Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/264109
to me that if I can help I ought to. I couldn't say, "Well, I'm not going to help because your situation doesn't parallel mine exactly." SNL: It seems like there's a strong emerging coalition on the issue. JB: I know there is. For a long time, there was some pushback by some people, but if you look at the progress of marriage equality state by state, it's remarkable. SNL: What role should direct action play? JB: That ought to be the basis of all this. If you look at North Carolina, for example, the movement there is run largely by the NAACP, but it's a great, great coalition. These pro- tests they've had in Raleigh once a week for months and months — that's an example of the revitalization of the movement. It's hap- pening in Florida. It's happening in Georgia. You've got to believe that the movement is alive and well. SNL: How do you feel about Organizing for Action, which grew out of President Obama's reelection effort? JB: The fact that it's partisan doesn't really make a difference in the end, because if you're registering voters, you can never tell what people are going to do when they walk into the polling place. So these are good things to see happening. Democracy is good for everybody, no matter what political party you belong to. SNL: One topic that seems to be attracting a lot of attention is what one book calls "the new Jim Crow," the mass incarceration of minorities. JB: If you see a group of people who are disproportionately locked up and put in jail, either these people are innately criminal, or they're being targeted. If that's the case that's wrong on its face, and its wrongness ought to be evident. SNL: How do the topics we've discussed tie into the treatment of immigrants? JB: It just seems important that people inter- ested in civil rights as a subject ought to be embracing civil rights for everyone. We can't just say, "I'll work hard for these people." And that's what I see among young people, who are embracing the expansion of rights. I'm just uncomfortable with the idea that there's some new civil rights. Every January, someone says, "The new civil right is X, Y, Z." These are not new things. They're not partic- ular to any group of people. The Democratic Party's fifth annual Kennedy-King Dinner runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at Michael's on East, 1212 S. East Ave., Sarasota. It has already sold out, but tickets are still available for the Grand Tribute Reception, which runs from 5 to 6 p.m. Tickets for that are $100. Call 330-9400 or visit sarasotadems.org for more information. % Sarasota News Leader February 21, 2014 Page 41