Tag: "#gender justice"

HOWARD UNIVERSITY LAW LIBRARY: CIVIL RIGHTS

HOWARD UNIVERSITY LAW LIBRARY: CIVIL RIGHTS
Posted by on May 28, 2023 in Intro
HOWARD UNIVERSITY LAW LIBRARY: CIVIL RIGHTS

EDITOR'S COMMENTARY:   Rabid white supremacist are hell bent on banning books and manipulating school curriculums so that their version of history and what they believe is good or bad, right or wrong is all our young people will be allowed to learn.  "Woke" has become a dirty word to them because it denotes those who are educated & informed.

For all the above reasons and more, we decided to post to social media this listing from the Resource Library on www.womensvoicesmedia.org to provide you with an excellent resource for all aspects of the history of civil rights in America.  Please, set aside some time to educate yourself and/or to refresh your memory.  Don't allow the fascists to deprive you from other rights:  the right to read what you want and the right to be informed.

 

https://library.law.howard.edu/civilrightshistory/intro

                     A Brief History of Civil Rights in the United States

                    This guide offers a history of various movements by citizens in the United States to gain political and social freedom and equality. It highlights resources available through HUSL Library and HU Libraries, as well as a selection freely accessible Internet resources with a focus on authoritative content from civil rights organizations and government entities.

 

Civil Rights versus Human Rights

 

What is the difference between a civil right and a human right? Simply put, human rights are rights one acquires by being alive. Civil rights are rights that one obtains by being a legal member of a certain political state. There are obviously several liberties that overlap between these two categories, but the breakdown of rights between human and civil is roughly as follows:

Human rights include:

  • the right to life
  • the right to education
  • protection from torture
  • freedom of expression
  • the right to a free trial

Civil rights within the United States include:

  • protection from discrimination
  • the right to free speech
  • the right to due process
  • the right to equal protection
  • the right against self-incrimination

It is important to note that civil rights will change based on where a person claims citizenship because civil rights are, in essence, an agreement between the citizen and the nation or state that the citizen lives within. From an international perspective, international organizations and courts are not as likely to intervene and take action to enforce a nation's violation of its own civil rights, but are more likely to respond to human rights violations. While human rights should be universal in all countries, civil rights will vary greatly from one nation to the next. No nation may rightfully deprive a person of a human right, but different nations can grant or deny different civil rights. Thus, civil rights struggles tend to occur at local or national levels and not at the international level. At the international stage, we focus on the violation of human rights.

This guide will focus on the civil rights that various groups have fought for within the United States. While some of these rights, like the right to education, certainly overlap with human rights, we treat them as civil rights in most academic conversations. Typically, the reason used to justify a right to equal education or another human right is grounded in a civil right of due process or equal protection.

 

Social Justice

 

As Charles Hamilton Houston stated:

A lawyer’s either a social engineer or … a parasite on society … A social engineer [is] a highly skilled, perceptive, sensitive lawyer who [understands] the Constitution of the United States and [knows] how to explore its uses in the solving of problems of local communities and in bettering conditions of the underprivileged citizens.

Howard University School of Law is dedicated to producing “social engineers” and has proven track record of success. The words of Charles Hamilton Houston are alive everyday in the work taking place at The Mecca's law school.  Learn more about Social Justice issues here.

Author Credits

 

Over the summer of 2019, Kristina Alayan in her capacity as HUSL Library Director communicated with her former Georgetown Law Library guide collaborators and with the assistance of Victoria Capatosto, Research and Instruction Librarian at HUSL Library, transferred a copy of their original guide to HUSL Library for independent development.  HUSL Library's edition of the guide is accessible through our website, where you’re currently viewing it.

The following law librarians at Georgetown Law Library created the original guide that was the basis for HUSL Library’s version:

  • Kristina Alayan - Head of Reference 
  • Heather Casey - International & Foreign Law Reference Librarian
  • Rachel Jorgensen - Reference Librarian
  • Barbara Monroe - Reference Librarian

The Georgetown Law Library's original guide is available here:https://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/civilrights.

