Mississippi Update: March 2022

Hi team,

I was raised in Mississippi, and I’m so proud to be part of a grassroots community here that is fighting day in and day out for a more equitable and progressive future. 

Mississippi has some of the most amazing organizers you’ll ever meet, raised in the proud tradition of southern social justice and civil rights, but they need resources to change history. Give here to support Groundwork Project’s efforts on the ground in MS.

Thank you,

Charles Taylor
Southern Organizing Advisor

 

News Update #1: MS Is The Only State Without Equal Pay   READ more HERE

MAIN TAKEAWAYS:

• Mississippi is the only state in the U.S. without legal recourse for employees paid less for the same work based on sex.
• There are a few pending bills that aim to resolve this issue, but the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable – the local group leading the charge on this issue – says there are major problems with each of them.
• MS BWR staged a powerful protest at the capital last month, placing a purse with a cookie saying “56c” on 174 state lawmakers' desks — calling attention to the 56 cents on the dollar Black women in Mississippi receive compared to white men for the same work.

News Update #2: Secretary Deb Haaland Tours MS Civil Rights Sites READ more HERE

MAIN TAKEAWAYS:

• Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland was on the ground in Mississippi last month, touring civil rights sites as part of her office’s commitment to preserving access to this history.
• Groundwork Grantee Jaribu Hill from the MS Workers’ Center was on-hand to help welcome her!
• Haaland traveled with White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory and Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson.

News Update #3: MS HBCUs Receive Bomb Threats READ more HERE

MAIN TAKEAWAYS:

• More than two dozen HBCUs in Mississippi have received bomb threats in 2022, leading to cancelled classes and campus lockdowns.
• The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated these threats as racially motivated hate crimes.
• HBCUs across the country are experiencing a rising wave of racially motivated terror threats.

 

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TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION! 

Although the legacy of white supremacist violence lives on in Mississippi through threats to HBCUs and less than equal pay for Black women, impactful and meaningful organizing is happening on the ground in Mississippi to change that. Join Groundwork Project in supporting and uplifting some of the incredible organizing in MS!

Instantly Email MS Senators Telling Them to Vote NO or Amend SB 2451 to Ensure MS Black Women Secure Equal Pay

email MS Senators

Retweet John Legend’s Call to Action for MS Voting Rights Legislation

retweet

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MISSISSIPPI ORGANIZING SPOTLIGHT: learn more “The MS Black Women’s Roundtable is educating, organizing and galvanizing Black women in the Magnolia State from the grasstops to the grassroots. We’re educating them on key issues involving the need for economic justice, strategizing statewide and mobilizing to make a difference socially, economically and politically for all women – whether they are in the boardrooms or living paycheck to paycheck just trying to put food on the tables.” instagram  facebook  twitter

 

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