Many of us remember a video of this teacher’s blue-eye v. brown-eye introduction to racism. This video shows extended footage of that experiment, and the reactions of the now-adult students to those two tumultuous days in third grade.
Jane Elliott’s lesson plan is now being used in prisons, corporations, and even on an unsuspecting studio audience of the Oprah Winfrey show. (Separate video here.)
Check out all our “Watch Party” videos here.
- Recently added: The Leesburg Stockade Girls
- Recently added: “What defund the police” really means.
- Recently added: Suppressed: The Fight to Vote – Full Film
Events happening today!
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; It must be demanded by the oppressed.” ~ MLK
- We’re putting up information on local protests and actions by others we’re finding from informal sources. These listings are not endorsements nor guarantees as to time/place/type of protest or participant safety. Events can and have already been cancelled without notice.
- Protest safely in the time of pandemic and police overreaction: Go here for resources on camera apps, equipment, what to know if you’re stopped by police.
Monday/Wednesday –7/15 – ONLINE – Serra Statue Resolution Council Meeting – (6pm)
Wednesday: You’re invited to join the Ventura City Council for a virtual community discussion regarding the next steps for the Father Junipero Serra statue on Wednesday, July 15, at 6 p.m. The special public meeting will include the City Council and City leadership.
Please share your input with us using the link below or attend one of these meetings to help determine the next steps for the Father Serra statue. Learn more at www.cityofventura.ca.gov/FatherSerra We’ve added a FAQ page about the Serra Statue here.
Beforehand: Call to Action:
- Post a picture of you and your family holding a sign that says “I __ in Ventura”. Ex: “live, go to school, shop, grew up, visit family, etc.” Add these two hashtags to your image and your post #TakeSerraStatueDown #ChumashTerritory. Feel free to tag Ventura council members, friends and family in your post! (emails address for councilmembers here.)
- Email/ Write Public Comment to Ventura City Council before this coming Wednesday July 15th Special Council Meeting where the fate of the Serra statue is supposed to be decided. Inspiration and FAQ’s to help you here.
- You can call tonight to get warmed up! Note: This Monday is a regular scheduled council meeting and the Serra statue will not be on the agenda but we encourage you to still call in during public comment.
- Sign this petition: Sign here and keep it circulating to our community members. It currently has over 10,000 signatures.
- Call in to Wednesday’s Special Serra meeting!! We need everyone to give a public comment. You will have roughly 1-3 minutes to speak on why the statue must come down. Go here for more information www.cityofventura.ca.gov/FatherSerra
- Please help us spread the message!
Follow the Facebook page “Take Down Statue of Father Serra“ for updates leading up to Wednesday’s Special Council Meeting on the Serra Statue and share the toolkit!!#takedownserrastatue, #chumashterritory
Regulatory Action: Write a comment against the Trump administration’s deadly new asylum proposal – deadline Wednesday – 7/15
Read the action here. Go to this link to make a comment.
If any of your forebears entered this country as an immigrant, who had a moment when they had to wait for an official to stamp them in or send them back, write a comment in their honor.
Sign this local petition to stop VUSD from opening campuses!
UPDATE: Arizona: Three teachers who shared a summer classroom at a school in Arizona all contracted coronavirus last month. One died.
UPDATE: from the CDC – “If children meet in groups, it can put everyone at risk. Children can pass this virus onto others who have an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.”
Sign the petition here!: “VUSD is planning on opening campuses for limited use in a hybrid on campus/distance learning curriculum. This will put our teachers, children, and their families at a much higher risk of infection and we still have a local surge across the county and a large surge in hospitalizations and infections in the city of Ventura. We don’t know enough about this virus to open schools safely and the state and school district don’t have the budget to ensure schools stay clean and safe.
Please help keep our teachers, children, and families safe. VUSD thinks the majority of parents want schools to open, but our teachers don’t think we’re ready.
Our children will recover from the lack of social contact and any academic issues from distance learning. They will not recover from losing a loved one, a teacher, or even their own life.
Let’s tell the district that public health needs to be their first priority.”
Actions happening soon!
