5 Things Friday
Los Angeles MOVES to return stolen land, a racist statue comes down, and the legacy of Micheal K. Williams—here are your antiracism action steps for September 10.
California pals: Did you turn in your ballot yet? If not, STOP right here, fill it out (here's a cheat sheet: NO!), and go drop it in the mail.
We'll wait.
Done? O.K. cool, we can move on.
Here are your 5 Things!
KNOW THIS. The Robert E. Lee statue comes down on Wednesday after 130 years in Richmond, Virginia. A positive step, to be sure, but please read and heed Dr. Akilah Cadet's words about symbols, statues, and actual change: "Removing Confederate monuments does not equate to accountability, healing, and anti-racism. It is a visual display of an action needed to build momentum for change. White supremacy is still there. White supremacy is still the reason it took years to take these monuments down. The reason they went up in the first place. And the reason white supremacy is ingrained in our systems we live, work and survive in. Do you know why Black people show up to the removal of these atrocious celebratory posturing Confederate monuments? It's because for those few minutes that city is saying this is fucked up. It's a moment when we feel like our lives in fact matter. Although short lived we experience joy watching the clips. Some of us get teary eyed and others place strong fists in the air. When you see a racist monument come down, know it's a reminder to do the work. Check with your city and state to see what racist and/or discriminatory laws and policies exist. Ask the city what is next for racial justice and equality. And last if you encounter someone who's upset and says "it's just history." Remind them that they know where they came from. They didn't have ancestors who were enslaved and lived with vicarious trauma as a result. They know their first and last name and don't have ancestors who hung from trees. And if that doesn't work, remind them they have generational wealth/access to it and privilege."
CELEBRATE THIS. This is what going beyond symbolism looks like: Yesterday the California State Assembly passed Bruce's Beach Bill, setting the stage for Los Angeles County to return a sliver of oceanfront land in Manhattan Beach to the family of the property’s original Black owners. It is now headed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature. This is all thanks to the tireless activists behind Justice for Bruce's Beach!
SEND THIS. Julius Jones is an innocent man who has been on death row in Oklahoma for over 20 years. At 19 years old, he was convicted of a murder he did not commit. He was at home with his family during the time of the crime, his family was not given the opportunity to testify in court, and multiple people have come forward saying that someone else, Julius’ co-defendent, confessed to the murder. The Oklahoma Attorney General requested that Julius Jones be given an execution date of October 28th despite the state’s troubling history with botched executions, a scheduled commutation hearing, and his maintained innocence. Demand #JusticeForJulius and email the Pardon and Parole boardto tell them why Julius is innocent and why they should not execute him.
REMEMBER THIS. The world lost an incredible man last week with the passing of Micheal K. Williams. While he was best known for his acting, his friends, family, and East Flatbush neighbors knew him as committed to social justice including gun violence, mass incarceration, and poverty and oppression. In 2018, he co-founded We Build the Block with Dana Rachlin.The group focuses on replacing police presence with community-based initiatives in over-policed communities, and was influential in getting new voters to polls in recent elections. We highly recommend you watch Williams' powerful HBO documentary 'Raised In The System' which goes in depth and explores mass incarceration and the juvenile justice system. And don't miss this one—a recent short film from the Atlantic and HBO in which Williams plays multiple versions of himself and his best known characters deliberating an ongoing, pivotal question asked by many Black actors in Hollywood: Am I—are we—being typecast?
SUPPORT THIS. On September 19, Bay Area Latino Cannabis Alliance (BALCA) is hosting a fundraiser in the Mission and they need your support! BALCA is a volunteer-run organization seeking to empower Latinos in cannabis (get to know this year's event's incredible hostess, Cindy De La Vega, here). Whether it is the Latino entrepreneur struggling to get on the retail shelf, the Latino field worker who toils under the hot sun for minimal pay, the Latino budtender who helps hundreds of patients a day, Latinos have contributed greatly to cannabis culture, doing much of the work forming the emerging industry, and BALCA is building a voice that articulates these experiences and contributions made to cannabis (check out this informative Brief History of Latinos and Marijuana). Their vision is to build up support for their five pillars; education, professional development, civil rights, business ownership, and cultural expression."We are committed more than ever in our empeño to empower nuestra bella comunidad Latina for long term success in the California cannabis industry and beyond." If you are able to help sponsor the event, please reach out directly to Liza Sosa at 714-335-6671.