| SCSJ Digest | The Monthly Newsletter of SCSJ's Top News |
| Welcome to SCSJ Digest, the monthly newsletter of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice! At the beginning of every month, we'll send you a roundup of the top stories from the previous month, along with relevant updates, e.g., key resources, upcoming events, and noteworthy projects. If you have any recommendations on additional topics you want to read about, please let us know. We hope you enjoy this newsletter! |
| IN THIS ISSUE
Letter from the Executive Directors
Updates
Partner Profile
Events in February
Top Stories in January 2021 |
| Letter from the Executive Directors | From Allison Riggs and Ryan Roberson |
| This past month has been historic for a number of reasons. Amidst a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol—the likes of which this country has not experienced since 1812—the 46th president of the United States has been sworn in. We also now have the first woman, first Black and first South Asian vice president of the United States. And on January 22nd, the first Black defense secretary in U.S. history, Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, was confirmed in a 93-2 vote.
On Wednesday, January 6th, a day when Congress was to complete their count of electoral votes, White supremacists attacked our democracy, fueled by lies peddled by leaders desperate to overturn the will of the voters. As disgraceful as the attack itself was, we are not—and cannot be—oblivious to the stark contrast in police response to the deadly U.S. Capitol attack as the Black Lives Matter protests held throughout the country last year. We’ve seen police target and kill Black people, and violently repress those protesting for equal justice. What we witnessed on January 6th was treason and an act of domestic terrorism, and the politicians who empowered these mobs must be held to account.
Amidst the grave challenges, we also celebrate all we have achieved as voters and volunteers, organizers and activists who turned out in record numbers to make this a place of liberty and justice for all. Despite the pandemic, economic crisis, and deliberate barriers set to keep Black, young and new Americans from voting, we elected new leaders to deliver relief, distribute vaccines, and create a better future for us all. It’s our time now to have a government that cares for us, with leaders who demonstrate the courage of real convictions and an absolute allegiance to uphold our freedoms and our rights. Politicians must now unite to affirm that the will of the people prevailed in our election, hold any elected leaders who have done us harm accountable, and pledge to work with the new administration to address the challenges we face. This is how we move forward together, assured that all who represent us govern in our name and deliver what our families need. Together, we can make this a country where all of us can thrive.
Let January 20th be a day of reignited hope and optimism for a better future. As our new president said, "Together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness. A story of decency and dignity. Love and healing. Greatness and goodness. May this be the story that guides us."
Lies and insurrection did not alter the transfer of power. Democracy prevailed. The nation can and will move forward. The events of January 6th showed us that there is still much work to be done, and we will continue fighting for justice for all.
Amanda Gorman's powerful words spoken during the Inauguration ring true, now and for always: "There is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it." Let us all be the light that guides the way forward.
In Solidarity,
Allison Riggs and Ryan Roberson
Co-Interim Executive Directors |
| Updates | Key resources, noteworthy projects, etc. |
| #LiberateToEducate
The Youth Justice Project (YJP) of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice launched a coordinated effort to end the school-to-prison pipeline and achieve educational justice in Durham Public Schools (DPS). The #LiberateToEducate campaign envisions a future in which students of color attend schools that lift them up, provide spaces focused on improving students’ mental health, and create greater academic and cultural inclusion with the support of governmental initiatives, teachers, and administrators.
The #LiberateToEducate policy platform calls for DPS to:
1. Remove police from schools and end the contract with the Durham County Sheriff’s Office.
2. End the use of exclusionary discipline and fully implement school-wide restorative justice programs.
3. Liberate the school environment with more choice in course selection and ending academic tracking.
4. Require all schools to implement culturally relevant curriculums.
5. Establish mental health spaces and safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ students in schools that are available during and after school hours. |
| | Partner Profile | Monthly feature of our partners' work |
| League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters (LWV) encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. LWV envisions a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge and the confidence to participate, and believes in the power of women to create a more perfect democracy. LWV members are passionate activists who support the League's work in all 50 states and in more than 700 communities.
People Powered Fair Maps
This year, People Powered Fair Maps—a national redistricting program of the League of Women Voters focused on creating fair political maps nationwide—is kicking into high gear as state legislatures redraw maps based on the 2020 Census data. The program includes actions in all 50 states + Washington, DC.
The work will look different in each state, but the program is comprised of five major focus areas:
1. Ballot Initiatives or Referendums
2. State Constitutional Options
3. State Legislative Fixes
4. Federal Legislative Fixes
5. Civic Engagement & Education
H.R. 1: For the People Act
LWV is strengthening its efforts to push for passage of the For the People Act, legislation first introduced in 2019 that seeks to expand automatic voter registration, same-day voter registration, online voter registration, and end political and racial gerrymandering once and for all. Other key components of H.R. 1 include: a focus on restoring the Voting Rights Act (VRA), ethics reform, and a new public financing system.
Read the League's press release published on January 5.
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| Events in February | Follow us on social media to stay up to date and register! |
| Wednesday, 2/10 - Friday, 2/12: Texas CROWD Academy #1
State Partner: Fair Maps Texas
Monday, 2/15, Wednesday, 2/17 and Friday, 2/19: Alabama CROWD Academy
State Partners: Southern Poverty Law Center, Alabama Forward
Wednesday, 2/17: Charlotte Chapter of the National Black MBA Association's Black History Month panel: "The 15th Amendment: The Marathon Continues"
Featuring: Allison Riggs
Wednesday, 2/24 - Friday, 2/26: Texas CROWD Academy #2
State Partner: Fair Maps Texas
Saturday, 2/27: LWV of Louisiana's Redistricting that Respects Democracy webinar series
Featuring: Allison Riggs
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| | | | | New Youth-Led Campaign Wants Cops Out of Durham Schools | Published Jan 12, 2021 by Thomasi McDonald A group of student activists is about to launch a campaign to remove law enforcement from Durham Public Schools. At the heart of the effort is the activists’ call for the removal of sheriff’s deputies who work as school resource officers (or SROs), at Durham’s 17 public schools. |
| | | | | ‘When You Come To School, You Forfeit Your Rights’ | Published Jan 21, 2021 by Terrace In 2008, a child at Middle Creek High School in nearby Cary was tazed so severely that one of their lungs collapsed. On another occasion in September of 2010, a Raleigh officer deployed pepper spray to disperse a fight. |
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