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A28     u.s. news
                       Dialuna 27 Juni 2022

                          California Senate rejects involuntary servitude amendment



            (AP) — A proposal aimed                                                                                             to work.” “Banning the work
            at removing the last rem-                                                                                           requirement  in  our  prisons
            nant  of  slavery  from                                                                                             would  undermine  our  reha-
            California  law  failed  to                                                                                         bilitation  programs,”  Glazer
            pass  the  state  Senate  on                                                                                        said. “Inmates will sue claim-
            Thursday after Gov. Gavin                                                                                           ing  their  wages  are  too  low,
            Newsom’s  administration                                                                                            their  hours  are  too  high  or
            warned  it  could  cost  tax-                                                                                       that  it  is  unconstitutional  to
            payers  billions  of  dollars                                                                                       link goodtime credit and ear-
            by forcing the state to pay                                                                                         ly release to their willingness
            prisoners  a  $15-per-hour                                                                                          to work.”
            minimum wage.
                                                                                                                                Glazer  said  the  state  should
            The  U.S.  Constitution  bans                                                                                       change  the  amendment  to
            slavery  but  says  it’s  OK  for                                                                                   make it clear that involuntary
            the  government  to  force                                                                                          servitude  does  not  include
            people to work — known as                                                                                           any rehabilitative activity re-
            “involuntary  servitude”  —                                                                                         quired  of  people  in  prison.
            as  punishment  for  a  crime.                                                                                      But  it  appeared  Kamlager
            Many  state  constitutions  say                                                                                     would not support that.
            the  same  thing,  including
            California’s.                                                                                                       “I  don’t  want  to  negotiate
                                                                                                                                what  involuntary  servitude
            Some state lawmakers want-                                                                                          means,”  she  said,  adding:  “I
            ed  to  change  California’s  reaffirmed  its  commitment  In  2018,  Colorado  was  the  the report said, most without  believe even if we are incar-
            Constitution to ban all forms  to keeping slavery and invol-  first state to ban involuntary  adequate  protections  against  cerated, we still should have
            of  involuntary  servitude.  untary servitude in the state’s  servitude  as  punishment  for  labor exploitation.   dignity.”
            They  wrote  an  amendment  constitution. Way to go, Con-  a crime. Since then, inmates
            and planned to put it on the  federates,”  tweeted  Demo-  have filed lawsuits seeking to  Local governments could also  For decades, California used
            ballot  this  fall  for  voters  to  cratic  state  Sen.  Sydney  Ka-  be paid a minimum wage and  be  impacted.  If  the  courts  that involuntary servitude ex-
            approve.  But  Thursday,  the  mlager,  who  supported  the  alleging they were pressured  interpret  the  constitutional  ception to make money from
            California Senate rejected the  amendment and said she will  into  working  despite  health  change  to  bar  community  its prison population by leas-
            amendment  over  concerns  bring  it  up  for  another  vote  concerns. It’s unclear if those  service  in  lieu  of  incarcera-  ing inmates — mostly Black
            of  how  it  would  impact  the  next week.               lawsuit have been resolved.  tion, those individuals might  men — to private companies
            state  prison  system,  which                                                          go to jail instead, at a much  for work.
            requires inmates to work and  The Newsom administration  An  American  Civil  Liber-   higher cost, Edwards said.
            often pays them less than $1  has warned that the amend-  ties Union report this month                              That  “convict  lease”  system
            per hour.                    ment could require the state  called  for  “far-reaching  re-  Democratic  state  Sen.  Steve  doesn’t  exist  anymore.  But
                                         to  pay  inmates  a  minimum  forms  to  ensure  prison  la-  Glazer  said  slavery  “was  an  California prison inmates are
            Lawmakers  could  try  again  wage,  which  in  California  bor  is  truly  voluntary  and  evil  that  will  forever  be  a  required  to  either  work  or
            next week. But if the amend-  is $15 per hour. That would  that incarcerated workers are  stain  on  the  history  of  our  participate in education or re-
            ment doesn’t pass by June 30,  cost taxpayers about $1.5 bil-  paid  fairly,  properly  trained,  great  nation.”  But  he  said  habilitative programs. Inmate
            it won’t be on the ballot this  lion  per  year,  according  to  and able to gain transferable  the  proposed  amendment  jobs — which include things
            year.                        Aaron  Edwards,  an  analyst  skills.”  Two-thirds  of  state  was  not  about  slavery,  but  like  clerks,  painters  and  car-
                                         with  the  California  Depart-  and federal prisoners nation-  whether  California  “should  penters — pay salaries as low
            “The  CA  State  Senate  just  ment of Finance.           wide  are  required  to  work,  require felons in state prison  of 8 cents per hour.


