Showing posts with label Housing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Housing. Show all posts

We Are Not Powerless

Hi Friends,

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Entitlement and Racist Actions

Hi Friends!

I’m sorry it has been longer than usual since my last update. I have some really important things on my mind, so I hope you make time to listen and internalize what I have to say.

First, I have been trying to identify things as “racist actions” rather than identifying people as racist. We all do things that are racist from time to time because we’re all operating within a racist system. It doesn’t make us bad people, it means that we need to continue to learn and listen and work hard to unlearn those racist biases so we can take more anti-racist actions than racist actions in any given day.

Second, our awareness of our privilege (and there are so many kinds of privilege) must also include awareness of entitlement. Entitlement and racist actions often go hand in hand, for example, in situations of resource hoarding — “I must get all of the best things.”

For example, claiming equity to further your own priorities (or get what you want for you or your kids) without actually listening to the people you claim to support is a racist action. Please revisit the article I shared by James Bridgeforth and Steve Desir called “OPINION: When it comes to reopening schools, it’s time for leaders to listen to Black families” (The Hechinger Report, 3/8/21). Please also internalize the data shown on the APS website for “Learning Model Enrollment Data” and understand that families of color in our community are showing their preferences with their enrollment choices — not because there are no seats available, but because many of them prefer for their students to learn virtually for a myriad of reasons.

Each and every one of us can identify ways in which our equity work has only extended as far as our own child or neighborhood or school community. We must choose to break past those comfort zones and listen to the priorities of those who are most affected by inequity. If we understand, for example, that some families feel uncomfortable returning their children to school buildings because they do not have health insurance and getting sick could mean financial ruin, what could we do to support universal healthcare access or health care reform? If we understand that some families feel uncomfortable returning their children to school buildings because they have lost multiple family members to covid-19, what could we do to address health care disparities and vaccine access equity? How can we change our work to focus on the challenges facing others rather than solely looking at the challenges that affect us?

Before you text your Black friend and ask them what their anti-racist priorities are, pause. Do not ask individual BIPOC in your life to educate you about racism. Look for the BIPOC voices that are already publicly available from people who have chosen to be vulnerable and share their perspectives and experiences. Seek out anti-racist organizations that have shared their priorities and goals and who welcome you to have these conversations. There are times when it is appropriate to ask individual people for their perspectives and input (as we would with someone we care about), but it cannot be about things that are easily addressed by Google (like “how can I be less racist?” or “what is it like to be Black?”). Imagine a man asking a woman to explain sexism to him when instead he could find the answers without putting her on the spot. Now imagine that happening every single day. Asking a person who you have privilege over to explain their oppression to you is a form of oppression.

BIPOC anti-racist leaders in our community are working tirelessly for change, attending all the meetings, talking to all the people, doing all the things. They need and deserve to work with community members who have earned their trust and who can be entrusted with listening, amplifying, and following their leadership and moving their goals and priorities forward. What steps are you taking, each and every day, to become one of those people? That is your goal. Your goal is not to support, not to help, but to listen (and believe them), amplify their words and actions, and to follow their leadership. When you are invited to lead by existing BIPOC led efforts, you will know that you are heading in the right direction. Don’t stop! Keep going.

I realize that waiting to be invited might feel disempowering or uncomfortable. Sit with that feeling. Understand that BIPOC leaders experience that feeling every day. While White people can never truly understand what it is to be a racially marginalized person in our society, we must be willing to experience discomfort and show compassion and empathy for fellow human beings. We must be willing to accept that we will not always get what we want for ourselves or for our kids. Expressing hate towards people who disagree with you does not move us forward — it only perpetuates hate. Shunning people who are not taking as many anti-racist actions as you are does not move us forward — it only centers yourself and your experiences. Instead, exercise your humility, your compassion, and your desire to bring as many people along in your anti-racist actions as you can. If people around you are taking a hateful path, speak up and change the conversation. Silence is complicity.

With all of this in mind, I am thrilled to endorse my friend, Mary Kadera, for Arlington County School Board. I recruited Mary to join the CCPTA Executive Board as Vice President because I am grateful for her ability to take a countywide approach in her advocacy for students and educational equity. She showed strong leadership instincts and a cool head when she was PTA President at McKinley Elementary School, which was part of a very divisive school boundary process. Most of all, I am endorsing Mary because she has shown a willingness to listen and true compassion for every student in Arlington. Voting in the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s 2021 School Board Caucus is taking place online from May 17–23. Please vote!

