The pressure of worrying about the impact of safety measures on potential test scores should not be a factor in making decisions about how and when to protect our kids from COVID-19 (or any transmissible disease). Our only concern should be the health of the students and of the community. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted classes for the majority of the Spring semester of the 2019-20 school year. Though our teachers, parents, and students worked very hard to implement effective online courses, we anticipate there will be extra work needed to catch students up. That alone will bring added stress to our classrooms in 2020-21, but it may also induce administrators and school board members to take unnecessary risks just to maintain acceptable test scores. That is unacceptable. However, we still consider it important to know how our students are learning and how much progress they have made. In Spring 2020, when STAAR testing was waived, the state of Texas still offered schools an optional End of Year (EOY) assessment, and will also offer a Beginning of Year (BOY) assessment in the fall. These exams were simply intended to help establish growth and gaps in our students' learning, and carry no penalties. We ask that the same optional EOY and BOY assessments be offered for the 2020-21 school year so all of us can gauge student progress. However, the STAAR test has no place in Texas schools for the next 12 months, and should be waived immediately.

Last year’s $746 billion Pentagon budget was the largest on record — and came at the expense of critical public health, education, and infrastructure spending. And while Congress still can’t agree on extending emergency assistance for families in the face of COVID-19, they’re gearing up to greenlight even more — three quarters of a TRILLION dollars — for the Pentagon this year. Money isn’t everything, but budgets are moral documents that reflect our priorities. And Congress’s priority appears to be funding redundant nuclear weapons, multi-billion dollar off-books spending accounts, and endless wars in the Middle East. No more. Congresswoman Barbara Lee has introduced bold new legislation calling for a $350 BILLION dollar cut to the Pentagon budget. It’s up to us to follow her lead and get Congress on board to shift astronomical funds away from the Pentagon and build true safety and security. Add your name to urge them to pass H. Res. 1003 NOW!

It's not just COVID and police brutality exposing racism in America. Black homeowners in Detroit are being overtaxed on top of these other injustices. We’ve all seen headlines about Detroit homeowners being overcharged $600 million dollars in property taxes. No community should be hit with such unjust bills and least of all a city with 40 percent of residents struggling in poverty. Detroit has one of the highest property tax foreclosure rates of any city since the Great Depression. A recent University of Chicago study shows that, even after Mayor Duggan tried to fix the problem, the City is still overcharging the lowest valued homes. These are deep, systemic problems that a task force should investigate, propose solutions to end the practice and help make the community whole. Governor Whitmer has proven that she can get the job done with COVID and is with us in the movement against police brutality. Now it's time to do the same for property tax injustice. We call on her to create a task force to investigate and stop unfair property tax practices and keep Detroit homeowners in their homes. Sources: https://harris.uchicago.edu/files/evalrespropertytaxasdetroit20162018.pdf https://scholarship.law.uci.edu/ucilr/vol9/iss4/3/ http://www.californialawreview.org/print/predatory-cities/#_ftn18 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/11/opinion/coronavirus-cities-property-taxes.html

We have been closely following the development of a large encampment of unhoused people in Powderhorn Park, and the attempts by the Minneapolis Parks Board to deal with the situation. We support the Board Resolution 2020-253 passed at their meeting on June 17, 2020 in which the Board committed to allow the encampment to remain temporarily while working to find housing for the unhoused people there; and called on local and State government to increase funding to address this crisis. During the June 17 meeting, it was clear that the Park Board has no funding or expertise available to address the crisis presented by a large encampment of unhoused people during a pandemic and in the wake of an uprising centered just a few blocks away. David Hewitt, the Director of Hennepin County's Office to End Homelessness, testified that it will not be easy to find housing for the residents of the Powderhorn encampment, that the County's resources are already maxed out by the rapid adjustments that were made due to the pandemic, and that there is little or no capacity to address the needs of this encampment. Al Bangoura, Superintendent of Minneapolis Parks, stated that he is attempting to work closely with the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, but also stated that that no state or local government agency has committed any funds to assist the Park Board to keep the residents of the encampment safe or to find them appropriate housing. Parks Commissioner Lionel French stated that he believes Governor Walz needs to get involved, and we agree. We therefore are petitioning you for your intervention in this matter.

