The #COVID19 pandemic has touched every corner of the globe.
Here in the United States, it has shone a light on the fissures in society that innumerable civil rights lawyers & activists have dedicated their lifetimes to fixing.
Today, on the 80th anniversary of @NAACP_LDF's founding, current President and Director-Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) shares words of encouragement in light of the challenges we are facing right now. #LDF80
May 17, 1954, the day the decision in Brown vs. Board of Education was issued, marks a defining moment in the history of the United States. The Supreme Court declared the doctrine of “separate but equal” unconstitutional.
To litigate Brown vs. Board of Education, Thurgood Marshall recruited the nation’s best attorneys. LDF lawyers were assisted by a brain trust of legal scholars, historians, and social science researchers. More about the legal minds behind the case: naacpldf.org/brown-vs-board…
The legal victory in Brown v. Board of Education did not transform the country overnight, and much work remains. However, striking down segregation in U.S. public schools provided a major catalyst for the civil rights movement. Its impact has been felt by every American.
In 1961, John Lewis joined the Freedom Riders, a group traveling by bus to ensure that the Supreme Court decision banning discrimination in transportation services was upheld. They were repeatedly physically attacked and imprisoned, but they remained steadfast in their objective.
LDF directly represented Mr. Lewis and other activists in numerous civil rights matters. LDF founder Thurgood Marshall was on the Lewis v. Greyhound legal team, which involved a violent attack on the Freedom Riders at the Montgomery, AL, bus terminal. naacpldf.org/naacp-publicat…
In 1963, Mr. Lewis became the national chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He was one of the organizers of the 1963 March on Washington and, at the age of 23, was the youngest individual to make remarks at the event.
In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the March on Washington to call for an end to segregation, economic justice, and access to the ballot. Today, the fight for voting rights is just as urgent. naacpldf.org/march-on-washi…
As buses pulled into D.C. and hundreds arrived via trains onto the National Mall for the March on Washington, the gravity of the moment was clear. 250,000 people marched — the unprecedented turnout was a testament to the power of grassroots organizing. naacpldf.org/march-on-washi…
When MLK gave his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, the passage of the Voting Rights Act was still two years away. Echoing his earlier calls to give us the ballot, he said “We cannot be satisfied” until we have the right to vote and a voice in our democracy.
TONIGHT at 9:00PM EST: @Sifill_LDF joins @Maddow live to discuss her decision to step down as LDF President and Director-Counsel.
"I’ve worked very hard to make LDF strong and to help Americans see that civil rights institutions and civil rights work is critical—not just for the citizenship and dignity of Black people, but for the health of American democracy." @Sifill_LDF
“2024 is coming very quickly and I want to make sure the next leader [of LDF] is fully in place and prepared for that. The next chapter for me…will always involve this work that I have committed my life to.” -@Sifill_LDF
Starting now! @Sifill_LDF joins @allinwithchris on @MSNBC to discuss the Freedom to Vote Act. The bill aimed at strengthening voting rights and overhauling the nation's election systems failed to advance in the Senate today.
"The reality of what we are dealing with is no different than the reality of what Black voters were dealing with in 1964. Voter suppression was being perpetuated and advanced to keep fellow citizens from being able to vote...and that is what is happening today." -@Sifill_LDF
"When we see a vote like this today—not a vote against a bill, but a vote against talking about a bill—in what is supposed to be the greatest deliberative body in the world, the United States Senate, then we know our democracy has lost its way." -@Sifill_LDF
.@SIfill_LDF joins @maddow to discuss the anniversary of #GeorgeFloyd's death and today's confirmation of Kristen Clarke. Tune in tonight at 9:35 ET on @MSNBC
We are not out of the woods yet, but there have been important shifts that have happened.
“One of the most important is in the narrative of the nature of policing. We are now not just talking about individuals, we are talking about reimagining public safety.” —@Sifill_LDF
There has been a policy shift. There are multiple states that have passed laws requiring more transparency and police accountability.
“We don’t want to forget these changes are happening—because we saw the largest mass protest ever in the United States last summer.”@Sifill_LDF