Invest in new media.

Earlier this month, Twitter removed Donald Trump from their platform, citing his incitement of violence at the Capitol as against their “Glorifications of Violence” policy (Twitter). The social media platform has been abused by many, as it has provided megaphones for individuals who support policies that discriminate and enact violence upon already marginalized folks. On the other hand, it has also allowed for organizations fighting for real change to amplify their message and to a larger audience more quickly and globally than ever before.

Happy Thursday! Yesterday I felt a collective exhale from many across the nation. It's easy to pretend that a new administration will change everything. But in fact, it's all of us that need to change, and recognize that the systemic injustices we face are far beyond the presidency.

One way to do that is by reckoning with how we process information. We need to invest in emerging platforms and people to have diverse and nuanced perspective. Make broaden your media consumption part of your new year's resolutions. Ida has created a series on "democratizing knowledge" to introduce us to emerging and necessary platforms for education and growth. Here's our first. I love that, through these recommendations, can build relationships with leaders and organizers we may never meet in traditional outlets.

And creators like me get to be connected to people like YOU! Remember to send along a question for Saturday's Study Hall, and join us on our d igital community. As always, this work is possible because of you. Consider subscribing for $7/month on Patreon, or give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Move beyond just retweeting or sharing media that provides critical information and resources. Rather, also take the time to read and reflect on how you can support suggested action items that can be sustained over the long term.
Subscribe to Zeynep Tufekci’s newsletter Insight or read her book Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest in order to understand the possibilities and limitations of new media in large-scale activism.
Read #identity: Hashtagging Race, Gender, Sexuality and Nation to learn about the ways that different new media scholars are conceptualizing digital spaces of resistance and advocacy, as well as discrimination and surveillance.
Diversify what you read each day! Search for publications by writers you admire, spend time researching your favorite topics on social media to find diverse perspectives, and encourage your friends, family and colleagues to do the same.

GET EDUCATED

By Ida Yalzadeh (she/her)

There is, however, a caveat to this last point. Twitter has been criticized for its limitations in creating long term social change. Sociologist Zeynep Tufekci argues that its ephemeral nature doesn’t naturally lend itself to the slow and sustained work of movement building (TED). Critical to these tasks of resistance and liberation is “new media,” which encompasses digital forms of distribution that have allowed for a fast and global reach, such as social media platforms. While the role of social media is central to this conversation and the way in which we distribute information, I’d instead like to turn to some other mediums of new media that can serve as potential tools for thinking and organizing collectively.

This is the first of a multi-part series on “democratizing knowledge,” or making knowledge accessible to a wider public. So much of the way that we consume information now allows us to think and gather more expansively than before. Throughout the series, I want to highlight some of the ways that we can use different mediums of information transfer to organize movements of resistance and realize our goal of collective liberation.

Google Docs is one such digital medium that has been used to distribute reading, resources and support to social movements (The Cut). After the 2016 election, Google Docs began to be used more widely in order to aggregate resources for collective action. In the last year, usage surged, despite questions about the platform’s privacy (MIT Technology Review). The June protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder sparked the creation of Google Docs supporting Black Lives Matter. Everything from letter templates, to bail fund lists, to resource databases were distributed across the internet to support Black folks and their allies. We must also be mindful of the platform’s drawbacks: there are critiques of Google Docs as having the potential to also be seen and forgotten, and just as important, the company’s recent firing of Timnit Gebru implies a larger issue at Google regarding their ethical threshold in the face of capitalism (Wired). That being said, the platform’s ability to easily encourage collaboration and distribute knowledge should not be discounted.

Newsletters are another means of decentralized knowledge distribution that allows for a wide and accessible spread of information. Newsletters are usually operated by one person (or a small number of people) who send information directly to subscribers’ inboxes via platforms like Substack, Tiny Letter and Mailchimp. Much of the discourse around newsletters has focused on the big-name journalists who have quit working for reputable news outlets and started their own newsletters (The New York Times). However, it is also important to emphasize newsletters’ potential for BIPOC writers and activists. Platforms like Substack have given these folks a low barrier to entry in order to to write and widely distribute information about mental health, beauty, culture, queerness, surveillance and belonging.

Much like the weblogs that have long been a mainstay of internet culture, newsletters can be understood as a form of digital resistance (New Media & Society). Anti-Racism Daily—the newsletter you are reading right now—is one such space. First begun by Nicole Cardoza as a side project to propose actionable items to support Black lives, the daily email has managed to find its way into thousands of inboxes. Newsletters like these amplify the voices of writers who might be overlooked by traditional publishing, writers who are advocating for structural change and liberation.

Google Docs and newsletters are only two forms of new media. We live in an age where information is more global and accessible than ever before. Using new media platforms allows collectives to gather, plan and collaborate in a way that lowers the barrier to entry. This is especially important for marginalized groups, who have long been a minority in most American newsrooms (Columbia Journalism Review, Nieman Lab).

We must also see these new media platforms as tools in the fight for collective liberation. While the information that can be distributed across these channels are critical to collective knowledge and organizing, we also need to do the work to act in a collective, meaningful way that can be sustained over the long-term.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Critical to the current tasks of resistance and liberation is “new media,” which encompasses digital forms of distribution that have allowed for a fast and global reach, such as social media platforms.
Using new media platforms like Google Docs and newsletters allows collectives to gather, plan and collaborate in a way that lowers the barrier to entry.
Such platforms are especially important for marginalized groups, who have long been a minority in most American newsrooms (Columbia Journalism Review, Nieman Lab).
But these platforms are simply tools. We also need to do the work to act in a collective, meaningful way that can be sustained over the long-term.

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 1/20/21 Nicole Cardoza 1/20/21

Fight to close Guantanamo Bay.

During his first term, President Barack Obama promised to close the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay (New Yorker). Yet 40 people still remain incarcerated there today (New York Times). Opened by President Bush as a response to the 9/11 attacks, Guantanamo is a prison camp in which the United States military has incarcerated over 700 Muslim men without charges or trials (New York Times). Earlier this year, Amnesty International reported the historic and ongoing human rights violations at Guantanamo Bay which include forced feedings of those on hunger strike, and improper medical care of torture survivors (Amnesty International).

Happy Wednesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Last week we discussed the nuances of counterterrorism policies and its disproportionate impact on communities of color. Today's newsletter by Reina expands on this topic, and advocates for the closing of Guantanamo Bay as part of our reckoning with the inequitable criminal justice system.

As a reminder, revisit our election safety plan and connect with local community organizers in response to uprising re: today's inauguration.

This newsletter is made possible by our subscribers. Consider subscribing for $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). You can also support by joining our curated digital community.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

To work toward the closure of Guantanamo:

Support prisoners by reading their books (like Enemy Combatant by Moazzam Begg) and articles.
Sign up for Reprieve’s mailing list to get actions straight to your inbox. Reprieve is a legal action non-profit that defends marginalized people against human rights abuses.
Join CAGE’s campaign, an organization that empowers communities impacted by the War on Terror.

GET EDUCATED

By Reina Sultan (she/her)

“Bush chose to imprison us on Guantanamo because he could argue that it was not US soil and hence US laws didn't apply,” Moazzam Begg, Outreach Director at CAGE and former Guantanamo prisoner, tells me. “[But] Guantanamo is illegal. Incarcerating people without charge or trial - after they were kidnapped and tortured by the most powerful nation in the world - is a crime.”

During the anti-police violence uprisings in the summer of 2020, the demand to defund the police brought abolition into the national conversation. Folks who had never even considered what a world without police and prisons would look like began reading Mariame Kaba, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, and Angela Davis, while really analyzing whether the carceral state actually delivers justice (it doesn’t). Policing and prisons remain heavily debated topics today, especially as leading Democrats remain steadfastly supportive of the police despite this past summer’s events (Bitch Media).

As the leading thinkers on abolition remind us often, we must think about abolition in a global sense. When we look at the injustices done at Guantanamo, we see the ways in which the United States polices the world and exports its racist and Islamophobic practices as far as it can reach (Wear Your Voice Mag). “The prisoners in Guantanamo had nothing to do with America or its (lack of) justice system and penal code. They never came to America, America came to them,” says Begg.

Closing Guantanamo is of the utmost importance, especially after the events of January 6th (Washington Post). As the world watched violent white supremacists storm the chambers of Congress, many rushed to call them terrorists while others cautioned against this. (For more on the problems with the word “terrorist” in this context, check out our recent newsletter). By claiming the United States has a terrorism problem, politicians can justify even bigger budgets for police, the FBI, the CIA, and agencies like ICE.

We must not give Islamophobic, racist government officials more power to imprison and torture people. One of the reasons that Guantanamo so often falls out of the consciousness of Americans is because all of the prisoners are Muslim.

“If there was a US prison built to detain and torture white Christian men, there's no way there wouldn't be an uproar,” Dr. Maha Hilal, Co-Director of Justice for Muslims Collective & organizer with Witness Against Torture, tells me. “But thanks to a legacy of the dehumanization of Muslims in addition to post 9/11 War on Terror narratives, Muslims have been thoroughly demonized.” Begg agrees, explaining that “prisoners [in Guantanamo Bay] were mostly from Africa or Asia, Muslims who came from different cultures and didn't speak English. That was enough to render them subhuman in the eyes of a military seeking vengeance for 9/11.”

According to Dr. Hilal, many people believe that while “‘normal’ crime is attributed to a lack of services/support, terrorists [are seen as] inherently hateful and, therefore, irredeemable, unlike others accused [or] convicted of crimes.” She argues that we must “further deconstruct terrorism as a concept so it's not weaponized as being radically different” from other crimes.

Closing Guantanamo is just one part of a process of reconciliation that the United States has yet to begin regarding its complicity in the global War on Terror (Prism). The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, drone strikes in Pakistan, support of Israel and Saudi Arabia, and sanctions in Iran have cost hundreds of thousands of lives (source). Millions have been dehumanized and traumatized by the United State’s Islamophobia, imperialism, and endless wars.

We must remember that prison industrial complex abolition is a global demand, meaning we hope to free every incarcerated person worldwide--not just in the United States. We must acknowledge the horrors that have happened and continue to happen in Guantanamo and work to ensure they never happen again.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

PIC (Prison Industrial Complex) abolition is a global demand, not one that just applies to US-based prisons and jails.
There are still 40 men held at Guantanamo Bay. Each day they are not free is an injustice.
Committing to closing Guantanamo is the bare minimum for the Biden administration. We must pressure them to provide compensation, housing, and services for all of the survivors and to commit to ending all US-sanctioned torture.

RELATED ISSUES

1/12/2021 | Abolish the death penalty.

1/6/2201 | End felony disenfranchisement.

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

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 1/19/21 Nicole Cardoza 1/19/21

Advocate for universal healthcare.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as many as 7.7 million workers had lost their jobs (Commonwealth Fund). Health insurance had left with, leaving millions of people uninsured during a global pandemic (Business Insider). Not only has the pandemic exposed the inequitable healthcare system, but has underscored the need for universal healthcare, or medicare, for all.

Happy Tuesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Today we're diving into the importance of universal healthcare, one of several political changes we'll be advocating for this month during the political shift.

As the inauguration nears, please be sure to take care of yourself and your community. Revisit our election safety plan and learn more about the priorities of community organizers where you live.

This newsletter is made possible by our subscribers. Consider subscribing for $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). You can also support by joining our curated digital community.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Advocate for healthcare reform on social media.
Participate in elections at all levels by educating yourself about and voting for candidates that want health care for all.
Support and consider donating to organizations that are advocating for universal healthcare policies and reform such as Healthcare-NOW and Community Catalyst.

GET EDUCATED

By Kayla Hui (she/her)

Universal healthcare is a system that provides all people - regardless of financial need - access to health care services and resources such as preventative care, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care (World Health Organization). Over the past few decades, the United States has witnessed skyrocketing healthcare costs, which has prevented people from seeking or delaying care.

In 2018, the U.S. spent $3.6 trillion on healthcare, the highest of any other nation. These costs are expected to rise to $6.2 trillion by 2028 (Peter G. Peterson Foundation). Healthcare costs remain high because the U.S. relies on a free market where hospitals have the authority to set their prices. Because a free market relies on capitalism, when healthcare is in high demand, prices can surge. So access to medical care, especially during a pandemic, is strenuous, especially for those who can’t afford to see a doctor. “When a society is seriously concerned about its people having equitable access to care and about polling health risks efficiently, the free market is not a good choice,” Jui Fen, Rachel Lu, and William C. Hsiao state in an online article. (Health Affairs). The high healthcare costs – especially during a pandemic where a scarcity of resources exists – are what makes the U.S. healthcare system inequitable and systemically racist.

In 2019, BIPOC communities had the highest uninsured rates, leaving them vulnerable to existing health conditions prior to the pandemic (Kaiser Family Foundation). People who are uninsured are three times more likely than insured adults to say they have not had a doctor’s visit to discuss their health (Kaiser Family Foundation). They are also less likely to receive recommended screenings such as blood pressure, cholesterol, pap smears, mammograms, and colon cancer screenings (Kaiser Family Foundation). When a disease or health condition is left untreated, the health consequences can be dire especially for those with chronic illnesses.

When looking at the COVID-19 pandemic, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other people of color have been disproportionately impacted (The COVID Tracking Project and Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research). Nationwide, Black people are dying at 1.7 times the rate of white people with Native and Hispanic and Latino people trailing not too far behind.

One of the main reasons why millions of people lost health insurance is because of a flaw in the system: employer-based insurance (EBI). EBI is a system where health insurance is tied to employment instead of being provided by the government. In the U.S., health is not a guaranteed right. Rather, it is a commodity, an “add on for an extra dollar” if you will expense, and only those most privileged to afford its exorbitant costs will reap the benefits and have healthier outcomes - preventative screenings to catch diseases early on, access to the medical care they need when they are sick, can afford to see a doctor any time of year, etc.

Historically, the use of preventative health services has been low, especially among BIPOC, the uninsured, and low-income communities (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). It’s not that people don’t want to get these screenings, it's that they can’t afford to. Nearly one in four people in the U.S. are skipping medical care because of the cost (CNBC). If the U.S. adopted preventative measures such as cancer screenings, approximately 100,000 lives could be saved each year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention).

