#Equal Access to Voting
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ivygorgon · 5 months ago
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📨 An open letter to the U.S. House of Representatives
🚫 Vote NO on the SAVE Act!
✍️ 8,228 so far! Help us get to 10,000 signers!
This letter urges the House to reject H.R. 22, the "SAVE Act," arguing that it is a voter suppression bill disguised as election security. It highlights how requiring passports or birth certificates to vote would disproportionately disenfranchise millions, including women, elderly citizens, and those in states with low passport rates. Instead of restricting voting rights, the letter calls for strengthening democracy through the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
📱 Text SIGN PKFOYU to 50409 to sign!
🤯 Text FOLLOW JESSCRAVEN101 to 50409
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Took this from Instagram because this is urgent US folks.
You need to call and email your reps no matter if you live in a red or blue state. This cannot be allowed to pass.
It will prevent anyone who has ever changed their name from voting (including their last name)
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ivygorgon · 6 months ago
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An open letter to the U.S. House of Representatives
Vote NO on the SAVE Act!
8,228 so far! Help us get to 10,000 signers!
I am writing to express my strong opposition to H.R. 22, the so-called “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility” (SAVE) Act. While this bill is framed as a measure to combat voter fraud, it is, in reality, a voter suppression effort that creates unnecessary barriers to voting and disenfranchises millions of Americans.
The SAVE Act would require voters to present narrow forms of “documentary proof of citizenship,” such as a passport or birth certificate, to participate in federal elections. This would disproportionately harm:
- Up to 150 million Americans who do not have a passport.
- Approximately 69 million women citizens who do not have a birth certificate with their current legal name on it.
- Elderly Americans, who are the least likely to hold passports.
Additionally, in 7 states, less than one-third of citizens have a valid passport – Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.
The SAVE Act is a solution in search of a problem. Worse, it would erode the fundamental right to vote, silencing the voices of vulnerable communities under the guise of election security. Rather than advancing harmful legislation like the SAVE Act, Congress should focus on protecting and expanding voting rights by supporting measures such as the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
One of the foundational values of our democracy is the idea that every person is entitled to a vote – a say in the direction of our nation. I urge you and your colleagues to work towards that founding ideal. Thanks.
▶ Created on February 6 by Jess Craven · 8,228 signers in the past 7 days
📱 Text SIGN PKFOYU to 50409 to sign!
🤯 Text FOLLOW JESSCRAVEN101 to 50409
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hedgehog-moss · 11 days ago
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I saw a sign at a nearby village advertising a "veillée", a storytelling evening, which sounded intriguing, so I went out of curiosity—it turned out to be an old lady who had arranged a circle of chairs in her garden and prepared drinks, and who wanted to tell folk tales and stories from her youth. Apparently she was telling someone at the market the other day that she missed the ritual of the "veillée" from pre-television days, when people would gather in the evening and tell stories, and the people she was talking to were like, well let's do a veillée! And then she put up the sign.
About 15 people came, and she sat down and started telling us stories—I loved the way she made everything sound like it had happened just yesterday and she was there, even tales she'd got from her grandmother, and the way she continually assumed we knew all the people she mentioned, and everyone spontaneously played along; she'd be like "And Martin, the bonesetter—you know Martin," (everyone nods—of course, Martin) "We never liked him much" and everyone nodded harder, our collective distaste for Martin now a shared cultural heritage of our tiny microcosm. She started with telling us the story of the communal bread oven in the village. The original oven was destroyed during the Revolution; people used to pay to use the local aristocrat's oven, but of course around 1789 both the aristocrat and his oven were disposed of in a glorious blaze of liberty, equality, and complete lack of foresight.
Then the villagers felt really daft for having destroyed a perfectly serviceable oven that they could have now started using for free. "But you know what things were like during the revolution." (Everyone nodded sagely—who among us hasn't demolished our one and only source of bread-baking equipment in a fit of revolutionary zeal?)
The village didn't have a bread oven for decades, people travelled to another village to make bread; and then in the 19th century the village council finally voted to build a new oven. It was a communal endeavour, everyone pitched in with some stones or tools or labour, and the oven was built—but it collapsed immediately after the construction was finished. Consternation. Not to be deterred, people re-built the oven, with even more effort and care—and the second one also collapsed.
People realised that something was amiss, and the village council convened. After a lot of serious discussion, during which no one so much as mentioned the possibility of a structural flaw, people reached the only logical conclusion: the drac had sabotaged their oven. Twice. (The drac, in these parts, is the son of the devil.) The logic here, I suppose, was that no one but the devil's own child would dare to stand between French people and their bread.
The next step was even more obvious: they passed around a hat to raise money, assuming the devil’s son was after a cash donation. But (and I'm skipping a few twists and turns of the story here) the son of the devil did not want money, he wanted half of every batch of bread, for as long as the village oven stood. Consternation.
