By Neetha Tangirala, Protect Dissent Network Manager, and Monica Kim, Piper Fund Senior Program Associate https://www.proteusfund.org/listening-to-the-south-why-the-fight-to-protect-protest-and-dissent-demands-our-attention/ More than 30 activists, advocates, litigators, and movement leaders from across the U.S. gathered in Chicago for this year’s Protect Dissent Network (PDN) strategic gathering to strengthen relationships, exchange strategies, and prepare for an increasingly coordinated...

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 State Capitol in...

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 and Sheriffs...