Thinking Freely

Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and the fundamental right upon which all our civil liberties rest. But the right to vote and participate in our democracy is currently denied to thousands of people in Maryland, those who who are incarcerated. Dating back to the racist Jim Crow era state felony disfranchisement laws were created to prevent Americans with felonies from voting. After the Civil War, there was a concerted effort to incarcerate thousands of newly freed slaves and these laws weakened the political power of Black people. Although the laws have changed so that people who are formerly incarcerated and are not currently serving a felony conviction can register and vote in elections, there is still confusion about these laws, which has also resulted in countless other Marylanders from voting.  

In this episode listen to Lupé Hawkins of Just Us and Yanet Amanuel, Public Policy Advocate of the ACLU of Maryland, discuss some of the threats to our voting rights, explain why we need to improve ballot access for people behind bars, and talk about what you can do to get involved in turning the idea of universal suffrage into reality.

This podcast was recorded on Piscataway land.

The First Amendment was meant to serve as the backbone of our democracy, allowing people who are critical of the government the right to speak. Historically, white supremacists have co-opted the First Amendment to advance hate and incite violence. At the same time, we have seen People of Color’s First Amendment rights violated when they speak out against oppression and racism. The First Amendment is a vital tool that can be used to advance racial justice. That’s why survivors of police brutality and community members in Baltimore are fighting for the right to speak up against police abuse. However, the Baltimore City government requires survivors to sign “gag orders” that are meant to silence survivors of police abuse in order to resolve their cases.  

 

In this episode listen to Tawanda Jones, Activist, and Leader of “West Wednesdays Coalition” and Deborah Jeon, Legal Director of ACLU of Maryland, discuss the impacts of silencing survivors of police abuse. We will also speak about the effort to re-imagine a First Amendment where everyone’s speech is protected.

 

This podcast was recorded on Piscataway land.

Our immigrant communities need to be supported. Instead, their lives and rights have increasingly been attacked, especially under the Trump Administration. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has prioritized building more 287(g) partnerships, where local law enforcement officers are deputized as federal immigration agents. Local police only have to go through a month of training to be fully participating officers and there’s little accountability for rights violations. Across the country, a growing number of counties are participating in this program, including 3 in Maryland. These dangerous programs undermine public safety by causing many immigrants to fear law enforcement.  In this episode, we hear from Flor Garay of the RISE Coalition of Western Maryland and Sergio España of the ACLU of Maryland to talk about how the 287(g) program has impacted Maryland residents – and what we can do about it.

NOTE: The phrase “America is a country of immigrants” is often a well-intended phrase that has often unintended biases. The phrase ignores two major parts of American history. First, it ignores that this nation was created on land violently stolen from Native Americans/Indigenous people. These peoples were here first and we need to as a nation better understand that history. Second, it ignores that millions of Black people are descended from people who were stolen from Africa and sold into slavery. They are not immigrants. Words matter and understanding the history of these phrases help us create a more perfect union.

This podcast was recorded on Piscataway land.