Hi, John:

Have you heard the news?

This Black History Month, Color Of Change is hosting its first ever #BlackHistoryNow Awards — to honor the people in our communities who are working to defend the truth in our education system. With your contribution, we’ll be able to create an event that uplifts and celebrates the local leaders who are standing up to the anti-Critical Race Theory movement, and that will give countless others the tools they need to join this fight. Will you chip in $5 to help us make the #BlackHistoryNow Awards a reality?

THIS BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WE’RE HOSTING OUR FIRST #BLACKHISTORYNOW AWARDS. WILL YOU POWER THE FIGHT TO DEFEND THE TRUTH IN EDUCATION?

A small group of powerful people have been targeting our communities by passing anti-Critical Race Theory legislation in 13 states, and introducing it in at least 35 others.¹ These bills span from legislation that allows institutions to terminate educators for discussing race in the classroom, to the banning of books that center Black lives from our public school curriculums and libraries. Their goal is clear — to strip our students of the funding, resources, and representation they deserve, and to build the political power of people who need to rig the game in order to win it.

The #BlackHistoryNow Awards will be a space to celebrate the heroes in our lives who are fighting back. From students who are standing up to their administration to demand that they see their lives reflected in their assignments, to educators who insist on teaching the truth, even when it costs them their jobs, this event will amplify the powerful testimonies of people who have taken risks to ensure the full course of history is taught in our schools. But we can’t make it happen without you. 

THE #BLACKHISTORYNOW AWARDS WILL STREAM ONLINE AND WILL BE FREE TO ALL. HELP US SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT FIGHT.

If you take a look at the mobs who are gathering at schools today to demand that educators teach a racist version of history, you will see a reflection of the mobs that once descended on schools to attack Black children for daring to attend the same schools as their own children. Black parents and students know first-hand that our communities’ access to educational spaces that prioritize our children’s safety and advancement has never been a given. So many of our community leaders and educators are taking a stand for what’s right, often at great personal cost to themselves and their loved ones. John, will you help us celebrate their integrity by powering the #BlackHistoryNow Awards, today?

Until justice is real, 

—Jade and the Color Of Change Team

References:

1. Map: Where Critical Race Theory Is Under Attack, Newsweek, June 2020, retrieved January 2021 from https://act.colorofchange.org/go/338198?t=15&akid=52812%2E4731121%2EciKfRw.