Join me so we can fight in flight!

There’s no doubt about it… this year has been astonishingly difficult. 

At the top of this email are some photos that really sum up the commitments I have made with my organization, Clean Air Coalition, as well as personally throughout this year. As we struggled with the realities of a global pandemic and visible state violence against Black lives, we took more risks than ever.

The upper left photo is from one of many protests that I personally joined here in Buffalo. While there is so much work to do, I am encouraged by the organized as well as the organic uprisings we have witnessed. And in awe of the results they have produced-- like the passage of Cariol’s Law here in Buffalo. In early October, I participated in civil disobedience outside of a Trump Fundraiser. I made this choice, because my comfort and my privilege are not as important as the lives—black and brown people, queer people, women, and immigrants—that have been harmed under Trump.   

The lower two photos are of my mom (the infamous Cindy White)  banging pots and my best friend and me celebrating the news that Trump lost the presidential election. After spending much of October and November phone banking Georgia to mobilize voters (with Clean Air’s sister organization, Community Power for Health and Justice and SURJ) while also planning for the worst-case scenarios, the news of Trump’s loss was a much needed reminder that grassroots organizing and mobilization is always the answer to our troubles. We have endless thanks to give to folks on the ground that did that work    

And while I hope that you, like me, had the chance to celebrate, our work is far from done. Our people are still dying. At Clean Air Coalition, we organize to stop people from being sickened and degraded by corporations that care more about profit than people. I could talk endlessly about how proud I am to work at Clean Air and be a part of a brilliant team of organizers and members, but I’m going to tell you about one of my favorite campaign wins of the year.

The upper right photo is a screen shot from Tesla’s Annual Shareholder meeting. Clean Air has been organizing with current and previous Tesla workers for more than two years now, because we believe in jobs with protections for workers, jobs without pervasive racism and sexual harassment, and renewable energy "solutions" that do not force children into slavery. And we made sure Tesla heard this loud and clear. Our $300K/year, four-person, queer, women-led organization – forced Tesla and Elon Musk, in front of the world that was tuning into their annual meeting of meetings, to reckon with the harm they have caused.  

Through the brilliant leadership of my colleague, Linnea Brett, and an incredible team of former Tesla Gigafactory 2 employees, Clean Air forced our seat at the table. The host read two comments during the meeting before abruptly ending the comment section for the evening. Clean Air’s comment was the second comment read, and you can actually see the shock and surprise come over the host as he struggled to read it. 

Take a minute and watch it for yourself here… I assure you it is worth your time! 

If you’re a relative or friend reading this from another state, thank you so much for following my work and believing in both me and the power of organizing. And if you’re here in Western New York, you know what’s up. Let’s continue to support each other to make our home a better place for all of us.

With that said, please contribute everything you can. Organizing is how we have always made progress in our communities and across this country, and it's how we will continue to fight for justice and reimagine what is possible through radical love for one another. 

Love,

Julia 

P.S. If you’re interested in learning more about Clean Air and our organizing, I encourage you to take a look at Clean Air’s 2019 Annual Report, our blog, and follow us on Facebook!