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

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 10/11/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/11/20

Support climate justice.

Happy Sunday! The environment has been a popular topic in this newsletter, and as we unpack the racial disparities of global warming and environmental disasters, it's important that we have shared language on making an impact equitably. Today, Jami outlines what climate justice means beyond the hashtag, and encourages each of us to take our eco-friendly initiatives a step further.

Thank you for your contributions! Your support helps us grow. To support you can give on our website, PayPal, Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe monthly on Patreon.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Join or support climate justice organizations, such as PODER (@poder.sf), the Environmental Transformation Movement of Flint, or the Center for Earth Energy and Democracy.
Read about Just Transition, the transformative framework for change promoted by many climate justice organizations.
Hold your local environmental organizations accountable. Who is on the board? What communities do they center? Who do they exclude?

GET EDUCATED

By Jami Nakamura Lin (she/her)

In our recent newsletter on climate migration, we briefly mentioned the climate justice movement. Though climate change comes up frequently in the news, in election campaigns, and political debates, we hear about climate justice much more rarely. As a reminder: it is a movement that centers marginalized communities and those affected by racial and socioeconomic inequities, while also pushing for larger-scale change than most policies currently address (NAACP). (The terms climate justice and environmental justice are sometimes used interchangeably, while other times climate justice is used to refer to the effects of climate change specifically.)

“I represent the third-poorest congressional district in the country, and folks in my district can tell you that we have been in a crisis mode far before Covid-19 showed up. Folks in my district can also tell you that the climate crisis we are experiencing is one that they have been fighting to address for decades.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, US House District 13 (Facebook via Central Florida Climate Action).

Climate justice developed partially in opposition to mainstream environmental activism (like the conservation and preservation movements) that did not look at intersections of race and class at all. Instead, those groups were (and usually still are) white-led and white-run, and viewed the environment through a narrow lens (Environment and Society). Such environmentalism is directly descended from the colonialism and white supremacist ideals of Teddy Roosevelt-era conservationists. As environmental law scholar Jedidiah Purdy writes in a history of conservation’s racism, “For these conservationists, who prized the expert governance of resources, it was an unsettlingly short step from managing forests to managing the human gene pool” (New Yorker).

Even in 2014, a study of 293 leading environmental organizations, foundations, and government agencies found that ethnic/racial minorities occupied less than 12% of leadership positions, and very rarely in the highest positions (Diversity in Environmental Organizations). It also found that “few of the organizations studied collaborate with ethnic minority or low-income institutions or groups.” As an example: usually, the people included in disaster relief planning (on the local to global level) are not from the communities who will actually receive the disaster relief; affected people in disadvantaged communities often do not have a voice at the table (Minority Rights Group International).

The study’s author, Dorceta Taylor, also conducted research on white and BIPOC students studying environmental courses, and discovered that the two groups had virtually identical GPAs and course loads, even though the people getting hired by environmental groups are predominantly white males (Yale Environmental 360). Again--we cannot blame the pipeline, as we covered in a recent newsletter. [link when it’s up on the archive]

Recently— and largely as a response to Black Lives Matter— green groups have begun to examine their complicity in racism (National Geographic). They have made public commitments to diversify; they have renounced some of their founders, like John Muir. Yet it’s too soon to know how much of this is performative and how much will result in lasting change. When the rot goes so deep, can one or two token minorities on a board truly make a difference?

Climate justice, on the other hand, is rooted in anti-racism, in centering the communities ignored by mainstream environmentalism. “Advocacy and scholarship about protecting communities of color are rarely called environmentalism because those communities are still largely not considered places worthy of protection by environmentalists,” explains Danielle Purifoy, one of the only Black Ph.D. students in her environmental studies program (Inside Higher Ed).

Importantly, climate justice is a grassroots movement. Climate Justice Alliance, for example, comprises frontline organizations. Engagement centered in the communities— not top-down policies created by disengaged congressmen—is necessary. But for BIPOC activists, it can also be dangerous. Jayce Chiblow, a leader at the Canadian organization Indigenous Climate Actions, noted that while ‘Youth are leading us and taking on frontline activity,” many of them experienced violence and were arrested and removed as a result of their activism (Resilience.org). Read some profiles of Indigenous activists here.

What was most eye-opening for me was realizing how entangled all economic and environmental and social and racial issues are. Climate justice encompasses many other justice issues that we often think of as separate from environmental concerns, like workers’ rights and Indigenous sovereignty. Right now, our government tries to attack each problem piecemeal, ignoring the holistic view. On the other hand, the Just Transition plan from the Climate Justice Alliance implements a different framework for change than Biden’s deal or even the Green New Deal:

“We must build [a] visionary economy that is very different... This requires stopping the bad while at the same time as building the new. We must change the rules to redistribute resources and power to local communities... Shifting from dirty energy to energy democracy… from gentrification to community land rights… and from rampant destructive development to ecosystem restoration. Core to a just transition is deep democracy in which workers and communities have control over the decisions that affect their daily lives.”
Just Transition framework from Climate Justice Alliance

Climate justice—and this framework in particular—presents a different, more expansive vision, one that is so holistic and far-reaching that at first glance, it can seem impossible. Implement a regenerative economy here? How? But I suggest reading through the plan slowly, a little bit each day. It is a framework that can, like “Abolish the police,” guide our goals and shape what we should ultimately be working towards: transformative, structural change.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A 2014 study found that 88% of leadership positions in environmental groups were held by white people (Dorceta Taylor/Diversity in Environmental Organizations)
The mainstream conservation and environmental movements descend from colonialism and white supremacy (New Yorker)
Climate justice is a grassroots movement that centers BIPOC and those most affected by climate change, communities historically ignored by environmentalism.
Climate justice promotes transformative, far-reaching change— a shift from our current extractive economy to a regenerative economy (Climate Justice Alliance)

7/24/2020 | Reduce your plastic consumption.

7/12/2020 | Learn how air pollution exacerbates COVID-19.

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 10/7/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/7/20

Rally for fair taxes.

This year a graduated income tax amendment (known as the Fair Tax) is on the ballot here in Illinois. Right now, our state’s constitution requires us to have a flat tax rate, in which everyone is taxed the same percentage. The proposed amendment would repeal that requirement, opening the door for a tax rate that changed based on your income.

Happy Wednesday!

We had a LOT of questions about taxes after last week's newsletter on tax inequity. And I get it – taxes are still confusing to me, honestly. It's hard enough to know how to file them effectively, let alone how to dismantle its racist foundation. Today, Jami highlights the tax amendment on the ballot in Illinois this election and uses it as a benchmark for how we can change state taxes when we have a chance.

Your contributions help our newsletter thrive. Give on our website, PayPal, Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe monthly on Patreon. Thank you for all the support!

Nicole

ps – tonight Kamala Harris will face Mike Pence in the VP Debate. Consider how the "angry Black woman" trope we unpacked in a previous newsletter may come into play in the news Thursday.

pps – I had to remove the sharing assets from these emails, as they're making many go to spam. Instead, snag them from our Facebook or Instagram accounts.

TAKE ACTION

If you are in Illinois, vote for the Fair Tax (also known as the Graduated Income Tax Amendment)
Use the Who Pays? analysis from the Institute of Taxation and Policy to find out how inequitable your state’s tax policies are. Who benefits from the policies? Who is harmed?
If you are financially comfortable, check out Resource Generation to learn about how and why you could redistribute some of that wealth to others. Uprooted & Rising provides a Mutual Aid Plug In Guide, an excellent step-by-step worksheet.

