Tag Archives: NAACP

The Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP is not going to hold a dinner to honor Donald Sterling and Leland Spencer, as it had previously announced.  Its unpaid president, Leon Jenkins, is stepping down from his position, and the national … Continue reading →

Posted on May 2, 2014 by David S. Meyer | Leave a comment

Leveraging against a weak target: Donald Sterling’s reputation

Posted on April 30, 2014 by David S. Meyer

The straw that breaks the camel’s back isn’t always the largest one.  The tempest surrounding the LA Clippers and owner Donald Sterling illustrates much about how social movements work–when they work. When Sterling’s ostensibly private and clearly offensive comments about blacks, … Continue reading →

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Zimmerman, Martin, and the Courts

Posted on July 14, 2013 by David S. Meyer

Don’t count on the courts to produce justice, but sometimes it’s disappointment with the legal system that does make change. We expect too much from the courts and we’re constantly disappointed.  The trial in Florida could have ended with George … Continue reading →

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Just another Moral Monday

Posted on June 17, 2013 by David S. Meyer

Democrats and liberals have been losing in North Carolina.  Democrats lost control of both houses of the legislature in 2010, but Republican legislative efforts were slowed by Democratic Governor Bev Perdue.  In 2012, Republican Pat McCrory soundly defeated Perdue’s lieutenant … Continue reading →

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Immigration politics inside and outside the Capitol

Posted on April 11, 2013 by David S. Meyer

The immigration rights activists returned to demonstrate outside the Capitol yesterday, as reports of a Senate compromise on an immigration reform continue to seep into media reports. Most reports put the turnout in the tens of thousands–and noted sympathy rallies … Continue reading →

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Civil disobedience and the Keystone to change

Posted on February 14, 2013 by David S. Meyer

I was surprised that Robert F. Kennedy (at right) was the most tempting celebrity hook in coverage of the most recent civil disobedience outside the White House.   About 50 people handcuffed themselves to the gates out front and were arrested, … Continue reading →

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Remembering more of Rosa Parks

Posted on February 2, 2013 by David S. Meyer

At The New York Times, columnist Charles Blow is promoting a new biography of Rosa Parks.  Jenane Theoharis’s The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (Beacon) extends the story of the civil rights icon, undermining the myth of spontaneity surrounding … Continue reading →

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Lunch counter sit-in anniversaries

Posted on February 1, 2013 by David S. Meyer

There was once a store called Woolworths.  It sold dry goods, mostly cheap stuff, including paper and pencils.  Many Woolworths also included a cheap restaurant where you could get coffee and a grilled cheese sandwich, also cheap.  Fifty-three years ago … Continue reading →

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December 1, 1955

Posted on November 30, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Fifty-seven years ago today, Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama.  When local activists learned about her arrest, they organized a city-wide boycott and filed a lawsuit, kicking an emerging civil rights … Continue reading →

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Movements, Presidential rhetoric, and tipping points

Posted on May 21, 2012 by David S. Meyer

The NAACP’s decision to support marriage equality explicitly is early evidence that President Obama’s announcement about same sex marriage was a tipping point in American politics and opinion. As we discussed, President Obama’s disclosure, in a soft interview, about how … Continue reading →

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