Photograph courtesy of Joyce Dorsey. (APN) ATLANTA — August 06, 2015 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the day the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by U.S. President Lyndon Johnson. However, as Atlanta advocates gathered at Wheat Street Baptist Church to commemorate, it was not solely a celebratory occasion, given that the Supreme Court of […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — The Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) is campaigning against the City of Gainesville’s current at-large voting process, which they argue violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by diluting the Latino vote. Gainesville has five city council wards, another word for districts. However, unlike districts in Atlanta, Fulton County, and DeKalb […]
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Photograph of crowd by Gloria Tatum; photograph of flyer courtesy of Junia Joseph. (APN) SELMA, Alabama — During the March 07 and 08, 2015 weekend events commemorating the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama, where President Barack Obama and other dignitaries honored the sacrifices of civil rights leaders, a hateful force was emerging again in the back streets […]
Read moreWith additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale (APN) ATLANTA — On October 10, 2014, Atlanta Progressive News submitted an open records request to Secretary of State (SOS) Brian Kemp’s office seeking copies of all complaints received by the SOS regarding the New Georgia Project (NGP) from all Georgia counties during 2014. However, the SOS office sent APN only one complaint […]
Read more(APN) ATLANTA — In an appalling turn of events that reveals exactly why the Voting Rights Act is still needed, State Sen. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody) showed his true colors, as it were, in a recent interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Political Insider blog regarding his opposition to early voting on Sunday. Recently, DeKalb County expanded its early voting options […]
Read moreBy Melissa Cruz, Special to The Atlanta Progressive News (APN) ATLANTA — Michelle Nunn, candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, has once again taken up a position that seemingly panders to a traditionally right-wing baseline. Her position on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) has drawn quick criticism from supporters and opponents alike. Her comments […]
Read more(APN) ATLANTA — On the ninth Moral Monday in Georgia, held on Monday, March 20, 2014, over three hundred people crowded in the rotunda of the State Capitol to hear leaders in the civil rights movement and others explain the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and why it is still important today. The speakers included Dr. Francys Johnson, President, Georgia […]
Read more(APN) ATLANTA — On February 26, 2014, the full House of Representatives passed and adopted, as amended, HB 891, which allows over 500 municipalities of different sizes, across the State of Georgia, to decide whether to reduce their early voting period from seventeen days to six. The bill passed 146 to 25. As previously reported by […]
Read moreThis article first appeared on the Inter-Press Service website at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/06/u-s-supreme-court-strikes-down-key-voting-rights-provision/ ATLANTA, Georgia, Jun 25 2013 (IPS) – The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key provision, Section 4, of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 in a five to four ruling today, halting enforcement of Section 5 of the act. One of the key achievements of the Civil Rights […]
Read moreThis article first appeared on the Inter-Press Service website at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/02/activists-converge-on-high-court-for-challenge-to-voting-rights/ ATLANTA, Georgia, Feb 26 2013 (IPS) – The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a challenge to the constitutionality of key sections of the historic Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965. Numerous organisations are rallying in support of the VRA. Activists across the nation, including Dr. Charles Steele, CEO […]
Read moreThis article first appeared on the Inter-Press Service website at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/11/voter-suppression-tactics-likely-to-affect-u-s-election/ ATLANTA, Georgia, Nov 5 2012 (IPS) – Voter suppression has reached new heights in the United States, analysts and experts say, as elected state officials have increasingly resorted to a new and growing generation of voter suppression tactics. Whether these tactics will tip the outcome of the presidential race […]
Read more(APN) ATLANTA — As part of our coverage of the upcoming July 31, 2012, Partisan Primary and Non-partisan General Election, Atlanta Progressive News requested interviews with incumbent US Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and Michael Johnson, the two candidates for the Democratic nomination for Georgia’s 5th US Congressional District. Johnson participated in an interview; his positions will be summarized again […]
Read more(APN) ATLANTA — Black leaders and elected officials held a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol on Monday, January 23, 2012, to discuss their concern regarding the Quitman Ten, a group of Black elected officials and voters from Quitman, Georgia, who are facing questionable indictments for voter fraud. Quitman, Brooks County, Georgia is a small town of approximate […]
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