Tuesday –7/14 – ONLINE – Hear Our Stories: DACA in Context (6:00-7:30pm
Facebook link here. Join us as we hear from those on the frontlines fighting for those in our DACA and immigrant community. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvdOyppzovGdITkR3O8eWfDRTX2qrWR5Gn
Wednesday –7/15 – ONLINE – The Way Forward for DACA – (6-7:30 pm)
To RSVP: https://www.buen-vecino.org/daca-webinar
Wednesday –7/15 – ONLINE – Toppling Mission Monuments and Mythologies – (3-5:30 pm)
Here’s a well timed online event next week on Wednesday that could be of interest to folks in this group who want to learn the deeper history of California missions from indigenous scholars. Registration link: https://bit.ly/cmsconference
T
Thurs –7/16 – ONLINE – Policing & Racial Justice” A community Dialogue for Ventura County- (6 pm)
805ResistanceTime to tune in! I will be speaking on the panel sharing my personal experiences with racism, and bias in my community as well as how we are tackling these issues on a grassroots level!Community Dialogue on Policing & Racial Justice, with responses from law enforcement, Thursday 7/16A coalition of social-justice organizations from across Ventura County today announced plans for a virtual forum offering community members an opportunity to voice their perspectives, concerns and fears about policing in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and Black Lives Matter protests locally and nationwide.“Policing and Racial Justice: A Community Dialogue for Ventura County” will be hosted on Indivisible: Conejo’s YouTube channel beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 16.The event will feature Black residents and area students addressing topics including racial profiling, resource officers in schools, the effect of recent events on young people’s attitudes toward policing, the real meaning of “defund the police,” and suggestions for reforms in law enforcement and other public agencies.Ventura County Sheriff William Ayub, or a command-level deputy within the Sheriff’s Department, is expected to participate and offer responses to the presentations by community members. Nick Odenath, President of the Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, also is scheduled to participate.Sponsors of the forum include the Ventura County chapter of the NAACP, the Ventura County chapter of Black Lives Matter, the LULAC chapters in Camarillo and the Conejo Valley, the student advocacy group Justice in the Classroom, 805 Resistance, Buen Vecino, Adelante, and the Lucstrong Foundation, as well as Indivisible: Conejo. The event is being organized with support from AD-44 Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin.
Friday –7/17 – ONLINE – Unite We Dream: Fight Back and Win in Your Local Community (2pm EST)
Link here: Local government has power to influence our daily lives. But we have the power to influence their decisions.
It is time that local governments TRULY recognize the undocumented communities in a holistic way, not just for our labor. We deserve real protections not empty statements, and we deserve real allocation of resources for all of our needs, such as housing, healthcare, education, and more.
RSVP and join us for an interactive webinar with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center to learn about the three clear ways local governments can protect our undocumented community and how YOU can take action to pressure local government to protect us
Saturday –7/18 – CAMARILLO – Call to Action/Peaceful Protest for Vanessa and Breonna!! (3pm at Constitution Park, 1287 Paseo Camarillo)
Facebook link here. “DON’T THINK THEY HEAR US !!!! Camarillo City Council voted 3-2 “NO” on a resolution stating Black Lives Matter, even after we sent in over 700 emails for BLM. Saturday, July 18th we’re taking on the streets of Camarillo once again. Join us in protesting these injustices!! We’re also dedicating this protest to BREONNA TAYLOR & VANESSA GUILLEN, the system failed them both!! & we must continue to fight for them! Protest starts at 3:00pm @ Constitution Park, where we will march through the streets of Camarillo and end up at Constitution Park where we will have speakers. Thank you guys for your continued support!
We aren’t asking for anything unattainable. We are asking them to acknowledge that BLACK LIVES MATTER. This is the bare minimum. Let’s also make sure we acknowledge Susan Santangelo & Shawn Mulchay who have been fighting for this simple proclamation to be passed despite their racist colleagues. BLACK LIVES MATTER HERE IN CAMARILLO !!!!!! See you guys Saturday @ 3pm”
Sunday –7/19 – ONLINE – CADEM Virtual Day of Action for Christy Smith for Congress, CA-25 (1 – 4pm)
Link here. Democrats in California like YOU energized the nation in 2018 by flipping seven Congressional districts from red to blue! But sadly, one of these districts flipped back to the GOP earlier this year — CD-25 in Southern California. We cannot let this stand.
Monday –7/20 – EVERYWHERE – Strike for Black Lives
Labor unions and activist groups plan nationwide “Strike for Black Lives” on July 20. Website here.