GET EDUCATED

By Jami Nakamura Lin (she/her)

Like many people, the extent of my knowledge about taxes has to do with inputting my information into TurboTax or H&R Block’s free tax software and either being pleasantly surprised at my tax refund or despairing about how much I owe. Our convoluted tax system in America means that we outsource the preparation to professionals—or, increasingly, software—and the extent of our interest extends to how the rules affect us individually, rather than seeing the bigger picture.

This year, though, a graduated income tax amendment (known as the Fair Tax) is on the ballot here in Illinois. Right now, our state’s constitution requires us to have a flat tax rate, in which everyone is taxed the same percentage. The proposed amendment would repeal that requirement, opening the door for a tax rate that changed based on your income. While effects can vary depending on a lot of individual factors, in general, if you belong to the 97% of Illinoisans that make less than $250,000, your taxes will decrease (Chicago Sun-Times). (You can check how it will affect you personally at the Illinois Fair Tax Calculator.)

I know most of you don’t live in Illinois, and you might be asking: why does this matter to me? You might not be able to vote for this specific resolution, but sooner or later, you’ll have to vote on tax-related changes in your area, and taxes greatly affect wealth inequality. While Americans are now much more wealth inequality in general, we sometimes overlook how taxes contribute to that disparity. According to leading economists, tax policy is one of the four primary reasons that between 1980 and 2007, the 1% most wealthy people in America doubled their total income share (Journal of Economic Perspectives). More recent data shows that even after the Great Recession, income concentration has continued to rise at the top (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities).

"
Nearly every state government, including local governments, collects more taxes from poor families than from high-income families relative to their incomes, and more taxes are generally collected from middle-income families than high-income families.
Palma Joy Strand and Nicholas A. Mirkay in Racialized Tax Inequity: Wealth, Racism, And The U.S. System of Taxation

Our federal tax policies are geared towards letting the already wealthy accumulate more wealth and pass it down to their children. But even those of us who are not millionaires benefit disproportionately. Many people who consider themselves middle-class benefit from tax-preferred 401k pension plans, tax-deferred 529 college savings accounts, and mortgage deductions. Such policies and problems might look like a divide amongst the rich and the poor—issues of class, rather than race. But in America, “investigators of inequality… have documented that the rich tend to be White and the poor tend to be people of color” (Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy).

Compared to white Americans, a far smaller percentage of Black and Brown people own their homes or possess such accounts. They do not benefit from such tax breaks. Meanwhile, income disparities amongst Black and white people have increased since 1979. On average, white households are ten times richer than Black households and eight times richer than Latinx ones (Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy). A shocking 2016 study from the Federal Reserve and Duke University shows that in Boston, the median wealth of a white family was almost $250,000, while the median wealth of a non-immigrant Black American family was $8 (Federal Reserve of Boston). Eight dollars.

This is why a progressive income tax matters. In Illinois, the average income of the top 1% of families is over 65 times larger than the average income of the bottom 99% (Illinois Economic and Policy Institute). Yet the poorest 20% in Illinois pay 14.4% of their income in taxes, while the wealthiest 1% pays 7.4% (Shriver Center on Policy and Law). Illinois and other states with flat taxes are part of the Terrible Ten, “states that tax their poorest residents — those in the bottom 20 percent of the income scale — at rates up to six times higher than the wealthy” (Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy).

So if you cheer when you get your tax refund, make sure to also remember that taxes don’t affect everyone equally. Our tax policies are designed to benefit the rich. A progressive income tax is only a small reform in a system that needs an entire haul, but it is a tangible, if limited, way to fight against wealth inequality. And, as always, while fighting for policy change, we can also directly make change on the ground. If you are able, commit to redistributing some of your income or wealth every month.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

On average, the 20% of Americans with the lowest incomes pay a state and local tax rate 1.5x higher than the 1% of Americans with the highest incomes (Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy).
Tax inequity is one of the driving factors in wealth inequality in America (Journal of Economic Perspectives).
White households are, on average, 10x wealthier than Black households and 8x wealthier than Latinx ones (Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy).
In Illinois, voting for the Fair Tax will support tax equity.

RELATED ISSUES

9/28/2020 | Fight racial tax inequity.

9/30/2020 | Close the racial wealth gap.

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

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 10/5/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/5/20

Protect undocumented Americans.

Happy Monday!

We are 29 days from the election, and it's critical to remember how many voices deserve to be heard at the polls. Today, Jami calls us to action to protect undocumented immigrants here in America (and around the world), and provide sanctuary no matter where we live.

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

Protect your community and know your rights. Check out United We Dream’s (@unitedwedream) Deportation Defense toolkits for undocumented immigrants and allies.
If you witness an ICE raid or spot them in your community, call the MigraWatch Hotline at 1-844-363-1423. This will spread the word and keep others safe.
RAICES’s (@raicestexas) Take Action list provides many ways you can support—from tweets to petitions to donations to starting conversations with your family.
Donate to your local immigrant mutual aid network or to organizations like UndocuBlack

GET EDUCATED

By Jami Nakamura Lin (she/her)

As we reach the last weeks of the presidential race, the Trump administration, hoping to persuade voters with a strong “law and order” message, is preparing immigration raids in sanctuary cities, according to the Washington Post. On September 24th, Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE) officials announced that they arrested over 500 people within a few days (LA Times). Across the country, undocumented immigrants and activists in the targeted cities, including Philadelphia, are getting their communities ready (Philadelphia Inquirer). In the 2018 fiscal year (the most recent year combined data is available), ICE and Border Patrol deported over 337,287 undocumented immigrants from the interior United States (Pew Research Center). This number is separate from people apprehended while attempting to cross the border; these were people who had built lives here.

For those of us who are documented citizens, we can’t understand the pervasive fear, stress, and anxiety that goes along with being undocumented. In a New York Times podcast, an undocumented mother from Nicaragua explains to the host: “Sometimes I cry… you’re like, oh, my God, what I did bad? Just staying in a country where I want to feel safe? I don’t know. I don’t know. Right now, I’m in my car talking to you, and I know, when I get through that door, I have to turn off that light and stay in my room. Why?” (NYTimes The Daily)

The woman goes on to describe the way she and her family live when there are rumors of immigration crackdowns: never opening the door, only using a small light, parking in a neighbor’s space instead of their own. Even if the threat never materializes, fear is a powerful tool, one that this administration wields like a hammer to keep undocumented Americans underground, unable to access basic needs like health care during the pandemic (NYTimes). While living in a sanctuary city can be safer for undocumented Americans, due to local protections, it can never be—or feel— truly safe.

The term sanctuary city, in fact, has no specific legal or government-defined meaning. “Lots of people use the unofficial term “sanctuary city” to refer to local jurisdictions (not just cities but counties and sometimes states) that don’t fully cooperate with federal efforts to find and deport unauthorized immigrants,” explains Dara Lind, in a useful primer on the history and context of sanctuary cities at Vox. “If that sounds vague, that’s because it is, and it gets at the tension between federal policy and local law enforcement generally used to carry out those laws.”

