Blog
On September 12, CPD joined members of the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools (AROS), an alliance of parent, youth, community and labor organizations that together represent over seven million people nationwide, to release a report detailing billions of dollars in federal funds owed to Black, brown and low-income students. Confronting the Education Debt demonstrates that, between 2005 and 2017, schools in Black and Brown communities were underfunded by $580 billion in Title I and IDEA funding. Over that same period of time, the personal net worth of the nation’s 400 wealthiest individuals grew by $1.57 trillion. The report details the systematic stripping of resources from public schools serving Black, Brown and low-income children due entirely to policy priorities and political decisions. The gaps created by this severe lack of federal funding are then passed on to the state and local level -- the consequences of which are felt directly by our most marginalized students.
As CPD President and Co-Executive Director, Jennifer Epps Addison, notes: “...Confronting the Education Debt, is a devastating account of our country's failure to support our most vulnerable children and youth -- to the tune of $580 billion dollars. The right to a quality public education is a cornerstone of a thriving democracy. For generations Black and Brown communities have fought to expand education freedom and equity. To deny students fully and equitably funded public schools is to deny them their freedom to thrive. This debt is even worse when considered against the huge sums of money spent on simultaneously criminalizing those same students at their schools and ultimately funding the school-to-prison pipeline. Confronting this debt is the minimal first step towards ensuring that all our youth, and youth of color in particular, are provided the opportunities to grow and the freedom to thrive."
The report was released as part of a national campaign being launched by AROS, and driven by local groups including CPD affiliates, to build grassroots campaigns for racial justice, for the expansion of Community Schools, and for the progressive renue needed to fund them. Read and share the full report here.
On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico. A historic category 5 storm, its impact has dramatically deepened the political and economic crisis the population was already facing. More than 200,000 families lost their homes, the death toll is more than 3,000, and thousands of people have left the island entirely. Still, Hurricane Maria also unveiled something beautiful: the strength of communities, particularly when we recognize and value the leadership of women.
Days after Hurricane Maria, CPD affiliate Taller Salud followed the lead of women in their community of Loiza, who quickly moved to organize food, rescue and care for their people. They identified and supported women leaders like Miliam, 34, mother of two young girls, who lost her home during Hurricane Maria. Miliam organized her neighborhood and provided food and shelter for more than 2,000 people during the first weeks of the emergency.
Taller Salud has recognized and invested in the leadership of dozens women leaders, creating a web of support that provided immediate assistance to 16,000 people in Loíza -- which represents more than 60% of the town’s population. Taller Salud’s impact was also national, reaching an additional 4,000 more people in 14 towns across the island.
In the absence of an adequate official emergency response, and with public institutions collapsing under privatization and debt, organizations like Taller Salud have been a crucial infrastructure for immediate relief and long-term recovery in Puerto Rico. Taller Salud continues to focus on supporting women like Miliam, recognizing that long-term recovery efforts require investing in women leaders of the communities of Loíza. Support Taller Salud to guarantee women directly impacted by disaster can continue to dedicate their time, ideas and willpower for the common good of their communities in Puerto Rico.
A year ago this week, Hurricane Maria tore through the island of Puerto Rico, destroying hundreds of thousands of homes and the island’s basic infrastructure. However, the story of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria is not just a story of devastation. It is also a story of resilience, dignity and collective power. With its fury, Hurricane Maria lifted the veil on decades of disinvestment on Puerto Rico’s infrastructure, but also shined a light on the resiliency and fortitude of the Puerto Rican people.
Yesterday, #1YearAfterMaria, thousands of people from all over the country came together in more than 30 cities to remember the almost 3,000 people who lost their lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, and to stand in solidarity with the people of Puerto Rico. As part of a national day of action, community and faith groups in Puerto Rico and in 20 states across the US organized over 50 events to commemorate the first anniversary of Hurricane Maria and reaffirm their commitment to fight for a just recovery and self-determination for Puerto Rico.The actions made headlines in El Dario, NPR, Free Speech TV, WNPR, Journal Inquirer, The Morning Call, and Reading Eagle among others
Over 25 CPD affiliates, allies, and partners joined forces with members of Vamos for PR, Faith in Action, Moms Rising and many other community groups to demand justice for over 200,000 Puerto Rican people who were forced to flee the island in search of a roof over their heads, running water, electricity, a job, and an open school. Marches, rallies and vigils took place in towns across the island of Puerto Rico, and on the mainland in cities like Reading, Las Vegas, Phoenix, New York City and Orlando.
