Addressing the System Means Looking Beyond Our Self-Interest

 Hi Friends,

School starts tomorrow in Arlington, virtually. Deep breaths.

Please register for our Allyship Workshop taking place on October 26! I know it seems far away, but we want to make sure we can “fill the room” so share widely. Thank you to all of you who have already signed up!

I just finished listening to Nice White Parents. It’s VERY worthwhile, only five hour-long episodes. If you’re a white parent, you will recognize yourself. Please be willing to hear it, sit with it, understand your role in perpetuating segregated schools and systemic racism. Remember that all of us are racist in some way because we’re all participating in a racist system. Until we are each able to take collective responsibility and act in ways that are not solely self-interested, the system will remain unequal. We each have a role to play.

LOCAL ACTIONS/RESOURCES:
- I am really sorry that I didn’t know about this event before it happened, but luckily, you can watch the recording! The Arlington County Human Rights Commission presented the 4th Annual Tiffany Joslyn Human Rights Forum on September 3, “The State of Black People in Arlington.” Please check it out (thanks to Symone Walker’s campaign email for sharing it!).
- APAH is running its “Ready to Learn” Fund (still open even though their goal was by August 31).
- The Arlington Committee of 100 is hosting a “County Board & School Board Candidate Forum” on September 9.
- You can watch the recording of the “Work Session on Arlington Public Schools and School Resource Officers” from September 3.
- VOICE has a strong campaign to prevent evictions in Virginia.
- A reminder that Census 2020 continues and that Arlington is still missing a quarter of its residents. There’s also some neat data being shared. You can get involved to help!
- The Lee Highway Alliance in Arlington has a page up about the renaming process.

EDUCATION:
- Aaricka Washington writes “How do you teach antiracism to the youngest students?” (The Hechinger Report, 8/27/20)

PROTEST/ACTIVISM:
- Erin B. Logan writes “White people have gentrified Black Lives Matter. It’s a problem.” (Los Angeles Times, 9/4/20)
- Linda Poon and Marie Patino write “CityLab University: A Timeline of U.S. Police Protests” (CityLab, 6/9/20)
- The Verge has a project called “Capturing the Police” about “how people use technology to bring awareness to police brutality and racism,” itself a form of protest.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/POLICE:
- Christopher Mathias writes “White Vigilantes Have Always Had A Friend In Police” (HuffPost, 8/30/20)
- Eliza Griswold writes “A Community Organizer Takes On White Vigilantism” (New Yorker Magazine, 9/2/20)
- Amika Mota writes “I saved lives as an incarcerated firefighter. To California, I was just cheap labor.” (The Guardian, 9/1/20)
- Sarah Holder and Kara Harris write “Where Calling the Police Isn’t the Only Option” (CityLab, 9/3/20)

HOUSING:
- The National Low Income Housing Coalition is hosting “A Live Conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates and NLIHC” on October 6.
- The National Low Income Housing Coalition has created an “Opportunity Starts at Home” campaign, with lots of resources about the evictions moratorium, racial equity and housing, etc. They also have a voter and candidate engagement campaign called “Our Homes, Our Votes: 2020” with voter information by state to empower voting across the country.
- Kriston Capps writes “What the New Federal Eviction Moratorium Means” (CityLab, 9/2/20)

HEALTH:
- Joseph Shapiro writes “Undocumented With COVID-19: Many Face A Long Recovery, Largely On Their Own” (NPR, 9/1/20)

SYSTEMIC CHANGE:
- Adam Harris writes “The New Southern Strategy” (The Atlantic, October 2020 issue)
- Jennifer Bradley and Josh Sorin write “Let’s Not Go Back to ‘Normal’” (CityLab, 9/4/20)
- You can watch videos from the 2020 Virtual March on Washington.
- The Lakota People’s Law Project has a petition to the NCAA and American Pro Sports Leagues regarding ending racist team branding.

Hang in there this week! You are not alone.

Emily
Listen. Amplify. Follow.

Obstruction and Distraction to Prevent Change

 Hi Friends!

I have been so saddened by the passing of Chadwick Boseman. Michele L. Norris’s words really hit home for me.

I learned so much by reading this article by Felicity Menzies called “Nine Cultural Value Differences You Need To Know” at her blog Include-Empower.com. I appreciated the way it highlights the different ways different cultures VALUE things like individualism, power, uncertainty, time, gender, etc. It established a way to consider perspectives that differ from one’s own through a cultural lens, rather than a judgemental one.