So how did EBI come to be? In 1943, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ruled that employer-based health care should be tax-free (National Public Radio). However, by the 1950s, after a decade of growth, the Eisenhower administration reserved tax-free status for employers only. Since then, employer contributions to health insurance would be tax-free. By the mid-1960s, people started to equate a good job with health care benefits. Thus, EBI was born.

This decision created a burdensome challenge when the pandemic forced a national shutdown, especially for those working jobs that require in-person contact. While grocery and essential workers were allowed to remain open through plexiglass installation and COVID-19 safety guidelines, other workers were not as lucky, including my parents (NPR). The banquet halls where my mother and grandmother worked, shut down indefinitely. Pre-pandemic, my mother and popo (grandmother in Chinese) would carry plates of catered food to hundreds of guests during proms, weddings, and business conferences. As those functions got canceled, so did my family’s health insurance.

“Dear Diane, the table below shows the last day you and/or your dependent(s) have healthcare coverage,” I read to my parents. While the letter was highly-anticipated, the gravity of our situation didn’t sink in until I processed what the lack of health insurance would mean for me and my family. Because my two sisters and I were dependents under our mother’s insurance, we too, had lost coverage, leaving five members in my immediate family without health insurance. I was most worried about my popo, who lives with chronic respiratory illness and asthma. The stress and uncertainty of our health insurance coverage doesn’t just affect my family but millions of BIPOC and low-income households.

In 2018, 66% of U.S. adults had stated that the cost of health insurance was a stressor for themselves and loved ones (American Psychological Association). If the U.S. adopted universal healthcare coverage, 137 million people would not have to face medical hardship, struggle to pay their medical bills, or incur medical debt (Medpage Today). In addition, the country would save 13% in national healthcare expenditures which totals $450 billion annually. (U.S. News). Patients would have the freedom to choose their doctors and hospitals without bearing the cost of high premiums, copayments, and deductibles.

Adopting universal health care would require a redesign of the U.S.health care payment infrastructure. It would require a mix of private insurance (for those who can afford it) and quality public services while weighing cost, access, quality, and equity (ProPublica). In the beginning of 2020, 43.4% of U.S. adults were inadequately insured (The Commonwealth Fund). While some argue that universal healthcare would look like medicare for all, we know that the current system we have does not work and the cost of human life is at stake without health insurance coverage.

The fight to expand healthcare for all has been a debate that predated COVID-19. In order to achieve “good” health, people must have access to the resources that will keep them healthy. Universal healthcare shouldn’t be a controversial issue because healthcare is a human right and it is the basis for which people can live and lead healthy and happier lives.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Employer-based insurance is a flawed component of the United States healthcare system, only benefiting those who are able to access “good” jobs.
By implementing universal healthcare in the U.S., everyone, regardless of financial status, would be offered essential healthcare services.
BIPOC and low-income communities bear the burden of disease and health disparities in the United States. They are more likely than white people to be uninsured.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 1/18/21 Nicole Cardoza 1/18/21

Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s full legacy.

The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. has been whitewashed and gentrified to depict him as someone that only advocated for unity and peace (Essence). But during his life, many denounced him as an extremist (Time) and the FBI considered him a threat to democracy (Stanford). Neither narrative speaks to his radical views, nor his lasting commitment to racial equity. It's our responsibility to honor his legacy beyond what's been deemed "appropriate" by education and media.

Happy Monday. Keeping it short up here because today's email is long. I choose a speech to revisit on this day each year, and I hope you find these as inspiring as I do. Remember, the most important thing you can do to honor Dr. King's legacy is to keep going; to continue to “give ourselves to this struggle until the end”.

This newsletter is made possible by our subscribers. Consider making a monthly or annual subscription on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

TAKE ACTION

Read / listen to the speeches below and consider: How do they shift your perception of Dr. King's work?
Watch a movie dedicated to Dr. King’s legacy. Some considerations: "Selma,” Ava Duvernay's depiction of the historic march, Clark Johnson’s "Boycott" on the start of the civil rights movement, or "Shared Legacies," outlining historical lessons of Black-Jewish cooperation.
Talk with a friend about the correlation of Dr. King's work to current events today

GET EDUCATED

The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been whitewashed and gentrified to depict him as someone that only advocated for unity and peace (Essence). But during his life, many denounced him as an extremist (Time) and the FBI considered him a threat to democracy (Stanford). Neither narrative speaks to his radical views, nor his lasting commitment to racial equity. It's our responsibility to honor his legacy beyond what's been deemed "appropriate" by education and media.

One way to start is to absorb all of the words in his speeches and literary work (beyond the quippy quotes you'll see on social media today). Here are my recommendations for where to start.

Letters from a Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963

Audio | Transcript | Bonus: Photocopy of Original Transcript

“I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”

This is a speech that’s often quoted without context. Responding to criticism made by the "A Call for Unity" clergymen, who wanted racial equity to be pursued by the courts, not the people, King defends the tactics of the civil rights movement and admonishes those that take a moderate state against the injustices Black people face.

---

Beyond Vietnam, April 4, 1967

Audio and Transcript

“I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin...we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”

This is a scathing admonishment of the U.S. participation in the Vietnam War, but also a critique of the racial inequities of capitalism, and our nation’s inability to invest in its own people before spending on wars abroad.

---

The Role of the Behavioral Scientist in the Civil Rights Movement, September 1, 1967

Transcript

“Urban riots must now be recognized as durable social phenomena. They may be deplored, but they are there and should be understood. Urban riots are a special form of violence. They are not insurrections. The rioters are not seeking to seize territory or to attain control of institutions. They are mainly intended to shock the white community. They are a distorted form of social protest. The looting which is their principal feature serves many functions. It enables the most enraged and deprived Negro to take hold of consumer goods with the ease the white man does by using his purse.”

In a speech delivered to the American Psychology Association’s Annual Convention in Washington, D.C., Dr. King analyzes the social sciences behind the civil rights movement, noting how forms of protest to an unjust criminal justice system, poverty and other inequities are necessary to dismantle whiteness and white supremacy.

---

The Other America, March 14, 1968

Audio Excerpt | Full Transcript | Video of another version delivered at a different time

“And I use this title because there are literally two Americas. Every city in our country has this kind of dualism, this schizophrenia, split at so many parts, and so every city ends up being two cities rather than one. There are two Americas. One America is beautiful for situation. In this America, millions of people have the milk of prosperity and the honey of equality flowing before them. This America is the habitat of millions of people who have food and material necessities for their bodies, culture and education for their minds, freedom and human dignity for their spirits. In this America children grow up in the sunlight of opportunity. But there is another America. This other America has a daily ugliness about it that transforms the buoyancy of hope into the fatigue of despair”.

This speech centers the economic disparities of our nation, and makes clear the correlation between racism and economic oppression. Dr. King also defends the anger and injustice that Black people are experiencing, naming that “certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots”.

---

I’ve Been to the Mountaintop, April 3, 1968

Audio | Annotated Transcript | Video Excerpt of quote below

“Now about injunctions: We have an injunction and we’re going into court tomorrow morning to fight this illegal, unconstitutional injunction. All we say to America is, “Be true to what you said on paper.” If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand some of these illegal injunctions. Maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn’t committed themselves to that over there.

But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech.

Somewhere I read of the freedom of press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. And so just as I say, we aren’t going to let dogs or water hoses turn us around, we aren’t going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on.”

This was Dr. King’s last speech. In it, he celebrates both the emotional and economic strength of the Black community, and rallies for everyone to “give ourselves to this struggle until the end”. He names that he’s unsure “what would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers,” but that he’s happy, because he’s had the opportunity to witness the power of the civil rights movement across the country. The next day, he was shot and killed while standing on the balcony of his hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee.

Dr. King delivered this speech at the Memphis sanitation strike, where sanitation workers advocated for fair wages and humane working conditions. We wrote about this strike, and the more recent New Orleans sanitation strike that mirrors this movement, in a previous newsletter. The font used in our name and key headers of this email, alongside our social media assets, was inspired by the protest signs from this event. The font is called Martin, and was designed by Tré Seals at Vocal Type.

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Nicole Cardoza 1/17/21 Nicole Cardoza 1/17/21

Support Black farmers.

155 years. 64 trillion dollars.

That’s how long the families of 4 million enslaved Black people have been waiting for their 40 acres and a mule since stewarding land in the antebellum U.S. That’s how much money this property is worth. A promise often cited but never fulfilled.

As society reckons with compensating this missing generational wealth, today’s Black farmers still struggle to get and maintain their acreages. Black farmers “were a major agricultural force in the 19th and 20th centuries” (Modern Farmer). Ironically, this height of Black husbandry occurred in what Black historian Rayford Logan coined “The Nadir,” the period between 1890 and 1918 – some African American scholars extend the era to 1930 – when progress toward racial equity reached its lowest point.

Happy Sunday. Today we're joined by Andrea to look at the history of Black farmers in the U.S. I really enjoyed diving into the history of our migration across the country, and understanding the nuances of land ownership. I used to live on a farm, and miss that relationship to the earth. I hope you enjoy!

Are you following us on Instagram? We'll be hosting a conversation with Deepa Iyer on finding your role in movement work on Tuesday, January 19 at 1p EST. We're gathering questions in advance over on the ARD community.

And thank you all for your support. This newsletter is made possible by our subscribers. Consider making a monthly or annual subscription on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Contact your U.S. senator to support the Justice for Black Farmers Act, a Senate bill co-sponsored by Senators Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Donate to organizations supporting Black farmers, such as the National Black Farmers Association, National Black Food & Justice Alliance, and Soil Generation.
Directly support Black farmers, such as Soul Fire Farms, Black Dirt Farm Collective, and the local farmers in your community.

GET EDUCATED

By Andrea Plaid (she/her)

155 years. 64 trillion dollars.

The U.S. government signed the Homestead Act of 1862 and the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which solidified the citizenship of newly emancipated Black people. These two laws gave Black people legal rights to claim 160 acres for a nominal fee, a deed, and if they stayed on the land for five years (Aeon). Most of them staked their claims on Southern lands under a corollary to the Homestead Act called the Southern Homestead Act (SHA) of 1866. This “land hunger,” as W.E.B. DuBois called it, drove approximately 200,000 Black people to own 20 million acres of land in the South and the West by the 1910s, in the midst of the Nadir (Mother Jones). 14% of that land was in Mississippi (The Atlantic).

Some of the manumitted Black folks did not stay in the South. Instead, they sought their literal and figurative 40 acres in what’s referred to as “the American West,” but is actually where the government stole Indigenous people’s lands in its expansionist efforts. Famously known as the Exodusters, approximately 3,500 Black people – out of the millions who were freed and several thousand who moved west – were able to claim 650,000 acres of this land. Including their families, about 15,000 Black people lived in these homesteads (National Park Service). By the 1920s, the number of Black farmers peaked at 949,889, with their owning 15 million acres across the U.S (The Guardian).

In response, white supremacy redoubled its efforts to divest these farmers of their acreage and their livelihoods.

In practice, the Homestead Act and the SHA were insufficient to support freed African Americans through the bureaucratic process. It also often provided unfarmable land and never included the money to pay the filing fee (PBS). A few of the newly freed Black people, particularly Black men, ended up sharecropping or in chain gangs. According to The Atlantic, “even the most enterprising black landowners found themselves fighting a war of attrition, often fraught with legal obstacles that made passing title to future generations difficult.”

Ultimately, out of the 28,000 that filed for land patents, only about 5,500 Black people actually received them (Aeon). In contrast, the Homestead Act and the SHA ultimately gave away 270 million acres to 1.6 million U.S.-born and immigrant white people. As of 2000, 46 million of these people – about a quarter of the U.S. population – are descendants of these landowners (Aeon).

White nationalist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan – some of whom were on city councils and law enforcement – forced many Black farmers off their land because, in some cases, the farmers’ growing wealth from their work offended the white townspeople’s sense of racial superiority. In other cases, the white people wanted the land itself. (Los Angeles Times)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) aided and abetted in further depriving Black farmers of land and livelihood. The all-white department, which fortified its efforts to bolster American agriculture under the New Deal’s Farm Bill of 1933, routinely excluded the farmers by denying them loans or colluding with banks and land developers to steal the land (Modern Farmer). They also forced farmers off their rightful property and treated the farmers with openly disdainful hostility when they sought their services (The Counter). Between 1930 and 1950, Black husbandry “declined by 37%...and black tenants and [sharecroppers] declined by 32%” as this new iteration of the USDA and its policies favored corporate farming. This drove Black farmers out of business and off their lands, which accelerated the Great Migration, where Black communities moved into urban communities (Rosenberg and Wilson Stucki).

However, Black farmers resisted. The National Black Farmers Association and other African American agricultural landowners organized and sued the USDA in 1999 for racial discrimination, stating that “the department denied them access to federal farm-operating loans, disaster payments, information on farm programs, technical assistance, and other support that the agency is mandated by law to provide low-income farmers” (Yes Magazine). The USDA settled that case, known as Pigford v. Glickman, that year for $1 billion, with Congress appropriating more money to compensate for the farmers who filed late. This action, called Pigford II, brought the total to $1.25 billion in 2010 (Yes Magazine). However, The Counter investigated that this victory was, at best, a hollow one.

Even with these actions, only 45,508 Black farmers remain as of 2019. They own only 0.52 percent of U.S. agricultural acres and earn, on average, $40,000 per year, compared to their white counterparts’ average yearly income of over $190,000 (The Guardian). The old towns and homesteads settled by the Exodusters are fading away (Washington Post). Today’s reality is, according to NPR, “farmland is expensive, and farm real estate prices have been on the rise since 1969.” This means “young Black farmers with student debt or low credit scores face more challenges accessing the credit needed to put a down payment on viable land for farming” (NPR). The coronavirus pandemic is further devastating this population; many Black farmers, who tend to have smaller operations, have been left out of the billions of dollars in relief funds (100 Days in Appalachia).

