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Tlaib releases bill banning facial recognition technology in public housing
As a debate rages in Detroit over the police department’s use of sophisticated software that can identify and recognize faces, a Michigan lawmaker has introduced legislation clamping down on the technology. U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and two of her Capitol Hill colleagues announced on Thursday they’re sponsoring a measure that would protect public housing […]
Rust belt leaders rip Trump for ‘selling out’ workers
Labor allies from Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Thursday pushed back hours ahead of against President Donald Trump’s afternoon event celebrating the one-year anniversary of his executive order establishing the National Council for the American Worker. U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint ); U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.); Sylvia Wilson, executive vice President of the Allegheny […]
Biden touts African American support during SE Michigan swing
Former Vice President Joe Biden campaigned Wednesday in Michigan for the first time as a 2020 presidential contender and stressed his backing from Black voters. When asked by the Michigan Advance exclusively at a Dearborn restaurant about how he’s maintained strong support in the African American community, Biden said, “It’s my long career. “It’s been […]
Bill aims to end racial discrimination based on hairstyle
State Rep. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) on Wednesday introduced House Bill 4811 to prevent discrimination by expanding Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to recognize a person’s hair as a characteristic of race. Anthony’s measure specifies hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locks and twists, as traits historically associated with race to protect Michigan residents […]
Study: Sanders has least diverse staff of senators running for president
People of color account for 41% of Democratic voters, but make up a lower percentage of the U.S. Senate staff for two of the seven Democratic presidential candidates, according to a Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies study released last week. The analysis compares the percentage of Black and Latino staffers in U.S. Senate […]
Milliken v. Bradley: The Michigan court case at the heart of the national Dem debate over busing
Determined and deliberate, Linda Moragne in 1971 enrolled at Detroit Cody High, an overwhelmingly white school on the city’s far westside. The 14-year-old African American had rejected an opportunity to attend Mackenzie High, the major Black school in her neighborhood. “I wanted to get a better education,” she told the Advance on Tuesday about those […]
Exclusive: During Juneteenth and Pride, Whitmer stresses importance of her diverse team
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared Wednesday “Juneteenth Celebration Day” after kicking off festivities with Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist at Lansing Community College last week. The governor spoke with the Advance exclusively on Wednesday about the importance of commemorating the day slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865. It was also the same day in […]
Analyst: Industry, government must address prescription cost drivers
A national expert who specializes in analyzing what causes prescription drugs to increase said that both the public and private sectors must address pricing abuses within the drug supply chain. Randy DeFrehn told the Advance last week that those abuses have impacted millions of Americans, including fixed-income retirees. He said that “absent prompt voluntary action […]
Inslee talks climate change, water shutoffs during Detroit visit
Presidential hopeful Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has described himself as the “climate candidate.” On Tuesday, he visited sections of Detroit during what was described by his team as a listening tour in two neighborhoods: Southwest Detroit and the historic North End. Both communities are largely residential, but have large industrial businesses, including a petroleum refinery […]
Pro-choice rally pushes back against abortion bans
Hundreds of activists chanted, danced and sang, “Hey-hey, ho-ho, abortion ban has got to go!” during a spirited rally held Tuesday evening on the University of Michigan’s Diag in Ann Arbor. The call to action was in response to an intense abortion debate that has re-emerged throughout the country as several state legislatures — including […]
Keith memorialized as historic jurist and ‘amazing man’
Hundreds of mourners attended a three-hour funeral service for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Damon J. Keith on Monday at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in northwest Detroit. Keith died on April 28 at age 96. The Detroit native was appointed as a U.S. district judge by President Lyndon Johnson in October 1967. President Jimmy Carter […]
Levin, Moolenaar unveil bill stopping deportation of Iraqi nationals
U.S. Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Twp.) and U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Midland) on Friday announced that they will introduce a bill on Tuesday halting the detainment and deportation of Iraqi nationals who have orders for removal. They unveiled the legislation at a press conference attended by U.S. Reps. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) and Haley Stevens (D-Rochester Hills) […]