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Color Of Change helps you do something real about injustice.

We design campaigns powerful enough to end practices that unfairly hold Black people back, and champion solutions that move us all forward. Until justice is real.
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  • Student Debt Elimination Survey

    Student Debt Elimination Survey

    Color Of Change commissioned Global Strategy Group to conduct a poll of registered voters to better understand sentiments regarding student loan debt cancellation and elimination with an oversampling of Black registered voters.
    Read it here!

  • Tell Congress to Eliminate Student Debt

    For too long, Black people have been trapped in lifelong, impossible-to-repay student loans. With the pandemic, people are struggling to make rent and stay afloat. Now's the time to cancel student debt.
    Take Action

  • 9-year-old Girl Pepper Sprayed

    Hold Rochester police accountable for attacking a Black girl. When officers responded to a family dispute, instead of deescalating things, they handcuffed and pepper-sprayed a 9-year-old. We need trauma-informed care, not state-sanctioned violence.
    Take Action

  • Include Monthly Checks in COVID Relief Package

    U.S. households spend $1709 on housing, $414 on healthcare and $660 on food on average each month. It's been a year. A one-time $1400 check is insulting. We need real relief.
    Take Action

  • Break Up Big Tech!

    For years, we’ve wondered why Google, Facebook, and Twitter won’t stop promoting the kinds of conspiracy theories that led to the attack on the Capitol. The reason? Their platforms are built to foster engagement and growth--at ALL costs. It's time for legislation.
    Take Action

  • Justice for Keyon

    Keyon Harrold's son was attacked by a white woman as the SoHo hotel as security staff did nothing. The woman falsely accused the boy of stealing her phone, later returned by an Uber driver. It's time for racial bias training.
    Take Action

  • Investigate White Supremacist Ties with Capitol Police

    It's clear: the police charged with securing the U.S. Capitol Complex allowed white supremacists to run wild through the halls of Congress, leading to 5 deaths and putting democracy at risk. Tell Congress to investigate, stat.
    Sign Our Petition

  • Tell Us About Your Fav Black-Owned Business

    This Black history month, we want to feature your Black-owned business in our green book and online. Record a video about your favorite business and the importance of building Black wealth!
    Record A Video

RECENT VICTORIES

  • Voting & Democracy

US Olympic Committee Will End Sanctions Against Athletes Who Protest

Color Of Change members have long  supported trailblazing Olympians in their fight to dismantle racist, oppressive policies that silence Black athletes. So we applaud the decision by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee to no longer punish American athletes who raise their fists or kneel on the metals stand in protest. We previously met with the committee’s staff, sent them letters, launched a campaign, and sponsored Gwen Berry who lost corporate sponsors because of her activism. The Olympic Committee’s move to support and empower athlete activists marks an important marker towards justice and equality within sports.

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  • Criminal Justice

Tampa’s District Attorney Drops Bogus Charges Against COC & BLM Organizers

This summer, Tampa’s Police Department systematically tried to intimidate and harass Black activists. On August 22, the sheriff violently arrested a Color Of Change organizer in her home and arrested 3 other organizers – all on trumped-up, bogus charges. This was clearly meant to instill fear in activists fighting for racial justice. These tactics are not unique to Tampa. We’ve seen local police and federal agents target protesters in Portland, New York, Chicago, and St. Louis too. 50,000 Color Of Change members joined our campaign to drop the prosecution of the protesters and fire the police chief. Less than 2 weeks later, the Hillsborough State Attorney dropped the charges. We hope it sends a signal to Tampa police that there will be consequences for harassing and intimidating Black protesters.

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  • Tech Justice

Google Blocks Proud Boys’ Website & Online Store

We were all horrified when, on live TV during the presidential debates, President Trump told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” instead of condemning white nationalists. But Color Of Change’s work to pressure tech companies to take responsibility for how their platforms are used is having an impact. Google quickly moved to get a Google Cloud Services customer to remove the Proud Boys’ site and online store – effectively cutting off the hate group from new money and potential members. They also worked with us when news broke about the Wolverine Watchmen, the group plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Whitmer. We cannot let domestic terrorists build power online. It’s time for tech companies to create systems to proactively root out racist, extremist behavior on their platforms, instead of waiting for groups like Color Of Change to call them out.

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Color Of Change helps people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by 7 million members, we move decision makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people, and all people. Until justice is real.