Many of those in this group voted for Parisa Dehghani-Tafti for Commonwealth’s Attorney last November. Resistance to her reform agenda, that the voters overwhelmingly supported, has been swift. Here’s the latest coverage in the last week:
- Parisa Dehghani Tafti writes “Why I am fighting for prosecutorial discretion in Arlington” (Washington Post, 8/21/20)
- Washington Post Editorial Board writes “Judges are trying to reduce a reform prosecutor’s powers. She’s right to fight back.” (8/28/20)
- Tom Jackman writes “Arlington prosecutor goes to Va. Supreme Court against judges who challenge her new policies” (Washington Post, 8/28/20)

For those following the campaign to retire the Arlington County logo and other symbols that use “Arlington House” as its representation of our county:
- Julius D. Spain, Carolynn Kane, and Emma Violand-Sanchez write “Arlington County’s progress on race and social justice is poisoned by its official logo” (Washington Post, 8/14/20)
- Matt Blitz writes “Robert E. Lee’s Name Is All Over Arlington County. Now There’s A Push To Replace It” (WAMU, 8/10/20)
- Kelsey Jones writes “Rep. Beyers proposes legislation that could replace Arlington County’s logo” (Local DVM, 8/24/20)
- And related, Sydney Trent writes “At Arlington House, a push to remove Robert E. Lee’s name from the home he once occupied” (Washington Post, 8/24/20)

Recent attention has been paid to the health disparities in communities of color during the pandemic. As you might expect, health disparities are rooted in systemic racism and are perpetuated by those same systems in the health care people receive, the access they have to health care resources, and their living environments.
- Lola Fadulu writes “Black men in D.C. are expected to die 17 years earlier than White men. Here’s why.” (Washington Post, 8/27/20)
- Arlington County conducted a similar study and released the results in April 2019, showing a 10 year difference in longevity depending on what neighborhood a person resides in. Destination 2027 is working to take action to address those disparities.

The sports walkouts last week are worth acknowledging:
- Thomas Boswell writes “Athletes have the power to help America get it right, and they’re using it” (Washington Post, 8/28/20)
- Jerry Brewer writes “NBA players set a new standard of civil disobedience. Now there’s no going back.” (Washington Post, 8/27/20)

I don’t normally write about the current president because the number of offensive things he does daily would take over this work. However, I was struck by Paul Musgrave’s “Busy work: Trump’s secret political weapon: Wasting his opponents’ time” (Washington Post, 8/14/20) because it calls attention to a common theme — obstruction and distraction to prevent change. We see this tactic all the time in our efforts to dismantle systemic racism. Recognize it and keep pushing against it. It cannot endure against the groundswell of voices that are increasing in power every day.

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY:
- Petula Dvorak writes about “When ‘back to school’ means a parking lot and the hunt for a WiFi signal” (Washington Post, 8/27/20)
- Kara Harris writes “There’s a Movement to Defund School Police, Too” (CityLab, 8/24/20)
- Integrated Schools released two new podcasts, “Reopening Schools and Equity” (8/5/20) and “Checklists and Merit Badges: JPB Gerald on Whiteness” (8/19/20)
- The Learning Policy Institute released “Restarting and Reinventing School: Learning in the Time of COVID and Beyond” (8/25/20)
- Aaron Mak writes “How Teachers Are Rethinking the Way They Talk About Race in America” (Slate, 8/28/20)

LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS:
- Peter Rousselot writes “Peter’s Take: New Restorative Justice Group Launches Expert Panels” (ArlNow, 8/26/20)
- Arlington Public Schools is working to ensure that every student has access to reliable internet at home.
- Arlington County is working to prevent evictions and feed families.
- View the recorded “Panel Discussion on the Digital Divide and Community Broadband in Arlington, VA” hosted by ArlFiber and the ArlDems Black Caucus on 8/21/20.

EVENTS/ACTIONS:
- The Arlington Police Practices Work Group is hosting a community conversation TONIGHT from 6:30–8:00 pm. I’m sorry I didn’t share this sooner — video may be available afterwards.
- White Awake has a “Roots Deeper Than Whiteness” course from October-November 2020.
- Service Never Sleeps is offering more virtual Allyship Workshops in September and October.
- Challenging Racism is offering a discussion on How to be an Antiracist on September 20 and 27.

