This is the perfect time of year to consider things we’re thankful for, and although we’re facing a period of political tumult, there are still many things and people in politics deserving of our gratitude. Ahead of any holiday festivities you may have planned, here are just a few things that have me saying, “Thanks.”
Progressive legal minds
Two separate cases in the past week — the exoneration of two men convicted of killing Malcolm X and a successful civil lawsuit against white nationalists stemming from 2017’s deadly “Unite the Right” rally — put the muscle of progressive legal activism on display.
Lawyers from the Innocence Project played a major role in clearing Muhammad Aziz’s and Khalil Islam’s names after the two were wrongly convicted in Malcolm X’s assassination.
Integrity First for America, a legal advocacy group, provided funding for the plaintiffs in the civil suit that won damages for victims harmed during the white nationalist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Young climate activists
Around the world, young people have been some of the most fervent and active supporters of sweeping measures meant to curb climate change, and I’ve been grateful for their impatience. While so-called grown-ups have occasionally patted themselves on the back for minor successes in the fight against climate change, young people in America and across the globe have held their feet to the fire with protests, legal actions and other forms of civil disobedience.
House Democrats’ Build Back Better Act
The House passed the Build Back Better Act on Friday, and compared to the bipartisan infrastructure bill, this bill includes measures that go even further in remedying systemic inequalities in America. That’s because the infrastructure bill — while historic in size — largely invests in traditional infrastructure like roads and bridges, things developed through construction contracts that can be disproportionately allocated.
The Build Back Better Act is a more direct investment in human infrastructure — education and child care subsidies, subsidies to purchase electric vehicles, investments in affordable housing and more. I’m grateful for the House progressives who have insisted upon passing both bills while requiring that key progressive priorities be included.
These three things sit atop my list of political happenings I’m most grateful for. Feel free to share your own using #ReidOutBlog! Best wishes, my friends.
Related posts:
Kyle Rittenhouse trial was designed to protect white conservatives who kill
In a mixed verdict, white nationalists forced to pay millions in Unite the Right case
Ex-KKK leader David Duke takes credit for Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson
Head over to The ReidOut Blog for more.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.