Vote.

Hi there. Happy Tuesday. It's a monumental day. And, it's a day all the same. I'm obviously going to tell you to vote today But before we go there, take a deep breath in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Unclench your jaw, roll your shoulders up and back. Wiggle out the hips. Great! We can show up today for the nation, and for ourselves.

In our first episode of the Anti-Racism Daily podcast, I chatted with people who aren't showing up today. And noted how insidious voter disillusionment has become. We have a lot of work to do, and it starts today. Listen here >

This is the Anti-Racism Daily, where we send one email each day to dismantle white supremacy. You can support our work by giving one time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). You can also donate monthly or annually on Patreon. If this email was forwarded to you, you could subscribe at antiracismdaily.com.

TAKE ACTION

Vote. You can still register to vote today in 21 states at your polling station.
Double-check to see if your absentee ballot was received. Here are links to do so by state >
If your ballot is marked as not received, the next steps differ based on your state. Check with your local election office for next steps. Here's the link >
Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE if you or anyone you know experiences voter suppression, harassment or other issues when trying to vote
Make an election safety plan to support your community today and in the weeks to come.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

I need you to show up today. Our nation is at a crossroads. And the most urgent action we can take right now (if we have been granted the right) to transform this nation is to vote in the U.S. Presidential election.

And it's critically important that we vote our current President out of office. Donald Trump has used racism, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia, and ableism to divide this nation. He has sparked deep distrust of our political system and will fight this election's results if they do not work in his favor. We have written about how his racism has directly caused violence against people of color and sparked a rise in white nationalism. Twice. He will only continue to unravel our most basic rights to safety and freedom.

Political analyst Mehdi Hasan has a two-minute video summarizing more of his atrocities over his administration.

But if that's not enough to convince you to vote, vote for the people that can't: for the millions of people who cannot vote because of voter suppression, whether through voter registration, access to polls, and ballot counting. Rally for those whose ballots might be thrown away or may not arrive on time, and for the 5.2 million that can't because of a felony conviction. Vote for the people that can't take off work, have to care for their kids, or can't find transportation tomorrow. And, for the immigrants who can't, despite all they bring to this country.

As of November 1, we have lost 230,000 lives in the U.S. to COVID-19. If you still aren't convinced to vote, do it for them – and the frontline workers, the families that can no longer afford to stay in their homes, the people with disabilities and those immunocompromised that can't access medical care, the long-haulers that may never fully recover, the kids out of school, the people struggling with the physical and mental toll of quarantine – addiction, violence, domestic abuse.

Vote for the 545 children who can't find their parents, and all those detained in ICE detention centers. Vote for the 6500+ Black people killed by the police. Vote for the whales and the forests – actually, vote for the whole damn planet. Vote for those who came before us to protect our right to participate – and vote for those who follow. Vote for abolition. Vote for transformation. Vote for tomorrow.

Vote for you. Vote for me. Vote for us.

Vote.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Vote.
Don't vote for Trump.
Vote for the future.

RELATED ISSUES

10/1/2020 | Vote Trump out of office.

9/27/2020 | Protect the polls.

9/23/2020 | Reject the modern-day poll tax.

6/24/2020 | Fight voter suppression.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.

Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza

Nicole Cardoza 11/2/20 Nicole Cardoza 11/2/20

Make an election safety plan.

Good morning and happy Monday. Because of the weight of this election on the safety and health of the U.S., we'll be following updates as it unfolds and offering ways you can take action. I hope that today's newsletter gives you a broader approach to organizing to prepare for whatever's ahead.

This is the Anti-Racism Daily, where we send one email each day to dismantle white supremacy. You can support our work by giving one time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). You can also donate monthly or annually on Patreon. If this email was forwarded to you, you could subscribe at antiracismdaily.com.

ps – if you can, vote.

TAKE ACTION

Go through the Safety Checklist for November and make your plan. You can go to File > Make a Copy to create your own editable version without bothering the organizers that created it!
Encourage your family, friends and colleagues do the same.
Take care of yourself this week.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Regardless of who wins in tomorrow's election, it's likely that the coming weeks will be chaotic.

Activists and extremists alike from both the right and the left fear what could happen this election and are preparing for what's to come (The Atlantic). As a result, businesses are hiring security. Streets are boarding up their storefronts. Gun sales are up. And police departments are staffing up. And although a tiny percentage of people actually support violence, it doesn't take many incite it (more on this via Brookings).

It's important to note how this violence is likely to most impact marginalized communities – the essential workers that don't have a choice not to go to work. The low-wage workers that aren't given Election Day off. The people of color most likely to be targeted by racial violence from the right. The people that rely on public transportation that could be disrupted by protests. If you have the privilege not to be directly impacted by the election violence, it is your responsibility to protect their well-being.

This isn't meant to fear-monger. I simply want us all to prepare how best to respond. This year has been filled with catastrophes for the U.S., often with little or no time to prepare; the first wave of COVID-19 was mismanaged by our government, causing cases to skyrocket and responses to feel jumbled and disorganized. The rise of protests in response to the murder of George Floyd happened immediately (although not without warning; if you've been attuned to the decades of unchecked police brutality in the U.S., you were likely unsurprised).

The small glimmer of hope I see this time around is that we have precious time to prepare a response. So, let's do so. Planning for the election is not just exercising your right to vote (if you have one) or your way to contribute if you couldn't vote. It shouldn't be your default response when participating in our democratic process. But it needs to be today – and honestly, we should be

The first part of preparing is to prepare yourself. This is not to center your needs above those more marginalized. This is about ensuring you are resourced enough to do the most. Make your self-care plan.

Then get clarity on what it looks like to protect your community. The checklist offers ways to help from a wide range of perspectives: you can organize politically to defend polling sites, passing out food and water in places with long lines, or offer rides to people in your community. You can organize logistically by offering food, money, and other tangibles to those worried about leaving their homes in the coming weeks. You can also get prepared to participate or defend any protests that may unfold in the weeks ahead. The checklist includes links to upcoming trainings and virtual gatherings you can join – and I recommend subscribing for future events that may be scheduled as things unfold.

If anything, perhaps this plan will bring you and your community some ease and relief as the weeks unfold. But at most, it can save lives. Whatever you do, an extra day of planning won't hurt. In addition, this plan can act as a helpful template for other issues that may arise outside of the election, like an environmental disaster, looming COVID-19 lockdowns, or other political unrest. Regardless of our political beliefs, we must remember that we are all in this together. Violence this election serves no one. Commit to serving your community with love and solidarity.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

State and local governments, organizers, activists and extremists are worried about election violence over the coming weeks
Creating a plan is critical for your self-care, but to support and protect the people around you – especially those most marginalized
Take some time to prepare now, and keep this election safety checklist in your back pocket for whenever a response to crisis is needed

RELATED ISSUES

10/1/2020 | Vote Trump out of office.

9/27/2020 | Protect the polls.

9/23/2020 | Reject the modern-day poll tax.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/31/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/31/20

Study Hall! The scary truth.

Happy Halloween! Welcome to our weekly Study Hall. Each week I answer questions and share insights from each of you in our community. This week we unpack the futility of marginal change, Halloween, and the Supreme Court.

If you subscribe to just the weekly digest, this is the only email you will receive (hi Saturday readers 👋🏾) You can click through to read all original pieces via the archives, and get the recap in one place. Change your email preferences by updating your profile information here.

As always, your support is greatly appreciated. You can give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe for $7/mo on our Patreon.

Nicole

ps – you can also sign up for our advocacy program, which helps you track referrals to the newsletter and unlock perks along the way! Learn more.

TAKE ACTION

1. Reflect on the questions prompted by our community.

2. Discuss with a friend: what did you uncover this week that you never heard of before? What power and privilege may have protected you from unpacking this concept? Or, which trauma(s) may have shielded you from learning more?

GET EDUCATED

We've published 150 newsletters on racism over the past 150 days. Here are the newsletters we published this week.

10/30/2020 | Don't be racist this Halloween.

10/29/2020 | Fight racist death row sentencing.

10/28/2020 | Unpack the history of social work.

10/27/2020 | Expand the court.

10/26/2020 | Support diversity in animated films.

10/25/2020 | Learn the history of the Texas Rangers

Read all previously published newsletters on our archives >

Q+A

Just because we Democrats are disadvantaged now, I don't think we should stoop to Trump’s level. Are there future repercussions if Biden were to pack the court?
From Expand the court on 10/27/2020.

There's certainly repercussions to restructuring the court; it could divide the two parties even further and make the Supreme Court a critical part of every future election. Some are calling for different ways to restructure the court, like implementing term limits, that might not feel as radical as changing the number of seats altogether.

We could also have a court that changes more rapidly, offering more diverse perspectives on cases than what we've had historically.

But I think many people feel (including myself) that the stakes are too great to worry about the optics or the repercussions. The repercussions that the American people will experience outweigh any political maneuvering. Some of the most foundational human rights are at stake, and if we believe this democracy is designed to protect them, we need to make rapid changes so it can.

Q+A

This election I have the chance to vote for more environmental protections for my city. The plan notes that it will raise taxes to achieve its vision. I know we've talked about how important environmental protections are for marginalized communities in particular, but we've also talked about how the tax system disproportionately impacts the same community. How do I vote in a way that actually helps, not hurts?
From Fight for environmental protections on 10/23/2020.

When writing one newsletter on one topic each day, we oftentimes fail to demonstrate the complexities of this work. Unfortunately, our best efforts on one issue don't exist in a silo, and often come in direct conflict in what we believe our best efforts are in another. This is a great example of that paradox.

When abstracted, this is an example of a futility cycle, which some radical abolitionists point to in discussions about changing the current system. Because our entire society is built upon oppression, it's incredibly difficult to make monumental change. We can rally to change in one aspect of our lives, but overhauling everything is going to take more drastic action. It's akin to rebuilding a house on a rotting foundation. At some point, we need to raze the entire structure and start anew.

I don't know the specifics of the issue on your ballot this year, and sure, there might be one of the two choices that are slightly better. But let's focus on the paradox at hand. How can we look at both issues past the ballot and fight not for reform, but for abolition? Like in your scenario, taxes often come at the "cost" of other threats – poverty, housing insecurity, hunger – so what would it look like if we abolished the tax system entirely? How can we start today to push for a reimagining of taxes tomorrow?

I don't have the answers, but community activists in your city may. You're asking all the right questions. Keep listening for more tangible ways you can reshape the system. And in the meantime, keep doing what you can and make the decision that marginally moves things forward.

Q+A

I disagree with some of the costumes you say are offensive. Humor is healing, so zombie cops or coronavirus in chains could be a good way to look at where we are right now.
From Don't be racist this Halloween on 10/31/2020.

It may be for you! But I'll be honest, I had a visceral reaction to thinking about someone draped in chains walking down the street – regardless of what they're dressed as. I personally hold my breath when I see any cop while walking down the street; I don't think realizing one in particular is a Halloween costume as I approach will assuade that gut check.

Your response centered your assumption on how other people will feel based on what you deem funny. This work always encourages centering your assumptions on how people most vulnerable may feel; those that have had to live with the real-life horrors of cops and sickness. I don't think it's right to assume that everyone will appreciate a joke over the assumption that someone could be offended.

When it comes to humor, this take is often hotly contested. Comedians, for example, are both praised and condemned for making light of difficult situations. But I personally think that Halloween costumes occupy a different territory than a space designated for those kinds of statements. To me, Halloween is a way to escape the horrors of the day-to-day, not place them center stage.

Q+A

I heard that the term "spooky" is rooted in a slur against Black people and we shouldn't use it. Is that true?
From Don't be racist this Halloween on 10/31/2020.

Kind of. The term "spook" derives from the Dutch word for apparition, or specter, as did all of its variations (like "spooking" or "spooky").

But the word "spook" became a derogatory term for Black people in WWII, when Black Army pilots who trained at the Tuskegee Institute were referred to as the "Spookwaffe". Referring to someone – particularly a Black person – as a "spook" or "spooky" is absolutely uncalled for (NPR).

However, the term is "spooky" is still used as a colloquial statement towards general specter related activities (I clearly used it without thinking even though I already knew this). There's definitely more adjectives we can use instead of this term that's been co-opted in our history to have this meaning.

CLARIFICATIONS

In our 10/25/2020 newsletter, Learn the history of the Texas Rangers, we mistakenly insinuated in an early release that the police officer involved in the shooting of Jonathan Price was a Texas Ranger. It was the police officer involved in his arrest, not the shooter. The issue was changed in subsequent releases of the newsletter and on our archives.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/30/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/30/20

Don't be racist this Halloween.

If the world couldn’t be spooky enough, this weekend is Halloween. Its origins date back to Samhain’s ancient Celtic festival when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts (History) – although many other cultures worldwide have had practices that honor the dead. This practice has been adapted and evolved throughout history to what we see in modern-day culture in developed nations. But one sticking point has been the lackadaisical approach to costumes.

Welcome back and happy Friday. Growing up, Jasmine was my favorite Disney princess. Her skin was the closest to my shade (Disney didn't have a Black princess until 2009), she had a pet tiger (my favorite animal) and she had long, luscious hair, which I coveted as a child. I was thrilled to be her for Halloween in second-grade, and as Tiger Lily from Peter Pan a couple of years later. For both costumes, they were the only times I got to wear fake hair, and I remember feeling as pretty as the white girls I went to school with.

Now, I look back and see the layers of internalized racism I experienced as a Black girl in an all-white neighborhood, and the gross cultural appropriation of communities that I never got to learn about besides their glorified Disney stories on a TV screen. Although I certainly didn't mean any harm (nor did my family), I contributed to the whitewashing of marginalized communities – and minimized my own narrative in the process.

I think about this a lot each Halloween season, and this one is no different. I'm not sure what your plans are this weekend – I hope you're socially distancing – but nevertheless, it's a good time to reflect on how this holiday contributes to the narratives we discuss in the newsletter.

This is the Anti-Racism Daily, where we send one email each day to dismantle white supremacy. You can support our work by giving one-time or monthly on Patreon (you can also support via PayPal or Venmo @nicoleacardoza). If this email was forwarded to you, you could subscribe to antiracismdaily.com.

