Voices

Designed to convey the crises grappling Indigenous communities—a caged baby representing children who faced violation of human rights; red handprints indicating missing and murdered Indigenous womenfolk, this totem pole is a skillful medium for storytelling, raising awareness, and uniting communities with a shared meaning around environmental preservation and human rights enforcement.

Alianza is a youth-led leadership program that stemmed from Latino Community Fund. It connects young Latinx leaders across the state and works to bring positive change to their communities. The program provides workshops, mentorship, and direct-action projects that allow youth members to practice their skills in real-world settings.

Also known as Jubilee Day, Black Independence Day, and Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is a day that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in what is now known as the United States. As we acknowledge this important day, it is also important to point out that the inequalities faced by Black people in this country did not end with the emancipation of enslaved people. We must prioritize Black liberation “in its totality,” as put by Congresswoman Cori Bush. We must acknowledge and be accountable for police brutality, reparations, housing and education apartheid, and commit to ending the war on drugs.

In this moment we want to recognize the specific grief caused by the shootings in Atlanta—one of many hate crimes committed against Asian Americans in this past year. Eight people died, six of them Asian women, in three spas—all Asian-owned businesses. We stand in open-hearted solidarity with the Asian American community and, in particular, Asian-American women, whose struggles and issues have been historically minimized time and time again.