March on Washington Stamp – USPS.com:

Postal Service Issues March on Washington Stamp

Rep. John Lewis, Gabrielle Union and Thousands of Americans Help Unveil the 1963 March on Washington Stamp Artwork with a Virtual Stamp Mosaic

August 23, 2013

WASHINGTON — Equality has a stamp of its own
today as the U.S. Postal Service introduces the 1963 March on Washington
limited-edition Forever stamp to commemorate the 50th anniversary of
the historic milestone. For the first time, the Postal Service unveiled
the stamp artwork with the help of people across the country. Throughout
this month, individuals added their photo to the March on Washington
stamp on the U.S. Postal Service’s Stamps Facebook page to help reveal a
small piece of the stamp.

During today’s First-Day-of-Issuance ceremony at the Newseum in
Washington, DC, actress Gabrielle Union added her Twitter profile photo
to the mosaic to reveal the final piece of the 1963 March on Washington
stamp.

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), the last surviving speaker at the March,
joined The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The
Leadership Conference Education Fund President and CEO Wade Henderson;
U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr.; Deputy Postmaster General
Ronald A. Stroman and Union to officially dedicate the stamp and
underscore the importance of this historic event.

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell was the keynote speaker at a CEO forum in North Carolina, and had some pointed comments to make about that state's "worst voter suppression law" in the nation. Speaking in Raleigh, Colin Powell blasts North Carolina voting law:

Moments after Gov. Pat McCrory left the stage, former Secretary of
State Colin Powell took aim at North Carolina's new voting law Thursday,
saying it hurts the Republican Party, punishes minority voters and
makes it more difficult for everyone to vote.

"I want to see policies that encourage every American to vote, not
make it more difficult to vote," said Powell, a Republican, at the CEO
Forum in Raleigh.

"It immediately turns off a voting block the Republican Party needs,"
Powell continued. "These kinds of actions do not build on the base. It
just turns people away."