What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is a holiday which commemorates the abolition of slavery on June 19, 1865. Though not yet a national holiday, every state except North Dakota, South Dakota, and Hawaii have some sort of Juneteenth celebration.
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VOTING and CENSUS RESOURCES
Learn about the new tool “Ballot Power” from the creators of Wave Michigan. Also find resources to get registered, vote from home, and encourage others to do the same.
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Justice and the Police
Read these articles and the proposed legislation; contact your legislators. There must be accountability! Without accountability, nothing will ever change. Make sure your family and friends register to vote and actually vote. There are only a few months until November. Support the candidates that agree with your values now! Vote out those politicians that do not agree with your values.
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Police Target Journalists as Trump Blames ‘Lamestream Media’ for Protests
A foundation of a functioning democracy is an informed, engaged public. Organizations such as the ACLU and Common Cause invite us to support their work to protect freedom of the press. Organizations such as ProtectPressFreedom.org – a coalition of journalists and press advocacy groups, in partnership with a wide range of major media organizations – encourages us to use social media to acknowledge threats, show support of the press and highlight great reporting. Journalists are there as representatives of the public, and if law enforcement is attacking them, they can’t do their job, and that hurts everybody.
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Postal Service woes continue – Act NOW
Act Now – Contact your legislators. Tell them that you need affordable and reliable package delivery service more than ever and that funding the postal service is a paramount necessity for the American people.
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Call the Governor to release Michigan state prisoners at risk of COVID-19
The best way to manage the COVID-19 challenge in Michigan’s prison system is to release as many people as possible as soon as possible. It can be done quickly, without compromising public safety, and in the best interest of public health. To save lives, it is imperative that the Governor act immediately to expand who is eligible for parole, expand the use of her commutation powers, expand parole boards, and expedite the review of wrongful conviction cases in front of the conviction integrity unit.
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The United States Postal Service
It is urgent that Congress and the White House fully fund the United States Postal Service in the next stimulus bill. Private companies won’t deliver to certain remote areas — and, right now, the Postal Service is delivering lifesaving medications and food, supporting voting by mail-in primary states and helping other services necessary for our nation to continue to operate.
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Ann Arbor council divided 7-4 on COVID-19 financial recovery plan
During an eight-hour meeting with tense moments and conflict, Ann Arbor City Council members were divided on details of a COVID-19 financial recovery plan.
The 7-4 vote to approve the plan came after 1 a.m. Tuesday, May 19, 2020.
Disproportionate: Over half the Covid-19 cases and 60% of deaths are in black counties
Researchers at Amfar (Foundation for Aids Research) and Emory University led a study that included several other institutions to track disproportionately black counties, i.e., where black people constituted more than 13% of the population, in four southern states. Among their findings is that underlying health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, are not the primary case of disparities.
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Why we need postal democracy and what you can do about it
Making voting by mail easier during the pandemic makes good sense from a democratic and public health perspective. But more fundamentally, it is constitutionally required. State legislatures MUST allow people to vote by mail during a pandemic or they will be effectively denying people their right to vote.
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