Skip to Content

Press

Media Contacts

For media inquiries, please contact media@colorofchange.org

  • social list opener

In the Media

‘Thousands of Dollars for Something I Didn’t Do’

Randal Reid spent 6 days in jail after being stopped in Atlanta and falsely accused of stealing purses in Louisiana, a state he’s never even been to. His case reveals issues with facial recognition software. While they appear neutral on the surface, they can be used to imprison the innocent and prop up already racist practices in law enforcement. It’s a case of mistaken identity that traces back to the sheriff department’s contract with Clearview AI; artificial intelligence conflated Reid’s face with the one on the security footage. Rashad Robinson, president of Color Of Change, says we shouldn’t brush such incidents off as honest mistakes. New technologies, he says, can exacerbate already existing racist tendencies. “If facial recognition was misclassifying white people, white men or white women, it would not be on the shelf. Some of us and some of our communities are expendable.” That’s what the group is fighting to change.

  • social list opener

Why Advertisers Aren’t Coming Back to Twitter

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter last October, many big-name advertisers have paused spending on the platform. Ads historically make up 90% of Twitter’s revenue. Many blame the lack of confidence in Musk to control and moderate what’s spread on the platform. Major corporations don’t want to jeopardize their “brand safety” by being associated with openly racist, sexist, or hateful content. Color Of Change has launched a campaign pressuring advertisers to drop Twitter because platform continues to promote harmful content while Musk turns a blind eye, or worse, contributes to the slurs and conspiracy theories. COC President Rashad Robinson is quoted, “What we hear from Elon every single day gives us new outreach and entree to advertisers.”

  • social list opener

Tracy McCarter Walked Free From Murder Charges. This Campaign Helped Get Her Out.

Color Of Change helped #StandWithTracy reach a volume that neither the media nor New York City politicians could ignore. In the end, the DA dropped all charges against Tracey, hopefully changing how domestic violence survivors are treated by the criminal justice system going forward. Tracy’s initial supporters raised money, contacted the DA’s office, and held social media power hours. But Color Of Change had donated to DA Bragg’s campaign, and held his feet to the fire. COC Vice President Sakira Cook says, “We worked with Survived and Punished for 10 months to hold Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accountable.” They putan ad in the New York Times, produced videos, and organized a petition that with 21,000 signatures. Still, getting the case dismissed was no small feat. According to the ACLU, there’s serious bias baked into self-defense laws. A man who kills a female partner will serve 2-to-6 years while women on average serve 15. She says, “This is the part of the system we are trying to change.”

  • social list opener

3 Black Leaders Offer 1 Practical Solution to Protect Black Motorists

Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson contributed to this op-ed on the DOJ’s move to investigate Memphis police for their abuse of force, which led to the death of Tyre Nichols. Unnecessary traffic stops kill Black people all the time. Of the more than 1,000 people killed by police each year, 10% involve traffic stops. Nearly half are for issues as minor as a broken taillight or tinted windows. There’s no reason to send armed cops to deal with these issues. Rashad writes with the presidents of the Vera Institute for Justice and Center for American Progress, “As three Black men, we know firsthand the worry of whether the everyday act of driving will end in tragedy for ourselves, our brothers and sisters, or nieces and nephews and children… Changing the way traffic stops happen in this nation is foundational to any discussion about police reform. By reforming them, federal, state and local leaders can save countless lives.”

  • social list opener

“Playgrounds for Cops,” United Against ‘Cop City’

23 people including a legal observer were arrested at ongoing protests at “Cop City” and charged with domestic terrorism. For years, Color Of Change has been raising the alarms that residents overwhelmingly oppose the $90M mega-police training complex being built outside Atlanta — and that elite police forces lead to the kind of violence that killed Tyre Nichols. Color Of Change Sr. Campaign Director Kyle Bibby says, “We have a problem in the United States with how deeply unimaginative our leaders are in addressing crime. All we do is increasingly militarize our police. We increase funding, but that doesn’t actually address real systemic issues that lead to crime. People in the community would like to see that money go towards housing, education programs, violence prevention, mental healthcare.” Meanwhile the controversy around Cop City continues. In January, a 26-year-old environmental activist was killed by officers at the protest there.

  • social list opener

23 Charged with Terrorism in Atlanta ‘Cop City’ Protest

Twenty people were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism for protesting “Cop City,” a huge police training facility being built near Atlanta. Police shot and killed 26-year-old environmental activist Manuel Esteban Paez Terán during a raid of the protest encampment there in January. Color Of Change has been working alongside activists in Atlanta to make the case that the facility will only harm Black communities and that militarizing law enforcement makes us all less safe. Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson is quoted, “This just takes up a lot of space in a Black community … and it provides more access, more tools, and more resources to an institution that actually needs more accountability.” Those arrested for violence in connection with the protests face a felony sentence of up to 35 years in prison if convicted.

