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A Look at the SCOTUS Nomination Fight

One week after Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, WNYC interviews Color Of Change Vice President Arisha Hatch for its Every Vote Counts series. Arisha shares how Black voters are thinking about the voting process this year, especially in key battleground states. Black voters are one of the Democratic Party’s most reliable voting blocs but this year there a significant generational gap between younger Black people who feel alienated from traditional politics and older Black voters who are loyal to BIden and the Democratic Party. Hear the audio at www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/politics-amy-walter/episodes/look-scotus-nomination-fight.

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Police Reforms Stall Despite New Wave of Activism

The announcement that Kentucky will not charge the police officers who killed Breonna Taylor show that while Black Lives Matter and racial justice may have grabbed the country’s attention, we still don’t have much to show for it in policy reform. While a majority of Americans say “major changes” to policing are needed, Congress and state legislatures have yet to act. Color Of Change’s Director of Criminal Justice Campaigns Scott Roberts says a huge part of the problem is police unions. “They, to my knowledge, haven’t seen a reform yet that they like. The police unions aren’t really a group that’s going to come to the table and say, ‘Hey, let’s compromise.’ They’re real hard-liners. I would classify them as extremists, frankly.”

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Color of Change: Tackling Systemic Racism One Strategy at a Time

Read the New York Times’s feature on Color Of Change as we reach 15 years of building momentum for racial justice. The article explores how we got from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to the global protests after George Floyd’s death, the fight to fix Big Tech and create power during COVID-19, and where the movement is going next. Rashad Robinson is quoted: “We’ve taken risks, we’ve been smarter about who we are and we’ve, in many ways, had to walk into rooms where people expected one thing from us and we’ve been able to do a lot more things. And that’s the story of Black people in America.”

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Regina King, Zendaya Emmy Wins Highlight Historic Year for Black Actors

After an unprecedented number of Black performers received Emmy nominations this year, a record number of Black performers took home trophies. Color Of Change’s President Rashad Robinson is quoted: “I don’t want to discount what it means for Black performers to be recognized in ways that they should be. But we can’t mistake presence for power. Power is the ability to change the rules. It’s like, ‘Oh we’re going to do something for this community this year,’ but even the act of doing something for someone else creates who is mainstream and who is [on the] margins — who is inside and who needs to be let in.”

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Not So White Emmys: A Blip, or Real Progress on Diversity?

From Insecure’s cast of Black women to the Muslim-American star of Ramy, 2020’s Emmy nominations are an unprecedented show of recognition for people of color on TV. Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson is quoted on how nominations open doors for other Black, Asian, and Latino actors and shape perceptions in the real world. “What these awards represent is the industry’s way of letting people in, of creating access to jobs and opportunities. It dictates the stories we get to see in the world about who we are, and that has deep implications on the unwritten rules about how we are treated.”

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Election Night Simulation: What Happens In A Contested Election?

Color Of Change Vice President Arisha Hatch helps tease out Election Night scenarios and explain how activists are preparing for Trump to falsely and prematurely declare himself winner. See what we’re doing to make sure people can vote safely, our votes are counted, and social media companies know they’ll be held accountable for spreading misinformation or aiding and abetting Trump’s illegitimate power grabs. Watch the full video at https://youtu.be/C3W3–AED0Y

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Only 7% of People Behind Bars Have Access to Soap & Basic Necessities to Stop COVID-19

Common Dreams covers Color Of Change’s and Essie Justice’s new report on the impact of the pandemic on incarcerated people and people with incarcerated loved ones. What we found is horrifying: COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in prisons and jails because of lack of healthcare and access to necessities like soap and disinfectant. The report calls attention to the harm Black women are enduring as the pandemic has aggravated the financial insecurity, childcare responsibilities, isolation, and physical and psychological stresses. We surveyed more than 700 people in 45 states: 62% of respondents said their loved ones behind bars are scared they will lose their lives to COVID 19. Read the report at LivesOnTheLine.org

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Seven Years of Toil: Inside Color Of Change’s Fight to Fix Big Tech

Protocol features Color Of Change’s work since 2013 — led by Arisha Hatch, Rashad Robinson and Brandi Collins-Dexter — to hold tech companies accountable for racist propaganda, misinformation, and letting algorithms put sensationalism and profits above people of color. Since George Floyd’s killing and the nation’s reckoning on racial justice and the organization’s role in organizing #StopHateForProfit, a $7B ad boycott, the stakes have gotten higher. Color Of Change has a seat at the table with execs at the big tech companies. But are they ready to take responsibility for their inaction?

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‘Not Racist’ Is Not Enough: Putting In The Work To Be Anti-Racist

Color Of Change made NPR’s list of steps you can take to combat racism. Tip #4, “Find local organizations involved in anti-racism efforts – preferably led by people of color – and help uplift their ideas” comes from Color Of Change’s Vice President Arisha Hatch. She says learning to uplift non-white voices – even those who may disagree with you – is important for white people. “Part of being an ally and part of letting go of privilege is, I think, putting yourselves in situations where you may be uncomfortable. You may have a different idea, but…you’re actively working to support organizers and activists who have been thinking about these systemic problems for generations.”

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Facebook Initially Failed to Remove a Kenosha Militia Page Despite Complaints

Yet again, Facebook is under fire for letting people incite violence on its platform. The company didn’t respond when users sounded the alarm about a militia group issuing a “call to arms” online before the violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which left two people dead. Facebook told users the page didn’t meet its criteria for removal but ended up taking down the page — after armed militias took to the streets. “This crisis of hate-fueled violence requires immediate, drastic action from Facebook and all other platforms on which these groups gather,” says Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson. “Facebook’s superficial policy changes mean nothing when they aren’t enforced.”

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‘Enough Is Enough’: After the Shooting of Jacob Blake, Players Demand Action

Four days after a Kenosha, Wisconsin police officer shot Jacob Blake 7 times in the back, the Milwaukee Bucks chose not to take the floor for a playoff game. Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson commented, “The team is absolutely right” to demand leaders in Wisconsin “actually prosecute and hold police accountable. At the state and the federal level, we need to end qualified immunity. We actually need to seriously deal with the swollen police budgets and the militarization of police. And that money should be divested and invested in things that we know keep people safe and make communities whole.”

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Emmys 2020: Black Performers See Rise but Ballot Is Far From Truly Inclusive

There’s a disparity among nominees of color on the Emmy ballot this year, which reflects a disconnect within the industry at large. Though more Black performers are being nominated, people of color still account for less than 15% of the writers and directors nominated. Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson is quoted on the ways the industry has yet to let non-white people have decision-making power. “We can’t mistake presence for power. Power is the ability to change the rules.”

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