NBJC in the News

Today is finally election day in America! On this day, millions of Americans will go to the polls to exercise the most fundamental principle of our democratic process: the right to VOTE! At the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), we do not take for granted this paramount right that our ancestors dedicated and often gave their lives to in order for the voices of future generations to be heard. 

NBJC is honored to announce its HBCU LGBTQ-Equality Initiative Advisory Council Co-chairs: Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Ph.D of Spelman College and Anika Simpson, Ph.D. of Morgan State University. The Advisory Council was created to advise and assist NBJC in developing a strategic model that conceptualizes the critical path forward to ensure a welcoming, nurturing and affirming environment at HBCUs for the LGBTQ community.

In the age of the Obama presidency, our community has witnessed great progress: the passage of federal hate crimes legislation; the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the implementation of open transgender military service; the Supreme Court upheld marriage equality as the law of the land; and the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, we have also experienced many setbacks: the continued negative impact of the criminal justice system on our communities; the rise of overt racism and nationalist militias; the gutting of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and passage of discriminatory state election laws; and the continued rise of HIV/AIDS in our community. With the conference theme, The Post-Obama Era: What's Next?, this year's #OOTH2016 efforts will be deeply rooted in exploring the triumphs and challenges that we have witnessed during the administration of the first Black President, and work to plot the path forward in a post-Obama era.

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Fifty years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 into law. This historic piece of legislation promised to dismantle the legal barriers that prevented African Americans and other minorities from exercising their right to vote under the U.S. Constitution. By prohibiting racial discrimination in voting practices on every level of government, the Civil Rights Movement achieved one of its primary objectives--all Americans have the right to vote at the ballot box no matter their background.