Authors

Jo Freeman reviews and writes: Alan Venable was one of Hope’s kids. A junior at Harvard, he joined 18 students from Brandeis University and four from other Boston area schools to go to Columbia S.C. for ten weeks. After two weeks, six of them moved to Calhoun County. When they started canvassing only 490 blacks were registered to vote in that county. They registered 114 in July, under the very restrictive registration rules typical of the Southern states, which were generally applied to blacks but not to whites. When the VRA became law on August 6, it removed the literacy test. Another 500 registered in the next two months. more »

Rose Madeline Mula writes: "As I sat at Mass one recent Saturday afternoon, I thought the officiating priest said something about “Fake News” and the current political climate. Was he sympathizing with Donald Trump? My first instinct was to walk out. But since I hadn’t heard the context of his remarks, I wasn’t sure. So I stayed, recalling another Mass, at another church, during another era of political contention, when another priest declaimed from the pulpit that it was our responsibility to vote for George Bush. I was furious!" more »

Jo Freeman writes: March 24 had a milder flavor than most protests, in part because the teenagers who organized it had parental approval and lots of adult support. Even the cops were cool; police would prefer to be the only ones to carry guns. The DC National Guard blocked the streets and cops directed traffic elsewhere. If the issue of gun violence had not been so grave, it would have felt like a celebration rather than a protest. Staff from the Democratic National Committee and volunteers from the League of Women Voters asked participants to sign statements that they would register to vote. The DNC passed out stickers to young people with the year they would reach voting age. more »

Ferida Wolff writes: It’s hard to ignore the changes that are taking place across the world. The atmosphere is heating up, causing glaciers to melt, oceans to rise, more floods, and fires in drier lands. And yet, we can still have snow at the beginning of Spring. It reminds me not to take anything for granted. Trees are so strong and impressive yet they, too, are part of the progression of life. Even as we plan for the future we can live moment to moment along the way. Which is good to remember because another rain/snow storm is expected tomorrow. more »