TAKE ACTION

Research your costume before making a decision.
Choose a Halloween costume from your past that was inappropriate. Spend this weekend learning the real history of the community it comes from.
If you have the power and privilege to do so, socially distance this weekend. Remember that COVID-19 disproportionately impacts those most vulnerable. Do NOT expose them because you need to dress up and act foolish.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

But one sticking point has been the lackadaisical approach to costumes. Nowadays, it seems that Halloween is the one day that people believe they can get away with wearing harmful and disparaging costumes of marginalized communities. 2020 is unique – we’re amid a racial reckoning, on the eve of a critical election, and limited in how we should celebrate because of a global pandemic. But that’s all the more reason to analyze how racial stereotypes are promoted through the festivities of the holiday.

Before we dive into costumes themselves, we need to stop asking what’s racist racist and what’s kinda racist. Racist is racist. And all of it upholds systemic oppression. But society has trained us to believe that there’s an acceptable form of racism. Most of the white supremacy that perpetuates systemic oppression is overlooked, and only the most violent and blatant forms are condemned. This is often depicted using an iceberg; a small percentage of racist and oppressive actions are visible “above the surface,” whereas most are underwater.

Image via Attn.

The topics seen above the line in this graphic are referred to as “overt white supremacy,” and what’s underneath is “covert white supremacy.” But here’s the thing: what lies under the surface actually forms a foundation for the overt forms of white supremacy to thrive. If I had some illustration skills, I’d think about this more as roots and a tree. That’s a more accurate depiction of how to take action: we can’t just cut down the tree itself but uproot the entire plant.

So let’s start with the basics – the overt, so to speak. Don’t wear blackface. Don’t dress as any racial or ethnic stereotypes (as Madeleine Aggeler says in Bustle, “dressing up as an entire people instead of a specific person is a bad idea”). Don’t appropriate any cultures or beliefs. And while we’re at it, don’t wear anything to make fun of someone with a physical or mental disability. Also, let’s not dress up for anyone known for their racist ideologies, okay? Because pretending to be a white supremacist is an act of white supremacy. So KKK, Nazis are a hard no. But so are colonizers – references to incarceration or immigration, or dressing as sports teams that uphold racial stereotypes.

"
Treating other people’s cultures as a costume is the entire problem. It’s a problem if you are making fun of that culture; it’s a problem if you think you are lauding that culture.
Elie Mystal for The Nation

And there are some costumes this year that aren’t overtly racist but are definitely racially charged. I’d give some deep thought to whether dressing up as law enforcement is appropriate, especially if you are a grown person and will be wearing a mask – you could easily be mistaken for the real thing and make others feel unsafe. Dressing up as coronavirus during a global pandemic, after 220,000+ people have lost their lives to it, is also very tactless. Consider the power and privilege that may influence the decision behind choosing one of these costumes.

Many people ask where the line is regarding cultural appropriation when it comes to costumes based on characters in the media. And here, it does become more challenging (although we have to keep in mind that the media itself isn't always a gold standard of cultural recognition). Characters like Moana or the Black Panther have distinct ties to marginalized communities but have also become popular culture through movies and merchandising. The notion of whether people can dress up as these characters are hotly contested (read more on Black Panther in the NYTimes). But it doesn’t always make it okay. When you wear the costume, are you conscious of the narrative beyond the Disney storyline that the character represents? And how are you in relationship with the community, not just the character? These are the questions I wish someone had asked me when I was wearing the costumes mentioned in my intro.

Generally speaking, if you’re going to do the work to plan your costume, a quick internet search on how it will be perceived should be a part of your planning. But what often gets lost in these conversations is what more to do. And I think Halloween weekend can also stand for a time where we commit to learning more about the communities that are appropriated during this time. This can be incredibly powerful with children; understanding various communities’ history builds empathy, which is often a more lasting connection than discipline. Halloween isn’t about trick-or-treating if it doesn’t treat us equitably.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Halloween is culturally a time where many people wear costumes that include blackface and/or cultural appropriation, in addition to other oppressive and/or racially charged attire
Whether overt or covert, all forms of white supremacy are harmful, and contribute to the racist world we live in today
We need to move past dressing as characters to recognizing the unique cultures and identities of those we wish to impersona

RELATED ISSUES

10/26/2020 | Support diversity in animated films.

7/22/2020 | Don't Americanize other cultures.

7/16/2020 | Respect AAVE.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/27/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/27/20

Expand the court.

It happened. Justice Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court Monday evening (NPR). Judge Barrett, who is 48 years old, is likely to serve on the court for decades, solidifying a 6-3 conservative majority. It also gives her immediate power in several upcoming hearings this November that disproportionately impacts the livelihood of communities of color. This is the first time a Supreme Court nominee has been confirmed without a single vote from a major minority party since December 1869 (WSJ). Now that it’s official, inquiries on whether or not Biden, if confirmed, could expand the court, have snowballed into comprehensive calls for action.

Happy Tuesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Each day, we send one email to spark action – and dismantle racism and systemic oppression in the U.S. To support our work, you can donate one-time or monthly on our website, Patreon, Paypal or Venmo @nicoleacardoza.

You know, last night I opened my laptop after a long day of meetings to publish a whole different piece. And then, I checked the news. And I realized that you and I, dear reader, are going to be here for a while. Because we have a heck of a fight ahead of us for justice. If you are still reading then we're on the right track. Rest, hydrate, wash your hands and keep going. We will create the change we wish to see.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Sign the petition to adjust the composition of the judiciary.
Work to Flip the Senate by donating and volunteering to critical campaigns
Commit to voting – even if you feel defeated.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Expanding the size of the court, also known as “packing the court,” is when legislators move to change the number of judges confirmed to the court. This can happen at the state and federal level of the justice system – but is clearly focused on the Supreme Court. And this is constitutional: the number of Supreme Court Justices is not fixed, and Congress can change it by passing an act signed by the President. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution states that “The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish” (National Constitution Center).

And our earliest Presidents took full advantage of this. The size of the Supreme Court was changed six times from 1776 until 1869, wavering anywhere between five and ten seats (New York Times). Each time, by a President who needed to shift power to support their political goals, or to block incoming administration from shifting its stance. Read the specifics on the National Constitution Center website.

Those that feel strongly about the plan on both sides will reference the controversial plan by FDR, who aimed to expand the Supreme Court to as many as 15 judges for efficiency’s sake. But many felt that this was his attempt to garner support for his New Deal, and when voting patterns on the existing court changed, the case became a moot point (History). Regardless, it provided a cautionary tale that seems to haunt conversations about expanding the court today. How’s that for a spooky Halloween tale?

As a result, this constitutional act hasn’t been exercised on the federal level. But it’s important to note that packing – or unpacking – the court is a strategy used by both political parties on the state level. In fact, recent efforts to change the size of state courts have been led predominantly by Republicans. In 2016, the Republican legislature approved a measure to increase the size of the Arizona Supreme Court from five to seven justices, even though it wasn’t supported by Democrats or the judges themselves. A similar situation happened in Georgia, where the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed a bill to expand the court to nine justices. The bill also gave the Republican governor the power to fill the two new seats (Washington Post). Other recent efforts by both Democrats and Republicans have failed, often because of the opposition of the other party.

Some also argue that court-packing is similar to how the Republican party blocked President Barack Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick B. Garland in 2016, which meant that the Supreme Court was acting with eight judges for over a year until the next election (NPR). Especially paired with the rush to confirm Judge Barrett before an election just four years later. Although the concept wasn’t exactly embraced by liberal political leaders, we can expect it to gain more traction with this confirmation.

But I’d like us to remember that this isn’t an issue of politics, but of people. Based on her decision on November 10, 20 million people could lose their healthcare if the Affordable Care Act is overturned – and in the midst of a pandemic, no less. This particularly impacts people with disabilities, who could easily be denied coverage and disability-related services from other healthcare providers (Progressive). A ruling on November 4 will decide whether private agencies that receive taxpayer funding for government services, such as foster care providers, can deny services to people who are LGBTQ+, Jewish, Muslim, or Mormon – and Judge Barrett is expected to vote in favor of the discrimination (Bustle). On November 9, the court will hear a case on immigration; an effort to make deportation proceedings more accurate and preserving “relief of removal”. Judge Barrett is likely to vote against immigrants (Bloomberg Law). And although there’s no date on the calendar, the anticipated overturning of Roe v. Wade would impact abortion and reproductive rights (NBC News).

All of these immediate decisions are only a glimpse of what may come from future cases. So conversations about expanding the court can’t end with this upcoming election, or this decade. Regardless of the outcome, we need to take a critical eye to our judiciary system and analyze what’s not just right historically or constitutionally, but ethically. If the government is designed to work for the life and liberty of its people, it must be realigned to suit its needs when its political leaders fail.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Judge Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court Monday night
Her confirmation ensures a 6-3 conservative majority who will be voting on critical issues for communities of color, including healthcare, immigration and discrimination
Court-packing, or expanding the court, is a constitutional act of changing the number of court justices that's been implemented both federally and state-based

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/26/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/26/20

Support diversity in animated films.

Over the past couple of years, major studios have rushed to create renditions of popular stories from generations past, a way to incite millennials with renditions of their favorites and, hopefully, bring their children along for the ride. As they do, efforts to add more diversity have been applauded and criticized alike. Representation in all movies and particularly animated movies – isn’t just a marketing ploy; it’s critical to rewriting a history of whiteness in animated films and contributing to a conscious conversation about where society can grow.

Happy Monday, and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Each day, we send one email to spark action – and dismantle racism and systemic oppression in the U.S. To support our work, you can donate one-time or monthly on our website, Patreon, Paypal or Venmo @nicoleacardoza.

I’m a child of the 90s, so I was raised in the time of Disney princesses and happily ever afters. Since then, I've become an avid fan of animated storytelling. Much of my perspective on race has come from analyzing its history and how it responds to current events, so I'm excited to share that with you in today's newsletter. To unpack this issue, we touch on whitewashing, blackface, and colorism. If those are unfamiliar terms for you, I recommend referencing the associated articles as you go.

And before I get a million hate mail messages, I’m not asking you to cancel your Disney+ account or give up your favorite film from your youth! Like other other newsletters, it’s an opportunity to think critically, reflect, learn and choose what type of future you wish to invest in.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Reflect on your favorite animated movie/show. How does it support narratives for equity and inclusion? How does it work against narratives for equity and inclusion?
If you’re a parent: consider diversifying the TV shows and movies that your child watches at home. Search for a new, diverse story to introduce them to.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Much of the scrutiny around representation is targeted at Disney, who arguably set the standard for feature-length animated films in the U.S. And also because their legacy is rife with racial stereotypes. Historically the principal characters of Disney movies are overwhelmingly white. If people of color are featured, it’s poorly. In the Aristocats, a cat in yellowface plays the piano with chopsticks. In Peter Pan, Native Americans are referred to by the racist slur "redskins" (NYTimes). And in Dumbo, released during the peak of Jim Crow in America, a group of black crows reinforce African American stereotypes of the time (Washington Post). Now, if stream one of these films on Disney+, a disclaimer pops up at the beginning, acknowledging that "these stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now.” They also link to a website, “Stories Matter,” where users can learn more (BBC).

You’ll notice that many of the characters shared above aren’t even human. And that’s a trend that’s persisted, even as animated films mature. Characters that could be people of color are animals (like Pocahontas and Lion King). If they are human, they tend to spend significant amounts of time as animals. On the surface, this means that we don’t get that melanin screen time many marginalized communities look forward to.

But, as Andrew Tejada notes in his article “Representation Without Transformation: Can Hollywood Stop Changing Cartoon Characters of Color?” it goes beyond what kids see. It often changes the entire story. Instead of being themselves, they spend most of the movie trying to win back their right to be human (tor.com). This means that they don’t spend time navigating their own unique stories, ones that could acknowledge the specific challenges they face and perhaps resonate with viewers. And in a world that historically sees people of color as less-than-human, it feels especially dismissive.

The story of Princess Tiana, the first Black Disney princess from The Frog Princess, is often used as an example of this. Although the story was consciously re-created to depict Southern history and a Black lead, Tiana spent most of the movie as a frog trying to kiss a prince to become human again, which quickly overshadowed her story of trying to start her own business as a young Black woman.

Otherwise, when more diverse characters have been included in animation – whether by race or by size, gender, or sexual orientation – they're usually portrayed as the villains. Their contrast from what’s considered “good” in dominant culture are used as justification to ostracize and, often, inflict violence upon them.

This contrast is primarily created through skin color, relying on our history of colorism to distinguish the character’s role in the narrative. A classic example is the Mongolians and Shan-Yu, their leader, in Mulan. The rest of the humans have light, flesh-toned skin colors, but theirs is much darker – more grey than anything, with yellow eyes. They almost look subhuman, which is intentional. It makes a clear statement of who is considered good v. evil. Meanwhile, colorism is still abundant, particularly in countries throughout Asia (read more on colorism in our previous newsletter). Other examples of colorism in animated series include Scar, Ursula, and Mor’du (from Brave), and this trend extends to live-action films, too.

Beyond skin color, villains are often given other characteristics that are used against marginalized groups. Nearly every villain in Disney films is queercoded, or, given a “series of characteristics that are traditionally associated with queerness, such as more effeminate presentations by male characters or more masculine ones from female characters” (Syfy). Think of Scar v. Simba, Hades v. Hercules, Jafar v. Aladdin, or Ursula (based on a drag queen) v. Ariel. By doing so, the films subconsciously align queerness with evil, and, because they’re often trying to thwart “true love,” threaten heteronormativity and our right to live “happily ever after” (Little White Lies). Villains are also depicted as larger-bodied (like Ursula and John Ratcliffe) or with a physical or intellectual disability (CNN).

