Happy Juneteenth!
Change Consulting is proud to sponsor the 14th Annual FAM BAM, Oakland’s Juneteenth Celebration. This celebration of Black and African culture also serves as a day of reflection and education, promoting wellness, unity, and pride, and refills our cup every year. Congressional candidate Lateefah Simon will give a keynote address, LaRussell will perform on the mainstage, and there will be tons of other music, food, and merchandise vendors, wellness workshops, art installations, and youth activities. Get your ticket today and we will see you there!
Client News
On Wednesday, 100 community leaders, advocates, and organizers representing labor, faith-based, Black, AAPI, Latinx, women and youth organizations held a rally for increased voting rights in Sacramento, as part of the launch of the California Grassroots Democracy Coalition. Representing millions of Californians, the coalition is embarking on a multi-year campaign to expand the electorate to better reflect the state’s diversity.
This year, the Coalition sponsored SB-846, a bill that provides a path to 100% voter registration, in line with similar legislation passed in Alaska, Delaware, DC, Colorado, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. The two-year bill seeks to include 4.7 million eligible unregistered voters who are disproportionately Asian American, Black, and Latinx citizens, in upcoming elections by automating their eligibility at the DMV. Learn more about the coalition and Wednesday’s action at the Davis Vanguard.
Standing at the juncture of white supremacy and anti-Blackness, Asian Americans have been imagined as not-white but above all not-Black –as undesirable but the lesser of two evils–for almost two centuries. Throughout history, they have been weaponized against (and have sometimes weaponized themselves against) the Black freedom struggle and used as an alibi for a racial capitalist U.S. state whose legitimacy is often in question. AAPI Civic Engagement Fund and Colorlines hosted a conversation this week with Colorlines’ editor Dr. Charlene Sinclair and Claire Jean Kim, Ph.D., about Dr. Kim’s new book, Asian Americans in an Anti-Black World, and how Dr. Kim’s argument –that Asian Americans have benefited from anti-Blackness at the same time that they have been burdened by white supremacy –might guide Black and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities into solidarity with one another. Their entire conversation is available to view for free at the link.
“If you want to take a pulse on what is happening with the country at large, listen and be responsive to Black communities.” Alicia Garza, founder and principal of the Black Futures Lab, spoke with the Chicago Defender about efforts to engage Black people in Illinois to take part in the Black Census Project. Launched in 2018 and reintroduced in 2022, the Black Census Project seeks to engage communities that are often underrepresented in conventional surveys and policy-making decisions. Including Black peoples’ priorities and perspective is essential in building progressive platforms that can win. “As we head into 2024,” according to Alicia, “it is critical that we engage Black communities early and often. Every day, policy is being made about us, without us. This survey will help change that.”
Nonprofit Quarterly profiled Essie Justice Group following the 6th annual Black Mama’s Day Bailout, where the group bailed out two Black mothers who could not afford bail so they could spend Mother’s Day with their family, not behind bars. The bailouts are part of Essie’s work to break the epidemic of isolation caused by mass incarceration that can be so devastating to women with incarcerated loved ones. Read more at Nonprofit Quarterly.
Coming Up:
Applications for the California Black Freedom Fund’s latest round of funding close on June 23! The purpose of the California Black Freedom Fund is to invest in Black power building infrastructure to sustain the movement and dismantle systemic racism and racial inequities faced by Black communities. CBFF provides multi-year, operational grants to increase Black-led organizations’ access to the practical resources and tools needed to continue driving transformative, multi-sector, policy change. For more information about eligibility and how to apply, visit California Black Freedom Fund online.
With over 22 million registered voters, California is the nation’s largest democracy. Nowhere was that power more felt than in the recent 2022 Midterm Elections where Black, Indigenous and American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, and Latino voters proved decisive in several important races across all levels of government. As we approach a critical moment in our state’s history in closing a multi-billion dollar Budget deficit, how will we deliver just and equitable investments that inspire confidence and participation in our government?
On June 28, the California Black Freedom Fund, California Native Vote Project, Asian American Futures, and Latino Community Foundation will host a panel discussion at the California Museum in Sacramento on the future of California’s democracy – its challenges, its opportunities, and the responsibilities each of us hold to make the state a continued example of leadership in the face of numerous crises facing our collective communities. California at a Crossroads: The State of CA’s Multiracial Democracy is free to attend, RSVP at the link to reserve your seat for this important event.