Most of us have a limited view of undocumented Americans—often because of the narrow, biased single narrative that our government and media push: Mexico, border crossings, DACA. In the new book The Undocumented Americans, author Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (the first undocumented student to graduate from provides a nuanced, deeper context, pushing back on the limited narratives we usually see. “This book is for everybody who wants to step away from the buzzwords in immigration, the talking heads, the kids in graduation caps and gowns, and read about the people underground,” she writes in her introduction. “Not heroes. Randoms. People. Characters.”

As she says, undocumented Americans are not a monolithic block. An estimated 619,000 Black undocumented immigrants are residing in the United States (Pew Research Center). They are more likely than non-Black undocumented immigrants to be deported. “Although Black immigrants comprise just 5.4% of the unauthorized population in the United States, they made up a striking 10.6% of all immigrants in removal proceedings between 2003 and 2015,” reports the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. For more information, read interviews with undocumented Black Americans at ThinkProgress and the Atlantic.

If you or your family are (or have ever been) undocumented and want to share your experiences, feel free to share your experience at submissions@antiracismdaily.org; we will not share identifying details.

We can help provide sanctuary no matter where we live. United We Dream (the largest immigrant youth-led organization) states: “In a sanctuary… members of that community are united and prepared to protect immigrants from deportation forces… are united against police brutality... [Sanctuary spaces] are places in which the dignity and integrity of every individual as a human being is respected and preserved” (UWD Here to Stay Toolkit). We need to work to ensure that our actions are guided by such principles.

Part of that is becoming more intentional in thinking about how we privilege citizenship, and what barriers our communities, often unintentionally, present for undocumented people. Some of that means expanding our definitions: in one case, Black students discovered that they weren’t eligible for the few college scholarships open to undocumented students because they weren’t Latinx (The Atlantic). Often, it means asking ourselves how welcoming our spaces are for undocumented people. I used to work for a public library—an institution that prides itself as being for everyone— but at libraries like mine, you need identification, a discriminatory policy that prevents many undocumented people from receiving our services (Time). Undocumented Americans pay billions of dollars in local, state, and federal taxes per year (Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy), but they are not able to receive many of the benefits they’re paying for.

Lastly: remember that the dehumanization of undocumented Americans didn’t start—and won’t end—with Trump. ICE, deportations, and border camps existed under the Obama, Bush, and Clinton administrations as well (NYTimes). Our immigration policies have been discriminatory since their implementation. We can fight for better policies, but we need to always remember that communities and people can provide sanctuary in ways that laws cannot.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In the 2018 fiscal year, 337,287 undocumented immigrants were deported from the United States (Pew Research Center).
Black undocumented immigrants are more likely than other undocumented immigrants to be deported (Black Alliance for Just Immigration).
Undocumented Americans pay billions of dollars in local, state, and federal taxes per year (Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy).
The dehumanization of undocumented Americans didn’t start—and won’t end—with Trump. We need to support them no matter who is president.

RELATED ISSUES

9/17/2020 | Abolish ICE.

8/10/2020 | Respect the relationship between name and identity.

6/17/2020 | Analyze representation in media.

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 10/2/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/2/20

Protect early child care providers.

Early child care education is one of the most basic needs; however, most Black and Brown women who care for and educate the nation’s youngest minds are overlooked and discounted. As the coronavirus forced public schools and universities to transition to remote learning, some early childhood centers remained open. Absent from the conversation as essential workers in need of hazard pay were early care teachers.

Hi everyone,

Researchers warn nearly half of U.S. child care centers could be lost to pandemic, and over 4.5 million child care spots in the country could be permanently lost because of the pandemic (NPR). This affects millions of parents working from home, but also the workforce that's struggling to make ends meet. Today, Renée outlines the history of the child care industry and how critical it is that our government acts to keep it afloat.

Tomorrow is our weekly Study Hall, where we answer questions and offer insights shared from the week prior. Reply to this email to share your reflections.

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

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Use the hashtag #AskAboutChildCare to urge the next moderator of the presidential debates, @SteveScully, to bring it up as a topic.
If you are a white parent of a young child, how are you advocating for the Black and Brown children in your child's early childhood setting? Do your children have Black and Brown teachers? Have you investigated how they’re being protected through the pandemic? If so, how? If not, why not?

GET EDUCATED

By Renée Cherez (she/her)

The consistent depreciation of early childhood education in the United States has long been a contention point for Black and Brown teachers, teacher aides, and administrators due to a shortage of funding and disproportionate wage gaps. Childcare centers, daycares, and after-care programs have long been deemed as non-essential and instead, a place for parents to drop their children off for a few hours to be cared for. Elizabeth Warren, a former teacher, recognized the indispensable value Black and Brown women brought to the profession by recognizing childcare as “infrastructure for families” (MotherJones).

Black and Brown women make up 40% of the child care industry workforce, including 22% of immigrant women (CSCEE). Nationally, women are paid, on average, an offensive $9.62 per hour, adding to $20,000 per year for full-time, all year round work (CSCEE).

Lea J.E. Austin, executive director of the Center for the Study of Childcare Employment (CSCEE), explains no single racial wage gap but multiple wage gaps among Black and Brown teachers versus their white counterparts.

“...For African American teachers, for example, we see that they are more likely to work with infant and toddler children, and infant and toddler teachers earn less than teachers who are working with preschool-age children. We also see that African American early educators experience a smaller pay bump for moving from working with younger children to older children...” (CSCEE).

Black educators working in centered-based settings are less likely across other racial and ethnic groups to earn more than $15 per hour. Even with educational achievement, Black educators still make $0.78 less per hour than white early educators with the same education, accounting for a loss of $1,622.40 per year (CSCEE). Hispanic teachers experience gaps in access to jobs. They are more likely to work as assistant teachers (or teacher aides), where they earn, on average, $10.00 per hour versus $11.06 as a lead teacher.

If we know anything about American history, the mistreatment and undervaluing of Black and Brown women’s care work is historical. During slavery, enslaved Black women were forced to feed, nurse, and care for white children while also taking care of their master’s homes, unpaid and under violence. During Jim Crow, the ‘Mammy’ archetype gained popularity, which depicted Black women as wholesome, skilled, submissive, and obedient caretakers (The Grio). Often shown with exaggerated smiles, Black women were usually made to look happy while taking care of children – children that were rarely depicted as their own.

Structural racism is what makes it possible for Black and Brown early educators today, amid a pandemic, not to be considered essential workers in need of equitable and hazard pay. Even before coronavirus, structural racism within the early education sector contributes to the low wages Black and Brown early educators earn, causing them to live below the poverty line.

More than 325,000 childcare workers lost their jobs during the five-month lockdown, as almost half of all child care programs closed (Prism). The federal government has done little in providing economic assistance to Black and Brown women of color business owners who own and operate home-based childcare centers.

A July survey found that half of childcare business owners of color are sure they will close permanently without additional assistance (NAEYC). Economic aid from the federal government is required for various day-to-day operations, including masks for teachers, cleaning supplies, the ability to pay teachers more money, and training for both parents and teachers.

A little more than one in six women, child care workers live below the poverty line (NWLC). Over half depend on a form of public assistance like the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, the Earned Income Tax Credit, or Medicaid (CSCEE).