Many resources are below. I’m behind on catching up on all of the amazing resources I’ve been finding (and thinking about how best to share them with you), so I’m sending this now and I’ll follow up with more soon. (Freeing myself from perfectionism!)

LOCAL NEWS:
- Theresa Vargas writes “A high school football team told adults they were spat on and called the n-word. Nothing changed until a player posted, ‘enough is enough!’” (Washington Post, 3/20/21)
- Hannah Natanson and Justin Jouvenal write “Asian student verbally harassed, spat at outside Fairfax middle school” (Washington Post, 3/25/21)

ALLYSHIP and SELF-WORK:
- Paul Waldman writes “The Opportunity Society” (The American Prospect, 5/1/12) — for insight into privilege.
- Reimagine Safety is a Washington Post Editorial Board project.
- Kate Silver writes “A new guide leads travelers through U.S. civil rights history” (Washington Post, 3/19/21)
- Eli Rosenberg writes “‘People shouldn’t be afraid of the word white privilege’: New labor secretary talks inequality, racism and union power in first interview” (Washington Post, 3/24/21)

ANTI-ASIAN RACISM:
- Alafair Burke writes “Opinion: Who will march for Asian Americans after the killings in Atlanta?” (Washington Post, 3/17/21)
- Marianna Sotomayor writes “In wake of Atlanta slayings, lawmakers clash during emotional hearing about attacks on Asian Americans” (Washington Post, 3/18/21). What struck me in particular is the quote from Rep. Tom McClintock “‘If America was such hate filled, discriminatory, racist society filled with animus against Asian Americans, how do you explain the remarkable success of Asian Americans in our country?’ he asked, asserting that the community faces the fewest prejudice-driven attacks and makes the most income of any ethnic group. ‘Any racist sentiments, speech or act needs to be vigorously condemned,’ he continued, ‘but to attack our society as systemically racist, a society that has produced the most prosperous and most harmonious racial society in human history, well that’s an insult and it’s flat out wrong.’” The reason I share his words is because his assertions that talking about race is divisive, that people who are successful are not also experiencing racism, and that systemic racism does not exist — these assertions are also made by liberal progressives here in Arlington and stand directly in the way of anti-racist progress.
- Silvia Foster-Frau, Fenit Nirappil and Amy B. Wang write “After enduring racism in silence, Atlanta-area Asian Americans speak up” (Washington Post, 3/20/21)
- Petula Dvorak writes “Attacks against Asian Americans are up. It’s time to pay attention.” (Washington Post, 3/18/21)
- Viet Thanh Nguyen and Janelle Wong write “Bipartisan political rhetoric about Asia leads to anti-Asian violence here” (Washington Post, 3/19/21)
- Robin Givhan writes “Harris’s self-evident truth” (Washington Post, 3/22/21)

EDUCATION:
- Theresa Vargas writes “The diversity failures at the nation’s best public high school led officials to make changes. More are needed.” (Washington Post, 3/17/21)
- Laura Meckler and Douglas MacMillan write “‘There has to be an accounting’: Former AT&T lawyer says company systemically overcharged neediest schools” (Washington Post, 3/18/21)
- Donna St. George, Valerie Strauss, Laura Meckler, Joe Heim and Hannah Natanson write “How the outbreak is reshaping education” (Washington Post, 3/15/21)
- Laura Meckler writes “Nearly half of schools are open full-time, survey finds” (Washington Post, 3/24/21)

ENVIRONMENT:
- Leslie Kaufman writes “To Fight Flooding, This City Plans to Renovate — and Retreat” (Bloomberg Green, 3/9/21)
- Kelsey Tamborrino writes “The wage gap that threatens Biden’s climate plan” (Politico, 4/6/21)

HOUSING:
- Tracy Jeanne Rosenthal writes “The Enduring Fiction of Affordable Housing” (The New Republic, 4/2/21)
- Catherine Rampell writes “Rents for the rich are plummeting. Rents for the poor are rising. Why?” (Washington Post, 3/22/21)

ECONOMIC WELL-BEING:
- Mark Guarino writes “Evanston, Ill., leads the country with first reparations program for Black residents” (Washington Post, 3/22/21)

Emily
Listen. Amplify. Follow.

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Learn, Grow, and Improve

Hi Friends,

Normally I have something inspiring and cohesive to share with all of you before launching into a huge number of resources on many topics. I feel like the last few weeks since my last update have been full of springtime hope and sunshine as well as cold, dark days and nights (and losing an hour!) to remind me that we’re not “there” yet, wherever “there” is.