IN THE MEDIA

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January 7, 2021

AUDIO INTERVIEW: White Supremacy Is Baked Into Our Electoral System

This year’s elections show that that the deep, foundational biases of our democracy have come back to haunt us—again. In this conversation about representation, the electoral college, and how our votes get counted, Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson how barriers to casting and counting the votes of Black Americans have been “baked in” to our political system. “The majority of Americans and went to the polls and did not want Donald Trump to be president. And they elected someone that they do not necessarily love to get rid of Trump.” He says the electoral college was specifically designed to prioritize slaveowners in the South. “What Black people have had to do is win races with our hands tied behind our backs.”

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January 7, 2021

Far Too Little Has Changed with American Policing

This expose, by a human rights activist and filmmaker who made a documentary about the NYPD, talks about what it’ll take to really change the legacy of violence against Black people by police. Some of Color Of Change’s solutions–making officer misconduct records and disciplinary histories publicly accessible, creating a national registry of officers flagged for firing because of misconduct on the job, and responding to mental health crises with healthcare rather than police intervention–are centered. The Movement for Black Lives similarly proposes democratic community control of local, state, and federal law enforcement, giving the communities victimized by policing the authority to control budgets and hire, fire, and discipline officers.

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January 1, 2021

The Music Industry Needs to Change. Here’s their Roadmap.

This summer, the Recording Academy gave Color Of Change $1M, asking for their help in addressing racism and inequity in the music industry. Their solution is #ChangeMusic, a roadmap records labels, studios, production and promotion agencies can use to address a history of exploitation and devaluing Black people’s contributions. COC President Rashad Robinson is quoted, “In a year of uprising, sickness, and distance, music has been both a healing force and a call to action. It’s helped us process our pain and drive social change. This moment offers an unparalleled opportunity to take action… the music industry must tear down the barriers that have been up for far too long. #ChangeMusic is our first step.”

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December 29, 2020

Rashad Robinson Is Holding Corporations Accountable & Building Black Political Power

Forbes features Rashad Robinson as an innovative leader working to dismantle racism by tackling it from all directions. Going into the elections, Color Of Change stepped up efforts to stop voter suppression and reaffirm the right to vote. But in a year when economic and social inequalities between white and Black people gained global attention, the organization has been seizing the moment and building power for Black people in nearly every area from corporate accountability and economic relief during COVID-19 to how police are portrayed and racism is often rendered invisible on TV.

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December 26, 2020

Shifting Corporate Culture in 2021: 5 Tactics to Foster a More Inclusive Internal Workplace

In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, nearly every major corporation pledged their commitment to solving racial inequity. But what can they really do? Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson says it’s important to fix the systems that exclude Black people rather than trying to blame or change people. The most productive areas to focus on are: hiring, promotions, and performance reviews that influence career mobility; equity in who gets to represent the company externally; and investing resources in accountability.

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December 25, 2020

PPP Loans Were Supposed to Prioritize Low-Income Areas During the Pandemic

Congress says it wanted the US Small Business Administration to ensure that PPP loans prioritized small businesses in “underserved” markets, meaning low-income communities, rural areas and businesses owned by people of color, women and veterans. But by time it told lenders that, nearly all the loans had been issued. A survey by Color Of Change and UnidosUS found Black and Hispanic business owners were often denied help, and many feared their firms would not last the year. COC’s Vice President Arisha Hatch is quoted, “Instead of providing desperately needed relief to qualifying small businesses, the PPP propped up so many barriers and reinforced so many racial inequities.”

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Strategic Initiatives

Democracy & Census

Black people have the power to shape our democracy and set the agenda when they speak up and turn out in elections. Through our Black Brunches we have brought together more than 20,000 people across 20 cities—including many new to politics. Going into 2020, we have tremendous opportunities to register new voters, protect voting rights, and make sure our communities are counted and represented in the 2020 Census. We are engaging local leaders and our 1.7M members to help set a progressive agenda around criminal justice reform and boost civic participation in Black communities.

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Winning Justice

No one holds more power in our justice system than prosecutors. They decide who to prosecute, what the charges will be, and routinely make decisions that destroy Black people’s lives. We are ushering in a new era of prosecutor accountability by mobilizing Black communities across the country. Already, we've pushed prosecutors and candidates in a dozen cities make pledges to cut incarceration. We continue to build momentum to end the most unjust, destructive and racist practices in our system from money bail to over-sentencing, over-policing, and sending our children to adult prisons.

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COC Hollywood

TV and film play a profound role in shaping American culture. Yet, when it comes to representation of Black people, culture, and issues, far too much of the content Hollywood produces promotes dangerous misunderstandings that holds back racial justice in the real world. COC Hollywood is our initiative to change the rules in Hollywood by ensuring accurate, diverse, empathetic and human portrayals of Black people onscreen. We consult on film and TV projects, partner with changemakers inside the industry, work to raise standards around hiring and diversity, and elevate Black stories.

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