Hey John -

As in previous weeks, we’re all experiencing tumultuous emotions. More and more cases of police brutality against the Black community are coming out and Trump announced further restrictions on healthcare for the transgender community during Pride month, a month we would not have without the contributions of transgender people of color, such a Martha P. Johnson. We must stand with these communities and our anti-racism efforts must strive to be intersectional.

Remember that we are all in it for the long haul. Justice is a marathon, not a sprint, and we need your involvement to get it across the finish line. Take some time to rest and recharge if you need. Furthermore, let it be known that protest works. In the past ten days: 

• Minneapolis bans use of choke holds.
• Charges are upgraded against Officer Chauvin, and his accomplices are arrested and charged.
• Dallas adopts a "duty to intervene" rule that requires officers to stop other cops who are engaging in inappropriate use of force.
• New Jersey’s attorney general said the state will update its use-of-force guidelines for the first time in two decades.
• In Maryland, a bipartisan work group of state lawmakers announced a police reform work group.
• Los Angeles City Council introduces motion to reduce LAPD’s $1.8 billion operating budget.
• MBTA in Boston agrees to stop using public buses to transport police officers to protests.
• Police brutality captured on cameras leads to near-immediate suspensions and firings of officers in several cities (i.e., Buffalo, Ft. Lauderdale).
• Monuments celebrating confederates are removed in cities in Virginia, Alabama, and other states.
• Street in front of the White House is renamed "Black Lives Matter Plaza.” 

We at AYD believe Black Lives Matter. We believe in protest. We believe in action. 

Here are this week’s upcoming events, our AYD Resource Guide: Challenge Racial Injustice, and more important information. 

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AYD Phone Bank for Takis Karantonis

AYD is phone banking for Takis Karantonis! Join us Wednesday, June 17th at 6 pm via Google Meet where we will be calling voters to remind them of the July 7th special election, encouraging them to support Takis, and informing them on how to apply for an absentee mail-in ballot.

Phone Bank Sign Up: www.mobilize.us/arlingtondems/event/274290/ 

Google Meet Info: We will go over training and then mute the audio aspect and support one another via the chat function while making calls! We recommend that you use your laptop for Google Meet and your phone for phone banking.

Google Meet Link: meet.google.com/fhw-pdfw-obc 

If you can’t make it, you can also phone bank on your own time any weekday from 9 am - 8 pm using the phone bank sign up above! 

In addition, AYD has created a Slack for all of us to participate in during the 2020 campaign season. While we most likely will not be able to bond on long car rides to swing districts and swing states, we can all use Slack to talk to each other about our experiences campaigning digitally this year. I encourage you all to join the AYD Campaigns Slack using the button below, even if you are unable to attend tonight.

Questions? Email our campaigns director, Ian White, at [email protected]. 

AYD Civil Rights & Liberties Meeting

The AYD Civil Rights & Liberties Caucus will be holding a meeting to discuss the anti-racism resolutions passed by the AYD Executive Board on Wednesday, June 17th from 8pm - 9pm.

You can attend the meeting using this link: meet.google.com/dhj-sptx-pze 

We will be discussing proposed amendments and whether to support the resolutions as a Caucus. You can read the Resolution on Anti-Fascism, Resolution on Racial Justice, and the Resolution on Police Demilitarization, Oversight, and Accountability using the links below.

• tinyurl.com/ayd-racial-justice-resolution

• tinyurl.com/ayd-police-reform-resolution

• tinyurl.com/ayd-anti-fascism-resolution

AYD Juneteenth Celebration of Black Art & Culture

“Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.  Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863.” 

Join the Arlington Young Democrats for a Juneteenth Celebration of Black Art & Culture on Friday, June 19th at 6 pm. We’ll have appearances from Delegate Joshua Cole and many more! Now more than ever it’s important to celebrate and lift up voices in the Black community and we hope you join us. 

You can join the meeting using this link: meet.google.com/hdv-fczj-xek 

AYD Resource Guide: Challenge Racial Injustice

AYD has created a challenge racial injustice resource guide. While protesting in person is not an option for everyone, you can contact representatives, sign petitions, make donations, get out the vote, and consume anti-racist media as actionable alternatives. If you would like to participate in in-person civic engagement, contact Dan Goldberg at (610) 457-0591.

If you have any questions or would like to join our Diversity & Inclusion Committee, please contact AYD Secretary and D&I Chair Maya Jones at [email protected].

Arlington Special Election & Absentee Voting

The deadline to request your absentee ballot for the Arlington County Board Special Election is Tuesday, June 30th at 5 pm! Request yours today because the ballot must be received, not postmarked, by July 7th at 7 pm.

If you need a witness for your absentee ballot, contact Arlington Dems at [email protected] or you can request a Vote From Your Car appointment, and let election staff witness the process from the safety of your car using this link: https://vote.arlingtonva.us/curbside-appointment/  

For more info on the County Board Special Election and our Democratic nominee, Takis Karantonis, check out: https://arlingtondemocrats.org/vote/special-election/ 

1235 S. Clark St. Suite 207
Arlington, VA 22202
United States

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The Arlington Young Democrats are a group of progressive and liberal individuals who provide an inclusive, growing, and empowering forum for all community members. We believe in: living our Democratic values, electing leaders who embody these values, elevating the voices of young people within the party at the local, state, and federal level, responding to the needs of the people, and furthering outreach and education while developing our future generation of leaders.

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