The frustrating part of the devaluing of early childhood services and its professionals is that it was primarily created to alleviate poverty among children from low-income families (Head Starter Network). In an effort to break the cycle of poverty, the Lyndon Johnson president administration created the Head Start Program to meet the emotional, social, nutritional, and psychological needs of children who needed it most (Wikipedia).

This summer, two bills passed at the end of July: the Childcare is Essential Act and the Childcare for Economic Recovery Act. This, resulting in a $60 billion investment to stabilize the child care sector during COVID-19, is significant. But more work needs to be done (CNBC). Advocates, both teachers and parents, are fighting side by side for a federal minimum wage as part of the Child Care Fight for $15 campaign movement to ensure higher pay and benefits for teachers (Prism).

Organizations like the Grassroots Movement for Child Care and Early Education, in collaboration with the ECE Organizing Network, are working to bring a shared economic, racial, and gender justice lens to their work as child care workers, educators, and parents (Grassroots Movement for Child Care and Early Education).

We must continue to actively work to dismantle the racial disparities in the child care field, whether as parents, teachers, or allies. It is unjustifiable that Black and Brown women continue to carry the highest economic burdens in this country regardless of their professions. Childcare is a basic need, and those with privilege should advocate to ensure Black and Brown parents and caregivers have their most basic needs met.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Black and Brown women make up 40% of the child care industry workforce, including 22% of immigrant women.
Hispanic teachers are regulated to assistant teacher positions then lead teacher roles resulting in lower pay.
The ‘Mammy’ archetype during American slavery contributes to the low-wages Black women experience as care workers.

RELATED ISSUES

9/21/2020 | Support the 1619 Project.

9/8/2020 | Reject the model minority myth.

8/20/2020 | Support affirmative action in schools.

8/17/2020 | Fight for equity in remote learning.

7/17/2020 | Analyze representation in media.

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 9/30/20 Nicole Cardoza 9/30/20

Close the racial wealth gap.

Happy Wednesday! As we continue to analyze the economic impact of racism, we can't forget to acknowledge its lasting legacy. Sydney, one of our newest writers and a high school senior, outlines how our legacy of racism is evident when we look at wealth, particularly wealth accumulation and generational wealth.

Early early readers will be reminded of our Black-owned business newsletter that we wrote fifty years ago (aka June).

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

Support local Black-owned businesses. Refer your friends to the businesses that you have positive experiences with to increase their number of consumers.
Support political candidates who advocate for reparations and programs that are geared toward bridging the racial wealth divide. An executive summary of 10 possible solutions to narrowing the racial wealth gap is linked here.

GET EDUCATED

By Jami Nakamura Lin (she/her)

The drastic divide between Black and white households’ wealth reveals how centuries of discrimination and inequality have thwarted the African American community from achieving economic prosperity. The racial wealth gap dates all the way back to when the enslavement of Black people began in the 1600s and is still prevalent to this day. While African Americans worked tirelessly on plantations and unwillingly did domestic housework, white people were simultaneously profiting off of their free labor and generating wealth that would later be inherited by their descendants. After years of working without receiving monetary compensation, African Americans were severely disadvantaged because they possessed hardly any assets or money. Once slavery ended, African Americans were abruptly cast into society with little-to-no financial footing, making it incredibly difficult to accumulate wealth. Legal and social barriers such as redlining, segregation, and institutionalized racism prevented African Americans from advancing in society, subsequently prohibiting a majority of the population from amassing generational wealth.

The racial wealth gap refers to the disproportionate divide between Black and white households’ average wealth: “Almost all studies calculate wealth by adding up total assets (e.g., cash, retirement accounts, home, etc.) then subtracting liabilities (e.g., credit card debt, student loans, mortgage, etc.) The resulting figure is your net worth” (Forbes). A typical household’s wealth is made up of ⅔ of housing equity. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the median household wealth for white people is $134,230, compared to Black people’s median of only $11,030. African Americans’ median household wealth is less than 1/10 of their white counterparts’.

A vast majority of statistics that compare wealth and income among races prove that the racial wealth gap is both dramatic and unequal. Even minorities who have received high-level education and come from stable home environments only possess a fraction of what white people in their same position do. “Even the typical black family with a graduate or professional degree had more than $200,000 less wealth than a comparable white family” (Economic Policy Institute). Considering that education is meant to be directly correlated with greater financial success, it is appalling that Black families who have the same level degree as their white counterparts are still not treated as equals. If education is not the way that Black people can become more socially mobile, then what is?

Disparities between the earnings of Black and white people are undeniable. According to Vox, white people aged 16 and older earned a median of $823 per week, compared to only $621 for Black people and $600 for Hispanic people. The gap between racial earnings reflects the presence of discrimination in the workforce and exposes the United States’ inherent racism. The Harvard Business Review stated that “since 1990 white applicants received, on average, 36% more callbacks than black applicants and 24% more callbacks than Latino applicants with identical résumés”. There has been little change since the findings of this study were examined, which proves that hiring rates among Black applicants have remained relatively stagnant. While there are multiple factors that could deter an employer from hiring a certain applicant, it is still evident that there is a noticeable trend of selecting white people over their equally-qualified Black counterparts, which exposes racial bias in the work environment.

The benefits of wealth extend far beyond the possession of material goods. Wealth allows people to purchase houses in safe neighborhoods, receive necessary healthcare, get a strong education, save for retirement, and ultimately pass money down from generation-to-generation. When a family possesses a large sum of generational wealth, their descendants automatically have a safety net that enables them to start businesses, attend costly universities, and make investments.

Because of the cyclical poverty that has been imposed on the Black community as a result of years of oppression, generational wealth among African Americans is much smaller than that of white people. “The Urban Institute found in 2013 that both black people and Hispanic people were five times less likely to receive large gifts or inheritances (of over $10,000, in either case) than white families, and that those gifts were thousands of dollars larger for white families than the minority groups” (Vox). Lack of generational wealth puts the Black community at a severe disadvantage because while white families continue to thrive off of the money they inherit, a considerable amount of African American families have to “start from scratch.” According to the Economic Policy Institute, an inheritance at the median increases wealth by more than $100,000 for white families and only $4,000 for black families. The obvious difference in the amount of inheritances that are afforded to white households versus Black households proves that generational wealth is a leading contributor to the maintenance of white people’s position at the top of the economic pyramid.

Narrowing the racial wealth gap would provide African Americans with a fairer chance at financial success, and bring society one step closer toward repaying the Black community. The United States has not made any significant strides toward bridging the racial wealth gap, so it is imperative that we elect politicians who will advocate for policies that would benefit underprivileged Black families.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The racial wealth gap results from years of slavery, sharecropping, redlining, institutionalized racism, and discrimination in the workplace.
Because the gap has been consistently widening for so many years, it will take a lot of time and the implementation of several government policies to fix the problem.
The racial wealth gap is a reflection of how the United States has systematically failed Black people.

RELATED ISSUES

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 9/29/20 Nicole Cardoza 9/29/20

Learn about climate migration.

It's Tuesday and the world is still on fire. For many of us, global warming has never felt so urgent as it does now. And as we think about how to save the future, we can't forget that millions already impacted by environmental disasters are still in need. Today, Jami introduces the concept of climate migration to the newsletter. She explains how the vulnerable communities on the frontlines of environmental crisis need to be at the center of our path forward.

Some of you received incorrect key takeaways in yesterday's article on tax inequity. My mistake.You can find them updated on our archives.