                            Court: Harvard can be sued for distress over slave photos


            (AP)  —  A  Connecticut  The state’s Supreme Judicial  Norwich  resident  and  her  But  the  high  court  upheld  and her family have said for
            woman who says she’s de-     Court partly vacated a lower  family  can  plausibly  make  a  the lower court’s ruling that  years,  it  is  time  for  Harvard
            scended  from  slaves  who  court ruling that dismissed a  case  for  suffering  “negligent  the photos are the property of  to let Renty and Delia come
            are  portrayed  in  widely  complaint from Tamara Lani-   and indeed reckless infliction  the  photographer  who  took  home.”
            published, historical pho-   er over photos she says depict  of  emotional  distress”  from  them  and  not  the  subject
            tos  owned  by  Harvard  her  enslaved  ancestors.  The  Harvard  and  remanded  that  themselves.                  Harvard  spokesperson  Ra-
            University  can  sue  the  images  are  considered  some  part of their claim to the state  “A  descendant  of  someone  chael  Dane  said  the  univer-
            school  for  emotional  dis-  of the earliest that show en-  Superior Court.           whose likeness is reproduced  sity is reviewing the decision.
            tress, Massachusetts’ high-  slaved people in the U.S.                                 in a daguerreotype would not  She also stressed the original
            est court ruled Thursday.                                 The judges said the university  therefore  inherit  any  prop-  daguerreotypes  are  in  archi-
                                         The  court  concluded  the  failed to contact Lanier when  erty right to that daguerreo-  val  storage  and  not  on  dis-
                                                                      it used one of the images on a  type,” the high court wrote in  play, nor have they been lent
                                                                      book cover and prominently  its ruling.                   out  to  other  museums  for
                                                                      featured it in materials for a                            more than 15 years, because
                                                                      campus  conference  —  even  Lanier’s attorney said Thurs-  of their fragility.
                                                                      after she’d reached out about  day’s  ruling  was  a  “historic
                                                                      her ancestral ties.          win”  that  marks  one  of  the  “Harvard  has  and  will  con-
                                                                                                   first  times  a  court  has  ruled  tinue to grapple with its his-
                                                                      “In  sum,  despite  its  duty  of  that descendants of enslaved  toric  connection  to  slavery
                                                                      care  to  her,  Harvard  cava-  people can seek accountabil-  and views this inquiry as part
                                                                      lierly  dismissed  her  ances-  ity  for  what  their  ancestors  of its core academic mission,”
                                                                      tral  claims  and  disregarded  endured.                  she said in a statement. “Har-
                                                                      her requests, despite its own                             vard also strives to be an ethi-
                                                                      representations that it would  “Harvard  is  not  the  right-  cal  steward  of  the  millions
                                                                      keep her informed of further  ful  owner  of  these  photos  of  historical  objects  from
                                                                      developments,”  the  ruling  and  should  not  profit  from  around  the  globe  within  its
                                                                      states.                      them,” Josh Koskoff said in a  museum  and  library  collec-
                                                                                                   statement. “As Tamara Lanier  tions.”
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