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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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  • Black Patients Guide to COVID-19

    Black Patients' Guide to COVID-19 Vaccine Out Now

    Color Of Change teamed up Dr. Ruth Arumala to share best practices for combatting COVID-19 in the Black community. Get answers to your questions about the vaccine, distribution, and how to protect yourself.
    Read Our Guide

  • Let's Protect Black Mothers' Health

    Black mothers are 3 to 4x more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes than white mothers. But we can create a healthcare system that cares for all mothers. What would that world look like to you?
    Record Your Video

  • Remind the World Who's on Trial: the Killer Cop

    As Derek Chauvin stands trial, his legal team is trying to divert blame and drag George Floyd's name through the mud. Don't believe them. There is NO EXCUSE for murder. #JusticeForFloyd now!
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  • NCAA It's Time to Pay Black Players

    Every March, the NCAA makes hundreds of millions off the unpaid labor of Black college athletes. While they put their health on the line for free during COVID-19, NCAA staff and coaches make a killing. It's time to support the College Athletes Bill of Rights!
    Take Action

  • Congress, Hold Abusive Cops Accountable

    In the 1960s, the Supreme Court created qualified immunity and limited civilians’ right to sue police officers for excessive force. Murder after murder, they get off -- we get no justice. But Congress can end it and protect Black people.
    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.
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  • 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

  • Investigate the Rochester PD Now

    Sign our petition and make a short video demanding the DOJ investigate the RPD. Rochester police murdered Daniel Prude, maced a 9-year-old Black girl, and these same officers were involved in brutality against Black people. We deserve a federal investigation!
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  • Biden, Give Clemency to 100 Black Women

    It's no secret that Black women are the fastest-growing population in prison. We're asking President Biden to use his power to release 100 Black women who are elderly, seriously, terminally ill, or have already served more than 10 years.
    Take Action
  • Black Patients Guide to COVID-19

    The Black Patient's Guide to COVID-19 - Vol 2

    FACT: Black people have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. That's why we made the Black Patient's Guide to COVID-19 Volume 2.
    Read it here!

RECENT VICTORIES

  • Tech Justice

Twitter Adds Protections Based on Race & Ethnicity to Its Content Policy

In another win towards stopping the spread of hate online, Twitter announced it will expand its “dehumanization content policy” to protect people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, and caste. This move reflects the power of Color Of Change members and the Change the Terms coalition, which met with Twitter executives in 2018 and have been pushing the company to take a stronger stance since. It’s a huge step towards protecting Black social media users and getting rid of racist and violence-inciting tweets. Until now, Twitter has been slow to reign in far-right extremists, letting misinformation around the elections to spread. Going forward our focus will be on ensuring that Twitter enforces the new policy. Examples of the kind of content that will now be banned can be found here.

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  • Criminal Justice

Incarcerated People Fighting Wildfires Finally Eligible for Jobs When They Get Out

For decades, our country has unfairly relied on prison labor — and nowhere is this more obvious than in California, where thousands of people behind bars help fight fires each fall, risking their lives for $1 an hour. In response to a Color Of Change campaign, California Governor Gavin Newsom just signed an order expunging felonies off firefighters’ records. This means that people who fight fires while incarcerated can now join the firefighting ranks and build a real career based on their training and experience once they’re out. It’s high time we end discrimination against formerly incarcerated people, and stop erecting barriers to jobs, housing, and full participation in society. And we will continue our fight to make sure incarcerated firefighters are fully compensated and valued for their work.

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  • Criminal Justice

Rochester’s Police Chief Resigns as Quest for #JusticeforDaniel Continues

Our campaign seeking justice for Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old Black man in need of mental health help who was killed by cops in March is gathering steam. Rochester’s police chief and deputy police chief both resigned after body camera footage was released showing what we all knew: Daniel should be alive today. For a week straight, organizers held protests and 77,000 COC members spoke out demanding the officers be fired, charged, and the city changes how it responds to mental health crises. Daniel’s brother had called police for help, explaining he was a threat to no one but himself. Instead, they brutalized Daniel and knelt on his back ’til he couldn’t breathe. We will not relent. Our quest for justice continues as we press Rochester’s mayor and city council to pass legislation that requires medical professionals — and not armed cops — to respond to medical calls.

