CCR ED signs letter to NFL about anthem protest policy

CCR Executive Director Vince Warren has signed onto a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell expressing objection to the National Football League's new rule requiring players to stand during the national anthem. The letter highlights the high levels of police brutality faced by people of color, about which kneeling NFL players seek to raise awareness. It notes that this prohibition on demonstrating for civil rights is especially appalling against the backdrop of glaring racial disparities—between players, who are overwhelmingly Black, and coaches, team CEOs, and team presidents, who are overwhelmingly white—within the NFL itself. The requirement that players stand during the national anthem, says the letter, "represses peaceful, non-disruptive protest of police violence against unarmed African Americans and other people of color. It is disappointing that a league built on grit and competition lacks the constitution to stomach a call for basic equality and fairness." Signatories include representatives from other leading civil rights organizations. Read the letter here.

New report documents Muslim Ban's impact on Yemeni Americans

"They can't live far away from their mom, but I can't do anything. I tell my children that this isn't in my hands [and] that this is the decision from the ban, I want to be with them." – Sharifa Geilan, a Yemeni citizen in Djibouti who is separated from her four children, all of whom are U.S. citizens.

On Thursday, CCR and the Rule of Law Clinic at Yale Law School published Window Dressing the Muslim Ban: Reports of waivers & mass denials from Yemeni-American families stuck in limbo, a new report documenting the impact of Donald Trump's Muslim Ban on Yemeni-American families. The report is based in part on interviews conducted by the authors in Djibouti, where many families, like Sharifa's, have been left stranded and separated. Together with Yemeni-American community members and local community organizations, we held a press conference to launch the report. CCR was joined by a powerful lineup of speakers: Yemeni-Americans impacted by the Ban, community leaders, and a representative from the Mayor's office spoke to the resilience and determination of Yemeni-Americans to keep fighting for justice and called on all of us to keep challenging the Muslim Ban and other disgusting and hateful Trump administration policies that target immigrants and separates families. The Supreme Court will issue its decision on the Muslim Ban this week.

Podcast party

Also on Thursday, CCR threw a party to celebrate our new podcast, The Activist Files. Attendees were able to listen to each of our first three podcasts on super cool headphones used for silent dance parties:

Episode 1: Fighting ICE's State Repression: Interview with Ravi Ragbir and Amy Gottlieb

Episode 2: Bayou Bridge Pipeline: Cancer Clusters, Conflicts of Interest, and Controversy

Episode 3: They’ve Got Next — Our Legal Fellows Stephanie, Britney, and Noor Approach the Bench

There was food, there was drink, there was a raffle for those who have subscribed to The Activist Files on iTunes. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribe here. We also recorded "The Real AF" segments with attendees – keep listening to hear them on future episodes!