None of these depictions themselves are harmful themselves – representation can be neutral or positive – but it’s how it’s wielded that causes the stereotypes to persist. When we always see people from marginalized communities as the villain, we also assume that those from dominant culture are the heroes, which leads us to overlook the harm they can and have, inflicted for centuries. It can also teach kids harmful notions about themselves: “I have darker skin, so I must be a bad person. Maybe that’s why I do bad things, or people don’t seem to like me very much. I deserve to be treated this way”. Or, “people that act this way are bad. It’s my job to treat them poorly. That’s what the good guys do”.

Efforts to diversify these old stories have been criticized by people who are afraid they will “change the story” too much (Washington Post). But do they? To me, these stories don’t accurately depict just marginalized culture, but any particular culture. When it comes to The Little Mermaid, the plot itself doesn’t represent much of any of the mythology mermaids inhabit in countries worldwide. It even strays far from the Hans Christian Anderson tale (Wired). I can understand if someone who strays far from the narrative was cast in a story like The Secret of Kells, set in 9th century Ireland. But for a mermaid? Let’s also remember that white actors are cast for roles designated for people of color all the time.

And of course, diversity has to move beyond what we see. White actors also voice most of the animated characters of color we see in movies and TV shows. This is a more blatant form of whitewashing that’s perhaps easier to get away with because, unlike live-action films, viewers rarely know who the actor is behind the character. (The lead crow in Dumbo is literally named “Jim Crow” and voiced by a white man). Over the past few months, several white voiceover actors have stepped away from roles where they depict people of color (Vox).

Remember that representation internally tends to impact representation externally. And it’s the directors, writers, producers, and animators of color that are pushing the industry forward. Not only are they carving their own path, but ensuring everything from accurate illustrations, dialogue, and backgrounds are creating the right container for our stories to be heard. But they should not carry the burden of re-creating an entire industry or be held responsible for its legacy.

Nevertheless, we’ve come a long way. I was reminded to watch this when I saw a series of trailers for animated stories that seem to depict beautiful, diverse stories eschewing the Disney princess motif with culturally diverse concepts and settings. And I hope we continue to advocate for all narratives to be told – and inspire us with awe and wonder.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Historically, animated films perpetuated harmful racial stereotypes
More recently, films tend to use colorism and other stereotypes to make villains feel counter-cultural, which enforces dominant culture and how it oppresses
Recently, Disney+ added a disclaimer to its films depicting harmful stereotypes that are now available to stream

RELATED ISSUES

9/15/2020 | End Hollywood whitewashing.

7/17/2020 | Analyze representation in media.

8/6/2020 | Don't do digital blackface.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/22/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/22/20

Stop tone policing.

Tone policing is generally defined as “a conversational tactic that dismisses the ideas being communicated when they are perceived to be delivered in an angry, frustrated, sad, fearful, or otherwise emotionally charged manner” (Dictionary). It can be used by anyone against anyone else, but we see it leveraged often against someone when they discuss the harm that has happened to them, and usually by the ones that created the harm.

Hello again and happy Thursday (I double-checked this time, it's actually Thursday).

I introduced the topic of tone policing in last Saturday's Study Hall, which got a love of responses (and a lot of love, thank you all for making this a safe and supportive learning environment). I realized then that we hadn't really dived into it here yet, and that it's an important part of dismantling interpersonal racism. We've touched on several other related topics in previous newsletters, but today I'm teasing it out in full. If you're a new reader, I highly encourage reading the related posts for more context!

Thank you to everyone that's chipped in to support our work. If you'd like, you can give one time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). Or, subscribe monthly or annually on Patreon. I really appreciate it.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Don’t tone police. Instead, use the opportunity as a time for self-reflection.
Name tone policing when you see it happen against marginalized communities.
Create a culture where you work / live where expressing difficult emotions is normalized.
If you identify as a person of color: Consider how tone policing might show up in your relationship with yourself. How can you reclaim space for your emotions today?

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

It’s also something that thrives in the digital space. Because people tend to be more defensive and meaner online than they would in person (KQED), conversations in 2020 are primarily happening online. It’s no surprise to see tone policing pop up so frequently.

Tone policing is one of many ways that dominant culture “polices” people of color (read more in a previous newsletter). It is often used – whether subconsciously or intentionally – to put this person “back in their place.” It doesn’t just attempt to discredit what the person is saying. It implies that they are not worthy of the time and attention until they play by the rules of the oppressor. And these rules are rooted in sexist and racist ideals of how marginalized people are “supposed to act” in society today.

For people of color, particularly Black people, these rules are referred to by “respectability politics.” The term was coined by Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham in her book Righteous Discontent, which outlined the Black women’s movement in the Black Baptists church (Harvard). It explains how Black people were told that if they could prove that they can overcome the “wild savages” tropes white people enforced about their identity, they may deserve equal rights (The Undefeated).

This notion is invalid on many fronts: first, it operates off the false assumptions that white people shared to reinforce ideas of slavery and discrimination. More on this in a previous newsletter. But it’s also a rule that always works in the oppressor’s favor. What this may look like depends on the viewer, not the subject. And does this imply that every white person is the depiction of perfection all the time? How is it that white men can be angry, but Black men, according to respectability politics, cannot? Most urgently, why does respect need to be earned instead of granted based on our collective humanness?

Racial tone policing is a form of microaggressions that people of color experience often (read more on microagressions in a previous newsletter). Comments like “I just don’t understand why you’re so angry all the time,” or “people would listen to you if you were a bit more polite,” are common forms of tone policing. Black people will be referred to as “aggressive,” which attempts to justify control or dominance. More straightforward, many people will say, “I don’t like your tone,” which is usually used in a foreboding way. You better not keep going, or else…

"
The underlying tone in many of these well-meaning messages is that, even in speaking about my experiences with racism, microaggressions, and discrimination, there is a right way and a wrong way to share. I am told that if I modify my message to be more palatable to the masses, my message will be better received. This demonstrates that people will dismiss your experiences unless it fits in the box of how they want to receive it.
Dr. Janice Gassam Asare, author and founder, for Business Insider.

But it can also be straight-up aggression – people will take more violent action because they believe that someone’s tone is putting them at risk. Consider the Amy Cooper story. The initial video showed that she called the police on Christian Cooper for “threatening” him when he clearly wasn’t. But further investigations found that she actually called the police a second time, indicating that Cooper had “tried to assault her” (NYTimes). She went beyond using words to police his “tone” to bringing in actual police with a clear intent to cause harm. Without the video, which has gained over 45 million views, we may never have known what happened to Christian Cooper. His “tone,” paired with a history of racism in law enforcement, could have cost him his freedom – or even his life.

Racial tone policing is especially toxic in the feminist space. Tone policing is often inflicted upon women by men, like, for example, when calling out toxic masculinity. Perhaps it’s why white women are often quick to apply the same harm against women of color. And echoing the “rules of the oppressor” point from before, why can’t women of color express their own sentiments of anger and frustration in a patriarchal system? Academic, writer and lecturer Rachel Cargle explains this well in her article on white supremacy in feminism:

"
When women of color begin to cry out about their pain, frustration, and utter outrage with the system that is continuing to allow our men to be murdered, our babies to be disregarded, and our livelihood to be dismissed, we are often met with white women who tell us perhaps we should “say things a little nicer” if we want to be respected and heard.

Rachel Cargle in Harper’s Bazaar.

Often, these external signals can start to influence how people of color express themselves in the future. This is a form of internalized racism, or a “personal conscious or subconscious acceptance of the racist view of dominant society” (TAARM). For me personally, this looks like me being too afraid to share my feelings because I don’t want to come off as aggressive or blaming myself for not thinking about my words more carefully when someone labels me as “angry.” As you can imagine, this often leads to me diminishing my own voice, often to protect myself from perceived harm from people around me. There was a point in my life where I would have never started this newsletter. More psychologists call for practitioners to address the adverse effects of internalized racism, along with external racism, due to the subtle differences (Society of Clinical Psychology).

What’s most heartbreaking to me is that tone policing can strip people of their emotions. Oftentimes, people experience a form of tone policing when they are experiencing difficult emotions. And if there’s a time that we deserve grace, I believe it’s then – when we feel vulnerable and exposed, overwhelmed or frustrated, afraid or fearful. People who wield tone policing as a weapon are insinuating that their discomfort is more important than others’ distress. They are often in a position of relative power and privilege, granting them more safety inherently.

Remember that the histories and narratives of people of color do not need to be packaged for white consumption to be valid. Stories of pain or heartbreak, overcoming adversity or joy, do not need to be packaged in a way that feels approachable or useful to anyone, regardless of race. Attention on racial issues is accelerated when someone inflicts violence against a Black body on video, shared and reposted for the world to see. Not through peaceful marches, published books and works of art, thoughtful critique on television shows, or when calls for accountability are sent following protocol at a company. So what is more important – the pain people experience or the pain dominant culture experiences when they’re forced to witness it?

And if their tone challenges you, use it as an opportunity for self-reflection. What is their language challenging inside me? Where is my emotional response to this coming from? If I feel this way, how must this other person feel at this moment? This is not another burden for people of color to carry, but yours to reckon with. Regardless of what you do, get out of the way: liberation will not wait for any approval.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Tone policing is generally defined as “a conversational tactic that dismisses the ideas being communicated when they are perceived to be delivered in an angry, frustrated, sad, fearful, or otherwise emotionally charged manner” (Dictionary).
Tone policing is one of many ways that dominant culture “polices” people of color. It is often used – whether subconsciously or intentionally – to put this person “back in their place.”
The histories and narratives of people of color do not need to be packaged for white consumption to be valid.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/20/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/20/20

Support #EndSARS.

Citizens in Nigeria have been protesting since early October against police brutality, gaining international attention. More people have died from police brutality than COVID-19 since the nation’s lockdown (BBC), and decades of abuse have prompted youth organizers to take to the streets and social media to demand change. Demonstrations in solidarity have been organized in cities around the world, including Atlanta, Berlin, New York, and London (NYTimes). As protests escalate in Abuja, the nation’s capital, so does the violence against the protestors in a series of organized attacks (BBC). But the movement shows no sign of slowing down.

In a letter from the Birmingham city jail in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” This quote came to mind as I read about the protests against police brutality in Nigeria, which echo the same sentiment of many of us in the U.S. Today's email encourages us to draw awareness and accountability to these protests, and keep a global perspective on our anti-racism work.

Thank you for supporting this platform. Our work is made possible because of your thoughtful contributions. If you'd like to help pay our team of BIPOC writers and editors, you can give by...

Giving on our website, PayPal or Venmo @nicoleacardoza
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Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Donate to the Feminist Coalition, a group of young Nigerian feminists formed in July 2020 rallying to End SARS.
Share and repost content using the hashtag #ENDSARS to drive international awareness and accountability.
Stay informed on global events. Add one news outlet that doesn’t focus on your home country to your weekly news consumption.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad, referred to as SARS, is a unit of the Nigerian Police Force. It operates undercover, wearing plainclothes and driving unmarked vehicles. It was intentionally designed to root out corruption in stealth (Washington Post). But that anonymity has been co-opted for manipulation. Through the years, disturbing reports of violence and corruption have mounted against SARS. Amnesty International has documented at least 82 cases of “torture, ill treatment and extra-judicial execution” by SARS between January 2017 and May 2020 (Amnesty). Dare Olaitan, a 29-year-old filmmaker, reflects on being pulled over multiple times and forced to withdraw cash from the ATM (Washington Post). More damning reports of torture were found on detainees of SARS victims, often carried out by high-ranking police officers (Amnesty).

“No circumstances whatsoever may be invoked as a justification of torture. In many cases the victims are the poor and vulnerable, easy targets for law enforcement officers whose responsibility it is to protect them.”
Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria

Most of these victims are young men between the ages of 18 and 35, which is important to note (Amnesty). Nearly half of Nigeria’s population of 182 million is below age 30, one of the world’s largest concentrations of young people (NYTimes). This young generation has quickly swelled the protests into an international movement by organizing both online and off, using Twitter in particular to spread awareness of the growing unrest. As of Friday, October 16th, the hashtag #EndSARS was posted on Twitter over 3.3M million times, generating over 744,000 retweets.

Despite this, the Nigerian government has failed to take action. Shortly after protests swelled, Nigeria’s government announced that SARS would be disbanded. But citizens are not convinced. This is the fourth time the government has said they would dissolve SARS, aptly described by Gimba Kakand as “old wine in a new bottle” (Time). This time, they gave it a new designation: Special Weapons and Tactics Team, or SWAT, which, for what it’s worth, doesn’t exactly sound like a reassuring change of pace.

Protesters aren’t going to quit until the president takes more action not just to disband SARS, but implement more comprehensive solutions, including psychological evaluations for reassigned SARS officers, better pay for officers, and compensation for victims of police violence (NYTimes). And this movement is transforming into a broader call for accountability for other injustices, like widespread poverty and political corruption (Time). These issues are partially why 45% of Nigerian adults said they plan to move to another country sometime within the next five years – and why most of all African immigrants to the U.S. are Nigerian (Pew Research).

Does these calls for justice sound familiar? It should – they mirror the racial reckoning that’s unfolded in the U.S. over the past few months. And that’s part of why this movement is gathering so much attention here in the states, which traditionally falls silent when it comes to international issues. Nigeria is, by population, the largest Black nation in the world. Standing for justice is an act of solidarity for Black people everywhere, regardless of which country they call home. It’s also a way to act in solidarity with the tens of thousands of Nigerian Americans who face the same police brutality in the U.S. It’s no surprise that the most outspoken celebrities on this issue are Black (CNN).

“True to what's happening in the U.S. and around the world, with the pandemic, people have just been pushed until they break. They're already living paycheck to paycheck, living at the margins of society in terms of the ability to survive, and then you have police who are brutalizing them. It's like, how much can you take from us? So the fact that our lives are quite literally being taken and snuffed out and we're being brutalized and beaten, you know...it's just, "Enough." The imagery and the rallying cries are so incredibly similar, because the issues are connected; poor governance, poverty, injustice in every system, from health care to high unemployment rates to the criminalization of poor people.”
Opal Tometi, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, for Vogue.

