This week, the Senate is considering — once again — whether to convict Donald Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors. If he’s convicted, he would be barred from seeking office again.
A few weeks ago, Mitchell Zimmerman made the case for impeaching Trump, holding his Republican enablers accountable, and then moving on with the business of repairing damage to both our democracy and our public health. That piece is worth another read.
Meanwhile, interesting things are happening on the legislative front.
As part of the COVID-19 relief package now before Congress, minimum wage earners could see their first raise in well over a decade — and people who work for tips could see their first hike in some three decades.
The $2.13 sub-minimum wage for tipped workers, my colleague Rebekah Entralgo points out this week, is a relic of slavery. In OtherWords, she reports on how Black worker centers have made raising the wage a racial justice issue. Could we finally see an end to the practice this Black History Month?
In other news, a bipartisan group of senators have reintroduced the Dream Act, giving new hope to young undocumented immigrants and their families. Vanessa Meraz writes this week that years of advocacy have made restoring basic protections for these people the floor of what’s possible, not the ceiling.
Also this week, Jill Richardson explains the surprising gender dynamics of debates over environmentalism, while Jim Hightower skewers Kroger for slashing employee hazard pay while boosting rewards to stockholders.
Finally, also for Black History Month, I’d like to recommend revisiting an old favorite of mine: Mandisa Routheni’s reflection on the complicated hunt for Black family history.
New This Week…
End the Sub-minimum Tipped Wage | Rebekah Entralgo
This Black History Month, we have a chance to end this relic of slavery — and raise wages for workers of every color.
A Pathway to Citizenship for All Undocumented Americans | Vanessa Meraz
Years of advocacy have made DACA the floor of what’s possible, not the ceiling.
Why Some Men Reject Environmentalism | Jill Richardson
Research links embracing fossil fuels to conservative ideas about masculinity. Can these ideas change?
Why Working People Spell ‘BOSS’ Backwards | Jim Hightower
Grocery giants like Kroger are refusing employees hazard pay while buying their own stock with their extra profits.
The GOP Discovers Free Speech | Khalil Bendib
By which we mean conspiracies and death threats.
In Case You Missed It…
The Hunt for Black Family History | Mandisa Routheni
Simple genealogy searches don’t work for people whose ancestors were treated like property. But some new tools could help.
A Tale of Two Mobs | Mitchell Zimmerman
How the GOP abandoned democracy and became an accomplice to insurrection, and what must be done now.
After the Muslim Ban | Domenica Ghanem
I’m glad Biden repealed Trump’s Muslim ban, but the work of repairing the harm is just beginning.
Take on the Punishment Profiteers | Rebekah Entralgo
Biden’s order rolling back for-profit prisons is a good first step. Next we need to end for-profit immigration detention.
