Jun 28, 2003

WASHINGTON – The grassroots movement that marched and rallied in defense of affirmative action over the last decade hailed the Supreme Court’s 5 to 4 decision, June 23, upholding race-conscious admissions programs at the University of Michigan (U-M) Law School. Wade Henderson, executive secretary of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), called it “a great victory for America.”

Talk of a U.S. quagmire in Iraq is mounting as attacks on U.S. and British soldiers ratchet upward.

A harrowing report in the London Evening Standard June 15 gives a graphic picture of traumatized American soldiers trapped in a Vietnam-like war among a hostile population.

JEFFERSON, Wis. – Solidarity with striking Tyson Foods workers, members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 538, continues to grow as 500 strikers and supporters rallied here June 22. As the strike approaches its fifth month, roads in this area are lined with signs in support of the 470 workers at the Tyson Foods plant.

CHICAGO – Delegates to the 32nd Annual Conference of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition grilled seven of the nine candidates seeking the Democratic Party presidential nomination and called for a change in the nation’s foreign and domestic priorities.

News Analysis

Speaking on the Senate floor June 24, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) assailed efforts to cover up the Bush administration’s manipulation of intelligence to justify war on Iraq. Byrd said, “We must be straight with the American people.

WASHINGTON – Nearly 1,000 senior citizens rallied on Capitol Hill June 25 and blew plastic whistles to show their anger at sham prescription drug bills that benefit drug companies and George W. Bush’s election while opening the door to privatizing Medicare.

This week marks the end of June – Pride Month – the commemoration of the Stonewall Rebellion and the celebration of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) community.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.: Feed the hungry or the corporations? / BIRMINGHAM, Ala.: Hungry? Fill out a 23-page form / HOPKINTON, Mass.: Cheney catches heat from the people / UPPER ST. CLAIR, Penn.: Homes and water before profits / McARTHUR, Ohio: Federal budget slashes youth jobs

MIAMI, Fla. – Launching a “season of struggle,” participants at the annual Jobs with Justice (JwJ) meeting here signed on to a jam-packed agenda of protest, mobilization and education for this fall. They emphasized four key issues leading up to the 2004 elections: health care, global justice, the right of workers to organize, and the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride (IWFR).

NEW YORK – Thousands of activists, stretching from 52nd to 48th streets in mid-Manhattan, protested outside of George Bush’s $2,000-a-plate campaign fundraiser at the Sheraton Hotel here, June 23.