Care2 Causes � Civil Rights

Louisiana Approves Taxpayer Funding For School Operating “On Faith”

Judy Molland — Thu, 31 May 2012 17:40:00 +0000

Louisiana has been hard at work expanding its school voucher program recently, and the results are alarming. This is the same state that four years ago passed a law that encourages teachers to critique science such as evolution and global warming, although there is currently a push to put evolution back in the curriculum. Now [...]

BREAKING: 1st Circuit Declares DOMA Unconstitutional

Jessica Pieklo — Thu, 31 May 2012 15:04:26 +0000

The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston ruled this morning that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) denies a host of federal benefits to gay married couples and is therefore unconstitutional. The decision is not only a win for equal rights advocates, but a near dare to the Roberts Court to take up the [...]

Some Florida Officials Challenge Voter Purge

Jessica Pieklo — Thu, 31 May 2012 14:18:43 +0000

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) may be engaging in one of the most aggressive voter suppression drives in history, but at least one elections official will not participate. ThinkProgress reports that Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher the state sent her office a list of 115 names it considered “sure matches” with a [...]

Maryland Gay Marriage Foes Deliver Petition Signatures

Steve Williams — Wed, 30 May 2012 23:45:52 +0000

Maryland’s anti-gay marriage foes have delivered twice the number of signatures needed to put the state’s new marriage equality law on the ballot in November, making a referendum almost inevitable. Reports the Washington Post: Activists say they submitted 113,000 signatures on petitions on Tuesday � double the 55,736 needed to put the issue on [...]

Journalism Losing Its Footing in Canada

Amy Boughner — Wed, 30 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Just two weeks after Postmedia killed its in-house wire service, laying off around 25 journalists, the news organization held short-notice staff meetings at their newspaper offices across the country to announce more cuts. Staff will be laid off, there will be a centralization of services, Sunday papers will be cut in Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton [...]

Two Tibetans Self-Immolate in Lhasa

Sarah Vrba — Wed, 30 May 2012 19:00:33 +0000

Chinese officials have been adamant about keeping Tibetan protests for autonomy and freedom out of the major cities of the region. At least 37 Tibetans have set themselves on fire over the last 14 months in protest to China’s enforced rule over Tibet, but none of these demonstrations took place inside the capital city of [...]

Gay Couples to Challenge Illinois Marriage Ban in Court

Steve Williams — Wed, 30 May 2012 17:30:07 +0000

Over two dozen gay and lesbian couples are set to file lawsuits Wednesday challenging Illinois’ ban on same-sex marriage. The couples will be backed separately by the ACLU and Lambda Legal, with the ACLU representing nine couples and Lambda Legal representing 16. The suits will challenge state law that defines marriage as between a [...]

Native American Rez is Ground Zero for Ever-Expanding Meth Economy

New America Media — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:30:02 +0000

Written by Allie Hostler HOOPA, Calif. — He snorted his first line of dope when he was 15. He remembers the day. He ran with the older boys, and they tried to look out for him by refusing to rail him up. They told him, �You better not.� But it wasn�t long before his [...]

Oxnard, California, School District Bans Mexican Epithet

Judy Molland — Wed, 30 May 2012 05:15:47 +0000

A Southern California school district has banned the use of Mexican epithets for indigenous people in a campaign to encourage tolerance and stop bullying. The Los Angeles Times reports that Oxnard School District, just about 60 miles west of Los Angeles, home to a large community of Mexican farm workers, has prohibited the use of [...]

Chinese Workers Defy the Government and Employers in Heated Riot

Sarah Vrba — Wed, 30 May 2012 04:30:17 +0000

An intense protest of enraged migrant workers broke out on Tuesday in Ruian, China. The city is located in the Zhejiang, a wealthy province in China. Reuters reports that about 1,000 migrant workers proceeded to turn over an iron gate, and damaged at least a dozen cars during their protest, which was centered on a [...]