The devastation caused by Hurricane Maria exposed the overwhelming impact of decades of disinvestment in Puerto Rico’s infrastructure and colonial rule, and the austerity measures that were imposed on the island by those responsible for Puerto Rico’s debt crisis. Hurricane Maria also lifted the veil on the deep solidarity and resiliency of the Puerto Rican people. In the face of a negligent and inept response by the federal government, people turned to each other for support, forming volunteer brigades to clean up roads, rebuild homes, install solar panels, and assemble massive soup kitchens to make sure everyone could eat and be nourished by a community of love. Out of an unprecedented crisis, people built power and began to craft a new vision for a Just Recovery.
Over the last year, CPD affiliates in Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York and Nevada have been working to support Puerto Ricans displaced by Hurricane Maria and its aftermath. During that time, our affiliates have connected hurricane refugees to services, fought against foreclosures in Puerto Rico, and provided housing support for those those families living in shelters across the US.
Julio López Varona, Co-Director of Community Dignity Campaigns at CPD, explained, “These actions mark an important moment of resistance and remembrance for those living in the diaspora after Hurricane Maria. Further, they represent a call to action for key cities and states where the growth of the Puerto Rican community could shift the political future of the US and, in doing so, allow for the island to get the just recovery it needs and a path towards self determination it deserves.”
Let us be clear: Hurricane Maria AND the neglect of the federal government to respond led to more than 200,00 people being forced to flee and to the deaths of 2,975 people. We will not let them get away with this. We will continue to support Puerto Rican communities to organize and build long-term, transformative power in the island and in the states. The CPD Network is committed to supporting the vision and leadership of Puerto Rican people in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and beyond.
We want to express our gratitude to the organizations that helped anchor events and contributed in other ways to #1YearAfterMaria national day of action: CASA; Coco De Oro, Comerio Puerto Rico; CUFFH; Defend PR; Dream Corps; Faith in Action; Hornada Day Garden Bronx; Love Army; Make the Road Pennsylvania; Make the Road Connecticut; Make the Road New Jersey; Make the Road New York; Make the Road Nevada; Mensajeros De Paloma; Moms Rising; Movimento Borikua; New York Communities for Change,; Organize Florida; Power4PR, Puerto Rican Student Association Nevada; Puerto Rican Student Association College Station Texas; St Martin of Tours; VAMOS4PR.
Please help lift the voices, resilience, beauty, and vision of the Puerto Rican people by making a donation to support this vital work.
Last week CPD’s sister organization, CPD Action, the Women’s March, and Housing Works, along with 10 CPD affiliates and allies, organized 40 near-constant actions in Washington, D.C., calling on the Senate to #CancelKavanaugh and not confirm Brett Kavanaugh as the next Supreme Court Justice. More than 200 activists were arrested between the start of the confirmation hearings on Tuesday and the end of the testimony on Friday. Our efforts made headlines in CNN, Reuters, NPR, Buzzfeed News, HuffPost, The Guardian, USA Today, The Nation, and Fox News among others.
As a network, we are glad to know that we do not have to stand alone in this fight. We stand strong with movement partners and organizations like Planned Parenthood, the National Women’s Law Center, Demand Justice, MoveOn, People’s Action, the Working Families Party, Color of Change, the Fight for 15, and more who are central in the fight to stop Kavanaugh. These leaders contacted their senators, organized vigils, collected “vote no” petitions, held opposition press conferences, and are building a grassroots resistance to Kavanaugh’s nomination. We know that none of us alone can win this fight, but together our organizations and movements can make the impossible possible and stop Kananaugh.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote this Thursday, September 13. Under committee rules, it is likely Senate Democrats will move to delay the vote, pushing a full Senate confirmation vote to the week of September 24. After over 600 people joined us last week to disrupt the public hearings and encourage the committee to vote against the Kavanaugh nomination, we still have much work left to do.