“JULY 20TH is a day of reckoning. Across the country, workers will rise up to strike for Black lives. Together, we will withhold our most valuable asset — our labor — in support of dismantling racism and white supremacy to bring about fundamental changes in our society, economy and workplaces. Join us in walking out for justice. #StrikeForBlackLive
We demand:
- Justice for Black communities.
- Elected officials and candidates at every level use their authority to rewrite and reimagine the rules so that Black communities can thrive.
- Corporations take immediate action to dismantle racism, white supremacy and economic exploitation wherever it exists, including in our workplaces.
- Every worker has the opportunity to form a union, no matter where they work.“
Monday –7/20 – ONLINE – Ibram X. Kendi “How to be an Anti-Racist (7-8 pm EDT)
Free online event. Register here.
2019 Guggenheim Fellow and New York Times bestselling author Ibram X. Kendi will discuss his renowned book “How to Be an Antiracist” on Monday, July 20 at 7:00 p.m. with Dr. Charlene M. Dukes, president of Prince George’s Community College. Dr. Dukes is the first African-American woman to serve as president of the College and has 30 years of progressive leadership experience and administrative responsibility in higher education. The conversation will be streamed live online on Crowdcast, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter/Periscope, and will air on PGCC TV on a later date.Praised as “The most courageous book to date on the problem of race in the Western mind” (New York Times), Kendi’s groundbreaking work has provided a major new counterpoint in the national conversation about race in America and resonates in this, our collective moment of reckoning.
CALL/email Actions!
Join in the boycott of Goya Foods!
Yesterday, CEO Robert Unanue of Goya Food, which bills itself as the country’s largest Hispanic-owned food company, praised President Donald Trump during a visit to the White House. This comes as a huge disappointment to the majority of Latinos a who point out that Trumps continuously attacks their community.
For those who would give him a pass because of the company’s food donations, David Callihan, in his 2018 article on the failure of philanthropy to produce systemic change, wrote: “Foundations like Ford and Rockefeller were focused on “nurturing saplings while the forest is being clear-cut.” While Goya is handing out cans of beans to food banks, Trump is making sure that more people need to use them. He is clear-cutting civil rights, safety nets, including the right to adequate food, and the right to a safe environment, and Goya is right with him, helping him aim the chainsaw.
Here’s a petition from United We Dream, an immigrant youth-led organization who has stated that they won’t support “companies who endorse and comply with a White Supremacist regime.”
Here is a twitter thread for the recipes to replace Goya’s products.
Allow F-1 and M-1 students to remain in the US with online-only classes
Call your legislators!
The recent ICE rule change unjustly and inhumanely threatens to remove all international students forced to take online-only classes during this pandemic. No one should have to choose between COVID-19 and deportation. Their removal is not just a loss to them, but to this country’s future as well. Some 1 million international students attend U.S. colleges and universities annually, contributing an estimated economic impact of $41 billion to this country’s economy, and support more than 450,000 U.S. jobs. International students also contribute their intellectual labors to education and research activities.
Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] to ask Rep./Sen. [___] to do everything in their power, including new legislation, to pressure ICE to reverse this decision.
(Contacts below in next action…)
Send a petition (or two!)
- This petition from Change.org, addressed to ICE’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program, has garnered close to 300,000 signatures.
- Another petition, also on Change.org, addressed to President Donald Trump and ICE, has reached more than 3,000 signatures.
Call your legislators about the ICE “Citizen Academy” boondoggle.
Instead of prioritizing funding to keep USCIS workers on the job to process immigration applications, they will suffer a mandatory minimum 30-day furlough, while the policing arm – (ICE), is wasting taxpayer dollars on creating a public relations boondoggle in Chicago, a sanctuary city.
A prototype for a nationwide roll-out, the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago Citizens Academy was advertised with a city-wide mailing campaign. Ald. Rossan Rodriquez, 33rd Ward stated that “she was concerned about the language in the letter, which reads, in part, “attendees will participate in scenario-based training and exercises conducted in a safe and positive environment, including, but not limited to defensive tactics, firearms familiarization, and targeted arrests.” “What it sounds like to me is a vigilante academy,”
Chicago Congressman Jesús ‘Chuy’ García said he was disturbed by the program, which he fears will lead to racial profiling, surveillance and potential violence. Congress was not informed of this potentially nation-wide program and he only learned of it through social media. The six-week course, García said, appeared to be “inviting people to become an extension of ICE… to possibly surveil their neighbors who might be undocumented.” He also feared that the invitation might appeal to “right-wing individuals who might like the vigilante lifestyle,” which could lead to potential violence.