People simply could not afford to give away half of their bread, and were about to abandon the idea of having their own oven altogether—but then Saint Peter came to the rescue. (In case you didn't know, Saint Peter happens to regularly visit this one tiny village in the French countryside to check that its inhabitants are doing okay and are not encountering oven issues.) Saint Peter reminded them of one precious piece of information they had overlooked: holy water burns the devil.
People re-built the oven, for the third time. The son of the devil returned, to destroy it and/or claim his half of the first batch—but on that day, the villagers had organised a grand communal spring cleaning, dousing every street and alley in the village with copious amounts of holy water. The poor drac simply could not access the oven; every possible path scorched his feet for reasons he couldn't quite explain. So he was standing there, smouldering gently and wondering what was going on, when some passing tramp seemed to take pity on him, pointed at his satchel and told him to turn himself into a rat and jump in there, and the tramp would carry him where he wished to go. The devil's son, probably a bit frazzled at this point, agreed without much thought, became a rat and jumped in the satchel, and of course that's the point when everyone in the village sprang from the shadows, wielding sticks, shovels, pans, and started beating the devil's son senseless. (Old lady, calmly: "You could hear his bones crack.") So the son of Satan slithered back to Hell and never returned to destroy the village oven again—and the spring cleaning tradition endured; the streets were washed with holy water once a year after that, both to commemorate this glorious day of civic resistance when the village absolutely bodied the devil's offspring and to maintain basic oven safety standards. (Old lady: "But we don't bother anymore… That's too bad.")
She told us five stories, most of them artfully blending actual local events or anecdotes from her youth with folk tale elements, it was so delightful. She thanked us for coming and said she'd love to do this again sometime. I went home reflecting that listening to an old lady happily tell stories of dubious historical veracity involving the Revolution, property damage, demonic mischief and baffling municipal decision-making is literally my ideal Saturday night activity.
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thestudentempanada · 2 months ago
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June 9, 2025, NYC Resists with Gaza tells specifically Indigenous people in the USA that they shouldn’t vote:
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Because why fight disenfranchisement when you can discourage Native Americans in the U.S. from exercising their rights?
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fozmeadows · 7 months ago
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there is no ethical consumption under capitalism
Years ago now, I remember seeing the rape prevention advice so frequently given to young women - things like dressing sensibly, not going out late, never being alone, always watching your drink - reframed as meaning, essentially, "make sure he rapes the other girl." This struck a powerful chord with me, because it cuts right to the heart of the matter: that telling someone how to lower their own chances of victimhood doesn't stop perpetrators from existing. Instead, it treats the existence of perpetrators as a foregone conclusion, such that the only thing anyone can do is try, by their own actions, to be a less appealing or more difficult victim.
And the thing is, ever since the assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, I've kept on thinking about how, in this day and age, CEOs of big companies often have an equal or greater impact on the day to day lives of regular people than our elected officials, and yet we have almost no legal way to redress any grievances against them - even when their actions, as in the case of Thompson's stewardship of UHC, arguably see them perpetrating manslaughter at scale through tactics like claims denial. That this is a real, recurring thing that happens makes the American healthcare insurance industry a particularly pernicious example, but it's far from being the only one. Because the original premise of the free market - the idea that we effectively "vote" for or against businesses with our dollars, thereby causing them to sink or swim on their individual merits - is utterly broken, and has been for decades, assuming it was ever true at all. In this age of megacorporations and global supply chains, the vast majority of people are dependent on corporations for necessities such as gas, electricity, internet access, water, food, housing and medical care, which means the consumer base is, to all intents and purposes, a captive market. We might not have to buy a specific brand, but we have to buy a brand, and as businesses are constantly competing with one another to bring in profits, not just for the company and its workers, but for C-suites and shareholders - profits that increasingly come at the expense of workers and consumers alike - the greediest, most inhumane corporations set the financial yardstick against which all others are then, of necessity, measured. Which means that, while businesses are not obliged to be greedy and inhumane in order to exist, overwhelmingly, they become greedy and humane in order to compete, because capitalism encourages it, and because there are precious few legal restrictions to stop them from doing so. At the same time, a handful of megacorporations own so many market-dominating brands that, without both significant personal wealth and the time and resources to find viable alternatives, it's all but impossible to avoid them, while the ubiquity of the global supply chain means that, even if you can keep track of which company owns which brand, it's much, much harder to establish which suppliers provide the components that are used in the products bearing their labels. Consider, for instance, how many mainstream American brands are functionally run on sweatshop labour in other parts of the world: places where these big corporations have outsourced their workforce to skirt the already minimal labour and wage protections they'd be obliged to adhere to in the US, all to produce (say) electronics whose elevated sticker price passes a profit on to the company, but without resulting in higher wages for either the sweatshop workers overseas or the American employees selling the products in branded US stores.
