Present at our nation’s founding — but excluded from its promise Elizabeth Freeman demanded her rightful place among this country's founders and helped forge a tradition of forcing America to live up to its ideals.

19thnews.org/2026/04/revo...

I hope you’ll read, share, and sit with what I had to say.

And I hope it leaves you with a question: What do you want to declare about your place in this country?

The people most excluded from it have often been the ones to make it real. At a moment when so much feels like it’s being rolled back or erased, this feels like the right place to start.

Elizabeth Freeman’s story isn’t just history.

It’s a reminder that belonging in America has always been contested — and constructed. And that she should be considered one of our country's founding mothers.

My column is about the people, often overlooked, who forced this country to expand its definition of who counts and who gets to claim democracy's promise.

Before the country fully understood liberty for all, Freeman demanded it.

Not as an idea. As a right.

Today, I’m launched my first column for The 19th's Revolutionary, a project that explores our country's journey from exclusion to belonging.

It begins with Elizabeth Freeman — a formerly enslaved Black woman who sued for her freedom and helped define what belonging in America could look like.

Mississippi reveals its full history for America's anniversary year, a contrast to federal efforts America’s history is being seen through different lenses as the country celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Mississippi takes its history head-on. Its “America 250 MS” platform says the state’s history mirrors the American story, with the removal of Native Americans making way for slavery and slavery leading to the Civil War, followed by Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era:
apnews.com/article/amer...

Trump’s decision to fund war over health care & child care ‘raises questions’ Earlier this week President Donald Trump said the federal government cannot provide Medicare and child care because “we’re fighting wars.” Errin Haines, Editor-at-Large of The 19th, says this “raises real questions about what happens to the millions of Americans who rely on these federal priorities.” And Former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says most voters will disagree with the president’s decision to fund war and not entitlement programs. “We actually believe in America first, and that means feeding our kids, having them go to school, having health care, being able to buy a house,” she said. “Not involved in bombs and wars that have nothing to do with the United States.”

Trump says federal gov't can't fund child care, Medicare. ‘He has no basic understanding,’ fmr. HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius said. ‘It raises real questions about what happens to the millions of Americans who rely on these federal priorities,’ said @errinhaines.bsky.social, Editor-at-Large of The 19th

Trump’s decision to fund war over health care & child care ‘raises questions’ Earlier this week President Donald Trump said the federal government cannot provide Medicare and child care because “we’re fighting wars.” Errin Haines, Editor-at-Large of The 19th, says this “raises real questions about what happens to the millions of Americans who rely on these federal priorities.” And Former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says most voters will disagree with the president’s decision to fund war and not entitlement programs. “We actually believe in America first, and that means feeding our kids, having them go to school, having health care, being able to buy a house,” she said. “Not involved in bombs and wars that have nothing to do with the United States.”

Trump says federal gov't can't fund child care, Medicare. ‘He has no basic understanding,’ fmr. HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius said. ‘It raises real questions about what happens to the millions of Americans who rely on these federal priorities,’ said @errinhaines.bsky.social, Editor-at-Large of The 19th

Please join me @velshimsnow.bsky.social 10a-1p w/
Mary McCord
@gtconway.bsky.social
Ron Insana
@radiofreetom.bsky.social
@jeisinger.bsky.social
@adamsmith.house.gov
@seanmorales-doyle.bsky.social
@errinhaines.bsky.social
#Velshi
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When the fight for equality comes at survivors’ expense Analysis | Dolores Huerta has long been a champion for women using their voices to speak truth to power. But her silence on Cesar Chavez is a reminder of the stakes for women in movements.

I unpack some of this in my latest column for The Amendment, which you can read here. I hope you'll share and subscribe: 19thnews.org/2026/03/dolo...

What does it mean to reckon with that now -- without erasing the work OR excusing the harm? This isn't just about one movement, but about power and the price of progress.

When news of the allegations broke, I thought about how movements for justice have often depended on women absorbing what those movements could not.

At 95, she has revealed for the first time allegations of sexual abuse uncovered as part of a NYT investigation, in the era of #MeToo. Not because the harm is new, but because the conditions to name it have changed.