Still, some African Americans, including younger people, find their way back to agricultural stewardship and find a way to give back to their communities. In the 1990s, Chicago media mentioned The Black Farmers Markets, which explicitly connected this segment of land cultivators with Black customers in the face of white hostility in the “traditional” farmers markets. (The Counter) This organization works in coalition with a vibrant network of other food-justice, racial-justice, and farm-justice groups such as the National Black Food & Justice Alliance, Soil Generation, and Community Food Lab and agricultural communities such as Soul Fire Farms and Black Dirt Farm Collective.

The U.S. government – through the USDA – wants another chance to rectify its devastation. Senators Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, and Kirsten Gillibrand co-sponsored the Justice for Black Farmers Act released on November 30 (Mother Jones). The new bill will allot $8 billion to buy land to give to Black farmers. It will also give money to “agriculturally based” historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other nonprofits to help them assist the USDA in finding land to purchase for the farmers, and provide the resources to support new Black farmers and Black agricultural collectives.

Black lives matter – including the lives and livelihoods of the Black farmers who literally feed us. We need to return the favor.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Black farmers in the United States have a long, proud, and devastating history of landownership and in starting and maintaining a sustainable livelihood.
Black farmers played a significant role in U.S. agriculture in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially during The Nadir, the lowest point in U.S. race relations.
Black farmers resisted land-grabs and racial discrimination on the federal and local levels.

RELATED ISSUES

11/26/2020 | Support the land back movement.

11/23/2020 | Fight food insecurity.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 1/14/21 Nicole Cardoza 1/14/21

Impeach, ban and convict Trump.

The following are the BLM's list of demands in response to the Capitol coup shared via email. Action items in today's email reference the points made below. I've added contextual information in italics with an asterisk *.

Happy Thursday and welcome back! Another "new year", another impeachment of President Trump. Today we're amplifying Black Lives Matter's list of demands as our call-to-action. It has action items not just for the next administration, but tactical ways you can take action today.

As you do, remember that Trump has been inciting violence over the past four years. It took an insurrection at the Capitol to spur action, but our democracy and many of its people have been endangered (or outright killed, attacked and/or discriminated against) by his presidency since day one.

Our work is made possible by our paid subscribers. You can financially contribute by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. Thank you all for your support!

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Co-Sign the BLM demands in response to the Capitol coup.
Contact your Senators and demand they vote to convict President Trump. You can use the Senate website, use this form via Everytown, call by dialing (202) 224-3121, or text EXPEL to 30403.
Take at least one of the four actions to support the BREATHE Act on their website, whether it's calling local representatives, spreading the word, or sharing your story on how the BREATHE Act would change your life.
Consider: How did Trump's hateful and incendiary rhetoric directly affect my wellbeing? How did it impact my community? Those more vulnerable than me? Those more resourced than me?

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

1. Impeach, convict, and ban Trump from future political office: Every second that Trump remains in office is a threat to our democracy. We are joining Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Cori Bush, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, and others who are demanding Trump be immediately impeached and convicted in the United States Senate. Trump must also be banned from holding elected office in the future. Call your members of Congress and demand they support impeachment by dialing (202) 224-3121.*It's not enough to simply impeach President Trump to prevent him from running again. Learn more aboutwhat needs to happen next, and learn how similar efforts have played out withother political leaders around the world.

2. Expel Republican members of Congress who attempted to overturn the election and incited a white supremacist attack: More than half the Republican representatives and multiple senators stoked Trump's conspiracy theories and encouraged the white supremacists to take action to overturn the election. We are supporting Rep. Cori Bush's resolution to expel them from Congress for their dangerous and traitorous actions. *Learn more about this resolution onCBS News.

3. Launch full investigation into the ties between Capitol Police and white supremacy: The Capitol was able to be breached and overrun by white supremacists attempting to disrupt a political process that is fundamental to our democracy. We know that police departments have been a safe haven for white supremacists to hide malintent behind a badge, because the badge was created for that purpose. Guilty parties need to be held accountable and fired. We are supporting Rep. Jamaal Bowman's COUP Act to investigate these connections. *Read more about the COUP Act.

4. Permanently ban Trump from all digital media platforms: Trump has always used his digital media platforms recklessly and irresponsibly to spread lies and disinformation. Now it is clearer than ever that his digital media is also used to incite violence and promote its continuation. He must be stopped from encouraging his mob and further endangering our communities, even after inauguration.*Here's aroundup of the actionsvarious tech platforms have taken to block Trump.

5. Defund the police: The police that met our BLM protestors this summer with assault rifles, teargas, and military-grade protective gear were the same police that, on Wednesday, met white supremacists with patience and the benefit of the doubt, going so far as to pose for selfies with rioters. The contrast was jarring, but not for Black people. We have always known who the police truly protect and serve. D.C. has the most police per capita in the country; more funding is not the solution.*Learn how calls to defund the police are translating politically with thisbreakdown of police budgetsacross the U.S.

6. Pass the BREATHE Act: The police were born out of slave patrols. We cannot reform an institution built upon white supremacy. We need a new, radical approach to public safety and community investment. The BREATHE Act paints a vision of a world where Black lives matter through investments in housing, education, health, and environmental justice.*Read more about The BREATHE Act.

Related Issues

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

6/10/2020 | Defund the police.

11/16/2020 | Understand your local law enforcement.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 1/13/21 Nicole Cardoza 1/13/21

Honor Mahjong.

Barely a week into 2021, a Dallas-based company called The Mahjong Line was met with outrage on social media for appropriating mahjong, a Chinese tile-based game that dates back to the 1800s (Stanford News).

Happy Wednesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. I appreciate your readership. I missed a lot of news during last week's insurrection at the Capitol, but not today's story. I emailed Kayla to see if she'd want to cover it, but turns out she had already sent us a pitch! We've written about cultural appropriation a few times on the newsletter, so keep those stories in mind as you read.

Also, yesterday we discussed abolishing the death penalty. Later that day, two executions scheduled for this week (Cory Johnson and Dustin John Higgs) have been halted by a federal judge.

Our work is made possible by our paid subscribers. You can financially contribute by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. Thank you all for your support!

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Be a responsible consumer and shop at stores that do not appropriate mahjong and other cultures.
Learn about mahjong’s history and hand carved tiles here.
Educate yourself on why cultural appropriation is harmful here.
Support local businesses in Chinatowns - where mahjong is sold and played - by donating to either Send Chinatown Love or The Longevity Fund.

GET EDUCATED

By Kayla Hui (she/her)

Cultural appropriation is the act of using objects or elements of a non-dominant culture (when white people use objects, clothing, elements from Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color) in a way that doesn’t respect the original meaning, give credit to the original source, or reinforces harmful stereotypes (Anti-Racism Daily).

Developed in the Qing Dynasty, the strategy-based game has been played and preserved by Chinese people for centuries. Mahjong consists of 144 tiles made up of three suits that have been carved with Chinese symbols. When Kate LaGere, co-founder of the company wanted to “refresh” the artwork of the traditional tiles because the designs were “all the same” and “did not mirror her style and personality,” she along with her two coworkers, Annie O’Grady and Bianca Watson gentrified the game. Rather than learn the Chinese numbers and symbols, the three white women replaced traditional Chinese glyphs with bubbles, thunderbolts, and bags of flour. By making the game palatable to a white gaze, they made the game harder to understand, and contributed to the erasure of Chinese culture and history.

On their website, they failed to mention and credit the game’s origins to the Qing Dynasty. And instead of giving proper credit to Chinese people, they attempted to justify their actions by differentiating between “American” mahjong and “Chinese” mahjong. In the 1920s, Joseph Babcock popularized mahjong in the states by creating new rules so that Americans could adapt (National Mahjongg League). Although variations of gameplay exist, any variation of mahjong is cultural appropriation because it neglects mahjong’s original rules. By placing the word American in front of mahjong, it creates an illusion that mahjong was created and developed in the United States.

If changing the Chinese glyphs and calling mahjong American wasn’t gentrified enough, people can choose which mahjong set they want to purchase based on a quiz that asks for the ideal vacation day and theme song, another classic example of minimizing the game and colonizing it to make the game more suitable for white people.

There are multiple reasons why the cultural appropriation of mahjong is harmful to the Chinese community. First, appropriation fails to acknowledge and give proper credit to the game’s roots. Failing to credit the game’s Chinese origins erases its history and cultural significance.

Secondly, appropriation “makes things cool for white people, but too ethnic for people of color” (Everyday Feminism). By using the words “refresh,” The Mahjong Line insinuated that mahjong needed rebranding in order for the game to be enjoyable or played. Words like “rebrand” and “refresh” are codes for gentrification and colonization and further erase the game's Chinese heritage.

The appropriation is further exacerbated when members of the dominant culture – white people – profit off of a culture that is not theirs. This causes harm to businesses of those appropriated communities. In choosing to sell exorbitant and appropriated mahjong sets, Kate, Annie, and Bianca have harmed Chinese businesses that have worked centuries to preserve the game’s craftsmanship. Although handcrafted mahjong is still being made today, the craft is dying due to the cheaper pricing of manufactured sets. By selling mahjong in the first place and upcharging these sets to $425, The Mahjong Line is contributing to cultural extinction.

For BIPOC communities, barriers like racism and xenophobia hamper their ability to earn income from their cultural items. For example, BIPOC may face language barriers or lack the institutional power to earn an income (Everyday Feminism). Because of white supremacy, white people exploit culture and turn culturally specific tools into profit.

Back in the 1920s and 30s, mahjong became culturally important in Chinatowns. It allowed Chinese people to form and build a community at a time when they were excluded because Americans saw them as “perpetual foreigners” (Stanford News).

When I saw mahjong - a game that has been a significant part of my identity, culture, and upbringing - gentrified, it rendered feelings of anger and frustration. Every year, my father’s side of the family hosts a family reunion, and there, I get to observe and play with my goomas (aunts in Chinese) and cow cows (uncles in Chinese). It is because of Chinese mahjong artisans that has allowed not only my family, but other Asian communities to play and enjoy mahjong today.

Deniers of appropriation will say that anyone can play or learn mahjong. The problem is not that the game cannot be enjoyed by everybody. The problem is that it cannot be sold, produced, and branded by just anyone, especially by groups of people from cultures where mahjong did not originate from.

Although the company issued an apology on their Instagram account on January 5, their attempt to apologize fell short. Rather than own up to their actions and apologize, their “we launched this company with pure intentions” was only an attempt to justify their actions. They also continued to use “American” in describing mahjong and failed to acknowledge or describe in any detail, steps to “rectify” the situation.

Toward the end of the company’s statement, the owners wrote, “we are always open to constructive criticism and are continuing to conduct conversations with those who can provide further insight to the game’s traditions and roots in both Chinese and American cultures.” Despite this comment, they have disabled their comments and mentions on Instagram, silencing the communities they harmed.

Kate, Annie, and Bianca were not alone in aiding in the appropriation. They had help from a branding company called Oh Brand Design and Plavidal Photography. Plavidol Photography has issued a formal apology on their Instagram and Oh Brand Design released a statement on their website and announced their terminated relationship with The Mahjong Line.

The appropriation perpetrated by The Mahjong Line adds to the long history of cultural appropriation that has been perpetuated in this country. We see this appropriation manifest itself in the form of sexualized “Indian and Asian” halloween costumes, non-Black people wearing braids or other protective hairstyles, white women wearing Indian saris, qipaos, and other traditional dresses to prom, and more (Centennial Beauty, BuzzFeed News, The Washington Post).

Mahjong is more than just a tile-game, it is the long standing symbol of Chinese culture and community. It is abundantly clear that through The Mahjong Line’s actions, they have contributed to further colonization and cultural erasure. As we continue into 2021, we must leave cultural gentrification behind and support Chinese mahjong artisans who have worked to preserve a tradition that has been around for generations.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Support Chinese mahjong retailers and artists working to preserve mahjong’s craftsmanship.
The Mahjong Line, a Dallas-based company owned by three white women appropriated and gentrified Chinese mahjong.
Using elements, objects, or practices of BIPOC communities in a way that doesn’t respect the original meaning or give credit to the original source is cultural appropriation.
Cultural appropriation is harmful to the community whose culture is being appropriated. It fails to give credit to the creator, reinforces negative stereotypes about a group, and allows white people to profit off a culture that is not theirs.

Related Issues

7/13/2020 | Respect the roots of Black hair.

7/16/2020 | Respect AAVE.

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

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 1/12/21 Nicole Cardoza 1/12/21

Abolish the death penalty.

The federal government was responsible for 10 of the 15 people who were executed under the death penalty last year, the largest number of state sanctioned murders ordered by an administration since 1896 (BBC, NYTimes). The death penalty has been wielded as a cudgel to keep Black people subjugated for centuries, first as lynchings, before being codified as state-sanctioned murder.

Happy Tuesday. Yesterday, ProPublica reported that the Justice Department is pushing ahead with plans for three executions this week – even though two of the prisoners have COVID-19 and multiple courts have objected to the government’s aggressive tactics. This email should go without saying, but I appreciate how Juan walks us through the history in today's newsletter.

Our work is made possible by our paid subscribers. You can financially contribute by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. Thank you all for your support!

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Sign the petition urging the Trump administration to stop federal executions scheduled for the remainder of its term.
Follow the Death Penalty Information Center for any information or changes related to the death penalty.
Urge your local representatives to abolish the death penalty.
Use this list from the Equal Justice initiative to find criminal justice organizations to support in your state.

GET EDUCATED

By Juan Michael Porter II (he/him)

The death penalty has been wielded as a cudgel to keep Black people subjugated for centuries, first as lynchings, before being codified as state-sanctioned murder.

According to Ngozi Ndulue, the Senior Director of Research and Special Projects for Death Penalty Information Center, “The death penalty has been used to enforce racial hierarchies throughout United States history, beginning with the colonial period and continuing to this day.”

In a report on the historical context of the death penalty, she noted racial disparities at every level of the legal system while equating police shootings and white vigilante violence to a "modern death penalty (that) is the direct descendant of slavery, lynching, and Jim Crow-segregation" (Death Penalty Information Center).

