The FIRST robotics programs have long been a safe haven for students who don't fit anywhere else. They also seek to deliberately increase the diversity in the STEM workforce, believing that more voices lead to better and stronger technical solutions. This is a moment for FIRST to stand behind their Youth Protection Program and their Diversity and Inclusion policies to ensure that transgender youth in Texas or visiting Texas feel safe to participate in this valuable program.

Most people think sending money to a friend or family member in need is a personal matter, but ICE disagrees. We just found out that ICE has been collecting personal financial data on millions of people who use money transfer services like Western Union.1 ICE can use this data to try to target immigrants who send money back to their families, and potentially deport them. The federal government should never be in the business of spying on people who are just trying to financially help their friends and family. Sign the petition: Tell Congress and President Biden to ban ICE surveillance of money orders and cash transfers! For millions of people in California, Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas, who recently used a money order service, like Western Union, their personal information and the personal information of the person they sent money to likely ended up in a database without them even knowing – a database that is shared with ICE and other law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, ICE used administrative subpoenas to money order and cash transfer companies like Western Union to collect sender and recipient names and addresses. This essentially criminalizes people for not having bank accounts, and specifically targets immigrant communities of all kinds for the commonplace practice of sending remittances back to family members. Once Senator Wyden started asking questions about the program, ICE shut it down.2 That’s because ICE has gotten so out of control that they don’t stop to question whether their actions are legal or not – they’re just out to hunt down, detain, and deport as many immigrants as they can. This has to stop. ICE has consistently proved that they will abuse any amount of power given to them. That’s why Congress and President Biden need to act now to specifically and permanently ban ICE from spying on people’s private financial data. Sign the petition: Tell Congress and President Biden to ban ICE surveillance of money orders and cash transfers! Sources: 1. Buzzfeed, “ICE Conducted Sweeping Surveillance Of Money Transfers Sent To And From The US, A Senator Says,” March 8, 2022. 2. Ibid.

The United Farm Workers elected farm worker leadership requested to meet with Gov. Newsom on Cesar Chavez Day. The Governor has chosen to not meet with farm workers elected by their peers. Farm workers are speaking up. A worker delegation will go to Sacramento to meet with the state Latino Caucus on March 31. Support them by signing their petition today. Farm workers will make it clear to CA's Gov. Newsom that a living legacy to Cesar is not just proclamations and holidays. It's meeting with those most impacted when making public policy decisions. It's taking decisive steps to make real change. Last year Gov. Newsom vetoed their landmark bill which would have granted farm workers the same voting options California voters have enjoyed for years. These are the same voting choices that Governor Newsom used to defeat the Republican recall in 2021, including giving people the option of casting ballots in the comfort and security of their own homes. His veto came despite huge support for the bill in both state houses. The 50 billion dollar agricultural industry has strong opposition to the bill. Farm worker Francisco Naranjo organized support for the bill last year. He is committed to making this law happen saying, "Without this law farm workers don't have a fighting chance. Growers will continue to manipulate the process and intimidate us to take away our voice. Being allowed the privilege to vote offsite would allow farm workers to make their own decision and vote for a union with its benefits without supervisors' interference." Farm workers ask people to listen to them, to join in conversation, and to help their voices be heard by those in power. Sign the petition asking Governor Newsom to sign the Agricultural Labor Relations Voting Choice Act.

The CannaJustice Coalition leading this work in VA is proudly partnering with Minorities for Medical Marijuana and Morring Law firm here in the Commonwealth to push this message forward. Legalization can be a way to dismantle the War on Drugs or re-activate it. As the number four reason for deportation and the reason why many are barred from housing, education and employment, we must legislate legalization that makes the public feel safe, and ensure police are not targeting them for a legal substance. As of August 31, 2021, the state is responsible for incarcerating 570 people for 599 marijuana-related offenses. There are 229 people incarcerated with a non-drug related Most Serious Offense (MSO), 331 people incarcerated with Drug Sales MSO and 10 people incarcerated with Drug Possession MSO with their families sooner. There are even more of our loved ones on community supervision due to marijuana that need to be set free from surveillance. Cannabis expert, Shaleen Title, explains that this a crucial and vulnerable moment for the future of the cannabis market. While states are making historic progress creating paths for small businesses and disenfranchised groups, larger companies are expanding, consolidating, and lobbying for licensing rules to create or maintain oligopolies. Federal legalization will only accelerate the power grab already happening with new, larger conglomerates openly expressing interest. Left unchecked, this scramble for market share threatens to undermine public health and safety and undo bold state-level efforts to build an equitable cannabis marketplace and reduce the impact of disproportionate policing. Virginia must recognize our role in protecting our people but also our place in the federal legalization conversation that stands up to exploitative businesses and demands an equitable return for those impacted by the racist War on Drugs.

Collectively we can make changes for the betterment of our youth and the communities through work release, education, innovation and hard work.

