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The new faces of Alabama’s voting rights fight, and what they’re learning from their predecessors
Published: May. 17, 2026, 7:50 p.m. By Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@al.com https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2026/05/the-new-faces-of-alabamas-voting-rights-fight-and-what-theyre-learning-from-their-predecessors.html This was originally published in the Black Joy newsletter. Sign up hereto get encouraging content rooted in Black community and culture in your inbox every week. When 18-year-old Angel Purdie spoke during a mass rally that attracted thousands to the Alabama S
May 218 min read
First responder protection bill raises First Amendment concerns for protestors
by Austin Pratt Tue, March 24, 2026 https://abc3340.com/news/alabama-legislature/first-responder-protection-bill-raises-first-amendment-concerns?fbclid=IwZnRzaAQwA39leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe7QuPe9Ezw-U46Ck44-WOO41yO9phVESVyRHMdon7WWcPBTisXVZVJhnGb9U_aem_ncHZIsQbFVSadcZmdRLYZw A bill moving through the Alabama Legislature would create a new criminal offense aimed at protecting first responders on scene. Its received support from the Alabama Ambulance an
Mar 262 min read
Florence city councilman weighs in on new historic marker that may be coming to downtown
By Jillian Kay Feb 9, 2024 Updated May 8, 2024 A new historic marker may be coming to downtown Florence. Leaders of " Project Say Something " are working to get one put up outside the Lauderdale County Courthouse near a controversial Confederate monument. Their goal is to educate the community about the Black experience during the Civil War. Camille Bennett leads Project Say Something. She says they're closer than ever to getting the change they say is necessary, and they a
Mar 132 min read
Start school day with prayer or lose funding: Proposed Alabama law will ‘end up in court,’ legislator warns
By Ruth Serven Smith | rserven@al.com https://www.al.com/news/2026/03/start-school-day-with-prayer-or-lose-funding-proposed-alabama-law-will-end-up-in-court-legislator-warns.html For three years, an Alabama lawmaker has argued that not enough schools say the Pledge of Allegiance or allow students to pray. He wants every public school in the state to begin their day with a prayer. “It’s just being exposed to what this country was built on -- in God we trust,” Rep. Reed Ingram
Mar 132 min read
Ledbetter prioritizes constitutional amendment to put prayer back in school; Bill on House floor Tuesday
Apryl Marie Fogel | 03.09.26 https://1819news.com/news/item/ledbetter-prioritizes-constitutional-amendment-to-put-prayer-back-in-school-bill-on-house-floor-tuesday House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) has fully endorsed State Rep. Reed Ingram's (R-Pike Road) bill to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to bring prayer back to schools. House Bill 511 (HB511) passed the House State Government Committee last week, despite testimony from a leftist who sa
Mar 132 min read
School prayer bills advance in two Alabama House committees
March 5, 2026 • By Trisha Powell Crain https://aldailynews.com/school-prayer-bills-advance-in-two-alabama-house-committees/ MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Two school prayer bills introduced by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, were approved in two Alabama House committees Wednesday, leaving lawmakers with competing proposals that could cost school districts millions of dollars if they refuse to comply. House Bill 43 passed the House Education Policy Committee, while House Bill 511 cleared
Mar 134 min read
Alabama House committee passes bill requiring school displays of Ten Commandments
By: Andrea Tinker -March 5, 2026 7:01 am A bill that would require schools to display the Ten Commandments advanced out of an Alabama House committee Wednesday. HB 216 , sponsored by Rep. Mark Gidley, R-Hokes Bluff, would require fifth through 12th grade history classrooms to have a poster displaying the Ten Commandments. “We passed this out of the House off the floor last year,” Gidley told the House Education Policy committee. “I worked with the governor’s office and with m
Mar 132 min read
'Prioritizing Western Christianity and the Bible': Liberal activist opposing Ingram prayer bill gets schooled on nation's Christian roots by committee members
Apryl Marie Fogel | 03.05.26 https://1819news.com/news/item/over-objections-its-prioritizing-western-christianity-and-the-bible-from-racial-and-social-justice-activist-ingram-school-bill-passes-house-committee State Rep. Reed Ingram (R-Pike Road) presented his legislation on Wednesday afternoon to offer residents of the state a constitutional amendment to restore voluntary prayer and devotion time in schools and to mandate that the Pledge of Allegiance be recited daily in al
Mar 136 min read
Florence City Council Votes to Suppress the Truth About Their Confederate Statue
By: Kevin M. Levin Published: Jan. 21, 2026 The issue at hand for the Florence (Alabama) City Council this week was not whether their Confederate statue would be removed. That question had essentially been settled by the state when it passed the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017 , which which restricts removal or relocation of monuments older than 40 years without state approval and imposes penalties for unauthorized alteration. Rather, the question for the city coun
