United States citizens and residents have the freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association. Protesters' civil rights are being trampled on and violated. Putin stops protests in Russia and Xi Jinping hurts protesters in China but this is not acceptable in the United States of America. Photo credit: Skylor Powell

As we reopen our schools, we must also support the safety and economic stability of our local communities by ensuring that frontline workers are valued with living wages, family health care benefits, and access to quality, affordable child care and education. We must take this opportunity not just to recover from the COVID-19 crisis but to reset the course of investment in education. We must also begin to tear-down the systemic racism that denies all children a quality education and make fundamental changes to ensure all students and employees can learn and work in safe, clean, and supportive schools – now and into the future. To do so, plans to reopen our schools must be guided by these principles: **Distance Learning Until It is Safe to Reopen Health experts recommend 14 days of no new cases before resuming school in person. All the school districts that do not have low community spread of COVID and adequate resources for a full reopening should be able to continue virtual learning. We call upon local counties and the state government to support virtual learning with community resources and technology support. **Maintain Local Control Local school boards have the constitutional power to make educational decisions for their communities and should be free to do so without threats or punishments from state and federal authorities. School boards are uniquely suited to make the best decisions for their communities, as they are elected leaders who work in conjunction with local organizations to best serve their community. Local school boards should work with a panel of local health experts during the reopening process to make reopening decisions without interference from the State government. **Cover ALL employees wages and benefits as budgeted All workers are essential. As soon as it is safe, School Districts will resume in person learning. In order to maintain continuity and availability of an experienced workforce, we are calling for the School Districts to continue to cover ALL employees wages and benefits as budgeted. The State should call on the Federal Government to allocate additional resources for School Districts struggling during this financial crisis. **Focus on our communities The pandemic has laid bare how much working families depend on schools for food, child care, wellness and other basic needs. Community organizations that support families by becoming “safe havens” for children during working hours should be fully supported by the school district. As communities recover, schools must more fully engage parents and front line workers to identify neighborhood needs and appropriately target the expansion of meal programs, after school activities, health care access (including COVID-19 testing) and other safety-net services. **Ensure full support and resources for our most vulnerable students The shutdown of our schools has disproportionately impacted students of color, immigrants and students with special needs, as well as the essential classified school workers who provide them with critical services. As School Districts are considering reopening plans, learning-loss and achievement gaps must be addressed immediately through expanded instructional assistance, full access to technology for all, counseling and other services that support vulnerable students. School boards need the flexibility to work with individual families and staff to best meet the needs of students, including home visits or other workable solutions. School boards must provide language and translation services for non-English-speaking parents **Prioritize safety and cleanliness for all In the past, the regular sanitizing of classrooms and campuses has long been regarded as a “wish-list” item for schools rather than a priority. As a result, maintenance budgets have suffered the greatest budget cuts, staffing levels have been drastically reduced and school districts have struggled to maintain basic cleanliness standards. We are calling for a SAFE reopening of schools, which will require proper protective equipment for all, training, testing and appropriate staffing of maintenance workers to protect students in every environment where they learn – from school buses to classrooms to playgrounds and cafeterias. CDC Guidelines should be fully adhered along with advice from local health experts. **Training and Technology Support School Districts must invest in providing training on new safety protocols as well as training on new technology. The schools should also provide technology support for the staff who are expected to perform duties virtually during this time. Staff and families also need additional training on best practices to reduce the spread of COVID and other germs. **Recognize and respect the role of essential school workers As most of the world has sheltered at home, custodians, food service workers and other essential school staff have risked exposure to COVID-19 to maintain the safety and well-being of our communities. But their recognition as heroes of the pandemic has also highlighted the low-wage, part-time nature of this predominantly Black and Brown workforce. As we rebuild our schools, we must also support the economic stability of our local communities by ensuring that the contributions of frontline workers are valued with living wages, family health care benefits, and access to quality, affordable child care. **Bold investment in our schools and communities Our response to this unprecedented pandemic cannot be budget cuts and business as usual. We must challenge elected leaders to create a more progressive fiscal system. We must create new revenue streams where the wealthy pay their fair share and our budget is not balanced on the backs of school custodians, cafeteria workers, special education assistants and other essential employees. We must put equity for all of our students and staff at the center of our rebuilding efforts.

