QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
SPRING INTO CHANGE 2019

IN THESE TIMES

A Message from Dorian Warren

As a recovering academic, I think about these times within our country’s long arc of social change. My greatest fear is that we’ll become complacent, slip into the false logic of inevitability. So, Community Change and Community Change Action are leaning into the moment, calling for bold, transgressive ideas and leaders from the ground up.

Our History

Our history is not a steady march of incremental gains–it’s tumultuous, pockmarked by periods of disruption, forward movement, and violent reaction in defense of the status quo. During a few short years in the mid-1960s, people of color, immigrants, and low-income people won a more inclusive democracy and economy through the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, immigration reform, and the creation of the anti-poverty programs at Community Change of our federal safety net.

I firmly believe that we are approaching such a moment–when a confluence of movement energy and bold ideas and political pressure take on structural injustice that our society can no longer bear. But even with this window of opportunity, to paraphrase A. Philip Randolph, there are no reserved seats at the banquet table of life. We have to get organized.

Just a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of co-hosting Bold v. Old. This day-long event brought together organizers and policymakers to grapple with ideas from revaluing and redefining “work” to making universal child care and health care a reality to moving our economic system beyond neoliberalism. As Michael Tubbs, the young, Black mayor of Stockton, CA, said: “A lot of things that are old now were bold first. 300 years ago, the fact that I’m a human being and not someone’s property was a bold idea and restructured our economy.”

ON THE MOVE

This quarter American politics have provided a rich background for our programs to successfully operate and maneuver. The longest federal government shutdown in history (34 days) came to an end in February. After demanding $5.7 billion for a border wall, President Trump did not get Congressional approval but instead declared a national emergency to access funds. With Democrats in charge of the House of Representatives, they have begun to block Trump’s agenda while opening a number of committee investigations into the administration practices and policies. In the midst of this, our immigration, child care, and housing programs move forward bold agendas.

STANDING WITH #NOT1DOLLAR:

Community Change Action and FIRM Action partners stood fast against Trump and called on legislators to not spend one dollar on Trump’s wall and other hateful policies. They’ve been visible in the halls of Congress, rallying in D.C, and leading partner groups to visit members of Congress. FIRM Action and partner groups, such as CHIRLA Action Fund, CASA in Action, and Make the Road New York Action, crowded the Capitol in support of a Democratic bill that would provide a road map to citizenship for undocumented youth, immigrants with temporary protected status, and  select other undocumented immigrants. Please watch FIRM Action’s immigration field director Sulma Arias and regional organizer Isaias Guerrero respond to the legislation here.

BOLD VISION FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES:

This quarter we have seen the child care issue catapulted to the forefront of the national news. We saw stories in the New York Times about the impact of childcare on the lives and livelihoods of mothers and in HuffPost about presidential candidates  with heartfelt child care stories that they’ve turned  into bold policy statements. At Community Change and Community Change Action, we believe in an America that puts families first, and that means providing affordable, quality, and culturally competent child care for every family. For years, we’ve partnered with grassroots groups across the country, such as OLÉ in New Mexico, ISAIAH in Minnesota, Communities Creating Opportunity (CCO) in Kansas, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, New Georgia Project, and Parent Voices in California, to bring to fruition a bold vision for child care in America. Read more about our vision on Change Wire.

WINS FOR HOUSING SECURITY:

Our Housing Trust Fund Project partners have seen some big gains in recent months. In Minnesota, advocates with Make Homes Happen Minneapolis campaigned  to increase and dedicate funding for affordable housing. Now the mayor has announced a pledge to set aside at least $40 million in the city budget for affordable homes. Meanwhile, Oregon became the first state in the country to pass statewide rent regulation. This caps rent increases at 7% for renters across the state and prohibits no-cause evictions for the first year of tenancy. This landmark law will slow the displacement of low-income families and people of color. Our partner the Oregon Housing Alliance led the coalition to get this passed in Salem. Learn more about the legislation here.

LIFTING UP OUR VOICES

MEET DOLFINETTE VANESSE MARTIN AND COMMUNITY CHANGE’S FELLOWSHIP OF FORMERLY INCARCERATED WOMEN

Dolfinette Vanesse Martin was the first person in her family to serve time in prison and the first to graduate college. She is passionate about prison reform, re-entry, and jail population reduction which is why she applied to the Community Change’s Fellowship of Formerly Formerly Incarcerated Women.

Nine other women with powerful stories like Dolfinette’s were selected to be a part of a program that hones the organizing skills of formerly incarcerated women of color and those otherwise directly impacted by incarceration and the criminal justice system. We created this training to spark change in and around these women by envisioning a different reality and supporting them to craft a policy agenda for reinvestment in their communities. We believe that these skills are a powerful compliment to bold and equitable policy change. Stay tuned for more information about the Women’s Fellowship.

NEW POLICY IDEAS FROM BOLD V. OLD EVENT

Big ideas to solve for rapidly-growing inequality and the concentration of wealth in the hands of too few have jumped to the forefront of our national debate. Community Change with allies Economic Security Project, Roosevelt Institute, and the Hewlett Foundation hosted a day-long event in Washington D.C. that brought together politicians, organizers, thought leaders, and policy experts to explore ideas to incite concrete, systemic change.

Please read Dorian’s piece, Bold is the New DC Conventional Wisdom, where he explores what it means to have big bold ideas to reduce poverty and inequality that are led by impacted people. And check out the video recap that includes featured guests, including high-profile political leaders, such as Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, US Representative Pramila Jayapal and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Other thought leaders who participated, included Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, Ai-jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, former Community Change communications fellow and bestselling author Stephanie Land and our very own Dorian Warren, president of Community Change.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

FORMER COMMUNICATIONS FELLOW STEPHANIE LAND DEBUTS MAID: HARD WORK, LOW PAY AND A MOTHER’S WILL TO SURVIVE

Former Community Change Communications Fellow Stephanie Land’s memoir made its debut on the New York Times Best Sellers list. The book has garnered rave reviews from NPR, Parade, The Nation, and CNN to name a few! Stephanie’s book takes readers on a journey through her life as a single mom working hard to make ends meet. Like Stephanie, our communication fellows are authentic voices in their communities whose stories aim to change the narrative of what it means to struggle and provide context through their lived experiences about how the policies impact us all.

DORIAN WARREN GUESTS ON THE PODCAST, WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? WITH CHRIS HAYES

Community Change President Dorian Warren was a featured guest on the podcast Why Is This Happening? With Chris Hayes. Dorian explored how to create a progressive majority and how voters can set a governing agenda from the ground up. During the hour-long show, he discussed how political constituencies are built through the daily work of grassroots organizing

AN UNSUNG HERO OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

Community Change Board Member and Professor at Fordham University Christina Greer,  created and narrated this fun and informative animation on Bayard Rustin, an American civil rights leader for TED-Ed’s Black History Month. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington to nearly a quarter million people. None of it would have been possible without the march’s chief organizer, Bayard Rustin. Christina Greer details his life of advocacy as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, and the challenges he faced as an openly gay Black man.

DOING MORE WITH BIG BETS

Barbara Picower, President of The JPB Foundation describes their approach to big bet philanthropy in Stanford Social Innovation Review. Rather than funding one organization and hoping to impact a field, The JPB Foundation uses a “hub and network” approach to place multiple bets on a centrally positioned grantee (the hub) that has the capacity to serve as the issue-area focal point of grantmaking. Community Change is proud to be one of The JPB Foundation’s  “hub” grantees within their poverty-prevention portfolio, specifically working with a number of allied organizations also supported by JPB to successfully defend our social safety net and ensure millions of Americans have enough to make ends meet.