Jan 244 min read
Florence debates historical marker to add context to Confederate monument
Author: Valentina Chelala, FOX54 News Published: 8:46 AM CST January 19, 2026 Updated: 6:23 AM CST January 20, 2026 FLORENCE, Ala. — Florence City Council will debate placing a historical marker in front of the Lauderdale County Courthouse to provide context about the Confederate monument there during Tuesday night's meeting. The resolution would authorize city officials to have the marker manufactured, installed, and funded. Under Alabama law, the monument is considered his
Jan 242 min read
Florence City Council to vote on plaque to be placed in front of Confederate monument
By WAFF 48 Digital Staff and Aria Pons Published: Jan. 18, 2026 at 4:26 PM CST | Updated: Jan. 18, 2026 at 5:48 PM CST FLORENCE, Ala. ( WAFF ) - The Florence City Council will debate and vote on a plaque that may be placed in front of the controversial Confederate Soldiers Monument this week . The monument has stood outside three different Lauderdale County Courthouses since 1903. And outside the current Lauderdale County Courthouse since 1965 and has been targeted by demonst
Jan 243 min read
Fighting for Change in a Child Care Desert (with Camille Bennett)
Listen to full podcast here: https://omny.fm/shows/no-one-is-coming-to-save-us/fighting-for-change-in-a-child-care-desert-with-ca?t=0s Transcript SPEAKERS Gloria Riviera, Camille Bennett. Gloria Riviera 01:26 Good morning. I am driving home from the grocery store. Does anyone else feel like they are always at the grocery store? I’m always at the grocery store. If there is ever like God forbid a missing persons out for me, I mean head straight to the Safeway. You will probab
Oct 23, 202526 min read
Project Say Something awarded Affordable Care Act Grant to assist minorities
https://www.waff.com/2021/11/05/project-say-something-assist-people-during-open-enrollment-awarded-through-affordable-care-act-grant/ By DeAndria Turner Published: Nov. 4, 2021 at 8:52 PM CDT FLORENCE, Ala. (WAFF) - One Shoals organization is putting boots on the ground to help minority communities get insurance during open enrollment. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a clear impact on poverty and the number of uninsured people of color, according to the CDC. Now, a racial justi
Oct 23, 20252 min read
Policy Q&A: How an Alabama Childcare Provider Is Advocating for More Equitable Policy Solutions
Published: October 10, 2025 https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/policy-insights/alabama-childcare-provider-advocating-for-equitable-policy-solutions/ Camille Bennett, a childcare provider and advocate in Alabama, discusses the need for equitable policy solutions to support the health and well-being of young children and their caregivers. In our Policy Q&A series, we’re featuring a diverse array of perspectives on the many ways that science, community expertise, and
Oct 11, 20257 min read
Project Say Something founder provides update on Florence Confederate statue marker
By Aria Pons https://www.waff.com/2025/10/01/project-say-something-founder-provides-update-florence-confederate-statue-marker/ LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. ( WAFF ) - The founder of Project Say Something, Camille Bennett, and the historical commission recently approved language for a historical marker to be placed next to a Confederate monument outside the Lauderdale County courthouse . Bennett says the marker is needed to give the statue historical context, since its removal is
Oct 1, 20251 min read
In Case You Missed the Good News: A Victory for Reproductive Justice in Alabama
In a landmark decision on April 1, 2025, U.S. District Judge Myron H. Thompson ruled that Alabama cannot prosecute individuals or organizations that assist residents in traveling out of state to obtain legal abortion care.
Apr 18, 20252 min read
Project Say Something Opposes SB 247: Defending the Right to Protest in Alabama
"Alabama is the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. Black folk in Alabama understand the necessity of exercising our First Amendment rights as a pathway to freedom and navigation through white supremacist systems," Bennett stated.
Apr 8, 20252 min read
Project Say Something Stands Firm Against HB 224: Defending the Right to Protest
Camille Bennett, founder and director of Project Say Something, voiced strong opposition on March 19th, opposing the bill during the committee hearing.
Apr 2, 20252 min read
New Article Features Project Say Something’s Executive Director Camille Bennett on the History of Black History Education in Alabama
Project Say Something is proud to share that our Executive Director, Camille Bennett, is featured in a recent article by WHNT News 19
Mar 1, 20251 min read
Activists in Alabama city continue fight to contextualize Confederate monument
By Safiya Charles Source: https://www.splcenter.org/news/2024/08/30/activists-alabama-city-continue-fight-contextualize-confederate-monument The City Council meeting on May 7 was the last straw for Camille Bennett. Three months later, that frustration materialized into a 10-by-22-foot billboard along the main boulevard running through Florence, a scenic city along the Tennessee River in the northwest corner of Alabama. The billboard depicts two council members with a message
Aug 30, 20246 min read
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