Welcome to Our Movement in Motion, a new national newsletter from your friends at Harm Reduction Coalition, sent on the 1st and 15th of each month. With an ever-changing landscape of perceptions, policies, and possibilities in the Harm Reduction movement, this space is for celebrating our wins and building out our community towards collective action to promote the health and dignity of people who use drugs.

News: Is Ketamine the New Police Weapon Against Black Lives? — As cases of police violence and killings continue to rise, Elijah McClain was a victim of a new police weapon: Ketamine. Understanding how State violence shifts over time with newer but just-as-deadly weapons to deploy on unarmed Black people across the country is a part of Harm Reduction’s commitment to shift power and resources to people vulnerable to structural violence. Black Lives Matter.

Statement: Committing to Accountability: Transforming a Culture of Sexual Harm — A statement from National Harm Reduction Coalition leadership addressing a call for accountability related to the conduct of a former employee. The demand from survivors was released as follows: 

“We call upon the harm reduction movement to seize this hard but transformational moment in time. We need this moment to prompt an examination of the safety and accountability processes that have failed, and the creation of ones that are inclusive, transparent, and responsive. Femmes and survivors need to be included in these dialogues and decision-making. Our movement needs to stop ignoring our friends, lovers, and co-workers’ mistreatment of others. We need to believe survivors.”

News: Healthcare in the U.S. is Still Segregated, So Community Organizations Are Taking Testing Into Their Own Hands — “Predominantly Black neighborhoods have less access to primary care physicians and healthcare services, at a time when COVID-19 is killing Black Americans at a rate 2.3 times higher than white Americans. Now grassroots organizations are trying to compensate for the failures of public health."

News: Drug Arrests Still Costing NYC Millions as Residents Beg for Aid, Freedom for City Families — An analysis by Drug Policy Alliance revealed New York City continues to arrest mostly Black and Brown residents for low-level drug offenses in the midst of a global pandemic and economic crisis in which city residents have demanded financial support and community investment. The organization Communities United for Police Reform demands the reallocation of at least $1 billion of the NYPD’s budget toward “core needs in Black, Latinx and other NYC communities of color."

Training:  Hepatitis C Prevention with Young People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) 

• Part I: July 23 at 3 PM ET
• Part II: July 28 at 3 PM ET

Webinar: Register here to join faith leaders for a conversation on Overdose, Race, & Justice at 3 pm EST on Thursday July 30. 

Emergent Work: American Rehab Podcast — “American Rehab” is a new podcast series from Reveal and PRX exposes exploitation within drug treatment programs and institutions across the country.

Webinar: What is Advocacy? An Introduction to Advocacy, Organizing, and Community Mobilization — Aug. 6 | 10-11:30AM PDT; Have you ever wanted to be involved in advocacy but weren't sure how to get started? Have you wanted to help your community come together to speak up for their needs? This presentation will give participants an introduction into what advocacy and organizing look like, and different ways you can engage depending on your level of interest and resources. Participants will leave with strategies and tools to decide whether to engage in advocacy and how to create and prioritize advocacy goals.

Now Hiring! Director of Finance at National Harm Reduction Coalition

Are you interested in developing and refining a growing organization’s financial infrastructure and building capacity for financial transparency and collaborative budgeting with program staff? Do you want to help build fiscal sponsorship systems so projects can focus on programmatic investment? The Director of Finance will supervise a team of two staff members, and lead all day-to-day finance operations including functional responsibility over accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and grants administration. Learn more and apply here.