We’re only one month into 2023, but it already feels like a long year. The police killings of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tortuguita in Atlanta, Keenan Anderson in Los Angeles, Anthony Lowe in Huntington Park, and Arif Faisal in Cambridge. The mass shootings of Asian American and Latinx people in Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park. The murder of a trans woman (Unique Banks) and her mother (Aleksandra Olmo) in Chicago. A record number of nearly 300 new anti-trans, anti-drag, and anti-LGBTQ bills introduced around the country—including one from Utah already in effect, robbing trans young people of healthcare. Rampant criminalization of abortion and miscarriage on what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
It can feel overwhelming, but we are powerful when we work together. Below you’ll find some suggestions on how to do just that.
Defend the Atlanta Forest and stop CopCity. Police killed Tortuguita (and jailed 19 others) because they were defending the Weelaunee Forest. The Atlanta City Council has slated it for destruction and replacement with a fake city for police to practice riot suppression. To support the movement to protect Black and Indigenous communities and the forest, you can endorse the solidarity statement, call on the companies building CopCity to pull out, and join local actions.
Show up for trans communities. No matter where you live, you can help in many ways and oppose anti-trans bills. ARC is also gathering supportive letters, from people in or out of prisons, to send some love to trans communities. We’ll be sharing them with our own members, and with other trans-led organizations working with criminalized or incarcerated people. If you’d like to contribute, you can submit through our web site.
Solidarity with Urooj Rahman. Urooj, a Muslim woman of color, has been sentenced to prison in connection with her participation in Black Lives Matter protests. Read the statement from Muslims for Just Futures and sign up if you would like to support her during her incarceration.
Support reproductive justice. On January 24, 2023 Caleb Freestone and Amber Smith-Steward were indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida for having “engaged in a conspiracy to prevent employees of reproductive health service facilities from providing those services” (i.e., condemning anti-abortion coercion through street art). If convicted, Caleb and Amber face up to twelve years in prison. Stay tuned for a fundraiser for bail support and a call for solidarity and action. Also, Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights is organizing a Voices of Abortion Quilt Project and inviting submissions—learn about how to participate.
We know our communities are already showing up in so many ways, and we’re grateful for all of you.