America just lost a giant in the fight for civil rights. If our senators want to honor Rep. John Lewis, they must continue his legacy -- by passing the Voting Rights Advancement Act. For six decades, Lewis fought tirelessly to expand and protect the rights of Black voters and other voters of color. And the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 was one of the crown jewels of his lifelong struggle. Under the VRA, states and counties with a history of discrimination had to get federal approval for new voting laws -- which stopped thousands of harmful provisions from taking effect. But the Supreme Court gutted that requirement in 2013, inviting power-hungry politicians to silence voters. Strict voter ID requirements in Texas. Voter roll purges in Georgia. Polling place shutdowns in Arizona and Mississippi. And not even the COVID-19 crisis could put a stop to this blatant voter suppression -- many of the states once subject to preclearance are now refusing to make vote-by-mail more accessible. In December 2019, the House passed the Voting Rights Advancement Act -- a new, updated version of the Voting Rights Act that restores key protections for voters -- as Rep. Lewis himself held the gavel. But the bill has remained untouched on Mitch McConnell’s desk for months, even though the Senate voted unanimously to renew the VRA in 2006. So while McConnell calls Lewis an “American hero” and lauds his pioneering work -- he is also stonewalling the bill that Lewis risked his life for. [1] If you believe that Mitch McConnell and the Senate must pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act, add your name today. As Rep. Lewis said: "We have come too far and made too much progress to stop now." 1) https://twitter.com/senatemajldr/status/1284344881117364225

Federal police, dressed in camouflage with no identification, are snatching up Black Lives Matter protestors from the streets of Portland, Oregon, into unmarked vans and arresting them. The governor of Oregon has asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pull these federal forces out of the city — but the director of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, has refused. Now Trump says he's going to do the same thing in cities across America. Trump and the DHS have crossed a bright red line, trampling over both people’s civil liberties and states’ rights. And the agency is setting a terrifying precedent of the Trump administration occupying cities and abusing human rights against their will. We need Congress to act right now to stop this and save our democracy.

Bryan Brayboy, who is the President’s Professor of Indigenous Education and Justice in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University, says this: “The social science research and literature on this is pretty overwhelming that the use of these caricatures is bad for everyone. Particularly, it’s bad for children. . . For non-native kids, it largely inures them toward racism toward native people. It ends up giving them the sense that native folks and peoples are a thing of the past or are to be caricatured, so they are less likely to have empathy with native peoples, and they come to see us as these relics of the past and stereotypes rather than vibrant, viable, productive human beings.” The American Psychological Association (APA) agrees with Professor Brayboy and has been calling on schools and teams to stop using American “Indian” mascots, symbols, images, and personalities since 2005. The APA says that not only do these symbols, images, and mascots perpetuate inaccuracies about Native American culture, but they teach young minds that it is acceptable to participate in culturally abusive behaviors and discrimination. Twin Lakes has attempted to ensure its representation of indigenous peoples is “respectful”—for instance, discouraging cartoonish depictions of the “Indian” mascot. But turning people into a stereotype causes serious harm even if the stereotype is intended to be or perceived as positive by the local community. One study found that mascots subconsciously reinforce stereotypes, even when exposure to the mascot is only incidental, and that people who live in cities with teams with Native American mascots were more likely to think of Native Americans as warlike. These names and images demean and dehumanize Native American people. When a community reduces rich, varied cultures to a logo on a t-shirt or a wall, the community is saying that those living, breathing people are “other than” and relics and insignificant to the current society. Indigenous people are not artifacts of the past; nor are they peoples who only exist in other places. The United States recognizes 567 tribes today. In 2010, the U.S. Census found that 49,738 American Indian and Alaska Natives live in Indiana. The past is still important to acknowledge, though, because we live in Indiana, the “Land of the Indians,” and there are zero reservations here. When French traders arrived in the area that we now know as White County and Monticello, they encountered the Miami. Later, the Potawatomi people migrated into modern-day Indiana and were soon joined by other tribes as they were pushed out of ancestral homelands in the eastern United States, including the Delaware and Shawnee (who settled Prophetstown). By 1850, however, the Native American populations in Indiana were largely reduced, but not because they had “disappeared.” They were pushed west yet again in forced migrations like the “Potawatomi Trail of Death.” Our ancestors took control of this land by killing and abusing native peoples and forcing them from their homes. It is hollow for us to claim that we are honoring native peoples by plastering stylized images of indigenous bodies and cultural symbols on buildings which stand on land stolen from those same peoples. Some will claim these symbols represent our history, but even if such images could be a genuine way to honor native peoples, the images Twin Lakes uses are offensive in terms of historical inaccuracy. The feathered war bonnet so prominently featured both within and outside our school buildings and on logos has zero ties with the indigenous people who lived in our area. Similarly, tipis, like the one that so long graced our football field, come from the Plains Tribes of the northwestern U.S, not here, and totem poles, like the one featured prominently in the high school gym, originated from traditions in the Pacific Northwest. Around the country, and indeed the world, people are finally recognizing that “Indian” mascots are unacceptable. Stereotyping and appropriating the symbols of people who have been marginalized is wrong. We call on Twin Lakes now to join in this growing tide. Whatever the reasons for the “Indian” mascot, it is time to make a change. This is not about school spirit. It’s about acknowledging that indigenous peoples are not suitable mascots. The children—Native Americans and non-natives alike—deserve better.

