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Last month, the Racial Equity Anchor Collaborative, a coalition of national racial justice and civil rights organizations that includes Race Forward, released the groundbreaking voting rights report “We Vote, We Count”. Gathered via “People’s Hearings” in select states over several months in 2019, the report centers the voices of people of color and describes accounts of voter interference. 

The report details first hand accounts of voter suppression, through stories collected during hearings held in several cities, as well as via listening sessions by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on House Administration. The report also features national court cases, and submissions collected via WeVoteWeCount.org, a website where voters were able to share their experiences facing interference at the polls, difficulties registering to vote, and other barriers to participating in the electoral process. 

In 2013, the Shelby County v. Holder decision ruled a part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which compels states to get their voting rules approved by the federal government, unconstitutional. Since that ruling, several states have instituted restrictive voting measures that unfairly target and impact communities of color.

The report also includes recommendations for mitigating voter discrimination. The proposed solutions underscore the complex intersection between race, ethnicity, socioeconomic circumstances and access to the ballot. Some of the solutions include expanding same-day voting and registration, enhancing language accessibility at polling locations, and honoring federal treaties with Native American tribes and nations, among others. 

With the United States Census and a presidential election happening in 2020,  it is critical that we fight back against voter discrimination, and ensure communities of color have voting access.

To learn more about the Racial Equity Anchor Collaborative or to share stories of voter interference, please visit WeVoteWeCount.org. Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #WeVoteWeCount.

Check out our latest below!

Rosana Cruz

Colorlines Introduces New Series on Latinx Racial Identity 

Rosana Cruz Asks: "Who Do We Think We Are?"

In this new series from Colorlines, Cuban-American writer, activist, and Race Forward Senior Fellow Rosana Cruz talks with a range of Latinx-identified movement leaders, artists, and cultural innovators, about how they define Latinidad and what the implications of Latinx racial identity are for their work, for racial justice, and beyond. 

“Who Do We Think We Are” is inspired by a combination of the rise of white nationalism, the 2020 United States Census, and the events of the El Paso Massacre. Coming at a time when violence and systemic racism against Latinx communities is especially visible, Rosana’s conversations with folks such as Lady Dane Figueroa, José Torres-Tama, and Janvieve Williams Comrie help explore Latinx racial identity through the vital question: “Who do we think we are?” Read the first interview with Cuban and Colombian-American writer, journalist and professor Daisy Hernández.

Visions For Racial Justice

Watch our new "Visions For Racial Justice" video 

Click here to make a contribution to Race Forward

As we approach the end of the year, Race Forward invites you to join us to reflect on  the question, “What is YOUR vision for racial justice? In this new video, Race Forward staff and community partners share their perspectives on what’s needed to achieve a just, multiracial democratic society.

No matter what your vision is, we know that it will take all of us to get there, because racial justice won’t come without reproductive justice, LGBTQIA+ justice, immigrant justice, pay equity, and, truly, justice for all of us. Please make a contribution today to support Race Forward’s vision for racial justice, and share yours with us on Facebook and Twitter

Staff Picks

 Photo: Tish Wonders

Find out what art & culture is attracting the attention of our staff! This month we hear from our Colorlines Audience Engagement Manager, Priscilla Sam!

I’ve been looking at a cookbook entitled Balance by Tish Wonders. She is a UK-based cook and food blogger, who recently transitioned from being fully plant-based after 15 years to being more of an intuitive cook and eater.

Balance is filled with delicious, nourishing recipes. Right now, one of my favorite recipes is Coconut Squash and Kale Curry, “a fusion of delectable tastes and textures which include the subtle creaminess of coconut milk blended with hints of chilli and soft pieces of sweet butternut squash.”

What are you listening to, watching, reading and learning? Tell us on Twitter or Facebook.

In solidarity,

Team Race Forward


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