Disability Pride and Voting Rights

As someone who has dealt with a significant physical disability my entire life, I don’t like asking for help, even though I sometimes need it. Whether I’m using my cane to knock down a can from a grocery store shelf beyond my reach or going to a polling place to cast my vote, I want to do things for

Disability Pride and Voting Rights

I Was Wrongfully Arrested Because of Facial Recognition Technology. It Shouldn’t Happen to Anyone Else

On January 9, 2020, Detroit Police Department (DPD) officers arrested me on my front lawn in Farmington Hills, Michigan, in front of my wife and two young daughters, for a crime I had nothing to do with. They refused to tell me why, and I had to spend the night sleeping on a cold concrete bench in a

Robert Williams podium

Meet Michigan's Local Election Leaders: Melanie Ryska, Sterling Heights City Clerk

This election year, our hope is to introduce you to some of these hardworking members of our community with brief conversations about what they do and why they are committed to this important work. This edition of Local Election Leaders features Sterling Heights City Clerk Melanie Ryska.

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Why the Upcoming Michigan Supreme Court Race Is Vital to the LGBTQ+ Community

If anyone doubts the importance of Michigan’s Supreme Court race this November, and the massive impact it can have on our state’s LGBTQ+ residents, I suggest taking a close look at some of the recent decisions the Court has handed down. Doing so will drive home the importance of this race.

By Jay Kaplan

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Why the 2024 Michigan Supreme Court Race Matters

Michiganders will decide this November who will serve on the Michigan Supreme Court. Your vote matters because the Michigan Supreme Court has the highest legal authority in the state. Their decisions shape our civil rights and liberties, including reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, disability rights, privacy rights, and more.   Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court justices, who are appointed by the president, the people decide who serves on the Michigan Supreme Court. This year, we have the opportunity to elect two justices to the Michigan Supreme Court. You can do so by voting in the nonpartisan section of your ballot (see the back of your ballot). &nbs

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How victims of the Flint water crisis helped protect abortion rights in Michigan | Opinion

Ten years ago, the life of every Flint resident took a perilous turn when the city, under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager, began using the Flint River as its municipal water source. Along with all the well-documented suffering, hardship and trauma we’ve experienced because of th

Flint water concerns

Meet Michigan's Local Election Leaders: A Q&A with Clerk Lori Miller

This election year, our hope is to introduce you to some of these hardworking members of our community with brief conversations about what they do and why they are committed to this important work. We kick off this new series, Local Election Leaders, with Livonia City Clerk Lori Miller. 

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For Arab American Heritage Month, A Story of Rights, Identity, and Building Power in Michigan

Michigan is home to the country’s largest concentration of Arab Americans and I am just one of thousands of Arab Americans who call this state home. I am a second generation Palestinian American, descending from grandparents who were courageous enough to leave the only home they’ve ever known in the

By Jessica Ayoub

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Opinion | An awful law led to Flint water disaster. Why it is still in place?

Ten years ago, fateful decisions made by a series of appointed emergency managers came to fruition in Flint, when a group of smiling officials raised glasses of water in a toast at the city’s water treatment plant. April 25, 2014, was a historic day, marking the change of the city’s drinking water

By Curt Guyette

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