Boycott

Providence, Rhode Island voters approved a ballot measure, by roughly a 3-to-1 margin, directing the city to avoid investing public funds in countries conducting "ethnic cleansing, apartheid, illegal military occupation, or genocide." While the measure does not name Israel directly, it was championed by pro-Palestinian and progressive Jewish groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace, and opposed by Jewish and pro-Israel organizations, with the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island signaling possible legal challenges.

Providence becomes the largest U.S. city to back some form of Israel divestment, following Somerville, Massachusetts. The vote follows the primary defeat of pro-Israel Mayor Brett Smiley and comes amid growing activism against U.S.-Israel financial ties since the Gaza war began.

Civil rights leader and labor organizer Dolores Huerta died Wednesday at age 96. Co-founder of the United Farm Workers union, Huerta coined the rallying cry "Sí, se puede!" during a 1972 Phoenix protest against an anti-labor law and spent decades advocating for farmworkers, women, and civil rights, including later campaigns against SB1070 and for the Equal Rights Amendment.

Arizona officials across parties and government, including Gov. Katie Hobbs, Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, Reps. Yassamin Ansari, Greg Stanton and Adelita Grijalva, Attorney General Kris Mayes, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, and Councilmember Betty Guardado, praised her lasting influence on the state and nation. A candlelight vigil was held outside Phoenix City Hall in her honor.

LeRoy Chatfield, a lifelong advocate for marginalized communities, died of natural causes on September 15 at age 92. A former member of the Congregation of Christian Brothers who taught for free in poor California communities, he left the order at 31 to join César Chávez's effort to organize farmworkers, becoming a key figure in building the United Farm Workers' early infrastructure, including its first medical plan and initial headquarters in Delano. He left the UFW in 1973.

Chatfield later managed Jerry Brown's gubernatorial campaign and became the first director of Brown's California Conservation Corps, opening 18 centers in its first year and a half. He went on to advocate for Sacramento's homeless population and, in his later years, built what is considered the definitive digital archive of the UFW's early history, eventually acquired by UC San Diego. His death comes months after allegations surfaced that Chávez had sexually abused women within the movement; friends and family say those allegations do not diminish Chatfield's own legacy of service. He is survived by his wife, five daughters and 10 grandchildren.

Texas Republicans are moving to revive Senate Bill 7, a sweeping elections measure that died over the weekend after Democratic lawmakers staged a walkout to deny the House a quorum before a midnight deadline. Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to call a special session to pass the bill and possibly other stalled conservative priorities, including a ban on transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports.

The bill would cut polling hours, empower partisan poll watchers, ban drive-through and 24-hour voting, and includes a contested provision making it easier for judges to void election results over unproven fraud claims. Democrats objected especially to new limits on early Sunday voting, a key day for Black churchgoers, though one GOP negotiator called that provision a drafting error. Abbott has threatened to veto legislative salaries in retaliation and invoked the 2013 Wendy Davis filibuster, which Republicans overturned in a special session. President Biden urged Democrats nationally to intensify voting rights efforts as Congress prepares to debate federal elections legislation.