It’s Time to #Powerthe14th

Whether you realize it or not, July 9, 1868 was a day that changed your life and ours. Why? Because it was the day that the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified.

By Abdi Soltani, Candice Francis

#PowerThe14th

Equity Requires Honest Conversations. Calling Out White Supremacy is a Good Start.

Starbucks. Colorado State College. Air B&B. Nordstrom Rack. Yale University. Grandview Golf Club. Oakland's Lake Merritt. In the last month, “incidents” in each of these locales have made headlines, incidents in which white people have called the police on people of color—either African American or Native American—accusing them of everything from burglary to acting suspicious to golfing too slowly. What is remarkable is not that these “incidents” are happening, but that they are being covered by national news outlets, documented by passers-by, and spread on social media.  People of color know these kinds of “incidents” are not unusual. They happen every day. It is also remarkable that in every one of these cases, no person of color was shot by the police. Instead, apologies are issued, CEO’s promise to make changes and/or require training, and they assert that “what happened does not represent the culture of our company/university/community, etc.”

By Shakti Butler

fuzzy picture of a Starbucks

We're Demanding the Government Come Clean on Surveillance of Social Media

By Hugh Handeyside

stock photo of a person using a computer keyboard

Amazon Teams Up With Law Enforcement to Deploy Dangerous New Face Recognition Technology

By Nicole A. Ozer

Three surveillance cameras on a wall point in three different directions giving the sense of a panopticon

A New Bill Restores California’s Power to Fight Secret Surveillance

In neighborhoods across California, law enforcement agencies are deploying secret and invasive surveillance technologies to collect sensitive location and biometric data, target local activists, and feed ICE’s deportation machine.

City traffic

We Take Baseless Defamation Accusations Seriously. Here’s Why.

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California is committed to fighting against spurious legal claims that threaten free speech. Especially when corporations and other powerful entities attempt to strong-arm people who have less resources at their disposal. 

By Bilal Malik

Excerpt from our letter on behalf of Ms. Rossi

BREAKING: Another Local Victory for California Values

Central Valley residents in Porterville spoke truth to power and defeated an anti-immigration resolution that was up for a vote at the city council.

By Maria Romani

Residents rally outside the Porterville City Hall

LGBTQ-Inclusive Sex Ed Would Have Meant the World to Me

My local school board will soon decide whether to adopt a sex ed curriculum that makes it clear: LGBTQ+ people are equally deserving of respect and love.

By Sameer Jha

The author stands in their school library, holding their letter to the school district and smiling at the camera

In Its Zeal to Deport Immigrants, the Justice Department Scraps Due Process

In the past month, the Department of Justice has issued a series of stunningly senseless, wasteful, and cruel immigration policies

By Cecillia Wang

Jeff Sessions Picture