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

Support people and organizations fighting for climate justice, not just against climate change. Check out Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy (@gcclp) and your local members of the Climate Justice Alliance (@cjaourpower).
Hold corporations--and the governmental bodies that enable them-- accountable for their actions. Companies benefit when we only focus on our individual actions (recycling, shopping, etc.) instead of corporate culpability.
Investigate the politicians on your ballot. What are their positions on the Green New Deal? On immigration? On social justice? These issues all affect climate migration.
Read more about international climate migration and American climate migration in ProPublica.

GET EDUCATED

By Jami Nakamura Lin (she/her)

The wildfires blazing across the West Coast have brought climate migration back to the forefront of many American’s minds. This year, almost 8000 fires have burned over 3.6 million acres of land in California alone (Cal Fire), and many residents are wondering whether they can stay (CNN). Whether they should stay. Or whether they should pick up and move away from their families and communities, joining the ever-growing climate migration across the globe.

Climate migration refers to the movement of people due to climate change-induced environmental stressors, including heat, drought, and natural disasters. This is already happening globally; in 2018 alone, 17.2 million people were recorded as internally displaced (within their own countries) by environmental disasters (Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre). But according to researchers, almost 162 million Americans will experience a “decline in their environment, namely, more heat and less water” within their lifetimes (NY Times). Another study predicts that 1 in 12 Americans in the South will have to move within 45 years due to environmental factors (Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists). While such migration will eventually affect everyone on earth, it matters to anti-racism work because of what communities are most affected. Climate change disproportionately affects communities of color, developing countries, and low-income and underserved populations (NAACP).

“It is important to acknowledge that those impacted the most by the climate crisis are victims to decades and centuries of norms, values, regulations, behaviors, and policies that have made it this way today,” wrote Chanté Harris in a previous newsletter on climate change. Hurricane Katrina is an excellent and terrible example. In the New Orleans area alone, 272,000 Black people were displaced, comprising 73% of the parish’s total displaced population (Congressional Research Service). Across the Gulf South, a lack of affordable housing has made it impossible for many former residents to return to the area.

In 2015, a decade after the disaster, there was only one-third as many public housing apartments in New Orleans as before the disaster, while housing costs in general New Orleans rose 40% (AmnestyUSA). The same year, a survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation/NPR showed that white residents and Black residents had had very different experiences after the crisis. 70% of white residents were able to return to their homes within a year, while less than half of Black residents were able to. Additionally, around half of both the Black and low-income populations did not believe recovery efforts had helped them. In contrast, about two-thirds of both the white and high-income populations thought that recovery efforts had helped them. (Kaiser Family Foundation). Read more about how climate migration will reshape America in New York Times Magazine.

After such disasters, people— especially people of color and those below the poverty line—have to pick between two terrible choices: to remain in their homes and communities (places that will likely be struck by disaster again, with governments that choose not to prioritize their recovery), or to leave. Internationally the situation is even more dire. In India, 600 million people are already facing a water crisis, whether because of drought or degradation of water quality (National Geographic). Each year, runoff declines and water becomes scarcer (Climate Institute). Such events are leading to mass climate migration across the globe at the same time as nationalistic immigration policies rise in the West (ProPublica). Here, yet again, the climate crisis goes head-to-head with America’s racist, xenophobic laws. Read ProPublica’s report and model of climate migration across international borders.

"
Our cities and our communities are not prepared. In fact, our economic system and our social systems are only prepared to make profit off of people who migrate. This will cause rounds of climate gentrification, and it will also penalize the movement of people, usually through exploited labor and usually through criminalization.

Colette Pichon Battle, founder of the Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy, an organization that “advances structural shifts toward ecological equity and climate justice in Gulf South communities of color.” Watch the rest of her TED Talk here.

Climate migration shows the necessity of climate justice, a movement that focuses specifically on addressing racial and socioeconomic inequities and transitioning away from our current toxic, exploitative economy. (Later, we’ll do a deeper dive into climate justice, but for now, check out the Just Transition Framework for Change from the Climate Justice Alliance.)

Issues like climate change can feel insurmountable for us individuals to deal with. We don’t always know what to do in response. And indeed, many well-meaning initiatives (like banning plastic straws) can shift the focus onto individual culpability instead of corporate accountability, while having their own unintended side effects (NPR). But what I do know is: there is power in community action. We cannot rely on our government or on a top-down plan of action. Look at the member list at Climate Justice Alliance for organizations in your area. Support them—by volunteering your time, money, or social media feed. And when you think or talk about climate change or climate migration, make sure you remember the ways that racism impacts the climate crisis.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Because of climate change, many areas are becoming uninhabitable for humans. The shifting environment is leading to climate migration across the globe.
In 2018 alone, at least 17.2 million people were displaced by environmental disasters (Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre).
Climate change disproportionately affects communities of color, developing countries, and low-income and underserved populations (NAACP).

7/24/2020 | Reduce your plastic consumption.

7/12/2020 | Learn how air pollution exacerbates COVID-19.

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

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 9/27/20 Nicole Cardoza 9/27/20

Protect the polls.

It's Sunday! I've paused our weekly COVID-19 reporting to bring you more ways to take action this election. Last week, we discussed the importance of a diverse justice system. Today, Jami takes us into the racial bias that affects our polls.

For a more historical view on the importance of protecting the polls, I highly recommend you read our reporting on voter suppression and the legacy of Rep. John Lewis. In addition, last week's piece on the modern-day poll tax only emphasizes this issue. Let me know if you sign up to be a poll worker!

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

Sign up to be a poll worker. Requirements differ from state to state, but positions are paid and usually require working on Election Day plus additional training. Go to workelections.com and select your state for more information.
Serve as a voting resource. Read up on voting rules and regulations in your county. Push out accurate information on early voting, absentee voting, etc. on social media. Make sure your friends know they can come to you with any questions!
Push for your workplace to make Election Day a paid holiday.

GET EDUCATED

By Jami Nakamura Lin (she/her)

We’re less than two months away from Tuesday, November 3rd— Election Day. In many states, we’re fast approaching the deadline to register to vote. We recommend checking out Slate’s comprehensive guide on the best way to vote in every state, which includes not only all deadlines and rules for voter registration and mail-in voting, but also recommendations on which method of voting will most ensure your vote will actually be counted. Unfortunately, as our past newsletters on voter suppression and Trump’s attacks on mail-in voting have shown, our government doesn’t make it easy for us to vote, or for those votes to be counted accurately.

This year, the lack of poll workers will make it even more difficult for people to vote. During the pandemic, many poll workers—the bulk of whom are over 60 years old (U.S. Election Assistance Commission)—are staying away. Election officials are scrambling to find younger people to fill the gaps, as the lack of poll workers has already hindered many state’s primaries (NPR). On the April 7 primary in Milwaukee—a city that usually has 180 polling places— officials only had enough workers to staff five, leading to extremely long wait times (CNN). This disproportionately affected the city’s large Black population (Business Insider). Even in normal, non-pandemic years, Black and Latinx people wait almost 50% longer than white voters (Brennan Center).

Without enough polling places, people with the least access are the most likely to be deterred from voting. It’s hard to vote if you don’t have a car, and this year, you have to go across town instead of walking a couple of blocks to your polling place. It’s hard to vote if you can’t get time off work, or if you have a kid, and this year you have to wait in line for two hours. This is why having enough poll workers so important—because the deficit disproportionately disadvantages low-income voters and voters of color (The Atlantic).

