J.B. Lenoir’s “Alabama Blues” is a rather well-known blues protest song. It stands out because, by the 1960s, it was increasingly rare for blues musicians to sing about poverty, despair, and social injustice. And, fifty years since the tune was recorded under the supervision of Chicago blues master Willie Dixon, its lyrics still carry a deep resonance.

Days before Chelsea Manning is supposed to appear before a disciplinary board, the United States military has denied her access to the prison legal library. Manning, a whistleblower who is serving a 35-year sentence for providing over a half million documents to WikiLeaks, has been accused by officers at Fort Leavenworth

The ACLU of Illinois announced a “landmark” agreement with the Chicago Police Department and City of Chicago over stop and frisks earlier this month. However, soon after, there were multiple activist groups, which were upset with the ACLU because they believed the settlement undermined their efforts. In particular, local groups

President Barack Obama’s administration opposes the release of a Guantanamo Bay prisoner, who has never been charged with a crime, weighs around 75 pounds, and is near death. But the administration does not want the public to know why exactly it opposes freeing this gravely ill man. Tariq Ba Odah,

In Philadelphia, musical artists Janelle Monáe and Jidenna led a rally and march on North Broad Street on August 12. The demonstrations were in support of the movement for black lives, and they were intended to complement the release of a new Black Lives Matter-inspired protest anthem. The anthem is called

Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois announced a “landmark” agreement with the Chicago Police Department and the City of Chicago on stop and frisks by police officers. However, in the days following, it became evident that activists from the local movement for police accountability were upset because they believed

The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled the death penalty was unconstitutional. It found the “death penalty system” did not abide by the “freedom from cruel and unusual punishment,” and determined any “future executions” would present a risk of wrongly executing an innocent person. The decision did not only condemn the system in

The United States military has issued a set of “charges” or allegations against Chelsea Manning, which could potentially result in a punishment of indefinite solitary confinement at Fort Leavenworth where she is serving her sentence. According to a list the military sent to Manning, which Fight for the Future posted, the allegations include “disrespect,” “disorderly conduct,” “prohibited property,” and “medicine misuse.”

The United States seeks to deport the imam of the biggest mosque in Oregon, a religious leader who is also a plaintiff in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against the No Fly List. Mohamed Sheikh Abdirahman Kariye, a Somali who entered the US in 1982, stands accused of lying when he completed documents to become a naturalized citizen. But, as the ACLU points out in a filing, the new case aimed at revoking Kariye’s citizenship “makes it hard to take seriously” the government’s “assertion” that they cannot provide more information in DHS letters to Americans contesting their inclusion on the No Fly List.

The Pentagon has adopted a “law of war manual” [PDF], which enables commanders to treat journalists as “unprivileged belligerents.” It suggests that correspondents who report some information about combat operations may be taking “direct part in hostilities,” a disturbing argument for justifying the killing of reporters in war zones.