5 Things Friday
Impeachment x 2, policing the police, and the secret life of YouTube. Here are your antiracism action steps for January 15.
This week we're gonna do a quick little intro and welcome the 700 or so new subscribers to 5 Things Friday. (Heeeeey! So glad you're here!). We started sending this email—a quick and easy list of 5 actions you can take RIGHT NOW to further the fight for racial justice—back in June. Like so many, the murder of George Floyd pushed us into action and a small group of us organized a car caravan protest in San Francisco. After the protest we were left with over 1,000 email addresses of people who participated—folks we knew were committed, at least in that moment, to work for change. So we started sending a short, simple old-school email from our personal gmail accounts once a week and called it 5 Things Friday. We knew there was no shortage of information and reporting on the trauma and injustice that results from white supremacy. But that simply knowing this stuff could make us feel more helpless and paralyzed than ever. So we gave you 5 things to do. We've been doing it ever since.
And it works. We are only a couple thousand people strong, but between us we've added hundreds of names to petitions, brought in thousands of dollars and other needed resources to Black-led orgs, and made countless phone calls to senators, congress people, voters, and more. Just last week you added 64 signatures demanding San Francisco move on charging the officers involved in the murder of Oscar Grant—a case that was just reopend after 12 years because of people steadfastly taking actions just like the ones below. Steadfast...it means "resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering." And that's what we have to be—steadfast in our action. We click, we sign, we call, we donate, and we keep marching forward.
Here are your 5 Things.
SIGN THIS. Let's talk about the Capitol Police. While we weren't especially shocked to see an emboldened white mob break into the Capitol (leading to at least five deaths and putting our democracy at risk), we did initially scratch our heads as we watched the U.S. Capitol Police, or USCP, do NOTHING to stop it. We've since learned that the violent siege of the Capitol wasn't a one-off “security failure.” Video footage posted online by rioters and bystanders shows multiple Capitol Police seeming to allow the white mob to commit this deadly attack. Sign this petition from Color of Change to demanding an immediate, far-reaching investigation into white supremacist infiltration of Capitol Police forces. Also—surprise, suprise—this isn't the first time complaints of racial bias, retaliation, and misconduct have been raised against the USCP—dig into a longer read on the force's problematic track record here.
TEXT THIS. Trump is now the first president in history to be impeached twice, but his conviction now depends on the Senate. Text “EXPEL” to 30403 to join over 100 organizations (led by the Movement for Black Lives, the Working Families Party, United We Dream, and the Frontline), calling on the Senate to convict Trump and to expel the 8 senators and 139 representatives who voted against the election results (you may have seen their full-page ad in the New York Times last Sunday). The massive campaign has already moved companies including Coca-Cola, Walmart, Disney, Bank of America, Google, Microsoft, Comcast, Amazon, Deloitte, and so many others, to pause their political funding until Donald Trump and the 147 insurrectionist members of Congress are removed from their positions. Now is the time to keep up the pressure...because nothing is more powerful than getting between a politician and their big-dollar donors.
LISTEN TO THIS. How did we get here? Hint: it starts with www....Dig into this enlightening (and disturbing) case study on how one punk rock–loving, Obama-supporting, Michael Moore fan turned into a fervent white nationalist. The NYT's new podcast The Rabbit Hole kicks off by analyzing the transformation of one guy—Caleb—through a candid interview and a forensic dissection of his entire 4-year YouTube viewing history (yikes). That, combined with intel from the engineer who helped create YouTube's addictive "rabbit hole" algorithms, makes the answer hard to miss. This is required listening for anyone with a high school pal or family member who has recently gotten cozy with conspiracy theories.
SIGN UP FOR THIS. Here at REP CO, we credit much of our continued learning around antiracism and allyship to one brilliant Black woman in particular: Dr. Akilah Cadet has dedicated her life to dismantling whte supremacy and has been providing learning opportunities for non-Black women who want to continue their work and journey as an ally. In response to growing desires for growth and change, she is offering an intimate group coaching series specifically for non-Black women who want to deepen their understanding of allyship and transition into becoming an accomplice by integrating anti-racism work into every aspect of their lives. Over the course of three, ninety minute group sessions, you will learn from Dr. Cadet, engage in activities and discussion about how to show up personally and professionally, work on individual behavior and accountability, experience group coaching, and receive takeaway assignments and reading for continued learning and advocacy. Interested? Make sure to fill out the application by Wednesday, January 27th to be considered for the cohort. You will be notified of acceptance into the series by Wednesday, February 3rd.
READ THIS. Quick—what image pops into your head when you hear the term "loving family"? If it's a white, heterosexual couple with a couple of kids, there are a few reason for that. Parenting-focused media has been especially behind the curve when it comes to showcasing diverse family structures and regularly featuring BIPOC folks. Brandi Andrews and Lawrence Carroll are working to change that, in part by sharing their own beautiful family-building story: Brandi and Lawrence are gay BFFS who decided to pair up and make a baby, laying the foundation for the strong family unit that exists today: Lawrence, Brandi, adorable 3-year-old Hartley, and Brandi's partner (and Hartley's "bonus mom") Blu Nyle. Read their full story (complete with plenty of cute Hartley pics) here.