Author Archives: Laura Murphy

Laura W. Murphy You learn a lot about the character of an organization when things go wrong. For the team at Airbnb, hearing the outcry from African American travelers who were denied lodging because of discrimination was one of these moments. I know, because I met with them in San Francisco in early June to […]

Let’s just take one day, Feb. 27, 2013, as a snapshot of the state of equality and justice in America. For me, that day started off tense. The Supreme Court was set to hear oral arguments in the case of Shelby County v. Holder-a constitutional challenge to one of the most effective provisions of any […]

I’m incredibly saddened by the passing of John A. Payton, head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Our nation has lost a brilliant warrior for justice, and I’ve lost a dear friend and colleague in the movement. I first had the pleasure to meet John during the Clinton era. What I most remember about him […]

As we approach the 2012 election, the fear that many Americans will be denied their right to vote is increasingly becoming a reality. A growing number of states have enacted voter suppression laws requiring identification to vote, imposing stricter voter registration requirements or preventing early voting or same-day voting — tactics that will push out […]

Even if the debt ceiling is raised, hard decisions will be made about which federal programs will continue and which ones won’t. The civil liberties consequences of those choices are not entirely predictable, but some are. We can already see that higher unemployment rates and the foreclosure crisis are creating a widening racial wealth gap. […]