For decades spanning several councilmembers and prosecutors, the Detroit Shoreway has tried time and again to frame American Food Market as a cause for drug distribution within the community yet despite numerous police raids and injunctions have found no evidence for these claims. As of March 4th, 2022, Councilwoman Jenny Spencer and the Cuyahoga prosecutor's office of Michael o'Malley chose to enact a nuisance law rarely used in history as a new tactic to shut the store down temporarily. They claim it is the responsibility of the store owners to enforce laws surrounding drug trafficking happening near the store or else suffer the consequences for other people's actions. It is the duty of law enforcement to patrol the neighborhood from crime, not small business owners.

First the Florida GOP described the “Don’t Say Gay” bill–HB 1557–as legislation that would protect parents’ rights in education. But now Governor DeSantis’ press secretary has exposed the real agenda behind this egregious bill. In a recent Twitter post, the governor’s spokesperson, Christina Pushaw, accused the bills’ opponents of being groomers of young children (aka pedophiles), going so far as to single out Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a legislator of the utmost integrity. In earlier controversies, Pushaw called the Archbishop of Miami a liar, blamed Democrats for organizing a Nazi rally to hurt the governor, and harassed members of the media for reporting factual information.

Insulin prices are far too high, and they're impacting working-class families every day. For many people who live with diabetes, the cost of insulin is a matter of life or death. The high cost often leads to lethal rationing, and with this bill, we have the opportunity to save lives across the country. Congress needs to side with President Biden, Senator Warnock, and Joshua Davis—not Big Pharma—and lower the cost of insulin!

Equality Florida released this statement in response: Governor DeSantis' spokesperson said the quiet part out loud: that this bill is grounded in a belief that LGBTQ people, simply by existing, are a threat to children and must be erased. He chose Pushaw to speak his mind to the public. He owns this unbridled hatred. This same bigoted insinuation has long been been used to stigmatize our families, justify denying us the ability to adopt children, and is being used to justify the tracking of transgender children by government agents in Texas and threats to imprison their parents. Make no mistake — this is a tacit announcement from the Governor that he supports the true intent of the Don’t Say Gay bill: the erasure of LGBTQ people.

New recreation centers have been built all over Denver county but none included a therapy pool that’s mainly used by the disabled and senior community. I was born and raised in Denver and actively over the years have seen this recreation center neglected. The City & County of Denver has held numerous meetings trying to close this center without avail. Each time the community has said that this is important to the community, disabled, seniors and those that must rehabilitate, due to lack of other physical therapies. Again the therapy pool is malfunctioning and the sauna has been closed for weeks. This problem is unexceptionable by any standards and must be addressed.

Amazon wants to build a new HQ in South Africa by bulldozing over sacred indigenous land.1 And just like when Amazon tried to build a new HQ in New York City, local activists in Cape Town are pushing back. Amazon didn't choose a sacred indigenous site by accident. They know it has historical, cultural and environmental significance.2 They just want to destroy and build on it anyway. But since Amazon is a US company, they're particularly vulnerable to grassroots pressure here in the US. You can show your solidarity with indigenous activists in South Africa by calling on your member of Congress to denounce this new Amazon headquarters. Sign the petition: Tell Congress to denounce Amazon's plan to build a HQ on sacred indigenous land in South Africa! The indigenous land sits on the banks of the Liesbeek River where in the year 1510 Khoi peoples successfully fought back Portuguese intruders. The area is still a source of pride and cultural heritage for the Khoi, which also survived decades of oppression under Apartheid. But now Amazon wants to bulldoze it and build a sprawling campus. Over 50,000 residents in Cape Town signed a petition opposing the construction, but Amazon is pushing ahead anyway. That's why folks on the ground there are asking for your help! If US elected officials publicly denounce this HQ project, Amazon will face an international political and PR nightmare. Activists here in the US successfully blocked an Amazon HQ in New York City. Together you can show solidarity with indigenous activists and help block this new Amazon HQ in South Africa. Sign the petition: Tell Congress to denounce Amazon's plan to build a HQ on sacred indigenous land in South Africa! Sources: 1. Reuters, "Heritage dispute engulfs site chosen for Amazon's new African HQ," June 3, 2021. 2. Africa News, "Controversy over the location of Amazon African headquarters in Cape Town," May 14, 2021.

The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution is celebrated for abolishing slavery, but what if we told you slavery is still legal?  There’s actually an exception clause in the Thirteenth Amendment that allows slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime. Today, more than 150 years since its passage, incarcerated people — many of whom are Black and brown — are forced to work for little to no pay. Incarcerated people who refuse to work are often beaten, denied visits and calls from loved ones, put in solitary confinement, and even denied parole.  BUT, there’s hope! In the last six years, four states have ended this exception in their state constitutions and truly abolished slavery. In 2018, Colorado became the first state since Rhode Island—the only state to have fully abolished slavery prior to the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment—to end the exception and abolish slavery. Utah and Nebraska followed in 2020, and Nevada in 2024.  In all three states, the ballot initiatives were the result of unanimous, bipartisan legislative votes. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the social awakening of many people across the U.S. to the horrifying reality of anti-Black racism, more than 20 states are organizing to abolish slavery in their state constitutions. Tennessee, Vermont, Oregon, Louisiana and Alabama will all be on the ballot this year and several others are expecting to be. The time to act is now.