Civil & Human Rights

Postal Service Issues March on Washington Stamp

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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


StampWASHINGTON — 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.

Colin Powell blasts North Carolina’s ‘worst voter suppression law’ in the nation

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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."

U.S. Department of Justice sues Texas over Voter ID

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The U.S. Department of Justice has previously filed a Section 3 claim under the Voting Rights Act against the State of Texas for its discriminatory redistricting maps.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice dropped the other shoe, as anticipated, suing the State of Texas for its Voter ID law. You can read the DOJ complaint
Here.

The Washington Post reports Justice Department sues Texas over voter ID law:

The Justice Department on Thursday redoubled its efforts to challenge
state voting laws, suing Texas over its new voter ID measure as part of
a growing political showdown over electoral rights.

The move marked the latest bid by the Obama administration to
counter a Supreme Court ruling that officials have said threatens the
voting rights of minorities. It also signaled that the administration
will probably take legal action in voting rights cases in other states,
including North Carolina, where the governor signed a voter ID law this
month.

Rep. Matt Salmon on immigration reform – ‘no citizenship for you!’

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

At least one editor of The Arizona Republic appears to be OK with the Republican National Committee (RNC) position of "no citizenship for you!" in immigration reform. The Republic editorials have previously been supportive of the "Gang of Eight" comprehensive immigration reform bill sponsored by Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake.

Joanna Allhands, writes Does Salmon have the right immigration answer?

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the immigration reforms most
likely to pass the U.S. House won’t involve a path to citizenship for
adults. Too many in the GOP simply won’t go for it.

But can reform still be meaningful without that piece?

U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon, one of the Republicans who remains against the
path to citizenship, is pressing to grant undocumented adults a type of
provisional status that they can renew every few years. It would allow
them to get driver’s licenses and work here legally as long as they are
employed and don’t break the law. But it would just be that: presence,
not belonging.

When asked Wednesday during a meeting with The Republic‘s
editorial board if such a status would create a second class of
citizens, Salmon answered with a question: “Well, what are they now? …
They’re not really anything.”

Offering legal presence, he said, at least moves the ball up the field.

Nationwide strike by fast-food employees on August 29

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Posted  by AzBlueMeanie:

A coalition of labor, religious and other groups are calling for a nationwide strike by fast-food employees on August 29. Erik Sherman at CBS MoneyWatch reports, Fast-food workers urged to stage nationwide strike:

The call for a strike came this week from a public relations agency
that counts both the Service Employees International Union and United
Food & Commercial Workers as clients. Both labor groups are among
dozens of local and national religious, political, and union groups
supporting the call for strikes. Last month, the same groups supported walkouts in some fast-food restaurants
across seven cities. Others that have supported the event are the
United Auto Workers, the Presbyterian Church USA, individual churches
and synagogues like St. John's Catholic Church of St. Louis, and some
members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, including Minnesota
Congressman Keith Ellison.

The groups are calling for a
minimum wage of $15 an hour for fast-food workers, along with more
protections for employees wishing to unionize. According to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage last year for the
nation's roughly 505,000 fast-food cooks was $9.03 an hour, which amounts to $18,780 per year. The 2.9 million food preparation and serving workers had an average hourly wage of $9, or annual income of $18,720.

For many fast-food employees, even those low wages overstate their pay.
The annual wage estimates assume full-time employment of 2,080 hours a
year, or 40 hours a week, for a full 52 weeks. Many franchises limit
workers to working part-time, which keeps them from qualifying for
health care and other benefits.