We know that COVID-19 viruses are transmitted via droplets produced when we sneeze, cough, sing, yell, or even when we're just talking. A simple cloth covering can significantly lessen the spread. It's a minor step we can all take to help protect our fellow Floridians.

America faces an emergency on three primary fronts: a public health pandemic, economic insecurities, and long-standing structural and institutional racism. Working families need job security, economic stability, and freedom from systematic oppression. That is, we must address the racial barriers from COVID-19 and the racial oppression that African Americans and people of color are facing. Furthermore, we must stress the importance of the HEROES Cares Act. So, please sign on and join us for this tel-town hall Wednesday, June 24th, at 6:30 pm, for the tel-town hall call-in number (866) 976-6355. Speakers for this event will be NC Senator Erica Smith-Ingram Dr. Michelle Laws- Department of Health and Human Services Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin Action NC member Tarsha Gunn

It is important that people recognize the black family as a Union just like they obviously do for the white families. It sends a message that the black family is non existent & we need to desperately change the narrative, because there are plenty of black family units of all structures. It also sends a message of acceptance which is important for our young children to see today. This has really been an issue for years I e been joking about it but it’s time to put my foot on the gas with Apple & get this done!! I know everyone won’t support & that’s okay but I also know plenty will!! So let’s do it let’s let it be known that we have family units that move forces!!

This racism has to stop, so many people have died, yet it continues, by police and private citizens. There has to be an end to this disgraceful behavior, and people of all races have to come together and stop this practice and behavior before it gets worse.

Late on a Friday night, William Barr’s Justice Department sent out a press release stating that Geoffrey Berman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was “stepping down” from his position. But this announcement came as a total shock to Berman, who responded: “I learned in a press release from the Attorney General tonight that I was ‘stepping down’ as United States Attorney. I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning, my position[.]” That’s right: Barr blatantly lied to the American people and tried to strongarm Berman into abandoning his role -- so that he could fill it with a Trump lackey. Berman has consistently fought for justice and upheld the rule of law -- despite Barr’s conversion of the DOJ into a partisan Trump protection machine. For example, Berman’s office prosecuted Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen, who went to prison -- and Berman is currently investigating top Trump confidant Rudy Giuliani. It’s no surprise that Trump wanted Berman out -- and that he sent Barr to do his dirty work. And the day after Berman denied his resignation, Barr had Trump fire Berman -- though Berman fought to ensure his successor would continue to investigate Trump's allies. Barr has time and time again shown that he is unfit to serve as Attorney General. He dropped all charges against Trump’s former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, even after Flynn pleaded guilty… he brazenly misled the public about Robert Mueller’s findings… and his Department of Justice tried to bury the whistleblower complaint that led to Trump’s impeachment. Barr’s attacks on Berman are yet another example of his willingness to damage our nation’s system of justice to protect President Trump. Common Cause called for Barr's impeachment and removal at the end of last year [1] -- and now, we're renewing that vital call. If you agree, add your name to demand that Congress respond to Barr’s many abuses of power -- by impeaching him and removing him from office. 1) https://www.commoncause.org/press-release/common-cause-calls-for-impeachment-of-attorney-general-william-barr/

All across America, Confederate statues are falling. Except in Congress. The National Statuary Hall in the Capitol Building has eleven statues of former Confederate leaders and soldiers. That includes Confederate president Jefferson Davis and Confederate vice-president Alexander Stephens, among others who committed treason and made war in order to defend slavery and white supremacy. Speaker Nancy Pelosi just called on these statues to be removed. But it takes support from both the House and the Senate. If we put enough pressure on Representatives and Senators, they will act. Can you help?