Please remember that “going back to normal” is something we need to let go of. We need to embrace a new normal, a new way of doing things that shows that we have learned something along the way and would like to continue learning and growing and improving. That’s what this work is about.

As some of you may know, my heart in this work is in educational equity, so I’d like to highlight the work of Jennifer DePaoli, Laura E. Hernández, Roberta C. Furger, and Linda Darling-Hammond, who write “A Restorative Approach for Equitable Education” (Learning Policy Institute, 3/16/21).

I feel like today’s update includes so many more topics than usual, all of them intertwined and overlapping. Check out insights below about the latest Dr. Seuss news, Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah, local events, actions, and news, and as always, resources that shed light on the systemic discrimination that our community members face every day. Thank you for continuing to engage in this work.

EVENTS/ACTIONS:
- The National Low Income Housing Coalition is hosting “NLIHC Virtual Housing Policy Forum 2021: A New Day” on March 30–31.
- Arlington County is requesting feedback on the “Affordable Housing Master Plan Review” by March 31. You can also learn more about Arlington’s Missing Middle Housing here.
- Challenging Racism is hosting “Challenging Racism: Continued — Voting Rights and Voter Suppression” on March 24.
- Maryland Humanities is hosting “Beyond the Statements: Leading Racial Equity in Humanities Organizations with Dr. Tuajuanda Jordan” on March 22.
- The DC Mutual Aid Network is hosting “Solidarity Saturdays: Building Community Through Mutual Aid” monthly from now through September.
- Sanctuary DMV and Free Them All VA are hosting “Donate your Stimulus Check to Migrant Families!”

LOCAL UPDATES:
- Martin Austermuhle writes “All Legislation In D.C. Will Now Be Assessed For Racial Equity” (DCist, 1/27/21)
- Alexandria has a robust process in place for prioritizing vaccines for its most vulnerable populations. How does Arlington match up? You can look up vaccine demographics on the Virginia Department of Health website.
- Three core organizers from Black Lives Matter DC have started a new venture called Harriet’s Wildest Dreams. Check it out!
- APS’s DEI office has a page on its website called “Equity in Action at APS” where you can see what has been undertaken so far.
- Symone Walker writes “Ed Talk: We Need to Elect County Board Members Who Prioritize Arlington Students” (ArlNow, 3/5/21)
- Arlington For Justice hosted “Let’s Talk Tuesday- Gettin’ Lucky: Educational Equity”

RECENT NEWS:
- Taylor Telford writes “Some Dr. Seuss books with racist imagery will go out of print” (Washington Post, 3/2/21)
- Ron Charles writes “The time is right to cancel Dr. Seuss’s racist books” (Washington Post, 3/2/21)
- I will also point back to one of my posts from March 6, 2019 that called attention to the problematic depictions in Dr. Seuss books. This has obviously been a problem longer than that.
- Michele L. Norris writes “Opinion: The royal family saga is a mirror of America” (Washington Post, 3/9/21)

ALLYSHIP and SELF-WORK:
- A Challenging Racism newsletter shared about Jelani Memory and his company A Kids Book About, which includes A Kids Book About Racism, A Kids Book About Systemic Racism, and A Kids Book About White Privilege, among other impactful titles.
- America & Moore have a “21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge” (2014)
- The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee
- Margaret Sullivan writes “Some journalists are debating when it’s okay to use the n-word. But this one should be easy.” (Washington Post, 2/25/21)
- Matthew Yglesias writes “Not all ‘anti-racist’ ideas are good ones. The left isn’t being honest about this.” (Washington Post, 2/23/21)
- Michael Gerson writes “Opinion: The GOP is now just the party of white grievance” (Washington Post, 3/1/21)
- Griff Witte, Abigail Hauslohner and Emily Wax-Thibodeaux write “In the shadow of its exceptionalism, America fails to invest in the basics” (Washington Post, 3/13/21)
- Chris Moody writes “The lynching that Black Chattanooga never forgot takes center stage downtown” (Washington Post, 3/11/21)
- Ariel Aberg-Riger writes “‘Solidarity, Not Charity’: A Visual History of Mutual Aid” (CityLab, 12/22/20)
- Liz Vinson writes “History Uncovered: Virtual tour of Richmond, Va., reveals hidden suffering of Black community” (Southern Poverty Law Center, 3/12/21)
- Derrick Johnson and Geoffrey Starks write “We have to close the digital divide. That means internet access for everyone” (CNN, 3/9/21)
- EmbraceRace shared that its Resources are searchable by type and topic.