The Supreme Court came to similar conclusions when it struck down capital punishment in 1972, due to the “arbitrary and capricious way” it had been employed up to that point, especially in regards to race. The court reversed course five years later to acknowledge that 66% of Americans supported capital punishment, but with the caveat that a “model of guided discretion” would be used (History).

Unfortunately, discretion has never guided this country when dealing with racism or the unequal punishments it leverages against Black people. Case in point; though Black people make up only 13.4% of this country’s population, they account for 32.8% of people in prison Bureau of Justice Facts).

According to still applicable findings from 1990, conducted by the U.S. General Accounting Office, 82% of reviewed studies showed that a victim’s race influenced death penalty charges, “i.e., those who murdered whites were found more likely to be sentenced to death than those who murdered Blacks” (NYTimes). Actual numbers of people executed for interracial murders since 1976 show that 21 white defendants convicted of murdering Black people were given death sentences, whereas 297 Black defendants who were convicted of murdering white people were assigned death sentences.

This final solution is not justice, especially when the legal system has been proven to associate being Black with criminality, mete out harsher sentences against Black defendants, and prevent Black people from serving on juries for death-penalty cases (VOX). What drives the racism in this disparity home is that since 1991, Black people have consistently accounted for 40% of people on death row (NYTimes, NAACP, Death Penalty Information Center).

This manifests even when violent crime is not a factor. For example, though most Americans do not support the death penalty to punish drug crimes, President Trump began tweeting for its application against those convictions in December 2018. This, despite the reality that Black people are six times more likely to be imprisoned for drug charges than white people even though both groups use drugs at similar rates, with 21.8% of Black people being incarcerated on drug charges (Drug War Facts).

Soon after Trump’s drug tweets, then-attorney general Jeff Sessions put forward a memo instructing prosecutors to apply capital punishment with reference to Title II of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, nicknamed the “1994 Crime Bill” that emphasized applying the death penalty towards crimes involving drugs (CNN). And then, after 16 years of no executions at the federal level, President Trump insisted that the government “bring back the death penalty.”

In late July, Attorney General William Barr followed suit and ordered the Bureau of Prisons to schedule the deaths of five inmates. The first three executions were of white men, followed by a Navajo man and then two more white men. Critics denounced this scheduling as a political maneuver to allay racial tensions over the murder of George Floyd. As if to reinforce their claims, since September 24, the federal government has executed four Black men consecutively and of the 57 people who were on federal death row at that point, 34 were people of color, including 26 Black men (AP News).

On December 10th and 11th, two Black men, Brandon Bernard and Alfred Bourgeois, were killed. In 2018, Bernard’s legal team discovered that the trial prosecutor withheld information from the defense (NPR). Five out of the nine living jurors who sentenced him to death changed their minds after learning this (Reuters). Bourgeois was found to have an IQ ranging between 70 and 75 during his trial. This should have prevented his execution under the Supreme Court’s 2002 ruling on Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304, which determined that the government could not put intellectually disabled people to death (NBC). Despite these disqualifying issues, both men were put to death (The Guardian). Most egregious of all, according to Robert Owen, a death-penalty litigator who represented Bernard, is that he had never seen such a speedy federal execution schedule (New Yorker).

There are currently two men on federal death row slated for execution before Trump leaves office: Cory Johnson, who was mentally disabled when he was convicted is slated for January 14 (Richmond Times-Dispatch). Dustin John Higgs, who did not pull the trigger for the murders that he was involved in, is scheduled to be executed the following day (Baltimore Sun). Both men are Black, have COVID-19, and are requesting commutation of their sentences (The Guardian).

Outrage over the deaths of Bernard and Bourgeois has come from politicians, celebrities, and ordinary citizens. As Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts stated, "state-sanctioned murder is not justice.” And even more importantly, in a letter to Joe Biden, “With a stroke of your pen, you can stop all federal executions” and end the death penalty as an option (The Hill). Unfortunately, this will do little to save Johnson or Higgs.

While many believe that Biden will pursue criminal justice reform after he is inaugurated, it cannot be forgotten that he believes in working with both sides even when they were segregationists (Washington Post). 77% of Republicans who participated in a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center stated that they supported the death penalty, particularly older people (Pew Research). With the control that the outgoing president has over his party, it is unclear if those governmental representatives will participate in reform (Washington Post).

Anyone interested in dismantling the racist death grip on our prison system will need to put constant pressure on their elected officials if they want to see change. And while it may seem like a pipe dream, working to remove attorney generals who apply the penalty means that it will never go into effect. But the most important act is to stay informed. For the latest information about the death penalty, follow the Death Penalty Information Center, which reports on every new change in policy and law. For too long, the legal system has relied upon the belief that ordinary citizens do not care. As millions of activists proved this year, when we show up and make our voices heard, change happens.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Black people are disproportionately prevented from serving from juries when the death penalty is an option and account for no less than 40% of people given death sentences.
The death penalty is legally applied to Black people informally by police officers and has been used historically to keep Black communities in check.
The president has the power to eliminate the death penalty without relying upon the legislative or judicial bodies.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 1/11/21 Nicole Cardoza 1/11/21

Honor our grief.

But, in all of this, I am missing accountability. I am missing an acknowledgment of the accumulation of harm that we’ve experienced – not just last week, but over the past four years. It makes me angry. It makes me weary. And it does nothing to address the deep and profound grief I’ve been experiencing for the past year – one that I believe many of us are harboring.

Happy Monday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily! I needed to create more space for grief in my life this weekend, and dedicated some space in today's newsletter, too. I hope you find resources that can help you on your journey. We'll be holding space for processing grief over on our digital community all this week.

Our work is made possible by our paid subscribers. You can financially contribute by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. Thank you all for your support!

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Invest in healing for marginalized communities. Make a donation to organizations like The Loveland Foundation, BEAM, and BACII.
Listen to conversations on grief. We recommend the Finding Refuge Podcast by Michelle Cassandra Johnson.
Consider: What does it look like to center your grief this week? The grief of your community? Your co-workers? Does your organization offer culturally sensitive healing resources?

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

The insurrection at the Capitol last week seemed to finally spur people into action. Tech companies kick Trump off their platforms (TechCrunch). Democratic Congresspeople organize for impeachment (NBC News). The FBI tweets for help to arrest insurrectionists. And Republican leaders resign, admonish the actions of the President while calling for “unity” (Buzzfeed News).

Honoring grief is quite different than acting out against our grievances, which has been the crux of our political environment. White grievance politics, put simply, is when politics play to the perceived loss of white entitlement in a diversifying nation. When power is considered a zero-sum game – and the white community historically holds power – any progress made by marginalized communities is perceived “at the loss” of white power. The fight to preserve white supremacy is justified through white grievance politics. We’ve watched this unfold throughout history, but Trump and the Republican party clearly wielded it to rally those disgruntled with the Obama administration (NYTimes). I recommend reading “Black Protest / White Grievance: On the Problem of White Political Imaginations Not Shaped by Loss” by Juliet Hooker to learn more (available for paid download here or watch Professor Hooker share more in a one-hour lecture for free).

The political imagination of white citizens has been shaped not by the experience of loss but rather by different forms of white supremacy and that this results in a distorted form of racial political math that sees black gains as white losses, and not simply losses but defeats. As a result, in moments when white privilege is in crisis because white dominance is threatened, many white citizens not only are unable or unwilling to recognize black suffering; they mobilize a sense of white victimhood in response.

Juliet Hooker, Professor of Political Science at Brown University, in Black Protest / White Grievance: On the Problem of White Political Imaginations Not Shaped by Loss

Other interesting articles on the subject: James Kimmel, Jr. analyzes “the brain on grievance” (Politico), and Jeet Heer unpacks the difference between grief and grievance by juxtaposing how Biden and Trump address the nation (The Nation).

All citizens need to have the capacity to cope with loss, to “confront the paradox that they have been promised sovereignty and rarely feel it” (South Atlantic Quarterly). But in this nation, white supremacists are encouraged, even invited, to commit acts of violence and insurrection, while communities of color are killed and incarcerated for far less. Black leaders are asked to be more “civil” and “empathetic” to white communities, but white leaders are granted the pass to fight for power through racial oppression (South Atlantic Quarterly). This has been reinforced throughout America’s history, a familiar narrative even if foreign to our generation. The insurrection at the Capitol was centered not just as “their duty, but also as their right,” Daniel Black writes for CNN. One insurrectionist stated it themselves: “This is not America. They’re shooting at us. They’re supposed to shoot BLM, but they’re shooting the patriots” (The Nation).

This conversation is not for grievances but reserved for grief. And I write this specifically for the marginalized communities that have so much more to bear. For all those that have experienced the racism, discrimination, exile, and oppression encouraged by this President over the past four years. For the Jewish community that had to see Neo-Nazi insignia at their nation’s Capitol (Quartz) and grapple with the rise of antisemitism during this presidency (Anti-Racism Daily). Those who have had their religious/ethnic identities unfairly associated with terrorism while white terrorism goes unchecked (Anti-Racism Daily). Those who immigrated here to the U.S. to escape the same political unrest that our nation tries to rebrands as patriotism. For everyone dismissed and diminished for warning that these days were coming, and action was long overdue.

We’re here in a new year, carrying an abundance of old grief. We couldn’t feel the events last week in isolation even if we have had the time to process the events of 2020 fully, and many of us haven’t. And in just the past week alone, the political disaster we’re facing may have drowned out stories on the mismanaged vaccine rollout (USA Today) and the significant increase in deaths related to COVID-19 (CNN). adrienne marie brown referred to this in a tweet last week as “grief debt,” the culmination of all we’ve endured “with no time to come apart and land beyond the loss.” And Marissa Evans poignantly expresses how this grief transcends generations in the Black community, carried through the trauma of enslavement to the lost opportunities of those gone too soon.

We know, too, what the inequities mean for our future. Our pain comes not just from those we've already lost, but from those we stand to lose over time. A specific sadness emerges when you realize that someone may be denied the chance to be their ancestors’ wildest dreams.

Marissa Evans, in The Relentlessness of Black Grief for The Atlantic

But our nation’s response to the events this week also centers white grievance politics, not grief. Leaders call for unity instead of acknowledging the harm. Major media outlets continue to publish pieces to “humanize” insurrectionists. And with news circulating that more attacks are planned for the inauguration, it’s unlikely this narrative will only continue its harmful cycle (Washington Post). If this country will not make space for our healing, it is up to us. We must hold and process our grief tenderly with our community and center collective grief over reductive white grievance politics. Our healing journey may not be linear, but it’s our only path through.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

White grievance politics centers the perceived loss of power and supremacy that white people experience in response to progress for marginalized non-white communities
Our nation has consistently prioritized white grievance over collective grief and loss
We must carve out our own space to process grief as part of a laboratory movement

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 1/8/21 Nicole Cardoza 1/8/21

Pay Black women.

“Black women saved us.” That’s a slogan of ill-advised praise that white people deliver for Black women whenever a horrorshow candidate loses an election. We heard it in 2017 when 98% of Black women helped to defeat Roy Moore’s Alabama senatorial ambitions, and it’s happening again with the most recent presidential election, during which 91% of Black women cast their votes for Joe Biden (USA Today, Yahoo News).

It's Friday. Welcome back. How are you holding up? I'm still trying to take it easy.

In the midst of the domestic terrorist attack on Wednesday, both Democratic candidates defeated their Republican opponents in Tuesday’s runoff elections in Georgia, giving Democrats control of the Senate (NYTimes). This success was in no small part because of Stacey Abrams and other Black women organizers. Social media users were quick to share their gratitude, but those well-wishes need to turn into conscious efforts in our communities every day. Black women deserve to be elevated, compensated, and protected, regardless of what's happening. I feel this point got lost (naturally) in the chaos at the Capitol. Juan's article (written before the events of this week) dives deeper.

Tomorrow we resume Study Hall, our weekly email where I answer questions and share insights from the community. We haven't hosted one of these since late last year, so feel free to reference any of the year-in-review emails or other content from before break. You can also switch your subscription to a weekly digest, which means you'll only get the Study Hall email. Our virtual digital community is also a great space to learn more with like-minded peers.

Lastly, our work is made possible by our paid subscribers. You can financially contribute to sustain our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. Thank you all for your support!

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Hire Black women and pay them as much as you would a white man for the assigned work.
Find a Black women creator that inspires you and support their work financially if you can. Also, share their work with others.
Promote Black women in your company, contract with Black women-owned businesses (such as these 81 entrepreneurs and brands), and support those same businesses when making purchases in your personal life.
Study intersectionality and participate in anti-racism, gender inclusion, and unconscious bias training.

GET EDUCATED

By Juan Michael Porter II (he/him)

Beyond its inherent condescension, the statement perpetuates a dangerous narrative that Black women are magical mammies—obsessed with protecting their misguided white charges from themselves, at the expense of their own agency (HuffPost). Dulce Sloan, a correspondent for The Daily Show, said it best when she quipped, "you’re welcome, white people. But let’s be honest, we didn’t do it for you, we did it for ourselves” (Independent).

To be clear, Black women aren’t here to save the world out of altruism; they are working to protect themselves and their own families (Boston Globe). And yet, the “Strong Black Women” trope—which praises the group for serving as the Democratic Party’s most reliable bloc—persists, even as Black women are chronically denied financial opportunities (Essence, Refinery). Hard data reveals that Black women are underpaid nationally, receiving 62 cents on average for every dollar that a non-Hispanic white man is paid. Meanwhile, 80% of Black mothers are the sole or primary breadwinners in their families (Forbes, Atlantic).

A lack of financial investment has historically haunted Black women across every facet of life. Until 1988, women as a whole could not secure business loans without a male co-signer (Forbes). Meanwhile, only 0.5% of Paycheck Protection Program loans went to Black woman-owned businesses (Accountable, Entrepreneur). The tacit understanding is that Black women don’t deserve money and should be grateful to serve for free.

That’s what the Grammy’s confirmed when they asked Tiffany Haddish to host its pre-telecast ceremony without payment while covering her own expenses, including hair, makeup, travel, and accommodations (Variety). Haddish declined. The Grammy’s CEO ultimately apologized after the incident was made public, explaining that a talent booker had a "lapse in judgment” (Hollywood Reporter).

