If you live in Kentucky, last month you heard some welcome news. If you had a previous felony conviction and served your time you were about to regain your right to vote thanks to an executive order by the outgoing Governor Steve Beshear. That all changed when the new Governor, Matt Bevin, rescinded that executive order, snatching away the promise of restoring the vote. This now means that 140,000 people who are out of prison, living in the community, paying taxes and raising families, remain disfranchised for life. We cannot call on individuals to resume responsibility of citizenship without returning to them their fundamental constitutional rights. One in 5 African Americans in Kentucky have previous convictions, which means that 1 in 5 African Americans in Kentucky are not only unable to vote, but they are also not allowed to serve on a jury or run for office. Preventing individuals from having their voices heard in our democracy, preventing them from representation and the opportunity to represent themselves is a terrible policy. Let Kentucky’s legislators know that - when it comes to democracy - all eyes are on them. When the legislative session starts in January, they have the power to make good on a lost promise; they can act to restore the right to vote for thousands of participating citizens in their state.

An ongoing right-wing campaign in Israel against Israeli human rights groups like B'Tsalem has recently escalated. The Israeli Right is attacking these human rights groups as foreign "plants" [1] because they receive funding from European governments, and right-wing Israeli legislators have proposed to punish Israeli human rights groups that receive foreign government funding. But the restrictions proposed in the Knesset would apply only to human rights groups that receive funding from foreign governments, not to right-wing political groups that receive funding from foreign private sources - like GOP casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. [2] The private U.S. fundraising of the right-wing settler movement, which receives tax-exempt U.S. donations, [3] would not be touched. Urge President Obama and Congress to support U.S. legislation and regulations that would ensure that similar restrictions to whatever is enacted in the Knesset against "foreign funding" of Israeli human rights groups are applied in the U.S. to private U.S. funding of the Israeli Right and the settler movement by signing our petition. References: 1. http://peacenow.org/entry.php?id=15954#.Vnra2d-rSAw 2. http://www.timesofisrael.com/government-bill-would-oblige-ngos-to-declare-foreign-funding/ 3. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-is-the-us-subsidizing-israeli-settlements/2015/12/21/407c3558-a781-11e5-9b92-dea7cd4b1a4d_story.html

Please support the American Civil Liberties Union in this fight for equal rights for all Americans. As stated by the ACLU of Kentucky, "government officials, from the highest to the lowest, have a duty and responsibility to impartially administer the laws that exist, not the laws as they wish them to be.” Thus, not only is this order out of the scope of Governor Bevin's executive authority, but it paves the way for further discrimination against the LGBT community within the state of Kentucky.

We, the Undersigned, are writing to you today because we are concerned about the message that the Director of the Williamson Museum is sending to our community and county with a planned Old South Ball -- A Civil War Soirée -- on January 30, 2016. We are a County and City that did not actually support the inclusion of Texas into the Confederate Union. To quote the Texas State Historical Society: Unionist sentiment was strong in the county, and a resolution denouncing secession was adopted by a Texas Constitutional Union party meeting in Round Rock in 1860. One of the county's delegates to the secession convention, Thomas Proctor Hughes, was among the eight who voted against the ordinance of secession. When the ordinance was referred to a statewide election, Williamson County was one of 19 counties to oppose it, rejecting secession by 480 votes to 349. We also have a long history of unfortunate incidents in the County of racially motivated harassment and killings. Though Mr. Moody did successfully prosecute the KKK for an incident involving a white man, the Klan did not disappear. Where they were a public organization before Mr. Moody, they became a wink and nod of an underground organization after Mr. Moody's successful prosecution. Further, a grand Southern Ball, with uniformed soldiers and ladies in grand antebellum dresses, does not in any way accurately reflect the period or time in Williamson County. Back in the 1860s a party would more likely have been a small dance in day clothes at someone's house. What is being created is a slaver's plantation ball with all the finery and trimmings and glory of the Deep South. Do we really want to aggrandize that, let alone distort local history? This is not an event that represents a living history of our community or county. There are many fine times and events that could be honored, times that do not smack of white privilege and one of the darkest times in American history. Perhaps we should glorify our resistance to Secession and slavery instead of celebrating the senseless death of hundreds of thousands of men, the destruction of the American Union, and the enslavement, oppression and murder of humans owned by wealthy Southern landowners. Hate should not be part of anyone's heritage. We should reconsider a grand Old South Ball. It sends the wrong message to the community and the world in times that are still troubled by racial strife and violence. Perhaps we could create an event that celebrates our unity and that respects our diversity, an event that would bring together all of Georgetown and Williamson County.