ANTI-ASIAN RACISM:
- Marian Liu and Rachel Hatzipanagos write “‘Nobody came, nobody helped’: Fears of anti-Asian violence rattle the community” (Washington Post, 2/25/21)

NATIVE AMERICANS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE:
- Congratulations to Deb Haaland on being named Secretary of the Interior! The Lakota People’s Project shared “Chase and Company Dissect the Importance of Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior”
- Donald Liebenson reviews Kliph Nesteroff’s We Had a Little Real Estate Problem (Washington Post, 2/22/21)
- Day of Empathy Roundtable Discussion 2021 regarding criminal justice reform (shared by Lakota People’s Law Project)
- Vox hosted “How the US poisoned Navajo Nation” (10/12/20)

HOUSING, POVERTY AND ENVIRONMENT:
- Emily Holden, Caty Enders, Niko Kommenda and Vivian Ho write “More than 25m drink from the worst US water systems, with Latinos most exposed” (The Guardian, 2/26/21)
- Of particular interest to those serving immigrant families, the public charge rule is no longer in effect (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 3/15/21)
- Paul Schwartzman writes “How George Floyd’s death is fueling a push for affordable housing in mostly White parts of D.C.” (Washington Post, 3/1/21)
- Michael E. Ruane, Rebecca Tan and Paul Duggan write “More than 1 million coronavirus cases reported in D.C., Maryland and Virginia” (Washington Post, 3/1/21)
- Christopher Ingraham writes “Homes in poor neighborhoods are taxed at roughly twice the rate of those in rich areas, study shows” (Washington Post, 3/12/21)
- Linda Poon writes “Housing Discrimination Made Summers Even Hotter” (CityLab, 1/22/20)
- Kriston Capps and Christopher Cannon write “Redlined, Now Flooding” (CityLab, 3/15/21)
- Kriston Capps writes “To Tackle Homelessness, Santa Fe Found a Better Plan” (CityLab, 3/4/21)
- Brentin Mock writes “What It Will Take to Close the Race Gap in Home Appraisals” (CityLab, 3/3/21)
- Alexandra Villarreal writes “Undocumented Texans are reeling from last month’s storm — and they’re cut off from federal aid” (The Guardian, 3/9/21)
- Jacqueline Simmons writes “My Family’s Long-Gone Texas Land Shows How Black Wealth Is Won and Lost” (CityLab, 3/11/21)
- Jason Grotto writes “How Unfair Property Taxes Keep Black Families From Gaining Wealth” (CityLab, 3/9/21)
- Jerusalem Demsas writes “Why people are getting evicted for calling 911” (Vox, 3/15/21)
- Andre Perry writes “COLUMN: The American Rescue Plan will halve child poverty, but we haven’t won the second War on Poverty yet” (The Hechinger Report, 3/16/21)

HEALTH AND VACCINE ACCESS:
- Gregg Gonsalves, Amy Kapczynski and David Herman write “We’ll never reach herd immunity if we don’t vaccinate more non-White people” (Washington Post, 2/26/21)
- Karen Bass, Marc Morial and Cheryl Grills write “Opinion: Vaccine hesitancy is not the problem among people of color. It’s vaccine access.” (Washington Post, 3/9/21)
- Sarah Holder writes “Mental Health Is A Matter of Public Health, Too” (CityLab, 3/3/21)
- Fola Akinnibi and Sarah Holder write “‘All the Systems Failed’: Inside America’s Mental Health Crisis” (CityLab, 3/9/21)
- Elizabeth Yuko writes “Why Are Black Communities Being Singled Out as Vaccine Hesitant?” (Rolling Stone, 3/9/21)
- Tanvi Misra writes “The Link Between Immigration Enforcement and Babies’ Health” (CityLab, 3/10/21)