Tell your legislators that we are fed up with militarized police and arrests of peaceful people and we don’t want our money wasted in useless and false explanations. A public relations coup for ICE would be to comply with the June 26 order by US District Judge Dolly Gee to let children out of COVID-infested detention centers, along with their parents, complying with all known studies of the trauma incurred by family separation.
Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Rep./Sen. [___] to immediately withdraw funds from ICE for their surprise “citizen academies.” If there’s money rattling around for extracurricular activities such as this, it needs to funneled back to real work – USCIS workers processing immigration applications.
Contact
Rep. Julia Brownley: email, (CA-26): DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779
or Rep. Salud Carbajal: email.(CA-24): DC (202) 225-3601, SB (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348
Senator Feinstein: email, DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
and Senator Harris: email, DC (202) 224-3553, LA (310) 231-4494, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 355-9041, SD (619) 239-3884
Who is my representative/senator?:https://whoismyrepresentative.com
Make discriminatory 911 Calls in CA a hate crime – “YES” on AB1550
Rob Bonta Please join with me to stop discriminatory 911 Calls in California! AB1550 will provide justice for victims and impose accountability on 911 callers motivated by an individual’s race, religion, sex, or any other protected class by designating such calls as hate crimes.
“The intent of AB 1550 is not to discourage individuals who are facing real danger or who seek to report a crime in good faith from calling 911. Instead, this bill could protect millions of Californians from becoming targets of hate and prevent the weaponization of our law enforcement against communities of color.”
The bill has passed the Assembly (Limón and Irwin voted ‘YES.” See all votes here.) It has now been re-referred to the CA Senate Committee on Public Safety, of which our Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson is a member.
Minimal script for senators: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want state senator [___] to vote “YES” on AB 1550 – Stop Discriminatory 911 Calls in CA.
Minimal script for our assembly members I’m calling from [zip code] and I want to thank Assemblymember [___] for voting “YES” on AB 1550 – Stop Discriminatory 911 Calls in CA.Contacts:
State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (SD-19): SAC (916) 651-4019, SB (805) 965-0862, OX (805)988-1940 email
State Assemblymember Monique Limón (CA-37):SAC (916) 319-2037, SB (805) 564-1649, VTA (805) 641-3700 emailState AssemblymemberJacqui Irwin (CA-44):SAC (916) 319-2044 CAM (805) 482-1904 emailNot your people?:findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov.
Urge your legislators to vote “YES” on the “Breathe Act”
Summary of the act by Movement for Black Lives here. This bill was introduced by Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib and it’s discussed in the video below of the bill unveiling that happened on Tuesday.
“For decades, the federal government has incentivized mass criminalization through policies and funding programs that increase arrests, prison construction, hiring of police officers, and the militarization of police.
This funding has fueled the violent over-policing of Black people, while leaving social services and basic infrastructure that actually keep people safe woefully underfunded.
The BREATHE Act proposes policy and funding that upends this violent reality. Policy is one of many tools at our disposal, and with this bill, we are creating a national standard of civil rights that will bring our demands into reality.
We are not interested in someone else’s version of what is politically possible. We are interested in defending Black lives.”
The bill doesn’t appear to have a number yet. Minimal script for representatives/senators: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Rep./Sen [___] to vote “YES” on Rep. Pressley and Tlaib’s BREATHE Act.
Contact
Rep. Julia Brownley: email, (CA-26): DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779
or Rep. Salud Carbajal: email.(CA-24): DC (202) 225-3601, SB (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348
Senator Feinstein: email, DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
and Senator Harris: email, DC (202) 224-3553, LA (310) 231-4494, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 355-9041, SD (619) 239-3884
Who is my representative/senator?:https://whoismyrepresentative.com
Petitions
Additional petitions here.
Allow F-1 and M-1 students to remain in the US with online-only classes
This petition from Change.org, addressed to ICE’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program, has garnered close to 300,000 signatures.
Another petition, also on Change.org, addressed to President Donald Trump and ICE, has reached more than 3,000 signatures.
Ventura, CA: Freedom of Speech!
Petition here. The city of Ventura, Ca requires “Free Speech Permits”. It cost $25 to apply and the website states any event, “that impact City streets, sidewalks, parking lots, public property, airways, public buildings, and traffic require a City permit. Many private properties also require City permits for special activities that have the potential to impact the public-right-of-way.”
