Professor of African American Studies at Emory University and author of “One Person No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy.”
Professor of African American Studies at Emory University and author of “One Person No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy.”
Voter Suppression, Climate Change and the President As America prepares to vote again, a question remains from 2016: are the Russians still “meddling” with US elections? Meantime, are Republican election officials in Georgia and Kansas suppressing the vote to serve their own interests? Those updates and the latest on climate change: President Trump says, maybe it’s not a hoax after all.
Voter Suppression and November’s Elections Voting may be the lynchpin of democracy, but it’s not a right guaranteed by the Constitution. The Founding Fathers set the stage for the dirty tricks and legal discrimination we see today. Just weeks before the November elections, two experts update voter suppression strategies and the role played by the US Supreme Court.
Ben Affleck, PBS, and Whitewashing a Slave-Holding Ancestor What happens when academia and Hollywood collide? Ben Affleck has now admitted that he asked Henry Louis Gates, Jr., of the PBS show Finding Your Roots, to omit the fact that one of his ancestors owned slaves. The cover-up was revealed after WikiLeaks published emails between Gates and Sony Pictures co-chairman Michael Lynton. Affleck wrote on his Facebook page yesterday that he felt embarrassed by his history but now regrets the decision to cover it up. Is this reflective of a bigger dilemma in how our culture handles the topic of slavery?
What you need to know about the Gas Tax Last year, California legislators increased California’s gas tax by 12 cents a gallon. The revenue raised from the increases, over $5 billion a year, is supposed to be spent on improving transportation in the state. But there’s been a backlash to the gas tax increase, resulting in Proposition 6 on the November ballot. If passed, it would roll back the tax and require all future fuel tax increases to get voter approval.
Is a ‘Red State Democrat’ Even a Democrat? Democrats and progressives were scratching their heads last week when West Virginia’s senator broke with the Democratic Party. We get their reaction.
Crossing borders, in mind and in the flesh The U.S. border with Mexico has become a linchpin in American politics under the administration of Donald Trump.
Implicit bias training discriminates against white people, anonymous parents say Author Pico Iyer returns to Santa Barbara to preview his upcoming speaker series. Columnist Starshine Roshell brings us inside the surprisingly large world of local trivia nights. And more controversy at the Santa Barbara Unified School District, as a group of anonymous parents threatens to sue school leaders over an implicit bias training program it claims discriminates against white people.
