Content warning: This email discusses police violence.

Indivisibles,

We’re saddened and disturbed by the news of Jacob Blake’s shooting at the hands of police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. After surgery, Jacob is still fighting for his life in intensive care. This hurts -- but it will never hurt more than for the three young boys who witnessed their father being shot by police officers. It’s another tragic example of how police violence in this country is an ever present reality for Black Americans.

This isn’t a recent development, the tension between police officers and Black Americans is an epidemic, especially in Wisconsin: of all 50 states, Wisconsin ranks #1 for the percentage of Black men in prison. Black children don’t have to watch the news to hear about this problem -- they see their fathers, uncles, brothers, and mentors imprisoned, harassed, and shot by police on a daily basis. The violence caused by the police and the criminal justice system are the legacies of our country’s white supremacist, slave-owning history. Structural racism is embedded in every aspect of American life: for generations, Black and brown people have been more likely to be harassed, arrested, and killed by police than their white counterparts. It is past time for allies to stand up and prevent even more intergenerational trauma.

If you are feeling hopeless right now, we encourage you to look to activists all over the country for motivation. This is the moment we need to show up from wherever we are in the ways we can. Now is the time to support Black-led organizations and impacted communities: use this page to split a donation to help organizations supporting Black Lives Matter activists and read our resource on taking action to figure out different ways to get involved. 

These events remind us of why our work is so crucial if we want to start steering this country in a different direction. We want to reform this country at all levels but we can’t do this effectively unless the government respects our values. Our second Windivisible Week of Action surpassed all of our expectations: we’re so grateful for the 1,400 of you who participated to make 160,920 calls and sent over 1 million texts. In just one week, you made time for 336 events that included people from 38 states. These numbers show us that this movement is united and strong -- we are grateful for all of your hard work on days like this. 

A note for social media: You’ll notice we didn’t link to video of any of these horrific incidents. Out of respect for those affected by these acts of violence, we urge readers not to continue sharing these traumatic videos and instead focus on lifting up the right voices, taking the right actions, and supporting the right organizations.

And with all that, we leave you with your weekly to-dos:

 Your weekly to-dos 

1. URGENT: Call your Senators and tell them to save the Postal Service by supporting the Delivering for America Act. The House passed this resolution over the weekend -- now it’s the Senate’s turn. During Postmaster General DeJoy’s hearing on Friday, it became even more clear that he has no intention to reverse course on the damage that’s well underway. In between lies about the impact of his policies, DeJoy confirmed he will not be replacing the 671 sorting machines that he has ordered be removed. Trump and the GOP are prepared to let the Postal Service fail if it means they get to keep power -- tell the Senate we won’t stand for it.
2. Record a video about why the Postal Service is important to you and why your senator should support the Delivering for America Act. Many Americans depend on mail to meet their basic needs like the delivery of their medication or their Social Security checks. Trump wants to make the Postal Service a partisan issue so he can block mail-in voting all-together, leaving all Americans at a disadvantage. Tell us your story to help strengthen our mission.
3. While Republicans are spewing hate at the Republican National Convention this week, volunteer to phonebank for the Windivisible campaign to defeat Trump, take back the Senate, and keep the House. The best way to counter the hate coming out of the RNC is to talk to voters directly. After four years of fighting the Trump agenda, this is our moment to win big -- our democracy depends on it!
4. Call your Senators to demand they pass the Heroes Act with $25 billion in USPS funding and $3.6 billion in election funding. We cannot let Trump destroy the Postal Service and steal our elections. Congress must act NOW and pass the Heroes Act without watering it down. For more information on the Heroes Act, check out our explainer where we break down the package and secure our election during the pandemic.
5. Show up in solidarity with the American Postal Workers Union for the #SaveThePostOffice Day of Action TOMORROW, August 25. Sign up to join activists at events all over the country to demand that our elected officials stop Postmaster General DeJoy’s stifling policies and provide support for the Postal Service.

 2020 Update 

Making sure voting is safe and accessible has been one of our top priorities this year. We are still fighting for everyone’s right to vote by mail, but polling places will remain open on Election Day for all who choose to vote in-person. But, because of the pandemic, we’re facing an unprecedented shortage of poll workers which could mean closed polling places and long delays (like we saw in states like Wisconsin and Texas) . 

We’re partnering with Power The Polls to staff the polls -- ensuring that voting locations will stay open and lines don’t stretch on for hours. With fewer than 40 days to recruit and train new poll workers ahead of November 3, can we count on you to volunteer to make sure we have a safe, fair, efficient election for all voters? Sign up here and volunteer to save our democracy.

How to get ready for 2020

THRIVE Resolution Livestream for the first economic recovery package of 2021! 
This Wednesday August 26, Indivisible will be participating in a livestream as part of the 15th Anniversary of Katrina to discuss a comprehensive economic renewal plan for 2021. Join to learn about how the THRIVE Resolution plans to tackle the overlapping crises of mass unemployment, racial injustice, public health, and climate change. And when you’re ready to take action, call your Representative and demand they support the THRIVE Resolution as a just COVID recovery.
Date: August 26 at 8 pm ET -- Register here.

September National Activist Call
Join us for the monthly Indivisible National Activist Call! All group leaders, group members, and other Indivisible activists are welcome.
Date: September 3 at 8 pm ET -- Register here.

Watch our latest episode of Indivisible Weekly
This episode is all about Joe Biden’s personal story and career -- both of which will make him a qualified president for this moment. Watch here for some extra motivation and a reminder of what’s at stake.

 Support those protesting for Black lives 

The news of Jacob Blake, shot multiple times in the back by police, has renewed vigor to the racial justice protests that have been ongoing nationwide for months, and organizations working on the ground to support activists need as much help as we can give them. Today we want to re-up a page where you can donate directly to nine leading organizations doing racial justice work nationwide -- click here to find out more and fund the crucial work they’re doing.

And, if you’d like to donate to support protestors in Kenosha, donate directly to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund -- they are currently extending their help with bail, tickets, and connecting protestors to lawyers.

 Indivisible's "State of Joe"

From now to Election Day, we’ll be highlighting how Indivisible groups across the country are doing the work to make Joe Biden our next President! This week, we wanted to highlight this group who has committed to making textbanking fun:

We love to see how Indivisibles all over the country are working together to stay motivated and get the job done. We’re almost across the finish line, keep it up!

In solidarity, 
Indivisible Team