Our client California Donor Table is weighing in on California Governor Gavin Newsom’s campaign to redraw the state’s congressional districts in his fight against Trump. “Voters want to see fighters,” Ludovic Blain, Executive Director of California Donor Table, said in the San Francisco Chronicle. “The question of whether they’re successful — that’s secondary because you can’t be successful if you don’t fight.” Blain sees the move as a necessary stand against Republican gerrymandering in states such as Texas. Read more here.
Darius Kemp, Executive Director of California Common Cause, is urging advocates to strengthen and expand an inclusive, multiracial democracy in California, honoring the legacy of the Voting Rights Act on its 60th anniversary. In this op-ed Change Consulting helped place in The Sacramento Bee, Kemp reflects on the democratic challenges California faces and the solutions to overcome them. Read the full op-ed here.
The Black August Power Fest was held for the first time in Valdosta, Georgia, organized by Black Futures Lab (BFL) and Black to the Future Action Fund (B2F), to raise political awareness and share resources, particularly in the face of increasing natural disasters. “In the majority Black and brown communities of Valdosta — in those districts that are represented by Black elected officials — they don’t have the same access to resources,” said Russell Armstrong, Senior Policy Campaign Strategist with Black Futures Lab, in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “That same sort of redlining that you see in other communities exists there, and even to the point where some of the damage that was seen from the hurricanes and the lack of recovery is worse in those parts of town.” The event highlighted the systemic neglect of majority Black communities in South Valdosta, where residents have suffered disproportionate damage and slower recovery from recent hurricanes: Idalia (2023), Debby (2024), and Helene (2024). Read the full story here.
Check out BFL’s monthly newsletter which highlights Black August, a time to reflect, resist, and recommit. See how they’re taking action this month in the fight for Black people and Black liberation. Check it out here.
ICYMI:
- Join our partners, The Black Collective Foundation MN, for the first-ever The Collective Sum November 18–20, 2025 in Minneapolis! This premier gathering will bring together leaders, visionaries, organizations, and businesses committed to building community, making tangible impact, and shaping effective strategies for the times we are in. Register now – here.