Tag Archives: McCain

~ Culture & History, ~ pop culture

The Entertainment Industry lacks diversity


lack-of-oscar-diversity.jpg

Women’s Guide to Film: Lack of Diversity a Major Problem At Academy Awards

January 17, 2015 by Kendra Beltran

What’s going on with the lack of diversity at the Oscars? Read More

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Help save my life ~~~ Nick Grillo via Change.org


In 2011 I was diagnosed with ALS, a disease that is almost always fatal. But now, a new drug is offering hope to thousands of ALS patients like me, and we need your help to get the FDA to grant its approval.

C –
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

It’s a Historic Moment …


–Rashad, Arisha, Matt, Bhavik, and the ColorOfChange team

2014 has been transformative for the racial justice movement
Cease and Desist StampChip in to make 2015 even biggerContribute

 I was at the ColorOfChange annual staff retreat. On the first morning we held four and a half minutes of silence: one minute for every hour Michael Brown lay on the street after being killed by Officer Darren Wilson. It was a powerful reminder of why we fight, and also of the historic time we’re in.

There’s a sense of pain and anger, but also of possibility as Black folks and our allies have taken to the streets across the country asserting that “Black Lives Matters” and demanding an end to discriminatory, militarized policing.

The moment of silence was also a reminder of the important role that the ColorOfChange community plays in this movement for a just and inclusive America. At the staff retreat we took stock of our work over 2014, and while we’ve faced hardships, I was blown away by what we’ve accomplished together this year…

  1. We successfully pressured Saturday Night Live to hire not one, but three Black women. This included Sasheer Zamata, who became the first Black woman cast-member since 2007.
  2. We stopped the fight between DMX and George Zimmerman, who was continuing to victimize Trayvon Martin and capitalize on his death.
  3. We got racist Clippers-owner Donald Sterling kicked out of the NBA, forcing him to sell the team.
  4. We fought back against the telecom corporations attempting to buy the Internet and end Net Neutrality, which has been critical to our 21st-century fights for justice. We made sure our voices were heard in DC, and – in November – President Obama let us know he was listening.
  5. More than 1 million people saw our #IfTheySpeakForMe YouTube videos, encouraging folks to get out and vote during the 2014 mid-term elections.
  6. We divested nearly $60 million from the private prison industry, which is responsible for some of the most abusive and inhumane conditions in the country.
  7. We fought hard for important reforms to New York City’s Stop-and-Frisk program, including a city-wide ban on discriminatory policing and an independent monitor to oversee changes.
  8. We helped pass California’s Prop 47 ballot initiative, reclassifying nonserious, nonviolent crimes as misdemeanors instead of felonies, keeping countless Black folks out prison and giving many a chance to get out.
  9. And we brought the campaign for police accountability and systemic reforms to the White House, delivering nearly 1 million petition signatures. During this amplified moment we’re continuing to fight for justice for Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Ramarley Graham, John Crawford, and too many others.

Our work is far from done, which is why spent the second half of the retreat hatching plans for 2015. We discussed ways to improve our work so that we can more effectively win real-world change for Black folks. Ultimately, that’s what ColorOfChange is about.

But change takes a community. Our 2014 victories and achievements wouldn’t have happened without you signing petitions, advocating on social media, showing up on the streets, and chipping in your hard-earned money. And now we’re looking toward the year ahead.

Our ability to make ambitious plans for 2015 is constrained by what we’re able to fundraise this month. If we can raise $100,000 by December 31, we’ll have the resources we need to dream big this coming year. We’ve proven that we’re an effective force for change for Black folks and our allies. Click to contribute whatever you’re able to, today.

Thanks and peace,

–Rashad, Arisha, Matt, Bhavik, and the ColorOfChange team

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ACA 101


Affordable Care Act 101 Webinars

SBA and Small Business Majority will host a free Affordable Care Act 101 webinar so small business owners can learn the basics of the Affordable Care Act and how they can enroll in health insurance marketplaces.

Free Affordable Care Act 101 webinar covering healthcare reform and your small business hosted by SBA and Small Business Majority. Click to RSVP today

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Low Wages? Low Sales.

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The Middle Class Squeeze Is Worrying Big Retailers, Too

Earlier this month, CAP released a report highlighting how squeezed middle-class Americans have become. That report showed that while the cost of attaining middle class security has increased by over $10,000 since 2000, wages for most Americans have remained stagnant.

The cycle of economic stagnation—low wages, leading to weak demand, leading to slow growth, leading again to low wages—is not only hurting America’s hard-working citizens, but it is also hurting businesses where those workers might spend their money and in turn boost the entire US economy. Wall Street is finally starting to get it: Standard & Poor’s has issued a report saying that inequality is holding back economic growth and Morgan Stanley has warned investors that stronger wage growth is critical to our economic growth.

A new CAP report released today provides further evidence that this squeezed middle class weakens our entire economy, hurting both businesses and the consumers who support them. The report, ”Retailer Revelations,” looked at the financial reports of the top 100 retailers in America and statements of Wall Street’s top economists about the outlook for the country’s biggest retailers. The consensus: trickledown economics is not working.

It has taken more than five years for retail spending per person to reach its prerecession level in the United States and business have begun to realize the impact that is having on their bottom line. Using new information to show the impact middle-class stagnation has had on the economy, the report demonstrates that businesses’ support for economic policies that grow the middle class would directly benefit their own business.

Here are some key findings:

  • Eighty-eight percent of the top 100 US retailers consider weak consumer spending a risk to their stock price.
  • Sixty-eight percent cite falling or stagnant incomes as a risk to their stock price — roughly double the percent that cited them in 2006.
  • Fifty-seven percent cite rising costs of essentials like housing, healthcare and energy, as risks to their stock price, further showing the middle class squeeze.
  • Wall Street economists even argue that low wages drive low demand and high unemployment.
  • Retailers could see their bottom line increase by supporting a growth-oriented agenda with policies such as a minimum wage increase.

BOTTOM LINE: America’s biggest retailers have realized that when the middle class loses, everyone loses. It’s time conservative lawmakers and pundits realized it too. An economy that works for everyone is an economy that grows from the middle out.