And, there’s also a direct link between the violence inflicted by police officers in Nigeria and the U.S. In the past, our law enforcement has trained members of the Nigerian police in human rights. Prince Williams County in Virginia, the same that used tear gas and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters this summer (Prince Williams Times), provided a “hands-on, scenario-based approach” in stability restoration (U.S. Embassy). The U.S. has also sold equipment and weapons to the Nigerian army and security forces (Washington Post). As residents of the U.S., we must hold ourselves accountable. But as a nation, we must hold ourselves responsible for our contributions to this injust system.

Moreover, police brutality is a global issue. Whether you’re in Brazil or the Philippines, China, or Canada, people around the world have been reckoning with state-sanctioned violence, much of which is rooted in racial bias. When we stay silent on police brutality beyond our border, it further normalizes it everywhere, including on our home turf. So can we commit to re-investing in community services that support not just our country but the whole world?

With technology, countries are closer than ever. And what we do here reverberates around the world. We need to stand for the injustices we face here – and around the globe. More urgently, we need to listen and learn from the activists dismantling oppression in their communities as we do the same in ours. Perhaps awareness of the similarities countries around the globe are facing will drive more empathy than xenophobia, and unite us in a collective path for liberation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

#EndSars is a youth-led movement to end police brutality in Nigeria
Police brutality is a national and global issue, standing up for injustice needs to be here and everywhere
Although SARS has been "disbanded" by the government, protests are calling for more comprehensive accountability

RELATED ISSUES

6/22/2020 | Talk about our right to protest.

9/24/2020 | Demand justice for Breonna Taylor.

6/10/2020 | Defund the police.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/17/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/17/20

Study Hall! Tone policing and language.

Welcome to our weekly Study Hall. Each week I answer questions and share insights from each of you in our community. This week I dove deeper on some pressing topics from our community.

Welcome to our weekly Study Hall. Each week I answer questions and share insights from each of you in our community. This week I dove deeper on some pressing topics from our community.

If you subscribe to just the weekly digest, this is the email you will receive. You can click through to read all original pieces via the archives, and get the recap in one place. Change your email preferences by updating your profile information here.

As always, your support is greatly appreciated. You can give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe for $7/mo on our Patreon.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Reflect on the questions prompted by our community.
Discuss with a friend: how did you learn about slavery growing up? How does that inform your perception on the civil rights movement of today?

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

We've published 136 newsletters on racism over the past 136 days. Here are the newsletters we published this week.

10/16/2020 | Abolish the grand jury.

10/15/2020 | Understand Judge Amy Coney Barrett's stance on racism.

10/14/2020 | Make the outdoors more equitable.

10/13/2020 | Support Chinatown during COVID-19.

10/12/2020 | Honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

10/11/2020 | Support climate justice.

Read all previously published newsletters on our archives >

Q+A

I have to say, the language in this is super harsh. I feel if the writer was nicer with their tone they'd get more of us white people to actually do better.
From Make the outdoors more equitable on 10/14/2020.

This is tone policing, a personal attack against someone for expressing emotion to detract from the validity of the statement itself. This can be wielded against anyone, but it's particularly harmful when it's leveraged in conversations on inequity – including race.

"At its best, tone policing is an irritating behavior pattern that blocks meaningful conversation. But at its worst, tone policing is an insidious and sometimes hard-to-grasp method of reinforcing elitism and structural racism". Naomi Day, Medium

The stories we publish here are valid regardless of how they make you – the reader – feel. And to be in this work we must be committed to making space for the pain and trauma that individuals experience, and how they choose to express it. Honoring both the message and the tone is a way to acknowledge another's humanness. In contrast, placing your own slight discomfort above the suffering of another is a form of oppression. And there's no space for that here – in this work, and particularly in the discourse of this newsletter. I'm proud to share a wide range of stories and perspectives.

Q+A

There's no Chinatown in my community. How can I help other Chinatowns?
From Support Chinatown during COVID-19 on 10/13/2020.

If you can't support one in your direct community, consider adding a visit the next time you're in a city that includes one! And although there might not be a Chinatown per se, I can imagine there are Asian American-owned businesses that have also experienced some type of anti-Asian racism or bias since COVID-19 launched. Go and support them.

We also have additional resources in a previous newsletter on standing against this rise of anti-Asian racism. You can stand for representation at your business, in your local city council, your child's schools, and other community touchpoints.

Q+A

I noticed you used ACB as an acronym for Judge Amy Coney Barrett. I'm worried conservative are doing this to make her feel like the next RBG, which is a major NO for me. How can we stop this association?
From Understand Judge Amy Coney Barrett's stance on racism on 10/15/2020.

Whew I hear you on this! I can imagine that many are quick to insert Judge Barrett into the same fervor of appreciation and respect that Justice Ginsburg gleaned in her tenure. And a three-letter abbreviation does help.

But I think these abbreviations are more akin to how social media dominates how we stay informed. With constraints around tweet and Instagram copy length (and subject lines, which is where I abbreviated to ACB) it's difficult to share without the abbreviation, especially when many include the word "Judge" in front as a sign of respect. We are quick to shorthand, not just to show our affinity and familiarity, but for brevity's sake, too.

We've also got many men historically that have the same monikers – MLK, FDR, LBJ, JFK, and RFK, for starters.

CLARIFICATIONS

10/15/2020 | Understand Judge Amy Coney Barrett's stance on racism.
As I built the case for Judge Barrett's stance on racism, I wanted to focus on how racism influenced issues such as abortion, immigration, etc. But as I did that I somehow forgot to include the issue that sparked me to investigate this the first place:

Judge Barrett was a judge on a 2019 case involving a Black Illinois transportation employee who sued the department after he was fired, citing that his supervisor had "created a hostile work environment and called him the N-word" (NPR).

When ruling on whether race played a factor, Judge Barrett stated that "being called the N-word by a former supervisor was not sufficient — in the context of that one particular case — to support a claim of a racially-based hostile work environment".

Many people are using this to say that Judge Barrett believes that the N-word is not racist. From what I understand watching the confirmation, it was more of a statement that this was the only racially-motivated example of a hostile work environment submitted for the judges' consideration, and there weren't more examples to substantiate the claim. It's still messed up, but not as damaging as the highlights I read. This encouraged me to dive deeper.

9/19/2020 | Study Hall! Equity v. equality and the burden on WOC.

9/12/2020 | Study Hall! Youth activism, Prop 22, and being multiracial.

9/5/2020 | Study Hall! Defund the police or add more training?

8/29/2020 | Study Hall! The trauma of police brutality videos, active bystander trainings.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/15/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/15/20

Understand Judge Amy Coney Barrett's stance on racism.

This week, the Senate holds confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who was nominated as the next Supreme Court justice appointment. As you watch, be sure to listen for how her confirmation may impact how the U.S. responds to this racial reckoning for decades to come.

Happy Thursday! Today I'm analyzing the Senate confirmation hearings and parsing out Judge Amy Coney Barrett's position on racism. I'm quite (un)surprised by her thoughts on the judicial system's responsibility to racial equity – give me a read and let me know your thoughts.

I'm excited to announce that the Anti-Racism Daily Podcast is here! I'll be hosting conversations on the most impactful ways to take action around critical current events, and interviewing inspiring changemakers. Listen to the trailer on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

You can help our work thrive by making a one-time or monthly contribution. Thank you to everyone that makes this newsletter possible.

Give on our website, PayPal or Venmo @nicoleacardoza
Subscribe monthly or annually on Patreon

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Contact your senator and tell them there should be no vote on any Supreme Court nominee before January
Stay informed on the issues discussed during the confirmation hearings
Continue to recognize how racism affects the disproportionate impact of significant court decisions

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

The most divisive aspect of Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s potential appointment is abortion. During the confirmation hearings, Judge Barrett has evaded giving a straightforward answer on how she will approach Roe v. Wade during her appointment (The Atlantic). But we do know that Trump vowed to appoint justices who'd vote to overturn it. Anti-abortion advocates are celebrating both him and Judge Barrett. And in her past work, Judge Barrett has cast votes opposing rulings that struck down abortion-related restrictions (Reuters).

Although abortion may feel like a separate issue when analyzing the significant factors at play in this election, it’s not. The right to abortion affects everyone but disproportionately impacts communities of color. We need to remember that race is a critical component of reproductive justice. In fact, because the abortion movement has historically been a white-led movement, it’s easy to dismiss how many people of color are impacted by these decisions. Read more in a previous newsletter >

A study in 2008 found that abortion rates for Black women are almost 5x that for white women. The abortion rate among Hispanic women is 2x that for white women. A more accurate statistic for understanding the likelihood of abortion is the number of unintended pregnancies, which is also disproportionately higher for women of color (Guttmacher). Much of this is attributed to difficulties communities of color may face in accessing high-quality contraceptive services, one of many health disparities that affect our maternal health and reproductive rights. Many states with a high population of communities of color have greatly restricted abortion access. Explore a state-by-state map via Planned Parenthood >

Another urgent issue on hand is the Affordable Care Act. The Supreme Court is currently set to review the act on November 10th, just a week after the election. Democrats believe that Republicans are rushing the nomination through so that Judge Barrett would be on the court to rule against it (NPR).

Ending the Affordable Care Act would impact millions of people and have devastating consequences amid an economic downturn and global pandemic. The 133 million Americans with pre-existing health conditions may be turned away from other forms of care or be forced to pay high premiums. An additional 9 million could lose access because of the loss of federal subsidies that make accessing it affordable. Twelve million more adults could lose Medicaid coverage. You can read a more comprehensive breakdown in the NYTimes.

These initiatives worked to decrease coverage disparities between white communities and communities of color. The difference between Black and white adult uninsured rates dropped by 4.1 percentage points, while the difference between Hispanic and white uninsured rates fell 9.4 points since the ACA went into effect. Also, Black adults living in states that expanded Medicaid report coverage rates and access to care measures as “good as” or “better” than what white adults in non-expansion states report (The Commonwealth Fund). Although the ACA is far from perfect, it’s unclear what the future will look like if it’s disbanded, particularly a week after an election.

When asked about race directly during the confirmation hearing, Judge Barrett stated that she thinks “it is an entirely uncontroversial and obvious statement, given as we just talked about the George Floyd video, that racism persists in our country”. But she also said that she believes "making broader diagnoses about the problem" is up to lawmakers, not judges (NPR). But that doesn’t sit well with me. If you read our newsletter, you’ll note that major Supreme Court decisions influence systemic issues upholding racism and oppression in our society. We’ve outlined “Milliken v. Bradley” and its impact on school funding disparities. We discussed how the verdict of “Monroe v. Pape” and how the Supreme Court’s revision in 1982 defined qualified immunity. And we’ve analyzed how the ruling on “Shelby County v. Holder” makes it difficult for people to vote in this upcoming election.

This isn’t meant to downplay the historical significance of major laws written into effect that, too, have changed the course of racial equity. But the power of our judiciary system needs to be wielded alongside policy to ensure that laws are implemented and enforced.

Supporters of Judge Amy Coney Barrett will emphasize that Barrett cannot be racist because she has two adopted Black children from Haiti (Washington Post). But having Black children doesn’t mean that Judge Barrett will vote against racist policies. And, more broadly, having Black children – or being in proximity to any Black person – doesn’t mean that people still can’t have racist values, beliefs, or behaviors. Judge Barrett emphasized that she wept along with her children while watching the George Floyd video. But that does not seem to shift her views of the court’s responsibility court to take action (Politico). Remember that proximity to communities of color does not ensure their protection. Read more in our newsletter on playing the “friend card” and our follow-up Study Hall question on playing the “family card” >

Also, note how often people justify Judge Barrett’s empathy not by her voting history, but because she is a mother. Regardless of her children’s race, it’s far too common that women are valued by their contributions to family rather than their work ethic. As we continue to unpack the intersectionality of race, gender, and other identities, consider how voters’ depiction of Judge Barrett as a woman skews their perception of her work. In addition, consider how “being a good mother” is wielded as a defense for any racist rhetoric, which is often used to bypass harm inflicted by white women.

As the confirmation hearings continue to unfold, watch for more conversations on critical issues regarding racism, including immigration and the environment. But remember that racism, not race, causes the disparities in how these decisions impact communities of color. We deserve a judge that holds the judiciary system accountable for how racism will affect rulings on some of the most critical decisions in our future.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett holds a generally conservative view, which can negatively impact communities of color
The most critical decisions Judge Amy Coney Barrett may make in her appointment need to be analyzed with the lens of how racism persists in the U.S.
The U.S. Justice system has greatly influenced racial equity throughout history – and will continue to do so
An individual's oroximity to Blackness – and other people of color – does not mean that person isn't racist

7/6/2020 | Abolish qualified immunity.

7/2/2020 | Remove police from our public schools.

8/7/2020 | Don't play the friend card.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/12/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/12/20

Honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

As misinformation and conspiracy theories reach a peak over the past week, there’s been heightened scrutiny on the role that QAnon plays in the conversations we see dominate social media. In response, on Tuesday, Facebook announced a blanket ban on any pages, groups, and Instagram accounts representing QAnon from its platforms (The Verge).

I personally feel strongly about today’s topic at hand, and it frustrates me that we haven’t seen more progress in federally recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I’m embarrassed that I was a full-grown adult when I first learned of the full story of Christopher Columbus and the harm of centering colonization in our nation’s narrative. I hope that this newsletter sparks awareness of the symbols that perpetuate systemic oppression in our culture and encourages you to take this work past a “holiday” and into the everyday.

Thank you for all the support for this little newsletter that could! If you can, consider joining in by contribution to our website, PayPal, Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe monthly on Patreon. Thank you for all the support!

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Research the Indigenous communities that stewarded the land you live on today. Spend today learning more about their history and culture, and share with a friend.
Donate to the Indigenous Impact Community Care Initiative Fund, a COVID-19 mutual aid fund organized by Seeding Sovereignty.
Fight to disavow Columbus Day in your city and state. Do the research to determine the best course of action. Here’s a list of local petitions to start >

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

If you go by the federal holiday calendar, today is Columbus Day. But, more fittingly, today is being recognized by people, cities, and states as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a day to honor and celebrate Indigenous communities across the U.S. and minimize the violence and harm that Columbus Day represents.