It is unimaginable that a similar lapse in judgment would have been extended towards Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, or even the far less famous Russell Brand for hosting a three hour internationally covered event. While acknowledging that hosting would have given her “amazing” exposure, Haddish stated, “I don’t know if this might mean I might not get nominated ever again, but I think it’s disrespectful.”

British actress Kelechi Okafor agreed with a pointed message that rejected the fallacy that Black women should “be grateful” for exposure, particularly because they’ve already been forced to do free labor for over 400 years (Instagram). It’s the right response, but one that few Black women are free to make without facing severe repercussions.

Whether or not Haddish loses out on future nominations for her comedy albums, financially, she will be fine. But most Black women, when faced with this conundrum—such as consistently being asked to do more work than their white colleagues—feel forced to comply. This includes performing “work that’s important but undervalued” and without additional compensation (Harvard Business Review).

Though white women also face discrimination at work, Black women are subjected to "double jeopardies" due to the intersection of gender and race, which keeps them locked in lower positions (Semantic Scholar). And when consulting is involved, Black women are asked to offer their hard-won and unique expertise for free (Guardian). This plays out even now during a pandemic where Black women are at the forefront of essential work, at the risk of their own lives, but without the necessary remuneration to escape poverty, even though they continue to face the most severe financial losses (CNBC, CNN).

While speaking at a Red Door Foundation plenary on longevity in June 2019, trans activist Tori Cooper told the audience a story about being flown to New York to speak with the Ford Foundation about improving their outreach. During that talk, she confronted the room full of white men with the fact that she was not being paid. “All of you are being paid to listen to me speak,” she said, “and I deserve the same money because I have something that you need; that only I can say.”

The same is true for Black women everywhere. The struggle to uplift Black women in a capitalistic society cannot work if it does not include a viable financial argument. Here is one: rather than ask them to be grateful for the honor of participating, hire Black women and “don’t blame the pipeline.

As Nicole Cardoza wrote last year, despite the incredible educational gains that Black professionals have steadily made since 1980, unconscious bias discriminates against nonwhite people for their every difference, while arguing that they are unqualified or “do not fit the culture” (Anti-Racism Daily, Raconteur, HuffPost, Fortune). In addition to enshrining whiteness, this rationale ignores the benefits of greater racial diversity, which has been proven to make companies more money (Market Watch).

When hiring Black women, it is essential to pay them more because, by default, they are paid less. Companies can perform a compensation audit, be transparent about pay, raise the minimum wage, commit to equal pay, and eschew salary histories—which perpetuates the practice of underpaying Black women (American Progress).

If we are serious about eliminating racism in this country, redressing the history of devaluing Black women is critical. Otherwise, we will perpetuate the centuries-long practice of praising Black women while ignoring their needs and repressing their potential progress.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

On a national average, Black women are paid 62 cents for every dollar that a non-Hispanic white man is paid.
Black women face double jeopardies over gender and race.
Black women are consistently asked to do more work than their white colleagues without additional compensation.
Greater racial diversity at workplaces is proven to earn companies greater revenue.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 1/7/21 Nicole Cardoza 1/7/21

Confront white supremacy.

Happy Thursday, and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Yesterday was a lot, and I'm still processing. But I tried to unpack some of the misconceptions of the events, and cited newsletters where we've touched on these issues in the past. I hope it helps to illuminate the real issue here. This isn't just about Trump or inadequate law enforcement, but a persistent defense of white supremacy. It makes me tired but hopeful. A new future is emerging, regardless of who likes it or not. And we can't stop fighting for it.

Thank you all for your support. Our work is made possible by our paid subscribers. You can financially contribute to sustain our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon.

We also recently created a virtual digital community where you can engage in movement work with members near you. It may offer some space for processing what's unfolding.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

If you identify as white, call a white friend today and discuss your complicity in a system of white supremacy. How do you benefit? What more can you do to dismantle it?
If you identify as BIPOC, carve out some time to rest this week.
Donate to DC organizers on the ground, including The Palm Collective, Medics4Justice, and FrontLine Women DC.
Review the resources for creating an election safety plan with your community.
Use the correct terminology when referring to these events. These were armed terrorists [not protestors] staging an attempted coup [not demonstration].

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Yesterday a group of pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, disrupting the certification of the Electoral College vote. Earlier in the day, President Trump spoke at the rally, citing that "we will never concede" after losing the election to President-elect Biden (NYTimes). From there, protestors overtook the Capitol, breaking windows and scaling walls before taking artifacts and rioting inside (more via The Atlantic). Although few media outlets go so far as to use the words, this can be considered an attempted coup, an unconstitutional seize of political power (The Atlantic).

Instead of condemning the act, President Trump turned to social media to double-down on baseless allegations that the election was rigged and emphasized that these terrorists are "patriots" and are "very special." This response is unsurprising considering his consistent coddling of white supremacists throughout his presidency. This video was removed from social media, and Twitter temporarily blocked him from the account (NPR). After a curfew was set and police cleared the building and secured its perimeter, Senate returned to resume their work.

Many were quick to express the juxtaposition of treatment of these terrorists compared to protestors of color. In videos and testimonies from the day's events, it's evident that law enforcement acted insufficiently to defend the Capitol, with one video even implying that they let some in (Politico has details). In contrast, demonstrations by people of color, even the peaceful ones, are met with violence by law enforcement (ProPublica). For example, in the evening of peaceful protests for George Floyd in DC last June, the Army National Guard sent two helicopters to fly dangerously low over protestors, creating winds equivalent to a tropical storm (The Washington Post). Hours before, federal police in riot gear fired gas canisters and used grenades containing rubber pellets to disperse peaceful protestors so that Trump could host a photo-op (The Washington Post).

The disproportionate response of law enforcement against white and non-white communities has been steadily documented. More recently, the FBI has repeatedly warned of the potential consequences of white supremacist groups infiltrating local and state law enforcement, indicating it was a significant threat to national security (PBS). But how can we be surprised when the roots of our nation's law enforcement – and in DC – stem from slavery (W hite House History)?

Furthermore, this behavior is supported by how our country historically has labeled terrorism in the U.S. Because these were not protestors. They were terrorists: individuals using unlawful force to intimidate or coerce a government. As we've discussed previously, white terrorists are rarely named as such. Terrorism is colloquially used to insinuate an act of foreign terrorism inflicted by non-white communities, threatening both the safety of the U.S. and the whiteness it centers. It's why stereotypes of terrorists tend to be of the SWANA (Southwest Asian/North Africa) community, as Ida highlighted in a previous newsletter. In contrast, white male terrorism happens most frequently in the U.S. and is rarely considered with the same gravitas (Teen Vogue).

Some people have called this an example of white privilege. But I'd go further to state that this was a demonstration of white power, the act of intentionally wielding white privilege and whiteness to maintain dominance above all else. The Democratic wins in both the presidential election and the Georgia run-off are largely attributed to communities of color (PBS). So this was an intentional and violent response, an action that tried to demonstrate what will happen when white power is challenged. And it wouldn't have been possible without the support of the President, and other political leaders and law enforcement cheering it on from the sidelines.

And, more broadly, it wouldn't be possible if we didn't live in a world of white supremacy. There is no other group of people in the U.S. that would have the opportunity to carry out such a blatant form of disrespect against its own government in full support of its President and in full view of its people. Terrorists were posting on social media from inside the U.S. Capitol. They were interviewed by media outside. And afterward, many returned to their hotels to chat about the day's event. Having white privilege means inheriting advantages in a system. But having white power means that you can use and abuse these systems without consequences because they were designed to protect you and your conservative values and beliefs. That's not just reinforced by the same values being shared by politicians and lawmakers, media and culture. It's also reinforced by how non-white people and more liberal views are oppressed in the same spaces. The violence by law enforcement at a Black Lives Matter rally, for example, insinuates that "if you rally for a cause that aligns with white supremacy, there'd be no issue".

Update: You'll also watch white power be celebrated, like in this NYTimes article featuring the person that occupied Speaker Pelosi's office and stole some of her mail.

So although President-elect Biden and other leaders are adamant that "this is not who America is," I disagree. This is exactly who America is. America was built on white supremacy. It consistently protects white terrorism, enables a racist criminal justice system, and elects Presidents who speak to these ideals. What's more accurate is "this is not the America we're fighting for". Because that one is emerging. And the more we create new systems and practices center these values and ideals, the more the "America we have" will fight to return to its roots – even if it kills itself in the process. Because the same people that sieged the Capitol yesterday admonish Black Lives Matter protestors for violence, rioting, and destroying our democracy. But the only person they have to worry about is themselves.

The most important thing to remember is that this didn't happen four years ago. And it won't end in two weeks. We're going to keep facing the violence of white supremacy until it's gone. And we've got a lot more work to do. We're unlikely to see it end in our lifetime. So as you move forward, remember that we have to keep doing the work. Admonish the terrorists – and also address the racist sentiment in your workplace. Continue to unpack your own biases and privileges. It's clear our future depends on it.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Yesterday's event was an intentional demonstration of white power in response to the changing political and socioeconomic landscape
There's a wide disparity in how law enforcement responds to unrest
Our nation will continue to experience tension as a new, more radical future emerges

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 1/6/21 Nicole Cardoza 1/6/21

End felony disenfranchisement.

As the conversation about Black Lives Matter and racial inequity for Black Americans, particularly concerning police brutality and mass incarceration, was brought to the forefront, I decided it was a good time to re-read “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander. The book details mass incarceration in the United States and its intentions to disenfranchise Black Americans. The United States’ makes up 5 percent of the world’s population yet holds 25 percent of the world’s prisoners (ACLU). This is attributed to the war on drugs, which began in the 1970s. Nixon’s public policies led to stricter federal sentencing laws, militarized enforcement in Black and Brown neighborhoods. Incarceration has grown by ten times since then (Drug Policy Alliance). We know that the United States quickly rushes Black and Brown people into the prison system. But what happens after?

Happy Wednesday and welcome back to the newsletter. 5.2 million people were unable to vote in the presidential election due to felony disenfranchisement, an issue that disproportionately impacts the Black community. Today, Olivia outlines the breadth of felony disenfranchisement, including and beyond participating in politics.

Our work is made possible by our paid subscribers. You can financially contribute to sustain our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon.

We also recently created a virtual digital community where you can engage in movement work with members near you! Read yesterday's newsletter and discuss your role with others.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Get involved with grassroots organizations like the Right To Vote Initiative to be involved in voting rights restoration year-round.
Take the pledge to hire and support the formerly incarcerated at your workplace and support them in your community. Provided by the Ban The Box Initiative.

GET EDUCATED

By Olivia Harden (she/her)

A felony conviction for any American will change their life forever. And because of racial injustice in the American criminal and judicial system, one out of every three Black men have felony convictions (Sentencing Project). But something important to know, most felony convictions are not the result of a fair trial. 94% of convictions at the state level, and 97% at the federal level, are a result of plea deals (The Atlantic). There is also a subset of the population with felony convictions that never saw any jail time at all but took a plea bargain that offered parole (The New Jim Crow). Alexander believes people convicted of felons become “second class citizens” in American society. Once the felon label is attached to your record, it’s an outcasting scarlet letter that can never be taken back.

A major roadblock for someone with a convicted felony is employment. A 2010 survey found that up to 92% of employers conduct criminal background checks (EOCC). But organizers have rallied to “Ban The Box,” an initiative that seeks to remove a particular question from application paperwork, “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?” Ban The Box’s goal is to push background checks to a later point in the hiring process so that employers consider a candidate’s qualifications first without the stigma of a past criminal conviction. Thirty states now have adopted progressive laws along these lines. Still, only a handful of states have entirely removed conviction history across federal, state, and private hiring processes (Workplace Fairness).

When employment is a stipulation of someone’s parole, and employment is difficult to obtain,, they are now at risk of being incarcerated. We know crime is linked to poverty, and without a legal stream of income, a convicted person might resort to illegal work as a means of survival. Felony convictions can also disqualify a person’s ability to get SNAP benefits (food stamps) or Section 8 Housing (NPR). All of this creates more and more paths to being reentered into the system.

Make no mistake. The easy path to incarceration for Black people was designed that way. In 1901 president of the late Constitutional Convention of Alabama, John B. Knox, and the delegates aimed “to establish white supremacy… by law — not by force or fraud.” The Jim Crow laws were meant to get around the federal laws granting Black people the right to vote. The state constitution declared persons “convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude” could not vote without having their rights restored. Other states that were formerly a part of the confederacy soon followed (The Marshall Project).

Perhaps the most important rights that must be restored to former felons is their right to vote and their right to participate in our legal system. Election season has passed, but 5.2 million Americans were forbidden to vote because of voter-law restrictions (The Sentencing Project). Voting rights differ in every state, and we saw in this year’s election in Florida that modern-day poll taxes and other felony disenfranchisement campaigns took place (Anti-Racism Daily). In contrast, California passed Prop. 17 this year, which lets parolees vote in elections. Three out of four men leaving California prisons are Black, Latino, or Asian American. (LA Times). Restoring their voting rights is a step in the right direction for marginalized communities.

But it’s also critical to restore their rights to serve on a jury. It was only this year that California, which is considered one of the most progressive states in the country, allowed former felons to sit on a jury (NBC News). If one-third of Black men are convicted of a felony in their life, that means one-third of Black men might not have the opportunity to play a part in trials, depending on where they live (Sentencing Project). By not having a voice in that part of the legal process, other people on trial may not be judged by a group that genuinely reflects a group of their peers.

Once you’re convicted, other rights can be rescinded, including the right to bear arms, parental rights, even traveling abroad (The Cochran Firm). The United States perpetuates a myth that the criminal justice system is supposed to be rehabilitating. Instead, many people who go through the system have even more problems than before. We must organize to dismantle mass incarceration. And as we do, we must simultaneously offer support and resources for those who have already been impacted.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A felony conviction follows someone forever, affecting the ability of a person to work and receive benefits.
The racial disparities in the criminal justice system force Black and Brown people into a form of second-class citizenship.
Dismantling felony disenfranchisement means supporting initiatives like Ban The Box to fight discrimination against anyone with a criminal record.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 1/5/21 Nicole Cardoza 1/5/21

(Re)commit to your role.

