WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris spoke slowly but bluntly as she stared at Joe Biden, then began treating him as a hostile witness. The former prosecutor turned California senator started by saying she didn't think the former vice president was racist. But she criticized him for recently defending having worked with segregationists in...
House Set to Approve Sweeping Bill to Expand Gay Rights
WASHINGTON — Democrats in the House approved sweeping anti-discrimination legislation Friday that would extend civil rights protections to LGBT people by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The protections would extend to employment, housing, loan applications, education, public accommodations and other areas. Called the Equality Act, the...
Mexican American Group MEChA Eyes Name Change Amid Furor
MEChA, a Mexican American student group founded 50 years ago at the end of the turbulent 1960s, is considering a name change, highlighting the divisions between older civil rights leaders and college activists who are shunning traditional modes of ethnic identity. At a meeting Sunday in Los Angeles, student leaders...
Facebook Extends Ban on Hate Speech to ‘White Nationalists’
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook is extending its ban on hate speech to prohibit the promotion and support of white nationalism and white separatism. The company previously allowed such material even though it has long banned white supremacists. The social network said Wednesday that it didn't apply the ban previously to expressions of...
Muslim Group Seeks Congressional Probe on Terror Watchlist
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — A Muslim civil rights group called for a congressional investigation Wednesday after its lawsuit revealed that the U.S. government has shared its terrorist watchlist with more than 1,400 private entities, including hospitals and universities. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said Congress should look into why the...
Proposed Ballot Measure Would Let California Parolees Vote
SACRAMENTO — Tens of thousands of parolees would be allowed to vote under a state constitutional amendment proposed Monday by California's secretary of state and Democratic lawmakers who called it the next civil rights issue. The proposal intended for the 2020 ballot would help nearly 50,000 felons who have served...
Rediscovering America: A Quiz on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Fifty years ago, one of America’s key civil rights leaders — the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — was assassinated outside the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. As we honor King’s legacy on the January 15 federal holiday, the quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University in Ohio,...
Immigration Done Right? It Brings Peace & Prosperity
For the last several years, the United States has been gripped in a sharp debate over the flow of immigrants into our country. It is easy to get demoralized about the inability to reach a consensus, but understanding the complexity of the challenge could help us appreciate what stands in...
Immigration Done Right? It Brings Peace & Prosperity
For the last several years, the United States has been gripped in a sharp debate over the flow of immigrants into our country. It is easy to get demoralized about the inability to reach a consensus, but understanding the complexity of the challenge could help us appreciate what stands in...
Think You Know Martin Luther King Jr.? Try This Quiz
Fifty years ago, one of America’s key civil rights leaders — the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — was assassinated outside the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. As we honor King’s legacy on the Monday, Jan. 15 federal holiday, the quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University in...