Stories of justice and action across America | |
Hi there − I'm Savannah Kuchar , Congress and Campaigns reporter, and one of two new authors of This Is America, a newsletter about justice and society in our country. I'll be writing to you along with my colleague and USA TODAY Chief Political Correspondent Phillip M. Bailey. |
I'm kicking off our inaugural message to your inbox with a tidbit from a recent conversation I had with two civil rights leaders who have a last name you may have heard before — King. |
Last week, I caught up (virtually) with Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King, his wife and an activist in her own right, to talk about their recent work and the legacy they hope to leave as members of a famed family. |
(And no, we did not discuss the impending release of FBI files on King's father, ordered by President Trump. The family remains silent on a matter they say is deeply personal to them.) | Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X wait for a press conference to begin in an unknown location on March 26, 1964. Library of Congress/Marion S. Trikosko/Handout via REUTERS |
It so happened our call fell on the 100th birthday of another prominent Civil Rights Era figure, Malcolm X, who is so often held up against MLK Jr. |
Here's what they had to say that caught my attention: |
| • | "There's almost this continuing conversation: Are you a Malcolm or a Martin?" Waters King said. | | • | Yet, she said, "At their core, they both were for, not only Black liberation, but the liberation and upliftment of all humanity." | | • | King said, "I think that Dad and Malcolm X certainly perhaps would be even closer today." | |
To read more of our conversation, including how the Kings say they are carrying on the work of social justice under the Trump administration, read here. |
Stories of identity in America we're reading right now |
A pivotal moment for police accountability | A makeshift memorial for George Floyd includes a mural, cards and flowers near the spot where he died while in police custody in Minneapolis. Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY Network |
That question Savannah offered up − "Malcolm or Martin?" − is one that remains prescient as progressive-minded voters reflect on how racial minorities tackle police accountability. Phillip M. Bailey here! |
| • | The most powerful example came a week ago when the U.S. Justice Department abandoned consent decrees in Minneapolis and Louisville (where 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was killed five years ago, as well). | | • | Trump's allies are cheering , saying local cops and their communities know better than federal prosecutors and judges on how to fix local law enforcement. But other experts and voters who spoke with USA TODAY are analyzing what this could mean, especially for Black and indigenous Americans. | | • | Another signal this debate has swung in law enforcement's favor? Trump has pardoned officers involved in controversial cases, and he's being asked to do the same in the Floyd and Taylor cases. | |
Thanks for reading with us! We'll be back next week with more stories of belonging and diversity from across the country. In the meantime, find us on social @ SavannahKuchar and @phillipmbailey. |
Have thoughts on this newsletter? We'd love to hear from you. Email SKuchar@usatoday.com and PBailey@usatoday.com with ideas and comments. | | Pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant, who led a Target boycott for retreating on its DEI initiatives, is calling for an electronic protest of Dollar General. | | National Museum of Public Housing leaders hope visitors see there's more to life in public housing than what's on the news. | | | | Despite criminal convictions, successive Republican and Democratic administrations have shielded them from deportation since the war's end. | | | | Rules for the California high school state track and field meet have been changed after Trump objected to a trans athlete competing against girls. | | | | A video of Brigitte Macron seemingly shoving her husband in the face is igniting a conversation about gender and physical encounters in relationships. | | | | | Sign up for the news you want | Exclusive newsletters are part of your subscription, don't miss out! We're always working to add benefits for subscribers like you. | | | | | |
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