Our Voices
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Capitol Weekly: The struggle of incarcerated workers
Tags Share In Capitol Weekly, Fanta NGom, RFK Human Right’s Director of Business and Human Rights, critiques California’s refusal to pay fair wages to incarcerated firefighters battling recent wildfires. Ngom highlights how this practice exposes systemic inequality and the inhumane treatment inherent in prison labor systems across the country. Read the full article here.
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Trump Reverses Biden Directive on Policing Reforms Hours into his return to the Oval Office, President Trump revoked an executive order that aimed to “advance effective, accountable policing and criminal justice practices to enhance public trust and public safety.” But Trump did not just revoke many of his predecessor’s reforms — he also in the process reversed…
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MRP News: Talking Sense: How does news media contribute to political polarization?
Tags Share News media plays a critical role in informing the public—but it can also further division and corrode trust. Drawing on data from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, which found that nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults believe the media contributes to political polarization, MPR News…
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Newsweek: Full List of Democrats Who Voted To Pass Laken Riley Act
Tags Share After passing The Laken Riley Act in the House, the United States Congress is empowering an already aggressive anti-immigrant administration by opening a path to criminalize, detain, and deport large numbers of people while stripping them of their due process rights. Speaking with Newsweek, our VP of U.S. Advocacy & Litigation, Anthony Enriquez,…
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The Evolution and Impact of the John Lewis Young Leaders Program
Tags Share The Young Leaders program at RFK Human Rights has been a dynamic force for change since its inception, and its story is one of continuous growth, adaptation, and commitment to justice. The program’s trajectory from its early beginnings as RFK Young Leaders to its current form as the John Lewis Young Leaders fellowship…
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Common Dreams: Corruption in Plain Sight: AOC Warns Laken Riley Act a Boon to Private Prison Industry
Tags Share “That would likely mean tens of billions in taxpayer funds sent to private prison companies. They are salivating.” In an article revealing the private prison industry’s profit-driven interest in the Laken Riley Act, Common Dreams highlights a piece by our VP of U.S. Advocacy, Anthony Enriquez, exposing how private prisons stand to gain…
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NPR Atlanta: Laken Riley Act
Tags Share Speaking with Atlanta NPR, our VP of U.S. Advocacy & Litigation, Anthony Enriquez discusses the potential impacts of the Laken Riley Act and the significant federal funding it would require—far exceeding the resources allocated to other essential federal programs. Further, Enriquez addresses the widespread human rights violations in detention centers. Continue listening here.
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San Francisco Chronicle: In the U.S. there is no standard for police use of lethal force. SCOTUS can change that
Tags Share Nearly a decade after the tragic death of 24-year-old Ashtian Barnes, the Supreme Court is set to hear Barnes v. Felix, a civil rights case brought by Barnes’s mother to seek accountability for his unnecessary loss. In a contribution to an article published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Medha Raman, Dale and James…
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Amplifying Advocacy: A Conversation with Jonathan Lam on the Safeguard Act, the UN Summit, and Youth Empowerment
Tags Share A Personal Passion for Disarmament and Human Rights Jonathan’s drive for advocacy stems from his upbringing as the child of Vietnamese refugees. His parents’ harrowing experiences during the Vietnam War, including surviving bombings and displacement, shaped his understanding of the human cost of conflict. “My parents were Vietnamese refugees. Both of my parents…
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Empowering Change: Connor Marrott’s Mission to Improve Reentry Opportunities
Tags Share A Capstone Project to Inspire Change Connor’s passion for reentry work began during his internship at Dismas House, a reentry home in northern Indiana. There, he helped returning citizens secure jobs and navigate the barriers to reintegration. Inspired by this experience, he designed an innovative in-person simulation game that immerses participants in the…
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Supporting Community During Trump 2.0: Advocacy and Emergency Litigation on Behalf of Community Members Who are Subject to Check-Ins with ICE
Interested in advocacy and emergency litigation? Subscribe to the Justice Roundup newsletter to get more of the latest on human rights advocacy and litigation, delivered straight to your inbox. Tags Share On Wednesday, January 22, 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Justice for Migrant Families and Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York hosted a webinar…
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Axios: MLK’s daughter urges Americans to “stay woke” ahead of Trump’s return
Tags Share On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, during a celebration honoring her father’s legacy, Bernice A. King delivered a speech urging advocates to “remain woke” in response to civil rights rollbacks and the new Trump administration’s agenda. In light of her remarks, Axios reported on a public letter signed by eight civil rights and…
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