Indivisible IL9 Antiracist Work Group (AWG) Sunday Dec 13 from 10-11am CT

Please join our Antiracist Work Group (AWG) tomorrow, Sunday Dec 13 from 10-11am CT

At our meeting last week, we talked about the four Senatorial candidates running in GA. One of the candidates, Kelly Loeffler, is a co-owner of the Atlanta WNBA team and opposed the decision for players (the majority of whom are Black) to wear “Black lives matter” and “SayHerName” on their jerseys this past year. This led us to a discussion about catch phrases, as we discussed the increasing acceptance of the phrase “Black lives matter.”

This week’s topic: “Defund the Police”

As we talked about the phrase “Black lives matter,” we considered the current controversy regarding the phrase “Defund the police”. We agreed to talk more broadly about propaganda and dog whistles this week, but first, let’s talk explicitly about this phrase, especially in light of President Obama’s recent statement.

Here are some resources re: “Defund the Police” to consider before the meeting:

• 6 reasons why it’s time to defund the police Helpful primer on why defunding the police is antiracist.

• Obama cautions activists against using ‘defund the police’ slogan (CNN) News story coving Obama’s statements

• Obama’s Dismissal of ‘Defund the Police’ Hides an Inconvenient Truth Op-Ed response to that statement on Medium by Michael Arceneaux.

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accuses Republicans of defunding the police by refusing to send aid to state and local governments (Business Insider) How Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has turned the phrase around on the GOP

Mark Your Calendar: Jan 2021 = Me and White Supremacy

At last week’s meeting, we also agreed to read the book Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad together in January. This book started two years ago as an Instagram challenge that evolved into action-oriented PDF and is now a book. Here’s a great article to read or listen to on NPR all about the book. The book contains daily prompts for 28 days. Each week, we will come together on Sundays and discuss our experiences that week. (Yes, it’s a commitment.)

The book is readily available at the Chicago Public Library and via Hoopla. Here are the topics each week:

• Week One: White Privilege; White Fragility; Tone Policing; White Silence; White Superiority; White Exceptionalism

• Week Two: Color Blindness; Anti-Blackness against Black Women, Black Men, and Black Children; Racist Stereotypes; Cultural Appropriation

• Week Three: White Apathy; White Centering; Tokenism; White Saviorism; Optical Allyship; Being Called Out/Called In

• Week Four: Friends; Family; Values; Losing Privilege; Your Commitments.

Antiracist Actions to Take this week

Phonebank to GA together after our meeting

This is a phonebank with a silly bonus twist: At 11am on Sunday, Lifetime is premiering a 15 minute mini-movie A Recipe for Seduction, improbably sponsored by Kentucky Fried Chicken (note: this film has nothing to do with anything we are talking about. It’s just ridiculous.) We’re going to get together on a Zoom call (RSVP here), watch the movie, and then make calls to GA. Here’s the link to the GA phonebank we’ll be participating in: https://www.mobilize.us/georgiademocrats/event/364626/ (Yes, watching the film is optional.)

Stand Up Against Racism in Ravenswood in Support of and Solidarity with KJ

I mentioned this in last week’s email, and this is a continuing effort. KJ is a Black transgender woman who lives in Ravenswood and protests against systemic racism and discrimination at the corner of Winnemac and Winchester three days a week on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday afternoons between 12 and 4 pm. KJ welcomes additional protesters to stand in solidarity with her. Full details about her ongoing protest here. Sign up for a shift to stand with KJ here.