by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Editorial | Sincere Williams: A rising voice in Peoria’s justice community
Most of America and the world are appalled by the murder of George Floyd who died with his neck under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer while other police officers passively looked on. If you don’t see this…
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Editorial | Overt voter suppression fails in Wisconsin
A perfect storm of voter suppression in the middle of a global pandemic failed in Wisconsin last month. The Democratic governor tried to postpone the election to a later, safer date –– a move many states had already done. The…
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Editorial | Capitalism, racism, fast food and the Golden Arches
Are fast food franchises a valuable mechanism for economic growth in African-American communities or a blight that spreads high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and more? Apparently, depending on your perspective, it can be either or it can be both. Fast…
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Editorial | 2019: A year of hate; 2020: A year redressing hate
Southern Poverty Law Center has tracked a steady rise in hate groups from 892 in 2015 to 917 in 2016 and 1,020 groups in 2018. The numbers for 2019 won’t be released until next month, but news accounts document an…
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Editorial | “Eating the planet to death”
The most effective way to slow global climate change is with dietary changes, according to Dr. John McDougall. Changes in our diet can be more effective immediately than driving a Prius, turning off the lights, lowering the thermostat and viable…
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Editorial | Bad news for journalism in Peoria and the country
The corporate owner of the Journal Star has agreed to a $1.5 billion acquisition of Gannett, owner of USA Today as well as 100 dailies and over 1,000 weeklies. The merger is financed with a five-year loan at 11.5 percent,…
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Editorial | Illinois’ anti-BDS legislation in 2015; now U.S. House rejects BDS
Support for universal basic human rights should be an easy position to defend and promote. Support for Palestinian basic human rights apparently is not. Palestinian human rights cannot honestly be conflated with anti-Semitism, but that’s precisely what’s happening. The Boycott,…
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Editorial | The War: Black Genocide in the Black Community
“Is genocide taking place in the Black community? Are African American males unconsciously committing genocide against themselves and their communities?” Those questions were posed by Agbara Bryson at a recent forum hosted by Bryson’s New Millennium Institute. The answers to…
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Editorial | Terminate the flawed Hyde Amendment
Thankfully, most Democratic candidates for the presidency are calling for the abolition of the Hyde Amendment. The amendment was passed in 1976 shortly after Roe v. Wade established the legal right to abortion. Hyde restricts federal funds from being used…
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Editorial | Vaccinations and the Anti-Vaxxers
“Vaccine refusal is like a big pile of tinder waiting for a lightning strike.” Dispute resolution is foundational to civil society. Whether that means speed limits on the roads, individual gun rights or mandatory vaccinations –– individual versus societal rights…