Areva Martin

During the Republican presidential primary, Donald Trump cruelly mocked a disabled reporter for disputing his wild claim that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey cheered the terrorist attacks on 9/11.  It’s hardly surprising, then, that one of Trump’s hand-picked cabinet nominees would share his black-hearted views and display a similar level of contempt for the

When you’ve displayed the courage of Pee-Wee Herman your entire adult life, you probably shouldn’t mess with one of the most brave and revered men on Capitol Hill.  But that’s exactly what happened last week when Donald J. Trump characterized civil rights icon John Lewis as a man of all talk and no action.  The

This is my open letter to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee urging a NO vote on Sessions for Attorney General. Dear Senators: I am a civil rights attorney, a television legal analyst, and the founder and president of Special Needs Network, Inc., an organization that represents millions of special needs families across California.  I’m

This week, the news media and social media exploded with rage at the horrific story of four young African Americans, all from Chicago, who kidnapped and savagely tortured a special needs teenager.  The heartless, thought-free teens even broadcast their terrible actions live on Facebook. White supremacist groups, sensing an opportunity to sew racial division, quickly

As a mother of a teen on the autism spectrum, and as a special needs advocate, I was sickened yesterday by the video of four black Chicago teenagers tying up and assaulting an eighteen-year-old boy with developmental issues.  I believe we must always call out and condemn acts of violence and cruelty, whether the perpetrators

As a Harvard Law student, lawyer, talkshow host and TV legal analyst, I’ve traveled the country and befriended some of the most remarkable and successful people you’ll ever meet—Michelle Obama, Ariana Huffington, US Senator Kamala Harris—just to name a few.  And one thing that I’ve noticed about all these incredible people is not only are