EDUCATION:
- Javeria Salman writes “When students research the inequality in their own schools” (The Hechinger Report, 1/27/21)
- Jill Barshay writes “PROOF POINTS: New answers to old questions about special education” (The Hechinger Report, 2/1/21)
- Neal Morton writes “If schools don’t overhaul discipline, ‘teachers will still be calling the police on our Black students’” (The Hechinger Report, 2/1/21)
- Javeria Salman writes “How one school is coping with mental health: Social workers delivering technology, food and counseling to kids at home, and open office hours all day — even when school is out” (The Hechinger Report, 2/24/21)
- Hannah Natanson writes “A civil rights hero lacked a historical marker. Then a class of Virginia fourth-graders spoke up.” (Washington Post, 2/24/21)
- Julianne McShane writes “She’s the only Black kid in her fifth-grade class. She spoke up when slavery wasn’t included in a lesson plan.” (The Lily, 2/23/21)
- Moriah Balingit, Hannah Natanson and Yutao Chen write “As schools reopen, Asian American students are missing from classrooms” (Washington Post, 3/4/21)
- Petula Dvorak writes “Not every student is Christian. So why don’t all school districts recognize that?” (Washington Post, 3/4/21)
- Perry Stein writes “In D.C., fewer restrictions for private schools mean middle- and high-schoolers get more in-person learning” (Washington Post, 3/4/21)
- Cat Zakrzewski writes “The Technology 202: Coronavirus relief bill includes more than $7 billion to target the ‘homework gap’” (Washington Post, 3/10/21)
- Toluse Olorunnipa and Moriah Balingit write “Biden’s push for equity faces critical test amid shifting strategies to open schools” (Washington Post, 3/14/21), particularly starting with the section titled “Old inequities, compounded”
- Desiree Carver-Thomas, Melanie Leung and Dion Burns write “California Teachers and COVID-19: How the Pandemic Is Impacting the Teacher Workforce” (Learning Policy Institute, 3/4/21)
- Andre Perry writes “Student Debt and the Disregard for the Black Middle Class” (CityLab, 3/5/21)
- The Learning Policy Institute has a series called “Education and the Path to Equity.” The most recent post is by Janel George called “Federal Action Removes Long-Standing Obstacle to School Integration” (Learning Policy Institute, 3/3/21).
- The Leading Equity Center hosted its Leading Equity podcast, Episode 181 “Why In-school Suspension is Not the Answer to School Discipline with Dr. Tracy Piper”
- James Bridgeforth and Steve Desir write “OPINION: When it comes to reopening schools, it’s time for leaders to listen to Black families” (The Hechinger Report, 3/8/21)
- A group member shared the recent Virginia Equity Center study “Do Virginia Schools Teach Both Black and White Students How to Read?”
- Kareem Weaver writes “A moment for humility and a new path forward on reading” (National Council on Teacher Quality, 1/28/21)
- Danielle Dreilinger writes “An Illinois district proved gifted programs can be racially diverse” (The Hechinger Report, 3/16/21)

GENDER AND IDENTITY:
- Samantha Schmidt writes “1 in 6 Gen Z adults are LGBT. And this number could continue to grow.” (Washington Post, 2/24/21)
- Sian Beilock writes “Why I worry remote schedules could mean fewer women in the office” (Washington Post, 3/3/21)
- Tafeni English writes “Women’s History Month: Just as in the civil rights movement, Black women are leading the way in today’s social justice activism” (Southern Poverty Law Center, 3/10/21)
- Equality Virginia connects the dots between anti-racism and gender justice work.

GOVERNMENT AND VOTING:
- Annie Linskey writes “Many of Biden’s nominees of color run into turbulence in the Senate” (Washington Post, 2/24/21)
- Monica Hesse writes “Rand Paul’s ignorant questioning of Rachel Levine showed why we need her in government” (Washington Post, 2/26/21)
- Ovetta Wiggins writes “How references to structural racism got cut from a Md. bill on health disparities” (Washington Post, 3/2/21)
- Rebecca Tan writes “A Latina lawmaker spoke about racism on Zoom. Over giggles, people discussed her accent.” (Washington Post, 3/3/21)
- Nancy Abudu writes “The Spirit of John Lewis: The passion and commitment of a voting rights icon call us to action” (Southern Poverty Law Center, 3/5/21)
- Aris Folley writes “Advocates warn restrictive voting bills could end Georgia’s record turnout” (The Hill, 3/6/21)
- The Southern Poverty Law Center has released a report on “Overcoming the Unprecedented: Southern Voters’ Battle Against Voter Suppression, Intimidation, and a Virus”

BUSINESSES AND EMPLOYMENT:
- Nitasha Tiku writes “Google’s approach to historically Black schools helps explain why there are few Black engineers in Big Tech” (Washington Post, 3/4/21)
- Angela R. Riley, Sonia K. Katyal and Rachel Lim write “Opinion: The Jeep Cherokee is not a tribute to Indians. Change the name.” (Washington Post, 3/7/21)
- Reed Albergotti writes “She brought diverse skin tones emoji to the iPhone. Now she’s suing Apple.” (Washington Post, 3/10/21)

CRIMINAL SYSTEM:
- Michael J Moore writes “OPINION: Police reform is useless unless it helps those in prison, too” (The Hechinger Report, 2/26/21)
- Jim Daley writes “Killings by Police Declined after Black Lives Matter Protests” (Scientific American, 3/1/21)
- Drew Harwell writes “Home-security cameras have become a fruitful resource for law enforcement — and a fatal risk” (Washington Post, 3/2/21)
- DeVitta Briscoe writes “Opinion: I’ve lost three loved ones to gun violence. Only the one killed by police did not get justice.” (Washington Post, 3/4/21)

Onward together!

