A little girl endured the ugliness of racism and ostracism because a white establishment could not digest the thought of a black child graduating valedictorian from a previously all-white high-school in Southwest Georgia. That little girl was me and I vowed to spend the rest of my life scratching out the cancer of racism from its core.

North Carolina politicians are at it again. First, they passed laws to make it harder for people to vote and to deny unemployment benefits to tens of thousands of workers. Now, they’ve passed new rules to take even more rights away from North Carolinians. This time, they’re going after free speech. Right-wing politicians in Raleigh just passed changes to rules governing public access to their legislature. These changes ban protesters from chanting, singing or having signs and limit access to the General Assembly. This is a direct attack on the Moral Monday protests that have exposed the extreme agenda of these politicians. Don’t let them silence the voice of North Carolinians. Tell House Speaker Thom Tillis, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, Rep. Tim Moore and Gov. Pat McCrory it’s un-American, and to reverse the rules now.

Vermont is the first state in the nation to pass a law requiring all Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in food to be labeled for consumers. Now, Monsanto and other corporations in the the food industry are planning to launch a lawsuit against the state claiming this law violates their right to free speech, by forcing disclosure of GMOs. Consumers want to know what’s in their food. Food producers don’t want to disclose that information. Vermont is taking on a very powerful enemy to defend the rights of consumers against corporations, and this could set a very important legal precedent. Sign the petition: We deserve to know what's in our food. Stand with Vermont, as they face a lawsuit from Monsanto and Big Ag, for being the first state in the nation to require GMO labeling.

We would like to show lawmakers as well as the general public that we support the Dental Practice Act of Arkansas as written.

The new principal Ms. Machado decided to inform parents exactly one week before Closing Activities our young children will have to be in uniform to participate. The children are in their first years of school and have been wearing uniforms 95% of the time, with the exception field trips and spirit week. Many parents have already purchased outfits and it is likely the children have seen them. Likewise, many parents are not in a position to purchase brand new uniforms for their young ones Special Day. Also, Ms. Machado informed certain parents that the teachers of grades Pre-K and K were made aware of the changes back in March of this year. When questioned, all but one teacher (who couldn't recall) said that the forced uniform subject never came up. Ms. Machado placed sole blame for the lack of communication and late notice to parents on those same teachers.

This is an issue that affects everyone. GMOs are not currently labeled in Virginia so when we shop at our local grocery stores we do not always know what we are purchasing. If we had companies label GMOs, it would uphold our right to know what is in our food.

I have a legitimate concern seeing the things going on around the nation, and these things are quickly materializing in our own backyard. Cameras in our streets and highways, drones in our skies, unnecessary police bullying/violence. What is this coming to and how far will it go before we take action?

After 7 months of frustration as a "Program Specialist", I was fired from 'After-School All-Stars' on March 14, 2014, for exhibiting behavior that proved I was not adequately trained in CPR/emergency training, nor the basic responsibilities of the position I was given. In my last meeting with the Director of Operations, I was told that obtaining such training was simply "my responsibility to schedule", and then terminated. I think the parents trusting this after-school program enough to leave their children in their care, would be interested in knowing what kind of training (or lack thereof) ASAS is providing their employees. It is their duty as an organization serving the public, to ensure that their employees are adequately trained and knowledgeable in ALL necessary areas. I believe they owe it to the community to look into implementing follow-up programs for their "trainings" with all of the employees in their organization, across all sites, to make sure no one else has slipped through the cracks.

I am the mother of a deceased child and know how hard it is to adjust following the death of a child. My employer allowed 3 days bereavement leave. That was hardly enough time to plan Todd's funeral. The real challenge was adjusting to a new normal following a traumatic loss. If an employee is allowed up to 12 weeks for the birth of a child, why is an employee not allowed the same for the death of a child? Having experienced both, I assure you the latter was a much tougher adjustment for me. A parent should not need a medical diagnosis of depression to utilize the FMLA leave! The obituary should be more than enough! Please help me to help the parents that don't ever want to think they will need this...until they do.

My husband and I were victimized last year at our home. My neighbors called the police 4 different times and they never came. Even after my neighbors mentioned hearing gun shots, glass breaking and home alarm going off the police still didn't come. After my husband and I were robbed and almost gunned down in our driveway myself and a different neighbor called the police. The police came after the fact. Now my husband is is paralyzed from the waist down. If the police would have responsed to the first call the crime would have been prevented and my husband wouldn't be paralyzed. And the criminals would have been caught. The evidence was not properly collected due to the lack of not caring or doing their job to protect and serve.

Dear Secretary Duncan One of the most viable tools to fund post graduate education, the Parent Loan is currently encumbered by a new set of guide lines which has prevented 16% of low income students the ability to either embark on or continue their education. The former president of Bennett College Dr. Julianne Malveaux and the United Negro College Fund have indicated that if the present guidelines remain in place the number of students negatively impacted will continue to rise. Under the guise of reducing student loan default the eligibility rules for Parent Loans were tighten and under the revised 2014-15 rules any parent who has had one delinquency within the past twelve months will not qualify for the loan. The data indicates that parent loans have the lowest default rate of any education funding product currently available therefore tightening the eligibility rules was completed unnecessary. Please set your administrative prowess in action and restore the former guidelines and ensure that this decline in ability to pursue a post graduate education does not continue into the 2014-2015 academic year and ensure that restricting access will not continue to contribute to generational poverty. Your prompt and affirmative response would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely yours,

we want to save the iconic ride colossus from being shut down. This ride has been with the park for 36 years and is a crowd favorite.