Illustration by Tim Robinson.
When Donald Trump took office in 2017, he installed a number of pro-business appointees to lead federal agencies tasked with protecting workers’ rights. But for the first two years of his administration, things continued more or less as normal at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the country’s sole workplace civil rights watchdog. Ami Sanghvi, now a lawyer at the Marek Law Firm, started as a trial attorney at the EEOC just after Barack Obama became president. Yet even during Trump’s first two years, she said, the agency was able “to do pretty great work.”1
Then, in May 2019, corporate lawyer Janet Dhillon was sworn in as Trump’s choice for the EEOC’s chair, and Sanghvi soon found the kinds of cases she could pursue restricted. It’s part of why she decided to leave the commission and go into private practice in January 2020.2
A Black Farmington Hills police officer turned on the law enforcement agency that hired him several years ago, claiming racial bias in a federal lawsuit.
Officer Dwayne Robinson, hired in 2014, sued the police department and Chief Jeff King, asserting he was denied promotion, advancement and training opportunities that went to lesser-qualified white officers.
Robinson claims he was “repeatedly passed over” and that Black officers like himself are relegated to road patrol positions without equal opportunities for career enhancement.
“At all times, plaintiff performed his job in an exemplary manner,” reads the suit. “Defendant City of Farmington Hills, its police department and Chief King’s actions were intentional, with reckless indifference to plaintiff’s rights and sensibilities.
26 Books About Activism & Speaking Up for Young Readers
Inspiration to change the world!
We all want our students to believe they can change the world through thoughtful and peaceful action. Offering a steady and diverse diet of examples of activism can inspire kids to become activists themselves and helps them appreciate the work of activists throughout history. Check out 26 of our favorite recent books about activism and speaking up for young readers.
We love this book for introducing our youngest students to the idea of activism. It’s guaranteed to incite a flurry of passionate sign-making in your classroom!
The Buddy Bench, they create a safe space for lonely kids to make friends. In