theblackbottom

Tony Norman began his journalism career at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1988 as a clerk. He was promoted to the Pop Music / Pop Culture beat a year later. In 1996, Norman became a general interest columnist for the PG. In 1999, Norman joined the PG’s editorial board. In 2005-2006, Norman took a year from [...]

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Western Michigan has a new top federal prosecutor.
Patrick Miles Jr. took the oath of office today at the federal courthouse in Grand Rapids. He’s a 44-year-old Grand Rapids lawyer who was nominated by President Barack Obama and recently confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
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Citizens Speak Out Against Voter Suppression Efforts in Michigan. There is no bigger crime against democracy than trying to deny people the right to vote.

Source:Colorlines.com
Florida scored a second big victory yesterday (here’s the first one) came in federal judge Robert Hinkle’s decision to strike the 48-hour deadline rule for groups handing in voter registration applications. Before Florida’s HB 1355 law was passed last year, completed registration applications could be turned in within 10 days, allowing for those [...]

Source: New York Times
Suppress the Vote!
By JIM ARKEDIS and LINDSAY MARK LEWIS
The grip of the super PAC on the Republican primary season has been well-documented. They are wrecking balls operating outside the candidates’ direct control, fueled by massive influxes of cash from a handful of wealthy patrons. The millions spent by [...]

Source: Colorlines.com
Wisconsin was considered the state with the strictest photo voter ID law, until yesterday when Judge David Flanagan ordered a temporary injunction on the law until an upcoming trial determines if the law should be scrapped permanently. The lawsuit, brought by the NAACP and immigration rights group Voces de la Frontera, was [...]

Politics cannot save, but they might make our lives better. Let’s be clear, politics is no substitute for faith. Religious faith answers the question about life and death. And politics can never answer the great mysteries of our finite days on this earth. Nevertheless, politics are important. Political organization addresses how resources are divvied [...]

Theo Anderson
It’s too painful to dwell on, perhaps, but we now live in a political culture created in large part by electoral fraud in Florida in 2000.
There are a few iconic moments and events that represent profound shifts in American history. Think of the civil rights marches in 1965, the riots at Altamont and [...]

NAACP President Ben Jealous speaking at the first organizing meeting for the Dec. 10th Stand for Freedom March and Rally.
Stand for Freedom will take place at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza near the United Nations on U.N. Human Rights Day on December 10, 2011. It is sponsored by a coalition of labor, civil rights and other community [...]

By: Steve Carmody
Flint mayor Dayne Walling being interviewed by Michigan Radio in his campaign office
(photo by Steve Carmody/Michigan Radio)
Flint’s mayor takes his oath of office today. What happens next is up to Governor Snyder. Incumbent Dayne Walling won a four year term as Flint’s mayor last week. He’s already been serving as Flint’s mayor [...]