If we value the ability to live and speak freely, this is imperative to every single person living in the United States, as well as those we affect abroad.

Many studies have proven that face masks help stop the spread of Covid-19, and the CDC is calling for universal mask wearing. Masks have been mandated in public places already, but one area that hasn't been addressed in Kansas and Missouri is events such as weddings. These type of events have the potential to be super spreaders, especially now that gathering limits have been lifted. Outbreaks in many areas have already been traced back to social events like weddings. People in attendance are not always able to adhere to physical distancing guidelines, such as when they are watching the ceremony, mingling and dancing. We, as contracted vendors are also required to be there, but we are not being protected while doing our jobs. Several other cities, counties and states across the United States [such as Jackson, TN, Platte and Clay Counties in Missouri, Springfield, MO and the states of Oregon, Louisiana, and Texas] have put mask mandates in place for weddings and similar events so that people can continue to hold their events, and make sure that everyone in attendance is protected. Tell Mayor Lucas, Governor Kelly and the County Commissioners to amend their respective mask mandates to include weddings and other social events.

Enough is enough. From the exposure of the racial discrimination lawsuit in our countywide police department to black and brown people being used as BOTH punching bags and target practice by those that are sworn to protect us. PGCHANGEMAKERS and its' allies say NO MORE to police brutality in Prince George's County! WARNING - These videos are triggering. Viewer discretion is advised. https://www.instagram.com/p/CCwcmizBy8M/ https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2707963206105717 https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=pg+police+beat+downs&docid=607990734244021592&mid=50FC9D5356C4EF95491F50FC9D5356C4EF95491F&view=detail&FORM=VIRE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMk4L9iaE7o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrOnhcBpEFE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBsQfk-iEew https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o75_fjwtkfE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xf6oLSPB10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UqziDwXJSU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0doXRLkv8E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo6m8AP5odA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF-UatpD44k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08OR_Dr1l8s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOa1rFM9T-0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKzigsYQn58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRi_smnYaCY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L3FyfbZVaM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKFfybKIaGw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfEhPjyBPDg

These are scenes out of a police state, not a democracy: heavily armed, unidentified federal agents are grabbing American citizens off the streets of a major American city, bundling them into vans and detaining them without charge. Local officials in Oregon are pushing back: the mayor of Portland has demanded these secretive federal troops leave the city, and the ACLU has filed suit. But this outrageous attack on civilians and peaceful protesters needs a loud, no-holds-barred national response NOW. If we don’t shut this down, Portland could be a trial run for Trump-backed paramilitary police squads deployed in cities nationwide. This is not a drill - it’s time to ring the alarm! Sign on to call on Congress to do everything within their power to shut down this authoritarian threat: from holding immediate hearings, to supporting Senator Ron Wyden’s amendment to the defense bill to stop the Trump administration from sending its paramilitary squads on to America's streets.

After an influx of revealing stories submitted by students who have been abused and traumatized by Greek organizations and their members at USC, it has come to the attention of USC's student body that these organizations are doing much more harm than good to our community. A recent study has grounded these perspectives in data, and those involved and uninvolved in Greek life at USC have shown us that empty promises and reforms are no longer tolerable. College is an introduction to adult life for many students, and Greek life acts as a precedent for how students should behave socially after they finish their time at USC. The normalization of sexual assault, white supremacist ideals, and gender or sexuality-based discrimination have no place in our students' first steps towards adult independence. The world around us is progressing rapidly, but by choosing not to stand with the abolishment of IFC and Panhellenic Greek organizations, USC will be left behind in social evolution.

The City of Bexley must recognize that institutional racism and discrimination, in all forms, exists, and has a painful, historic legacy in this country, the effects of which continue to place the health and well-being of minority citizens in crisis. The City of Bexley must pledge to work together with community groups, organizations, and individuals to confront systemic, institutional, and individual acts of racism and discrimination in order to promote equity, justice, and healing. The City of Bexley must reject, discourage, and condemn any and all racism, discrimination, and hate-based conduct in order to build and uphold a welcoming culture based on equity, dignity, respect, and inclusion of all people regardless of race, color, religion/non-religion, familial status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, language, age, disability, or genetic information.

John Lewis and C.T. Vivian should be the men that we create statues for. They spent their lives and careers to better the landscape for Black Americans and all Americans. This is who we should applaud. We can replace the KKK bust or other confederate statues.