Each new calendar year, many feel inspired to recommit to solving the causes and challenges we face. And for many, this year is no exception. 2021 may feel like a fresh start after a devastating year, and it’s important to channel those intentions into action. But I propose using the beginning of this year to gain awareness on how your investment can be most sustainable, because new year resolutions are more likely to be broken than executed. And movement work is no exception. My recommendation is to spend some time this week reflecting on your role in the work ahead.

Welcome back and Happy Tuesday! Today's post is a personal one for me. I was blessed to have some time off from this newsletter. Although we haven't missed a day since its start in June, this holiday we intentionally queued up reviews so we could rest. And the relief I felt was overwhelming. So I spent some time reflecting on how I can stay committed to this role in 2021. Part of that includes hiring a Managing Editor, who will help support the day-to-day operations. (Feel free to share!)

We rarely give ourselves time to reflect on our roles. What is our role to play, and how can we hold ourselves accountable to it? How can we show up more effectively? How can we stay sustainable? I offer this newsletter as an opportunity for you to do the same.

Thank you for all your support! You can financially contribute to sustain our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Define your role in the work ahead, using the points in the article below.
Discuss your role with a friend.
Identify a local mutual aid network or another community initiative. Research how your role may or may not be necessary to support their efforts.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

A role, to me, isn’t a job title. It’s a way of being that you choose to hold yourself accountable to, regardless of the challenges you face. This isn’t always easy, and it may mean facing and addressing discomfort along the way. But necessary work is rarely easeful.

And if we expect accountability from our community, we have to stay accountable to ourself, and the space we take up in the work. If we’re not willing to be in relationship with our role, how can we hold ourselves accountable in our communities? Understanding our individual contributions only strengthens the whole, and resources everyone collectively.

“Each person has a unique role to play to shift any situation – some might be in a good position to support the person harmed, whereas others might be in a better position to cultivate accountability with the person causing the harm. Some might have material resources to offer, others might organize community support, and still others might offer perspectives on the underlying roots of the violence. With more people, any situation can shift toward healing, accountability, and transformation.”

Ann Russo in Guest Post: Strategies for Cultivating Community Accountability by Ann Russo via Prison Culture

There are many ways to define your role, and I encourage you to look closely at the language used by local organizers and community leaders to guide you. But I appreciate this framework created by Deepa Iyer from Building Movement Project. Learn more about the map and definitions for each role (both PDFs linked are via the website).

Of course, you don’t have to follow a framework to identify your space. In fact, you may already have a definition, perhaps based on your occupation or volunteer efforts. Or maybe it’s not explicit, but a role you’ve already assumed in how you show up for your community. Either way, start by analyzing what you’re already doing. How have you contributed to this work? Where have you contributed: Politically? Socially? Economically? What has felt most generative to you? What has caused the most burnout?

Also, analyze your privilege. And think beyond racial privilege (although that may offer significant leverage in anti-racism work). Do you have the privilege of having a wide audience on social media? Seniority at your job? Are you the friend and family member people go to when they have questions? How does your social location influence your capacity to make an impact in each of these roles? How may it detract?

In addition to selecting a space to lead from, consider how you can “grow into” some of the other spaces that feel less familiar. The goal isn’t to become an expert in all things; that’s more likely to lead to fatigue and burnout than making an impact. But identifying micro ways to lean into these spaces may help you resource yourself as the work continues. It will also help you connect more deeply with others leading from that space and perhaps even add context when you’re looking to bring more people in with those skills.

For example, you might not be a healer, but you can identify ways to ensure you’re still healing as the work progresses. You might not consider yourself a visionary, but perhaps vision mapping is a powerful way to stay connected to your dreams.

Remember, you may find that your role evolves. You might find yourself with access to new power or privilege, or in a different community that calls for different skills. You might also evolve into another as your journey progresses. Welcome these shifts if they help you stay accountable to the work.

As you define your role, consider who else you can recruit to be a part of your efforts. Who are the storytellers around you, and what resources do they need to advocate for equity and solidarity? What experimenters do you know that apply their skills to the tasks at hand? And how can you lead from your strength to help activate them? If you’re struggling to identify where to start, consult your physical or virtual pod. Don’t have one, or unfamiliar with the term? Here’s a helpful overview – we’ll dive deeper in an article next week. Otherwise, you can start a dialogue with your coworkers, family members, or classmates!

We’ve got a whole new year ahead of us and much to be dismantled and reimagined. Although we can’t possibly prepare for the unexpected, we can certainly start with what we know – and who we know – and strive to make an impact, one day at a time.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Identifying your role in social justice work is critical to individual and collective accountability
Your role may already be defined for you, and you should analyze what feels generative and what is available to you based on your privilege and power
Use this commitment as an opportunity to invite others to join the work with you

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 1/4/21 Nicole Cardoza 1/4/21

Tackle anti-Blackness in South Asian communities.

After Kamala Harris was elected America’s first Black, Indian American, and female vice president, South Asians largely reacted with enthusiasm. A September poll found that 72 percent of Indian Americans were going to vote for the Biden-Harris ticket (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace). But when the vice president-elect takes office in a few weeks, how are South Asian American communities going to grapple with their legacies of anti-Blackness alongside their celebration of this historical milestone? How will we make sure that we reject model minority tropes and also center her Black identity?

Hello and welcome to a new year, a new Monday, and a new article from the Anti-Racism Daily! We've had a lovely time on holiday and we're back in action with our daily reporting. We're just a couple weeks from the U.S. Presidential Inauguration (held January 20, 2021) where Kamala Harris will become the first woman, first Black person, and first person of South Asian descent to become vice president. Today, Vignesh joins us to discuss anti-Blackness and the complexity of multiracial identity.

I appreciate that Vignesh mentions that he is still learning, and invites others in his community to do the same. You might not identify as South Asian, but consider how you can take the same approach to address anti-Blackness in your own community.

This community has grown since holiday! Thanks to our group of financial contributors, we can continue to offer this newsletter free for all – without sponsors or ads. You can support our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Share Letters For Black Lives with your family. There’s even a version tailored to South Asian Americans. The template letters, available in dozens of languages, help spark conversations with loved ones about racial justice, police accountability, anti-Blackness, and why Black Lives Matter.
Read more about the history of South Asian and Black solidarity via historian Anirvan Chatterjee.
Read everything by Yashica Dutt and Suraj Yengde, who address issues of casteism in society.
Follow South Asians 4 Black Lives, which educates South Asians about dismantling anti-Blackness.

GET EDUCATED

By Vignesh Ramachadran (he/him)

Of course, identifying Harris has been a subject of much contention: some have labeled her as solely African American, others as only Asian American, while others have flat-out questioned her American roots (The Atlantic). Harris was born to a Jamaican American father and an Indian American mother in California. The incoming Biden-Harris administration clearly identifies her as a “Black and Indian American woman.” After the November election, lawyer Deepa Iyer encouraged Brown Americans to not “erase or de-center her Black identity” or “accept that oppression and inequality have ended,” as well as to address “anti-Blackness in systems and our own communities” (Twitter).

There are racist adages in parts of South Asian communities that basically say: Don’t date or marry someone who is Black (The Juggernaut). Whiteness has traditionally been the South Asian aspiration — from skincare products to matrimonial platforms to entertainment. When Indians have called out cultural appropriation in Western pop culture, they often ignore that Bollywood liberally appropriates Black culture and promotes whiteness — spurring the #BollywoodSoWhite movement. For more on colorism in South Asian communities, check out our previous newsletter.

All these issues stem from a legacy of colorism, casteism, and anti-Black sentiment that have pervaded South Asian cultures for years. The community must understand that history in order to course-correct today. In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, one of the female characters dislikes her dark complexion. In Islamic history, some followers disliked one of Prophet Mohammed’s companions because he was dark and the son of enslaved people (The Juggernaut).

In more contemporary times, Gandhi was thought to have a “disdain for Africans” during his time living in South Africa (The Washington Post). In the well-known 1923 Supreme Court case in which Bhagat Singh Thind fought for American naturalization, he claimed his high-caste Hindu roots and supposed Aryan blood deemed him white. In 1958, Harris’s Indian mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who moved from South India to Berkeley, California, to pursue higher education, soon participated in civil rights demonstrations (The Atlantic). The civil rights movement, fought by Black Americans, opened doors for the vast majority of South Asians to even move to the United States. The landmark Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 abolished old immigration quotas, allowing immigrants from Asian countries to grow exponentially (History.com). As Sharmila Sen writes in The Washington Post: “Rushing to celebrate our achievements — impressive household incomes, new-construction homes, millennia-old gods, low divorce rates, high SAT scores — we have, on occasion, silently accepted the badge of honorary whiteness.”

So many people in my own family have described my late maternal grandfather as a “great man and very handsome, even though he was very dark” — as though his Dravidian roots and South Indian skin were a character flaw he had to overcome. Even Hindu idols are largely depicted with fair skin, though there is some contemporary pushback (BBC News). There are also troubling parallels between race and caste discrimination (The Conversation).

But there is progress being made in 2020. Following George Floyd’s killing, parts of South Asian American communities finally began to discuss anti-Blackness — both in public spheres and in the depths of private WhatsApp groups. A group of my childhood friends who also grew up second-generation in Colorado started a Zoom meetup where we discussed issues of race. Kids are sending their older relatives Letters For Black Lives. Aunties and uncles — some of who participated in summer protests — finally began to understand why Black Lives Matter. We heard the heartening story of the Bangladeshi immigrants in Minneapolis whose restaurant caught fire during demonstrations, and in those moments of distress, expressed solidarity: “Let my building burn … Justice needs to be served” (Medium).

As the South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) organization eloquently recommends, in addition to addressing anti-Blackness, it’s time for South Asian American communities to show up for Black communities. It’s time to uplift voices who are not just like me. We need to hear from those who grew up both Black and South Asian to better understand unique multiracial perspectives — like those of Harris. I’m still learning, and I hope more South Asian American peers will join me in this process.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

South Asians need to recognize that anti-Blackness in our communities goes back centuries. Whether we’re talking about emerging voices or famous leaders like Kamala Harris, it’s important to acknowledge intersectional identities and not just “Brown-wash” them.
The Asian model minority myth hurts everyone — especially our Black peers.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/23/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/23/20

Combat food deserts.

Food deserts— defined as “an impoverished area where residents lack access to healthy foods” (Britannica)— are yet another factor that contributes to the health disparities between white people and people of color. Due to economic and social factors, supermarkets and farmer’s markets can be much harder to access in underserved areas, leading civilians to rely on unhealthy food options as their primary source of nutrition. Food deserts generally exist in urban areas— predominantly inhabited by nonwhite people— which is why Black people are disproportionately affected by diet-related health conditions (American Progress).

Happy Wednesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. More people in the U.S. (and likely around the world) are shoplifting from grocery stores to support themselves during these difficult times. Today's article looks at some of the underlying causes of food inequity that are only exacerbated, not just created, by COVID-19. It's important to remember that we're navigating difficult times because of current conditions and a legacy of oppression that created them. It will take much more than immediate relief to create comprehensive change, but we should do the best we can to help one another – today and tomorrow.

We've officially launched our virtual community! This space is designed for you to connect with others, share resources, hold conversations around our newsletters, and sign up for events. All proceeds support our work, and flexible payment options are available. Patreon subscribers: check Patreon for an access link using your existing subscription.

Thank you so much for making this work possible. If you have the capacity, consider supporting our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Volunteer at local soup kitchens and initiatives that combat food insecurity. Click this link to access a list of initiatives.
Advocate for improved SNAP and WIC benefits that increase monthly spending for individuals to purchase fruits and vegetables.
Find local food banks using this link and donate to nearby food banks or soup kitchens.

GET EDUCATED

By Sydney Cobb (she/her)

Redlining—a leading factor in the creation of food deserts—is defined as an “illegal discriminatory practice in which a mortgage lender denies loans or an insurance provider restricts services to certain areas of a community, often because of the racial characteristics of the applicant’s neighbourhood” (Britannica). Not only did redlining make the process of buying and renting homes more difficult, but it also prevented businesses like grocery stores and restaurants from opening, leaving redlined neighborhoods with little-to-no healthy food options. While the practice of redlining may have been made illegal by the Fair Housing Act in 1968, its effects are still present to this day (Anti-Racism Daily). Redlined neighborhoods— mainly occupied by people of color— are not given the same resources as more affluent communities because they generally house lower-income families. Healthier, more costly grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are less likely to open stores in low-income neighborhoods, forcing redlined communities to shop at less expensive, unhealthy food retailers.

📰 The introduction of grocery stroes like these also indicates that the property values will increase quickly, contributing to gentrification and perpetuating a cyclical process of inequity. Read more in our previous newsletter >

Many urban and rural communities have more convenience stores than supermarkets. Generally speaking, convenience stores tend to sell high-calorie, low-nutrient foods, and do not offer a selection of althernative options like vegetables, fruits, and grains. The distance between food deserts and grocery stores serves as a barrier to members of urban and rural communities who lack transportation options; therefore, they may rely on local convenience stores or fast food restaurants for most of their household food purchases.

While diet-related conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure) are a concern for all racial and ethnic groups, statistics prove that they especially affect minority communities.: “The population attributable risk for hypertension and 30-year mortality among white men was 23.8% compared with 45.2% among black men and 18.3% for white women compared with 39.5% for black women” (The American Journal of the Medical Sciences). Hypertension, which increases an individual’s risk of heart disease and stroke, can be largely impacted by one’s diet. Because consuming large amounts of sodium and fats can contribute to the development of hypertension, it is especially concerning that many food deserts— predominantly occupied by people of color—are more likely to sell unhealthy and salty food options. According to a study evaluating the relationship between food deserts and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, hypertension was much more prevalent among participants living in food deserts than those not living in food deserts (American College of Cardiology).

