Good Evening. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas delivered a special sermon for Martin Luther King Jr. Day titled Refusing Despair in a Despairing Time. Read a transcript here >
One Week From Today! Next Gen Scholars Program application coming January 28. Learn more >
It’s time the left fought back in the war of ideas
Say It Louder
Conservatives have co-opted merit, but they don’t understand how merit actually advances DEI. This creates an opening for the left to reclaim merit, and use it to push pro-DEI legislation.
Writing for the LA Times, NYU School of Law professors Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow argue true meritocracy dismantles institutional “old boys’ club” barriers that have historically kept groups of people out of power. “Promoting merit always has been intertwined with promoting equal opportunity, and we need to make that connection clearer in the public debate. Those of us who support a more egalitarian society should be able to reclaim the “merit” buzzword from the anti-inclusion ideologues.”
California prosecutors plan their next move to beat ICE in court
More Of This
Two weeks ago, Vice President JD Vance claimed that ICE agents are protected by “absolute immunity”.
However, the tide is turning against ICE, as California prosecutors and lawyers begin crafting legal arguments to counter the White House.
The Office of the Attorney General created a new web portal for citizens to report ICE misconduct, and San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe echoed a similar sentiment: “I don’t care who they are, I don’t care who or what their role is. If they come into our county, violate the law, they get held accountable.”
In Los Angeles, ICE claimed popular TikTok streamer Carlitos Ricardo Parias tried to run them over. Video evidence showed otherwise, and a judge dismissed ICE’s assault charges.
For Gen Z, the Civil Rights era is fast fading from memory
Less Of This
A growing share of young Americans report not knowing much about Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech or the importance of the Civil Rights era.
Recent laws banning discussion of race in public schools and the White House’ reframing of civil rights as “anti-white racism” have contributed to this trend.
Journalist Deborah D. Douglas cautions older generations from misinterpreting the data. The shift away from the Civil Rights era does not mean a shift away from civil rights in general: “Just because young people don’t frame their stories the way we did doesn’t mean they’re not doing the work. They’re doing it in a way that’s authentic to their lived experience today.”
“I’m Sorry, Your Honor. I am the lawyer”
Watch This
Civil rights lawyer and legal legend, Bryan Stevenson, talks about the many times he has been mistaken for the defendant in the courtroom.”