When basically every major electronics corporation is engaged in similar business practices, there is no "vote" our money can bring that causes the industry itself to be better regulated - and as wealthy, powerful lobbyists from these industries continue to pay exorbitant sums of money to politicians to keep government regulation at a minimum, even our actual votes can do little to effect any sort of change. But even in those rare instances where new regulations are passed, for multinational corporations, laws passed in one country overwhelmingly don't prevent them from acting abusively overseas, exploiting more desperate populations and cash-poor governments to the same greedy, inhumane ends. And where the ultimate legal penalty for proven transgressions is, more often than not, a fine - which is to say, a fee; which is to say, an amount which, while astronomical by the standards of regular people, still frequently costs the company less than the profits earned through their unethical practices, and which is paid from corporate coffers rather than the bank accounts of the CEOs who made the decisions - big corporations are, in essence, free to act as badly as they can afford to; which is to say, very. Contrary to the promise of the free market, therefore, we as consumers cannot meaningfully "vote" with our dollars in a way that causes "good" businesses to rise to the top, because everything is too interconnected. Our choices under global capitalism are meaningless, because there is no other system we can financially support that stands in opposition to it, and while there are still small businesses and companies who try to operate ethically, both their comparative smallness and their interdependent reliance on the global supply chain means that, even if we feel better about our choices, we're not exerting any meaningful pressure on the system we're trying to change. Which means that, under the free market, trying to be an ethical consumer is functionally equivalent to a young woman dressing modestly, not going out alone and minding her drink at parties in order to avoid being raped. We're not preventing corporate predation or sending a message to corporate predators: we're just making sure they screw other worker, the other consumer, the other guy.
All of which is to say: while I'd prefer not to live in a world where shooting someone dead in the street is considered a valid means of redressing grievances, what the murder of Brian Thompson has shown is that, if you provide no meaningful recourse for justice against abusive, exploitative members of the 1%, then violence done to those people will have the feel of justice, because it fills the void left by the lack of consequences for their actions. It's the same reason why people had little sympathy for the jackass OceanGate CEO who killed himself in his imploding sub, or anyone whose yacht has been attacked by orcas - it's just intensified here, because where the OceanGate CEO was felled by hubris and the yachts were random casualties, whoever killed Thomspon did so deliberately, because of what he did. It was direct action against a man whose policies very arguably constituted manslaughter at scale; a crime which ought to be a crime, but which has, to date, been permitted under the law. And if the law wouldn't stop him, can anyone be surprised that someone might act outside the law in retaliation - or that regular people would cheer for them when they did?
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piratefalls · 2 years ago
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okay someone please tell me why the only time i get misty-eyed during the red, white and royal blue movie is ellen's speech at the end?
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ivygorgon · 2 years ago
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Hey everyone,
Quick favor – I stumbled upon this cool thing to support voting rights. JESSCRAVEN101 just posted about "Pass the Freedom to Vote / John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act." It's super easy to sign – just text "Sign PDDVHM" to 50409
And you can read it first;
Let's make our voices heard together!
Cheers!
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amaditalks · 11 months ago
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Abortion Is On The Ballot
In ten states, there are ballot measures or questions which will be decided in the November election which will impact the future of abortion access in those states. Here’s what you need to know.
Arizona
Arizona Proposition 139 the Right to Abortion Initiative will amend the state constitution to provide for the fundamental right to abortion that the state of Arizona may not interfere with before the point of fetal viability unless justified by a compelling state interest.
To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution Vote Yes
Colorado
Colorado Amendment 79, the Right to Abortion and Health Insurance Coverage Initiative will amend the state constitution to create the right to an abortion and authorize the use of public funds (Medicaid) to pay for abortion care.
To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution Vote Yes
Florida
Florida Amendment 4, the Right to Abortion Initiative, will amend the state constitution to declare that "no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” The current constitutional provision requiring parental consent for minors' abortions will not be affected.
To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution and overturn the current six week abortion ban Vote Yes
Maryland
Maryland Question 1, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment, will amend the state constitution to establish a right to reproductive freedom, defined to include "the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one's own pregnancy."
To enshrine reproductive rights protection in the state constitution Vote Yes
Missouri
Missouri Amendment 3, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative will amend the state constitution to provide the right for reproductive freedom, which is defined as "the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions," and providing that the state legislature may enact laws that regulate abortion after fetal viability.
To enshrine broad reproductive rights protection including abortion in the state constitution and overturn the current complete abortion ban Vote Yes
Montana
Montana CI-128, the Right to Abortion Initiative will create a constitutional "right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion," and allow the state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, except when "medically indicated to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient."
To enshrine broad reproductive rights protection including abortion in the state constitution Vote Yes
Nebraska
The Nebraska Prohibit Abortions After the First Trimester Amendment will amend the state constitution to elevate the current twelve week abortion ban law to a constitutional provision with limited exceptions for medical emergencies or in cases of rape.
