In the wake of the 2000 and 2004 U.S. presidential elections, fairness in voting and the electoral process took center stage in public dialogue. This conversation provided a historical overview of voting rights and the exclusion of communities of color, felon disenfranchisement, how to include linguistic minorities in the voting process, enhancing civic participation in the 2006 election, and the re-authorization of the Voting Rights Act in 2007.
Moderated by Gara LaMarche, OSI Vice President and Director of U.S. Programs, the panel featured:
- Penda Hair, Co-Director of the Advancement Project;
- Marc Mauer, Assistant Director of the Sentencing Project;
- Jacqueline Berrien, Associate Director-Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund;
- Wade Henderson, Executive Director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.
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Online Hate Speech
New SEC Complaint Says Meta Misled Shareholders over Myanmar Hate

A whistleblower complaint to the SEC argues that the social media giant Meta misrepresented its role in fueling violence against Myanmar’s Rohingya—highlighting the need for more platform accountability for online hate.
Civic Engagement
Bolstering Women and Youth, Linchpins of Democracy

Philanthropy has historically underfunded women and youth. Open Society’s new $50 million investment in their engagement addresses that imbalance—and builds on recent surges in civic engagement crucial to the future of American democracy.
Art and Activism
Reimagining January 6th

The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol left him in a cold sweat. Creating a comic book seemed like one way to reach people not obsessively following the news and spark activism to help defend a multicultural democracy.