A few more resources:
- Theresa Vargas writes “An enslaved person’s words provide painful context for mayor’s post about Biden picking ‘Aunt Jemima as his VP’” (Washington Post, 8/15/20)
- The National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) has some great resources and is in the middle of hosting its virtual annual conference via a series of webinars.
- Cassie Miller and Howard Graves write “When the “Alt-Right’ Hit the Streets: Far-Right Political Rallies in the Trump Era” (SPLC, 8/10/20)
- Virginia Humanities shared that their “Short Film About Virginia Slave Dwellings Receives Regional Emmy” (you can view the film on their site).
- I heard about an amazing organization called Get Shift Done, which connects skilled shift workers with non-profits with needs, focusing on distributing food and meals to people in need. It was created out of the challenges of the pandemic and is having a big impact.
- Patrick Sisson writes “Can Planting Trees Make a City More Equitable?” (CityLab, 8/28/20), coupled with Brentin Mock’s “Why Detroit Residents Pushed Back Against Tree-Planting” (CityLab, 1/11/19). People may think they know what will make something more equitable, but if those who are supposed to benefit most from the changes are not consulted, then the changes are not truly for them.

Emily
Listen. Amplify. Follow.

Internet Access and Virtual Learning

 Hi Friends!

I hope you’re all healthy and that those of you gearing up for the unique school year aren’t feeling too anxious. This week, I’m going to talk about issues related to internet access and its impact on equal access to information and opportunity as well as challenges related to virtual learning. More resources on many topics and events/action items are below.

Please read Moriah Ballingit’s “‘A national crisis’: As coronavirus forces many schools online this fall, millions of disconnected students are being left behind” (Washington Post, 8/16/20). For this discussion, I’d like to establish a few points:

- I am in favor of reopening schools ONLY when it is safe for everyone to do so, and I strongly encourage everyone to continue following social distancing and other guidelines to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible. Virtual learning is inherently inequitable, but it is the best option we have right now, so we need to ensure that we work for equitable education using every method we have available, adjusting for the realities we face in a pandemic.

- I approach this work not out of pity or white-saviorism, but from a desire to raise awareness so that we can all make more informed choices about how and where we advocate, so we make different assumptions about what Arlington students have access to, and so we can see a bigger picture of the barriers facing our students and our community members so we can work to remove those barriers.

- It is worth working on both short- and long-term goals to address systemic inequities. Action will happen MOST quickly if the people with the most power and privilege in a community advocate for it. Raise your voice, ask questions, and express a sense of collective responsibility for ensuring that everyone in our community has what they need and deserve!

Besides the general equity issues that we all need to be aware of, there are three internet access topics I’m going to cover:
(1) The essential nature of internet access and the current barriers to equitable access;
(2) Barriers to access on APS devices; and,
(3) Privacy and dignity concerns for virtual learning.

Internet Access:
The current internet access options for low-income families in Arlington are inadequate. MiFi devices provided by APS have a time limit for how long they can be used each day. Comcast Internet Essentials has significant barriers for signing up, particularly for families who might be sharing housing arrangements with another family or who have had any issues paying bills in the past. Both of these options are limited in their bandwidth, making live virtual learning inaccessible. Arlington County is working on solutions to this issue, both short- and long-term (such as a community-owned broadband cooperative and broadband authority). There are potentially significant legal barriers to making this happen, particularly from Comcast and Verizon, so our leadership needs to know that this is a community priority with significant support across Arlington. There will also be larger financial expenses for older buildings that are not yet wired and likely other challenges that come up. Please advocate to Arlington County Board members and express support for the need to take the steps necessary to ensure that all of our neighbors have access to essential high-speed internet service in their homes.

APS Device Barriers:
APS devices currently block certain platforms, creating barriers for students who want to access tutoring and other educational tools provided outside of APS’s network. There are several community organizations working hard to provide students with free tutoring and educational support services to supplement the virtual learning they will receive from APS this year. However, there are significant barriers to access because APS devices are heavily locked-down in terms of what programs and platforms they can use. This isn’t so much of an issue if you have an alternate device at home, but as you might imagine, many of our students will only have an APS device and will therefore be prevented from accessing these additional supports. Some organizations are spending precious funds to purchase alternate devices so students can access their content. Please advocate to APS Engage and School Board members and ask about what options there are for addressing these barriers.

