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Friend,
The protests are working, and we will not be done until
Black lives truly matter in this country. Over the past three
weeks, millions of people have risen up — in their homes and in the
streets in all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico — resulting in a massive
shift in public support for protecting Black lives, defunding the
police, and dismantling white supremacy.
That’s why we’re proud to join the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL)
for their massive SIX NINETEEN mobilization this Juneteenth weekend,
June 19-21. There’s now a map of 100+ in-person and online events this
weekend, including events that Bend the Arc leaders are joining from
Long Island to Oakland and from Pittsburgh to Albuquerque.
Find
an event near you here, plus information on the movement’s demands,
COVID-19 health guidance, and how to support from
home.
This Friday, June 19, marks the 155th anniversary of
Juneteenth, commemorating the day when the news of
abolition finally reached enslaved Black people in Texas.
On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas and
announced to over 250,000 enslaved Black people that they were free —
two and a half years after the passage of the Emancipation
Proclamation.
Juneteenth is a day that honors Black freedom and Black
resistance, and centers Black people’s unique contribution to the
struggle for justice in the U.S. This Juneteenth is a rare moment for
our communities to proclaim in one voice that Black Lives Matter, and
that we won’t tolerate anything less than justice for all our
people.
The Juneteenth mobilization includes a range of options for taking
action — whether it’s joining us in the streets, in your local
community, or in your home.
Wherever you join us, you are growing the movement to shift
resources from policing to investing in community-based programs in
Black communities, like healthcare, education, and housing. And you
are amplifying the demand for Trump to be held accountable for his
long history of racism, causing harm, and dividing us from building a
country where all of us are safe and free.
Join
us this weekend, June 19-21, to celebrate Juneteenth and support the
uprisings for Black liberation.
We know that these protests have mass public
support. A HuffPost/YouGov poll found that Americans support
the anti-racism protests by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.1
A poll from Civiqs found that “American voters’ support for Black
Lives Matter increased nearly as much in the last two weeks as it had
in the previous two years."2
And just this past weekend, over 40,000 people in New York, Los
Angeles, and Chicago showed up in solidarity with Black trans
people.3
The protests are already changing our country: In
Minneapolis, a veto-proof majority of the city council pledged to
disband the police department and replace it with community-oriented
safety measures.4 Los Angeles announced that it would cut
$100-150 million from the LAPD budget to reinvest in Black communities
(which is just a start).5 And our culture is changing too:
Confederate and colonialist flags and statues are coming down from
NASCAR to state capitols, and companies are being pushed by their
employees to change policies and practices that entrench white
supremacy.6,7
We know that these protests are bending the arc toward
justice — and it is on all of us to keep showing up for Black lives
in all the ways we can until justice is won.
Can
you join us at the SIX NINETEEN mobilization this
weekend?
Thank you,
The Bend the Arc team
P.S. Thinking about attending a protest but wondering about how
to protect yourself and others from COVID-19? Check
out these protocols from M4BL for public risk and harm reduction while
protesting.
Sources
1. HuffPost, Public
Opinion Is On The Side Of The Protests. That's New.
2. New York Times, How
Public Opinion Has Moved on Black Lives Matter
3. Out, 40,000
Demand Justice for Black Trans Lives at Protests
4. The Guardian, Minneapolis
lawmakers vow to disband police department in historic move
5. NPR, Amid
Protests Against Police Violence LA Mayor Eric Garcetti Announces Cuts
To LAPD
6. NBC News, NASCAR
bans Confederate flags at its events
7. Washington Post, Robert
E. Lee statue in Richmond to be removed, says Virginia Governor
Northam
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