Colorlines

Brentin Mock

Brentin Mock

Reporting Fellow
New Orleans, LA

Brentin Mock is a New Orleans-based journalist who serves as Colorlines.com's Reporting Fellow on Voting Rights, covering the challenges presented by new voter ID laws, suppression of voter registration drives, and other attempts to limit electoral power of people of color. In his previous position as senior editor at The Loop 21, Brentin also covered electoral politics with a significant amount of reporting on voter ID issues.

In New Orleans, Brentin also works as web editor for the online, citizen-journalist driven blogsite Bridge the Gulf and helped launch the New Orleans online investigative news site The Lens. He previously worked at The American Prospect as a reporter and blogger covering environmental justice issues through a fellowship awarded by the Metcalf Institute for Environmental Reporting. Brentin also served on the staff of the national magazine Intelligence Report, published by Southern Poverty Law Center, investigating hate groups and anti-immigrant nativist extremists.

Brentin's professional career began in his native city of Pittsburgh, working as managing editor of the African-American community newspaper Renaissance News before joining the staff of the alternative newsweekly Pittsburgh City Paper. His work has been published in GOOD, The Root, The Daily Beast, Newsweek.com, The Grio, The Atlantic, Next American City, Truthout.org, Alternet, Vibe.com, XXL, The Source, and Religion Dispatches.

Follow Brentin at @bmockaveli.

The 'Motor Voter Act' Turns 20 Today. Is It Aging Well?

The ‘Motor Voter Act’ Turns 20 Today. Is It Aging Well?

by Brentin Mock on May 20 2013, 4:04PM

A new report says it should expand easy registration into agencies used by new citizens and Native Americans.

Topics: /NOW Blog, Politics

Why Are Non-Profits Banned From Politicking to Begin With?

Why Are Non-Profits Banned From Politicking to Begin With?

by Brentin Mock on May 16 2013, 7:01AM

Tea party groups today claim non-partisanship, despite clear evidence otherwise, but it looks like the history of tax exempt status for non-profits wasn’t politically neutral to begin with.

Topics: /NOW Blog, Politics

True the Vote Says It Was Singled Out by IRS

True the Vote Says It Was Singled Out by IRS

by Brentin Mock on May 15 2013, 9:12AM

“This is what the beginning of tyranny looks like,” the group’s leader told Breitbart.com

Topics: /NOW Blog

Anti-Violence Blogger Among 19 Shot on Mother's Day in New Orleans

Anti-Violence Blogger Among 19 Shot on Mother’s Day in New Orleans

by Brentin Mock on May 13 2013, 1:54PM

Journalist and documentarian Deborah “Big Red” Cotton was one of the 19 people wounded in the tragic shooting during a “second line” Mother’s Day parade yesterday. In total, ten men, seven women and two 10-year-old children were injured. Cotton had…

Topics: National Security, /NOW Blog, Schools & Youth

Three Key Graphs From New Census Report on Voting Rates by Race

Three Key Graphs From New Census Report on Voting Rates by Race

by Brentin Mock on May 9 2013, 1:55PM

Census finally released a report on how people voted by racial categories. Here’s what you need to know.

Topics: 2012 Election, /NOW Blog, Politics

How the Sierra Club Learned to Love Immigration

How the Sierra Club Learned to Love Immigration

by Brentin Mock on May 8 2013, 6:00AM

A racist fringe of the nation’s oldest and largest environmental group lost its battle over immigration. An inside look at the power struggle.

Topics: Environment, History

Is the 'Pigford' Pushback a Case of Resistance Against Reparations for Black Farmers?

Is the ‘Pigford’ Pushback a Case of Resistance Against Reparations for Black Farmers?

by Brentin Mock on May 6 2013, 1:12PM

Ten scholars from major universities have risen to the defense of black farmers who were accused in a New York Times article of exploiting and defrauding a settlement made to remedy decades of discrimination in financial lending. In a letter…

Topics: Media, /NOW Blog

North Carolina Election Board Drops 56 HBCU Students From Voter Rolls Under Dubious Cause

by Brentin Mock on May 3 2013, 3:38PM

Close to 60 students at the historically black Elizabeth City State University were targeted by a county Republican Party chair who challenged their voter status for questionable reasons

Topics: /NOW Blog

North Carolina Clergy Jailed While Praying for '21st Century George Wallace' Governor

North Carolina Clergy Jailed While Praying for ’21st Century George Wallace’ Governor

by Brentin Mock on April 30 2013, 1:35PM

Seventeen arrests were made at a North Carolina protest.