To prevent the current legislative abortion ban from being enshrined in the state constitution Vote No
Nevada
Nevada Question 6, the Right to Abortion Initiative will amend the state constitution to create a constitutional right to an abortion, providing for the state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, except where medically indicated to "protect the life or health of the pregnant patient."
To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution Vote Yes
New York
New York Proposal 1, the Equal Protection of Law Amendment will amend the state constitution to provide that people cannot be denied rights based on their "ethnicity, national origin, age, and disability" or "sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy."
To enshrine equal rights protection for pregnant people and abortion patients in the state constitution Vote Yes
South Dakota
The South Dakota Constitutional Amendment G, the Right to Abortion Initiative will amend the state constitution to protect the right to an abortion based on a trimester framework, with no restrictions permitted in the first trimester, only limited medical need restrictions permitted in the second trimester and allowing deeper restrictions in the third trimester except "when abortion is necessary, in the medical judgment of the woman's physician, to preserve the life and health of the pregnant woman."
To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution and overturn the state's current full abortion ban Vote Yes
If you live in one of these ten states and abortion rights matter to you, get registered or double check your registration and make your voting plan today. Every single vote matters significantly in amendment questions.
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socialistexan · 1 year ago
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If I can put into the simplest terms of my current strategy for 2024 and probably every election going forward, it's this:
I'm voting for the person who I want to oppose and organize against for the next 4 years.
That's it. This might seem cointer-intitive, but it's really not.
Who would you rather advocate for Palestine under? The person that's been open to a ceasefire for months and is snubbing Netenyahu, or the person who said blantently and out loud that he wants Netenyahu to "finish the job" and wants to deport anyone who has been critical of Israel?
Who would I rather fight for LGBTQ rights under? The person who was fighting for marriage equality in 2004 and has a consistent (though imperfect) record on supporting the community, or the guy that wants to make my health care, access to bathrooms, and mere existence illegal?
Who would I rather fight for reproductive rights under? Who would I rather fight for drug legalization and record expungement under? Who would I rather organize mutual aid and community care under? How about civil rights? Voting rights? Immigration? Disability rights? Land back? Climate change? Gun reform?
That's the point of voting, to avoid doing things on extra hard mode. You fight the fascists in every arena, you don't cede a single inch to them anywhere.
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genderkoolaid · 9 months ago
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In 2014, the Gloucester county school board voted to ban Grimm, then 15, from using the boys’ bathrooms, even though he’d been living openly as a boy for months and using the restroom without incident. The policy turned deeply intimate facts of Grimm’s life into a media spectacle. With the ACLU, he sued to defend his rights to use facilities that matched his gender, launching a groundbreaking national case on bathroom access. Grimm became an LGBTQ+ icon, celebrated by Laverne Cox at the Grammys and interviewed by Whoopi Goldberg on The View. He eventually won a landmark federal decision asserting trans youth’s constitutional protections against discrimination. [...] And while Grimm became a civil rights trailblazer, the case did not secure him stability or financial security. The Pride parade invites have stopped coming, and like so many other marginalized trans people, Grimm has faced significant mental health challenges and struggles with poverty. He recently lost his housing, and is now facing homelessness. “I’m someone who has had worldwide visibility. I represent an outer crust of privilege most people will never see, and I cannot make ends meet no matter how hard I try,” he says. [...] Much of his family rejected him [after coming out], but many friends and teachers were supportive as he entered 10th grade as a boy and clearly more comfortable in his skin. He initially used a private nurse’s restroom, but it was inconveniently located; peers and staff noted his long bathroom breaks, leaving him alienated and humiliated. So the principal and guidance counselor agreed to let him use the boys’ restroom, and for two months, he had no issues. But gossip circulated outside school and on a community Facebook forum, where people posted vicious comments. Friends defending him online faced harassment. “It was the adults who made it a problem, because their mentality spread to their kids,” recalls Evelyn Hronec, another friend. “These were grown adults talking about a 16-year-old’s genitals. It was vile.” At school board meetings in 2014, speakers stood feet away from Grimm, misgendering him, asking questions about his body and transition, calling him names and demanding he be kept out of boys’ facilities in the name of “safety”. In one speech, Grimm pleaded for the opportunity to “use the restroom in peace”. When a man called him a “freak” and likened him to an animal, Deirdre lunged out of her seat, she recalls. “I was fighting for his life.” [...] In 2021, the supreme court allowed Grimm’s victory to stand, and the school board was ordered to pay $1.3m in attorney’s fees. Grimm, however, only got a symbolic $1. To secure damages, Grimm would’ve had to give the opposition’s lawyers access to his medical records to scrutinize the cause and extent of his emotional distress, a process he couldn’t stomach after years of fighting. The idea he’d have to prove his anguish was unbelievable to his mom, who can’t shake the memories of her son becoming suicidal. Grimm doesn’t regret moving on without damages. But he desperately could’ve used financial help – especially as the trauma of his childhood began to catch up with him.