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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 30, 2021

Racism Rocks Foundation of American Democracy & Color Of Change Is Fueled to Fight

Since the now infamous attack on the Capitol January 6, Color Of Change has rolled out a number of campaigns to stop the spread of white nationalism. COC President Rashad Robinson is quoted. “The wanton disregard for Black life and justice stands in stark contrast to the images of police opening up our country’s Capitol to white supremacist insurgents who vandalized one of the greatest American symbols … To Black communities who have always faced racist policing, the answer is clear; these are the results the system was built to deliver.” For Color Of Change, the solution is to stop investing in a justice system that fails and brutalizes Black community and start investing in one that will keep all Americans safe.

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January 29, 2021

Can Reality TV Shows Help Lead the Way for Inclusivity?

There are signs the reality TV industry is trying to change its racist ways after a number of Black and Brown cast members complained about stereotyping and how they were being portrayed. Black characters have come forward saying they were edited after the fact to seem crazy or lazy. And since George Floyd’s death set off a racial awakening, networks are listening. CBS announced a goal of having 50% of all its reality cast be BIPOC. Kristen Marston, Color Of Change’s Culture & Entertainment Advocacy Director, is quoted. “We’re seeing studios and networks and execs really paying more attention and addressing the diversity on their sets.” And after 25 seasons, ABC’s The Bachelor has finally cast its first Black lead.

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January 25, 2021

Police Criticized for Double Standard After Capitol Riot

The difference could not be more stark in how police treated Black Lives Matter protesters last summer and how they responded to a predominantly white, pro-Trump crowd that assaulted the U.S. Capitol. Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson is quoted, saying what happened should come as no surprise. It is further proof of how America’s police force is a system was designed to control and criminalize Black people. “In 2015, the FBI published a report about how police departments had been infiltrated with white nationalists, and we haven’t seen anything in terms of legislation to deal with this… It’s not an accident, what happened, it’s a consequence of a whole set of enablers from those in government to those and social media platforms, to folks in mainstream media.”

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January 20, 2021

What Netflix’s 2020 Cancelations Actually Say About Diversity In TV

As COVID-19 shut down productions across networks, TV execs scrambled to adjust programming schedules and made calls on series expected not only in 2020, but also in 2021 and beyond. As a result, a slew of shows got the boot. Color Of Change’s Culture & Entertainment Advocacy Director Kristen Marston is quoted. “The recent cancelation of progressive shows with diverse casts speaks to a larger systemic issue that networks and distribution companies have in following through on their commitments to diversity and inclusion. Shows that position BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+ stories must not only be greenlit, but supported with resources and promotion to elevate them.”

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January 18, 2021

America in 2021: Racial Progress in the South, a White Mob in the Capitol

The day after Georgia’s voters flipped the Senate by electing a Black and a Jewish man, underscoring the rising political power of racial minorities, the forces of white grievance politics struck back. Confederate flags few as a white armed mob in support of Trump’s attempts to overturn the election overtook the Capitol. Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson is quoted in making sense of the polarized realities in America today. “We don’t get racial justice out of a true democracy. We get a true democracy out of racial justice. In 2020, for the first time ever, racial justice became a majoritarian issue at the polls. Now we have to do the work to make sure that what is a majority issue actually becomes a governing majority. Because that is how you make a democracy function — when the will of the people are actually delivered on.”

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January 13, 2021

What Kim Foxx’s Reelection Says About Racial Politics, Fear And Justice

Kim Foxx’s recent reelection as Illinois’s top prosecutor shows that a sea change in American politics in underway. Color Of Change’s Senior Director of Criminal Justice Campaigns Scott Roberts says Foxx’s 2016 election was the start of a national wave of support for reform-minded prosecutors being elected. “We were watching closely to make sure that she was able to bring it home … and really serve as an example to prosecutors around the country,. That we can even survive vicious attacks by everyone from the Department of Justice to local police unions. And even in the face of, frankly, heightened violence in Chicago this summer, that people will still choose a reform agenda, that this agenda is popular, that it’s a winner. And we’re hoping that that will, you know, stiffen the backbone of these prosecutors around the country.”

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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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