On September 20, the CPD Network will anchor another action and bring over a thousand people to Washington, DC to witness the committee confirmation. We will not rest until the voices of women, working people, immigrants, and others are heard. Please make a donation today to support the fight to #CancelKavanaugh.
In this moment of urgency, it is crucial we come together to ensure this nominee not be confirmed. Along with his proven anti-choice history, Kavanaugh is poised to erode worker protections, deny rights to immigrants, take away health care access, all while bolstering the power of big corporations and millionaires and billionaires. Collectively, we understand that a Senate vote to confirm Kavanaugh would erode essential freedoms and protections for our communities for generations.
This is a defining moment. We must step up and demand our elected officials do everything they can to stop this nomination process. Please donate today to protect our values and support the resistance in the fight to #CancelKavanaugh.
On Tuesday, September 4, the Center for Popular Democracy, CPD Action, the Women’s March, and Housing Works along with CPD Network affiliates and allies Alaska Grassroots Alliance, Arkansas Community Organization, Hoosier Action, Organize Florida, Maine Grassroots Alliance, Rights and Democracy VT and NH, Strong for All, SPACES and the Birddog Nation, kicked off a week of near constant action calling on the Senate to #CancelKavanaugh and not confirm Brett Kavanaugh as the next Supreme Court Justice of the United States. Brett Kavanaugh’s judicial record demonstrates his commitment to rolling back reproductive justice, labor rights, and racial justice protections across the country.
Over 600 people came to Washington, DC, to join us in public hearings and encourage the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote against Kavanaugh’s nomination. This is just the beginning. We plan to be in DC through next week and need your vital support to keep fighting for our communities.
On the first day, 70 people were arrested for non-violent civil disobedience inside the public gallery, where activists stood all day to voice their objections to the nominee and the Supreme Court confirmation process. The actions received widespread media attention from major media outlets, including CNN, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Rewire, Glamour and The Hill, among others.
One after another people stood up to tell their reasons why they did not want Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. Nearly 100 people occupied the offices of several Senators including Chuck Schumer, Rob Portman, Joe Donnelly, Chuck Grassley and Susan Collins, calling on the Senate Judiciary Committee to represent the interests of women, working people, immigrants, and others whose futures would become uncertain with a Kavanaugh nomination.
Network President and Co-Executive Director of CPD and CPD Action Jennifer Epps-Addison was the second to be arrested on Tuesday morning, calling on Senate Democrats to each “Be A Hero,” a reference to CPD Action Senior Campaigner Ady Barkan, who started the Be A Hero fund to protect health care for working Americans. Epps-Addison was arrested with over 30 other women from the CPD Network, the Women’s March, Ultraviolet and NARAL. By Wednesday, September 5, over 200 women and allies were arrested for disrupting the Kavanaugh Hearings and occupying Senate offices.
“From disrupting the hearing to occupying Senator Schumer’s office, we are here to tell our Senators that they need to protect us and our futures by cancelling the Kavanaugh hearings,” said Epps-Addison. “Yes, some Democrats applauded our efforts this morning. But that is not enough. We need bold action. In these dangerous times, we need nothing less than a full rejection of this dangerous nominee.”
On the final day of hearings, activists organized a funeral procession and delivered flowers to heroic Senators Kamala Harris, Mazie Hirono and Cory Booker for taking bold action during the confirmation hearings. Activists also sent flowers to wavering Senator Lisa Murkowski, after 10 members from Alaska Grassroots Alliance met with her, in the hope that she shows the same bravery she displayed during the fight to save the the Affordable Care Act in this moment of urgency. Murkowski signaled that she is leaning towards voting no but needed support. This meeting illustrates the power of our coordinated actions.
Along with his proven anti-choice history, Brett Kavanaugh is poised to erode worker protections, deny rights to immigrants, take away health care access, all while bolstering the power of big corporations and millionaires and billionaires. While each person has a different reason for protesting Kavanaugh, collectively we understand that a Senate vote on his nomination would erode freedoms and protections for generations.
In all, over 100 actions were carried out between Tuesday, September 4 and Friday September 7. This is just the start. We will not rest until our elected officials do everything they can to stop this nomination process. Please donate today to protect our values and support the resistance in the fight to #CancelKavanaugh.