Because many families living in food deserts lack healthy food options, they often have no choice but to feed their families insubstantial, unwholesome food. As a result, the children may eventually develop unhealthy eating habits that become harder to abandon with age, raising the rates of dietary issues within the Black community.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves as the largest food assistance program in the United States. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) specifically aims to help women and children’s nutritional needs. Intended to provide low-income families with better food access, SNAP is the primary source of nutrition and nourishment for millions of Americans. While SNAP does increase food-insecure families’ access to food, it generally does not provide enough support for people to maintain a healthy diet. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “researchers have estimated that SNAP benefits fall about $11 short per person of the weekly cost of a nutritious meal plan” (CBPP). By increasing SNAP benefits, food desert residents, who are generally a part of the low-income population, will be able to purchase much healthier and more nutritious food.

It's important to note that, as digital grocery shopping becomes more commonplace in the pandemic, many do not accept SNAP. Learn more >

The mere existence of food deserts serves as another example of how systemic racism affects all aspects of life for minorities. Food— one of the human body’s fundamental physiological needs— has been weaponized against people of color (especially Black and Latino individuals). Not only does systemic racism’s connection to food deserts affect adults, who are more susceptible to diet-related health conditions, but it also impacts youth. Children who develop poor eating habits may struggle to participate in physical activities and could ultimately suffer from mental and emotional stress. Children who struggle with serious health conditions tend to display signs of lower self-esteem. In some cases, the intense emotional strain may lead a child to become anxious or depressed.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought more attention to health disparities between racial groups— especially highlighting the effects that underlying health conditions have on an individual’s bodily reaction to the virus. As the world continues to fight the pandemic, people must have access to the fuel they need to stay healthy. More than ever, the country needs to rally together to ensure that communities deemed food deserts have access to nutritious food

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Food deserts are a result of systemic racism and redlining.
Food deserts are directly linked to higher rates of diet-related health conditions, affecting the Black community, and contributing to higher mortality rates.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus makes it even more necessary for people to have trusted and reliable access to diverse food options.

RELATED ISSUES

11/23/2020 | Fight food insecurity.

8/16/2020 | Think before eating out.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/23/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/23/20

Question your understanding of "authentic" food.

Happy Wednesday! Many of our cultural traditions are defined by our relationship to food. As we enter the holidays, it's a good time to think about how, as Jami puts succinctly in today's piece, our perception of cuisine defines our understanding of culture. It's a great way to consider how you can authentically support the cultural diversity in your community with where you dine.

Thank you for making this newsletter possible! Support our work by making a one-time contribution on our website or PayPal, or giving monthly on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com. New! You can share this newsletter and unlock some fun rewards by signing up here.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Reflection: What makes you feel that food is “authentic”? Who in our culture is given authority on what kind of food is valuable?
Advocate and support the cultures and communities whose food you consume.
Advocate for the workers in our food supply chain, many of whom are enduring terrible working conditions during COVID-19.
Instead of asking “Which restaurant serves the most ‘authentic’ food” think, ask yourself “What community am I supporting by giving my money to this restaurant?”

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Across America, COVID-19 restrictions are increasing, due to its astronomical spread. In many states, that means restaurant owners have to figure out once again how to survive without indoor dining (TK). In response to the pandemic’s disproportionate effect on the restaurant industry, there’s been a large push to support small restaurant owners— especially immigrant and BIPOC owners—through our takeout orders and our GoFundMe donations. But with today’s wealth of options of “ethnic cuisine” available comes some troubling perspectives on what makes “authentic” food.

Foodies are often eager to seek the most “authentic” representation of whatever “ethnic cuisine” they want to eat. By authentic, they usually mean food that’s the closest to what you would eat in the country of origin. But the word authentic is fraught. In a deep dive on Eater, food writer Jaya Saxena dives deeply into our contemporary relationship with the idea of “authenticity,” and notes: “What consumers deemed “real” was heavily influenced by whiteness. Americans still largely consider European-influenced cuisine as the norm (see any “new American” menu for proof), and their opinions of what is authentic extend from that center point.”

A separate report from Eater NY studied over 20,000 Yelp reviews. The writer summed up her results succinctly: “The word “authentic” in food reviews supports white supremacism, and Yelp reviews prove it… According to my data, the average Yelp reviewer connotes “authentic” with characteristics such as dirt floors, plastic stools, and other patrons who are non-white when reviewing non-European restaurants” (Eater NY). On the other hand, reviewers considered European restaurants “authentic” when they had the hallmarks of upscale dining, like white tablecloths and fresh-cut flowers.

Such viewpoints are pervasive. Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, I learned what (white) Americans thought of Asian cuisine before I grasped what Taiwanese and Japanese foods meant to us personally. I internalized the myths that all Chinese food was unhealthy and cheap, for example, while Japanese food had social cachet. How we view cuisine often mirrors how we view culture. With little cultural and political representation in the United States, recent immigrant cultures are usually most visible through their food. Our conception of other cultures’ food is often filtered through what we are served at “ethnic restaurants,” without an understanding of the ways that dishes and customs change when the owners need to keep their lights on when they know their audience wants a sanitized version of their foods.

The question of “authentic” vs. “not authentic” also can ignore the effects of colonization, imperialism, diaspora, and the ways communities must adapt to their surroundings. The Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese food industries, for example, were heavily influenced by American foreign policy. Instant ramen—a food we think of as being inherently Japanese—was invented because America shipped their surplus wheat to East Asia after the war, and the food was seen as being more nutritionally balanced than bread (International Institute for Asian Studies).

That’s why asking “is this food authentic?” isn’t the right question— especially when we rely on Yelp reviews for the answer. Wealthy chefs can claim authenticity when they spend tens of thousands of dollars in a foreign country, learn ancient methods from locals, and return to develop their own high-priced restaurants— but that isn’t what I want to support.

Instead of asking, “which restaurant has the most authentic food?” we can ask ourselves, “which community am I supporting by giving my money to this restaurant?” Is the restaurant owned by a large restaurant group, or is it a family operation? How integrated is the restaurant into the cultural community and the local geographic community? As consumers, we have power. What we pay for is literally what we value. Let’s use our power to invest in these communities.

This piece was inspired by What We Feed Ourselves, a project developed by my sister Cori Nakamura Lin (@cori.lin.art). This project examined food, culture, and acculturation through interviews from immigrant-owned restaurants, essays from local writers, and illustrations of different meals. The restaurants were all from East Lake Street in Minneapolis (the area near where George Floyd was murdered by the police). Thank you to the restaurants who participated in this project: Moroccan Flavors (@moroccanflavorsmpls), International Cuisine, Wiilo Food Distributor, Taqueria Las Cuatro Milpas (@las_cuatro_milpas), and Gandhi Mahal (@curryinahurrympls).

KEY TAKEAWAYS

With little cultural and political representation in the United States, recent immigrant cultures are usually most visible through their food.
Conversations about what food is “authentic” often center white Americans’ version of authenticity.
The idea that there is one “authentic” version of cuisine also ignores the effects of imperialism, colonization, diaspora, and assimilation.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/22/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/22/20

Unpack the appropriation of streetwear culture.

As much as we’d all love to think our sense of style is unique and that you were into hightops before they were cool, fashion and what’s fashionable doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Maybe you really are a trailblazing fashionista, but the reality is that what’s in and what’s hot is often part of a continual trend of commodifying Black culture (Medium). “Streetwear” apparel and sneakers have undergone a mass appropriation from the counterculture of hip-hop fashion to the default style of dress for young people trying to stay fresh.

Happy Tuesday! Wishing you an easeful morning. Today, Charlie takes over the newsletter to unpack how streetwear culture is often appropriated without appreciation, and unpacks how street cred can be simultaneously bought and discriminated against – depending on who wears the clothes.

Also, we've officially launched our virtual community! This space is designed for you to connect with others, share resources, hold conversations around our newsletters, and sign up for events. All proceeds support our work. Flexible payment options are available. Patreon subscribers: check Patreon for an access link using your existing subscription.

I really hope to see you there! If you're more of an email reader, no worries. Nothing is changing here. As always, you can support our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Watch Fresh Dressed, a 2015 documentary tracing the history of hip-hop fashion from its birth in New York City to global commodification. Available on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, and other streaming services.
Buy clothing and shoes that are Black-owned and/or rooted in Black communities. Start local, or use the guide at the bottom of the article for shoes and sneakers.

GET EDUCATED

By Charlie Lahud-Zahner (he/him)

Ironically, most of the popular slang that comes to mind for looking good—fly, fresh to death, dipped, clean, on point, on fleek—-were appropriated from Black culture (Vox). For a more concrete look at the cultural appropriation of hip-hop fashion, look at the history of the white Nike Air Force 1, a sneaker once deeply integrated into basketball and hip-hop culture are now creased and championed by Kendall Jenner and social media influencers alike (TeenVogue).

These days Billie Eilish might be seen as the first person to make XXL cool, but that’s not even close to true: Oversized sweatshirts, oversized pants, loud monochromatic outfits predate her by 40 years. And while celebrities like Eilish and Eminem can wear baggy clothing without question, others who wear the same outfits risk being stereotyped as “unprofessional” or “dangerous.” In 2005, as mainstream hip-hop fashion began to enter the league, the NBA implemented a dress code indirectly targeting Black athletes by banning baggy clothes, jewelry, and durags. Coach Phil Jackson supported the rule and described the style associated with hip-hop as “prison garb and thuggery” (Sportscasting).

Origin stories are nebulous at best, but most hip-hop historians agree that the birth of hip-hop can be traced to DJ Kool Herc rapping over a beat in the 1973 Bronx (PBS). As a genre emerging from funk, soul, and R&B, hip-hop was music made by and for Black people. For instance, the content of Gil Scott Heron’s 1971 song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” a precursor to hip-hop, evolved from the 60s Black Power movement and defined revolution not just as a movement refusing to be commodified, but as a specifically non-white phenomenon. Cut to the present, hip-hop is a growing global industry (Forbes) and Machine Gun Kelly exists.

And the mentalities of hip-hop fashion and hip-hop were necessarily intertwined: Both were Black cultural movements expressing themselves in spaces where they were excluded (Fresh Dressed).

“In so many ways, hip-hop is a reflection of society and environment, wherein folks who are denizens of the culture, do not see themselves, do not see themselves in mainstream culture,” said Sacha Jenkins, director of Fresh Dressed. “So they say, ‘How can we see ourselves in our own terms while borrowing the things we appreciate — even if these brands don’t appreciate us?’” (LA Times).

This was especially true for sneakers. Notably, the Nike Air Force One, the most recognizable silhouette in sneaker culture, shifted from being named after New York City’s Harlem (the Uptowns) to being associated with pastel Hydro Flasks and Polaroid cameras.

First developed in 1982, the AF1 used to look like a heavy hi-top hiking shoe and was the first basketball shoe with new “Nike Air” technology (Complex). The shoe became popular in New York City and the tri-state among ballplayers and, eventually, anyone in the know (Nike). Basketball and hip-hop have always had a close relationship--so much so it’s common to see NBA players try their hands at rap at some point in their career (Complex).

Eventually, the shoe became an integral part of hip-hop fashion and hip-hop. References to the white-on-white shoe can be heard in New York’s own by Jay-Z in “Can I Live II”, and most famously by St. Louis rapper Nelly in “Air Force Ones.”

That’s where I first heard about the shoes: Nelly, an artist and producer who rose to fame in the early 2000s whom I knew as the guy with the bandaid on his face that sang “Heart of a Champion”, was a big fan of the chunky shoes at Foot Locker. Fast forward to 2018 and I bought my first pair, all grey winterized SF AF1s with buckles and straps. And, much to my delight, I received many undeserved compliments.

Why were they cool though? Not because I wore them, but because I, along with other consumers, benefited from dipping our feet into the cultural cache of hip-hop fashion. At first, I justified the purchase because I’m not white, yet the fact remained I got to be cool because I appropriated Black culture and walked out of the Buffalo Exchange.

Sneaker culture’s gentrification has changed the hobby to a mainstream industry of online sneaker drops, and reselling for profit (Complex). Sites like StockX treat shoes like investments with the potential to appreciate in value. According to the New York Times, the sneaker/streetwear resell business is currently around $2 billion dollars and expected to reach $6 billion by 2025. However, none of the popular resale sites, who claim a percentage of each sale, such as StockX, GOAT, Stadium Goods, etc., are Black-owned and the footwear industry as a whole is predominately white: At Nike, which has a brand value of nearly $35 billion (Statista), only 16% of the upper-level managers are non-white (Portland Business Journal).

White-owned companies like Nike, Adidas, and Puma continue to flourish as vendors of Black culture, but there are alternatives. Despite not having the same staying power, Black-owned sneaker companies still exist and are available anywhere thanks to the internet. Buying from a Black-owned sneaker/shoe company is worth it because A.) you’re supporting a Black-owned business, and B.) you’ll actually get to wear something that is unique.

My favorites include Etsy-based ML Neiks Design Studio which specializes in women’s athleisure, and Harlem-based Ninety-Nine Products who make a running shoe which I plan on buying (for myself) this holiday season. For a longer list of Black-owned sneakers click here or here for women’s style shoes.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Hip-hop and hip-hop fashion are a product of Black culture, that, like many aspects of Black culture have been appropriated for mainstream consumption.
The white Nike Air Force 1 is an example of this appropriation. Once nicknamed after New York City’s Harlem neighborhood, this shoe has become a mainstream staple and a symbol of sneaker culture’s gentrification.
Rather than contributing to white owned brands profiting from Black culture, buy sneakers/shoes from Black owned businesses.

RELATED ISSUES

7/16/2020 | Respect AAVE.

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

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/21/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/21/20

Have tough conversations.

The holidays can be both magical and fraught with interpersonal tension. And, with the compounded impact of all things 2020, these relationships may be even more strained. If you're heading into the holidays expecting some tough conversations, here are some resources to help you through. Remember, all of these are only suggestions; relationships are unique and complex, and these best practices might not be best for you. Share your thoughts on today's conversation in our digital community.

