Statement from Sakira Cook, Vice President of Campaigns at Color Of Change in response to the implementation of the Marta Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022

For Immediate Release: March 17, 2023 Media Contact: media@colorofchange.org Statement from Sakira Cook, Vice President of Campaigns at Color Of Change in response to the implementation of the Marta Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022 “We applaud the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to implement the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of […]

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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

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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

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Color Of Change Hosts Award Show to Honor Educators Preserving Black History

For Immediate Release: February 28, 2023, 10:00am ET Media Contact: media@colorofchange.org  Color Of Change Hosts Award Show to Honor Educators Preserving Black History  One of the nation’s largest racial justice organization’s second annual celebration will highlight Black history champions and advocates NATIONWIDE — On Monday, February 27, Color Of Change — one of the nation’s […]

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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

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Color Of Change Responds to BodyCam Footage of Cop City Protester Shooting

For Immediate Release: February 9, 2023 Media Contact: media@colorofchange.org Color Of Change Responds to BodyCam Footage of Cop City Protester Shooting NATIONWIDE – In response to the latest release of body camera footage of the shooting of a Cop City protester by the Atlanta Police Department, Jade Magnus Ogunnaike, Vice President of Corporate Power at […]

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Color Of Change and Worth Rises Demand Biden-Harris Administration End Prison Profiteering

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  February 6, 2023   CONTACT media@colorofchange.org  press@worthrises.org    Color Of Change and Worth Rises Demand Biden-Harris Administration End Prison Profiteering  Civil rights organizations release a new policy blueprint with key recommendations to end prison profiteering in all aspects of the criminal legal system   WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Color Of Change and […]

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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

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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

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Color Of Change Responds to Trump’s Reinstatement on Facebook

For Immediate Release: January 25, 2023 Media Contact: media@colorofchange.org Color Of Change Responds to Trump’s Reinstatement on Facebook NATIONWIDE — Following Facebook’s decision to reinstate former President Donald Trump’s account, Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson released the below statement: “If leaders in Congress don’t step up to regulate platforms like Facebook that enable the […]

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Color Of Change: State Court Must Reinstate Warren Following Judge’s Ruling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  January 20, 2023  CONTACT media@colorofchange.org  Color Of Change: State Court Must Reinstate Warren Following Judge’s Ruling Sakira Cook, vice president of Color Of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, issued the following statement in response to Judge Hinkle’s finding that DeSantis violated the state constitution “Andrew Warren’s removal was a […]

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COLOR OF CHANGE DEMANDS JUSTICE FOR PROTESTOR KILLED IN GEORGIA; CALLS ON CORPORATIONS TO DIVEST FROM WEELAUNEE FOREST 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 20, 2023 CONTACT media@colorofchange.org  COLOR OF CHANGE DEMANDS JUSTICE FOR PROTESTOR KILLED IN GEORGIA; CALLS ON CORPORATIONS TO DIVEST FROM WEELAUNEE FOREST  Jade Magnus Ogunnaike, Vice President of Corporate Power of Color Of Change, issued the following statement in response to the killing of a protestor in DeKalb County, GA;  “Members […]

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