Victoria Capatosto oversees the development of HUSL Library's edition of the guide with assistance from LIS graduate student interns and law students working at HUSL Library. 

  • During the Fall 2019 semester Claire Eldredge-Burns, HUSL Library’s remote public services LIS graduate student intern, completed extensive work to incorporate this guide into HUSL Library’s collection.  Claire transformed the look and feel of this guide, implemented a protocol for image incorporation, and conducted a massive resource evaluation, successfully replacing Georgetown Law Library resources with HUSL Library resources.
  • During the Spring 2020 semester Tori Stanek, HUSL Library's remote public services LIS graduate student intern, updated existing research, added in more HUSL resources, and edited the prose to fit the tone of Howard University. She also created new tabs on the Black Panther Party and the Womanist Movement.
  • During the Summer 2020 semester Mike Poveromo, HUSL Library's remote public services LIS graduate student intern, created a new tab on the Black Lives Matter Movement and the created the Get Involved page.
  • During the Summer 2020 semester John Miller, HUSL Library's remote public services LIS graduate student intern, created an extensive new section on Indigenous Peoples' Civil Rights, covering (1) Prior to 1492, (2) the Treaty Era, (3) the Removal Era, (4) Reservation Era, (5) the Allotment and Assimilation Era, (6) the Self-Government Era, (7) the Termination Era, and (8) the Self-Determination Era.
  • During the Fall 2020 semester Yaa McNeil, HUSL Library's Research Fellow, created a new section on Transgender Rights in the United States.
 

HOWARD UNIVERSATY LAW LIBRARY: CIVIL RIGHTS

HOWARD UNIVERSATY LAW LIBRARY: CIVIL RIGHTS
Posted by on May 28, 2023 in Equality and Justice, Equal Representation, In the Justice System, In Education (K-20), Racism, Racism

EDITOR'S COMMENTARY:   Rabid white supremacist are hell bent on banning books and manipulating school curriculums so that their version of history and what they believe is good or bad, right or wrong is all our young people will be allowed to learn.  "Woke" has become a dirty word to them because it denotes those who are educated & informed.

For all the above reasons and more, we decided to post to social media this listing from the Resource Library on www.womensvoicesmedia.org to provide you with an excellent resource for all aspects of the history of civil rights in America.  Please, set aside some time to educate yourself and/or to refresh your memory.  Don't allow the fascists to deprive you from other rights:  the right to read what you want and the right to be informed.

 

https://library.law.howard.edu/civilrightshistory/intro

                     A Brief History of Civil Rights in the United States

                    This guide offers a history of various movements by citizens in the United States to gain political and social freedom and equality. It highlights resources available through HUSL Library and HU Libraries, as well as a selection freely accessible Internet resources with a focus on authoritative content from civil rights organizations and government entities.

 

Civil Rights versus Human Rights

 

What is the difference between a civil right and a human right? Simply put, human rights are rights one acquires by being alive. Civil rights are rights that one obtains by being a legal member of a certain political state. There are obviously several liberties that overlap between these two categories, but the breakdown of rights between human and civil is roughly as follows:

Human rights include:

  • the right to life
  • the right to education
  • protection from torture
  • freedom of expression
  • the right to a free trial

Civil rights within the United States include:

  • protection from discrimination
  • the right to free speech
  • the right to due process
  • the right to equal protection
  • the right against self-incrimination

It is important to note that civil rights will change based on where a person claims citizenship because civil rights are, in essence, an agreement between the citizen and the nation or state that the citizen lives within. From an international perspective, international organizations and courts are not as likely to intervene and take action to enforce a nation's violation of its own civil rights, but are more likely to respond to human rights violations. While human rights should be universal in all countries, civil rights will vary greatly from one nation to the next. No nation may rightfully deprive a person of a human right, but different nations can grant or deny different civil rights. Thus, civil rights struggles tend to occur at local or national levels and not at the international level. At the international stage, we focus on the violation of human rights.

