Our greatest right is the right to vote in the country. Without it, We the People, can not make the change we need to make this country great again. Don't make it harder to vote. Make it easier so everyone can make voting a part of their lifestyle.

The Voting Rights Act is one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation Congress ever passed. Last year's Supreme Court decision weakened critical provisions of it. Right now, Congress can restore those protections by passing this important bill. Rep. Sanford should support this effort by cosponsoring and fighting for a strong bill. Justice demands it.

It is critical to support a law that will require age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention education in grades Pre-k through 12 grade. Since 25% of all female children and almost 17% of all male children "will" be sexually molested, and 80% of these children will not report such molestation, a law to prevent the occurrence and empower children to report attempts or an actual incidence of sexual molestation, is critical to the safety and health of the children of North Carolina. In addition, since North Carolina spends over $62,675,735 each year on the direct and immediate costs of child sexual abuse, to be proactive in preventing sexual abuse on children, will reduce funds now spent to address the aftermath of such abuse. Such funds would be better used to prevent childhood sexual molestation, which further establishes the benefits and need of Erin's Law being a reality in North Carolina.

In the Pope Francis era, you'd think that an unmarried woman who becomes pregnant and decides to have the baby, rather than have an abortion, would have the support of her church. But a beloved Catholic teacher in Montana was just fired simply for becoming pregnant. According to diocesan officials, she's now a bad example for her students. This is exactly what Pope Francis is getting at when he warns that the church needs to stop being so punitive and sex-obsessed. Already a leading Catholic theologian is criticizing the diocese, saying that when "Catholic teaching on sexual matters is so widely dismissed, even by Catholics, this kind of necessarily selective enforcement is going to make Catholic teaching seem arbitrary and cruel." So far, the Bishop of Helena, George Leo Thomas, hasn't spoken publicly about this case. So we're launching a petition calling on him to give the teacher, Shaela Evenson, her job back -- will you sign?

Montgomery Bell Park in Dickson, Tennessee will be hosting a major annual conference of white supremacists for the third year in a row from April 25-27, 2014. This is the 12th conference of the white supremacist group American Renaissance (AmRen). AmRen is designated a hate group by a number of human rights organizations. The presence of a hate group composed of nazis and other fascists in Montgomery Bell Park is unacceptable and presents a clear and present danger to public health and safety. What is AmRen? Amren is a newsletter that publishes pseudo-scientific research which argues that people of color are intellectually and morally inferior to white people. The organization is led by a white supremacist named Jared Taylor. Previous attendees at the conference include Ku Klux Klan members (including former KKK “Grand Wizard” David Duke), neo-Nazis (such as Don Black who runs the neo-Nazi website “stormfront“), holocaust deniers, anti-immigration thugs, and other racist and fascist groups and people who promote racial hatred. Who is Supposed to be at the Conference This Year? Some speakers at this conference include: John Derbyshire an ex-writer for the National Review who was recently fired for a racist rant he published advising white parents to teach their children to “avoid concentrations of blacks not all known to you personally”, “before voting for a black politician scrutinize his/her character much more carefully than you would a white”, “do not act the Good Samaritan to blacks in apparent distress”, etc. He currently writes for a white supremacist and anti-immigration website called vdare where he wrote recently that, “White supremacy, in the sense of a society in which key decisions are made by white Europeans, is one of the better arrangements history has come up with.” Jack Donovan, a homophobe and “Men’s Rights Activist” who openly calls for violent attacks on LGBTQ people and is an advocate for fascism. Sam Dickson an anti-Semite who is a former lawyer for the Ku Klux Klan and holocaust denier. He is a white nationalist who attacks affirmative action, interracial marriage, gays and lesbians, and immigration. Andrew Brons who is a British nazi who leads a far-right organization called the “British Democratic Party” that is composed of other fascists and nazis. Jared Taylor who believes that black people are genetically predisposed to having lower IQs than whites and has stated in an article published on his website that, “Blacks and whites are different. When blacks are left entirely to their own devices, western civilization, any kind of civilization, disappears.” What Can We Do? Join us Saturday, April 26 at 4pm outside the Montgomery Bell Park Inn and Convention Center to protest these nazis and white supremacists! You can contact Governor Bill Haslam at 615-741-2001. You could also call Commissioner Bob Martineau of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) at 615-532-0106 or you could call Montgomery Bell Park and voice your concerns at 615-797-9051. If you would like to contact us for further information about the protest on April 26 or to let us know how your conversation went with the Governor's office or other representative please email us at [email protected] Here is an example of what you could say: "Hello my name is _____. I am concerned about the American Renaissance (AmRen) white supremacist conference that Montgomery Bell Park is planning to host from April 25th through the 27th. I see the decision to host this conference as an irresponsible promotion of racist ideology and if you do not cancel the conference I will no longer be able to patronize the Montgomery Bell Park Inn and will be advising my family and friends to do the same. American Renaissance is a hate group composed of nazis and other fascists and its presence in the park is a clear and present danger to public health and safety. This is unacceptable and I urge you to take immediate action on this issue."