Emily
Listen. Amplify. Follow.

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Earn the Trust by Showing Up. Every Day.

 Hi Friends!

Happy Black History Month! I hope all of you will take the content you may have seen this month and find ways to apply it every single month going forward. Black History is American (and World) History. Here’s a great article by N’dea Yancey-Bragg called “Why is Black History Month in February? How do you celebrate? Everything you need to know.” (USA Today, 2/1/21)

This month, we had two great discussion events centered around (small) actions we can take and supporting each other in our anti-racist work. We’d love to hold more, ideally on a regular basis. More to come!

I would like to highlight an upcoming screening of “Pushout” being hosted by the Arlington Branch of the NAACP’s Education Committee on March 8.

I would also like to call particular attention to Angie Franklin’s “Ghosted by Allies: Why BIPOC Still Can’t Trust White People With Social Justice” (The Bold Italic, 2/4/21). Friends, this is where so much of the self-work of white people must be. White people have to choose this work, every day, over and over, no matter what. BIPOC do not get to choose — white supremacy and systemic racism choose for them.

LOCAL UPDATES:
- Theresa Vargas writes “In ‘achingly beautiful’ letters to Biden, students who are learning English, working full time and taking care of siblings share their hopes” about Arlington students (Washington Post, 2/6/21)
- Mary Kadera is running for Arlington School Board — check out her Equity page.
- The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney has a newsletter called “The Justice Digest” which has really great updates about a new Conviction Review Unit (CRU), a new Community Advisory Board, and an outline of the future of Restorative Justice in Arlington
- Challenging Racism is holding another session of “Learning How” starting March 4.
- Arlington County’s Police Practices Work Group released its recommendations.
- Arlington County is moving forward with its Affordable Housing Master Plan and you can find more about Missing Middle Housing.
- Robert McCartney writes “Coronavirus cost them their jobs. Government relief meant they could pay the rent.” about Arlington Thrive (Washington Post, 2/15/21)
- Now that Arlington County has agreed with activists to change its logo, it is seeking concepts from the public.
- Arlington Magazine highlights “10 Black History Icons, Landmarks and Milestones” (2/11/21)
- Rina Rapuano writes “Two Arlingtonians Honored with Black History Month Award” (Arlington Magazine, 2/18/21)
- Jane Green writes “Making Room: Arlington Can’t Afford to Ignore Fair Housing Anymore” (ArlNow, 2/1/21)
- Detta Kissel and Charles Head write “Progressive Voice: Municipal Broadband — Better, Faster, Cheaper” (ArlNow 2/8/21)
- Latrina M. Johnson writes “OPINION: A Black principal’s case against educator neutrality” (The Hechinger Report, 2/3/21)

ALLYSHIP:
- Organizing White Men For Collective Liberation
- We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom, by Bettina L. Love
- Eric Deggans speaks about “‘Not Racist’ Is Not Enough: Putting In The Work To Be Anti-Racist” (NPR, 8/25/20)
- Liz Clarke writes “‘End racism,’ the NFL implored. So what about the Chiefs’ name?” (Washington Post, 2/5/21)
- Mark Whitaker writes “400 years of the African American experience, told by a ‘choir’ of Black voices” (Washington Post, 2/5/21), book review of Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019
- Ernest Owens writes “I don’t need or want corporations celebrating Black History Month” (Washington Post, 2/5/21)
- Hau Chu writes “Late-night TV sensation Amber Ruffin and her sister co-wrote a book about racism. And, yes, it’s hilarious.” (Washington Post, 2/8/21)
- Google is trying to make it easier to support Black-owned businesses.
- Keisha N. Blain writes “Five myths about Black history” (Washington Post, 2/19/21)
- John Kelly writes “The Great Migration becomes a great subject for District high school students” (Washington Post, 2/23/21)
- Haben Kelati writes “Blues singer ‘Big Mama’ Thornton had a hit with ‘Hound Dog.’ Then Elvis came along.” (Washington Post, 2/24/21)
- A group member shared “Resources for Conversations with Children about Anti-Racism” from Syracuse University Libraries
- Nicole Capó Martínez writes “Cross-sector infrastructure creates the foundation for systems change” (Strive Together, 2/23/21)
- McGuire Woods released a report called “ZONING AND SEGREGATION IN VIRGINIA: PART 1: Why Virginia Needs a Study of Zoning Laws and Their Connection to Segregation”
- John R. Crane writes “WATCH NOW: In passionate Averett speech, Stacey Abrams says building community requires trust, imagination, action” (Martinsville Bulletin, 1/17/21)
- Learning for Justice shares “Teaching Black History Beyond February” (2/24/21)
- The Atlantic created “Inheritance: A project about American history, Black life, and the resilience of memory”
- Krista Tippett hosts Resmaa Menakem in “Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence” (On Being, 6/4/20)

