counting the vote

  • 2020 has seen an increase of 7 million voters so far.
  • The Democratic presidential candidates Biden/Harris are ahead by ~4 million in the popular vote and nearing the 270 electoral college votes required.
  • Due to the pandemic, many voters stayed safe and voted by mail.
  • Every vote does count, and we should have patience while the counting completes.

    • election safety

  • Over 80 million american citizens have already voted in the 2020 general election.
  • Vote safely during covid, follow the CDC guidelines. Report violations of these to your local supervisor of elections. Use COVIDcast to check mask rates in your voting county.
  • As you vote in the upcoming November 3rd election, remember to practice social distancing and wear masks in order to stay safe. Use the CDC suggested safety measures and come prepared.

    • vote your interests

  • Voting your interests means not just blindly voting for a party, but choosing each candidate by their plans that impact you.
  • Vote down the whole ballot, so you are not missing the opportunity to have a say in who is representing you and controlling your destiny.
  • Know your ballot and your interests, then take the quiz at isidewith.com to identify the candidates that best align with your agenda.

    • Indigenous People's Day

  • Columbus Day is a US Federal Holiday since 1937 due to special interest groups who have created a mythology about Christopher Columbus.
  • Columbus was the first European explorer to reach the Caribbean, Central, and South America in the 1490s and was imprisoned by Spain in 1500 for brutalizing the natives.
  • Educate yourself, donate, and volunteer with Teaching For Change to celebrate the real history of indigenous people.

    • continuing education

  • Dive deeper into the problems, data, and solutions to understand how to fight for equality.
  • Equality laws like the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and anti-discrimination laws are under attack constantly, so understanding the problems helps to think more critically.
  • Seek out reliable sources and consume antiracist information in whatever forms best fit your habits.

    • Breonna Taylor

  • Breonna Taylor was killed on 3/13 20 by 3 Louisville officers when they performed a 'no-knock' warrant.
  • No-knock warrants do not require body cameras, causing tragedies.
  • Louisville ended no-knock warrants locally with "Breonna's Law", in June.
  • Support demilitarization of police, elimination of no-knock warrants, and police sensitivity training.

    • Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

  • Justice Ginsburg fought for equality, was a leader in the women's rights movement, and is an American hero.
  • She was the second woman appointed to the US Supreme Court.
  • "Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you." -Ginsberg
  • Watch the biography RBG to learn more and apply her principles to your activism.

    • racism in voting

  • The American voting system is structurally racist.
  • With over 1M voters unable to vote in the 2016 general election, an estimated 25% of Blacks without an ID vs. just 7% of Whites, state laws like Texas' strict voter ID law disproportionately effect minorities and must be struck down.
  • Vote for candidates that support measures to eliminate some of the structural racism designed into voting and encourage friends and neighbors to vote in November.

    • Jacob Blake paralyzed

  • Jacob Blake was unarmed when shot in the back 7x by police in Kenosha, WI in front of his 3 children.
  • The details are being investigated, but Jacob was held by his shirt as he entered his car.
  • The police needlessly escalated the situation, despite having his license plate information if he were to be later charged.
  • Contact the Kenosha District Attorney to demand that the police officer, Rusten Sheskey, be charged.

    • racism in textbooks

  • American textbooks misrepresent black and minority history, calling slaves “immigrants” and “workers”, among many other inaccuracies.
  • Prentice Hall, McDougal Littell, and McGraw Hill all misrepresent the history of the slave trade and other events.
  • Push for America’s children to have programs in schools like the Zinn Education Project, which provides educators with free online textbooks that accurately reflect history.

    • racist birther conspiracies

  • Birthers hold racists and sexist theories about the legitimacy of another person's eligibility to be president under the provisions of the US Constitution.
  • Trump promoted the racist white supremacy conspiracy theory in regard to Barack Obama not being a US citizen and is now promoting the same racist theory about Kamala Harris as VP.
  • Reject birther conspiracies and educate anyone that you know who promotes these racist tropes.

    • federal overreach for protests

  • Approximately one hundred federal agents were dispatched to control the protests in Portland; with more being dispatched to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee.
  • Federal agents have arrested 60 people and charged 46 in Portland alone as of July 24th, and continue to do so.
  • The only authority that can stop them is congress. Contact your congressman and prevent federal troops from responding to protests in your state.

