Advancement Project

March 8, 2012

Go Directly to Jail...Do Not Pass Go: Racial Disparities in School Discipline

Alexa Gonzalez, a 12 year old student in New York City, never imagined that an average day at school would turn into her being handcuffed. The schoolgirl was caught scribbling on her desk “I love my friends Abby and Faith” by her Spanish teacher and was immediately taken to the principal office where the police was called. She was then handcuffed, tried in family court, found guilty, had to do community service, write an essay about lessons learned from the incident and ultimately suspended from school.

March 7, 2012

Bloody Sunday: Then and Now

At 76, years old, Bettye Jones never imagined she could be denied her right to vote. Active in the Civil Rights movement, she held meetings in her home in support of voting rights. But now, because of Wisconsin's voter ID law, Jones is uncertain as to whether she will ever be able to cast a ballot again.

February 22, 2012

Appealing to the Right on Anti-Immigration May Not Produce Victory

Originally posted in Huffington Post

December 20, 2011

Dreams for 2012

Recently, 450 or so young adults, most of whom are undocumented, gathered in Dallas, Texas for the third annual United We Dream conference. T-shirts designed for the event read “Dream Nation: 10 years in the struggle.” Since 2001, each year the U.S. Congress has considered but failed to pass the DREAM Act (which stands for “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors”). The DREAM Act would give certain immigrant students who have grown up in the U.S. the chance to obtain legal status.

November 1, 2011

A Note on Solidarity

As a young movement, Occupy Wall Street is a decentralized demonstration of civil disobedience in which the social, racial and cultural diversity that embody its backdrop – New York City – is only beginning to manifest visibly in its base. So far, Occupy Wall Street has in large part estranged non-White communities from calls for collective action.   

September 30, 2011

How Conservatives Are Attacking Democracy

"Give us the ballot!"

Martin Luther King Jr.'s words still resonate with many of us today. From the marches and protests in Selma, Ala., to the hundreds of voting-rights lawsuits to the on-the-ground slogan "One Man, One Vote," the road to equal voting rights has not been easy, particularly for communities of color.

September 30, 2011

Democracy Under Attack

Today, we are witnessing the greatest assault on democracy in over a century.

September 14, 2011

Preserve Democracy: Expand the Vote, Don't Restrict It

Note: This blog was originally posted at http://blog.tides.org/2011/09/14/preserve-democracy-expand-the-vote/.

July 11, 2011

Racial Justice - A Matter of Life and Death

If you think we’re in a post-racial era, think again. Racial justice is officially a matter of life and death.

Last week, researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health published a disturbing study that found that poverty, low educational attainment, and other social factors cause as many deaths as heart attacks, strokes, and other leading causes in the United States.

June 30, 2011

Digitizing Activism

It’s true; the revolution will not be tweeted, according to Malcolm’s Gladwell’s October 2010 article “Small Change” in the New Yorker. But modern movements, especially those borne from online gatherings, will never imitate or circumvent organic, grassroots movements like the civil rights movements. However digital media, viral videos and social media serve a unique function and hold the potential to inspire virtual movements that are capable of materializing into meaningful change.