INCLUSION:
- Emily Giambalvo writes “It’s hard to find children’s books with Black characters, so a coach’s family wrote its own” (Washington Post, 2/12/21)
- Maria Sacchetti writes “Without citizenship, many Latinos in this Atlanta suburb stay silent” (Washington Post, 2/12/21)
- Jennifer Miller writes “For younger job seekers, diversity and inclusion in the workplace aren’t a preference. They’re a requirement.” (Washington Post, 2/18/21)
- Lala Tanmoy Das writes “The inclusivity trap: Asking patients for their pronouns helps us treat them — unless they shut down” (Washington Post, 2/19/21)
- Cristina Baussan, Letícia Duarte, Ottavia Spaggiari, and Sarah Stillman write “When Climate Change and Xenophobia Collide” (The New Yorker, 2/16/21)
- Sarah Holder writes “Who Maps the World?” (CityLab, 3/14/18)

ANTI-ASIAN RACISM:
- Kathleen Hou writes “Swallowing Our Bitterness” (The Cut, 2/19/21)
- Andrew Wang writes “Anti-Asian violence is surging. But we can’t answer bigotry with bigotry.” (Washington Post, 2/23/21)
- Madeleine Aggeler writes “The U.S. Is Seeing a Massive Spike in Anti-Asian Hate Crimes” (The Cut, 2/10/21)

VACCINE DISPARITIES:
- Theresa Vargas writes “They thought they’d be near the front of the line for the vaccine. Now, they don’t know where they stand.” (Washington Post, 2/13/21)
- Ari Shapiro writes “Early Data Shows Striking Racial Disparities In Who’s Getting The COVID-19 Vaccine” (NPR, 1/28/21)
- Abby Goodnough and Jan Hoffman write “The Wealthy Are Getting More Vaccinations, Even in Poorer Neighborhoods” (The New York Times, 2/2/21)

BASIC SURVIVAL NEEDS (HUNGER, HOUSING, HEALTH):
- Drew Friedman writes “In Arlington, Combating Hunger An All-Hands Effort” (Arlington Magazine, 2/4/21)
- Cathy Free writes “Restaurants throw away a lot of food. These volunteers pick it up first and take it to people who are hungry.” (Washington Post, 2/12/21)
- Washington Post staff write “Going to bed hungry” (Washington Post, 1/27/21)
- Michael Pollan writes “The efficiency curse” (Washington Post, 2/5/21)
- Kyle Swenson writes “The stimulus relieved short-term pain, but eviction’s impact is a long haul” (Washington Post, 2/8/21)
- Debbie Dingell and Rashida Tlaib write “Opinion: Water is a human right. It’s time we start treating it as one.” (Washington Post, 2/15/21)
- Jerusalem Demsas writes “America’s racist housing rules really can be fixed” (Vox, 2/17/21)
- Nimra Shahid and Marie Patino write “A New Survey of New Yorkers Exposes Pandemic Inequality” (CityLab, 2/24/21)
- Pam Fessler writes “For Black Families, Evictions Are Still At A Crisis Point — Despite Moratorium” (NPR, 2/24/21)
- Nick Martin writes “How to Stop Poisoning Children” (The New Republic, 2/19/21)
- Abigail Williams and Peace Gwam write “Domestic Violence Survivors Urgently Need Housing Stability and Solutions during the Pandemic” (Urban Institute, 2/2/21)