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reasonsforhope · 1 year ago
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"Lawmakers in Thailand’s lower house of Parliament overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill on Wednesday that would make the country the first in Southeast Asia to legalize equal rights for marriage partners of any gender.
The bill passed its final reading with the approval of 400 of the 415 members of the House of Representatives in attendance, with 10 voting against it, two abstaining and three not voting.
Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusivity but has struggled for decades to pass a marriage equality law. Thai society largely holds conservative values, and members of the LGBTQ+ community say they face discrimination in everyday life. The government and state agencies are also historically conservative, and advocates for gender equality have had a hard time pushing lawmakers and civil servants to accept change.
[Note: As always, worth noting that all of those things can be said about the US and plenty of Western countries too. The West isn't magically non-homophobic.]
The bill now goes to the Senate, which rarely rejects any legislation that passes the lower house, and then to the king for royal endorsement. This would make Thailand the first country or region in Southeast Asia to pass such a law and the third in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal.
The bill amends the Civil and Commercial Code to change the words “men and women” and “husband and wife” to “individuals” and “marriage partners.” It would open up access to full legal, financial and medical rights for LGBTQ+ couples...
The new government led by Pheu Thai, which took office last year, has made marriage equality one of its main goals."
-via AP News, March 27, 2024
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theglowsociety · 6 months ago
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Why Supporting Black-Owned Businesses in February (and Beyond) Matters
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February is Black History Month—a time to honor Black culture, resilience, and achievements. But while most people recognize this designated time of celebration, it doesn’t dismiss the fact that we are Black 365 days a year. Our history and heritage don’t begin on February 1st and end on February 29th. We are the living, breathing manifestations of our ancestors’ dreams, and every day is an opportunity to uplift, support, and build upon the legacy they fought for. One of the most powerful ways to do that? Investing in Black-owned businesses.
Shopping Black-owned isn’t just about economics—it’s about empowerment, equity, and making a direct impact on our communities. When we prioritize Black businesses, we create generational wealth, amplify Black voices, and ensure that our culture thrives in every industry. Here’s why it matters:
1. Circulating Wealth in the Black Community
Did you know that the average dollar circulates in the Black community for only six hours before leaving? Compared to other communities, where money is reinvested locally for days or even weeks, this statistic highlights a major economic gap. When we intentionally support Black-owned businesses, we ensure that our money stays within our community, fostering job creation, homeownership, and financial stability. This isn’t just about individual success—it’s about uplifting entire neighborhoods.
2. Closing the Racial Wealth Gap
For centuries, systemic barriers—such as redlining, discrimination in banking, and limited access to business funding—have prevented Black entrepreneurs from building the same level of generational wealth as others. By choosing to shop Black-owned, we actively work to close this gap, ensuring that Black business owners have the resources they need to thrive and pass down wealth to future generations.
3. Honoring Our Ancestors’ Legacy Through Economic Power
Our ancestors fought for freedom, equality, and the right to build prosperous lives for future generations. Owning and supporting Black businesses is one of the strongest ways to honor their sacrifices. Imagine what they could have built if they had access to the opportunities we do now. When we invest in Black businesses, we are fulfilling their vision of self-sufficiency, success, and economic independence.
4. Strengthening Local Communities
Many Black-owned businesses are deeply rooted in their communities. They hire locally, mentor young entrepreneurs, and provide essential services to underserved areas. When we support these businesses, we don’t just help one entrepreneur—we help entire families, neighborhoods, and cities flourish.
5. Encouraging Sustainable Business Growth
The Black business community is filled with innovative, groundbreaking entrepreneurs who bring fresh perspectives to every industry. But without consistent support, these businesses often struggle to survive. When we make shopping Black-owned a long-term habit—not just a trend in February—we create sustainable demand, allowing these businesses to expand, create more jobs, and increase their impact.
6. Diversifying the Marketplace
Representation in business matters. When Black entrepreneurs thrive, they introduce products and services that cater to our culture, needs, and experiences—things often overlooked by mainstream corporations. Supporting Black-owned brands ensures that our voices are heard, our creativity is valued, and our influence is undeniable in every market.
7. Making a Statement with Our Dollars
Every dollar we spend is a vote for the kind of world we want to live in. Choosing Black-owned businesses is a way to demonstrate solidarity, support economic justice, and create real change in how wealth is distributed. Our spending power is massive—trillions of dollars strong—so let’s use it with intention.
How to Support Black-Owned Businesses Beyond February
• Shop Intentionally – Research Black-owned brands, businesses, and services in your area and online.
• Spread the Word – A simple shoutout or recommendation on social media can bring a Black business new customers.
• Invest Beyond the Holidays – Make it a lifestyle, not just a seasonal act. Support Black businesses year-round.
• Leave Reviews & Feedback – Positive reviews help small businesses gain credibility and attract more customers.
