In the winter of 2022, the news is dominated by growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Will Russia invade? How close is the region to war? How would the U.S. be involved? Editor Phil Wilayto on the background of the the crisis.
The prison cell where Malcolm X was confined back in the 1940s has been transformed into the first of 1,000 projected “Freedom Libraries,” thanks to the vision and hard work of another former-prisoner-turned-activist, Reginald Dwayne Betts.
Brandon Seward’s letter to the editor about mass incarceration.
Things are not going well, to put it mildly. Take a break, then get back to it.
A newly formed coalition of more than 30 activists and advocacy groups is promoting a federal bill that would force the FBI to allow full disclosure of COINTELPRO, the FBI’s program that targeted civil rights, antiwar and leftist organizations with the aim of disrupting their activities, no matter how legal and Constitutionally protected they might be.
Workers at the Hershey Chocolate plant in Stuarts Draft, Va., filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board Jan. 18 to be represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers’ International Union (BCTGM). According to the Staunton News Leader, workers say the main issues are a lack of time off, disrespect on the job and frequent changes that are poorly communicated by management.
There’s a quote at the bottom of this page by the famous Russian novelist Dostoevski: “The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.” More people should visit Virginia’s prisons and jails.
The Virginia Defender 