Over the weekend I read a piece in The New York Times titled "Black Vote Seen as Last Hope for Democrats to Hold Senate." In short, the black vote can swing elections in key states and ultimately decide which direction the nation will go. As I've toured six...

Almost as quickly as news broke that Attorney General Eric Holder was resigning, people began assessing and critiquing his record. They speculated over his replacement, and will likely continue doing so until an official announcement is made. But amid all the noise, it's important that we do not lose sight...

In less than two months, Americans will once again head to the polls to participate in the all-important midterm elections. But unfortunately, not everyone will be able to cast a vote. On Friday, a federal appeal's court reinstated Wisconsin's harsh voter ID law that will in effect disenfranchise thousands of...

When a robbery takes place, police arrive on the scene and either arrest the suspects, or go find and arrest them. When a woman calls police to report a domestic violence incident, they again either arrest the perpetrator or go find and arrest that person. When there's a murder, or...

As I stood and gave the eulogy for young Michael Brown last week, I kept thinking about the fact that this child should have been in college instead of laying in a coffin. I looked towards his parents and saw the pain in their eyes from such a heavy loss;...

Over the weekend, National Action Network (NAN) and I renewed our commitment towards seeking justice for Eric Garner, the father of six who died after NYPD officers placed him in an illegal chokehold according to videotape capturing the horrific incident. On August 23, justice caravans of cars and buses will...

After kicking off "Freedom Summer 2014" and opening National Action Network's Birmingham, Alabama office last week, I headed home to deal with yet another police case in New York City. Eric Garner, the Staten Island father of six, died after continuously saying 'I can't breathe' as police officers placed him...

On a Sunday morning in September 1963, a bomb exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four innocent little girls and injuring many others. That church, the location of such tragedy and injustice, became symbolic of the overall struggle for civil rights and equality in the...

Every time I comfort a grieving family member who has lost a loved one to police brutality, I hope and pray that it will be the last time. But deep down, I know it won't be.

Saturday morning, I was joined at National Action Network's (NAN) weekly rally by relatives...

When protesters recently blocked buses full of undocumented children from reaching a border patrol processing facility in California, I couldn't believe my eyes. Chanting unbelievably cruel and vicious slogans like "nobody wants you," these anti-immigrant protesters were yelling at the most vulnerable among us -- children fleeing regions where murder,...

Just when we thought the rights of women, workers and minorities faced enough setbacks, it appears the nation's highest court has done it once again.

In an outrageous decision today, the Supreme Court ruled (Hobby Lobby case) that closely held corporations are not required to provide a full range of...

There's a part of New York City's history that some would like to forget. For more than a decade, a group of men collectively known as the Central Park Five have been fighting for justice in a civil suit against the City after an investigation overturned their wrongful prison sentences...

During this very week 50 years ago, Americans -- many of them students and young folks -- gathered in the state of Mississippi alongside civil rights leaders, activists, local citizens and others as they collectively engaged in an extensive voter registration project. Freedom Summer, as it was aptly titled, helped...

Last week, several civil rights leaders joined me for an urgent meeting with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to discuss the LA Clippers matter and other issues involving the league going forward. It was a necessary meeting and one where we raised key areas of concern that have actually been prevalent...

I could have easily been a statistic. Growing up in Brooklyn, NY, it was easy -- a little too easy -- to get into trouble. Surrounded by poor schools, lack of resources, high unemployment rates, poverty, gangs and more, I watched as many of my peers fell victim to a...

There was a time when racism in the United States was defined by the shackles of enslavement and captivity. It was the most overt and vicious form of subjugation imaginable, and it was the norm for many years. As I often say, we have come a long way from the...

Just a few days ago, we marked the 60th anniversary of the historic Brown v. Board of Education ruling that abolished "separate but equal" schools in our education system. It was a landmark moment that not only recognized the importance of integration, but also the value of education. In the...

As I stood in front of the Nigerian Consulate this weekend helping to lead a prayer vigil for the nearly 300 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram, I looked out across the crowd at the faces of children, parents, activists and leaders all gathered in support of a crisis inflicting innocents...

I'll never forget the moment when I watched a man take his last breath after being executed by the state of Texas. The year was 2000 and Gary Graham lost his last attempt at an appeal/clemency when he was killed before my very eyes. Then-Governor George W. Bush said the...

In 2009 U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke candidly about race relations when he said, "Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards."...