    • inclusive leadership

  • Inclusive leaders use diverse talent to drive performance towards a shared vision.
  • Repeated studies show the increase in productivity and reduced risk by leveraging a diverse perspective.
  • Learn to be an inclusive leader by showing a visible commitment, humility, awareness of bias, curiosity about others, cultural intelligence, and effective collaboration.

    • Representative John Lewis

  • Rep Lewis helped lead the civil rights movement and is an American hero.
  • He was a Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree, an original Freedom Rider in 1961, help organize the March on Washington in 1963, and spoke ahead of the "I Have a Dream" speech by MLK, Jr.
  • "Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble." - Lewis
  • Watch the biography John Lewis: Good Trouble to learn more and apply his principles to your activism.

    • the 2% solution

  • 70% of black communities do not have a bank of any type, which limits access to capital and growth.
  • The 4,700 banks in the US have $20.3T of assets and there are only 21 black-owned or led with $5B in total (<1%).
  • Talk to your employer about supporting Robert Smith's plan to move 2% of a company's net income to black owned banks and build their ability to lend to small businesses and grow in the redlined communities.

    • executive level racism

  • Systematic racism exists at the highest levels of business, as demonstrated by only 5 black CEOs in the 2020 Fortune 500.
  • Black men experience 4x more prejudice in the workplace and have an "EPI" of 0.63. Other minorities: Hispanic men (1.07), Asian men (0.56), Hispanic women (0.49), black women (0.30), and Asian women (0.24).
  • Petition the board of companies where you own stock to build a diverse board and executive team.

    • campaign zero

  • 28% of the 1000 Americans killed by police annually are black, despite being only 13% of the population.
  • 528 people have been killed by police in 2020.
  • Campaign Zero shares 10 solutions to reduce killings by police and lists 107 laws already enacted by 41 states.
  • Sign up and donate to Campaign Zero. Contact your representative about laws that still require changing in your state.

    • covid-19 vs essential workers

  • Minorities are the majority of essential workers in food and agriculture, industrial, commercial, residential facilities, and service industries.
  • Essential workers have quietly been infected with and dying of covid-19.
  • In the UFCW labor union alone, over 29,000 workers have been exposed to positive covid-19 cases.
  • Help to protect these essential workers by wearing a mask and following the ShopSmart guidelines.

    • covid-19 mortality rates

  • Minorities have higher mortality rates with covid-19, with blacks having the highest mortality rates (2.3x higher than white).
  • The CDC identified an implicit bias in healthcare that treats minorities differently.
  • Minorities are stereotyped as less able to stick to treatments, not accepting ownership of their care, and higher rates of risky behaviors.
  • Volunteer locally in at-risk communities or from home to support minorities during the pandemic.

    • blackout day 2020

  • Blackout Day is 7/7/20, and is a day where no money is spent outside of the black community.
  • Calvin Martyr uploaded a video after the murder of George Floyd to call for solidarity by not spending any money.
  • The protest of the $10B combined buying power per day of minority groups is meant to send a message to lawmakers and companies to ensure equal treatment.
  • Watch Calvin's video and support the movement.

    • supporting black businesses

  • The Paycheck Protection Program requires businesses to apply via an approved Small Business Admin lender, which supports 52% of white businesses vs only 31% of black businesses.
  • This disparity is a main reason that 41% of black businesses are expected to close during covid-19.
  • Search for black owned businesses using My Black Receipt and post your receipt to reach the $5M goal by 7/6/20.

    • microaggressions in tech

  • Technology uses terms like master, slave, blacklist, and man hours that are not inclusive.
  • These terms have damaging undertones and oppress minority workers.
  • The National Institute of Standards and Technology decided in June 2020 to update their language to remove these words.
  • Support companies who have removed these terms and update your own language to become more inclusive.

    • microaggressions

  • Microaggressions are insults, indignities, and demeaning messages from people who are unaware of the impact.
  • Coined by psychiatrist and Harvard professor Chester M. Pierce in 1970 to describe a demeaning and hidden language.
  • Confederate imagery, blackface, and slave owners on US currency are all oppressive to black people.
  • Examine your surroundings as through you were a minority to notice microaggressions.

