Student gun walkout makes right-wing media furiousStudents across the country staged walkouts to demand action on gun violence. Right-wing media were furious. Tucker Carlson compared the students to Mao’s Red Guards. Carlson also said that teachers can’t have sex with students, so they should not talk about guns with them either. Ben Shapiro said that “They are activating these kids, and putting them out on the front lines, and putting them in photo ops, so that they can essentially use them as political human shields.” After boasting about his racial purity, Sean Hannity maligned the students, saying the entire thing was just an effort to get teenagers to vote for Democrats in the fall. Senior Townhall columnist Kurt Schlichter retweeted an account criticizing the female protesters’ appearances and called them “future beta bait.” National Rifle Association national spokesperson Dana Loesch told Fox & Friends hosts that the protests were the result of some in the “political class … trying to exploit this six ways to Sunday.” Expect more of this next week when the kids and their families lead the March For Our Lives in Washington, DC.

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Watch a student on National Walkout Day call out the NRA on the steps of the U.S. Capitol: “We refuse to learn in fear.”

mediamatters.org

Dear Friends.

Today is “Selection Sunday” – the kick off for March Madness and that time of year when we all gather to see bracket busters, buzzer beaters and more memorable moments. This is also a time when the NCAA will heavily feature, promote, and make money off a number of student-athletes—an overwhelming number of them Black, and kids from low-income families. Athletes that according to the NCAA, should be treated as prison labor.¹

That’s right, just last month, the NCAA- in an effort to maximize their own profits and limit the ability of athletes to profit from their own images- filed a motion with the court arguing that the 13th amendment should be applied to college students playing sports. The 13th amendment forbids slavery and involuntary servitude, “except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,” a loophole which has since been exploited to sustain our criminal justice system by targeting Black communities today². The NCAA is pushing this insulting argument to keep what amounts to billions of dollars of advertising from sponsors like Coca-Cola³. Students across the nation are demanding the NCAA to treat them fairly but it is clear that money takes precedent over students. It is time to tell Coca-Cola to withdraw funding from the NCAA until they agree to pay student-athletes.

Corporations are supporting the NCAA as they fight to exploit student athletes by comparing them to prisoners.

The NCAA is trafficking in a tradition of racist laws criminalizing Black people preventing better treatment and wages in America⁴. Black codes after the Civil War forced Black people to work as sharecroppers and restricted movement, and the modern criminal justice system targeting Black communities⁵. Funding from corporations like Coca-Cola provides the rationale and resources for their exploitation. The NCAA exploits student-athletes and reinforces the system of exploitation Black people must face throughout the nation. Only through the active support of companies like Coca-Cola can the NCAA continue to push arguments that support our current system of incarceration and continued exploitation of students.

The comparison between prisoners and athletes shines a light on the way the policy against player pay is rooted in our larger system of exploitation. Coca-Cola should not be allowed to continue to profit from this exploitation of Black athletes. They are building on precedents currently targeting Black communities throughout the nation.

While supporting the NCAA with funding as a corporate sponsor Coca-Cola has also positioned themselves as a corporation concerned with their social responsibility touting their “perfect score” in the corporate equality index⁶. Coca-Cola has even spoken directly to the issue of unpaid/slave labor since accusations of the practice have been made overseas⁷. Coca-Cola has promised to reform any practices forced labor practices associated with their company touting their “human rights due diligence tools”⁸. Why would this not include the student-athletes exploited by their partners at the NCAA? We will not let Coca-Cola have it both ways. We are joining together to tell Coca-Cola, to end their support for the NCAA unless they agree to pay players. We must tell Coca-Cola that support for the NCAA is not acceptable, while they make dollars off of the back of Black athletes. With our collective voices, we can send a message to the Coca-Cola that we are watching and will not accept support for exploitation.

Thank you,

–Frank Derry

References:

1. “The NCAA Says Student-Athletes Shouldn’t Be Paid Because the 13th Amendment Allows Unpaid Prison Labor,” The Intercept, 2-22-2018, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/25767?t=10&akid=9684%2E1174326%2EYFz5R6
2. “The Color of Justice: Racial and Ethnic Disparity in State Prisons,” The Sentencing Project, 6-14-2016, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/25768?t=12&akid=9684%2E1174326%2EYFz5R6
3. “The NCAA’s new March Madness TV deal will make them a billion dollars a year,” SB Nation, 4-12-2016, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/25769?t=14&akid=9684%2E1174326%2EYFz5R6
4. “From Indentured Servitude to Racial Slavery,” PBS, http://act.colorofchange.org/go/25770?t=16&akid=9684%2E1174326%2EYFz5R6
5. “The Black Codes and Why They Matter Today,” ThoughtCo., 12-12-2017, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/25771?t=18&akid=9684%2E1174326%2EYFz5R6
6. ‘Coca-Cola Again Receives Perfect Score on Corporate Equality Index,” Coca-Cola, 12-12-2016, http://act.colorofchange.org/go/25772?t=20&akid=9684%2E1174326%2EYFz5R6
7. “Brazilian Coca-Cola Manufacturer Accused of Slave Labor,” TeleSur, 8-26-2016, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/26188?t=22&akid=9684%2E1174326%2EYFz5R6
8. “Leading Through Change: Child Labor, Forced Labor and Land Rights,” Coca-Cola, 3-16-2015, http://act.colorofchange.org/go/26189?t=24&akid=9684%2E1174326%2EYFz5R6

In case you missed it: Last Thursday morning, domestic workers with the Seattle Domestic Workers Alliance (SDWA) came together at Seattle City Hall. They assembled a massive village of thousands of diapers and gloves representing nannies & house cleaners across the city. (And Working WA members donated $ to help buy the diapers, which we passed on to WestSide Baby for families in need when the action was over — if you’d like to donate too, click here!)

It was all in the name of making their voices heard in support of a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. And the action was a huge success!

After building the display outside City Hall, workers headed inside to take a seat at the table with City Council members and share their stories. Here’s Ty, a nanny, musician, and Working Washington leader, talking about her experience:

And here’s Etelbina, a house cleaner, sharing her story:

[For transcriptions & translations of the videos, please click here.]

Workers like Ty & Etelbina have led the way for the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights — and City Council members are taking notice:

When workers unite and speak out, big changes happen — and bringing together house cleaners, home care workers, and nannies in one room under one united voice was a huge step forward in making a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights a reality in Seattle.

The Bill of Rights would ensure domestic workers get basic rights like the minimum wage, paid time off, and protections from harassment and discrimination. Most importantly, it establishes a worker council — a governing body made up of workers, employers, and city representatives — so that workers have a voice in setting higher industry standards. Click here if you’d like to donate to keep us moving forward.

Cheers,
Working Washington

P.S. Want to check out more coverage from the event? Check out the articles in the Seattle Times and the Stranger.