Civil Rights | Street Sense Media

A door handle on a green door set against a white wall.

A Home

Rochelle Walker explores what makes a home through poetry.

Kamala Harris speaks on a stage in front of a collection of photos.

Real Change is Coming

Ayub Abdul explores the importance of Kamala Harris as the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Portland's sky turned orange as the 2020 Oregon wildfires approached.

How the climate emergency exacerbates homelessness

Kathryn McKelvey explores the connection between climate disasters and homelessness.

The word diesel is painted across a red tank.

The danger of diesel

Street Sense artist and vendor Ayub Abdul writes about the harm caused by diesel fuel.

Photo of of sign at a polling which says "vote here" in both English and Spanish.

Homeless disenfranchisement in the United States: State election barriers, analysis, and best practices

Two researchers studied common barriers homeless citizens experience while voting and uncovered best practices to overcome them.

Screenshot of At-large Councilmember Elissa Silverman during the Sept. 22 D.C. Council session

DC landlords can no longer provide eviction notices during the pandemic

Landlords cannot provide eviction notices to tenants until the current eviction moratorium expires, the D.C. Council decided Sept. 22.

Photo of Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network with Esaw Garner, widow of Eric Garner, at a 2014 protest in the Staten Island neighborhood where Eric Garner died while in police custody.

Time for Sharpton to step aside

Vendor and artist Colly Dennis calls for a new generation of civil rights leaders.

Photo of MPD officers during a Black Lives Matter protest

Hold police accountable — by voting

Vendor and artist Marcus Green offers his thoughts on police brutality and the upcoming 2020 presidential election.

‘Black Lives Matter’ reforms should include bringing incarcerated DC residents home

Robert Barton, an incarcerated D.C. resident, makes the case for building a prison near D.C. to house the District’s incarcerated people.

Photo showing a glass and bronze entrance with the words "one judiciary square"

DC attorney general sues 7 discriminatory landlords and property managers

Karl Racine announced three lawsuits against seven landlords and property management companies for denying tenancy based on race, disabilities, and sources of income.

Life’s Protest

A poem reflecting on a summer of protests from Street Sense Media vendor and artist Robert Warren.

Photo of activists gathered in the NoMa neighborhood

Homelessness, most often, is a product of systemic racism, advocates say

Many D.C. organizers and local nonprofits want to see the city allocate more resources toward ending homelessness, calling it a symptom of systemic racism.

Protesters to Bowser: Reform the Department of Human Services

Activists marched to the home of Mayor Muriel Bowser to protest the quality of services provided to homeless people in the District.

Photo of protesters holding a sign that reads "Black Lives Matter"

Being antiracist requires education and action in your own neighborhood

Patty Stonesifer, former CEO of Martha’s Table and Ward 3 resident, offers a call to action to examine the racism and racial bias present in her neighborhood.

Graphic of football in front of striped red and yellow background

The Washington Redskins’ Change of Name

Anthony Carney writes about the importance of respecting one another.

The name was changed for money, not for justice

Marcus Green gives his take on the Washington football team’s name change.

For True

Artist/Vendor James Daniel Johnson celebrates the life of late civil rights activist John Lewis.

We need more than police reform in America today. We need a whole new system

Photographer Joseph Young reflects on the George Floyd protests and the history of police protests in the United States.

Photo of curved concrete government building with square windows.

Budget for public housing repairs is not enough to address ‘extremely urgent’ conditions

Mayor Bowser’s budget has allocated funding to public housing repairs in response to a decade-long federal disinvestment. However, advocates argue that more money needs to be shifted to establish a recurring amount of funding for these repairs.

Photo of plywood painted with an illustration of a person with a red cross on their t-shirt handing out a bottle of water. Text is painted to say "Black Lives Matter to a medic."

What can happen when the police are asked to respond to a mental health crisis in DC?

After an initial arrest that resulted in a stay-away order regarding the White House grounds and Black Lives Matte Plaza, a reportedly homeless man in need of mental health care now faces compounded charges. DC’s proposed FY 2021 budget includes no major expansions of behavioral health support for people in the criminal justice system.

Content categorized as Civil Rights