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This week marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and the movement for women’s suffrage. Except, the 19th amendment only really helped white women. But this story - of liberty and justice for “some” - is the unfinished business of the American experiment. 100 years later, we’re seeing the hand of white supremacy that continues to live on in the 53% of white women who voted for Trump and the 74% of white women who don’t talk about politics.
The question is: will white women once again betray Black women at the polls in November? Or will they (we) get their shit together and do their part to eradicate misogyny, end white supremacy and help build the country that we all deserve?
(Check out the latest CTZN podcast on this very subject). [[link removed]]
This moment is calling us to tell the truth, heal the historical wounds and do something different. Because wellbeing for some is wellbeing for none. We can do better. And we must.
Kerri (she/her)
The toxic legacy of the 19th Amendment and how the suffrage movement betrayed Black women [[link removed]]. [click to tweet] [[link removed]]
Representative Barbara Lee [[link removed]] has been boldly speaking out when no one else would. She embodies a politics like the one Shirley Chisholm talked about: “unbossed and unbought”. Barbara Lee speaks for me. [click to tweet] [[link removed]]
“To create change, you don’t need everyone to agree with you, you just need some people to agree so passionately that they will donate, campaign, march, risk arrest or injury”. Rebecca Solnit on preaching to the choir and organizing power [[link removed]]. [click to tweet] [[link removed]]
Black voters have been on the right side of history. It’s time for everyone else to finally get on board. To all of the newborn “woke” white Democrats, go get your people and vote [[link removed]]. [click to tweet] [[link removed]]
How America helped inspire the Nazis, and how post-Nazi Germany should now inspire America: a conversation with author Isabel Wilkerson and Anand Giridharadas [[link removed]]. [click to tweet] [[link removed]]
76 days and counting and we’re shifting this campaign into high gear. Regardless of what happens at the DNC this week, we know what our work is and we must stop at nothing until we taken back the White House. Here’s the action plan:
PLAN YOUR VOTE! Registering to vote is not enough. This year especially, you need to plan your vote [[link removed]]. Get informed on your state’s registration deadline and restrictions, the voting options by mail or in person and how to track your ballot. Then, go get your friends.
FIGHT VOTE SUPPRESSION: Democracy isn’t democracy if the vote isn’t equally accessible to everyone. And voter suppression deliberately targets BIPOC, undocumented people, the elderly, people with disabilities, working families, people living in poverty and young folks. Join the fight for fair elections. [[link removed]]
SAVE THE USPS: The postal service is essential to protecting our democracy. Text USPS to 50409 to contact your reps and demand action.
GO GET YOUR PEOPLE: Your mission is to go get your people [[link removed]] and turn out the vote. And we’ve got you covered. Join us for the 2020 CTZN Summit - a 5 day virtual gathering to build a politics of collective care. REGISTER [[link removed]].
The number one question I get every election season is “how do we win?”. Our first inclination is to reach out to our Uncle Bob or Aunt Betty who voted for Trump and try to bring them over to our side. It’s typical for dems to go wooing those across the aisle while betraying those who are on our side. But that’s not how you build power. We don’t need to convert non-believers. We simply need to go deeper together, to build bridges across lines of difference and fortify bonds. We need to make sure that no one is left behind due to voter suppression. And we need to act. In 2006, the political scientist Erica Chenoweth found that only 3.5 percent of a population was needed to successfully resist or even topple a regime. To create change, we don’t need everyone to agree with us, we just need some people to agree so passionately that they will donate, campaign, march, risk arrest or injury [[link removed]]. Taj James says “critique alone is not strategy or a meaningful political act. Neither is restating known facts expecting to magically change behavior or the future. Inspire, Build, Move. Don’t be a pawn”. We need a kind of politics that Shirley Chisholm talked about: “unbossed and unbought”. A movement rooted in values, bound by love and excited to win. Let’s be the people we’ve all been waiting for. Join us September 9-13th for CTZN Summit: Building a Politics of Collective care. [[link removed]]
This is gonna be a long haul. Not just until November 3rd, but however long it takes to dismantle systems of oppression and build the country we all deserve. Don’t wait until you get tired to rest. Make rest a part of your resistance. And don’t quit. Art @overlee
WELLREAD is community powered and crowd-sourced. That’s how we keep it real. Join us on Patreon [[link removed]] for as little as $2/month so that we can keep creating content that matters for CTZNs who care.