ECONOMIC INJUSTICE:
- United For Alice advocates for people who are ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). Learn more about this group in Virginia so you can incorporate their lived experiences into your advocacy.
- Fredrick Kunkle writes “Auto insurers unfairly set rates based on drivers’ education and occupations, consumer group says” (Washington Post, 1/28/21)
- Theresa Vargas writes “An announcement about a cherished community hub turned into real talk about the need for Black D.C. residents to own a piece of the city” (Washington Post, 2/3/21)
- Robert McCartney writes “Historian: Black Power Movement once thrived in D.C., but recent mayors have “set aside” its goal of empowering poor” (Washington Post, 2/8/21)
- Harold J. Logan writes “Opinion: Black Americans can get ahead by enlisting the support of American capitalists” (Washington Post, 2/9/21)
- The National Low Income Housing Coalition released its latest Tenant Talk report, “The Enduring Crisis: Fighting for Racial & Housing Justice” (Winter 2021, Volume 12, Issue 1)
- Jennifer Blatz writes “Blatz: Biden Must Make Student Loan Forgiveness a Priority — Not Just for Graduates, But for the Economy and for Long-Term Fairness” (The 74 Million, 2/22/21)
- Oliver Milman writes “‘People should be alarmed’: air pollution in US subway systems stuns researchers” (The Guardian, 2/10/21)
- Cinnamon Janzer writes “What Role Can Cities Play in Reparations? Some Aim to Find Out” (Next City, 2/10/21)

EDUCATION:
- Perry Stein writes “The racial disparities over who is returning to D.C. classrooms puts equity spotlight on reopening plan” (Washington Post, 1/30/21)
- Rucker C. Johnson’s book Children of the Dream: Why School Integration Works (2019)
- Heather Osterman-Davis writes “I’m a Disabled Parent. It Took a Pandemic to Let Me Join the P.T.A.” (New York Times, 2/2/21)
- Here’s a better link about the Leading Equity Center’s “Annihilating Racial Injustice in Schools” content.
- The Leading Equity Center shared “How Can I be Antiracist in a Virtual Environment?”
- Danielle Douglas-Gabriel and John D. Harden write “To protect taxpayer dollars, the Education Dept. is disproportionately auditing Black and Latino college students” (Washington Post, 2/7/21)
- Arlene Ford writes “OPINION: How the racism of ‘good’ teachers can hurt kids” (The Hechinger Report, 2/23/21)
- Tina Deines writes “Outdoor preschools grow in popularity but most serve middle-class white kids” (The Hechinger Report, 2/19/21)
- Caroline Preston and Sarah Butrymowicz write “How the pandemic has altered school discipline — perhaps forever” (The Hechinger Report, 2/20/21)
- Jon Marcus writes “As admissions season descends, wealthier applicants once again have the advantage” (The Hechinger Report, 2/19/21)
- Integrated Schools has two new podcasts called “Third Wave School Desegregation: A Call for Real Integration” (2/3/21) and “EPIC’s “Nothing About Us”: Youth Theater on Integration” (2/17/21)
- Michael A. DiNapoli Jr. writes “Eroding Opportunity: COVID-19’s Toll on Student Access to Well-Prepared and Diverse Teachers” (Learning Policy Institute, 2/10/21)
- New America shares resources about “Culturally Responsive Education Resources for Federal, State, and Local Stakeholders”
- Unidos US shared “A Path Forward for Latinos: Laying the Groundwork for Equity in Higher Education” (2020)

CRIMINAL SYSTEM:
- Rebecca Epstein and Toella Pliakas write “Opinion: The police must see Black girls as the children they are” (Washington Post, 2/3/21)
- Robert Klemko writes “An American police killing viewed through the eyes of policing experts in three countries” (Washington Post, 2/22/21)
- Amelia Thomson-Devaux, Laura Bronner and Damini Sharma “Police Misconduct Costs Cities Millions Every Year. But That’s Where The Accountability Ends.” (The Marshall Project, 2/22/21)
- The ACLU hosted “How Do We End Racism in Policing?” (2/1/21)

UNDERSTANDING EXTREMISM:
- Marc Fisher writes “Eroding trust, spreading fear: The historical ties between pandemics and extremism” (Washington Post, 2/15/21)
- The Southern Poverty Law Center released its annual “The Year in Hate and Extremism” report.
- Lecia Brooks, chief of staff of the SPLC, testified to Congress about “Dollars against Democracy: Domestic Terrorist Financing in the Aftermath of Insurrection” (2/25/21)

Because my updates are coming less frequently, I am often unable to tell all of you about upcoming action items. Our Facebook page is better about this (thanks to Leah!), and you can also subscribe to updates from these organizations:
- Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
- Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), SURJ NoVa, and SURJ DC
- NAACP, Arlington Chapter NAACP
- National Low Income Housing Coalition
- ACLU
- Black Lives Matter
- Color of Change
- We of Action (WofA VA)
- CASA
Please share others you rely on for your anti-racist action items!

Forward, together.

Emily
Listen. Amplify. Follow.

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