Poll workers also individually can influence who actually gets to cast a ballot. Before, I didn’t realize that they had any authority; I thought that their duties were just administrative or clerical. But research shows that even though election workers don’t make the voting rules, they can influence how those rules are actually implemented. Poll workers, election officials, and county recorders often have discretion in what kind of minor errors in voter forms or registrations they can decide to let slide or not. Studies show that election workers enforce the rules unevenly, and the decisions often come down to racial bias (Michigan Journal of Race and Law).

In Big Horn County, Montana, officials made the voter registration process more complicated and technical for Indigenous voters than for white voters. Election workers looked for minor errors to use as excuses to deny the Indigenous voters’ registrations (Windy Boy v. County of Big Horn). Another report from Arizona showed that Indigenous voters were often “placed… on ‘suspense lists’ (similar to inactive lists) when the recorder was not satisfied that an applicant sufficiently clarified his or her address. There are few guidelines on what should constitute an adequate address in Arizona; instead, it is left to the recorder’s discretion and may be influenced by implicit bias” (Michigan Journal of Race and Law).

Similarly, the ACLU discovered that “black and Latino voters in Florida were more than two times as likely to have their mail-in ballots rejected as white voters—because of a mix of voter error and how the state processes ballots” (The Atlantic). But blaming these rejections as “voter error” is a way officials can blame the voters themselves without taking into account the inequality in voter information access. Even when voters ask the right questions, they might not get the right answers depending on their race.

In a study from before the 2012 election, researchers sent almost two thousand emails to legislators in 14 states, feigning to be constituents unsure if they could vote without a driver’s license. Half the emails were signed “Jacob Smith”; the other half were signed “Santiago Rodriguez.” None of the states actually required an ID, but legislators that supported voter ID laws responded to “Jacob Smith” much more than “Santiago Rodriguez.” Even legislators that didn’t support ID laws responded more frequently to the white-appearing name, though the difference was not as large (Legislative Studies Quarterly). These reports and studies show how people of color face barriers in voting – not only from our unjust voter suppression laws but also from clerical and administrative workers all throughout the voting process.

Voting is a tactic and should just be one aspect in our fight for equity and justice, alongside protests, community organizing, and other types of activism. But if you are willing and able, you can apply to be a poll worker by going to workelections.com and clicking your state. I just sent in my application here in Illinois. Am I nervous about the coronavirus risk? Yes. But I’m more nervous about voter disenfranchisement, and I will take all the precautions I can. If you can’t be a poll worker, help other people vote. Study up on all the voting regulations in your county and serve as an information hub for your family, friends, and social media feed. And of course, make sure your registration is accurate and up-to-date.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

At polling places, Black and Latinx voters wait in line almost 50% longer than voters (Brennan Center).
We don’t have enough poll workers this year because of coronavirus. A lack of poll workers disproportionately affects voting access for people of color. (You can sign up to be a poll worker via workelections.com!)
Research shows that officials are more likely to reject voter registrations and mail-in ballots from voters of color (Michigan Journal of Race and Law).
Voting is one tactic among many. No matter who wins, we cannot stop our fight for racial equity and justice.

9/9/2020 | Make the census count.

9/7/2020 | Learn about critical race theory.

8/4/2020 | Protect the right to vote by mail.

7/21/2020 | Honor the legacy of Rep. John Lewis.

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 9/25/20 Nicole Cardoza 9/25/20

Decriminalize sex work.

Happy Friday! I became quite passionate about today's topic after hearing Layleen Polanco's story, and the injustice she suffered after being arrested for prostitution and drug charges in NYC. Meanwhile, solicitation charges against Robert Kraft were dismissed yesterday in court. The sex worker industry disproportionately harms communities of color and other marginalized populations. Ebony walks us through the relationship between consensual sex work and law enforcement below.

Also, many of you noted some strange link issues with the social graphics. Not sure why. Hopefully, they're fixed now, but know that we also post them on Facebook and Instagram each day (in fact, we share more images than we include here)!

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. Tell your senator to oppose the EARN IT (Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies) Act, which will implement dangerous online censorship that will disproportionately impact marginalized communities. Learn more and sign >

2. Do your research and see how your state representative voted for SESTA/FOSTA and other prostitution-loitering laws.

3. Support organizations such as Sex Workers Outreach Project, Helping Individual People Survive (HIPS), and Erotic Service Providers Legal Education and Research Project (ESPLERP), who are actively fighting for sex workers’ rights.

GET EDUCATED

By Ebony Bellamy (she/her)

Note: This article discusses sexual assault and violence against sex workers. Please be aware this content may be triggering. Read with care.

Sex workers are regularly targeted, abused, and profiled. And marginalized communities suffer the most from this. Of the 41 sex workers who were murdered in the US in 2015, 17 were Black, and 12 were transgender women (Amnesty International).

In 1985, in Los Angeles, the L.A.P.D. knew a serial killer targeted Black women in the South Central community, yet waited until 2007 to alert the public about the murders (Vanity Fair). The killings were occurring for 22 years before the general public knew about it. To keep these crimes secret, police officers allegedly used “the unofficial acronym ‘N.H.I.’ (“no humans involved”) to describe the slayings of prostitutes and drug addicts” who were the main victims of the serial killer (Vanity Fair).

Between 2012 and 2015, the State Division of Criminal Justice Services reported that 85% of the individuals arrested in New York for loitering for prostitution were Black or Latinx (Survivors Against SESTA). At that time, anti-loitering policing was highly concentrated in Bushwick, Belmont/Fordham Heights, East New York, Hunts Point, and Brownsville because their residents were predominantly people of color (The Village). And approximately 68.5% of arrests for loitering prostitution* were made in those communities, with a vast majority being women.

In Calfornia, Black women made up 42% of all prostitution-related arrests in 2015, despite representing only 2.8% of the state’s population (Survivors Against SESTA). In Chicago, 90% of all prostitution-related arrests in 2017 were connected to selling sex, and 8% were for buying sex (Chicago Reporter). This means women of color are more likely to be arrested for sex work than men who receive their services.

This stems from loitering laws being based on whether or not an officer believes someone is “loitering for the purpose of prostitution” (Chicago Reporter). Police can make prostitution-related arrests even if they don’t have evidence the person committed a crime. In NYC, officers have regularly cited a woman’s clothing as evidence of her engaging in prostitution (The Village). And everything from tight leggings to a bra strap showing has been listed as evidence.

“When you have factors like an article of clothing or the fact that you are one gender and you are talking to people of another gender, you have to expand your view and ask, where is this happening that’s not being policed? And our answer with the loitering case is, everywhere, except these places when the police decide these are the arrests they are going to make.”
Sarah Mogulescu, a survivor of anti-loitering policing via The Village

These arrests happen so frequently that in 2015, the FBI reported more than 30,000 prostitution-related arrests. And of those, 39.9% of arrestees were Black, and 18.7% were Latinx (FBI). But, when violence is committed against sex workers, police often neglect or ignore these cases (Amnesty International).

