October 28, 2021 -
A Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by civil rights groups on behalf of several immigrant advocacy organizations working with Cameroonians fleeing violence at home confronts anti-Black racism in the U.S. immigration system.
October 27, 2021 -
After being pressed for decades by environmental health advocates, the EPA recently announced a plan to regulate toxic PFAS chemicals widely used in consumer products, from non-stick cookware to dental floss. But the FDA still hasn't banned the cancer-causing substances from fast-food wrappers and containers, and Southern states have been reluctant to take action on their own.
October 15, 2021 -
The N.C. Court of Appeals recently rejected a request from the Pat McCrory Committee Defense Fund and the law firm Holtzman Vogel to throw out a libel suit filed against them for falsely accusing voters of committing fraud in the 2016 election. After the former Republican governor narrowly lost to Democrat Roy Cooper that year, McCrory's campaign and its legal agents worked to sow doubt about the election's integrity — a strategy taken to new levels by Donald Trump following his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.
October 13, 2021 -
North Carolina legislators have appealed a ruling that struck down a 2018 voter ID statute as racially discriminatory. And a lawsuit challenging a related voter ID amendment is at the North Carolina Supreme Court, where two justices are under scrutiny for conflicts of interest in the case.
October 12, 2021 -
The Southern Economic Advancement Project is helping local governments plan how to spend funds they're getting from the COVID-19 economic stimulus bill in a way that promotes equity in disaster recovery. It's also tracking innovative efforts to stretch ARP funds to their full potential in cities including New Orleans; Durham, North Carolina; and Mobile, Alabama.
October 12, 2021 -
The recent census results showed that the South is becoming more diverse, but state legislators are now drawing election districts that could keep communities of color from influencing congressional and legislative races.
October 8, 2021 -
The organizer of the Elaine Unity Fest, held on the 102nd anniversary of the mass murder of Black sharecroppers in Arkansas, hopes it will be a first step towards restorative justice and economic development in the city and in Phillips County.
