It is time to vote and become active around the country. Enough is enough!
Thanks to my sister Bree that scaled that pole and removed the flag!
Dear Shirley,
Momentum is growing to rid our public spaces of the racist, insulting, and hurtful Confederate flag. Let's amplify the pressure on governors and state legislatures to act immediately to take down Confederate flags EVERYWHERE, and also push every state to do a Racial Equity Impact Assessment of our laws, policies, and practices, which is one vital tool for identifying inequities and preventing institutional racism.
JUST TODAY, a young woman named Bree Newsome scaled the 30 foot pole at the South Carolina State Capitol [1] to remove the flag. A flag that flew high even while slain State Senator Rev. Clementa Pinckney lay in state at the State Capitol. A flag that was also still flying more than a week after State Senator Pinckney and eight other mothers, fathers, and grandparents were gunned down in a vicious act of racial terrorism, the kind that has for too long been glorified by the iconography of the Confederate flag.
The time is now! Take down the racist Confederate flag from all public spaces like schools, city halls, state capitols, and license plates in every single state; and every state in the nation should do a Racial Equity Impact Assessment of our laws, policies, and practices.
http://action.momsrising.org/sign/take-down-confederate-flag/?t=3&akid=6883.2307508.5vlXIy
No child should lose their mother, father, or loved one to racial terrorism. See below for more information. Thank you for ALL you do!
-- Kristin and Monifa
[1} "#FreeBree: Activist becomes hero to many after taking down Confederate flag," CNN.com, June 27, 2015.
Dear Kristin,
"...Coleman-Singleton would run beside her athletes to motivate them, referring to the maneuver as "cheek to cheek"...She was a great coach, she was an even better mother" ~ The Daily Beast 
It's time to stop racist culture and structural racism on all fronts! 
Take Action
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"[Sharonda Coleman-Singleton's son] had last spoken to his mom by phone when she was at Bible study, asking her where she had hidden the remote control in the house. In the closet, she whispered to him, so his younger brother would not play too many video games," wrote The Daily Beast [1]
We all know moms and educators like Sharonda Singleton-Coleman. At school she was running "cheek to cheek" with the students on her track team, pushing and motivating them to be the best they can be. At home she was being an amazing mother: raising teens, loving them, praying for them, smiling, and, (of course) hiding the TV remote so they didn't have too much screen time.
While this mother of three gave life and nurtured so many, her life was taken when she and eight others were gunned down in a vicious act of racial terrorism, the kind that has for too long been glorified by the iconography of the Confederate flag.
It's time to take the confederate flags down. No child should lose their mother to racial terrorism. All families should be protected by our nation's promise of liberty and justice for all: http://action.momsrising.org/sign/take-down-confederate-flag/?t=9&akid=6883.2307508.5vlXIy
It's time. While Governor Haley just called for the removal of the confederate flag from the state Capitol grounds, it's not over. Now the South Carolina State Legislature needs to vote to bring the flag down. And it won't be over after that. It's up to us to keep on the pressure until we stop systemic racism in our country.
We as a nation can do better.
After you and others across the country sign on, we will deliver your petition to every Governor and state legislature in the country. No child should lose their mother to racial violence.
*SIGN ON TO SAY: It's time to take down the racist Confederate flag from all public spaces like schools, city halls, state capitals, and license plates in every single state; and that every state in the nation should do a Racial Equity Impact Assessment of our laws, policies, and practices. http://action.momsrising.org/sign/take-down-confederate-flag/?t=11&akid=6883.2307508.5vlXIy
Last, Wednesday, June 17th, nine men and women - mothers, fathers and grandparents - were shot and killed inside the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, an iconic African American house of worship known for centuries of human and civil rights activism. It was not random. The Confederate flag has long been a symbol not only of a political faction willing to go to civil war to protect slavery, but also is a symbol for the many organizations, centuries later, who continue to promote racist policies like segregation and Jim Crow-type laws.
What happened in Charleston is a tragedy for which we all must take a role in ending. It was brought about by generations of unchecked racism at every level. Worse, this tragedy is not limited to Charleston. It's woven into the fabric of our nation. It's time to stop racist culture and structural racism on all fronts!
*Join us in demanding that the confederate flags come down and in urging all states to conduct a Racial Equity Impact Assessment. We will deliver your petition to every Governor and state legislature in the country. http://action.momsrising.org/sign/take-down-confederate-flag/?t=13&akid=6883.2307508.5vlXIy
Wondering what's a Racial Equity Impact Assessment (REIA)?[2] It's a systematic examination of how different racial and ethnic groups will likely be affected by a proposed action or decision. REIAs are used to minimize unanticipated adverse consequences in a variety of contexts, including the analysis of proposed policies, institutional practices, programs, plans and budgetary decisions. The REIA can be a vital tool for preventing institutional racism and for identifying new options to remedy long-standing inequities.
Why are Racial Equity Impact Assessments needed? REIAs are used to reduce, eliminate and prevent racial discrimination and inequities. The persistence of deep racial disparities and divisions across society is evidence of institutional racism—the routine, often invisible and unintentional, production of inequitable social opportunities and outcomes. When racial equity is not consciously addressed, racial inequality is often unconsciously replicated.
Together, we can and must do better. We stand with Sharonda. We #StandWithCharleston. We stand with all Black mothers, children and families. We stand with racial equity and justice for all. Don't forget to sign on here to stand with us too: http://action.momsrising.org/sign/take-down-confederate-flag/?t=15&akid=6883.2307508.5vlXIy
Thank you for ALL you do to make our nation stronger!
- Kristin and Monifa
[1] http://action.momsrising.org/go/5890?t=17&akid=6883.2307508.5vlXIy
[2] http://action.momsrising.org/go/5891?t=19&akid=6883.2307508.5vlXIy
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