Indivisibles,

Juneteenth (June 19th) commemorates Black liberation from slavery -- but the news arrived two years after Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s easy to see how a holiday celebrating delayed news of freedom might resonate differently this year as protests against continued police violence against Black lives remind us of all the work that’s left to do. 

The recent back to back instances of police violence have made us set our sights on dismantling the systems that keep Black Americans oppressed. This year, we are following the lead of local leaders, like Movement for Black Lives, to organize around defunding the police and reinvesting in Black communities. 

If you’re wondering how to get involved this Juneteenth, Movement for Black Lives invites you to take action from home or in your community all weekend (June 19-21, 2020). Find more details on how to mobilize from wherever you are here. 

And if you’re needing some extra motivation to keep marching (literally or virtually) -- this morning reminded us that progress is within reach. Today (during Pride month, we should add) the Supreme Court extended protections against employment discrimination to people who identify LGBTQ+. This decision solidifies what we knew all along: the LGBTQ+ community belongs and won’t be erased.

And with that, we leave you with our list of weekly to-dos:

 Your 5 weekly to-dos 

1. Call your local officials and tell them to defund your local police department. Defunding the police is about allocating hundreds of millions (sometimes billions) of dollars to serve the community. This is in support of the asks of local Black-led organizations like Reclaim the Block and national Black-led organizations like Movement for Black Lives, which are demanding that local governments commit to cutting funding for the police and investing it in Black community-led education, health and safety programs. You can use this tool from Common Cause to get the contact info for your local officials.
2. If you missed it, check out our workshop on acting as an ally in the fight for racial justice. How do Indivisibles talk within our groups about and amidst this national moment? This mini-training will teach you how to use the fundamentals of relational organizing to escalate white folks and non-black people of color from allies to accomplices, both in casual conversations and in concrete anti-racist steps within our communities.
3. Check out our fourth episode of our Youtube series, COVID Corruption. This episode discusses how the Trump Administration has taken advantage of the pandemic to double down on its attacks against immigrants — and how the pandemic has accentuated injustices that have existed since long before Trump took office.
4. Register for our End of SCOTUS Term Virtual Protest. The partisan, conservative justices on the stolen Supreme Court are poised to inflict tremendous damage to our democracy over the next few weeks. That’s why Take Back the Court, Indivisible, and Demand Justice are coming together to fight back and press for court reform. Join Senator Elizabeth Warren, Alicia Garza, and Dan Pfeiffer on June 30th, 8pm EST for an hour-long virtual protest on Facebook Live.
5. Call your Senators and demand they pass the Heroes Act immediately. Working families are still feeling the pain of the COVID crisis. Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans don’t want to do anything except give more handouts to corporations, but that won’t help people who need to pay their rent or who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus. We need to demand that they pass the Heroes Act immediately and oppose any amendments that water the bill down.

 2020 Update 

With the November general election only 140 days away and only seven states away from finishing out primary season, we’re working hard to ensure that November isn’t something out of a dystopian horror film (see Georgia and Wisconsin primaries for examples). This requires a commitment to honoring the valid results of the election. Read on to learn more about what we mean:

• Georgia held their primary last Tuesday and, despite having 10 extra weeks to prepare for the election, it was a disaster. Tens of thousands of voters across the state did not receive their absentee ballots in time (if at all) to be mailed back and counted. Furthermore, many voting locations across the state had to contend with missing or malfunctioning voting equipment. This resulted in some voters waiting as many as five hours to vote. Despite the state’s spectacular fumble of this election, and despite not having finalized vote tallies, Democrats have set a new primary turnout record. More Democrats turned out to vote in this primary election than ever before, casting over 1,060,851 votes -- the previous record, set in 2008. 
• On Friday, Indivisible and Stand Up America announced the launch of Protect the Results, a project seeking to protect the valid results of the 2020 election. The new project will build the infrastructure to mobilize millions of Americans should Donald Trump take steps to undermine the outcome of the election. If you're with us, click here to learn more about how you can Protect the Results!

 Find a Virtual Event "near" you 

1. Making a Recruitment Plan
An effective team is led by individuals who celebrate different backgrounds and skills. At Indivisible, we’ve identified that recruiting a strong team is not only crucial to us winning in November, but also crucial to all your other organizing goals.
Date: June 17th at 8pm EST -- Register here.  
Date: June 17th at 3pm EST -- Register here. 

2. Building Inclusive Groups 
For this webinar, we’ll be covering what it means to organize from an anti-racist standpoint, the impact of white privilege and white supremacy in team dynamics, and how to change the practices of your group for the better. This training is framed for white Indivisible Group Leaders who are ready to do the necessary work of undoing racism in day-to-day organizing, though all Indivisibles who are interested in this content are welcome to attend.
Date: June 22nd, 8pm EST -- Register here.
Date: June 23rd, 3pm EST -- Register here.

3. Payback Project: Planning a Virtual Town Hall 
Are you an Indivisible Group planning a virtual town hall for the Payback Project week of action on July 6th-12th? If so, join us to hear from Indivisible Groups who have successfully planned virtual events since the pandemic and brainstorm ways to make your townhall successful.
Date: June 24th, 8pm EST -- Register here.

4. Rural Voices Summit
Join us for Indivisible’s Virtual Rural Voices Summit! Come connect with rural Indivisible groups and rural organizers from across the country for a day of digital celebration, self-care, and rural power building in anticipation of the November election.
Date: June 27th, 11 AM-5:30 PM EST -- Register here.

 Support the Payback Project and protect the Courts 

The exciting SCOTUS ruling on Title VII today reminds us that we can fight for justice and win -- and that the courts can have a huge impact on the lives of every one of us. But to ensure the fairness and legitimacy of the courts, we have to elect a Senate that represents the people. We’re working to do just that with the Payback Project -- kicking 11 of the worst GOP senators out of office this November -- and we need your help. Click here to chip in $10 to take back the Senate and support all the work we’re doing this year.

 Win of the Week 

June is typically a celebration of Pride and Juneteenth so this moment is bittersweet for the Black Trans community. The SCOTUS decision this morning marks a massive win for LGBTQ+ leaders who have been fighting to be heard. For our weekly win, we want to uplift all of the advocates and allies who took to the streets to demand protections for Black Trans lives. Today and always: #BlackTransLivesMatter. 

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team