Justice For Muslims Collective (JMC) Civic Engagement Campaign Dear Community, We are less than a week away from one of the most important elections of our lifetime. Today, we are thrilled to launch our JMC election brief called, We Count: Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern, and South Asian (AMEMSA) Voters in Virginia. The brief gives an overview of our civic engagement campaign to call 65,000 AMEMSA voters in Virginia, our findings from a survey we conducted with low-propensity working-class voters in Northern Virginia, community reflections on civic engagement campaigns, and resources. Read the full brief here and share it! Overall we found from a survey with 176 voters that: The overwhelming majority of AMEMSA registered voters who took our survey stated a strong yes (86%) to voting in November. A small minority (3%) stated a strong no to voting during this election. Issue Areas and Priorities: The two leading issues our respondents wanted the next President to prioritize were fighting racism and Islamophobia (40%) and expanding access to affordable healthcare (36%). Public Health: The top two public health issues that voters wanted to be addressed were COVID19 (52%) and expanding access to affordable healthcare (39%). Public Safety: The top 3 public safety issues that voters wanted to be addressed were hate crimes against people of color (38%)and police accountability and reform (36%). In addition, 17 percent of voters who took our survey stated government surveillance of mosques and Muslim communities was their number one public safety issue they wanted to be addressed.
Protect the Results! Rally for Ballot Counting Protection Election Week has been a roller coaster of a ride, with ballot counts continuing in battleground states. Voter turnout was extraordinary and all volunteers, organizers and community leaders who worked to get out the vote must be congratulated for the historic numbers we’ve seen. Despite there being no evidence of fraud, however, the Trump administration and its supporters continue to push a false narrative of corruption and interference meant to sow chaos and call legitimate results into question, driving the election decision of the people into the courts. To combat this narrative, coalitions of organizations are rallying across the country this weekend to demand protection for ballot results and that all votes be counted. Protect the Results is a resource to find an action near you to join; they advocate for peaceful demonstrations and do not include actions near ballot counting locations or after dark. Please find an action near you and show your support—as always, we citizens must join activation and protest to the act of voting in order to keep our civil society and democracy alive. You can find more information at the Protect the Results website.
Complete Absentee Ballot Guide Election Day is in ONE WEEK, and millions of Virginians have already voted or requested absentee ballots. Don’t wait until the last minute to make your voice heard: make a plan to vote at www.voteva.us! If your voting plan includes returning a mailed absentee ballot, this email is for you. If your voting plan includes returning a mailed absentee ballot, this email is for you. Absentee ballots should be returned as soon as possible! After October 27, it is recommended that you drop off your ballot in person at your registrar’s office or an early voting location. Below is a step by step guide on how to complete and return your mailed absentee ballot: Complete Your Ballot First, make sure to read the instructions throughly! Due to COVID-19 safety measures, you do not need a witness this year if you cannot do so safely. Remove your ballot from Envelope A. Fill out your ballot front and back with a blue or black pen. Put your completed ballot inside Envelope B (privacy envelope). Make sure you fill out and sign the outside of the envelope! Place the privacy envelope inside of the pre-paid return envelope. Do not use your own envelope, and do not add postage to the return envelope. Return Your Ballot By Mail: Return your ballot via USPS or another mail delivery service. Make sure your ballot is inside BOTH the signed privacy envelope (Envelope B) AND the return envelope. Do not add postage to the return envelope. After today, October 27, it is recommended that you drop off your ballot in person at your registrar’s office or an early voting location. Drop Off: Take your ballot, enclosed in both the signed privacy envelope and the return envelope, to your local registrar’s office or another official ballot drop-off location in your city or county before 7 p.m. on Election Day. You can find your ballot drop-off locations here. There’s just one week left until this critical election. Go to www.voteva.us to make a plan to vote, and let’s do this!
Democracy is Indigenous Newsletter #4 For the fourth issue of the Democracy in Indigenous Newsletter, the National Urban Indian Family Coalition (NUIFC) wants to showcase the work of three centers in Nevada, Colorado, and Missouri. These centers are connecting with the community with a foundational organizing strategy; by offering food and art for the community and building upon the institutional trust they have. Subscribe to their newsletter by navigating to the website provided above. What is the Democracy is Indigenous Newsletter? With the most consequential election of our lives 18 days away, the NUIFC wants to take some time each week to share the work our Cohort is doing to make history. This newsletter will be a space to uplift the grassroots work our partner organizations are doing during the most ambitious Urban Indian Get Out the Vote campaign in history. The NUIFC look forward to bringing this inspiring work right to your inbox every week. The Native Vote Can Define The Future Register for the Democracy is Indigenous Newsletter on the National Urban Indian Family Coalition website here.