UPDATE 1/19/16: A couple weeks ago, Governor Snyder signed SB 13 into law (and also SB 571, which allows more dark money into Michigan elections). SB 13 removed straight ticket voting, so there will be much longer lines at crowded polling places on major elections. His comment during the bill signing was "To alleviate concerns that this change could lead to longer wait times for voters, I'm asking the Legislature to enact secured no-reason absentee voting." Since the Senate specifically refused a companion bill that would have expanded absentee voting, and forced the House to go along with it in a late night of sausage-making in Lansing, this seems unlikely (to put it mildly). Another black eye for Michigan. - This idea has been proposed before in Michigan and rejected by a vote of the people. But this time, the legislature has added an appropriation so it can't be overturned at the ballot box. It's opposed by local clerks and election officials from around the state, because they recognize -- both Democrats and Republicans -- that this will hurt Michigan voters. The legislature didn't listen, and now Governor Snyder is our last chance. The bill passed the Senate and the House late Wednesday night, and is on its way to Governor Snyder. He has not said yet whether he will veto it or sign it into law. Tell Snyder we want solutions that will help people to vote (such as no reason absentee, early voting, same day registration), NOT disenfranchise Michigan voters. More about the bill: http://michiganradio.org/post/local-clerks-blast-bill-eliminate-straight-ticket-voting-michigan http://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2015/12/16/lansing-ready-eliminate-straight-party-ticket-voting/77411352/

Human rights attorney and advocate Waleed Abu al-Khair - a Nobel Peace Prize nominee - worked for the release of other Saudi human rights advocates from prison, including Raif Badawi, the blogger jailed and sentenced to 1,000 lashes. In retaliation for this advocacy, Saudi Arabia’s government sentenced Waleed to 15 years in jail. He has been beaten, deprived of sleep and moved from jail to jail. Amnesty International, calling Waleed a prisoner of conscience suffering purely for exercising his right to freedom of expression, has demanded that the Saudi government drop all charges against Waleed and free him from his unjust imprisonment. [1] Urge President Obama and Congress to press for Waleed's release by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.write.amnestyusa.org/case/waleed/

My entire life, I've stood alongside people of different faith and ethnic backgrounds in the fight for justice, because I know that solidarity is the only way we'll all win. That's why I was appalled to learn about a Christian professor's suspension from Wheaton College for speaking out in support of Muslims. Dr. Larycia Hawkins is a political scientist who has taught at Wheaton College in Illinois since 2007. She wore a headscarf to class to show solidarity with Muslim-American women, who have faced increased hate crimes as Islamophobia has spiked this election season. Shortly thereafter, she was placed on leave. Dr. Hawkins had also posted on Facebook that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, which the college said failed to "faithfully represent the college's evangelical Statement of Faith." The college is entitled to stand by its theology, but Dr. Hawkins' was showing us the best of character. Her action was rooted in a concern for the people around her--even people with different beliefs--and a concern for justice. These aren't principles to be suspended for.

There is a rising tide of hateful rhetoric and violence aimed at our Muslim and Arab community members, at refugees fleeing violence, at immigrants and at people of color in our communities. This swell of hate and fear permeating our national dialogue is dangerous. We believe it must be met head-on with clear statements of principle from local business owners because we are leaders in our communities.

Civil Rights Law Enforcement is a function of government, not individual citizens. Section 706(b) of Title VII needs a more consistent enforcement policy.

I start this petition with great concern for the civil and human rights of persons of color, having witnessed police officers in Minneapolis and Hennepin County commit perjury, lie under oath, in order to convict persons of color with or without prior records. I and other researchers know the shooters of the BLM activists were escorted to the site by police and escaped with MPD help. I also know MPD will continue to stalk persons of color to either pad arrest statistics or to harm or worse murder...with the knowledge they can and will and have gotten away with it. We request that the MPD be placed in federal receivership until the city can produce officer candidates capable of providing equal justice under the law for all.

As a former teacher and school-based administrator, I understand the importance of system-wide consistency in responses by school staff members to acts of bullying and intolerance.

On October 20, 2014, 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was brutally gunned down by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke. Even though Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel knew about this gruesome murder, it wasn’t until communities rose up in protest and a journalist sued the city of Chicago to get video footage of the murder released, that Mayor Emanuel decided to act [1]. In a recent op-ed, Mayor Emanuel stated “At the end of the day, I am the mayor and I own it. I take responsibility for what happened and I will fix it.” Since the release of the police dashboard camera, Mayor Emanuel has fired Chicago Police Supt. Gary McCarthy and assembled a five-person task force on police accountability [2]. However, these actions fail to address the role Mayor Emanuel played in covering up Laquan McDonald’s murder. Mayor Emanuel’s negligent and possibly criminal leadership kept the McDonald family in the dark about what really happened to their son. Instead of demanding that killer cop Jason Van Dyke be held accountable for his violent actions, Mayor Emanuel has been working hard to protect his own effort to get re-elected. Before the video was released, Mayor Emanuel had praised the efforts of his former police chief, defended the city’s investigations of police shootings, and resisted a federal investigation into the police department. By turning a blind eye to the brutal murder of Laquan McDonald, Mayor Emanuel is clearly demonstrating his lack of concern for Black lives. Chicago residents deserve better! Demand that Mayor Rahm Emanuel resigns. DeAngelo Bester, Workers Center for Racial Justice Charlene Carruthers, BYP100 Byron Hobbs, SOUL Katelyn Johnson, Action Now References “Rahm Emanuel, Anita Alvarez – where’s your resignation?” The Grio, 12-02-2015, http://on.thegrio.com/1XN4QRG “Rahm Emanuel Denies Laquan McDonald Cover-Up In Op-Ed” The Huffington Post, 12-04-2015, http://huff.to/1IvbzbQ