While social media and the news this week are wrapped up in the drama of the presidential debates, we’ve been focusing our energy on something different.

Voting While Black

John,

Election day is TOMORROW for Shameca Collins for District Attorney in Mississippi's 6th District, and we're doing a final huge push through social media ads and Color Of Change PAC organizers and members on the ground. Can you donate to help us get the word out for Shameca Collins as far as possible in the next 24 hours?

This weekend, over 60 people came out to our Black Women's Brunch, where they learned about Shameca Collins' transformative vision for her district and got the resources they need to inspire their friends and family to vote too. And we're building an online movement too, with over 700 people who have chipped in to help us win.

You have 24 hours to join the movement and donate to help elect Shameca Collins. Let's do this.

Until justice is real,

Arisha and the Color Of Change PAC team


 ---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Arisha Michelle Hatch, Color Of Change PAC
Date: August 3, 2019
Subject: How to stand with Black women in Mississippi

Dear John,

While social media and the news this week are wrapped up in the drama of the presidential debates, we’ve been focusing our energy on something different.

I believe that the elected officials that impact us the most are actually the ones in our own communities: the district attorneys, the mayors, the judges. They’re the people who are making decisions that impact us on a daily basis, and if we can elect leaders who care about Black people like me, my family, and my neighbors, we can create the world we want to see on our own streets, regardless of who’s in the White House.

That’s why we’re fighting to elect Shameca Collins for District Attorney of Mississippi’s 6th District. I’m asking you to join us because we have less than a week until her election on August 6. If you believe in the power of local elections to change our communities, rush a $4 donation now to support our work to elect transformative candidates like Shameca Collins in Mississippi.

Collins is a Black woman who grew up in Natchez, MS. Mississippi has the 3rd highest incarceration rate out of all 50 states.1 Black people are one-third of the state's population, but are 60 percent of the state's prison population.2 Shameca Collins knows these harsh realities about her home and has a bold vision to change her community, including:3

  1. Offering alternatives for non-violent offenders to keep people out of jails, and provide opportunities for people to make amends for their mistakes

  2. Providing more resources for people suffering from addiction to heal, instead of throwing them behind bars

  3. Keeping a list of police officers and sheriffs not trustworthy enough to testify, to reduce the influence of corrupt police on convictions

We only have 3 days until this election, so we’re going all in to support Collins. This weekend, we’re holding one of our Black Women’s Brunches, where we’ll organize people to spread the word for Shameca Collins to their friends and families. We’re also already running Facebook ads targeted to the 6th District so as many people as possible hear about Shameca Collins and pledge to vote for her before Tuesday.

We need to raise as much as we can in the next 3 days to support our brunch and a big online push to make sure Shameca Collins wins. Can you rush a $4 donation now to help us?

Collins’ opponent is Ronnie Harper, who has been sitting in the district attorney's office for 24 years. It is time for a change in Mississippi's 6th District, and Collins is ready to transform this old system towards real justice.4

It’s time to put someone in office who holds herself accountable to the Black folks of the 6th District. Shameca Collins is that person, because those people are her people. We don’t have much time; rush a $4 donation now to support our brunch and mobilize voters to elect Shameca Collins!

Until justice is real,

Arisha, Jenni, Charles, Reagan, Daniel, Tammi, Scott and the Color Of Change PAC team


References

1. "States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2018", Prison Policy Initiative, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/156277?t=7&akid=34751%2E4731121%2EJ0tTfj

2. "Mississippi profile", Prison Policy Initiative, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/156280?t=11&akid=34751%2E4731121%2EJ0tTfjprofiles/MS.html

3. Elect Shameca Collins, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/155646?t=13&akid=34751%2E4731121%2EJ0tTfj 

4. "Harper announces run for re-election as District Attorney", The Natchez Democrat, 27 July 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/155647?t=15&akid=34751%2E4731121%2EJ0tTfj