• Attend Black Business Markets & Events – Show up, engage, and contribute to the growth of Black entrepreneurs.
• Mentor & Support Aspiring Black Entrepreneurs – Share resources, offer guidance, and help build the next generation of Black business leaders.
It’s a Movement, Not a Moment
February is a powerful reminder to celebrate Black excellence, but our commitment to supporting each other shouldn’t stop when the month ends. We are Black every day, and we carry the dreams of our ancestors in everything we do. Shopping Black-owned is just one of many ways to live out their legacy and build a future where Black success isn’t the exception—it’s the standard. Let’s make supporting Black businesses not just an annual tradition, but a lifelong commitment to community, growth, and generational wealth.
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mostlysignssomeportents · 2 months ago
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Trump’s CFPB kills data-broker rule
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I'm on a 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me in PITTSBURGH TONIGHT (May 15) at WHITE WHALE BOOKS, and in PDX on Jun 20 at BARNES AND NOBLE with BUNNIE HUANG. More tour dates (London, Manchester) here.
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Something amazing happened from 2020-2024: even as parts of the Biden administration were encouraging genocide and covering up the president's senescence, a small collection of little-regarded agencies were taking a wrecking ball to corporate power, approaching antitrust and consumer protection with a vigor not seen in generations.
One of the most effective agencies during those years was the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. Under the direction of Rohit Chopra, the CFPB finally used its long-dormant powers to rein in the most egregious and abusive conduct of America's most predatory corporations, like banks, fintech, and repeat corporate offenders, with a 7-2 Supreme Court mandate to go hard:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/10/getting-things-done/#deliverism
As impressive as the whole CFPB agenda was, the standout for me was its attack on America's data brokerage industry. Data brokers are effectively totally unregulated, and they buy and sell every intimate fact of your life. The reason every device in your life – smart speaker, car, toothbrush, thermostate – spies on you all the time is because data brokers will buy any data from anyone and sell it to anyone, too.
Data brokerages put "surveillance capitalist" companies like Google and Meta to shame (indeed, Big Tech buys a lot of data from brokerages, as do agencies like the DEA, ICE and the FBI, who treat the brokerages as a warrant-free, off-the-books mass surveillance system). Data brokerages combine data about your movements, purchases, friends, medical problems, education, love life, and more, and bucket you into categories that marketers (or scammers) can buy access to. There are over 650,000 of these categories, including "seniors with dementia," "depressed teenagers" and "US military personnel with gambling problems":
https://themarkup.org/privacy/2023/06/08/from-heavy-purchasers-of-pregnancy-tests-to-the-depression-prone-we-found-650000-ways-advertisers-label-you
Congress hasn't passed a new consumer privacy law since 1988's Video Privacy Protection Act. The last technological privacy issue your legislature considered important enough to address was the scourge of video-store clerks telling newspapers which VHS cassettes you took home:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/06/privacy-first/#but-not-just-privacy
Congress's massive failure created equally massive risks for the rest of us. From phishing and ransomware attacks to identity theft to stalking and SWATting, America's privacy nihilism enabled mass-scale predation upon all of us, rich and poor, old and young, rural and urban, men and women, racialized and white.
That's the void that the CFPB stepped into last summer, when they passed a new rule that would effectively shut down the entire data brokerage industry:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/16/the-second-best-time-is-now/#the-point-of-a-system-is-what-it-does
Yesterday, Trump's CFPB boss, Russell Vought, killed that rule, stating that it was "no longer necessary or appropriate":
https://www.wired.com/story/cfpb-quietly-kills-rule-to-shield-americans-from-data-brokers/
Here's the thing: Trumpism relies on the fusion of two groups of people: a tiny number of oligarchs, and millions of everyday people who are constantly victimized by those oligarchs. To get this latter group of Christmas-voting turkeys to stay in the coalition, Trump needs to delivery something that keeps them happy. Mostly, Trump delivers negative things to keep them happy – the spectacle of public cruelty to immigrants, women, trans people, academics, etc. There is a certain libidinal satisfaction that comes from watching your enemies suffer – but you can't eat schadenfreude. You can't make rent or put braces on your kids' teeth or pay your medical bills with the sadistic happiness you feel when you hear the sobs of people you've been taught to despise.
For Trump to keep the turkeys voting for Christmas, he needs to do something for them. He can't just do things to scapegoats. But America's eminently guillotineable oligarchs have found so many ways to turn working peoples' torment into riches, and they are so greedy and unwilling to give up any of those grifts, that Trump can't manage to deliver anything positive to his base. Last week, his FTC killed the "click to cancel" rule that required companies that tricked you into buying subscriptions to make it easy for you to cancel them:
https://pluralistic.net/2025/05/12/greased-slide/#greased-pole
There isn't a single person in the Trump base who isn't harmed by data brokers. Every red-hat-wearing MAGA footsoldier has been swindled with a recurring-payment scam by clicking a deceptive link. The material conditions of the lives of Trump's base – already in severe jeopardy thanks to the massive inflation the tariffs will cause, and the plummeting wages that the ensuing mass business-closures will bring about – cannot be improved in any way.
