What a debate last night! In between all the interruptions and name-calling, misinformation about this summer’s uprisings and our democracy were amplified. Here’s what we said in an official statement released this morning:

“Conflating the movement for racial justice with violence is inaccurate—but more importantly, it reveals a complete failure to engage with the actual demands and actions of Black and Brown organizers and the communities they are uplifting,” said Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of Advancement Project National Office.

“The uprisings we’ve seen this year are a direct response to state violence against Black and Brown people—yes, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, but also the generations of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people whose lives were taken or destroyed with no accountability by our criminal legal system and its agents, from police officers to ICE agents.

This discussion around protest and violence illustrates how white supremacy can permeate our language. Attempting to criminalize the actions of those demanding accountability for state violence while refusing to condemn the violence of racist policing systems that have claimed the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Daniel Prude and Rayshard Brooks is disgusting.”

Read the full statement on our website.

When it comes to voting, we MUST amplify the safety and security of vote-by-mail. Explore our Vote-By-Mail messaging guide and join us TONIGHT at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT for a special Instagram Live conversation with Jorge Vasquez, Power & Democracy Director for Advancement Project and Kiana Lede, one of Arizona's leading voting rights advocate. Learn everything you need to know about voting if you are a new voter and how Congress and the Judiciary impact the lives of Black and Brown people. Register to vote today at vote.org if you haven't done so already. Organize, protest and vote so we can build power for our communities. 
 

In Solidarity,

Advancement Project National Office