Red Diplomacy and Black Liberation: The Cold War\u27s Influence on the NAACP

The Civil Rights Movement and Cold War occurred concurrently, yet the two events represent entirely different moments in American history. While one marked a moment of immense social growth, the other illustrated how widespread paranoia can influence a nation’s decision making. This thesis centers on an examination of how the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (”NAACP”) utilized international bodies, like the United Nations (“UN”), to bring global attention toward the mistreatment of those of African descent. My analysis relied on internal documents from the NAACP’s offices, and the organization’s magazine publication, The Crisis. I examined volumes 55-68 (1948-1961), to analyze the shift in the NAACP’s view towards the Soviets and utilizing the UN to pursue racial equality in the US. I assert that the NAACP effectively had no choice in its decision to align with the US in the Cold War, as the organization could only continue to fight for those of African descent worldwide if they were loyal to the US in its fight against the Soviet Union. Through internal documents and The Crisis, it is clear the Cold War offered the NAACP an opportunity to expand its efforts in the international arena. The global community’s response to the American practice of racial segregation empowered the NAACP to call attention to the treatment of all people of African descent. In this sense, the Cold War allowed the NAACP to evolve into an international organization, and fight for black liberation in countries beyond the US

DJ Henry In Memoriam Video

This video explains the background of Social Justice Week and shares information about the life and legacy of DJ Henry. The video also includes family photos of DJ, from early childhood through his time as a Pace student athlete

Foucault in Brazil : Dictatorship, Resistance, and Solidarity

Philosopher Michel Foucault\u27s cultural criticism crosses disciplines and is well known as an influence on modern conceptions of knowledge and power. Less well known are the five trips he took to Brazil between 1965 and 1976. Although a coup in 1964 had installed a military dictatorship, Foucault kept his opinion on the Brazilian government largely to himself until October 23, 1975. On that date, he delivered a manifesto at a student assembly in São Paulo expressing his solidarity with students and professors protesting a wave of arrests and torture. This manifesto caught the government\u27s attention and became the focal point of the dictatorship\u27s surveillance of Foucault. Foucault in Brazil explores the production of the public antagonism between the philosopher and the dictatorship through a meticulous consideration of each of his visits to Brazil. Marcelo Hoffman connects history, philosophy, and political theory to open new ways of thinking about Foucault as a person and thinker and about Brazil and authoritarianism. -- Book jackethttps://digitalcommons.pace.edu/bookshelf/1024/thumbnail.jp

State-Powered Acceleration of Cannabis Economy Growth Engines

Small cannabis companies in state-regulated markets have driven extraordinary job creation and economic growth, but now face extinction as consolidation looms. Government intervention can build a future populated with prosperous small business growth engines, while failure to act will magnify economic disparity. This Article proposes state-backed loan guarantees, funded by municipal “cannabonds,” as a novel solution to guide the industry toward a healthier and more diverse economic landscape. This approach offers constitutionally resilient strategies to express explicit preference for local stakeholders and inverts traditional risk metrics to leverage historic institutional lending bias as a force for positive change. In doing so, it offers a pathway to vitality in both the cannabis and finance sectors and advances a more inclusive vision of American enterprise

Holding Up a Mirror to Hostile Gender Legislation: The Impact of Drag Bans on the Theater Industry

States, particularly infringing upon the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. Certain states have sought to introduce “drag ban” laws under the guise of protecting children from viewing obscene content. These laws, in effect, are harmful to people, children especially, and have a chilling effect on expression, leaving critical harm in their wake. Laws such as these cast a wide net of regulation, opening up otherwise innocent citizens to criminal and civil liability. The theater industry is particularly affected by these regulations, even if lawmakers do not acknowledge this potential harm. This article will focus on three laws seeking to regulate drag performance. Next, this article will address how these laws implicate the first amendment and infringe upon expressive conduct by chilling speech. Then, this article will discuss the economic structure of the theater industry to provide context to elucidate the potential economic and social harms that will likely result from this nature of legislation. Further, this article will explain those social and fiscal harms resulting from the legislation. Finally, this article will argue that these laws will not overcome a constitutional challenge on the basis of overbreadth and vagueness and must be struck down