    • redlining in insurance

  • Instead of policies that charge minorities more, the insurance groups skirt the issue by using proxies like redlined neighborhoods.
  • Minority neighborhoods pay 30% higher auto insurance premiums than white areas with similar claims.
  • Demand transparancy from your state insurance commissioner, sign the Consumer Reports' petition.

    • redlining in education

  • Redlining has caused racial segregation in our school system.
  • Between 1996 and 2016, the number of segregated schools has nearly doubled.
  • Per student enrolled, segregated school districts receive $2,226 less than white school districts.
  • Identify your school board and hold them accountable to fix segregated districts.

    • modern-day redlining

  • Redlining has solidified racial segregation by lowering minority home ownership rates, home values, and credit scores.
  • White neighborhoods in some cities received 4x the investment of ones minority between 2011 and 2016, stifling development of urban neighborhoods.
  • Support, donate, and volunteer with organizations like the National Fair Housing Alliance who fight for equal housing.

    • heritage not hate

  • Celebrate southern heritage like the inventions of modern mechanized agriculture, powered flight from the Wright brothers, submarines, the typewriter, wireless communication, and helicopters.
  • Fly the American flag, your state flag, or the "Come and Take It" flag from the Texas revolution.
  • Celebrate heroes like Martin Luther King, Jr., Michael Jordan, and George Washington Carver.
  • Be proud of the distinct foods, architecture, and culture that are not centered on racism.

    • remove confederate icons

  • Robert E. Lee's descendant proclaims, "The Civil War was fought for states’ rights to enslave African people in the United States of America."
  • Robert E. Lee himself said, "I think it well, moreover, not to keep open the sores of war, but to follow the examples of those nations who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife and to commit to oblivion the feelings it engendered."
  • Engage your representatives, and elect officials who will fight to remove racist icons.

    • the confederate constitution

  • The confederate constitution outlined a government built on racism through slavery.
  • It states: "No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law denying or impairing the right of property in negro slaves shall be passed."
  • It also states: "the institution of negro slavery, as it now exists in the Confederate States, shall be recognized and protected."
  • Support bans on confederate imagery by signing this petition.

    • the racist confederacy

  • Slavery was the cornerstone of the confederacy according to VP Alexander H. Stephens.
  • Stephens: “its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man.”
  • Stephens: “With us, all of the white race, however high or low, rich or poor, are equal in the eye of the law. Not so with the negro. Subordination is his place.”
  • Reject and educate elected officials, companies, and people who try to proclaim otherwise.

    • presidential election voting

  • Can you vote in the 2020 election?
  • Check your rights and registration at usa.gov.
  • When is too late for the 2020 election?
  • Depending on the state, you must be registered 0-30 days (by 10/4/20) before the election (11/3/20).
  • Sign up to vote in your state at vote.org and share with your friends and family.

    • vote to remove racism

  • 91% of the Senate and 72% of the House is white, compared to 61% of the USA.
  • How do you know who to vote for?
  • Elect anti-racist officials and people of color who share your values.
  • Find who shares your values and demand change with tools like VoteSmart and 5 Calls.

    • the 'talk'

  • The 'talk' for non-minority parents is the ‘birds and the bees’.
  • The 'talk' for minority parents is how to live through a police encounter. They are forced to explain racism at such a young age, but also do not want their children to be arrested or killed.
  • Watch this video and rethink how you can update the 'talk' with your own children.

    • blue/brown eye experiment

  • Watch the PBS video about Jane Elliot
  • If you were told blue eyed people were less intelligent, would you want blue eyes?
  • Elliott takes this point further by explaining how it can hurt someone to be labeled for something they cannot control. Have you ever told someone that you do not see their color? You strip their color and identity, which is important to them.
  • Live by the real golden rule; Treat others the way your privilege allows you to be treated.

    • Black Lives Matter

  • Proclaim Black Lives Matter!
  • It does not mean all lives don’t matter, it simply means that Black lives need disproportionately more help right now. Unarmed Black people are killed by police 2x more often than whites.
  • Go to blacklivesmatter.com, sign the petition, and donate if you are able.
  • Spread truth! Reject and educate elected officials, companies, and people who try to proclaim otherwise.

    • anti-racist

  • Being an anti-racist is more than tolerating races, we must take action to stop racism.
  • "In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist." - Angela Y. Davis
  • Spend an hour reading and watching information from The National Museum of African American History & Culture and ask yourself if you are a non-racist or willing to be an anti-racist.