Privacy and Dignity:
Please read Christina Caron’s “How to Protect Your Family’s Privacy During Remote Learning” and look particularly at the infographic created by Dr. Torrey Trust about “Using Video to Assess Student Attention in Virtual Class Meetings” to understand some of the equity implications for students engaged in virtual learning (see the “Why Does It Matter?” section in particular). Virtual learning may make many of our students particularly vulnerable to shame, bullying, discomfort, or trauma unless intentional steps are taken to mitigate these situations. There are also significant privacy questions about how virtual learning is different from in-person learning:

- What happens if a teacher observes drug paraphernalia in a student’s home?

- What happens if a student appears visibly intoxicated during a video chat?

- What happens if someone engages in abuse of another person in the background during a video chat?

- Can law enforcement access recorded or live video in a student’s home to search for an undocumented relative?

- What happens if students take screenshots or video of a student’s home circumstances and use them to bully that student?

- What happens if personal information is heard in the background during a video chat and is recorded?

- What information is being collected about a child participating in virtual learning? What control do parents have over what is collected and how it might be used?

Please advocate to APS Engage and School Board members to ask about their policies on privacy during virtual learning and how they are preparing their staff to respond to this new teaching environment in a way that prioritizes respect and dignity for our students and their home circumstances.

LOCAL VOICES:
- Lisa Lednicer writes “Organizing For Change” about local activists Anika and Yolande Kwinana (Arlington Magazine, 8/17/20).
- Lynn Borton interviewed Ryoko Reed for her “Choose to be Curious” series, called “Curiosity & Education Equity, with Ryoko Reed” (8/19/20)

EVENTS/ACTIONS:
- Participatory Defense with Life After Release, September 3 at 6 pm
- Ancestors Watching Vigil, honoring those killed by police in DC, MD, VA, August 27 at 6:30 pm
- Service Never Sleeps is accepting applications for their Fellowship program (apply by October 31)
- Sign up to be an election defender with SURJ (kick-off meeting is August 31)
- Sign up to help with Census Palooza II in Arlington County on August 29
- Volunteer at the polls on Election Day
- Buy a Neighbor School Supplies campaign ends TODAY!
- Missing Middle Housing Research: Ask the Authors Event on September 2
- APS School Board Work Session on School Resource Officers on September 3
- Support the continued effort of the Arlington Community Corps to provide diapers to community members in need (they have moved their wish list from Amazon to Target).
- EmbraceRace is hosting a webinar called “Parents Who Lead on Racial Justice in Their Communities” on August 25
- SURJ is hosting “The Get Together” and episode 1 is called “White Women on Defunding the Police” on August 24
- Sign the petition to support the Native American Voting Rights Act (via the Lakota People’s Law Project)
- The Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition is hosting a “National Call on Coronavirus and Homelessness/Housing” webinar on August 24 and every Monday after that.

RESOURCES:
Voting Rights:
- Derrick Johnson writes “Voter Suppression Is Back, 55 Years After the Voting Rights Act” (Politico, 8/6/20)
- Nancy Abudu writes “The State of Women’s Suffrage — 100 Years Later” (SPLC, 8/18/20)
- Sarah Green Carmichael writes “The Ugly, Unfinished Fight for Suffrage” (Bloomberg, 8/16/20)

Schools/Education:
- Linda Jacobson writes “With Nation Focused on Reopening Schools, Biden’s Choice of Kamala Harris as Running Mate Could Renew Attention on Integration” (The 74, 8/12/20)
- Greg Smedley-Warren writes “TEACHER VOICE: ‘With 85 percent of our students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, a major concern in our district has been a lack of access to technology and the internet’” (Hechinger Report, 8/13/20)

More Resources:
- Jeanne Theoharis writes “Understanding today’s uprisings requires understanding what came before them” (The Washington Post, 8/11/20)
- Virginia State Conference of the NAACP Call to Action on Police Reform, Criminal Justice and Addressing the Effects of COVID-19.
- SPLC’s Sounds Like Hate podcast’s first chapter, part 1 is called “Getting Out”
- Vanessa Williams writes “Residential segregation plays a role in coronavirus disparities, study finds” (Washington Post, 8/17/20)
- Kriston Capps writes “One-Third of American Renters Expected to Miss Their August Payment” (CityLab, 8/7/20)
- Candace Howze writes “If You Think Calling Us ‘Angry Black Women’ Is An Insult, You’d Better Think Again” (HuffPost, 8/21/20)
- Jessica Guynn and Brent Schrotenboer write “Why are there still so few black executives in America?” (USA Today, 8/20/20)
- The full content of Arlington County’s Missing Middle Housing Study: Research Compendium is now available.

It’s not about any one of us individually. It’s about all of us, together.

Emily
Listen. Amplify. Follow.