CPD Network President & Co-Executive Director, Jennifer Epps-Addison, was featured in the Women’s Media Center this month discussing the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on Janus.
In another blow to an already embattled labor movement, the Supreme Court ruled that public-sector unions can no longer use“fee share” systems that charge an agency fee to employees who decide not to join a union but are covered by its collective bargaining agreement.
The impact of the ruling will fall particularly hard on women, especially women of color, who make up a disproportionate share of public-sector union members and for whom such unions have been a lifeline. Despite being just over 7 percent of the overall population in the United States, Black women account for nearly one in every five public-sector workers and one in seven in the labor force at large, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In the feature, Epps-Addison highlights the voices of several women of color leaders within the CPD Network.
As Network President, Epps-Addison met with working women from all across the country during the past year. Throughout her travels, it’s become clear that the public sector has long been a vital employer for communities of color. Further, communities of color have utilized the collective power of unions to reduce the gender-based pay inequities that women workers routinely face. Women, especially women of color, have always been the doers—in the labor movement, in the civil rights movement, and in today’s movements for economic and racial justice. While the Janus ruling drastically undermines the voices of workers across the country, the CPD Network’s commitment and resolve will only grow stronger in the face of these attacks. Read the full feature here.
On August 9, CPD took part in Speak Up, Rise Up, a festival of storytelling dedicated to sharing the experiences of individuals who too often don’t get a chance to have their stories heard. The festival featured the stories of women of color, veterans, senior citizens, members of the LGBT community, and many more.
CPD’s program showcased the stories of organizers within the CPD Network and explored the experiences that motivated individuals to organize and mobilize their community. Perla Lopez, a youth organizer with Make the Road New York, spoke of coming to the U.S. to join her mom ten years ago. A Dreamer, she learned about Make the Road New York through canvassers in her neighborhood, and decided she could make a difference in other people’s lives by encouraging them to speak out about their experiences.
Vaughn Armour, a member of New York Communities for Change, explained how he began organizing after tenants in his building were threatened with eviction. After his longtime girlfriend passed away, his landlord responded by trying to buy out her two sons and evict them from the property. It had a transformative effect on him, pushing him to not just organize tenants but also to fight to change rental laws in New York.
Jesus Gonzalez, an organizer for CPD and Make the Road, spoke about the multiple shootings of young men of color in his neighborhood. Seeing so many of his friends face police brutality, he knew he needed to get involved.
Speaking with Jazmin Chavez, CPD’s Digital Director and moderator for the showcase, the three organizers delved into the obstacles they faced on their path, explaining how they had encouraged their friends and neighbors who had felt disheartened to get involved by showing them how they could make change. Responding to an audience question about how members of the community could help their organizations, panelists encouraged them to share their own stories to form community between those who feel powerless to make change. There is power in a story – power to heal, power to mobilize, and power to transform.
The current political moment demands increased clarity and focus from progressive forces. To meet this demand, this summer CPD launched a series of 6 network-wide conversations titled “Building Our Network.” Representatives from our 50 affiliates across the country are invited to join these 90-minute phone conversations that dive deeply into critical questions about our shared methodology, vision, and medium and short-term goals.
For a federated network that is just over a year old, taking on the essential work of articulating our collective identity, goals, and trajectory is no easy task. These calls are a means of making sure that the strategic insight, experience, and needs of our affiliate organizations shape the resolution of these important questions. The calls serve as a means to connect, hear from each other, and share common vision -- rooted in our communities and expressed on a national scale.
The conference call tactic is simple, but the core purpose is ambitious. CPD aims to have our entire organization (affiliates, boards and staff) engaged substantively in developing a five-year strategic plan, a federal policy agenda, and a long-term vision of the society we wish to build. Thus far, these conversations have been helpful in informing CPD national staff about the views and priorities of our partners, and allowed partners hear one another’s perspectives, challenges and aspirations. If you are interested in joining these calls, please reach out to Stephanie Yazgi, CPD’s Director of Capacity Building.
CPD is excited to welcome our newest affiliate, Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT), to our growing network of grassroots organizations! Founded in November 2017, LIT and its 501(c)(4) sister organization, Leaders Igniting Transformation Action Fund (LIT AF), is an organization led by youth of color, that engages in issue-based and electoral organizing, direct action, advocacy for progressive public policy, and youth leadership development in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. LIT is CPD’s first youth-led affiliate organization.
