People For the American Way
June 2020
The American Way


Spotlight

Please take a moment to read Ben's message to members:

These challenging times demand more of all of us. For me, that has meant a time of soul-searching and a deep conversation with myself about where I can be most effective. In coming to PFAW, I am returning to my roots as an organizer after a half-decade hiatus from this work. Organizing is a tradition for my family. My 103-year-old grandmother was born into and grew up in the early civil rights movement. She remains active to this day. My parents met as organizers. I was raised in a community of activists that engaged in collective action to defend and advance civil rights, LGBTQ equality, racial justice, gender equality, immigrants’ rights, and opportunity for all.

I am committed to making our PFAW family an even more powerful organizing force. We will build on the tradition that Barbara Jordan, Dolores Huerta, and Norman Lear have created over the years. We will continue to be the most effective multiracial, multigenerational force for change in the country. Together, we will change the course of history.

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A Nation in Crisis

Since the beginning of the pandemic we have seen Trump's failure to lead on full display. Trump's inaction has cost us greatly and as he ignores the ongoing threat of the virus, we'll continue to suffer the consequences.

With the 2020 elections just on the horizon, Trump and his Republican enablers continue to prop up and excuse away his failed presidency, failed leadership, and failed policies.

Even as our nation reaches a fever pitch in outrage over the brutal and all too familiar anti-Black police violence, Republicans across the country offer little more than lip-service to address issues gripping our nation.

If we are to end the Trump presidency and send Republicans packing, it's going to mean getting support from as many PFAW members as possible - including you.

ALL renewal donations by midnight 6/30 will be 3X-MATCHED *AND* receive a FREE "Say No to Hate" sticker for our Mid-Year Member Drive!

say no to hate!

This is one of the most critical funding periods for our organization and our most important Mid-Year campaign ever, because we're in the middle of the most important election ever...

Chip in today and renew for 2020 with a TRIPLE-MATCHED donation to help us raise the $49,173 needed to meet our goal for the month>>

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This Month

PFAW is proud to endorse Joe Biden for President. We do this against the grim backdrop of 200 Trump judges confirmed to the federal bench. As Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell do a victory lap on reaching this milestone, we know the harm that these judges are already doing – and will continue to do – to Americans’ fundamental rights.

After four years of Donald Trump’s corruption and inept leadership, Biden offers a way forward when it comes to courts, COVID, and competency.

Throughout his campaign and in recent weeks, Biden has demonstrated his understanding of the significance the courts has in every facet of our lives. He is also keenly aware of the inherent danger that Trump and McConnell's scheme to pack our courts with far right judges has had and will continue to have for years to come.

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PFAW, joined the Declaration For American Democracy coalition, and other partner organizations to co-host a virtual rally on voting rights. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, civil rights leader and PFAW board member Dolores Huerta, and PFAW Foundation Director of African American Religious Affairs Rev. Leslie Watson Wilson were among the speakers.

The rally focused on several of the converging set of crises facing our nation. The disproportionate health and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the most recent instances of anti-Black police violence, have magnified the ongoing and overwhelming effects of systemic racism in this country. Making matters even more dire, holding a presidential election in the midst of a pandemic creates new concerns over voter suppression well beyond the scope of what we have experienced since Shelby v. Holder.

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Donald Trump continues to ignore the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and is moving full steam ahead with his reelection campaign. As of June 23, Trump had downplayed the threat of the coronavirus 60 distinct times since January by claiming that the virus is “dying out,” irrespective of the growth in cases, hospitalizations, and the death rate in the U.S.

Contrary to the president’s lies, COVID-19 cases increased by 25 percent last week compared to the previous week. On June 24, the U.S. also had the highest number of new cases in a single day since April. Health experts warn that the U.S. could likely reach 180,000 deaths by October if federal leaders do not take drastic steps to curtail the spread soon.

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Americans may or may not know there’s more than one Independence Day in the United States. In addition to the Fourth of July holiday all Americans recognize, black Americans commemorate our ancestors’ freedom from slavery on Juneteenth.

Two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Gen. Gordon Grander formally issued an order carrying out the end of slavery on June 19, 1865. Today, Black Americans celebrate our joy, culture, and resilience on Juneteenth, and reflect on our collective journey.

But this year, in the wake of a slew of state-sanctioned acts of violence against black people, our legacy of trauma is front of mind. That trauma, broken open again in recent weeks, serves as a stark reminder that even as we recognize our monumental freedom from bondage, black Americans have never known true liberation.

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