According to a 2015 report conducted by the DC Trans Coalition, approximately 23% of Black transgender individuals were physically or sexually assaulted by the police because they were perceived as transgender and involved in the sex trade (Amnesty International). This interaction has made transgender sex workers weary to ask for help. About 27% feel somewhat uncomfortable, while 32% feel very uncomfortable (31.8%) seeking help from the police (Meaningful Work).

This community is heavily policed because officers assume transgender women of color are involved in the commercial sex industry (Chicago Reporter). Commercial sex work includes stripping, street prostitution, brothel prostitution, paid domination, and sexual massages, among other things (National Association of Social Workers). And this belief has caused officers to frequently police places they know transgender women socialize at (Chicago Reporter).

Police even target people with prior arrests for prostitution, despite their charges being dismissed. They often follow these individuals around until they catch them engaging in prostitution-related acts such as “approaching a vehicle” and “beckoning to multiple vehicles passing by with male drivers” (The Village). This, unfortunately, creates a cycle of arrests and incarcerations for transgender women, whether they’re involved in the sex trade or not (Chicago Reporter).

And this level of policing will only intensify as bills such as SESTA/FOSTA continue to be passed. Introduced in 2018, this group of bills was meant to curb online sex trafficking. However, many sex workers say SESTA/FOSTA has significantly affected their ability to make a living in consensual sex work because it has prevented them from advertising (Rolling Stone). It has also removed the online safety networks they used to vet potential clients and has driven them into the streets, which increases their chances of experiencing violence and sexual assault (Rolling Stone).

Between SESTA/FOSTA and anti-loitering laws, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community are continually being targeted by the government for being different. It’s time to shift the way people think and support sex workers trying to earn a living like everyone else. And we can start this work by decriminalizing sex work because sex work is work.

*The term prostitute/prostitution is considered a derogatory phrase by many in the sex worker community. We use it here only in law enforcement related terminology.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. In New York, between 2012 and 2015, 85% of the individuals arrested for loitering for prostitution were either Black or Latinx (Survivors Against SESTA).

2. 90% of all prostitution-related arrests in Chicago in 2017 were connected to selling sex, and 8% were for buying sex (Chicago Reporter)

3. The FBI reported more than 30,000 prostitution-related arrests. Of those, 39.9% of arrestees were Black, and 18.7% were Latinx (FBI).

4. Approximately 23% of Black transgender individuals were physically or sexually assaulted by the police because they were perceived as transgender and involved in the sex trade (Amnesty International).

5. SESTA/FOSTA is a group of bills created to curb online sex trafficking but has severely affected the way sex workers conduct their business.

9/3/2020 | Support mental health response services.

8/27/2020 | Help decriminalize drug possession.

8/26/2020 | Be an active bystander.

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

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 9/23/20 Nicole Cardoza 9/23/20

Reject the modern-day poll tax.

Yesterday was National Voter Registration Day. And today there are still millions of people who can't vote in the U.S. this upcoming election. As part of our ongoing series on covering various forms of voter suppression, today we're analyzing how the modern-day poll tax disincentivizes people to vote.

Today's article – written by Jami – centers the voter disenfranchisement in Florida and the work of the FRRC. If you can do one thing today, share their work using the action items below.

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

Donate to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition’s We Got the Vote fund. 100% of these tax-deductible donations will help returning citizens pay their court fines so they can vote and fully participate in their communities.
Listen to Voting Rights for Returning Citizens episode of The Returning Citizen podcast, which explains the issue in a national context.
Read through the ACLU Florida’s collection of actions to fight racism and white supremacy in the state. Choose one or more to participate in.

GET EDUCATED

By Jami Nakamura Lin (she/her)

On Friday, September 11th, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld SB 7066, Florida’s law requiring returning citizens to pay off their court debts before being able to register to vote (NPR). (The term returning citizen refers to people with prior convictions, in this case felony convictions specifically.) The law blocks almost 800,000 potential voters, a disproportionate number of whom are Black (The Guardian). In other words, it’s a poll tax—a fee one must pay in order to vote—and like the Jim Crow era poll taxes, it’s specifically designed to suppress the votes of low-income and Black citizens. But here in 2020, the poll tax is back again.

That this is happening in Florida is relevant. Florida is not only a swing state, but also considered one of the presidential race’s primary battlegrounds (FiveThirtyEight). It also has a history of poll taxes (Richmond University). People convicted of felonies were not allowed to vote until Floridians overwhelmingly passed a referendum restoring those voting rights in 2018, enfranchising 1.4 million people (NYTimes), including one in every five Black adults (Sentencing Project). In a swing state, 1.4 million potential votes matter a lot; in 2012, Obama beat Romney in Florida by just 74,000 votes—an 0.88% margin (St. Augustine Record).

Just eight months after these voting rights were restored, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed the new law requiring payment of court debts (Washington Post). This was a way to again disenfranchise the same population without explicitly saying so, as 774,000 of those 1.4 million owe debt, according to a University of Florida report (Courthouse News).

This May, a federal judge determined that DeSantis’s law was unconstitutional, but now the 11th Circuit Court has overturned that decision, making it valid again. Florida’s system also makes it difficult to know how much these potential voters owe, or how much they’ve already paid, as Slate outlines. The case could wind its way to the Supreme Court, but that takes time, and the Florida voter registration deadline is October 4th. For this presidential election, the damage is done.

The poll tax as we understand it now developed in response to the 15th Amendment, added in 1870, which stated “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude” (National Archive/Our Documents). The idea that Black Americans—including formerly enslaved people— could vote did not go over well with many people in power.

“After the 1870s, particularly in the southern states, there was an effort to restrict any kind of political power for African Americans,” William Pretzer, the curator of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, told Smithsonian. “There was great concern on the part of the white power structure that this was a revolution in their lives.”

In response, white legislators enacted voter suppression laws that included required literacy tests (as we discussed in a previous newsletter) and poll taxes, which effectively blocked not only Black Americans, but also Mexican Americans, Native Americans, and other people of color whose growing numbers struck fear into the white political elite. In Texas, voters were required to pay around $1.50 ($30 in 2020 dollars) to vote, unless they were covered by a “grandfather clause” which exempted anyone who could vote before the Civil War (or whose ancestors could vote) from paying the tax (African American Policy Forum). As only white men could vote before the Civil War, this meant that only the descendents of white men were exempt from paying the tax. (The law also disenfranchised poor white immigrants who came to America after the war.) Similar laws were enacted across all the former Confederate states (Smithsonian). Thus the Southern political elite ensured that while the federal law might give Black voters the vote in theory, the state poll tax still forbade it in practice, consolidating power amongst the wealthy white.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 24th Amendment, which abolished the poll tax and guaranteed American citizens the right to vote regardless of wealth (National Archives). “There can be no one too poor to vote,” he said; everyone deserved the “freedom to vote without bans or barriers” (NYTimes).

And yet Florida’s law clearly shows that there are still people too poor to vote. At least three-fourths of people convicted of felonies in Florida owe the courts money, and most of them cannot pay it (NYTimes). Often, the word “felony” can call up images of murder, but driving three times with a suspended license is a felony in Florida, while murderers are explicitly excluded from the voting law. Instead, in a racist state with a history of overpolicing and overconvicting Black communities (ACLU Florida), the law is, again, a way to block poor people and Black people from voting while not expressly saying so. Like those Jim Crow voting laws, Florida’s law is a smokescreen. It is unconstitutional. It is voter suppression. Support the work of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and donate to their We Got the Vote fund to support the cause and help returning citizens vote.