The right to free speech and the right to assemble is protected by the United States Constitution under the first amendment. The first amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Notice how it says “free exercise thereof”? How is a $25 fee to apply for a free speech permit constitutional?
Tell ICE: #FreeTheFamilies
Sign this petition to demand you comply with Judge Dolly Gee’s order to release all children who have been detained for more than 20 days by July 17th and that all family members and guardians of detained children be released as well with their children. Not ONE child should be separated from their families!
Amnesty International and RAICES petitions here.
JUSTICE FOR AMANI KILDEA
Please sign this petition to the Prosecutors Office of Morris County and Governor Phil Murphy. Amani Kildea was a 20 year old man found hanging in a tree in Morristown, NJ. His death, without investigation, was ruled a suicide. Amani has goals and dreams to be in the FBI or CIA one day. He was set to attend James Madison University in the fall of 2020.
#JusticeForMassaiCole (Hate Crime Enhancement)
This petition is for 18 year old Massai Cole, a native of Ventura, killed 18 days before his 19th Birthday in Moreno Valley, CA by 2 white supremacy first cousins at one of his best friend’s party. So far, the courts are not treating his death as a hate crime and his case isn’t getting the public attention it deserves. We are asking for Darren & Jared Zesk (first cousins) to be charged with a Hate Crime Enhancement in the murder of Massai Jevon Cole 02/19/01 – 02/01/20.
Monroe County Prosecutor Erika Oliphant – Arrest and prosecution of Jerry Cox, Ian Cherco and Sean Purdy.
If you missed this story in the news of an attack and threatened lynching on a young Black man named Vauhxx Booker, here’s a couple of links. (Wapo), (The Bloomingtonian)(indystar.com)
That the attackers posed for the camera, demonstrates their firm conviction that they are untouchable.
Sign this petition to tell them that’s not how any of this works anymore and to inform the local county prosecutor that the world is watching.
You can also call/email the Monroe County Prosecutor Erika Oliphant directly and ask her to swiftly act to bring these individuals to justice.
eoliphant@co.monroe.in.us (812) 349- 2670
HOLD THE US ARMY ACCOUNTABLE: Justice for Vanessa Guillen
Sign the petition here.
A gofundme has been organized for the the farm workers now in quarantine.
“An outbreak of COVID-19 has left at least 176 residents and staff members infected at a farmworker housing facility in Ventura County. Of the 216 tests administered to people affiliated with the facility, more than 80% returned positive.” (LATimes)
Proceeds will be used to aid the farm workers who are now unemployed & receive no benefits. They will have medical expenses and bills to pay. They have picked the food that sits on our tables, now we can help put food on theirs.
OUR GENTE NEEDS US!!! SIEMPRE UNIDOS!!! Link here.
Cut Ties with the Fraternal Order of Police
Read/sign the petition here.
(Color of Change) TO: All elected officials and candidates for office
“The continued violence against Black, brown, and Native communities at the hands of ‘law enforcement’ is disgraceful. Police unions are in the business of defending the most consistent murderers and abusers and creating obstructions to justice.
We are urging you to stand on the right side of history: refuse to take any political donations from police unions or sheriff associations and donate any contributions you have taken in the last year to Black-led community-strengthening initiatives.”
Calls for Justice!
For more information and scripts, go here.
Contact information for officials, from city to the feds, here.
- Make DC a state: Call your Senators and demand they cosponsor S.631 – Washington DC Admission Act
- Send some postcards to ICE! – Stop these crimes against humanity now.
- “NO” on throwing more money at the military: Call your senators and demand vote “NO” on S.4049 – the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
- Bounty-Hunting: What are they going to do about reports that Trump ignored or dismissed Putin-funded Taliban bounty-hunting?
- Rent is due on July 1st, and millions won’t be able to pay. Pass “HR 7301″ – Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020”. UPDATE: [H.R.7301 which waspassed by the House this week] CALL YOUR SENATORS!
- Stop Water Shutoffs!: Send a letter to your Senators today demanding a nationwide moratorium on water shutoffs.
- No more Tear Gas!: Call your legislators to make one’s right to protest safe from chemical warfare.”YES” on H.R. 7221 – “To prohibit law enforcement officers from using chemical weapons in the course of policing activities, and for other purposes.”
