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September 23rd, 2016 | Deeds Digest No. 18
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Friends,
I'm writing this week's newsletter from North Carolina, a surreal place to be this week. I've been meeting with students at Duke University to talk about empowering the next generation of activists, advocates and political leaders. Only a few hours away in Charlotte, we continue to experience tragedy. This week, two more young men of color were killed at the hands of law enforcement - one in Charlotte and one in Tulsa. This is a national epidemic which directly impacts African Americans and people of color in our communities; and, it is a crisis that all of us together as a country must solve it.
A teacher in Tulsa, at the school where Mr. Crutcher's daughter is in the sixth grade, posted about the conversation and emotion in the classrooms and in the hallways:
"As the questions roll, so do the tears. Students cry softly as they speak. Others weep openly. I watch 10 year olds pass tissues to each other, to me, to our principal as he joins our circle. One girl closes our group by sharing: "I wish white people could give us a chance. We can all come together and get along. We can all be united." Let me tell you, these 10 year olds are more articulate about this than I am. We agree to love one another, to take care of one another. I tell each of them that I am white and I love them and they matter to me."
The entire essay is compelling, but to conclude, she says, "I share this story, because while I could never capture the articulate things kids said or the raw emotions students shared today, my privilege requires that I speak. I ask that you read. I ask that you use whatever privilege or platform you have to speak. I ask that you put yourself in the shoes of black and brown children growing up in a world where they see videos of their classmate's father shot and bleeding in the street. I ask that you love and love hard. "
Let's promise to speak up; let's pledge to love.
My Love To You,
-w
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This week’s #ChangeMaker is Caroline Boudreaux, founder of the Miracle Foundation. In May of 2000, Caroline, who had a successful career in television advertising, quit her job to take a year off and travel the world. Along the way she visited a small village in India where she was invited to the home of a local family that had taken in over 100 orphaned children. Stunned by what she saw, she realized she wanted to make a difference in the lives of children who needed it most. The Miracle Foundation works with orphanages across India by providing incremental funding to cover gaps in services where needed. This involves working hands-on during an incubation phase to provide paired funding, training and capacity building. To learn more about the foundation or how you can get involved, visit their website or check out Caroline’s TEDx Talk below. #DeedsNotWords
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Produced in partnership with Amy Poehler's Smart Girls, IGNITE is leveraging excitement around the Presidential election and starting a national conversation about how we can inspire more young women to own their fair share of political power. Alongside this video is a parent/daughter toolkit for girls of all ages. Download a copy of the toolkit and engage your daughter in political leadership today. IGNITE
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The Seattle City Council passed the country’s second comprehensive fair workweek law giving retail, food and coffee chain workers more input into their work hours, two weeks’ advance notice of shifts, fair compensation when shifts change unexpectedly, access to more hours and ends the harmful practice of back-to-back shifts called “clopenings.” This victory gives tens of thousands of working people a greater voice in their workweek as well as reliable hours they and their families can count on. The Center for Popular Democracy
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Mark your calendar! The 2016 Golden Probe Awards will be streaming live October 2nd (8pm EST). I am so excited to be a presenter at this hilarious and glamorous satirical awards show honoring outstanding achievements in sexism and anti-choice extremism from my friends at Lady Parts Justice. Public watch parties will be happening in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, DC, Memphis, Portland, Austin, and more. Look for an event near you, or RSVP for the livestream here and throw your own watch party! Lady Parts Justice has created a hysterical Digital Party Kit anyone can download that includes Golden Probe Bingo cards, a miniature red carpet, cardboard statuettes for your own nominees, and, ahem, specialty cocktails. I hope you can grab some colleagues and friends and tune in. Also, don’t forget to follow the conversation online at #2016GoldenProbes, and text PROBE to 83224 to donate to this awesome organization!
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Deeds Not Words is planning a digital activation campaign to support 2016 National Voter Registration Day, September 27th – and we want you to join our coalition of organizations working together to reach and register millennial and young adult women. We'd love your participation and we have several ways to get involved - the easiest of which is to share and amplify the coalition's graphics that provide registration information and encourage participation.
In 2008, 6 million Americans were unable to vote because they missed registration deadlines or did not understand the process. With an estimated 69.2 million Millennials (adults ages 18-35 in 2016) of voting age, or 31% of the possible American voting population, it’s critical to focus registration efforts on this demographic to begin habituating them to civic responsibility to vote. #VoteInDeed
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Remember unexpectedly getting your period in junior high and being embarrassed to go to the nurse’s office? Well, two Rhode Island School of Design students have created a board game to help young people manage those feelings. The Period Game provides a taboo-free space where kids – boys and girls – learn to get comfortable saying words like “tampon,” “period” and “ovaries.” The Huffington Post
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