I don't think anyone knows for sure how much support Trump can win solely by torturing the people his supporters hate, even as those supporters' lives get worse and worse. The one thing I'm sure of, though, is that it's less support than Trump would get if he could do something – anything – to make their lives even a little better.
Trump owes his success to coalition-building. The Trumpist agenda – ripoffs and racism and rape – has been around forever, in festering pockets like the John Birch Society, but those feverish monsters were encysted by the body politic and kept away from power. When a group of people who've been unsuccessfully trying to do something for a long time suddenly attain success, the most likely explanation is that they have found coalition partners to join them in their push.
Every coalition is brittle, because coalition partners want different things (if you want the same thing, you're just a group – "coalitions" are, definitionally, made up of people who want different things). They have shared goals, sure, but some of the things that some of the coalition partners want are things that the other partners totally reject. When one partner wins, the other partners lose. Trump's been good at holding together his coalition, but he's running up against some hard limits.
Here's what Naomi Klein told Cerise Castle from Capital & Main/The American Prospect:
The most serious vulnerability that Trump has is that a large part of his base really hates Silicon Valley and is not interested in being replaced by machines. So it’s a monumental bait-and-switch that Trump has done with this immediate alignment with the billionaire class in Silicon Valley, and if the left can’t exploit that, then we’re doing something wrong.
https://prospect.org/culture/2025-05-13-moment-of-unparalleled-peril-interview-naomi-klein/
Killing the CFPB's data broker rule is a pure transfer from the Trump base to Silicon Valley oligarchs, whose hunger for our private data know no bounds.
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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2025/05/15/asshole-to-appetite/#ssn-for-sale
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Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg
CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en
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australianwomensnews · 1 year ago
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Teenage girls know a lot more about democracy and what makes it tick than teenage boys, but when it comes to political ambition the boys win hands down.
A global study of 82,000 teenagers from 22 countries showed that almost without exception girls had a greater engagement with and understanding of government, equality, public trust, voting and representation, than their male peers.
But boys were more likely to say they were interested in becoming a politician
“Australian girls are outperforming boys on knowledge, attitudes and values that support a greater competency when it comes to participation in civic life,” said Rachel Parker, from the Australian Council of Educational Research, who worked on the study.
“One of the few areas where boys outperform girls in the study is the intention to be politically active.”
The report, Education for Citizenship in Times of Global Challenge, found that girls were far more knowledgeable about how parliament works, globalisation, independence of statutory authorities and voting and representation.
Girls were also far more likely than boys to support gender equality and equal rights for migrants and cultural groups to access education, employment and political participation.
They were more engaged with big issues such as environmental protection and more likely to participate in civic activities.
However, girls were less likely to report expecting to join a political party or a trade union or stand as a candidate in an election.
The study did not dig into the reasons why, but previous research identified parental influence and societal expectations as feeding gender norms relating to political ambition, as well as widely held perceptions that politics is a man’s world.
Indeed, 40 per cent of boys thought men are better suited to being political leaders than women, while 25 per cent agreed with the statement that women should stay out of politics.
Ella Curran, 18, harboured an ambition to become a politician when she was in Year 9, but a school excursion to Canberra cured her of that notion.
“I started to think more realistically about the sort of lifestyle I wanted for myself. And we did a legal studies excursion to Parliament House and watched question time,” she told AFR Weekend.
“I felt it was so aggressive and personal in the insults that were being thrown about that I just thought it was not the sort of workplace I could feel comfortable in,” said Ms Curran, a first-year arts and philosophy student at the University of Sydney.
“I’m just not prepared to face that kind of abuse or have my appearance or relationship status mocked in public rather than focus on what I am actually doing.”
Ms Curran’s two great passions are climate change and gender equality.
“I’m concerned about climate change, particularly Australia’s response to that because we are one of the worst countries in the world for our emissions,” she said.
Lulu Hamilton, 16, who counts women’s rights and climate change as her two greatest passions, also harboured a fleeting ambition to become a politician when she was younger but abandoned it without any fanfare.
“I thought it was the best platform to make change because if I could have power, I could make my goals become a reality,” Ms Hamilton said.
Having spent the first 12 years of her life in China, seeing democracy in action, including the free exchange of information and ideas, was a head-spinning affair.
“It was such a jarring difference. I never would have spoken to my friends in China about climate change, gender or politics. Even our textbooks had stuff whited out because the Chinese government didn’t want us to read about Tibet and Taiwan. We had very limited access to media.”
As for a future in politics? That’s out of the question.
“I feel the negatives outweigh the positives.”
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dandelionsresilience · 9 months ago
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Dandelion News - November 1-7
Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles on Patreon!