On 5/29 and 5/30, Virginians outraged by recent police murders and systemic racism took to the streets of Richmond. The police met this unrest with violence, tear-gassing protestors and nearly running people over with a police vehicle. As in dozens of other cities, there was significant damage to both private and public property. Some protesters also defaced symbols of white supremacy with anti-racist graffiti. The next day, Mayor Levar Stoney called in the National Guard and imposed an 8 pm curfew for the city. That night, protesters took to the streets once more. At around nine o'clock, RPD interrupted an otherwise peaceful protest by firing tear gas into the crowd. They pursued and arrested 233 people, some of whom were not protesting and were unaware of the curfew. Police transported these individuals to the Richmond City Jail where they were kept in a hot poorly ventilated bus, some for over twelve hours. The full litany of abuses they suffered at the hands of police is too long to list here (for more see @nomoniker on Twitter). Over the course of the night, law enforcement officials sexually harassed protesters, failed to adequately address medical and psychological crises, dismissed concerns about COVID-19 exposure, and regularly denied arrestees water—all for behavior that should NOT HAVE BEEN CRIMINALIZED in the first place. More arrests were made on the second night of the curfew. More recently, on 6/14 and 6/15, protestors were maced and gassed by police in riot gear outside the precinct. On 6/14 Michaela G. Hatton, a 22-year-old protester with a master’s degree in social work from VCU, was targeted by RPD and charged with felony assault on a law enforcement officer and conspiracy to incite a riot. Michaela lost her job because of the arrest. Despite the numerous calls to drop charges against protestors, the City has taken NO substantive action to reject police repression and violence. Let's all pressure Commonwealth's Attorney Colette McEachin, Mayor Stoney, and Richmond City Council to protect the people they supposedly serve. We demand that our elected officials work to ensure that ALL chargers against protestors are dropped immediately!

The Washington Redskins exposed their hypocrisy recently while tweeting out on #BlackoutTuesday in support of #BlackLivesMatter while continuing to profit off of a racist and derogatory name—Redskins—and a caricature logo of Native Americans. Borne out of a genocidal past, the term “Redskin,” is a word dripping with contempt, racism, and a quite literal reference to blood; advertisements were placed in newspapers on behalf of governments and institutions perpetuating the genocide of indigenous peoples using this term—for example, from the The Winona Daily Republican in Minnesota: “The State reward for dead Indians has been increased to $200 for every red-skin sent to Purgatory. This sum is more than the dead bodies of all the Indians east of the Red River are worth.” While the team may claim that the term is used to honor the purported Native American ancestry of its one-time coach William “Lone Star” Dietz, the team knows full well that the name was changed to Redskin to avoid issues with the Boston Braves baseball team. Further, after an investigation, Dietz was found to have fraudulently posed as indigenous—the name of the football team only dishonors in many ways. Snyder argues that the term is one of honor and of benign origins—it is not. Native American leaders and peoples have been fighting to have the name changed across society, and have succeeded but in this one place. Since 1898, the term has been defined as one used contemptuously. If the Washington Football Team had to change the fight song for racist illusions, why not change the name? To claim that the term “redskins” honors Native Americans defies logic—no one would think to claim that, for example, a football team named for the confederacy honors African Americans. Other teams are named after animals (Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears), after numbers (San Francisco 49ers), or after empowering, flattering, mythic characters (New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans). In short, a racial slur has no place in the NFL's lineup. Academic studies continue to show that the name and mascot do not honor Native Americans; to the contrary, the term leads to “lower self-esteem, lower community worth, less capacity to generate achievement-related possible selves, and greater levels of negative effect” amongst Native American youth, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and oppression. The term, with its contemptuous nature, further builds a gap between native and non-native cultures, contributing to intergenerational trauma and continued racism. Leaders, historians, psychologists, and social scientists have concluded that “Native mascots are part of a much larger web of phenomena that contribute to oppression faced by Native Americans and thus it seems clear that these mascots should be eliminated.” While it should be clear, some people seem to be unwilling to see the continued consequences. Everytime the Washington team takes the field, the Redskins name conjures images of brutality. The Washington Redskins, the NFL, the media, and sponsors must discontinue profiting off of a racist trope. Native Americans are not mascots, they are people and are still here. Daniel Snyder cannot continue to muzzle and whitewash a people and history. Words have power. Symbols have power. It is time the media and sponsors cease their complicity in this cultural genocide, and stand with justice—boycott the name until the name changes.