While LIT is new to the network, CPD has partnered with LIT for the last several months supporting the development and launch of their campaign to end the school-to-prison pipeline in Milwaukee Public Schools and in the adoption of their Youth Power Agenda. Earlier this year, LIT and CPD co-authored a report entitled “From Failure to Freedom: Dismantling Milwaukee’s School-to-Prison Pipeline with the Youth Power Agenda.” LIT’s Youth Power Agenda calls for the removal of metal detectors and police officers in schools and more investments for teachers, social workers, guidance counselors, and jobs programs. In March, LIT launched a campaign to drive this vision. The campaign comes as Milwaukee Public Schools moves to implement a resolution agreement from the U.S. Department of Education’s (“DOE”) Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) which mandated a reform of MPS’ School Discipline Code, following an OCR investigation which revealed stark racial disparities and discrimination in discipline practices.
In less than six months, LIT and LIT AF have already secured a number of significant victories. In March, after the launch of a petition that generated over a thousand emails to the school board and a press conference outside the school board meeting, the district agreed to hold six public meetings on the DOE agreement where there was no previous plans for community (and youth) engagement before. Then in June, LIT defeated a dangerous Milwaukee Public Schools' discipline policy proposal that would have further entrenched the school-to-prison pipeline and put undocumented students at severe risk. In July, they launched “Black Hogwarts,” an immersive six-week workshop that teaches young people ages 12 to 20 about oppression, politics, civic engagement and community organizing. And in August, LIT’s sister c4, LIT AF, wrapped up an impressive electoral engagement program that resulted in more than 6,500 doors knocked, 5,000 voter pledge cards signed, and 100,000 people engaged through social media. This is just a sample of some of their amazing work.
On campuses and in their communities, LIT/LIT AF organizes young people to build independent political power for social, racial and economic justice and transformation; towards a future where every young person has the freedom to thrive. CPD looks forward to supporting LIT in achieving that vision. You can follow LIT/LIT AF on Twitter, Facebook, and on their website. Please join us in welcoming LIT to the CPD Network!
Last month, once again, a local community was shattered by the news that an unarmed person had been summarily killed by police. This time, the shooting occurred in Allentown, PA, one of several cities where CPD affiliate Make the Road Pennsylvania organizes. Immediately after the shooting, Make the Road PA jumped into action in an effort to mobilize support for the victim’s family and to help demand accountability for the officer and the police department.
Joseph Santos was shot by police at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, July 28, after attending a birthday party for his fiancee's kids at a local amusement park. Multiple videos of the incident show clearly that Santos had his hands in the air and said the words "Don't do it," right before an officer shot him five times, ending his life.
Make the Road PA held a vigil at the site where Santos was murdered and brought his family and the rest of the community together to condemn police brutality and fight for justice. During the action, armed white supremacists gathered across the street shouting at the family as they grieved. Shouts of "White Power" and "Go back home" came from cars driving by.
Less than a week after that vigil, District Attorney Jim Martin announced charges of voluntary manslaughter against the officer, Jonathan Roselle, a former National Guardsman. Roselle is still on paid administrative leave. This same D.A. usually takes up to seven weeks to make a ruling on police-involved shootings, but in large part due to the community organizing from Make the Road PA and other leaders, a decision was made more quickly. Organizers and family members held a press conference to stand by the D.A.'s decision and demand a swift conviction for the officer.
Soon after that press conference, thousands of police supporters flooded Make the Road PA’s social media feeds with hate and threats and scheduled their own rally to support the police officer on the site where Santos was murdered. That same day, Make the Road PA held an interfaith service for the community and the family to gather and mourn
Joseph was a strong member of his community, and many kids called him their stepdad, because he was the one that stepped up to help them when they didn't have anybody. He was working on gaining certification in construction and tirelessly signed up for classes to improve his education. He started a clothing line called "D.R.E.A.M. Drugs Ruin Everything Around Me." He encouraged his community to stay drug-free and lead healthy and happy lives.
Make the Road PA and the community of the Lehigh Valley continue to work with Joseph Santos’ family to bring an end to police brutality, and to ensure that this type of police violence never happens again.
