With an average hourly wage of under $15 in 2021, many Nebraska agricultural workers would be hard-pressed to afford an attorney if they needed one for a workplace issue.

A Legal Aid of Nebraska program, the Agricultural Worker Rights Program, fills the need by providing free legal representation to income-eligible agricultural workers.

Danny Reynaga, managing attorney for the program, said discrimination is "pretty rampant," for Nebraska ag workers, and it can take many forms, from overt to subtle. But he stressed not all the complaints are actionable, and not all workers experiencing discrimination choose to pursue charges.

"They, for whatever reason, maybe are afraid of retaliation from that employer," Reynaga explained. "Maybe because they are still working for that employer. Or, perhaps, they don't want to raise a stink because they are going to need that employer to give them some sort of reference for their next job."

Reynaga pointed out their clients do not have to be Nebraska residents but their complaint must have originated in Nebraska. As with other services Legal Aid of Nebraska provides, the Agricultural Worker Rights Program has an upper income eligibility limit: 125% of federal poverty guidelines. Currently, it is $18,250 for an individual.

Reynaga emphasized under some circumstances someone earning up to 200% of federal poverty guidelines, or just over $29,000 for an individual, could qualify. He added pay-related issues are another common type of complaint.

"Ag workers tend to work very long hours, and keeping track of those hours isn't necessarily always the top priority of the employer, and so sometimes that hour tracking becomes an issue," Reynaga observed. "They're not getting paid what they're supposed to be, and what they work for."

As in other states, Nebraska is seeing more ag workers on H-2A temporary visas due to the ongoing labor shortage. Reynaga said foreign workers can be more susceptible to rights violations, sometimes because their rights were not explained to them and sometimes because of language barriers.

He explained although the people they represent typically must have legal status, an exception can be made if someone is the victim of a crime, such as labor trafficking, which he pointed out may not fit peoples' image of trafficking.

"Labor trafficking can mean somebody is being essentially held against their will because their documents are being held, or their wages are being garnished, or their employer is just overstepping their bounds," Reynaga outlined.

Reynaga acknowledged some agricultural worker rights violations are unintentional, and their outreach includes informing both employees and employers about the rights workers have. He stressed there are many good ag employers in Nebraska and many ag employees who report being happy.

The access line for the Agricultural Worker Rights Program is 1-877-250-2016.


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The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas says it is monitoring protests at college campuses, after almost 60 students protesting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were arrested during a demonstration at the University of Texas in Austin.

State troopers on horses and in riot gear were called in to control the crowd. ACLU Staff Attorney Brian Klosterboer said students planning to participate in peaceful protests should know their rights.

"We encourage everyone to follow the guidance of law enforcement even if they believe that law enforcement might be violating their First Amendment or constitutional rights," said Klosterboer. "It's important that people try to stay safe. Remember, they also have a right to remain silent. You can ask if you are free to leave."

Charges were dropped against the protesters in Austin. Students also held a sit-in at the University of Texas in Dallas and a walkout was held at the University of Texas in Arlington.

Following the arrests of the protesters, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on the social media platform X that the students belonged in jail, and accused them of hate speech.

Klosterboer said when state officials attack free speech, they undermine the core of democracy.

"Texas public universities were specifically designated by Gov. Abbott as traditional public forums," said Klosterboer. "That's where students and others who are engaging in any kind of speech, whether it's passing out Bibles and religious literature or engaging in protests for human rights. That's where free speech is at its apex."

He added that if someone feels their civil liberties have been violated, they can file a complaint on the ACLU website.

The demonstrations in Texas are part of nationwide protests calling for a ceasefire between the Israeli forces and Hamas.





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The Montana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has filed class-action lawsuit challenging a measure barring people from listing a gender on their birth certificate other than the one they were born with.

Montana lawmakers passed Senate Bill 280 in 2021, which requires a court order to change gender on a birth certificate. A state court issued an injunction against the measure but now the state health department has put a total ban on changes to sex designations on birth certificates.

Akilah Deernose, executive director of the ACLU of Montana, called the measure part of a "concerted and unrelenting attack" on the civil rights of people who identify as transgender.

"We've previously sued on the birth certificate issue," Deernose pointed out. "Once again, we're seeing the state implement laws and rules and policies that unfairly target transgender people."

On the other side, some people argued birth certificates contain vital statistics and should be based on the facts at the time of birth. The suit awaits action in state court.

Deernose noted beyond privacy rights, the birth certificate measure has the potential to force a person to declare themselves to be someone other than who they are, based on their declared identity.

"And who they know themselves to be," Deernose observed. "That puts them at risk of discrimination and also forces them to out themselves every time they share those identity documents."

The suit also challenges a motor vehicle department policy forbidding changing sex designations on driver's licenses.

New York state lawmakers have appointed members to the Community Commission on Reparations Remedies, created through legislation Gov. Kathy Hochul signed in 2023.

Its goal is to examine the legacy of slavery and its continuing impacts on black New Yorkers. The commission will develop a report outlining recommendations for addressing these inequities.

Linda J. Mann, co-founder of the African American Redress Network, said there is one problem facing the commission: a lack of funds.

"It is absolutely imperative that funds for these types of task force, because of the amount of research that's going into it, is an imperative," Mann emphasized.

While the bill had plenty of Democratic support, it drew the ire of Republican lawmakers.

Many areas of the country are determining how to redress past disparities Black people face. A recent report found philanthropies have received millions in funds stemming from depriving Black people of opportunities to build wealth similar to those of their white counterparts.

The New York commission will have to present its findings in 2025.

A 2021 Pew Research survey showed three-quarters of Black Americans surveyed support reparations, while only 18% of white Americans support it.

Along with the U.S., countries worldwide are navigating reparations, with Mann noting they are not always compensatory.

"We're not talking about just altering economic wellness," Mann pointed out. "There's other ways in which historical harms have led to disparities in education, in health, in housing."

Beyond New York, California is the only other state to have created a reparations commission. California's reparations task force recommended some compensatory reparations based on factors such as health harms, mass incarceration and over-policing, housing discrimination and the devaluation of African American businesses. But, it wasn't certain how much all of this would amount to.