People For the American Way Archives

Jocelyn Woodards Delegate To The Democratic National Convention 2024

August 7, 2024 admin 0

By Staff How did you begin your journey in politics? I grew up the eldest of 6 children raised by a single working mother on the West Side of Chicago in some of the most impoverished neighborhoods in the city. My […]

Clarence Thomas Does Not Belong on the Supreme Court – By Svante Myrick

April 25, 2023 admin 0

It’s been over 30 years since Justice Clarence Thomas was confirmed to the Supreme Court seat once held by the great Thurgood Marshall, and it’s safe to say that his reputation for unethical behavior – which was poor to start […]

A Magic Made by Many – Memories of Dr. King’s Great Speeches

January 16, 2023 admin 0

By Svante Myrick For many of us, the Martin Luther King holiday every year brings memories of Dr. King’s great speeches and the incredible power of his words. Dr. King was a master orator who gave many inspiring speeches throughout his […]

Voters Make an Important Down Payment on Democracy’s Future

November 20, 2022 admin 0

By Ben Jealous A lot of good news came out of this month’s elections—and enough bad news to remind us that we can never let our guard down when freedom and democracy are at stake. This year, democracy itself was […]

Accountability: An Insurrectionist Removed from Office

September 17, 2022 admin 0

By Ben Jealous A New Mexico judge has done the country a big favor. Judge Francis Mathew upheld a little-known provision of the U.S. Constitution and removed a public official for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. I hope […]

We’re Not Letting Anybody Steal Our Joy

March 29, 2022 admin 0

By Ben Jealous A congressional meeting room might be the last place people would expect to find joy. But joy was in the air on the opening day of the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. […]

State of the Union: Democracy Needs Defenders

March 5, 2022 admin 0

By Ben Jealous President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address reminded Americans that democracy needs defenders—here at home as well as in Ukraine. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine was understandably a major focus of Biden’s speech. Putin’s […]

The Big Truth: The Big Problem is the Big Lie

January 7, 2022 admin 0

By Ben Jealous It’s been a year since a mob of Trumpists violently attacked the U.S. Capitol. They wanted to stop Congress from affirming President Joe Biden’s victory. Some of them were out for blood. All of them were motivated […]

Why Stacey Abrams is Important for Georgia and Our Democracy

December 14, 2021 admin 0

By Ben Jealous You know the old game, two truths and a lie? Here are two truths and a lie about Georgia and Stacey Abrams, who recently announced that she’s running for governor. Let’s start with the lie. The big […]

Three Urgent Steps to Defend Democracy from Cynics and Skeptics

July 4, 2021 admin 0

By Ben Jealous The far-right attack on voting rights is fierce. And the unwillingness of some Senate Democrats to challenge rules that allow a Republican minority to block voting rights bills is making some question whether we can turn back […]

Greater Justice is Coming: Taking on Abusive and Deadly Policing with New DOJ Leadership

May 18, 2021 admin 0

By Ben Jealous Thanks to the voters who elected President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, we now have a Department of Justice that actually cares about justice. And I am not just talking about justice as an idea. […]

Martin Luther King Jr. Day feels complicated this year

January 18, 2021 admin 0

We Cannot Not Lose Sight of the Historic Milestones By Ben Jealous Martin Luther King Jr. Day feels complicated this year.We have new reasons to celebrate. High on that list is the election of Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer […]

Black Voters: We Are Top Targets of Voter Suppression ‘Information Warfare’

September 10, 2020 admin 0

By Ben Jealous, President, People For the American Way Black voters have a powerful role to play in this year’s elections. That’s why we are being targeted by disinformation campaigns that are meant to discourage and suppress our turnout. We […]