- Poor People’s Campaign: Call your legislators to enact the planks of the Poor People’s Campaign
- #Juneteenth – No more Excuses – Time to make Juneteenth a nation holiday. “YES” on HR 7232!
- Yes on Reparations study: CALL ACTION #2: It’s past time to make amends! “YES” on HR 40/S.1038 – Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act.
- No more contributions from law enforcement unions
Featured Resources
The pandemic has left millions hungry. This group helps people get food benefits fast, by text.
In the past six years, this nonprofit has helped more than 700,000 people across the country connect to potentially lifesaving benefits by texting the word “food” to the number 74544. Their website is here. WAPO article here.
July 6-10th TRAINING – High School Students to work for youth voter participation.
The Civic Center’s Future Voters Action Week (FVAW) is a 5-day, virtual workshop that trains a select group of dedicated high school students and 2020 graduates to lead efforts to improve youth voter participation. Participants from around the country develop personalized Public Narratives and action plans to lead drives during High School Voter Registration Week. Applications are now open for the next session: July 6-10th from 12:00 – 1:30pm PT / 3:00 – 4:30pm ET. FVAW takes place entirely over Zoom. There is no cost to apply or to participate, and required program materials will be available online. Let’s make sure this information gets to those who can use it: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtsf4AyMPVWq2BaHljDazgXRX3jTay35uBF2prTR_lp0en5A/viewform
Aid for those impacted by COVID-19
Facebook photo here. Website here.
Have you been laid off or have your work hours been impacted due to COVID-19? You may be eligible to receive up to $800 in supportive services assistance for housing, utilities, childcare, transportation, and telework equipment, such as a computer or internet. For more information and to apply for the COVID-19 Support Services Program, visit venturacountyajcc.org or call 805-204-5186.
Ethnic Studies Webinar starts July 7!
UPDATE: Our series of virtual ethnic studies webinars and lessons will launch July 7, and more special guests have been announced!
This series of webinars will feature the four foundational groups of ethnic studies: Africana Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicano Latino Studies, and Native American Studies. The series will feature prominent leaders and educators from each discipline to provide lectures during the webinars.
More details will be announced in the coming days! In the meantime, you can read more here: https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr20/yr20rel52.asp
So far, confirmed special guests include:
- Assemblymember James C. Ramos, co-founder of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians’ Cultural Awareness Program and director of the California Indian Cultural Awareness Conference at California State University, San Bernardino
- Civil rights activist Dolores Huerta
- Dr. Karen Korematsu, educator, civil rights advocate, and daughter of late civil rights icon Fred Korematsu
- Assemblymember Jose Medina, who drafted legislation to make ethnic studies a high school graduation requirement
- Assemblymember Shirley Weber, a professor emeritus and co-founder of Africana Studies at San Diego State University
Read and consider how this can apply here.
Poor People’s Campaign
Read the Poor People’s Campaign platform here.
More Racial Justice resources here. Extensive BLM resources, including donation sites, onlines classes, Black-owned businesses, reading/watching lists and more.
COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Plan for Black America
“For too long, Black people have had to work twice as hard to barely get half as far in America. The rules of the economy, our democracy, and our society are rigged — and as a result, Black communities are falling farther behind.
COVID-19 has exposed the connection between rigged rules and their impacts on our families: Black people are infected at higher rates, and comprise the majority of deaths from the disease in many cities across America.We need a plan for Black communities that protects our families, provides access to the care we need, and that builds new infrastructure to address the crises facing us. It’s time to change the rules, and make new ones that protect and strengthen our communities. The Black Agenda 2020 is a roadmap for making Black people powerful in all aspects of our lives.To flatten the curve and level the playing field, Congress must adopt the following Black Agenda2020 priorities immediately.”
SIGN UP YOUR FRIENDS TO VOTE – Color of Change
Additional Petitions
(6/9 – Update) TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Sign this petition for Victoria, one of our own! Call our senators!
(6/9 – Update): According to Victoria’s attorney, your messages of love and support you’ve added along with your names on the petition site mean the world to Victoria and her family. Thank you for your kindness, Ventura County! America is happy to extract the labor of immigrants, but we won’t give the hardworking essential workers who make our lives more comfortable the basic dignity and security they need. LA Times article here.
- Sign the petition for Victoria here. All actions to help her here.
- Make a call/email:
- Minimal script: Please grant Victoria Galindo’s June 1st stay of removal application. Allowing her to remain with her family. She is an essential worker who is valued by her community.
