New Highway Bill Will Address Racist Construction in the Past

“I’m still surprised that some people were surprised when I pointed to the fact that if a highway was built for the purpose of dividing a white and a black neighborhood, or if an underpass was constructed such that a bus carrying mostly black and Puerto Rican kids to a beach — or that would have been — in New York was designed too low for it to pass by, that that obviously reflects racism that went into those design choices,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg explained.

Republican Ted Cruz responded in a typical clueless manner of a man on top of many hierarchies who refuses to look at the truth.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/11/9/2063228/-Once-again-Sen-Cruz-misses-the-point-completely-this-time-connecting-race-and-U-S-infrastructure?fbclid=IwAR1YYDImGoQeVN8srXE_0uajAqX2EyeHQXA27j-TWrifp8y69IVfktt-tXo

Plessy and Ferguson Families Work to Overturn Conviction of Homer Plessy

A joint endeavor between the descendants of both sides of the Plessy v. Ferguson case in Louisiana has supported the appeal of the conviction of Homer Plessy, the man whose arrest for boarding a whites-only train car became the basis for the Supreme Court’s infamous 1896 “separate but equal” ruling.

Even though all of us support hierarchies to some degree, more or less depending largely on our position in a higher or lower group, we can make amends and come together, even it it takes centuries to move forward. 

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/581296-louisiana-board-votes-to-send-pardon-for-homer-plessy-man-at-center-of?fbclid=IwAR3LM0CCspy7mQWq4UJOzvvad_Iv_mPXc7MZwWOFp6Pwfj1NTe6fL5MlcHw

All 24 Female US Senators Urge Action in Afghanistan for Girls and Women

All 24 female U.S. senators are urging President Biden to develop a plan to preserve the basic human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, as outlined in a joint letter.

"Lacking a legitimate Afghan government and military forces to protect them, women and girls are now suffering the predations of a Taliban regime with a track record of brutalizing, isolating, and denying them life and liberty," the letter said.

The bipartisan letter, led by Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (R), also acknowledged that Afghanistan's previous government operated under a constitution that promoted human rights and ensured certain freedoms to women and girls despite its other flaws. 

https://thehill.com/policy/international/580088-all-24-female-senators-press-biden-on-womens-rights-in-afghanistan

Human Rights Campaign: LGBTQ+ Voters at Risk in GOP-Dominated State Legislatures

As voter suppression efforts continue unstopped in GOP-dominated state legislatures across the United States, millions of voters -- especially LGBTQ+ voters and voters of color -- remain at risk of being denied the fundamental constitutional right to vote. e country.

“The Human Rights Campaign condemns the decision of nearly all Senate Republicans today to prevent debate on this critical voting rights legislation. Without this bill, millions of voters remain at risk of being denied their fundamental and sacred right to vote -- a right some Senators snubbed today,” said Human Rights Campaign Senior Vice President, Policy & Political Affairs JoDee Winterhof. “The failure to advance the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act has left open the floodgates of voter suppression that the Supreme Court threw open with its decision in Shelby County. The outcome today is a call to keep fighting -- to continue HRC’s work to move America closer to its promise of a more perfect union. It is in this spirit that we continue our efforts to elect candidates who will fight for our right to vote, coast to coast. To do otherwise would truly be a disservice to the legacy of a hero, civil rights icon, and tireless champion of the work of the Human Rights Campaign, Congressman John Lewis.”

https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/human-rights-campaign-statement-on-senate-republicans-blocking-crucial-voting-rights-legislation

Justin Bieber Asked to Cancel Performance in Saudi Arabia

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is asking Justin Bieber to bow out of a scheduled performance in Saudi Arabia.

The letter states:

We are writing to urgently inform you of the human rights crisis in Saudi Arabia; to explain the role that the regime of MBS [Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman] has played in violating the rights of tens of millions of Saudis; to ask that you consider the unfortunate implications of your engagement with the brutal dictatorship of MBS; and to respectfully request that, in light of your status as a global personality, you take this opportunity to positively influence human rights policy in Saudi Arabia by canceling your appearance, as a symbol of solidarity with the ongoing suffering of the Saudi people.

Wonder if Bieber, as a white tall heterosexual cis US-born wealthy male has the awareness to even consider the proposal.  

https://www.avclub.com/human-rights-foundation-asks-justin-bieber-to-cancel-pe-1848029044 

Iran Outlaws Sterilization and Free Distribution of Contraceptives

Iran has passed a new population law that puts women's health and lives at risk and further violates women’s rights to sexual and reproductive health, Human Rights Watch said today. 

On November 1, 2021, Iran’s Guardian Council approved the “rejuvenation of the population and support of family” bill, which outlaws sterilization and free distribution of contraceptives in the public health care system unless a pregnancy threatens a woman’s health.

Several pieces of legislation have been proposed that discriminate against women to reinforce the concept of women’s primary role as mothers in charge of child-rearing. 

Typical in hierarchies where people on top (men) dictate laws and control the lives of other people lower in their hierarchies (women) who don't have access to decision making. 

https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/11/10/iran-population-law-violates-womens-rights