In September, the Racial Justice Coalition grew it’s wings, and has broken off from being a sub-group under our partisan Democratic label, becoming it’s own grassroots org, now with local organizers in 9 counties – now grown to 12 counties in Illinois – actively working to identify local structures of inequity, injustice, and exclusion to address. It has been an honor building the group, watching it’s teams take on new work in new communities, form their own local groups, and challenge racism and white supremacy. We wish them well and as always, are their allies in our county.
The message:
“***Official Announcement: The Racial Justice Coalition of West Central Illinois has outgrown McDonough County to become it’s own non-partisan grassroots civil rights organization in West Central Illinois.***With team members in 9 counties organizing for racial justice in traditionally white, conservative-led communities, the Racial Justice Coalition seeks to identify, challenge, and work to abolish bigotry, hate, and systemic and structural racism and injustice at all levels of local, county, and regional government, services, and culture in and around West Central Illinois.
The Racial Justice Coalition of West Central Illinois wishes to thank the Democratic Women of McDonough County County for taking on the work in creating this org, as well as providing support, training, and mentoring for it’s growing leadership team. We are forever in their debt. #Gratitude
White Allies, Abolitionists, and Activists
“Making it easier for white women to become CEOs isn’t the same as making life easier for all women.” – Illinois Author, Lecturer, Abolitionist Mikki Kendall [ Learn more >> | Buy the Book “Hood Feminism” ]
All counties need courageous white people with white privilege to step up and perform the actual work of dismantling structures of injustice and oppression. Not everyone needs to be the public abolitionist to take the heat of the hatred. There are many opportunities for those wanting to do their part in the civil rights struggle of our time. All efforts have value and are appreciated.
Some ways to get involved:
- Watchdogging of city, county, school boards meetings
- FOIA’ing Sheriff’s Departments for policies, procedures, stats on vehicle stops, searches, arrests
- FOIA’ing/watchingdogging functioning of jails for constitutional, civil, and human rights
- White allies to be trained as civil rights witness/observers to respond in their own communities as necessary to ensure Black folx and other People of Color are treated with fairness, dignity, equity, and respect when interacting with white people in positions of power, authority
- Court-watching
- Voter registration – NON-PARTISAN
- Pollwatchers
- Election Judges
- Precinct Committeepersons
- Watchdogging how those in Section 8 Housing are treated
- FOIA teams to identify structural procedural, and interpersonal bias, deficits, incidents
- Digital media team support
- IEP/School Resource Officers/Title IX/Civil Rights in education – this team is for white allies to assist caregivers of Black, Latin, Hispanic, and other Children of Color in ensuring their schools are complying with their responsibilities in preventing, identifying, and properly responding to rights violations against marginalized students=
If you want to step up and take on doing your part to bring about racial justice, let us know and we’ll connect you to the Racial Justice Coalition, and they’ll connect you to others in your county.
#CivilRights #HumanRights #NoWhiteSupremacy #EndQualifiedImmunity #Illinois #BlackLivesMatter #ACLU #GoodTrouble