Topics: Budget Cuts, /NOW Blog, Politics

Black Voters Made History By Beating Whites to Polls Last November

Black Voters Made History By Beating Whites to Polls Last November

by Brentin Mock on April 29 2013, 11:11AM

African Americans turned out to vote at a higher rate than white voters last November

Topics: /NOW Blog, Politics

North Carolina Students Protest Harsh Voter ID Bill

North Carolina Students Protest Harsh Voter ID Bill

by Brentin Mock on April 26 2013, 4:00PM

North Carolina’s Republican-dominated legislature passed the Voter Information Verification Act through its House chamber Wednesday. If the bill passes the Senate, it would only need the governor’s signature to make it mandatory for voters to show photo identification in order…

Topics: /NOW Blog, Politics

'Environmental Justice' Soldiers On Without a King, Queen--or Major Dollars

‘Environmental Justice’ Soldiers On Without a King, Queen—or Major Dollars

by Brentin Mock on April 23 2013, 6:00AM

With the defeat of Big Green on climate-change, community-based, grassroots groups led by people of color are creating a blueprint for actual change. The EJ response to Superstorm Sandy is Exhibit A.

Topics: Environment

Georgia Marks First Conviction for Federal Hate Crime Targeting a Gay Person

Georgia Marks First Conviction for Federal Hate Crime Targeting a Gay Person

by Brentin Mock on April 19 2013, 3:20PM

Two African-American men from Atlanta plead guilty today to attacking a man outside of a store because he is gay.

Topics: Gender & Sexuality, /NOW Blog

North Carolina GOP Unleashes Hardcore Voter ID Package

North Carolina GOP Unleashes Hardcore Voter ID Package

by Brentin Mock on April 4 2013, 4:02PM

The state’s Republicans also want to sack early voting and institute felony disenfranchisement.

Topics: /NOW Blog, Politics

Arkansas Overrides Governor's Veto to Pass Voter ID Law

Arkansas Overrides Governor’s Veto to Pass Voter ID Law

by Brentin Mock on April 4 2013, 3:33PM

Arkansas is one of two states that have passed restrictive voter bills this year.

Topics: /NOW Blog, Politics

Mainstream Green Is Still Too White

Mainstream Green Is Still Too White

by Brentin Mock on April 2 2013, 6:30AM

In Obama’s first term, big environmental groups poured resources into congressional lobbying and corporate connections rather than environmental justice. With climate change back on the legislative table, will history repeat itself?

Topics: Environment

The Familiar and False Argument That Gay Rights 'Shut Out' Other Civil Rights

The Familiar and False Argument That Gay Rights ‘Shut Out’ Other Civil Rights

by Brentin Mock on March 28 2013, 3:46PM

Once again, with gay rights in the news, a black commentator tries to talk a fake debate into existence.

Topics: Gender & Sexuality, Media, /NOW Blog

Virginia Passes Stricter Voter ID Law Than Voter ID Law They Passed Last Year

by Brentin Mock on March 26 2013, 2:31PM

The law will have to be approved by the Department of Justice or U.S. District Court.

Topics: /NOW Blog, Politics

Will the Keystone XL Pipeline Produce Good Jobs? [Infographic] Infographic

Will the Keystone XL Pipeline Produce Good Jobs? [Infographic]

by Brentin Mock, Erin Zipper on March 21 2013, 8:45AM

Support for the Keystone XL oil pipeline is growing among Congressional Republicans, Democrats and organized labor. But what will the controversial project actually do for the areas that it would cross?

Topics: Environment

Arizona Wants Birth Certificate to Vote, But Not For Weapons Permit

Arizona Wants Birth Certificate to Vote, But Not For Weapons Permit

by Brentin Mock on March 19 2013, 10:11AM

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia believes Arizona is entitled to make voting more hectic for certain races.

Topics: /NOW Blog, Politics

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