Hope and Good news

As we look back at Sedition Day, it’s worth remembering the world is not without hope.

“I can tell you I’m pretty confident that if my parents were faced with that choice today that America is still the place they would see as this shining beacon of hope and opportunity, irrespective of its challenges which are real and more nakedly exposed than they have been in some time.” — black activist and think-tanker Patrick Gaspard on not giving up hope.

Biden “has nominated 21 public defenders, 14 civil rights attorneys, 10 plaintiff-side lawyers, three former legal aid lawyers, three consumer protection lawyers, and one labor lawyer. Already, he has doubled the number of former public defenders on the U.S. Court of Appeals. Several of his nominees previously fought for voting rights (Myrna Pérez and Dale Ho), marriage equality (Beth Robinson), and death row inmates (Holly Thomas). Their commitment to these controversial causes was not a deal-breaker for the White House; it was a selling point. At long last, courageous attorneys who stick their necks out to promote progressive values are being rewarded rather than punished by the Democratic establishment.” A look at how despite the Supreme Court’s Republican skew, Biden’s multiple appointments could be game-changers.

“There’s a reason marchers in the black freedom struggle sang “We Shall Overcome” rather than chanting “We Shall Resist.” Their goal was to overcome a racial caste system — to end it — and to create a new nation, a Beloved Community. Similarly, those who opposed slavery didn’t view themselves as resisters; they were abolitionists.” — Michelle Alexander on why resisting Trump (this was written midway into his term) is no enough.

What happens to all those Confederate memorials Virginia has removed? It’s up to Richmond’s Black History Museum. Seems appropriate.

Biden has ended a Trump rule making it possible to set work requirements for people on Medicaid.

Britain is wiping past convictions for homosexual acts off people’s records.