This guide will focus on the civil rights that various groups have fought for within the United States. While some of these rights, like the right to education, certainly overlap with human rights, we treat them as civil rights in most academic conversations. Typically, the reason used to justify a right to equal education or another human right is grounded in a civil right of due process or equal protection.

 

Social Justice

 

As Charles Hamilton Houston stated:

A lawyer’s either a social engineer or … a parasite on society … A social engineer [is] a highly skilled, perceptive, sensitive lawyer who [understands] the Constitution of the United States and [knows] how to explore its uses in the solving of problems of local communities and in bettering conditions of the underprivileged citizens.

Howard University School of Law is dedicated to producing “social engineers” and has proven track record of success. The words of Charles Hamilton Houston are alive everyday in the work taking place at The Mecca's law school.  Learn more about Social Justice issues here.

Author Credits

 

Over the summer of 2019, Kristina Alayan in her capacity as HUSL Library Director communicated with her former Georgetown Law Library guide collaborators and with the assistance of Victoria Capatosto, Research and Instruction Librarian at HUSL Library, transferred a copy of their original guide to HUSL Library for independent development.  HUSL Library's edition of the guide is accessible through our website, where you’re currently viewing it.

The following law librarians at Georgetown Law Library created the original guide that was the basis for HUSL Library’s version:

  • Kristina Alayan - Head of Reference 
  • Heather Casey - International & Foreign Law Reference Librarian
  • Rachel Jorgensen - Reference Librarian
  • Barbara Monroe - Reference Librarian

The Georgetown Law Library's original guide is available here: https://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/civilrights.

Victoria Capatosto oversees the development of HUSL Library's edition of the guide with assistance from LIS graduate student interns and law students working at HUSL Library. 

  • During the Fall 2019 semester Claire Eldredge-Burns, HUSL Library’s remote public services LIS graduate student intern, completed extensive work to incorporate this guide into HUSL Library’s collection.  Claire transformed the look and feel of this guide, implemented a protocol for image incorporation, and conducted a massive resource evaluation, successfully replacing Georgetown Law Library resources with HUSL Library resources.
  • During the Spring 2020 semester Tori Stanek, HUSL Library's remote public services LIS graduate student intern, updated existing research, added in more HUSL resources, and edited the prose to fit the tone of Howard University. She also created new tabs on the Black Panther Party and the Womanist Movement.
  • During the Summer 2020 semester Mike Poveromo, HUSL Library's remote public services LIS graduate student intern, created a new tab on the Black Lives Matter Movement and the created the Get Involved page.
  • During the Summer 2020 semester John Miller, HUSL Library's remote public services LIS graduate student intern, created an extensive new section on Indigenous Peoples' Civil Rights, covering (1) Prior to 1492, (2) the Treaty Era, (3) the Removal Era, (4) Reservation Era, (5) the Allotment and Assimilation Era, (6) the Self-Government Era, (7) the Termination Era, and (8) the Self-Determination Era.
  • During the Fall 2020 semester Yaa McNeil, HUSL Library's Research Fellow, created a new section on Transgender Rights in the United States.
 
 

Marshall Plan For Moms

Marshall Plan For Moms
Posted by on Feb 13, 2022 in Equality and Justice, Child Care

https://marshallplanformoms.com/

Marshall Plan for Moms is a national movement to center mothers in our economic recovery and value their labor. We advocate for public and private sector changes to expand choices for women and to remove barriers to equality.

America’s moms, especially moms of color, have suffered devastating setbacks in the pandemic. We can’t go back to normal. For moms, “normal” wasn’t working in the first place.

The Black Women Veterans of World War II Fought for More than the "Double V"

The Black Women Veterans of World War II Fought for More than the "Double V"
Posted by on Feb 03, 2022 in Home Page, Women Not Categorized
The Black Women Veterans of World War II Fought for More than the "Double V"

Editors Note: According to the National Archives 6,520 African American women served in WW II.  Retired Army Col. Edna Cummings has said, “I believe that people are aware that Black women served during World War II, but I do not believe they know the full scope of their service.”

