Elaine Wells
NFP Omaha Chapter
When you see news about extreme poverty, the 50+% dropout rate, and deadly violence in North Omaha, do you wonder why it persists and what you could do about it? Would you like to widen your circle and get to know some delightful individuals you might not even meet in your regular routine?
Participants in Black-White Dialogues learn from experts about the roots of racial tensions; how institutions, policies and even unintentional prejudice perpetuate racism; what is being done to improve education and medical care for all; how to be an effective agent of change, and other topics.
Read morePosted In: Civil Rights & Economic Justice
They’re Coming after Our Social Safety Net
HENDRIK VAN DEN BERG
UNL PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS
Our civil society is being transformed into a cruel plutocracy right before our eyes, and no one is paying attention.
Read morePosted In: Civil Rights & Economic Justice
Nic Swiercek
NFP State Board
The Human Rights Campaign is on the ground in Nebraska working to repeal the military’s discriminatory policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and Nebraskans for Peace is helping them in their efforts.
Passed in 1993, the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law allows gay, lesbian, and bisexual service personnel to serve in the armed forces as long as their sexual orientation is not publicly disclosed or discovered. More than 13,500 men and women have been discharged from the military because of their sexual orientation, including more than 60 Arabic linguists and nearly 800 other service members in critical occupational fields.
Read morePosted In: Civil Rights & Economic Justice
Anti-Immigration Organization Operating in Nebraska Branded as a 'Hate Group' by National Civil Rights Watchdog
Paul A. Olson
Nebraskans for Peace President
At a February legislative hearing on a bill dealing with immigration, State Senator Bill Avery asked a pointed question of Kris Kobach, the lawyer for the legal affiliate of the ‘Federation for American Immigration Reform’ (FAIR). Did Kobach know, Avery inquired, that the ‘Southern Poverty Law Center’ had classified his umbrella group, FAIR, as a hate group?
Read morePosted In: Civil Rights & Economic Justice
Sascha Krannich
German citizen Sascha Krannich was an exchange student at Hastings College two years ago, and wrote his Master’s thesis about undocumented immigration to Nebraska. Now he is doing research for his PhD. in Mexico. He offers a European perspective on the immigration issues facing our state.
Immigration, both documented and undocumented, is on the rise in Nebraska, one of the New Immigration States in the U.S. It’s an issue and a problem that both Nebraskan citizens and their political representatives will have to continue to confront. Although the state policy has been lenient, it is now trending toward restrictive. How does Nebraska want to be represented in a national perspective: as a pioneer of hospitality, or as a closed door to those seeking opportunity? The impact of the private sector in this political debate is substantial, both through its role in forming public opinion and its lobbying influence in legislative process. In any event, the working conditions of immigrants without the legal status to exercise their rights—and the disruption caused by deportations—demand a review of current policy.
Read morePosted In: Civil Rights & Economic Justice