Dolores Huerta helped build one of the most important labor movements in the country. And for decades, she also carried something else.

What happens when the fight for justice asks women to carry harm in silence?

Kiki Shepard Dies: Longtime Co-Host Of ‘Showtime At The Apollo’ Was 74 Her partners on the syndicated variety show based at the legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem included Sinbad and, for seven years, Steve Harvey.

The way I loved Kiki Shepard! Young me stayed up late to watch this glamorous Black woman to see what she had on and that WALK. Rest in power to an icon deadline.com/2026/03/kiki...

The Amendment The Amendment, a newsletter by Errin Haines, focuses on our nation’s politics, delivered to your inbox every two weeks.

Make sure you don't miss my next column in two weeks! Sign up for FREE here and you'll read it first: 19thnews.org/newsletters/...

When voting rights are threatened, women show up The SAVE America Act has evoked a visceral reaction from many women who see it as a personal attack.

"Voting is the most direct way many Americans experience democracy. Threats to ballot access make democracy personal — not just theoretical, which is how voting can become a kitchen-table priority."

The Amendment is BACK, baby! My latest column is also live here:
19thnews.org/2026/03/wome...

Kamala Harris records robocall for Jasmine Crockett The call gives Crockett a jolt of support from one of her party’s biggest stars in the home stretch of her Senate Democratic primary against state Rep. James Talarico.

In rare move, Kamala Harris weighs in ahead of Tuesday's Texas Senate Democratic primary, backing Jasmine Crockett in robocall. Crockett is a longtime mentee of the former vice president. www.texastribune.org/2026/02/27/k...

The boys’ club: How Epstein’s influence shaped the exclusion of women in STEM In one email, an AI researcher suggested it’s “hard to be brilliant if you are worrying if you look fat or why another woman hates you.”

NEW reporting from @19thnews.org on the Epstein files shows how academic research funding intersected with women scientists and institutional power shaped by male influence. An important story about accountability, impact and who gets protected -- and who doesn't. 19thnews.org/2026/02/epst...

How Reverend Jesse Jackson transformed politics for the Democratic party Tributes are pouring in to honor civil rights icon Reverend Jesse Jackson who died today at 84 years old. Rev. Jackson first rose to prominence as a protégé of Martin Luther King, Jr. and later ran fo...

Joined @eugenedaniels2.bsky.social and @lbarronlopez.bsky.social to talk about Jesse Jackson's political legacy as part of his lifelong fight for equality. All three of us covered him over the years. www.ms.now/chris-jansin...

‘He gave me my wings’: Jesse Jackson opened doors for Black women in politics Jackson, who died Tuesday, worked to diversify the electorate and brought Black women into Democratic politics who ascended to positions of power.

Spent today talking to just a few of the Black women who credit Jesse Jackson with their start in national politics. By inviting them in, he ensured they would help shape democracy for years to come. My latest on the coalition he built as part of his towering legacy: 19thnews.org/2026/02/jess...

“Could I be next?”: NABJ president warns of “chilling effect” after Don Lemon’s arrest

@errinhaines.bsky.social, editor at large of @19thnews.org and president of the National Association of Black Journalists, joins The Weeknight as Lemon pleads not guilty to protest-related charges in Minnesota.

Rough and getting rougher

a man with a beard is wearing a black turtleneck ALT: a man with a beard is wearing a black turtleneck

Turns on tv... sees score of Rose Bowl

Japan to elect first female leader, a hawk who promotes ‘Japan First’ After some last-minute political maneuvering, Sanae Takaichi is set to become Japan’s prime minister just days before President Donald Trump arrives in the country.

Cross Japan off the list of nations who have never elected a woman head of state: www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

One Republican Now Controls a Huge Chunk of US Election Infrastructure Former GOP operative Scott Leiendecker just bought Dominion Voting Systems, giving him ownership of voting systems used in 27 states. Election experts have concerns.

Former GOP operative Scott Leiendecker just bought Dominion Voting Systems, giving him ownership of voting systems used in 27 states. Election experts have concerns.