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CIVIL RIGHTS

Legal Lens documentaries

Law and documentary film may seem far apart, but they actually share many connections. With the guidance of filmmaker and producer Joseph Tovares and support from the Hewlett Foundation, 12 Harvard Law School students from eight countries have worked since January on the Legal Lens project. You can view the films here on BostonGlobe.com.

Kimberly Atkins
In bid to end COVID-19 unemployment boost, GOP misses the she-cession
All of the economy’s 140,000 lost jobs in December were held by women.

Jyoti Jasrasaria
Election inspector Taquaine Mason observes a voter drop his ballot into the box during early in-person voting, Oct. 29, 2020, in Cambridge.
Voter suppression happens in Massachusetts, too
Our election laws put us in line with some of the worst states in the country.

RENÉE GRAHAM
Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin (center) is taken into custody on April 20 after he was found guilty on three counts for the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
Unless qualified immunity ends, there’s no police accountability
Holding officers financially liable for misconduct is the most important provision in the Democrats’ policing legislation.

EDITORIAL
Melvin Jacinto (right) in the town where he lives in western Guatemala, on March 8. Jacinto wants to try to enter the United States to reunite with his son. They were separated at the US-Mexico border in 2018.
What does America owe families separated by Trump’s border policy?
The Biden administration is working to reunite children separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border, but it should also provide a pathway to citizenship to families traumatized by the ordeal.

EDITORIAL
Maria Mossaides, director of the Office of the Child Advocate, speaking about the agency's investigation report into the death of teen David Almond during the continuing coronavirus pandemic, March 31.
Lessons from the Almond case — and beyond
Doing right by kids in state care means DCF and the courts need to focus on the thorny issue of reunification.

Denise Garlick and Carole Fiola
David Almond died while under the protection of the Department of Children and Families, in October 2020.
David Almond’s death is horrifying. The state must protect other children in its care from the same fate.
Every moment in the life of a child matters.

JEFF JACOBY
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina speaks at a June 2020 news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Scott is the only Black Republican senator.
Is America racist? Kamala Harris and Tim Scott say no.
Liberal activists savaged South Carolina’s senator, but the vice president knew better than to repeat that mistake.

Joseph Rosenbloom
A pedestrian passes murals on Ruggles Street in Nubian Square during January.
A complementary plan for King Boston, the Franklin Institute, and Nubian Square
They should consider how they can partner to advance racial and economic justice.

LETTERS
This image released by Netflix shows a scene from the documentary "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution."
We need to remember all of our allies in activism
Those whose civil rights have been violated need to remember and support those who have stood with them.

Kimberly Atkins
US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on April 26 that the Justice Department will begin an investigation into the policing practices of the Louisville Police Department in Kentucky.
Garland lays first blocks in rebuilding path to trust
The attorney general sends a signal to police departments across the nation that they could face consequences for violating the civil rights of citizens or for covering up for the citizens who do.