  • social list opener

Thought Leadership

CNN: 3 Black Leaders Offer One Practical Solution to Reduce Police Assaults on Black Motorists

Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson contributes to this op-ed on the DOJ’s move to investigate Memphis police for their use and abuse of force, which led to the death of Tyre Nichols. Unnecessary traffic stops continue to kill Black people all the time. Of the more than 1,000 people killed by police each year, 10% involve traffic stops. Nearly half of these are for issues as minor as a broken taillight or tinted windows. There’s no reason to send armed cops to deal with these issues. He writes with the presidents of the Vera Institute for Justice and Center for American Progress, “As three Black men, we know firsthand the worry of whether the everyday act of driving will end in tragedy for ourselves, our brothers and sisters, or nieces and nephews and children… Changing the way traffic stops happen in this nation is foundational to any discussion about police reform. By reforming them, federal, state and local leaders can save countless lives.”

Read the full article at bit.ly/3ZY4FF8

  • social list opener

THE HILL: To Keep People Safe, Congress Should Invest in What Communities Need

Color Of Change’s Interim Vice President Sakira Cook writes alongside Civil Rights Corps’ Thea Sebastian about the rush to pour more money into policing. As politicians rush to pass “public safety” bills, pointing to rising crime rates and fears that violence is increasing, they rarely ask what communities want — or if these bills will do anything to keep them safer. Color Of Change recently released an evidence-based policy blueprint on the kinds of investments that prevent violence and harm. Its key insight is simple: just as in public health, prevention and proactive investments in the “social determinants of safety” are our most effective way to keep individuals, families, and communities safe. It’s time that our policies and reliance on heavy-handed policing give way to this reality.

Full article at bit.ly/3SRaUIn

  • social list opener

ESSENCE: Biden’s Plan to Increase Police Budgets Won’t Make Us Safer

Color Of Change’s Sakira Cook writes about how President Biden’s plan to increase police budgets is the opposite direction we ought to be headed — investing in community programs proven to keep communities safe. In a Philadelphia neighborhood, the addition of streetlights, painted sidewalks, public transit, and parks was tied to a 76% decrease in homicides. Summer job programs for young people have reduced their arrest rates for violent crimes by 45%. Meanwhile, over-policing Black and Brown neighborhoods just leads to more police violence. Biden plans to add 100,000 police officers to our streets and allocate $13 billion to the COPS hiring program. “Too many officials,” Sakira explains, “continue to implement a police-only approach to our safety – these solutions alone do not work and have proven to cause more harm to our safety and overall well-being.” It’s time for politicians to divest from this failed approach and advance real solutions to creating healthy, thriving, and safe communities.

Read the full article at bit.ly/3ZQueZ2

  • social list opener

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Warren’s Firing Hurt Black Residents in Hillsborough

Community activist and Color Of Change member Joyce Jackson writes about what Black people lost when the Hillsborough state attorney was unjustly ousted. Joyce’s son has been barred from voting since he was arrested at age 17 on a drug charge, even though he only was sentenced to probation, and at 41, has never been in trouble since. State Attorney Andrew Warren was a champion for people charged with nonviolent misdemeanors and oversaw a 69% reduction in the number of cases where children are tried as adults. He also stopped prosecution of minor bike citations when Tampa police were writing thousands of tickets for “biking while Black.” But after he stood up for abortion rights and Black women across the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis had him removed. He has sued to get his job back and judges now have the power to reinstate him.

Read the full article at bit.ly/3IH5TgM

  • social list opener

NEWSONE: Fulton Co. Prosecutors Share Blame For Jail Overcrowding

Color Of Change’s Vice President Sakira Cook writes about how Georgia’s Fulton County jails are so overcrowded that hundreds of people are malnourished and sleeping on the floor–waiting to learn their fates for minor offenses. Prosecutors have the unique power to fix overcrowding in what is, unsurprisingly, a predominantly Black area. Because of felony prosecutor Fani Willis’s inefficiency and indifference, half the jail population have not even been formally charged with a crime. Fulton County puts its residents behind bars at a rate nearly 3x other urban counties. It’s time to stop prosecuting minor offenses that pose no threat to public safety–unnecessarily costing people their jobs , their families, and their health.

Read the full article at bit.ly/3wE2slJ

  • social list opener

MIAMI HERALD: Don’t Ignore Effects of ‘Don’t say gay’ and ‘Stop WOKE’ on LGBTQ+ Students of Color

Color Of Change contributes to this op-ed on how LGBTQ+ students of color will be harmed by Florida’s new ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law. It will almost certainly erode the confidence of queer students and hurt their mental health. Multiple studies find students typically feel better about themselves and more supported by friends after coming out. Under ‘Don’t Say Gay,’ they’ll be forbidden to discuss gay issues at school while staff are encouraged to report LGBTQ students to their parents. States with LGBTQ+ friendly protections report less depression and isolation. And the opposite is true too. A few months in, it’s crucial we evaluate the impact of the law, especially alongside other harmful policies like the ‘Stop WOKE’ Act, which limits the discussion of race and gender in classes, furthering censoring and devaluing queer youth of color.

Read the full article at bit.ly/3wGUQig

  • social list opener
Back to top