Civil Rights + Immigration
Hate groups’ political influence growing, watchdog says
WASHINGTON — More than 1,200 hate and anti-government extremist groups were active across the United States in 2022, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s latest report on the nationwide prevalence of extremists who target people of color, LGBTQ people, Jewish communities and other religious minorities. While the overall number of hate and anti-government groups […]
‘Finally come home’: Oregon nonprofit works with Idaho vets, historians to solve WWII mysteries
GOODING – Among a box full of American flags tucked away at the Gooding County Historical Museum in Idaho, a mystery from World War II is unfolding. The 2-foot-by-2-foot piece of cloth is made of silk. Two small leather attachments with string – perhaps used to secure to a flagpole – are stitched to the […]
New bipartisan immigration legislation proposed in U.S. House
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of six U.S. House lawmakers on Tuesday described details of proposed legislation that would create a legal pathway for citizenship for undocumented people through work requirements, and would also fund border security measures. The two Latinas who spearheaded the bill, Reps. Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat, and María Elvira Salazar, […]
National battle over abortion rights faces test in Oregon Legislature
Oregon lawmakers heard about two hours of emotional testimony on Tuesday about a proposed constitutional amendment that would shore up abortions rights and ban discrimination for sexual orientation and gender identity. Senate Joint Resolution 33, discussed in the Senate Rules Committee, would go to voters in the 2024 election if the Legislature passes it. The […]
U.S. House approves bill banning transgender student athletes in girls sports
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans voted Thursday to prohibit transgender student athletes from competing on girls sports teams consistent with their gender identity, at the same time multiple GOP-dominated states are making similar moves. The bill, H.R. 734, which would apply to K-12 schools as well as colleges that receive federal funding, passed on a […]
Labor exploitation of unaccompanied migrant children probed at U.S. House hearing
WASHINGTON — U.S. House members in a hearing on Tuesday questioned the head of a federal agency in charge of unaccompanied migrant children about multiple reports of their exploitation as workers in U.S. meatpacking plants and elsewhere. Republicans and Democrats on the House Oversight & Accountability Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs […]
Legislative Black, Indigenous and People of Color Caucus release sweeping agenda
The Oregon Legislature’s 17-member Black, Indigenous and People of Color Caucus released an agenda Wednesday that includes a range of issues, from equity and health care to justice and environmental problems that affect underserved communities. The four-year-old caucus, now at its largest with the Legislature more diverse than in the past, is supporting 18 bills […]
Most Oregon congressional members support restoring some land rights to Grand Ronde Tribe
A proposal introduced in the U.S. House by Democratic Rep. Andrea Salinas and in the U.S. Senate by Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley would restore the right of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to pursue future land claims and compensation, according to a news release. Salinas said in a release that the bill attempts […]
National ban on transgender athletes in girls’ sports passed by U.S. House panel
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee early Thursday passed a bill on a party-line vote that would block transgender girls from competing in school sports consistent with their gender identity, a reflection of a broader push in multiple states to curb the rights of transgender student athletes. The bill, H.R. 734, introduced […]
This International Women’s Day, U.S. anti-abortion laws violate human rights, groups say
Ahead of International Women’s Day, hundreds of U.S. and global human rights groups, doctors, and attorneys have asked the United Nations to intervene on behalf of the millions of women in the U.S. who have been left without access to legal abortion and vital forms of reproductive health care in the wake of last summer’s […]
His grandmother was forbidden to speak Lingít in school. Now, school is helping him reclaim it.
The class assignment was to write a letter to anyone they wanted. In Lingít. Eechdaa Dave Ketah chose his late grandmother, the person who spoke Lingít to him when he was growing up in Ketchikan. “And I was telling her that it’s hard learning the language at this point in my life, and one thing […]
Ukrainians by the thousands arrive in states, but with a time limit
WASHINGTON — As the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches this month, Ukrainians who were welcomed to the United States under a special program offering an escape from war are watching another timeline. The temporary Uniting for Ukraine program, sometimes called U4U, offers a two-year stay in the U.S., given that individuals […]