IHRC | Documenting the Impact of COVID-19 on Immigrants and Refugees in the U.S. Through a partnership with the Sahan Journal, a nonprofit digital newsroom dedicated to providing authentic news reporting for and about immigrants and refugees in Minnesota, the Immigration History Research Center is also creating digital stories documenting the experiences of immigrants and refugees during the pandemic and posting them here: STORIES FROM THE PANDEMIC. They highlight fact-based research and reporting from reputable national media sources and think tanks supplemented by ethnic and local media. The IHRC also include perspectives from experts, scholars, and political commentators and provide a summary analysis of emerging trends and issues. IHRC use a variety of methods to identify sources, including Google news alerts and immigration-related newsletters and digests, such as Migratory Notes and ImmigrationProfBlog. They select sources to provide both depth and breadth. Diverse perspectives and opinions – political and otherwise – are included whenever possible, especially when they highlight the trajectory behind certain policies and the experiences of immigrants and refugees themselves. As research on COVID-19 is new and emerging, some sources are webinars, podcast episodes, blog entries, and opinion pieces featuring immigration experts or created by immigrant-serving organizations. And HRIC have drawn inspiration from similar projects tracking COVID-19 developments like the YELLOW PERIL TEACH-IN RESOURCES (organized by Professor Jason Chang), the COVID Racial Data Tracker (The Atlantic), COVID-19 Migration-Related Developments Initiative (Center for Migration Studies), Black America and COVID-19 Lib Guide (Harvard University,) and the Mapping At-Risk Immigrant Communities and Access to Health Care project (Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative.) The IHRC welcome your suggestions! Use this form to suggest additional sources. Use this form to suggest additional topics and/or future project directions.
Free Race-Class Academy Training Toolkit In this most critical time, we’re excited to share these free resources explaining how we can build a multi-racial progressive democracy. These 12 short videos and accompanying discussion guides make race-class fusion politics more accessible and more teachable. Race-class is a paradigm shift. It’s a paradigm shift (1) in promoting unfamiliar ways of thinking about race and class that can be internalized only with practice, and (2) insofar as it requires early adopters to proactively propagate these insurgent ideas. Our hope is that individuals, teachers, and organizations will find this curriculum helpful in their own efforts to foster a multi-racial progressive democracy. Please feel free to use and/or to adapt these resources as you find most helpful, with our only request being that you provide credit and a link to the original source (race-class-academy.com). Explore the website and their educational guides and videos here
SEARAC In-Language Voter Guides – 2020 Election September 22, 2020 is National Voter Registration Day, and SEARAC is excited to celebrate the occasion with the launch of our 2020 Presidential Election Voter Guide now available with written and audio translations in: Hmong, Khmer, Lao, Mien, and Vietnamese. (Note: We are still finalizing the Lao formatted voter guide, but the plain text version is currently available in Lao.) Asian Americans represent the fast-growing segment of the general electorate out of all major racial and ethnic groups in the United States. According to our friends at APIAVote, more than 11 million Asian Americans, or 5% of the country’s eligible voters, will be able to cast a vote in the upcoming election. Furthermore, once completing their voter registration, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have comparable turnout rates compared to other communities. Yet, one of the largest hurdles to our communities’ civic participation is voter registration. “According to the 2010 census, the Southeast Asian American community stands at 2.7 million strong, and we can translate our communities’ growing numbers into political strength by breaking down cultural barriers that stand in the way of civic engagement,” said Alyssa Tulabut, Senior Field Manager at SEARAC. “We have the power to hold our elected officials accountable and to bring in leadership who will show up for refugee and immigrant communities. It is our hope that with these written and audio translations of our voter guide, you, your loved ones, and your communities feel empowered to make an informed vote on Election Day, or before if you are voting early.” Written and audio translations are available by clicking below: Hmong Khmer Lao Mien Vietnamese
APEN COVID-19 Weekly News Roundup With things changing so quickly, we know that it’s been difficult to stay up to date on what’s happening with the COVID-19 pandemic and access information about the resources we need at this time. In response, Asian Pacific Environmental Network will be sharing a weekly news roundup with timely updates on: Local, state, and national COVID-19 decisions that impact our communities International news with a focus on how Asian countries are combating COVID-19 Resources including material support for people and know-your-rights information Highlights from cultural workers responding to the pandemic Sign up to receive the APEN COVID-19 News Roundup. If COVID-19 has made anything clear, it’s that we are all connected – across borders, across class boundaries – and that the impacts and duration of this crisis depends on making sure that all of us have what we need to help contain this outbreak, starting with the people facing the greatest risks with the fewest material resources. APEN hopes that their COVID-19 news roundup helps connect you with the information and resources you need most.
WI Hmong Family Strengthening Helpline Cia Siab, Inc.’s WI Hmong Family Strengthening Helpline provides support, contact, and referrals to anyone—regardless of gender and age— who is residing in Wisconsin and experiencing violence and abuse. The helpline is an excellent source for individuals who are concerned that a loved one is experiencing abuse and violence. Trained bilingual Hmong- and English-speaking staff are available to assist you in situations related to family violence and abuse by providing intervention, counseling services, support services, and referrals/ linkage to community resources in your respective area(s). All services rendered are free and secure. Your safety is our priority; all calls are completely confidential. If you need immediate assistance, please call their 24-Hour WI Hmong Family Strengthening Helpline at 1-877-740-4292. Visit this website for more information.
Vote by Mail In-Language Resources – Georgia The General Election is on November 3! Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta will continue to provide tools and information regarding Vote By Mail, Voter Registration, and ways to encourage others to vote in Georgia. The threat of COVID-19 continues to harm community members in Georgia. This unprecedented pandemic has spread through the state rapidly, leaving elections officials to make sweeping changes to the way we vote. Though our elections will continue, a lot is still unclear. One option to vote securely is to vote by mail. Check out their Vote by Mail In-Language Resources here