The genocide and displacement of Indigenous communities worldwide because of colonization have caused atrocious historical harm that persists through the present day. This discrimination is why the community of 370 million Indigenous peoples globally “make up 15% of the world’s extreme poor” and suffer ‘higher rates of landlessness, malnutrition and internal displacement than other groups” (Amnesty International). A 2017 study shows that over half of Indigenous communities living on tribal lands or other majority-Native areas in the U.S. say they have experienced racial or ethnic discrimination when interacting with police (55%) and applying for jobs (54%) (NPR). COVID-19 data on Native Americans has been called “a national disgrace” by leading researchers (Science). And it took all the way until 2020 for the NFL team formerly known as the Washington Redskins, a harmful slur against Native Americans, to have their name changed (Washington Post).

This campaign is a small step towards justice. But know that it is not new, even if it’s new to you. Activists have pushed for an alternative to Columbus Day since the 1970s. Berkeley, CA, was the first city in the U.S. to adopt this holiday in the early 90s (Time). Important to note: South Dakota started calling referring to Columbus Day as “Native American Day” in 1989 (Washington Post).

As of now, 14 states— Alabama, Alaska, Hawai'i, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, and D.C – over 130 cities, and growing numbers of school districts celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day in place of or in addition to* Columbus Day (Smithsonian Magazine). You can dive into more about the process and any opposition for various locations in this NYTimes article.

"It's about celebrating people instead of thinking about somebody who actually caused genocide on a population or tried to cause the genocide of an entire population. By bringing Indigenous Peoples' Day, we're bringing awareness that we're not going to allow someone like that to be glorified into a hero, because of the hurt that he caused to Indigenous people of America.
Baley Champagne, tribal citizen of the United Houma Nation, for NPR.

After centuries of erasure and oppression, Indigenous people deserve to be celebrated more than one day a year. This initiative shouldn’t be considered merely a replacement for Columbus Day. But as we advocate for the change, we need to remember that Columbus Day itself is incredibly harmful, and disavowing it is a distinct issue. We need to reject the whitewashed and glorified story of Columbus as a famed discoverer and acknowledge the harm he created to native communities through his colonialization.

Christopher Columbus is not the famed explorer we learned about in school. His travels here sparked the rapid colonization of the Americas as we know them today. He enslaved and mutilated Indigenous peoples as soon as he arrived. Not only that, he was financially incentivized to reap as much value from the lands he visited as possible – economizing the harm (Biography). He wasn’t even the first to “discover” America; the Vikings had already visited five centuries earlier (Brittanica). He didn’t even step foot into the continental United States (Washington Post). Y’all, even the names of the ships are likely false.

But let’s take a step further and dismantle the “discoverer” part of his story altogether – because Indigenous people were already living here, so there was nothing to find. The idea that a place needed to be “discovered” by white people for its validation is part of the colonialization and oppression that influences our thinking to this day. And this colonialization has been used to validate the domination of Indigenous people around the world to this very day.

Some are opposed to switching from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day is because they don’t want to erase the Italian contribution to this country. Italian immigrants have celebrated Columbus Day in the United States since 1792 (Harvard), and Italian Americans lobbied to create Columbus Day as a nationally recognized holiday in the early 1900s (Time). This particularly resonates in New York, which has a large Italian American community. The state, often known for its relatively liberal slant on supporting similar issues, still recognizes Columbus Day. New York governor Andrew Cuomo said, while opposing the removal of a statue of Columbus in Manhattan's Columbus Circle statue, that it has come to "signify appreciation for the Italian American contribution to New York”(lohud). A bill to change the designation of Columbus Day to Indigenous People's Day for the state of New York was introduced earlier this year but has not passed (NY Senate). *This also contributes to why some of the communities mentioned above celebrate “both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Google Calendar, for example, include both if you have “holidays in the United States” toggled on in your view.

But this is a conversation on not just the actions of one person, but the system that prioritizes one narrative over the other. Columbus Day stands for more than only Christopher Columbus. It’s a nationally recognized holiday that glorifies our nation’s history of oppression, enslavement, dispossession, and genocide against Indigenous communities. It positions the United States as the “land of the free” without acknowledging the free people that had their land taken from them for this country to be built. And as it persists, it works to justify the continued harm against Indigenous communities. I’d like to see a federal holiday that holds us accountable for repairing and restoring Indigenous communities’ rights.

That’s why it’s essential that, as you move to honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day, your efforts go past today and into tomorrow. Renaming a holiday alone is insufficient. It’s easy to acknowledge something one day a year, but far more necessary to center the voices and needs of Indigenous communities in all aspects of your life.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Advocates have been fighting for decades to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day, a day to acknowledge and celebrate the diverse Indigenous communities across the U.S.
The narrative of Christopher Columbus has been whitewashed and glorified, removing how damaging his personal actions and the role of colocalization is to Indigenous communities
Upholding the whitewashed narrative of Columbus Day perpetuates systemic oppression and harm against marginalized communities, particularly Indigenous communities

6/18/2020 | Take down Confederate symbols.

7/5/2020 | Support the Navajo Nation through COVID-19.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/9/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/9/20

Learn about slavery and the White House.

There are endless reports on the senior staffers who have contracted COVID-19 from the September 26 Rose Garden event. But there’s a lot less about the staff – particularly the residence staff – that have potentially been exposed to the virus. These essential workers, nearly all identifying as people of color, deserve to be represented in this narrative and protected at all costs. Unfortunately, stories of communities of color in the White House are often overlooked and forgotten – a practice consistent with its dark history.

Happy Friday. I firmly believe that in order to get to where we're going, we have to look back and learn from our past. Today's newsletter aims to offer a historical lens to the current conversations about the White House. It directly correlates the relationship between enslaved and essential workers, and demonstrates how far our nation has to grow to redefine the world we want to live in.

Tomorrow is our weekly Study Hall where we unpack key questions and inquiries from the community. If you haven't already (I'm a bit behind on the inbox), reply to this email with your thoughts.

Thank you for supporting our work. If you can, make a contribution to our website, PayPal, Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe monthly on Patreon. I appreciate you!

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Read the names and stories of the known enslaved people associated with the White House, provided by the White House Historical Association >
Vote for a candidate that’s more likely to protect essential workers – starting with those in the White House.
Research: Find three historical buildings of note in your community and/or that have personal significance, and research how they were constructed.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

There are endless reports on the senior staffers who have contracted COVID-19 from the September 26 Rose Garden event. But there’s a lot less about the staff – particularly the residence staff – that have potentially been exposed to the virus. We do know that two housekeepers have tested positive for COVID-19 and were told to discuss their diagnosis with “discretion” (Forbes). But what else don’t we know? These essential workers, nearly all identifying as people of color, deserve to be represented in this narrative and protected at all costs. Unfortunately, stories of communities of color in the White House are often overlooked and forgotten – a practice consistent with its dark history.

The White House starts with Black people – in fact, they built it. Known as the President’s House during this time, the founders were keen on a building to house the country’s leader within the newly established federal city, Washington, D.C. President George Washington initially planned to import workers from Europe to complete the ambitious project but had trouble recruiting staff. Instead, they decided to “contract” enslaved laborers from neighboring communities. The government paid the owners – not the enslaved people themselves – for their labor (White House Historical Association).

This was common. Often, owners would rent out the people they enslaved for extra money. The enslaved person would provide the labor, while the contract holder would pay a wage directly to the owner. The White House Historical Association (WHHA) was able to piece together some of the names of enslaved people who contributed to the project based on whether the owners included it on the payroll information (WHHA).

Note: This information is provided by the White House Historical Association, a private nonprofit which acts independently from the government. Although information on the construction is available on the official whitehouse.gov, there’s no mention of the enslaved people that brought it to life.

Enslaved people did the bulk of the construction work, from creating the raw materials needed for the project, to leveling the ground and building it. Many other government buildings in DC, including the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol, were also made by enslaved people (Curbed). The National Museum of African American History and Culture has a block of Aquia Creek sandstone removed from the East Front of U.S. Capitol in their collection:

“Enslaved African Americans, leased out by their slave owners, mined sandstone from local quarries and built the United States Capitol, the White House, and the Smithsonian Castle. Congress, the institution that guarded the peoples’ freedom, held sessions in a building constructed by forced labor, and the legislators would have witnessed lines of shackled slaves marching by daily en route to the Deep South” (NMAAHC).

And enslaved people were also exploited inside the White House once complete. Back then, each President was required to pay for all White House expenses, including staff, out of pocket. It was “too costly” to hire fair waged laborers, so enslaved people were instead forced into a wide range of roles like chefs, gardeners, stable hands, maids, butlers, lady’s maids, and valet (WHHA).

At least nine presidents either brought enslaved people with them to the White House or used the same “contract” agreement mentioned earlier for staffing. Some even purchased enslaved people directly; President Andrew Jackson bought a young eight-year-old enslaved girl named Emeline to work at the White House (Washington Post). And speaking of children, the first child born at the White House was born to Ursula Granger Hughes, a fourteen-year-old enslaved cook, enslaved by Thomas Jefferson. The child died a few months later (WHHA).

“The Female I have none, but those I brought with me, except a Negro woman who is wholy with the Cook in the kitchin, and I am happy in not having any occasion for any others for a very sad set of creatures they are.”
First Lady Abigail Adams, 1793

"I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves."
First Lady Michelle Obama, 2016

Nowadays, much of the staff is “composed of African American, Latino or Filipino employees” (Washington Post). In contrast to other staffing roles at the White House, which had a 36% turnover rate before the Trump administration (Forbes), residence staffers often stay in these roles for life. Some positions at the White House have been held exclusively by Black people, like the butler corps. Wilson Jerman, a longtime White House butler, started his career with President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957 and retired in 2012 after serving Barack Obama. He passed away from COVID-19 in May (NYTimes). And many of these workers are also older, which makes them especially vulnerable to COVID-19 (Washington Post). According to a former staffer, residence staff decided on their own to start wearing masks and following CDC guidelines, even though the White House itself had no protocol (Washington Post).

Like all the others keeping our country operating right now, these essential workers deserve safety and security. The Trump administration chooses to support the White House’s essential workers with the same disregard as they face across the U.S. It’s a disappointing depiction of who is seen and centered in times of crisis – and adds to a long history of exploitation and abuse of communities of color within the White House.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The White House was built, and tended to, by enslaved people in its early history
The majority of residence staffers now are people of color, and most are older – which exacerbates health concerns
The lack of protection for essential workers inside the White House mirrors the same disregard we've seen during Trump's entire campaign

RELATED ISSUES

10/1/2020 | Vote Trump out of office.

7/3/2020 | Share these words by Frederick Douglass.

6/24/2020 | Fight voter suppression.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/8/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/8/20

Condemn QAnon.

It's Thursday and there are 26 days until the election! We've written briefly about QAnon in the past, but as conspiracy theories grow it's important we note the rapid rise of QAnon and how we can take action in our own communities. This is a call to stay in the work, and be diligent on what you read and share – especially on social media.

Do you have a story on confronting QAnon conspiracies in your relationships? Email us: submissions@antiracismdaily.com.

Thank you for all the support for this little newsletter that could! If you can, consider joining in by contribution to our website, PayPal, Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe monthly on Patreon. Thank you for all the support!

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Have tough conversations with friends that are sharing resources similar to those referenced in this article. This Teen Vogue article offers tips for effective conversations >
Use Checkology, a free virtual learning platform, to boost your news literacy skills to determine the legitimacy of what you read.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Although the company had cracked down on accounts and groups earlier this summer, the move was criticized for being insufficient. Its latest action is arguably the strongest stance Facebook has taken to block harmful and misleading information from the social network. And it’s long overdue; Twitter committed to banning QAnon related content back in July (Daily Beast), and Reddit banned the main subreddit for QAnon conspiracy theorists over two years ago (Washington Post). Etsy joined in solidarity by removing all QAnon-related products from its platform (The Verge). It’s important to note that, despite these actions, QAnon content is still rampant on all platforms, although perhaps harder to find.

QAnon is a far-right conspiracy group. Read more about its origins via CBS News. Its main message is that Democratic politicians and high-ranking supporters from media and entertainment are running a child sex-trafficking ring and “plotting to take control of American government and society” and that our only hope is Donald Trump, who is actually running a shadow campaign to get them out, referred to as the “Storm” (New Yorker). Other conspiracies include that COVID-19 is a hoax, 5G mobile phone masts cause cancer, and elites use the pandemic to monitor and control people (CNN). This may read more like a low-budget Netflix show than reality, but it’s unfortunately believed. Early uprisings of this organization, including events like Pizzagate and Gamergate, have swelled to today, where the FBI has warned that QAnon was becoming a potential domestic terrorism threat (Washington Post).

There have been specific instances where QAnon has spread racist rhetoric. Some of its followers display neo-Nazi symbolism and echo the conspiracy theory that the Holocaust never happened (CNN). It has spread misinformation that systemic racism is a psychological operation to maintain control and that funds gathered for Black Lives Matter chapters were misappropriated, often for Democratic political gain (Media Matters). And over the summer, it hijacked the #SaveTheChildren hashtag to spread misinformation on child abuse and child trafficking, centering the story on kids – and often, kids wearing masks – being stolen from their homes and sold into sex trafficking. In reality, child trafficking usually takes the form of forced labor or wage theft in agriculture or domestic work. It happens to vulnerable, marginalized kids – often children of color – that are houseless, in unstable housing, or foster homes (Vox). It also failed to mention the abuse children face in immigration detention centers across the U.S. (Washington Post). This isn’t directly racist, but many advocates emphasize that it has caused more harm than good.

QAnon is far from a movement. As of October 2020, 7% of Americans believe in or support QAnon (Civiqs), which is significant, but certainly not substantial. What’s more interesting is that roughly 20% of Americans believe that at least one of the main conspiracy theories linked to QAnon is probably true (Pew Research). So although QAnon isn’t close to taking over the world, there are certainly enough people that are capable of sharing misleading information that supports its more radical goals.

