June 19, 2023 – Juneteenth Edition
Registering voters, organizing communities, taking on discrimination in the housing market and the workplace, and more!
Contact all members of Congress:
- By phone: (202) 224-3121
- By email: democracy.io
- By US mail: Representatives / Senators
- By fax: Representatives / Senators
- By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
- 28 WAYS TO THOUGHTFULLY CELEBRATE JUNETEENTHFrom supporting Black-owned businesses to learning history to museum visits and more, Good Good Good, the media organization for hopeful and uplifting news, is offering 28 ways to thoughtfully celebrate Juneteenth. Let’s take a look.
- VOLUNTEER WITH BLACK VOTERS MATTER
Now that the Allen v. Milligan decision has safeguarded what remains of the Voting Rights Act, we need to put in the work to make sure we’re putting it to use. Black Voters Matter is continuing to take a leadership role in organizing in the areas worst impacted by racial gerrymanders, including registering new voters and virtual outreach via their Texting Tuesdays program. Let’s sign up to volunteer on their efforts.
- SUPPORT BLACK-LED COMMUNITY ORGANIZINGAcross the country, a host of Black-led groups are organizing voters and pushing for policies that advance social justice. The Movement Voter Project, which invests in progressive local organizations to galvanize voters and win elections, has a fund devoted to these groups. Let’s see a sample list of these organizations and consider donating to MVP’s Black-Led Organizing Fund. No amount is too small.
- HELP END RACIAL APPRAISAL BIAS“Homeownership is one of the best paths to building intergenerational wealth, especially within communities historically shut out from fair access to the housing market.” Homes in Black neighborhoods are valued at nearly one quarter less than they would be valued in non-Black neighborhoods. This sets off a dynamic that causes limited wealth accumulation and poor housing-market conditions in Black communities. The Biden administration is working to address appraisal bias through its Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) Action Plan, which includes a way for people who believe they have received an unfair appraisal to get help. Let’s (1) get the word out by sharing this Get Help link (pave.hud.gov/gethelp) with our networks; (2) help diversify the appraiser profession, which is 90% white and 2/3 male, by using this tool and telling our state legislators to reduce the barriers for entry into the profession; and (3) checking out these other ways to get involved.
- NO PARDON FOR CONVICTED COP
In recent days reports have swirled in Jefferson City that Missouri GOP Governor Mike Parson was considering a pardon for Eric DeValkenaere. Eric DeValkenaere is a now-former Kansas City police officer who was convicted of manslaughter after killing Cameron Lamb – the first and so far only KCPD officer ever convicted for the murder of a Black man. Prosecutors at trial alleged police planted a gun on Lamb to try to get DeValkenaere off the hook, but he remains a cause celebre for opponents of police accountability. Activists, along with Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, have urged Governor Parson not to undermine the rule of law with a pardon. Let’s contact him at (573) 751-3222 or governor.mo.gov/contact-us and let him know we agree that Cameron Lamb deserves justice and Erik DeValkenaere deserves his sentence.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- PA/ALL – PASS THE CROWN ACT
For decades, the NAACP and black activists nationwide have pushed for legal recognition that policies against natural hair texture and protective styles in workplaces and schools are “racism by another name.” While efforts to pass the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act at the federal level have stalled in the Senate, there’s been real progress in the states. In just the last three weeks, we’ve seen both Texas and Michigan sign state-level CROWN Acts into law, the 22nd and 23rd states to do so. Let’s check out this map to see the status of CROWN Act efforts in our state, and contact our legislators to urge action if need be – especially those of us in Pennsylvania, where it’s just been reintroduced. We can also use the CROWN Coalition’s tool to push our members of Congress to cosponsor the bill on Capitol Hill.
AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS
- LAST WEEK’S WINS
The battle for progress is long and wearing, making it all the more important to acknowledge and celebrate the wins when they happen. Here’s a summary of some of the best news from the last week from our friend Jessica Craven at Chop Wood, Carry Water, including an electoral victory for rent control in Maine, a legal victory for voting rights at the Washington Supreme Court, and an organizing victory for renewable energy supporters in Texas.