civil rights movement

President Obama came to New York to deliver a speech at Cooper Union this week, critiquing the financial crisis and making the case for the financial regulation bill heading for a Senate vote. He made the case for both free markets and for regulations on those markets, and called for Americans to come together to support financial regulation. GRITtv headed to Cooper Union as well, and spoke to Sarah Ludwig of the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Program about Obama's speech and whether government intervention is the solution, and Kai Wright of ColorLines and The Nation about the ongoing problem with foreclosures and whether Obama's solutions will help anyone keep their home. Dorothy Height and Benjamin Hooks both passed away recently. As trailblazing leaders in the movements for civil rights, they both worked to make a better world not just for African-Americans, but for everyone. Height was a feminist and an outspoken activist for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, and Hooks led the NAACP through a transitional period in its long history. Joining us via Skype from Washington, D.C. to remember Drs Height and Hooks and to talk about the next steps in progressive movements is regular guest Bill Fletcher Jr. of Black Commentator and the Center for Labor Renewal. "We are gathered here because the so-called developed countries didn't meet their obligation of establishing substantial commitments to cutting greenhouse gas emissions in Copenhagen," said Bolivian president Evo Morales at the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth. Tami Woronoff and Jennifer Utz are in Cochabamba for the conference, and sent us this report from their conversations with activists, organizers, and representatives on the ground.

We've all seen the headlines about record bonuses on Wall Street just a year after record bailouts with taxpayer dollars. And we all know that the rest of the country is hardly feeling the recovery. But even right here in New York City, recovery hasn't yet trickled down, and inequality is just getting worse. To discuss real economic recovery for New York's working class (and the people in urban centers around the country) we invite Mark Winston Griffith, executive director at the Drum Major Institute and 2009 candidate for New York City Council, Matt Ryan, campaign director with Jobs With Justice New York, and Jonathan Hicks, former reporter with the New York Times and senior fellow at the DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy. Bill Clinton, explaining the U.S.'s hand in Haiti's crumbled infrastructure. Queen Elizabeth, apologizing for colonialism. Has the world turned upside down? No, it's the Yes Men, putting some words in the mouths of world leaders that we'd like to see. Rev. James Forbes took part in sit-ins at Woolworth's lunch counters in his youth, and in his new book, Whose Gospel?: A Concise Guide to Progressive Protestantism, he shares his prescription for a way to build progressive communities through spiritual support and understanding one another's worldview. The Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission will allow unprecedented corporate money to influence United States elections -- essentially giving corporations free speech rights. Free Speech for People is calling for a movement to amend the constitution to keep corporate money out of our election process, and in this video they ask people whether corporations should be given the same rights as they have. Finally, as a result of policies around the tar sands in Alberta, the Royal Bank of Canada has been deemed the World's Most Environmentally Irresponsible company. This video from the Rainforest Action Network explains why.