Contacts:
Senator Kamala Harris: (310) 231-4494
Senator Dianne Feinstein (310) 914-7300
Results – You make things change!
A RUNNING CROWDSOURCED LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY 2020 UPRISING SINCE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD
5/26 – 4 officers fired for murdering George Floyd – Minneapolis, MN
5/28 – Univ of Minn cancels contract, including commercial and research contracts, with police – Minneapolis, MN
5/28 – 3rd Precinct Police station neutralized by protestors – Minneapolis, MN
5/28 – ATU Local 1005 refuses to bring police officers to the protests, or transport arrested protesters, Minneapolis, MN
5/29 – Activists commandeer hotel to provide shelter to homeless – Minneapolis, MN
5/29 – Officer Chauvin who killed George Floyd arrested – Minneapolis, MN
5/29 – Louisville Mayor suspends “no-knock” warrants in response to police’s 3/12 #BreonnaTaylor killing and subsequent protests – Louisville, KY……(List continues here.)
Upping our power – Voting/Census
Phone Bank with SURJ
Will you sign up to phone bank white voters on June 4th? The head of the Minneapolis Police Union sells “Cops for Trump” t-shirts, has been applauded by the President on Twitter, and spoke at a Trump rally. The violence people face will be worse, and the possibility to make the changes needed will only be harder, under another 4 years of the Trump administration. We need to show up big this election year to ensure white voters don’t re-elect Trump.
Be sure your power level is set to maximum by filling out your census form!
Current stats as of 7/2/20National 61.8%California 63.0%Ventura County 70.7%Camarillo 77.9%Fillmore 66.3%Moorpark 77.9%Ojai 68.1%Oxnard 62.7%Port Hueneme 62.6%Santa Paula 67.9%Simi Valley 75.9%Thousand Oaks 77.1%Westlake Village 76.3%Ventura 70.3%
The most powerful political action you can take today is to fill in your census form online. #shapeyourfuture. If you haven’t filled yours out (busy!!!) or you know someone who may have questions, or is having trouble finishing it, check out our site or the official site here.
Maximum power level – Register to vote by mail and then…DO IT!
“The bottom line is this: if we want to bring about real change, then the choice isn’t between protest and politics. We have to do both.” – President Obama
(Read“Trump made Florida his official residence. He may have also made a legal mess.)
Here’s the easy way. Here’s the official state site. You need to re-register to vote when:
- You change your name, or
- You change your political party choice or
- You change your address.
To register to vote in California, you must be:
- A United States citizen and a resident of California (for information on voters in the military or overseas, please see Military and Overseas Voters),
- 18 years old or older on Election Day,
- Not currently in state or federal prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony (for more information, please see Voting Rights: Persons with a Criminal History), and
- Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court (for more information, please see Voting Rights: Persons Subject to Conservatorship).
To pre-register to vote in California, you must:
- Be 16 or 17 years old, and
- Meet all of the other eligibility requirements to vote.
- You will automatically be registered to vote on your 18th birthday.
Resources
- Racial Justice resources here. Extensive BLM resources, including donation sites, onlines classes, Black-owned businesses, reading/watching lists and more.
- DACA: Go here for more information on latest ruling and what to do now. Free Citizenship fair on 7/26 an OXNARD COLLEGE.
- Community resources here. Volunteer opportunities, donations, food banks.
- County information here: Free antibody testing info., safety net resources, mortgage/rent assistance, etc..
- Emergency information: Emergency Preparedness Guide,
- Coronavirus : information, stats, tracker: here.
- Advisory: Masks are required in CA. Specific instructions here.
- Help us update info: Send “EVENT” in email header here.
Independence Day reading:
- Read the full text of the Declaration of Independence. There’s are some astonishing, wonderful and terrible phrases contained in the parts beyond “We hold these truths to be self-evident.“
- “The right wraps itself in the flag, but this year the left are the Fourth of July patriots.” (Salon)
- “Pulling down statues? It’s a tradition that dates back to U.S. independence” (National Geographic)
- “Colonists drove the revolution from the bottom up, and they challenged power structures of every sort.” (Washington Post)
- “You Want a Confederate Monument? My Body Is a Confederate Monument.” (NYTimes)
- “On the Fourth of July, ask when patriotism became synonymous with selfishness” (NBC)