Despite their facing segregation and discrimination and given the worst jobs to do, African American women served their country honorably and well.  So HERSTORY begins its’ celebration of Black History Month by honoring the Black women veterans of World War II.

                         **************************************************

During World War II, Black newspapers rallied African-Americans behind the “Double Victory” campaign to fight the war against ethnic oppression abroad as well as racial oppression at home. But the African-American women who served during this time also had a third enemy – the one that held them back because of their gender.

The Double Victory campaign was inspired by a letter published in the Pittsburgh Courier on January 31, 1942 entitled “Should I Sacrifice To Live ‘Half-American?” In the letter, James G. Thompson explained that the first V was “for victory over our enemies from without” and the second V was “for victory over our enemies from within.” The paper would later proclaim “this slogan as the true battle cry of colored America.” The Pittsburgh Courier debuted its Double V logo the next week in the February 7 edition, and would continue to print it as part of its masthead for the remainder of the war.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers was hard at work on a bill to create a women’s branch of the U.S. military. Many women had served as volunteers during World War I but were not eligible for veteran’s benefits since they had not been official members of the U.S. military. Rogers wanted to make sure that this did not happen again during this new war.

Once the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC, later WAC) was established, Mary McLeod Bethune went into action. Bethune was the head of the Negro division of the National Youth Administration as well as founder of what is now Bethune Cookman University. She was also an advisor to four presidents, including President Franklin Roosevelt. She had seen how Black young people, especially Black women, struggled to find good jobs during the Great Depression of the 1930s. With her access to the highest reaches of the U.S. government, she used her influence to ensure that Black women would be able to have meaningful opportunities within the WAAC. Ones that would position them to be eligible for those educational and professional veteran’s benefits too.

In general, the women who joined the WAC were subjected to sexist assumptions about their virtues and ability to make meaningful contributions to the war effort as a part of the military. Male soldiers and officers were vocal about their beliefs that women had no place in the service. Inside and outside of the military, a common assumption was that these women had enlisted so that they could “service” the male service members. They were not issued weapons nor given any weapons training – even when ordered into hostile areas – because brandishing a gun was considered “unladylike.” However, the Black women who served had to deal with a unique set of challenges.

These challenges included being subjected to double segregation. Black men in the military were segregated only on the basis of their race. Black women were separated by their race and gender. To get into the WAC, a woman had to meet high standards of morality and femininity; white women might be able to loosen up a little once they were officially in. But Black women had to meet the highest of these standards at all times. Even when they continued to maintain those standards, they were more often than not perceived as only capable of performing domestic duties despite their educational and professional backgrounds.

The stripes that the Black female officers wore made them even more of a target. It enraged some members of the American public that a white soldier who held a lower rank was expected to salute these women and follow their orders. This led to Black female officers experiencing encounters with the police because they were assumed to be imposters and worse. One was hospitalized after being beaten up on a train platform in Tennessee.

However, despite these unique challenges, Black female soldiers fought back in creative ways. They used the power of their personal connections and of the Black press to overturn discriminatory policies and practices, such as having the “Colored” signs removed from the mess hall tables during the first WAAC officer training class. They studied Army policies until they knew them backwards and forwards. So when Major Charity Adams responded “Over my dead body, sir” to a general’s threat to have her replaced after refusing his frivolous order, she had the documentation to back her up when he attempted to have her court martialed. They even went as far to stop work, effectively going on strike, when pigeonholed into intolerable working conditions at the Fort Devens Hospital in Massachusetts in 1945.

Despite these extra burdens, Black women who served in the WAAC/WAC during World War II went on to distinguish themselves. The 6888th Postal Battalion Directory was given the “impossible” task of getting the backlog of mail moving in six months. They cleared the backlog in three. Black female officers trained all of the Black women who enlisted in the corps. They showed the top brass what Black women were capable of achieving, if only given a chance.

by Kaia Alderson

Kaia Alderson's debut historical novel Sisters in Arms: A Novel of the Daring Black Women Who Served During World War II was published in August by William Morrow/Harper Collins and was named November's selection for Stephen Curry's book club.