In January 2017, the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) released “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections,” its report evaluating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The report provided a strategic autopsy which explored the mechanics and escalation of cyber-espionage and covert operations orchestrated by a Russian-controlled propaganda apparatus.
2019
Dr. Ron Daniels
Dr. Ron Daniels
President, Institute of the Black World 21st Century
Displaced and Replaced: Gentrification is the 21st Century “Negro Removal” Program
Gentrification has emerged as a major threat to Black communities that have been centers of Black political, civic, business, economic and cultural development for generations. Gentrification has become a watchword signaling the displacement of Black people and Black culture. In short, gentrification is the “Negro Removal Program” of the 21st century.
In 1963, African-American author and activist James Baldwin observed that “urban renewal” is often the first step on the destructive path to “Negro removal.”
Dr. Kristen E. Broady
Dr. Kristen E. Broady
Visiting Professor of Economics, Alabama A&M University
The High Cost of Not Voting: Voter Suppression and the Racial Income Gap
Like so much else in the United States, voting is strongly correlated with income [1]. Conventional wisdom might assume that individuals experiencing economic hardship would be more inclined to get involved in the political process—if only to ameliorate their day-to-day economic concerns, but a report by the Scholars Strategy Network[2] finds that citizens who vote tend to have higher incomes. Unemployment, poverty and economic insecurity has as much an effect on suppressing voter participation as draconian voter ID laws and poll closings.
Bret Schafer
Bret Schafer
Bret Schafer, Social Media Analyst & Communications Officer, Alliance for Securing Democracy
Race, Lies and Social Media: How Russia Manipulated Race in America and Interfered in the 2016 Elections
Have you met Luisa Haynes? She was a prolific force in the #BlackLivesMatter community on Twitter. In just over a year, she amassed more than 50,000 followers; and her outspoken, viral takes on everything from Beyoncé to police brutality earned her hundreds of thousands of retweets and media coverage in more than two dozen prominent news outlets.
Sean Reed
Sean Reed
Civic Engagement Chair, Dallas-Fort Worth Urban League Young Professionals
New Voters Claim a Seat at Democracy’s Table
You can easily find a host of articles that describe Dallas as the city with the lowest voter turnout in municipal elections among the 33 largest cities in the United States. As evidence, the last mayoral election in Dallas saw a meager voter turnout of about seven percent of all registered voters. The numbers are grimmer for registered 18-34 year olds. Only 1.7 percent actually made it to the polls during early voting and on Election Day.
Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr.
Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr.
President & CEO, Hip Hop Caucus