Happy Monday! And welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Our community is heading into the holiday season, so over the next few days, we'll be curating some of the most impactful posts from the past six months to help you refresh and re-examine this work in all aspects of your life.

To help with that, we've officially launched our virtual community! This space is designed for you to connect with others, share resources, hold conversations around our newsletters, and sign up for events. All proceeds support our work. Flexible payment options are available. Patreon subscribers: check Patreon for an access link using your existing subscription.

I really hope to see you there! If you're more of an email reader, no worries. Nothing is changing here. As always, you can support our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Consider if you have the capacity to hold a conversation this holiday season.
Make your plan beforehand if you can, using the resources in the last section of the newsletter.
Reflect: how has someone called you into a tough conversation recently? What did you learn from it? What did you appreciate about it?

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Call in, not call out.

Often, confrontation isn’t as effective as a nuanced conversation about a tricky topic. Consider leading a generative conversation by leading with your feelings, using “I” statements, and being vulnerable about your own journey with the topic(s) at hand. Please note: if calling someone out is a more direct and straightforward way to start the conversation and feels more generative to you, please do so.

Don’t wait for something to react to.

Most of the work regarding dismantling white supremacy happens as a reaction to a single incident. But for this work to be sustainable, we – especially those with privilege – need to get comfortable with the discomfort of this work proactively, not just as a reaction. Bring it up directly, perhaps by naming how a recent interaction made you feel.

There is no such thing as the “best” time.

Many people are hesitant to get into tough conversations during the holidays, a time that can feel precious and “distanced” from the tension of everyday life. But there’s rarely a “best” time for difficult conversations. Consider instead: how can I host this conversation in the most generative way at this moment? How can I start this conversation now to create more space for it in the future?

Center whiteness, not Blackness (or other marginalized identities).

When discussing race specifically (and in the lens of whiteness), many try to defend or validate marginalized communities. But it’s more critical to acknowledge the harm of whiteness itself. When the focus is deconstructing the harm of dominant culture, it gives those who identify tangible ways to analyze and change their actions. This is a critical act in itself; no community needs to be validated by another to “deserve” respect. We all deserve respect, and we need to adjust our actions and recognize our shortcomings to provide it.

Set consequences.

Hold your loved ones accountable. Ensure that you’re no longer tolerating their statements. Note how their continued racism will affect your relationship, and be prepared to stand firm. Remember that accountability is a practice of love, and so is setting boundaries for you and yours.

Lead by example.

Demonstrate the actions you’ve taken to dismantle white supremacy in your own life. Use examples of what you’ve learned and unlearned in your own education. Be vulnerable about where you’re still growing – because we all have space to improve! And note how else you’re moving forward.

Invite them to join in.

If you feel resourced, you can use this time to invite this person to join in – perhaps by reading a book together, having further discussions, etc. If that’s not available to you at the moment, you can offer to check in with them later to see how they’re progressing.

Resource yourself.

Tough conversations with loved ones are not easy. If you have the opportunity, make a self-care plan for before, during, and after. Beforehand, practice some deep breathing and grounding exercises. Remember to check in with your breath and body during the conversation. And, plan for some time to decompress afterward, whether that’s scheduling time to decompress with a friend or therapist, taking a long walk later, journaling, etc. It might also be helpful to write some talking points and goals beforehand to help you feel more comfortable.

Additional Resources

Want To Have Better Conversations About Racism With Your Parents? Here's How (NPR)
Let's Talk! Discussing race and other difficult topics with students. (Tolerance)
The Anti-Racist Educator
The Courage to Not Know (Brené Brown)
How White People Can Talk To Each Other About Disrupting Racism (DoSomething)
How White People Can Hold Each Other Accountable to Stop Institutional Racism (Teen Vogue)

RELATED ISSUES

10/8/2020 | Condemn QAnon.

11/15/2020 | Learn the key terminology.

12/8/2020 | Learn how to apologize.

7/14/2020 | Embrace your race privilege.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

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

Advocate for a fair Census count.

It’s no secret that this year has been a chaotic roller coaster in many respects, and the ongoing census count is no exception. The census, which has taken place every ten years since 1790, ensures that every person in the U.S. is counted. It also impacts the reallocation of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the distribution of federal funding to states.

Happy Sunday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily! Today we're following up on our coverage of the census. The U.S. census is a critical aspect of representation, particularly for those most marginalized. And the shift in administration can greatly influence how the rest of the census project unfolds. Here with more is Sayaka.

Our team is going to be on holiday rest for the next few weeks. That means we'll be publishing pieces queued up in advance, including a series of year-in-reviews that will help you reflect and absorb on the conversations we've had here. It also means I'll be slower to respond to inquiries on our channels. If you reach out with a work or editorial related note, you'll receive an out-of-office. But we still have a surprise or two in store before we fully check out...

As always, you can support our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Read and share the letter encouraging politicians to support the 2020 Census Deadline Extensions Act.
Follow updates from The Census Project on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date information regarding the census. You can sign up for their newsletter here.
Follow the Census Counts website for updates on the census.
Find ways to get involved with the Census moving forward.

GET EDUCATED

By Sayaka Matsuoka (she/her)

After much legal back and forth, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to change the census deadline to October 15th (Vox). Now, as the census data is processed, the U.S. Census Bureau has received national attention for anomalies, as well as for President Trump’s attempts to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census altogether.

In July, Trump issued a memorandum stating his intent to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count, something that has never been done before (White House). According to the Constitution, the "whole number of persons" living in each state must be counted to determine how many seats in Congress and Electoral College votes each state gets (NPR). In 2017, there were approximately 10.5 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., accounting for 3.2% of the nation’s population (Pew Research Center). Current estimates put the number of undocumented immigrants between 10.5 and 12 million individuals (Brookings Institute).

Since Trump’s memorandum, federal courts have ruled that Trump lacks the authority to make such a change, and the Supreme Court took up the case for the first time at the end of November (Washington Post).

During the hearing, several of the justices, including newly-appointed Judge Amy Coney Barrett, expressed skepticism over Trump’s action. Jeffrey Wall, the government’s top lawyer, also stated that census officials weren’t sure how many undocumented immigrants would be counted or if it would affect reapportionment. He suggested that people in immigration detention or those ordered to leave the country would not be counted. Later in the hearing, Wall also said that larger categories of immigrants, such as those protected from deportation under DACA, may also be excluded from the count if Trump gets his way (AP). However, when justices pressed Wall about the timeline for processing data, he stated that he couldn’t estimate when the counting would be completed (NPR).

For this administration to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count, the data processing would have to take place while Trump is still in office. But several flaws in the census count jeopardize the census bureau’s ability to hand their numbers to the president by a Dec. 31 deadline (AP). Leaked documents and anonymous sources within the Census Bureau confirmed multiple irregularities in the count regarding residents of college dorms, prisons, and other group living quarters. This category amounted to about 8 million people during the 2010 census. Currently, the irregularities affect about 1 million records (NPR).

Flaws in the count, including excluding whole categories of individuals, could vastly skew how much of an estimated $1.5 trillion a year in federal funding each community gets for Medicare, Medicaid, and other public services (NPR). Suppose undocumented immigrants are excluded from the census. In that case, states with large immigrant populations like New York, California, and Texas could lose House seats and funding, and whiter, Republican states could benefit at the expense of Democratic ones (NYTimes).

📰 Historically, undercounts or irregularities in census data have affected Black and Brown communities the most. To learn more, read our previous post about the census here.

Because of count irregularities and delays, it’s likely that incoming President Joe Biden will be the one calling the shots about the final count (AP). But that doesn’t mean he can just ask for a complete re-do. Because orchestrating the census is extremely laborious (and expensive — it cost $16 billion this year), the likelihood of Biden scrapping this year’s census and ordering a new one in 2021 or 2022 would be unprecedented (NPR). Instead, experts call for the incoming Biden administration to set up a panel of experts to review the quality of the data.

While the deadline for filling out the census has passed, the fight to make sure everyone is counted fairly and equitably isn’t. Urge politicians to support the 2020 Census Deadline Extensions Act, which would extend the statutory deadlines for delivering apportionment and redistricting data to April and July 2021 (Center for American Progress).

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In November, the Supreme Court held its first hearing in response to President Trump’s attempt to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census.
Irregularities in the count show that 1 million records have been affected.
If the bureau doesn’t meet its Dec. 31 deadline to report its data to President Trump, President-elect Joe Biden may be the one calling the shots on the final count in January.

RELATED ISSUES

9/9/2020 | Make the census count.

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

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

7/8/2020 | Investigate school district funding disparities.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/18/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/18/20

Rest against capitalism this holiday season.

Because the United States of America has an unofficially Christian foundation, the Christmas holiday has always been front and center in winter holiday celebrations. Although the gift-giving aspect of the holiday stems from the story of the three wise men who bestowed gifts upon the newborn Jesus, the tradition has morphed into a modern-day capitalist monster. For most of history, this time of year was about spending time with one’s family. Still, after the publications of The Night Before Christmas (in 1823) and, especially, A Christmas Carol (in 1843), the idea of “Christmas shopping” flooded the Western marketplaces and changed the way we experience the holiday season forever (Bustle).

Happy Friday! As I reflect on the last few days of 2020, I'm making rest a priority. The holiday season often brings immense pressure, and the last days of the year often stress us to be more productive. Rest might feel like a selfish indulgence, but it's actually a revolutionary way to reclaim our sense of self and identity in a capitalistic society.

I appreciate how Shayna, the author of today's piece, draws the correlation between holiday expectations and the relationship between productivity and capitalism. Her words center the Black experience, but remind all of us that grace and ease is the greatest gift we can give ourselves and each other.

Tomorrow is our weekly Study Hall where we answer questions and share insights from the community. I'll have an exciting update about our community growing, too! As always, you can support our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

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Be honest with yourself and your loved ones this season: What is your financial situation this year? Is your spending linked to your idea of self-worth? Does this stem from racism?
Find communal ways to celebrate the holiday season, like volunteering at a food bank, gathering on a family Zoom call, having a holiday game night, or making gifts together.
If you can spend money on gifts this season, buy from Black and Indigenous-owned small businesses instead of Amazon or Wal-mart. Follow hashtags like #Blackownbusiness, #indigenousownedbusiness, #buyBlack, and #buyindigenous for ideas.
Follow @decolonizingtherapy and @thenapministry for practical ways to support BIPOC self-care this season.

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By Shayna Conde (she/her)

The capitalist history of modern Christmas

The toxic relationship between holiday capitalism and the intergenerational trauma of slavery

Intergenerational (also known as transgenerational) trauma is defined as a form of trauma whose “effects are not only psychological but familial, social, cultural, neurobiological and possibly even genetic” (American Psychological Association). The effects of the traumatic experience of transatlantic slavery are long-lasting and constantly being unearthed by those of us in the diaspora.

One way intergenerational trauma shows up is in the need to constantly work and produce as a means of identity. During slavery times, the monetary value of an enslaved African’s life was based upon what and how much they could produce (Measuring Worth). Although the time of transatlantic slavery is over, our current oppressive systems further instill in us that if we are not working until we drop (and can show proof of that labor), then we are worth less than others. The relationship between the ever-hungry capitalistic beast of modern-day Christmas and the ever-working, generationally traumatized Black person can be a dangerous one.

“Because the holiday season often requires us to keep track of and pay attention to a greater number of responsibilities than usual, the brain’s prefrontal cortex goes into overdrive. Over time, a high level of demand can decrease memory, halt production of new brain cells, and cause existing brain cells to die,” explains psychology professor Dr. Ellen Braaten (Harvard Medical School).

But must the holidays be such a stressful time, especially for communities that were struggling long before COVID became a pandemic? Consider this. 42% of Black people in the United States had hypertension between 2015-2016 (Center for Disease Control). As of 2015, over 46% of non-Spanish speaking Black US citizens had cardiovascular disease (American Heart Association). A 2014 study of Black women in a primary care setting found that 49% had symptoms of depression, and 10% experienced suicidal thoughts (Medical News Today). 18.8% of African Americans fell below the poverty line in 2019 (Poverty Talk). And all of these stats were taken before the coronavirus pandemic, and the economic crisis of 2020 even took place.

Self-care and rest are two means of self-motivated wellness that have not been widely encouraged in the Black community until recently. For much of my childhood years, I would hear that “If you had time to rest, you had time to work,” or other means of conflating rest with laziness. @thenapministry is an IG account that is changing the narrative of rest and recharge for Black people, specifically Black women, since we are afflicted with the “strong Black woman” stereotype (Healthline). Therapy is another form of self-care that has been highly stigmatized within the Black community. The account @decolonizingtherapy is fighting back to get more BIPOCs talking about mental health without focusing on the white perspective. @soyouwanttotalkabout is my means of staying up-to-date with what is happening in the world and the BLM movement without the risk of accidentally traumatizing myself with the mass of trauma porn on major news cycles. The end of this calendar year should be about growth, reflection and unashamed restfulness, especially for my fellow BIPOCs.

This November, I asked my grandmother, a 76-year old Black Jamaican woman: if she weren’t sick and if the world weren’t sick, what would she want to do with her life? I was expecting her to say that she would go on vacation or start baking with her grandkids or visit an old friend in Sedbergh, but instead, she replied, “I want to work again. It’s what I do best.” It can be difficult for all of us in the Black community to realize that we are more than what we produce when the world keeps telling us otherwise. If we do not know our worth, we will unintentionally pass these pains down to the next generation. Remember that you are not defined by your labor or what that labor can buy this holiday season.

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You are not defined by your labor or what that labor can buy.
Our oppressive systems instill in Black communities that if we are not working until we drop (and show proof of that labor), we are worth less than others.
The Black community’s intergenerational trauma and stress have direct links to serious health concerns that can be exacerbated during the holiday season. 42% of all Black US citizens between 2015 and 2016 had hypertension, and 1 in 2 Black women in primary caregiver roles had symptoms of depression. These numbers have undoubtedly grown during the pandemic.
This year has been particularly hard, so take a break without apologizing for it.

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8/3/2020 | Stay awake.

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

9/11/2020 | Protect Black women.

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