John Lewis

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Fighting for the Soul of Democracy

Our goal is to fight for the soul of democracy.  Does Democracy even have a soul? This question is posed by Dr. Peter Corning, director of the Institute for the Study of Complex Systems.  “Democracy has one overriding virtue that all the other political systems lack.  It is, at its best, “government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” in Abraham Lincoln’s immortal phrase; it is self-government.”  


Environmental Justice for All

   “Pollution-by-zip code” has been practiced for more than half a century by some of America’s largest industries, and by the regulatory agencies that are charged with their permitting and oversight. Communities of color, tribal and indigenous communities, and economically depressed areas long have been targeted as sites for chemical plants, refineries, pipelines, landfills – the kinds of enterprises that generate toxic waste. 


“Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.'' - From The Prophet Amos

On January 9, 1987, a date when most of my current students had not yet been born, President Ronald Regan proclaimed the third Monday in January of each year a public holiday in honor of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK). He left an indelible mark upon me and hundreds of thousands of other Americans.