 info@eraseracismny.org
Phone: (516)-921-4863
Fax: (516)-921-4866
|
|
|
|
|
|
President's Message
 ERASE Racism is taking steps to make our second decade even more successful than our first decade. While our core mission remains the same, expect to see changes in how we achieve our mission. In the September EMERGE newsletter, we reported that ERASE Racism had filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court alleging that the owners and managers of an apartment building in the Village of Mineola, Town House Apartments, discriminate against African American renters. That case is ongoing and we will keep you apprised as it progresses. Taking legal action will be much enhanced with the addition of our newest staff member, Jennifer Simcovitch, who is a civil rights attorney. Learn more about Jen below. The Supreme Court began a new term this week and the October 7th New York Times article "Supreme Court has Deep Docket in Its New Term" (link) provides a good summary of the upcoming cases. Affirmative Action will once again be on the docket along with a large number of cases that could challenge precedents relating to public prayer, abortion rights, and campaign contributions. However, some of us are still reeling from decisions that were made in the Court's previous term. Please read the Shelby County v. Holder article below, which provides a context for understanding the significance of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the damage done by the Supreme Court's decision in that case. It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In our Other News section this month you will learn about an upcoming PBS television series, the African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross and a documentary, Deputized - ¿Como Pudo Pasasr? Warm regards  Elaine Gross President |
|
SHELBY COUNTY v. HOLDER
On June 25, 2013, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in Shelby County v. Holder, striking down §4(b) of the Voting Rights Act. Prior to the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, African Americans were routinely disenfranchised through a variety of techniques including literacy tests, poll taxes, and violence. Since 1965, §5 of the Voting Rights Act-which prohibited covered jurisdictions from implementing changes with respect to voting without prior approval-and §4(b)-which provided the formula for determining which jurisdictions were covered-had limited the ability of covered jurisdictions to disenfranchise minority voters by allowing the federal government to block discriminatory laws before they could be enacted. The Supreme Court, in striking down §4(b)'s coverage formula, left §5 standing but inapplicable to any state or local governments, thereby rendering it ineffective. States and municipalities that had previously been subject to the preclearance provisions of §5 are now free to enact changes to their voting laws without prior approval; laws or policies that disenfranchise voters must now be more inefficiently targeted after their enactment, and often not in time to curb voter disenfranchisement in upcoming elections. Unsurprisingly, within hours of the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder, several states that had previously been covered under the preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act indicated that they intended to move forward with plans to enforce voter suppression laws that had previously been blocked. For more information about the historical background of the Voting Rights Act and the decision in Shelby County v. Holder, please read the full article.
|
NEW STAFF ATTORNEY
Jennifer Simcovitch joins ERASE Racism with fair housing experience and a commitment to civil rights enforcement. When asked what brought her to Long Island, she said, "As someone who is passionate about fair housing and civil rights, I was drawn to ERASE Racism's incredible work on Long Island. I am excited to join the organization and work on these important issues."
Ms. Simcovitch formerly worked at Relman, Dane & Colfax, PLLC, a leading civil rights law firm in Washington, D.C., where she worked primarily in the area of fair lending compliance. Previously she served as a postgraduate fellow in the Civil Rights Bureau at the Office of the New York State Attorney General. Her work there focused on investigating the impact of exclusionary zoning, residential segregation, and discrimination against unemployed persons. During law school, she completed internships at the ACLU of Eastern Missouri and the Women's Rights Project of the ACLU, and participated in the Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic.
Ms. Simcovitch earned her law degree from Columbia Law School, where she was Articles Editor of the Jailhouse Lawyers' Manual and a member of the American Civil Liberties Union. She is co-author of Open Service and Our Allies, 17 Wm. & Mary J. Women & L. 547 (2011) and the co-editor of the Texas State Supplement to A Jailhouse Lawyer's Manual, Colum. Hum. Rts. L. Rev. (forthcoming). She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Politics with Honors, cum laude, from New York University, where she was a Presidential Honors Scholar. Her senior thesis was The Effect of Supreme Court Decisions on Evangelical Voting Behavior. Ms. Simcovitch is admitted in New York State.
|
IN OTHER NEWS
PBS Series
The African Americans: Many Rivers To Cross
This six-part, six-hour series chronicles the full sweep of African American history, from the origins of slavery on the African continent through five centuries of remarkable historic events right up to today-when America has a black President, yet remains a nation deeply divided by race. October 22-November 26th on Tuesdays. Check the PBS website for more details.
Deputized - ¿Cómo Pudo Pasar?
Anatomy of the Marcelo Lucero Hate Crime
Sunday, October 20, 2013 at 2:00 pm
Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center
of Nassau County
The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center, along with Long Island Wins, will present: "Deputized" a documentary offering multi-dimensional perspectives on the murder of Marcelo Lucero in Patchogue in 2008. An interactive discussion panel will follow the film.
For more information, including the please visit the Center's website.
|
|
Tell us what you think about our electronic newsletter.
We want to hear from you! Click here.
|
|
|
