According to the Michigan Secretary of State website, there were close to 11,000 rejected ballots in the August primary election. More than 80% were due to signature verification issues or late arrival. Make sure that your vote is counted this November!
Voting by mail has been championed — rightly, experts say — as the safest way to participate in the 2020 election while the nation remains under threat from the coronavirus. However, voting by mail disproportionately disenfranchises voters of color.
Review the results of efforts to get out the vote in Detroit and Pontiac. Also discussed will be on-going opportunities for volunteers to support efforts in order to influence the November election. RSVP here for connection information. 3 pm
Since Election Day is only a few days away, it’s a great idea to drop off your ballot rather than mail it. Find your clerk! Go to Ballotpower.org or the Michigan Secretary of State’s office website to locate your clerk’s office.
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.
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.
Miscalculations, and an unexpected victory from President Trump, have put abortion access at its most vulnerable point in decades. In a span of six months this year alone, states in the South and Midwest have passed a total of 58 restrictions. The left is on the defensive. Now it’s trying to recover.
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) was ratified in 1968 to ensure marginalized and minority communities have equal opportunity access to safe, stable housing. It has been the strongest protection against unjustified and discriminatory housing practices, both overt and covert. In the fifty years since the FHA was enacted, exclusionary housing policies may be more difficult to distinguish, but sadly are still in effect.
Due to the racial discrimination and oppression that still exist here the latest data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation reports the state at 50%. Geographic location and race and ethnicity are the two most important factors that shape a child’s risk.
A delegation from Ann Arbor’s Temple Beth Emeth traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism’s 2019 Consultation on Conscience. This 3-day conference attracted over 1,000 Jewish leaders from across the country and addressed social justice issues including immigration, criminal justice reform, gun violence, reproductive justice, and the rise of anti-Semitism and white supremacy.