Joseph Lowery - Moments of the Movement

Though we hear a lot about bombings and physical attacks, efforts to take down leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement came in many forms. Rev. Joseph E. Lowery knows that all too well. He, along with Fred Shuttlesworth, Ralph Abernathy, and Solomon Seay, was a defendant in New York Times v. Sullivan. Though known widely as a case that defended freedom of the press, L.B. Sullivan, the Montgomery police commissioner, also sued Lowery et al for defamation over the advertisement, “Heed Their Rising Voices.” The full-page ad detailed ways in which authorities in the south terrorized non-violent protesters. Here, Rev. Lowery talks about the case as it was argued before the Supreme Court, and the unexpected fallout as a result.

Cecil Williams - Moments of the Movement

The images of the Civil Rights Movement captured by its photographers remain some of its most important and lasting records, thanks to the work of the men and women on the front lines with the camera. Orangeburg, S.C., native Cecil J. Williams learned of his love of taking pictures as soon as he held that first hand-me-down Kodak Baby Brownie. He set out taking pictures of the nascent movement in Orangeburg, became a correspondent for Jet magazine at the young age of 15, and made national news after taking some key images after the 1968 Orangeburg Massacre.

Despite Civil Rights Celebrations, More Work to Do - Focus Point

This summer we will recognize the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Though much has changed since Martin Luther King Jr. articulated his dream of equality, Jones-DeWeever says, some battles remain, and we continue to fight some of the civil rights battles won decades ago.

Immigration Reform: What Do Black Folk Have to Do With It? - Focus Point

When most of us think about immigration reform, we often have an image of a Latino face. But, says Julian Kiganda, president of African Diaspora for Change, that’s an inaccurate depiction. While Latinos have done a good job of making their voices heard in the debate around immigration reform, we’re missing a significant part of the conversation if we leave out African, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Latino voices.

The Problem with MOOCs - My Mic is Hot

Depending on whom you ask in educational circles, MOOCs—massive open online courses—are either all the rage or a source of rage. There are obvious benefits to a course offered online that aims for large-scale interaction and participation driven by open access of learning on the web. It seems tailor-made for non-traditional students who need maximal flex time and space to complete their education, and offers students at lower-tier schools greater access to lecturers at prestigious institutions. But, says Dyson, problems loom with MOOCs as well, and some of the familiar disparities between well-resourced universities and smaller schools and the education offered at these institutions resurface in the digital space.

Dr. Sampson Davis, Author, “Living and Dying in Brick City: An E.R. Doctor Returns Home.” - My Mic is Hot

Turn on any cable news channel and you’re bound to hear one talking head or another droning on about the nation’s health care crisis. Rarely, however, do you hear it from the prospective of a doctor in the trenches. And not just any doctor, but a doctor who is a product of the urban community that he serves. That’s what you get from the book, “Living and Dying in Brick City: An E.R. Doctor Returns Home.” The author, Dr. Sampson Davis, is an emergency room physician in a Newark hospital, and sometimes the patients who come through its doors are a reminder of the road he didn’t take.