1. Climate Initiatives Fare Well Across the Country Despite National Political Climate
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“[California voters approved] a $10 billion bond measure to boost climate resilience across [the] state[…. Hawai’i] voters cast their ballots in favor of establishing the [climate] resiliency fund, with money for the project coming from existing property tax revenue.“
2. ‘You have to disguise your human form’: how sea eagles are being returned to Severn estuary after 150 years
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“[… To avoid imprinting,] the handlers will wear long robes and feed the young eagles chopped rabbit and other meat with bird hand-puppets. […] Williams hopes that restoring eagles to the top of the food chain in the estuary will create a more balanced, thriving ecosystem.”
3. 10 states voted on pro-abortion referendums. 7 of them passed
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“New York voters overwhelmingly approved the Equal Rights Amendment, adding [… among other characteristics] gender expression, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes to anti-discrimination laws. […] In deep-red Missouri and Montana, voters also enshrined abortions protections in their state constitutions.”
4. Giant rats could soon fight illegal wildlife trade by sniffing out elephant tusk and rhino horn
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“”Our study shows that we can train African giant pouched rats to detect illegally trafficked wildlife, even when it has been concealed among other substances[.…] They can easily access tight spaces like cargo in packed shipping containers or be lifted up high to screen the ventilation systems of sealed containers,” Szott explained.”
5. Sarah McBride wins Delaware U.S. House seat, becoming the first out trans member of Congress
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“McBride spearheaded Delaware’s legislation to ban the “gay and trans panic” defense as a state senator [… and] helped to pass paid family and medical leave, gun safety measures, and protections for reproductive rights.”
6. Critically endangered Sumatran elephant calf born in Indonesia
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“Indonesian officials hailed the births and said they showed conservation efforts were essential to prevent the protected species from extinction. […] Sumatran elephants are on the brink of extinction with only about 2,400-2,800 left in the world, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.”
7. Sin City is Going Green
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“[Hotels there] have conserved 16 billion gallons of water since 2007, thanks to […] replacing grass with desert-friendly landscaping, installing water-efficient taps across all properties, and reusing water at aquariums and in the Bellagio Fountain.”
8. Gray squirrel control: Study shows promise for effective contraceptive delivery system
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“[… T]he feeders have a very high level of species-specificity. […] The bait and monitoring system developed and tested in the study demonstrated that […] “spring was the only season tested where female squirrels were more likely to visit bait feeders than males. Spring coincides with a peak in squirrel breeding and is therefore a good time to deliver a contraceptive."”
9. Returning Grazing Land to Native Forests Would Yield Big Climate Benefits
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“[… S]trategically regrowing forests on land where cattle currently graze […] while intensifying production elsewhere could drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions, with little hit to global protein production, a new study shows.”
10. Interior Department Strengthens Conservation of American Bison Through New Agreement with Canada and Mexico
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“Approximately 31,000 bison are currently being stewarded by the United States, Canada and Mexico with the goal of conserving the species and their role in the function of native grassland systems, as well as their place in Indigenous culture.”
October 22-28 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)
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jason-t0dd · 3 months ago
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ATTENTION PEOPLE OF GOTHAM
I, Jason Peter Todd, am running for Mayor of Gotham.
Here are my plans for when I am Mayor of Gotham:
1. I will be legalizing abortion.
2. I will be making healthcare more accessible to everyone.
3. Pay will be equal for men and women.
4. Everyone will be paid fairly and no longer have to rely on the tips they make.
5. There will be free tampon/pad dispensers in every public toilet, and sanitary products will be funded by me personally.
6. Repercussions for acts of crime like murder, sexual assault, etc. will be taken more seriously.
7. Prisons will be more secure, so no more corrupt guards in the facilities.
8. There will also be an increase of facilities for people who do not have the financial stability to take care of themselves or their families where they can go and get groceries, food, and clean water for free.
9. Pollution will be taken care of, water and air. There will be an increase of purification filters to take care of this problem, and all pollution/waste will be disposed of properly.
10. LGBTQIA+ rights. Getting the proper supplies and help for trans people will no longer be an issue, there will be people available to help you and get you settled in the right direction for your transition goals and achievements.
11. POC will have equal rights. I want to make sure you all feel safe and welcomed in Gotham.
12. Animal testing will no longer be legal.
13. Foster care systems will face a visible change. The children who suffered this unfortunate fate of already having no home to return to will no longer have to suffer. Buildings will be renovated, the foster system will have better funding, and we will make sure that these children can have a better future to look forward to.
14. Disability awareness. Disabilities, visual or invisible, will be taken in accountability. Schools will have a better way of understanding and will all be accessible for everyone.
15. School intuition will also be free, funded by me personally.
16. I will be taking care of the metahuman discrimination. No longer will people who are different against their personal choice be cast out of Gotham.
Vote for me and receive a free leather jacket!
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