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discrimination

How communities shaped by refugees became Donald Trump country

in 2017/Top Headlines by

Richard Rodrigue stood in the back of a banquet hall, watching his blond-haired, blue-eyed daughter mingle among her high school classmates. These teenagers speak dozens of languages, and hail from a dozen African nations. They fled brutal civil war, famine, oppressive regimes to find themselves here, at an ordinary high school pre-prom fete in this once-dying New England mill town, revived by an influx of some 7,500 immigrants over the last 16 years. Rodrigue smiled and waved at his daughter,…

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Former Maria Sachs aide sues for discrimination, retaliation

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

An aide to then-Florida state Sen. Maria Lorts Sachs has sued his former employer, saying she “exposed (him) to unwelcome sexual conduct” by frequently undressing in front of him. Matthew Damsky sued the Florida Senate in Leon County Circuit Civil court this week on gender discrimination and retaliation charges. The 68-year-old Sachs, elected to the Senate in 2010, declined to run for re-election this year. The Palm Beach County Democrat was known for her frequent wardrobe changes, particularly on long…

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Susan Ward: Disability Employment Awareness Month offered reminder that employers need to put differently-abled to work

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Ahh, the Sunshine State — where it’s just another day in paradise and theme parks whisk visitors to fantasies where dreams come true. Problem is the reality isn’t so fancy for the many unemployed Floridians with a disability. Statistics from the Florida Scorecard Research report show that 63 percent of residents with a disability who want to work aren’t working. That’s a particularly disheartening lowlight considering the state last month observed Disability Employment Awareness Month. What gives? Let’s start with…

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The Donald Trump-Hillary Clinton Twitter war: Bludgeon vs. stiletto

in 2017/Top Headlines by

Back in June, when Donald Trump slammed President Barack Obama‘s endorsement of Hillary Clinton on Twitter, the Democrat’s campaign was quick to tweet back a chilly three-word response: “Delete your account.” It was a telling exchange, and not just because it set the stage for what has become the country’s first nationwide Twitter election. It also highlighted the striking, and very different, ways both presidential hopefuls have used the service to hone their messages, hurl accusations at one another and…

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Southern Poverty Law Center files complaing about Pinellas County School System

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Claiming that black and disabled students are disproportionately arrested and restrained, the Southern Poverty Law Center has filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Pinellas County School System. The suit asks that the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice investigate and compel Pinellas County Schools to revise its arrest policies and practices. The SPLC also wants the OCR and DOJ to restrict the use of chemical weapons on students; eliminate arrests…

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Today on Context Florida: Refugees past and present, Fort Lauderdale Boat Show and IT buzzwords

in Apolitical/Top Headlines by

Today on Context Florida: With the news of Jeb Bush and other politicians calling for discrimination against Muslims in admitting Syrian refugees to the United States, Martin Dyckman is reminded of a parallel in history – American opposition to admitting Jewish refugees in the 1930s. Then, the pretext was that the Jews might include German spies. Never mind that the U.S. abounded with native-born, German-speaking Nazi sympathizers. Any form of religious discrimination is an insult to the American flag, Dyckman says.…

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Allegations of discrimination highlight importance of ‘ban the box’

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

A former St. Pete employee accused the city’s HR department of discrimination within its staffing office. Amber Pawlowski witnessed what she saw as uneven application of hiring practices based on arbitrary and discriminatory reasons. While Pawlowski’s diligent note-taking and observation may have indeed uncovered some unfair practices, the investigation that ensued is evidence that a newly implemented city policy is working. Under Mayor Rick Kriseman’s bidding, the city officially “banned the box” on employment applications. That means people with criminal…

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