And these people aren’t radical, either. By reading through a series of powerful reporting from various outlets, you may recognize some of these supporters. They’re mothers on Facebook (Teen Vogue), fathers who have entertained harmless conspiracy theories in the past (Narratively). Wellness practitioners have shared QAnon content on their Instagram (NYTimes), where aesthetically-pleasing quotes and images have helped content spread (The Atlantic). And based on the sharable nature of social media, it’s likely many of us have even liked or reposted something we didn’t realize was attached to QAnon related content.

But that doesn’t mean we should discredit how quickly this misinformation spreads. Beyond what was mentioned before, this misinformation may encourage people not to wear masks or get needed medical help, choose not to participate in the election, or discredit people in need and the communities they represent. With so many misleading stories and allegations in the news today, particularly related to politics, we must try to maintain some semblance of what’s real and what’s manufactured.

Like many things on social media, people start subscribing to QAnon through word of mouth. A conversation can spark interest, and a conversation can end it. The next time you see someone participating in sharing this harmful content, reach out. You can help dismantle racial and anti-semitic stereotypes, save and protect lives from the global pandemic.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The harmful rhetoric of QAnon is being blocked on major social networks, most recently Facebook
QAnon has actively contributed to anti-Semitic and racist rhetoric seen in society today
Many people share content related to QAnon by what they learn from their communities

RELATED ISSUES

10/1/2020 | Vote Trump out of office.

7/28/2020 | Denounce anti-Semitism.

6/30/2020 | Boycott as a form of protest.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/6/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/6/20

Be afraid of COVID-19.

With over 208,000 people lost and 7.5M reported cases, yesterday the President told the American people not to “be afraid of COVID-19”. This tweet was sent after the President was rushed to the hospital after contracting COVID-19 last week, likely at a White House event where most participants did not wear masks or properly social distance.

Currently, the news cycle is laser-focused on how a small and exclusive group of rich, powerful white people contracted COVID-19. Yet during that time, hundreds of thousands of everyday people have, too. The resurgence of the virus across the U.S. is discomforting, to say the least. But being afraid of a global pandemic that's ravaging the country and exposing its systemic inequities is a much more compassionate response than apathy or greed. Today, we unpack why it's critical we take this virus – and the disparities it illuminates – seriously as we head to the holidays.

Remember, you can always switch from a daily newsletter to a weekly digest (sent on Saturdays) by updating your profile information here.

Your support helps sustain this daily, free newsletter. Thanks to you, we can write about what matters, and center the voices of people of color that are often overlooked in the media industry. Make a contribution on our website, PayPal, Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe monthly on Patreon. Thank you!

Nicole

ps – the title isn't to spark fear, but solidarity. Please remember how many lives are at stake beyond your own.

TAKE ACTION

Find a local mutual aid network in your community that you can support through the winter.
Double-down on your preventative practices where possible: wear your mask, maintain physical distance, wash your hands, and stay home when you’re feeling sick.
Vote for state and federal candidates that take COVD-19 seriously.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

With over 208,000 people lost and 7.5M reported cases, the President told the American people not to “be afraid of COVID-19” on Twitter. This tweet was sent after the President was sent to the hospital after contracting COVID-19 last week, likely at an event at the White House where most participants did not wear masks or properly social distance. Since that event, over a dozen senior staffers and many more staff members have positively tested for COVID-19 (NYTimes).

If all that irony wasn’t enough, the President’s tweet shortly followed new evidence from the CDC that COVID-19 can “travel distances beyond six feet,” acknowledging that the virus can be “spread by airborne transmission“ indoors with inadequate ventilation (CDC).

This is major. The organization had made this statement earlier this month, but retracted it quickly, saying that a draft was posted in error (Forbes). And for months prior, hundreds of experts from around the world were pressing the organization to acknowledge the possibility of airborne infections to no avail (NYTimes). Although it’s unclear what the hesitation has been to draw short of calling it airborne, this acknowledgment may prompt much more stringent adherence to preventative measures.

And we need to be vigilant now more than ever. With over 43,000 cases a day, the U.S. has reached its highest daily contract rate of the disease than in the past two months (NYTimes). Twenty-one states have seen a rise in cases (CNN), and the average number of people hospitalized for coronavirus in a week rose recently for the first time since July (Covid Tracking Project).

As we’ve reported repeatedly throughout the past three months, the racial disparities of the impact of COVID-19 are significant. The latest from a Senate committee report shows that Black people are dying from COVID-19 at 3.4 times the rate of white people, and the disease is the cause of 1 in 5 deaths among Latinx. In addition, American Indian or Alaska Native patients are 4x more likely to be hospitalized than white people (NPR). And although many states and major cities acknowledged racism as a public health crisis and created various taskforces and initiatives to help offset the disproportionate impact, critics are skeptical on how effective these initiatives have been (WTTW).

As the weather cools across the country and people head indoors, there’s already an increased likelihood for the virus to spread. With the latest news from the CDC, it’s presumable that chances to catch the virus may increase. Already, we’re spending more time in close proximity: many people have returned back to offices, schools and daycares, and 39% of Americans plan to travel this holiday season (Hopper). And as we enter flu season, health officials are warning of a “twindemic,” where flu-like symptoms may mask symptoms of COVID-19, or weaken immune systems to make people more susceptible to catching both. The flu is also likely to take up valuable space in doctors’ offices and hospitals, which could greatly hinder a state’s ability to respond to a COVID-19 outbreak (NYTimes).

But we shouldn’t only be afraid of ourselves – or each other – contracting the virus. We need to fear the impact it’s having on our lives and our livelihood. Consider employment: as of this month, over 2.4M people have been out of work for six months, which constitutes long-term employment (Bureau of Labor Statistics). But more damaging: at least 5M more people will be unemployed long-term by the end of the year. Entire industries, like hospitality and travel, are struggling to return. Companies that have shifted to remote learning may never go back to offices. Over 3M people have lost their health insurance since the pandemic started, leaving them vulnerable to future potential illnesses (Forbes). And eviction moratoriums, student loan and mortgage forbearances, and other graces provided to those in need are unlikely to last forever. Our foundation is crumbling quickly and has already eroded for too many people.

Most urgently, we need to fear political leaders that are not afraid of COVID-19. We cannot afford to continue to respond to the health, social, and economic impact of this pandemic in such a careless way. Our future depends on leaders that can acknowledge and swiftly respond to this crisis – let alone the ones that may come next. Protect those around you – especially those most vulnerable – by doing your part to decrease the virus’s spread and the misinformation our President promotes.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Over 208,000 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19, and another 75M have contracted it.
New CDC guidelines warn that the virus can be spread airborne indoors
Despite efforts, there's still a wide range in racial disparities of contracting and surviving from COVID-19
We must continue to acknowledge the growing threat of COVID-19 as we head into fall and towards an upcoming election

RELATED ISSUES

9/16/2020 | Fight for paid sick leave.

9/6/2020 | Protect the aging population from COVID-19.

8/23/2020 | Support those incarcerated and impacted by COVID-19.

8/16/2020 | Think before eating out.

8/9/2020 | Understand the unemployment gap | COVID-19

7/27/2020 | Support Asian Americans through COVID-19.

7/19/2020 | Rally for representation in science and research: COVID-19 and CDC.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/4/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/4/20

Don't blame the pipeline.

Happy Sunday,

Many companies pledged to diversify their teams this past June, and as we enter Q4 of the fiscal year, it will be interesting to see how those promises generate tangible outcomes. A recent statement by the CEO of Wells Fargo reminds us of how much work we have to do to ensure that diverse, talented candidates are acknowledged – let alone given the opportunities they deserve. Consider how controversy like this may be reflected in the companies you work for now, or have worked with in the past.

Furthermore, consider the intent vs. impact in the language the CEO used. How can we make the same mistakes when we aim to rectify the lack of diversity in the spaces we occupy?

As always, you can support the newsletter by giving one-time on PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe monthly on Patreon. Thank you for your support.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

If you are employed, take time this week to review your company’s hiring practices. Identify how they center hiring and retaining diverse talent.
Cancel your accounts with Wells Fargo (which has a history of racist actions).
Reflect: How may my unconscious bias impact who I hire/do business with? Who do I perceive as "smart," "talented," "genius," in my industry? Why?

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Like many companies, this past June, Wells Fargo made a commitment to diversity initiatives after the outrage of the death of George Floyd. But in that company-wide memo, the CEO, Charlie Scharf, said that the company was not meeting its diversity goals because there was not enough qualified minority talent. “While it might sound like an excuse, the unfortunate reality is that there is a very limited pool of Black talent to recruit from,” the statement read (Reuters). The comment prompted criticism internally in the company and externally when Reuters broke the story in late September.

2020 hasn’t been the best year for Wells Fargo (has it been a good year for anyone?). Earlier this year, the company was forced to pay $3B in penalties after collecting millions of dollars in fees for bank accounts, debit cards and other products that customers – mainly customers of color – neither asked for nor needed (NPR). This is after they paid $2B in penalties in 2018 for misstating income information to sell risky mortgages to consumers (NPR). And just this week, the company has come under fire for placing at least 1,600 consumer mortgage accounts into forbearance – without the consent of its consumers (American Banker).

This also isn’t the first time the company has been criticized for its relationship to a pipeline, either, albeit a very different one. Wells Fargo was one of 17 banks to invest in the Dakota Access Pipeline, a 1,172mi underground oil pipeline hotly contested by Indigenous populations for how it disrupted sacred land, valuable natural resources, and caused harm to the communities it crossed (Time).

But let’s unpack the issue at hand. The "pipeline problem" is the theory that there “simply aren't enough properly skilled members of underrepresented groups for hire” – including women, people of color, veterans, members of the LGBTQ community, etc. (Entrepreneur). Major companies like Facebook and Google have cited this “problem” for their lack of diversity. This problem is most glaring in traditionally male-dominated and white-dominated fields, like science, technology, engineering, and banking.

And the "pipeline problem" is a myth. A series of reports prove that there are plenty of qualified, diverse candidates for companies to choose from. A Kauffman Fellow report from earlier this year notes that the number of Black professionals that hold master’s degrees has increased 133% from 1980 – 2016. The number of Latinx professions with master’s degrees has increased by 400%. But in contrast, the number of Black and Latinx talent in the industry has remained stagnant (AfroTech).

The problem is more centered in how these companies hire and promote diverse talent. According to a study from Payscale, 80 to 85% of jobs are filled through networking. This type of hiring makes it easier for recruiters to find qualified candidates without doing the legwork. Still, it also means that employees tend to be more homogenous, and with a limited existing pool of diverse staff, it’s likely that few referrals will be diverse, too (Forbes). Unconscious bias in hiring and recruiting also plays a part. Another study from 2015 found that candidates are 50% less likely to get a callback for a potential job opportunity if they had a “stereotypically African-American-sounding name” like Jamal, versus a “stereotypically white name” like Brendan (NYTimes). These issues imply that there’s more work companies need to do internally before shifting blame externally.

But Scharf’s words took the offensive. By expressing that there was a pipeline issue, Scharf places the burden on Black people, as if it is their fault that they’re not fully represented. If you were a Black person who was recently denied a job there, how would you feel? And what type of message does that send to other executives that may also be considering more diverse hiring practices at their organizations? Would they, like Scharf, decide that it’s not worth investing time and energy into? And how does this message add to the rhetoric we’ve been hearing about Black people from other influential leaders in our society?

And how does the company itself retain the diverse staff it already has? A story from the Charlotte Observer this week notes that, over the past year, seven Black female senior executives have left Wells Fargo (Charlotte Observer). Unnamed sources say that “the bank’s culture around race and gender” influenced why some of the women left, and the timing indicates that some left after the CEO’s comments in June. It adds another layer to the conversation – how is Wells Fargo actively working to retain diverse employees after they’ve hired them?

In a statement from the company after the news broke, Scharf apologized for his “insensitive comment reflecting my own unconscious bias.” Wells Fargo also committed to reaching out to diverse talent and creating an anti-racism training course to invigorate its diversity efforts (Wells Fargo website). But the damage of those words is done. Not only are they highly insensitive for these times, but they also do little to increase the favorability of a brand that’s consistently caused harm against communities of color. Statements like these also dissuade individuals from taking on positions at companies that don’t reflect their safety or needs, which exacerbates the representation issue. Hopefully, more executive leaders learn from this mistake and choose instead to lead with equity and understanding.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

This past June, the Wells Fargo CEO blamed the "pipeline problem" for the lack of diverse representation in staff
The "pipeline problem" is a myth, and places blame on the workforce instead of holding internal hiring practices accountable
There's a growing population of qualified diverse candidates in white-dominated and male-dominated fields that aren't being hired

RELATED ISSUES

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/1/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/1/20

Vote Trump out of office.

Hi everyone,

Yesterday was a tough day. I sat down to write an email about the debate and the news that's unfolded since, but realized that I've already written it. In fact, the current news is four years (and decades more) in the making. Trump did not condemn white supremacy Tuesday night. And he hasn't condemned it throughout his presidency. In fact, he's encouraged it.

Today's email is an adaptation of what I sent back in June when Trump shared a white power message on his Twitter. It outlines just a little of the terror white supremacy has inflicted in this country. As you read, consider how you can counter the hateful rhetoric you may hear beyond the debates. Racism doesn't end when Trump is out of office. Ending it starts with tough conversations with your friends and family.

Thank you for all your support! As always, you can support the newsletter by giving one-time on PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe monthly on Patreon.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Vote for Biden/Harris this upcoming election. Remember: not voting is a vote for Trump.
Join #DefeatbyTweet, an initiative where you can donate $0.02 every time Trump tweets (about $18/mo) to Justice Fund, a group of Black-led grassroots political organizations working in swing states to get people to vote.
Have a conversation with a Trump supporter you know about this newsletter.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

At the first presidential debate Tuesday night, Trump chose not to condemn white supremacy (Blavity). But if you've been listening, you may not have been surprised: Trump has actively supported white supremacy throughout his presidency.

