florida

Southern states lighten the burden of a criminal record

By Benjamin Barber

May 24, 2019 - As the movement for criminal justice reform takes center stage ahead of the 2020 elections, governors and legislators in the South are offering reforms to create a more welcoming reentry process after prison and to restore rights stripped from ex-felons — though progress on that front faces backlash in Florida.

Fight for $15 protests McDonald's over workplace violence

By Rebekah Barber

May 24, 2019 - Just days after McDonald's workers filed over two dozen sexual harassment charges and lawsuits against the fast-food giant, they went on strike in cities across the the South and nation to demand a redress of their grievances.

Politics

Woke Vote: new film documents change in the South one vote at a time

By Field Studio

May 24, 2019 - Watch the new documentary by Hannah Ayers and Lance Warren of Field Studio that takes viewers inside the 2018 Woke Vote effort led by young African American organizers in Southern states to transform voter turnout and elect political progressives.

Politics

INSTITUTE INDEX: The high cost of the non-citizen voter myth

By Sue Sturgis

May 10, 2019 - Earlier this year Texas officials threatened to remove from the state's voter rolls tens of thousands of people they alleged were not citizens. Warning that the state was using bad data, voting rights advocates sued and won — and now Texas must pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorneys' fees. It's not the only state to jeopardize citizens' voting rights over bogus claims of non-citizens voting.

Southern legislatures take aim at direct democracy

By Billy Corriher

May 3, 2019 - After voters approved a constitutional amendment restoring the franchise to people with felony convictions, Florida lawmakers are trying to make it harder for citizens to put amendments on the ballot. Legislators in Arkansas, the only other Southern state that allows citizen-initiated amendments, did likewise after voters passed a minimum-wage hike.

Congressional panel hears testimony on voting rights in North Carolina

By Benjamin Barber

April 26, 2019 - Voting rights advocates offered solutions for combating discriminatory election practices and increasing voting access in the state and around the country.

Southern legislatures target LGBTQ rights

By Benjamin Barber

April 12, 2019 - Even as support for LGBTQ equality grows nationally, lawmakers in three Southern states are advancing legislation that would continue to discriminate.

Jewish appointees bring religious diversity to the South's state supreme courts

By Billy Corriher

March 29, 2019 - Governors in Florida and North Carolina recently appointed Jewish justices to their state supreme courts — a first for North Carolina. Studies have shown that Jewish judges, as well as those who belong to other religious minorities, tend to rule in favor of religious freedom.

INSTITUTE INDEX: Equal Rights Amendment revival comes to the South

By Sue Sturgis

March 14, 2019 - For the amendment banning sex discrimination by the federal and state governments to be enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, one more state needs to ratify it. Most of the states that haven't ratified the ERA are in the South, but ratification bills were introduced in seven Southern states this year.

Duke Energy's monopoly power faces challenges in Southern states

By Sue Sturgis

March 1, 2019 - A new coalition seeks to end Duke Energy's electric monopoly in North Carolina in hopes of hastening the shift to clean energy. There's also an effort underway to bring competition to the electricity market in Florida, where Duke operates as a regional monopoly.