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Democracy and Politics Linda M. Carter Democracy and Politics Linda M. Carter

The Constitution: A tool for liberation

In the spirit of Democracy Day, Public Square Amplified asked our colleagues Linda McDonald Carter, a community-based attorney and former professor and director of Paralegal Studies at Essex County College, and Gloria J. Browne Marshall, a Pulitzer Center grantee and Professor of Constitutional Law at John Jay College, to explore the themes of American Democracy and our Constitution. Both brought their experience as intellectuals, journalists, activists and women of color to the conversation.

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Democracy and Politics Public Square Amplified team Democracy and Politics Public Square Amplified team

This is what democracy looks like

The Public Square Amplified team turns its lens to street protests as a center of the struggle for democracy. Claiming space in the public square has been the right of citizens throughout history—grassroots organizers in NJ march in the legacy of those who have long fought against tyranny.

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Democracy and Politics Kelly Harris Democracy and Politics Kelly Harris

Counterintelligence and U.S. Democracy: An inconvenient truth

In 2001 Tom Brokaw’s book on WWII, “The Greatest Generation,” soared to the top of the NY Times Best-Sellers list. Brokaw leaned into the propaganda of the United States—protecting freedom and democracy—by offering this “it is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced.” While wrapping his comments in hyperbole, he disavowed any concern with historical context.

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Democracy and Politics Emma Uk Democracy and Politics Emma Uk

The state can’t afford to shortchange University Hospital anymore—the community is paying close attention

University Hospital is an essential resource for New Jersey residents. It's the only state-owned public hospital and one of only three Level One trauma centers. It's home to a comprehensive stroke center and a regional perinatal center and serves as a primary care facility for many Newark residents. During the pandemic, it was the Northern Regional COVID center; yet the hospital is outdated and underfunded.

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Democracy and Politics Emma Uk Democracy and Politics Emma Uk

Newark Accords binds University Hospital to the community

As July 12 marks the 55th anniversary of the Newark Rebellion in 1967, Newark's Central Ward faces another transformation. The city's central but aging care and teaching facility, University Hospital, has become the focus of a long-overdue redevelopment project to renovate and expand the hospital and its health services. The project has the potential to build on the promises of the historic Newark Accords, also known as the Newark Agreements of 1968—the only contract of its kind in the United States codifying a hospital's commitment to promoting the public health of a community. But it is also a cause of concern for many Newark residents and activists.

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Democracy and Politics Melanie Montes & Fatimah Toure Democracy and Politics Melanie Montes & Fatimah Toure

Thousands gather in Washington D.C. for a moral meeting in the streets

On June 18, activists, leaders and organizers joined over 30,000 people from across the nation on Third and Pennsylvania Avenues in Washington D.C. for the Mass Poor Peoples and Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March. Organized by the Poor People's Campaign (PPC), citizens gathered to demand urgent attention to economic and political policies that negatively and disproportionately affect poor and low-income communities in America. PPC called on the government to take responsibility for the stark wealth gap.

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