Take for example, on Sunday, June 28, President Trump retweeted (and deleted) a video of a Trump supporter yelling "white power," thanking the "great people" in the footage (via NPR). After the tweet was deleted, White House spokesman Judd Deere released a statement that “President Trump is a big fan of The Villages [the community where the video was filmed]. He did not hear the one statement made on the video. What he did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters" (via AP News).

Before we start, I need to make one thing clear: President Trump is racist. This is not up for debate in my inbox. Whether he has deep-seated beliefs that white people are the superior race, incites racism solely for his political agenda, or is consistently unintentionally racist makes no difference to me. When it comes to this work, it shouldn't matter to you. These types of arguments center Trump's character instead of the social and political harm he creates. And as we discussed in an earlier newsletter, impact, not intent, needs to be our focus as we dismantle white supremacy. He is also bigoted, sexist, islamophobic, homophobic, and xenophobic (to name a few), and the intersectionality of these often come into play in his rhetoric. No anti-racism work includes voting for Trump in 2020.

The tweet mentioned above follows a series of hateful comments and actions from Trump over the past few weeks – and frankly, the past few years – which feel in strict defiance of the movement reshaping our nation. Remember that feelings on racism are rapidly shifting left in America (NYTimes)! Meanwhile, just over half of America considered him racist back in 2019 (USA Today). Here's a running list of Trump's hateful commentary since the 1970s (Vox).

I don't want to say that one comment is "worse" than another because they're all terrible. But sharing and thanking someone for saying "white power" is egregious. The term "white power" is a popular phrase used by “white supremacists,” people that believe that white is the dominant race and should have power over other races (more via ADL).

Side note: the Anti-Defamation League has a glossary of definitions on terms you'll see reflected here and in the articles I've referenced. Read more >

The slogan was chosen a counter-rally to the term "Black power," a positive phrase used by activists during the Civil Rights Movement. It united not just those uncomfortable with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 but also the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Southern Poverty Law Center). But the white power movement grew to become not just a racially-motivated organization, but a politically-motivated one. Kathleen Belew, author of The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America, cites that the Vietnam War was a significant motivator to organizing and activating this group against one enemy – the government.

Remember that up to this point, the government was actually the ones purporting racist policies. It relied on like-minded vigilantes that were willing and able "to reinforce official policies like slavery and Jim Crow" (NYTimes). The Civil Rights Movement was received as a threat; it demonstrated that the country was adopting more equitable views, and allowing more power and privileges to non-white communities.

This group took arms against the government in smaller, isolated incidents, but culminated in the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, and other anti-government racists parked a truck of explosives under the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building’s daycare, killing 168 people – including 19 children leaving hundreds more injured (History). The Oklahoma City bombing was "the worst terrorist attack to take place on U.S. soil" until 9/11. The youngest survivor of the attack is 26 years old, and his family reflects on the experience in The Buffalo News.

“Ideologies are sometimes not just ideologies. They result in awful actions and we need to be vigilant about that.”

Dennis Purifoy, survivor of the Oklahoma City Bombing, for the NYTimes

And violent acts of white supremacy continue. It inspired Dylann Roof in 2015 in South Carolina, and James Alex Fields Jr. in Virginia in 2018 (read about both of these murders in our newsletter re: Confederate symbols). A Coast Guard lieutenant and "self-defined white nationalist" was charged in 2019 for stockpiling weapons and planning to start a race war (NYTimes). Twenty-two people were killed at a Walmart in El Paso, TX, by a white supremacist against immigration (Axios). In 2019, a U.S. State Department report named that racially and ethnically motivated terrorism from white supremacists is “on the rise and spreading geographically" (Forbes).

When the protests over the murder of George Floyd began in June, many cities started to question whether white supremacists have been intentionally disrupting the demonstrations from the past month, inciting violence and looting (examples from NBC Chicago, NYTimes, and CBS News). The unrest aligns with a critical white supremacist concept called "accelerationism" – inciting and encouraging violence to draw more people into a war (Brookings).

One of these groups is the Proud Boys, a male-only far-right organization that was most prominent at Portland’s protests. They see themselves as a counter to the “terrorist group Antifa” and often arrive at protests carrying firearms and donned in body armor to support the President, law, and order, and police (CNN). Their chairman, Enrique Tarrio, says that the group does not discriminate (Tarrio himself is Cuban American). However, the group consistently centers misogynistic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant views in their approach to "reinstating a spirit of Western chauvinism” (CNN). Tarrio said he interpreted "stand back and stand by" to mean that they should just keep doing what they're doing. He also made t-shirts with the words “Proud Boys Stand By” in honor of the President’s remarks (Blavity).

There is no justification for the racist rhetoric Trump shares. Inciting violence and terror as a president encourages others to repeat the violence and terror of our past. Our democracy doesn’t deserve another four years of this.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Trump has a long history of hateful and racist rhetoric.
Throughout our history, government officials have encouraged white supremacists to spew violence.
And the rise of violence from far-right groups like the Proud Boys is simiilar.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 9/28/20 Nicole Cardoza 9/28/20

Fight racial tax inequity.

Happy Monday! The NYTimes released Trump's taxes and I'm sure we'll be hearing a LOT about it this week. As you follow the news (or tune it out, your choice) consider how racism and racial bias have helped to craft a tax system that enables some people to struggle with tax debt and others to avoid paying taxes at all.

And hello new faces! Here's quick links to learn more about the ARD, read the archives, follow us on Instagram, and switch from daily to a weekly digest 👋🏾

Thank you for all your support! If you enjoy this newsletter, consider giving one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe for $5/mo on our Patreon.

– Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Explore how racial disparities affect the income tax system in this interactive Form 1040, via the Tax Policy Center.
Review the tax policies of both Presidential candidates
Consider: How has generational wealth impacted your life today? What experiences would change based on your family's generational wealth?

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Yesterday the New York Times released President Trump’s tax information. The comprehensive report leads with news that Trump paid $750 in federal taxes in 2016 and 2017 (NYTimes). In a press conference response, Trump called these allegations a lie and that the “IRS does not treat me well” (NYTimes). But when we zoom out at the history of federal taxes in the U.S., I think it’s more accurate to say that “the IRS does not treat” marginalized communities well, not billionaires. And part of this is because of the racism embedded in our tax code.

Let’s start with our federal tax. Generally speaking, it reduces racial disparities by taxing the wealthy more than the poor and investing tax revenue into programs that support lower-income communities. But the apportionment of these taxes is rooted in slavery. Back then, to determine the number of seats per state in the House of Representatives, the Framers recommended apportioning them based on population size. This put the North and the South in conflict because population sizes varied greatly in each area. Many citizens were living in the North – consisting of urban areas with a high density of people. In contrast, the South had fewer free people spread across high-acreage farms.

However, the South had significantly more enslaved people in the North, and they considered them “valuable property” that could be leveraged for more representation. So, the South fought that free and enslaved people should count towards population size. The North fought to make representation dependent on the size of a state’s free population. Ultimately, the Framers agreed to the “three-fifths compromise,” the abhorrent decision that representation in Congress was based on a state’s free population plus three-fifths of its enslaved population (Britannica).

But this meant that taxes would be applied the same way. So the Apportionment Clause, written by delegates at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, emphasized that “representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States” (The Conversation). This meant that even though Southerners may have more people counting towards their representation, their taxes wouldn’t scale significantly because of it. That was a real fear of many people during the time; about 40% of the population were enslaved people (Forbes).

The decision to use apportioned tax regulations to protect Southern states from higher taxes has prevented more progressive tax reform. This same argument has been used to block a federal tax proposal on the wealthy in 1894 and, over 100 years later, question the legitimacy of wealth taxes proposed by candidates in this election (NPR). Some argue that because this apportionment no longer applies, taxes should be redefined to address the wealth gap (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities).

It also enabled significant wealth creation for Southerners that enslaved people. It allowed them to benefit from the labor of enslaved people with marginal tax implications. Economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman argue that this mentality is a driving force of the anti-taxation sentiment present in today’s society, particularly against the wealth (Forbes).

Not only does our current tax code inadequately address the wealth gap, it also doesn’t reflect the systemic racism and discrimination that exacerbates it. Our federal tax liability is influenced by things like our income, savings, and what we spend on a mortgage or education. But the opportunities to spend and earn in these aspects of society aren’t equal. People of color have historically been paid less, are less likely to have savings, often declined from mortgage opportunities, and less likely to be accepted into college – among other things (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities). Our work income is also taxed more highly than our income from wealth, but people of color have been systemically disadvantaged in building wealth throughout their lifetimes.

State taxes aren’t much better. In fact, the report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities argues that they increase income inequality. States make most of their money through regressive taxes: taxes that have an increased burden on lower-income communities. These taxes include sales taxes, property taxes, and excise taxes. It doesn’t matter if you make $10,000 or $10million a year, you’ll pay the same amount of taxes*. But its impact is more considerable on those that have less to spend. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities).

*There’s research that shows that people of color, particularly Black people, often pay more in property tax than their neighbors due to the systemic racism in real estate. But that’s for another newsletter.

Lower-income people are more likely to be audited too. It’s easier than going after wealthy business owners and corporations with confusing (and often evasive) revenue streams and assets (Popular Science). And funding cuts at the IRS have encouraged auditors to choose cases that require less bandwidth. Ironically, these wealthy constituents – who are overwhelmingly white – are the most likely to have unpaid taxes (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities).

To offset this lack of bandwidth, the IRS started a program to outsource tax collection to private firms. These private companies are empowered to act under the IRS to recoup lost revenue from tax payments and get to keep a percentage of what’s earned for themselves. And most of the taxpayers targeted are low-income. A report from the Taxpayer Advocate, an independent organization within the IRS that represents taxpayers, found that 33% of funds collected by private firms in 2017 came from Americans facing “economic hardship” (Washington Post). The IRS has programs designed to protect low-income earners from getting overwhelmed with tax debt, but private companies are financially incentivized to get any dollar they can. And private debt collection has a long history of racial discrimination (ACLU).

But the most shocking part of all this (to me, at least) is that the IRS doesn’t even collect racial data. So although we can infer how the tax codes affect communities of color, there is no hard data, and tax law decisions may not consider these disparities (Popular Science). It might be for the best; you could argue that more discriminatory practices could be applied because of this added information. But on the other hand, it would illuminate more spaces where we can create a more inclusive economic structure that supports us all. Even if the data isn’t captured, it’s clear that racism and racial bias has shaped the tax code we see today.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

9/2/2020 | Rally for fair appraisals.

7/6/2020 | Abolish qualified immunity.

6/11/2020 | Support black-owned businesses.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 9/26/20 Nicole Cardoza 9/26/20

Study Hall! How we learned about slavery.

Welcome to our weekly Study Hall. Each week I answer questions and share insights from each of you in our community. This week I dove deeper on some pressing topics from our community.

I focused on sharing our collective experiences learning about slavery in school. I think it's a good reminder of how necessary our commitment to anti-racism work is, and how so many people are coming to this place with an insufficient foundation. I hope it's both encouraging and motivating to keep going.

If you subscribe to just the weekly digest, this is the email you will receive. You can click through to read all original pieces via the archives, and get the recap in one place. Change your email preferences by updating your profile information here.

As always, your support is greatly appreciated. You can give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe for $5/mo on our Patreon.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

1. Reflect on the questions prompted by our community.

2. Discuss with a friend: how did you learn about slavery growing up? How does that inform your perception on the civil rights movement of today?

GET EDUCATED

In review: The newsletters we published this week.

9/25/2020 | Decriminalize sex work.

9/24/2020 | Demand justice for Breonna Taylor.

9/23/2020 | Reject the modern-day poll tax.

9/22/2020 | Learn about sundown towns.

9/21/2020 | Support the 1619 Project.

9/20/2020 | Make the justice system more diverse.

FROM THE COMMUNITY

How did you learn about slavery growing up?

From 9/21/2020 | Support the 1619 Project.

Monday's newsletter emphasizes the importance of teaching the truth of our history. In the original newsletter, I asked you to respond with your own stories on how you learned about slavery. I read through hundreds of responses and compared them to the seven key themes that the Teaching Tolerance study found in their research. Unsurprisingly, our collective experience matches – almost exactly. I've summarized their key themes and added anonymized examples from our experiences below.

1. We teach about slavery without context, preferring to present the good news before the bad.

"What I learned about slavery was a sanitized version. I learned nothing about how the South and others who did not agree with emancipation undermined the declaration and then in concert with Northern politicians permitted the birth of the Jim Crow era. I did not learn that the freed [enslaved people] were promised land upon their freedom and that promise was never fulfilled. I did not learn of that southern plantation owners grew rich on the back of [those enslaved]."

2. We tend to subscribe to a progressive view of American history that's "growing perfect".

"I am appalled by my own lack of knowledge or connection to the fact that my own grandparents lived in segregated times and that my parents were born before the Civil Rights era ended. I did not make this connection as a young child, when history seemed so far away. Why was none of this discussed in our history lessons? Why did we get the "America is the Greatest Country" story, glossing over the facts, and failing to connect history to the actual present we can experience and make an impact on now?"

3. We teach about the American enslavement of Africans as an exclusively southern institution.

"We didn’t learn that the northern states were still allowed to enslave people...We just knew that the southern states were bad and slavery was bad...Slavery was always presented as a southern problem as well, I grew up in Michigan so I am not sure if that has anything to do with it but I remember thinking it wasn't something anyone I knew or was related to could have been involved in."

4. We rarely connect slavery to the ideology that grew up to sustain and protect it: white supremacy.

"When I was in school, I learned as a general idea that slavery happened, and was over. There wasn't any detailed info about the horrors that followed such as segregation, Jim Crow laws, or the thousands of lynchings. I didn't know about Juneteenth, or the Black Wall St until I had children of my own."

5. We often rely on pedagogy poorly suited to the topic.

"I went to public school in California, and when I took AP US History in 2012-13, we read “A People’s History of the United States" by Howard Zinn. Reading that book was pretty much as in depth into the history of slavery in the United States that we went. We also watched the first episode of the TV show “Roots”, but that is all that I remember of any other representations/resources about slavery that we studied as a class.

