Culture & Society
Interfaith coalition speaks out against proposed abortion restrictions: ‘We won’t go back’
As a young nurse, Minerva Velez-Glidden’s first patient was a 14-year-old girl infected with sepsis following a botched attempt to terminate a pregnancy. The nurse learned that the girl had been raped by her uncle. “At the age of 14, she had to have a hysterectomy,” Velez-Glidden said in Tallahassee Tuesday. During her career, Velez-Glidden […]
Gov. DeSantis in Washington for unveiling of Trump’s Middle East peace plan
Gov. Ron DeSantis traveled to Washington Tuesday to participate in talks between President Trump and Israeli leaders during which the administration is expected to unveil the latest Middle East peace plan. DeSantis was due at the White House at noon, according to his daily schedule. “Gov. DeSantis was invited to the White House to participate […]
Compensation claim filed for man freed after 11 years on Death Row
A Honduran immigrant wrongfully sentenced to death for the 2004 stabbing murders of two Altamonte Springs women is seeking compensation for the 14 years he spent behind bars, 11 of them on Death Row. Clemente Aguirre-Jarquin, a neighbor of the victims, maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration. He was convicted in 2006 of murdering Cheryl […]
Florida lawmakers in D.C. aim to stamp out hair-based discrimination
WASHINGTON — About a year ago, a New Jersey teen was forced to cut his dreadlocks in order to participate in a high school wrestling match. The wrestler, Andrew Johnson, received a hurried haircut after he was told by a referee that his hair violated wrestling rules. He won the match and state officials opened […]
A century ago, black residents of Ocoee were killed or forced from their homes for trying to vote
One-hundred years ago, a deadly riot tore through the Orange County town of Ocoee after whites lynched a prosperous African-American landowner for trying to vote in a presidential election and for encouraging others to vote. Florida Sen. Randolph Bracy, an Orange County Democrat, wants the state to pay reparations to descendants of victims of the […]
Progressives condemn the state’s conservative attacks on home rule
Labor representatives, environmentalists, LGBTQ supporters, and others gathered in the Capitol Thursday to condemn legislative attacks on home rule that are killing progressive policies at the local level. The preemptions are designed to overrule local government bans on single-use plastics and foam containers and so-called conversion therapy; to protect trees and coral reefs; mandate worker-friendly […]
‘It’s a real loss for survivors.’ Domestic violence law stalled in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — For decades, the Violence Against Women Act was an issue that could transcend partisan politics on Capitol Hill. Not anymore. The landmark law — first passed in 1994 to protect victims of domestic crimes — funds programs like rape crisis centers, shelters, and legal services to victims of domestic abuse. But after several […]
He didn’t do it: Exoneree Clifford Williams files claim for 43 years of wrongful incarceration
A Jacksonville man innocent of the murder for which he served 43 years in state prison is free and may receive $2.15 million in compensation from the state of Florida for being wrongfully incarcerated. Clifford Williams, exonerated in March 2019 with help from Florida’s first conviction integrity unit, was in the Florida Capitol Wednesday to […]
ERA ratification: Proponents say looming battle will heat up courts and elections
The Equal Rights Amendment, proposed in 1972 to guarantee that equality of rights shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex, has surged into the public spotlight after decades of neglect. Whether it becomes the 28th amendment enshrined in the U.S. Constitution will be decided in a series of court battles, but ERA […]
Dignity for incarcerated pregnant women: Lawmakers push for reforms
Advocates for pregnant women inmates came to the state Capitol Tuesday to retell the traumatic story of Tammy Jackson, an inmate at the Broward County jail who was forced to give birth in an isolation cell. Jackson miraculously performed a seven-hour labor by herself without medical assistance or medication. Another horrific tale comes from an […]
Republican legislation could wipe out LGBTQ protections, gay-rights advocates say
The day before the Florida Legislature began its 2020 session, lawmakers filed legislation making it a felony for a doctor to provide medical help to transgender youth. Advocates say the last-minute measure is part of a slate of bills in the annual legislative session that could undermine civil rights and protections for LGBTQ residents in […]
Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech
Here is the text of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I have a dream” speech, which changed the conversation of our nation and inspired generations. He delivered it in 1963 in Washington, D.C.: I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in […]