Category Archives: civil rights

My Aunt and the Black Lawn Jockey

Posted on August 5, 2020 by jyourist

My aunt, my mother’s twin, had a black lawn jockey on her front lawn. It appeared some time in the 60s in the midst of the Civil Rights movement. My cousin, my aunt’s daughter, told me that actually her mother … Continue reading →

Posted in African-Americans, civil rights, equity, family, twins, white privilege | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Together You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation

Posted on July 30, 2020 by jyourist

This was printed in the Opinion Column of the New York Times today, July 30, 2020. Mr. Lewis, the civil rights leader who died on July 17, wrote this essay shortly before his death, to be published upon the day … Continue reading →

Posted in activism, African-Americans, civil rights, democracy, justice, voting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

In the Bardo

Posted on July 18, 2020 by jyourist

We are all grieving at the passing of John Lewis. What a remarkable man, filled with integrity, purpose, courage, and grit. He spent a lifetime in the fight for justice and civil rights under the most challenging of circumstances. He … Continue reading →

Posted in activism, African-Americans, anti-racism, civil rights, Civil War, justice, racism | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

Posted on July 6, 2020 by jyourist

Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it has been faced. History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history. If we pretend … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-racism, civil rights, equity, history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“The Star-Spangled Banner” in a Minor Key

Posted on July 5, 2020 by jyourist

Chase Holfelder, the creator of the video above, captions the video above with: This past month has been heavy… but incomparable to the struggles that Black Americans have faced relentlessly for so many years. The movement has brought renewed light … Continue reading →

Posted in activism, African-Americans, anti-racism, civil rights, equity, freedom, racism | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Frederick Douglass’ “The Meaning of July Fourth

Posted on July 3, 2020 by jyourist

Almost a decade before the Civil War, Frederick Douglass was asked to speak at Rochester, New York’s Fourth of July celebration, (held on the fifth) in 1852. What the citizens, the white citizens, of Rochester heard was not what they … Continue reading →

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Juneteenth—Freedom, Jubilee, Liberation Day

Posted on June 19, 2020 by jyourist

Juneteenth is a day to commemorate freedom from chattel slavery in this country, but also a reminder for white people to continue to grapple with their white privilege and work toward eliminating the racial oppression alive and well in the … Continue reading →

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Malcom X…

Posted on May 19, 2016 by jyourist

…would be 91 today.

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Dr. Quentin Young 1923-2016

Posted on March 8, 2016 by jyourist

This is a tribute to Dr. Quentin Young, a resident of Hyde Park for most of his life, who was a dedicated advocate for single payer healthcare and a civil rights advocate. He died yesterday at 92. I met him … Continue reading →

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15th Amendment

Posted on February 3, 2016 by jyourist

Today is the anniversary of the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870, the amendment securing the right of black males to vote, though the word black is not mentioned in the amendment itself. During Reconstruction, the period right after … Continue reading →

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