by Siera Jones The Commonwealth of Virginia has passed an historic bill granting students excused absences to participate in protests and lobbying events. This legislation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is a result of bipartisan lobbying efforts by both the Virginia Young Democrats Teen Caucus and the Teenage Republican Federation of … Continue reading
Tag Archives: activist
Democrat leaders urge activists to stay politically involved
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — America’s Democratic party must revitalize itself by paying attention to the people it represents all the time, not just during elections, the deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee said Thursday. U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, of Minnesota, and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, hammered home that message during a fundraiser … Continue reading
AP Interview: Wong says China rise means trade trumps rights
HONG KONG (AP) — Young Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong warned Wednesday that China’s rise means human rights are in increasingly greater danger of being overshadowed globally by business interests. He was responding to questions about his expectations for an upcoming Asian tour by U.S. President Donald Trump, who will visit China and four … Continue reading
AP Explains: Why Kenya is voting again for president
WHO’S RUNNING? Who knows? Opposition leader Raila Odinga, whose legal challenge claiming vote-rigging led to this new election, has said he won’t take part on Thursday because electoral reforms have not been made. Now he vows to turn his political coalition into a “resistance movement.” But the electoral commission has said Odinga will be on … Continue reading
Kate Millett, feminist author of ‘Sexual Politics,’ dies
PARIS (AP) — Kate Millett, the activist, artist and educator whose best-selling work “Sexual Politics” was a landmark of cultural criticism and a manifesto for the modern feminist movement, has died at 82. Millett’s book was among the most talked-about works of its time and remains a founding text for cultural and gender studies programs. … Continue reading
Cousin who saw Emmett Till being kidnapped dies at age 74
CHICAGO (AP) — Simeon Wright, who was with his cousin Emmett Till when the Chicago boy was kidnapped in 1955 after whistling at a white woman in Mississippi, has died. He was 74. Till, who was 14, spent the summer of 1955 visiting relatives in Mississippi and was kidnapped, tortured and killed after whistling at … Continue reading
Thailand denies entry to teen Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong
HONG KONG (AP) — Thailand stopped Hong Kong teen pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong from entering the country to give a talk and sent him home, raising questions about whether it acted at China’s behest. An activist and a Thai immigration official said Bangkok responded to a request from Beijing, though a Thai government spokesman denied … Continue reading
Campus Life / Celebrities / Local / Movies / Politics
Nate Parker visits NSU to promote new film
by Malik Glaspie Norfolk State’s Brown Theater had a full audience Tuesday, Sept. 27, to hear a lecture from Nate Parker. Nate Parker is an actor, writer, director, producer, and musical performer who has played a part in numerous films such as The Great Debaters, Non-Stop, Red Tails, and Beyond the Lights. Parker is also … Continue reading
Weary of protest, Baltimore activists seek change elsewhere
BALTIMORE (AP) — Under the beating summer sun, retired steelworker Arthur B. Johnson Jr. stood outside the Clarence Mitchell Courthouse in Baltimore, clutching the fraying wooden handle of a homemade sign. “Justice for Freddie Gray,” it read. Inside, a fourth officer was about to be cleared of criminal charges in Gray’s death last April, a … Continue reading
New play explores life, legacy of slain teen Trayvon Martin
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Trayvon Martin has often been in the thoughts of playwright and activist Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj in the four years since the 17-year-old unarmed black boy was shot and killed after a confrontation with neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman. He has wondered about Martin’s dreams, his life and the moments before he died. Maharaj … Continue reading
Prince accepted a standing ovation as he strolled out carrying a cane and rocking an Afro to present the 2015 Grammy for album of the year. Then he stole the show with a line that reminded everyone he was more than just a pop superstar; he was a black activist. “Albums still matter,” he said. … Continue reading
A look at marijuana laws around the US and the globe
Marijuana is illegal for any reason under federal law, but states have boldly experimented with allowing its use anyway, starting with California 20 years ago. Some states have made the drug legal for medical purposes; others have removed jail sentences for carrying small amounts; and some let adults 21 and older use it for any … Continue reading
Azerbaijan frees rights activist after 2 years in prison
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — A court in Azerbaijan has ordered the release of a human rights activist who spent the last two years in jail. Intigam Aliyev was convicted last year of economic crimes that critics have dismissed as retaliation for his work. His lawyer, Fariz Namazly, said the Supreme Court of this former Soviet … Continue reading
Chinese artist imitates photo of Syrian toddler on the beach
NEW DELHI (AP) — Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has recreated the famous image of a 3-year-old Syrian child who drowned in Turkey last year by staging a photo of himself lying face down on a beach in Greece. The photograph last year of the child lying on a Turkish beach triggered international outrage … Continue reading
Police say Jakarta attack funded by IS in Syria
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An audacious attack by suicide bombers in the heart of Indonesia’s capital was funded by the Islamic State group, police said Friday, Jan. 15, as they seized an IS flag from the home of one of the attackers and carried out raids across the country in which one suspected militant was … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 