Key Takeaways

Florida’s law SB 7066 suppresses the vote of returning citizens (people with prior felony convictions) by requiring them to pay off their court debts first. SB 7066 affects around 774,000 people, a disproportionate number of whom are Black (The Guardian).
This law follows in the footsteps of the Jim Crow-era poll taxes, which effectively blocked Black voters and other voters of color.
The 24th Amendment (passed in 1964) abolished the poll tax and was supposed to ensure that anyone could vote regardless of wealth. But the overwhelming majority of those affected by SB 7066 do not have the means to pay their debts (NPR).

RELATED ISSUES

9/9/2020 | Make the census count.

7/21/2020 | Honor the legacy of Rep. John Lewis.

6/29/2020 | Don't vote for Trump.

6/24/2020 | Fight voter suppression.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 9/22/20 Nicole Cardoza 9/22/20

Learn about sundown towns.

Happy Tuesday! Today we're learning about sundown towns, which I always thought of as a part of our history until the Defund San Antonio Police Department Coalition referred to San Antonio as one, and released travel advisories for Black residents.

Renée takes us through the history of sundown towns, the danger of U.S. travel for Black residents, and offers insights for you to consider the next time you're planning a road trip. And be sure to check out the action items – I discovered that my own hometown was once a sundown town.

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

Use this map to see what towns near your hometown may have been sundown towns.
Support the GoFundMe campaign of two Black women aiming to make travel safer for Black travelers through a modern-day digital green book.
Consider: How does your community express itself as a welcoming space for people of color? How might it dissuade visitors and new residents?

GET EDUCATED

By Renée Cherez (she/her)

An American pastime has resurrected with international travel halted to break quarantine’s mundanity: the road trip. Part of the ‘American Dream’ appeal was the sense of freedom, especially in the imagery of road trips on an open highway.

Twentieth-century representation was loaded with white families’ on deserted highways in Chevy’s worry-free with bright smiles. Absent were Black families’ – as the open road was not a journey of good times but open racialized terrorism (NYTimes).

Though Black Americans were aware of the dangers of traveling by car, there was (and still is) a strong sense of freedom and control that automobile travel offered that trains and busses did not (NYTimes). While traveling by busses and trains in Jim Crow America, Black Americans were often subjected to a conductors’ watchful eye. They would have to defer to white passengers even when seated in the “Colored Cart.” This kind of harassment was relentless and what made the construction of a new highway appealing.

Route 66, or “The Mother Road,” one of the most famous U.S. highways, connected eight states beginning in Chicago linking to Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Gaining popularity during the 1930s as people tried to escape the Dust Bowl, Black Americans also used Route 66 to flee racial violence in Jim Crow south. Unbeknownst to them, there was no escaping Jim Crow as institutionalized racism was embedded in every part of the country. A year before Route 66 construction began, the Chicago Tribune published an editorial warning Black Americans away from recreational facilities like swimming pools:

“We should be doing no service to the Negroes if we did not point out that to a very large section of the white population the presence of a Negro, however well behaved, among white bathers is an irritation. This may be a regrettable fact to the Negroes, but it is nevertheless a fact, and must be reckoned with … [T]he Negroes could make a definite contribution to good race relationship by remaining away from beaches where their presence is resented.”

Chicago Tribune editorial, published on August 29, 1925, via The Atlantic.

Because Route 66 covered over 2,000 miles, various businesses like restaurants, barbershops, gas stations, and motels were along the route, making it possible for travelers to stop for a night’s rest and food –except Black travelers. Of the eight states along the highway, 6 had official segregation laws, but all had unofficial rules about race (The Atlantic).

Victor Hugo Green, a postal worker from Harlem, New York, created The Negro Motorist Green Book. This travel guide listed motels, taverns, guesthouses, barbershops, beauty salons, restaurants, realtors, and department stores that were safe for Black Americans to patronize without harm. The book included listings for all parts of the country, but Route 66 was the most famous highway. Published from 1936-1966, the Green Book was considered the Bible of Black travel because it prevented the shame of being kicked out of restaurants and listed towns known as sundown towns (Smithsonian Magazine).

Sundown towns were white only communities where Black people were not allowed to stay “past sundown,” hence the term. Thousands of communities used local law enforcement to protect these spaces across the U.S. (Tougaloo). These communities were dangerous to Black travelers under any circumstance, but being seen after sunset was sure to warrant violence or death. Mostly created to prevent an influx of Black Americans (and Jews and Chinese) in white communities, sundown towns were and still are, symbols of violence (GEN). Black travelers often passed signs that read “Don’t Let the Sun Set on You Here, Understand?” and “Whites Only Within City Limits After Dark.” At its peak, there were an estimated 10,000 towns like these in 1970 (Tolerance.org).

A common practice among Black men with nice cars was to lie to police officers when asked if the vehicle they were driving was theirs. White vigilantes and police officers found it offensive if a Black man owned a fancier car than their own, or even interpreted it as a Black man trying to upstage him. If a Black man was stopped with his family, to protect them from violence, a chauffeur hat would be kept in the car and used as a decoy to avoid trouble (The Atlantic).

Misha Greens’ new series, Lovecraft Country, on HBO, is a powerful example of how horror coupled with America’s unique form of racism can not only be entertaining but illustrates the psychological warfare Black Americans are forced to endure daily. The series follows a young man Atticus, from Chicago, searching for his father in Ardham, Massachusetts.

Joining him on this road trip is his Uncle George (played by Courtney B. Vance) and childhood friend, Letitia (played by Jurnee Smollet). Playing off Mr. Green’s travel guidebook, Uncle George is creating a travel guide for Black travelers. Without sharing too much, all of the fear that sundown towns embody is perfectly depicted thus far.

From psychological violence by police officers, sundown town signage, and refusal of service in a restaurant, the horror of racism is real, and to consider it entertaining can feel wrong. The first two episodes alone show how mortifying, debilitating, and dehumanizing segregation, sundown towns, and Jim Crow were, and still are, today. Police officers and white vigilantes were used as agents against Black life. This is clear when we think about the hunting and murder of Ahmaud Arbery as he ran through his Brunswick, Georgia neighborhood, which may have very well been a sundown town.

It may be easy for white viewers of Lovecraft Country and those who’ve recently learned about The Negro Motorist Green Book to brush off the racial history both explore as ways of the past. However, we should remember that Black men are still being lynched in America in 2020.

If this year has shown us anything, its that we are far from a post-racial society. With racial injustices in full view, Black travelers are creating the necessary resources to keep other Black people safe both domestically and internationally (Travel + Leisure). White people who consider themselves allies should spend their privilege by sharing and amplifying these resources often to aid in the protection of Black travelers everywhere.

Key Takeaways

Sundown towns were white only and dangerous to Black travelers under any circumstance.
Lovecraft Country, on HBO, illustrates the psychological warfare Black Americans are forced to endure daily.
Black Americans still feel fear when traveling by car in America.

RELATED ISSUES

9/2/2020 | Rally for fair appraisals.

8/30/2020 | Protect housing rights during COVID-19.

7/20/2020 | Protect your community from the harm of gentrification.

7/12/2020 | Learn how air pollution exacerbates COVID-19.

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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