Carol Parker and her mother were long-time congregants at St. Columban Catholic Church in Chillicothe, MO, so when her mother died, it was only natural that her funeral would be held there. Carol never guessed that she’d be denied communion at her mother’s funeral Mass simply because she's a lesbian. When the local priest read Carol’s mom’s obituary, he learned that Carol was in a committed relationship with her female partner. He then told Carol and her partner that he would refuse to serve them communion. Imagine receiving the news that, despite over ten years of active membership in the church, including singing in the choir, and volunteering as a cantor and a lector, you would be excluded from communion at your own mother’s funeral. When the exact same thing happened in another diocese two years ago, the priest was subsequently removed from ministry. So let’s stand with Carol and her partner in their time of grief, and make sure the local bishop and the media see how many people are appalled by this hateful discrimination.

Judge Clay Jenkins has introduced a measure to provide funding for a mailer to county residents for the purpose of informing people how to comply with the new discriminatory voter ID laws. While we don’t agree with the Voter ID requirement law, the least our elected officials can do is make a concerted effort to help as many people vote despite these new restrictions on voting.

Ten special ed kids tried out for the talent show and not one of them were put through to perform. They said they were close, but didn't have enough talent and didn't want to embarrass them.

In MTA-NYCT, Level I Station Supervisors, are being exploited, bullied, forced, and intimidated into performing the exact same duties of, Level II Station Supervisors, for less pay. NYCT ignores, "The Lilly Ledbedder Fair Pay Act of 2009," Equal Work, Equal Pay. This type of inhumane slave labor should not exist in the 21st Century, and with a giant conglomerate as, MTA-NYCT.

Not just as Black women or Black mothers, but as deeply and truly concerned Sistas Inspiring Sistas feel that such an event simply should not occur. Besides the obvious question, How can Zimmerman (who claims a teen been him to the point of necessary deadly force) fight a fully grown man. According to his own testimony he should at minimum feel threatened and more appropriately in fear for his life. Zimmerman is a murderer not a celebrity. Murder is after all a capital crime. Nothing about a killing an unarmed youth is worthy of celebration. We consider this a mockery of justice and the legacy of Trayvon Martin. Furthermore, information has come to light concerning Damon Feldman’s lack of ethics as well. Mr. Feldman has been publicly sanctioned for fixing fights and promoting without proper fighter licensing ( In fact his ability to promote in Pennsylvania was taken during his sanctioning process). This knowledge also lends the idea that this fight may not be fair and in so doing could stir further racial unrest across the country and potentially the world. To Sistas Inspiring Sistas, Trayvon Martin’s death signifies the injustice and malfunctions of the legal system and should NOT be glorified as entertainment. We could not affect the disappointing verdict outcome last summer, but we can do something about this travesty now. Sistas Inspiring Sistas, a positive organization of Black women across the country, asks that you stand with us and sign this petition in support of canceling this match. Please support our pettition and any others including https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-george-zimmerman-and-promoter-damon-feldman-using-murder-racial-hate-america-profit/0yVh1nVD

The Election Laws Conference Committee will reconcile the differences between election modernization bills passed by the Massachusetts Senate and House. The Committee will ultimately decide whether Massachusetts becomes a national leader in expanding opportunities to vote or whether we continue to lag behind a majority of other states. And the decision could be made any day now. Help keep the pressure on the committee members to advance comprehensive election modernization legislation that will make a real difference in ensuring free, fair and accessible elections in Massachusetts. Massachusetts may not be home to the worst kinds of voter suppression and restrictive voting laws, but our outdated laws unnecessarily disenfranchise countless voters and throw up needless hurdles to voting. Take a stand today for one of the strongest voter rights bills in the country. Senator Finegold, Senator DiDomenico, Senator Hedlund, Representative J. Murphy, Representative M. Moran, and Representative Frost are the six conferees.

The Afghan Parliament has passed a law that would effectively silence women and girls who are attacked by family members by banning them from testifying against anyone they are related to... no matter how horrible the crime. President Karzai could sign this bill any day now, so please sign the petition now. The United States has invested too much in Afghanistan to allow it to backslide to the barbarism women and girls faced under Taliban rule.