I also just wanted to say that the year prior, when I was in a World History class, we went very in depth into the Holocaust and studied that for quite a few weeks. I also don’t remember studying anything about any history pertaining to the African continent in that class, either."

6. We rarely make connections to the present.

"So learning about slavery in school - our school did “teach” it, but that is was a very American problem. It was the Americans that owned [enslaved people] and shipped Africans over. There wasn’t any mention of our involvement. It was also plain facts so to be fair we did learn about some of the terrible conditions but we were never taught to empathize (“how would you feel”, “what do you think about this”..) or to form our own opinion. It was just something that happened. But also exactly that, happened, past tense, there was also no conversation or discussion on how it still impacts lives today

By no means did we ever learn that the colonies’ success, and eventually the U.S. economy, was almost entirely propped up by slavery, and if that system had been disrupted earlier this country would have never prospered. Nor did we go on to learn about what life for Black people was like during the nearly 100 year period between abolition and the modern civil rights movement."

7. We tend to center on the white experience when we teach about slavery.

"I took AP everything in high school and could count on one hand the kids of color that were in that track. At any rate, I recall in AP History skipping the Slavery chapter of the history book. I thought surely, we wouldn’t. It was AP after all – given the heightened reading requirements, I thought we would be able to squeeze it in. In fact, me and the only Black girl in the class discussed what we would do if we skipped the chapter. And sure enough, our white cis-male teacher did. So I raised my hand and asked him why we weren’t doing the slavery chapter. And he bumbled through a response about a lack of time and the content on the AP exam and then carried forward. He did look startled though. I would like to think he reflected on it later."

"I don't remember being given many facts and true histories of slavery, and now that I think back, most of those historical fiction narratives focused a great deal on hope and redemption: "Look at these people, freeing themselves and finding liberty up north" or "Look at this nice white lady letting this freed [enslaved person] work for her." The full picture of the horror wasn't adequately captured, and I only became aware of, say, the Tulsa race massacre because of watching Watchmen. Which was a huge red flag for me."

Q+A

What is SESTA/FOSTA?

9/25/2020 | Decriminalize sex work.
A few people asked for more information on SESTA/FOSTA referenced in the article, two laws passed in 2018 that aimed to curb sex trafficking in the U.S. FOSTA, the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, and SESTA, the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, aimed to hold personals sites accountable for their participation in sex trafficking — in particular, Backpage.com.

But research shows that providing sex workers with digital spaces to find and vet clients is much safer than the alternative – meeting people in person and finding new clients on the street. Much of the violence between sex workers and law enforcement referenced in our newsletter is because of that.

The acts also don't distinguish between consensual sex work and nonconsensual sex work, which are vastly different practices and require much different forms of government intervention. And unfortunately, these regulations make both communities less safe. (Read more on Vox). It's also unclear whether these acts have effectively curbed sex trafficking (Meaww).

On a side note, these rules also had broader implications, including many sites severely limiting any sex-related content on their site. Many users expressed that, beyond sex work, it also greatly limited sites' abilities to post educational content about sex or feature more diverse, inclusive porn (Wired).

Clarifications

9/20/2020 | Make the justice system more diverse.
In my intro for this newsletter, I mention the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and said "rest in peace," not knowing that this term references the Christian afterlife, which is not inclusive and inappropriate considering her Jewish background. I apologize for the error and have updated the language in the archives.

9/5/2020 | Study Hall! Defund the police or add more training?

8/29/2020 | Study Hall! The trauma of police brutality videos, active bystander trainings.

8/15/2020 | Study Hall! Affirmative action, sliding scale pricing, and the right intentions.

8/8/2020 | Study Hall! Emoji blackface, the "family card," and starting conversations.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 9/24/20 Nicole Cardoza 9/24/20

Demand justice for Breonna Taylor.

Today's newsletter doesn't need context. We've been regularly publishing on the Breonna Taylor case since our start in June. Yesterday marked the conclusion of the investigation around her case and the continuation of our fight for justice.

Although signing the petitions and donating will be helpful, the most important action item for today is being inquiry with yourself. Consider how your participation in your community – from how you vote, what businesses you choose to support, and how you treat the people around you – will contribute to the next story like Breonna Taylor's. More importantly, consider how you can change your actions to prevent another act of violence like this from occurring again.

Thank you for your contributions. If you enjoy this newsletter, you can give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe for $5/mo on our Patreon.

– Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Tangible Actions

Demand Congress to pass the BREATHE Act, a radical reimagining of public safety, community care, and how we spend money as a society
Donate to the Louisville Community Bail Fund:
Donate to the Louisville Healing Fund

Reflect

Who is your local Attorney General? When did you last vote for them? What are the rulings they've made in similar cases? Note: there are 10 Attorney Generals on the ballot this year.

What was the last ruling re: police brutality in your community? What was the verdict? Who marched for them?

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

I'll keep this short: the justice system failed Breonna Taylor. On Wednesday, the Kentucky grand jury brought no charges against the police officers responsible for the death of Breonna Taylor back in March. Prosecutors said that the two officers who fired their weapons at Taylor were justified in using force (AP News).

The third officer, Brett Hankison, was charged with three counts of “wanton endangerment,” as he had threatened three people’s lives by firing bullets that traveled through Taylor’s apartment and into another. In that apartment, a pregnant woman, her husband and their 5-year-old child were sleeping. None of them were harmed (NYTimes). The other two officers, one of whom who fired the bullet that shot Taylor, were not charged (Washington Post). Somehow, the danger and ultimate loss of Breonna Taylor's life wasn't considered in the charges.

Many people are unfamiliar with the term "wanton endangerment." According to Kentucky law, this occurs “when, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, [a person] wantonly engages in conduct which creates a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to another person" (Kentucky Law, via Washington Post). This charge is interpreted as “in between” crimes of negligence and crimes of intent.

The two-page indictment created for this charge doesn't mention Breonna Taylor's name, a cruel detali of injustice after months of advocacy to #SayHerName as part of a campaign that aims to illuminate crimes against Black women (Ayman Mohyeldin on Twitter).

The city of Louisville started preparing for protests around this verdict days ago by adding blockades downtown and calling in reinforcements (Courier Journal). As I write this Wednesday evening, I see news stories of protests unfolding across the country, demanding accountability (Buzzfeed). Gov. Andy Beshear is urging the Attorney General Daniel Cameron to release the evidence from Breonna Taylor's case, including ballistics reports and the race and gender composition of the jury (Courier-Journal).

This story is ongoing. We'll add updates where relevant on the web version of this newsletter.

RELATED ISSUES

7/31/2020 | Keep fighting for Breonna Taylor.

6/5/2020 | Breonna Taylor. Say her name. And remember it.

9/11/2020 | Protect Black women.

8/26/2020 | Be an active bystander.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 9/21/20 Nicole Cardoza 9/21/20

Support the 1619 Project.

Happy Monday!

The attacks on the 1619 Project are nothing new. And these moves are more political than anything, and ties back to the administration's broader goals to use race as a political tactic for the upcoming election. Nevertheless, it offers an opportunity to reflect on the history of how slavery has been taught in schools, and the impact of the 1619 Project on education today.

Supporting the 1619 Project means more than supporting its content (which is well-deserved in itself). By doing so, you'll be supporting the right for more truthful depictions of our nation's history to be taught in schools – regardless of how any political leaders feel.

I'd love to hear if you learned about slavery growing up in school – reply to this email with your experience.

And thank you for your contributions! If you enjoy this newsletter, you can give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe for $5/mo on our Patreon.

– Nicole

TAKE ACTION

1. Read and/or review the 1619 Project and discuss one of the articles with a friend or colleague this week.

2. Check to see what your local school's policies are on educating students about slavery.

3. Don't vote for Trump.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Since its publication in 2019, the 1619 Project published by the NYTimes has been hotly contested by conservative leaders, particularly in our government. But as its popularity has grown against our country’s racial reckoning, it has come under particular fire. In July, Sen. Tom Cotton proposed a bill seeking to ban schools from adopting the project as a part of their curriculum, calling slavery a “necessary evil” and that the notion that America is a “systemically racist country” is false (Washington Post).

These attacks came to a head this month when President Trump threatened to investigate and pull federal funding from schools that teach the curriculum. On Thursday, he said he’d sign an executive order "establishing a national commission to promote patriotic education," called the "1776 Commission" (NPR). According to Trump, the 1619 Project “rewrites American history to teach our children that we were founded on the principle of oppression, not freedom" (CBS News). Technically, this is true. And it’s necessary. Because the U.S. history perpetuated by society discredits the horror of slavery and its impact to modern-day.

The 1619 Project, spearheaded by Nikole Hannah-Jones, an investigative journalist and staff writer at the NYTimes, aims to change that. Instead of looking at America based on its founding in 1776, it analyzes its history based on a historic date in 1619. This was the year that the first group of enslaved Africans were brought to Virginia. It marks the beginning of slavery in U.S. and the start of African-American history. The 1619 Project, published on the 400th anniversary of this event, reframes the nation’s history around this historic date. Instead of traditional education that starts U.S. history on its founding, it centers the impact of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans in its narrative (New York Times Magazine).

Since its publication last year, the 1619 Project has become a vital part of education. According to an interview with Hannah-Jones, the project is being taught in at least one school in every state in the country and deemed mandatory in several, including Chicago Public Schools (74 Million). The curriculum is free and supported by the Pulitzer Center; you can explore it here.

This is historic because, for most of our nation’s founding, the education system has inadequately taught about slavery in America – and its lasting implications. Part of this is because of focus: unlike math and reading, states are not required to meet any academic standards for teaching U.S. history (NYTimes). Some states explicitly call for lessons on slavery, while others don't even mention it (Washington Post).

But it's also because of how our education is designed to teach us how we should think, not to think critically. Much of our perspective on U.S. history is influenced by the “Lost Cause” ideology, a form of revisionist history that gained popularity in the 1890s. This aimed to reframe the goals of the Confederacy after their defeat in the Civil War, rebranding their “campaign” as an “embodiment of the Framers’ true vision for America,” not the right to maintain slavery, and a means to protect “the southern way of life” (The Atlantic). Under the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, the first American president to hail from the South since the Civil War, this idea gained popularity.

This kind of thinking informed the textbooks created to educate our country on its history. The American Pageant, an AP high school textbook used by at least 5 million students annually (CBS News), shows evidence of this to this day. In the text of its 15th edition, Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemings, who was enslaved by him, is described as “intimacy” and an “affair” (NYTimes). The 17th (current) edition includes a map of “immigrants” to America in 1775. It includes Africans at the top of the list alongside Dutch, German, and Scottish people, insinuating that African people came to the U.S. willingly, not in chains. The book also has no mention of the N-word and its history of derogatory use against African Americans throughout history. But, it does include a thorough list of racial terms used against poor, non-land owning white people (CBS News).

This isn’t the only textbook with factual errors. The Southern Poverty Law Center reviewed dozens of history textbooks and graded them based on what they deemed a comprehensive education of slavery. The best textbook achieved a score of 70% against their rubric. The American Pageant received a 60% (Southern Poverty Law Center).

Unsurprisingly, The American Pageant does little to represent other communities of color. The book also says that disease was the cause for the genocide of Indigenous people and that "this depopulation was surely not intended by the Spanish” (Independent).

“I don’t remember ever going into any depth about slavery other than that there was slavery. The textbooks were pretty whitewashed. We never talked about the conditions of slavery or why it persisted.”
Philip Jackson, an American history teacher in Montgomery County, Md., for the Washington Post

And how history is shaped in textbooks can also depend on where the reader lives. The New York Times analyzed eight commonly used American history textbooks in California and Texas, two of the nation’s largest markets, and found striking differences. For example, on a page of the annotated Bill of Rights, a California textbook explains that the Second Amendment’s rulings have allowed for some gun regulations. But this note isn’t included in the textbooks for Texas. Both books include information on the Harlem Renaissance, but the one for Texas says that some critics “dismissed the quality of literature produced” during this period. Read more on the NYTimes, and the responses from readers.

As a result, many teachers feel unprepared to teach this in their classrooms. Because the vast majority (84% in 2016) of educators are white, many also feel uncomfortable directly addressing slavery and its impact (Southern Poverty Law Center). And, without a comprehensive curriculum or guidance, some teachers will take efforts into their own hands – for better or worse. A substitute teacher in New Jersey let the white students sell the Black students as a mock slave auction (Washington Post). On a worksheet entitled “The Life of Slaves: A Balanced View,” a teacher in Texas asked her eighth-grade students in American history class to list some of the positive and negative of slavery (AP News). And middle-schoolers in North Carolina were prompted to write down “four reasons why Africans made good slaves” (WBTV).

Further research indicates how this lack of education has impacted our perception of the country’s founding. Just under half of Americans know that slavery existed in all 13 colonies. 52% of Americans know slavery was the leading cause of the Civil War, as opposed to 41 percent who blame “another reason.” And more Americans (46% of respondents) believe that the Emancipation Proclamation outlawed slavery. In reality, that was the 13th Amendment, which only 36% of respondents chose accurately (Washington Post).

Politicizing the textbooks that shape our nation isn’t new – in fact, using education to promote political ideals is a part of American history. Specific examples via Time. But as our country faces unprecedented challenges, it’s clear that many of its inhabitants are ill-equipped to fully understand the historical influences that got us here. We need to protect comprehensive curriculum that educators can implement in their classrooms. But it has to be willing to tell the truth. Because if we do, we all be more inspired to create the future that we deserve and collectively ensure that these injustices will never happen again. By protecting a whitewashed history, the current administration protects white supremacy and moves us further away from the country that truly supports us all.

Key Takeaways

The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has made the appointment of a new Supreme Court justice a critical component of the upcoming election
Efforts to increase representation in the federal judiciary have been dismantled by the Trump administration
Diversity of the federal judiciary influences public perception of the political system
Increasing the diversity pipeline can help ensure more diverse candidates are nominated and confirmed
We must vote for a president that will nominate a diverse Supreme Court justice candidate, and ensure a Senate that's more likely to confirm one

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