• An Illusive Freedom

• Latest news from the Green Party of Santa Clara County

It was 155 years ago on June 19, 1865, that an "end to slavery" was declared in Texas. Juneteenth celebrates this historic event, but are Black people really free in the 21st century? The disenfranchisement, systematic racism and oppression of Black and Brown communities across our country are still very present.

People of color continue to be targeted and killed by law enforcement across our country every single day. Black families have far less access to living wages, affordable housing, public services, social safety net programs, and even clean water than white families. A disproportionate number of Black communities live near refineries, railroads, highways and other hazardous and polluted areas, making them more vulnerable to health problems. At the same time, they are less likely to have access to healthcare or medical facilities and are therefore disproportionally prone to dying from preventable illnesses, including COVID-19. Black and Brown LGBTQ people – particularly Black trans women – experience the most discrimination and brutality in the criminal justice system, and are assaulted and murdered at alarming rates across the country.

In California, Black people represent 27% of the incarcerated population while they constitute only 6% of the state population according to the 2010 census, an almost five-fold over-representation. The 13th Amendment, which officially abolished slavery in the United States in 1865, states: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” This amendment created a vicious and effective loophole allowing slavery to continue and be legally accepted to this day as a form of criminal punishment. While Black people disproportionately fill the country’s growing for-profit prisons, they have been the enslaved work force for billion-dollar multinational corporations for decades. 

Black and Brown communities are still the most disenfranchised when it comes to voting in public elections and face perpetual barriers and racial discrimination that prevent them from fully participating in the democratic process. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 - one hundred years after Juneteenth - have also failed our Black and Brown communities.

This June 19, 2020, we must acknowledge and speak of our country's appalling history. The U.S. Green Party's Platform calls for full and complete reparations to the African-American community of this nation for the past four hundred plus years of genocide, slavery, land-loss, and destruction of original identity.  

Together, we can bring light to the interconnectedness of the racial, gender, social, economic and environmental injustices that our communities - especially the working-class Black and Brown communities - face in their daily lives. 

Injustice is the intersection of all movements, and it is the engine of the capitalistic, racist, and exploitative economic system that we live in. 

Join thousands across the nation this weekend and stand in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives by RSVPing for a local Juneteenth event near you.

The struggle for justice and freedom continues!

Juneteenth Port Shutdown: Rally & March

TODAY: Friday, June 19, 10 AM - 3 PM
SSA Terminal, 1717 Middle Harbor Rd, Oakland, 94607

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Longshore Division will stop work at all 29 ports on the West Coast for eight hours to commemorate JUNETEENTH, the holiday celebrating the end of slavery. Join ILWU locals 10, 34, 75, 91 and many other organizations in Oakland for a day of solidarity & resistance. This is a historic moment!

We'll meet at the SSA Terminal at 10 am, then caravan and/or march to Oscar Grant Plaza in front of Oakland City Hall. Please wear a mask and respect social distancing whenever possible.You can also tune in to 88.3 FM locally and the Pacifica channel for a stream of the event and speakers! 
The Green Party of Santa Clara County is a proud endorser of this event.

AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL!

REMINDER: Call For County Delegates to the Green Party of California

We will be appointing five Santa Clara County Delegates to the Green Party of California at our June meeting and we’d like to invite you to nominate any Green who might want to serve as a delegate for the upcoming term of July 2020 to June 2021. Our General Assembly (GA) and Standing General Assembly (SGA) Delegates will represent our county at in-person (or online) General Assemblies or vote electronically on decisions between in-person assemblies. Delegates serve for one year terms of July 1 to June 30, and there are no term limits. Contact us if you're interested and/or wish to learn more. Thank you!

SAVE THE DATE
2020 Annual National Meeting and Presidential Nominating Convention

Annual National Meeting: July 9-12
Presidential Nominating Convention: July 11, 9 AM

The Green Party Annual National Meeting and Presidential Nominating Convention will be held online due to COVID-19. Register to the National Meeting here.
The Presidential Nominating Convention will be broadcast LIVE for free on Saturday, July 11 starting at 9 am PDT. If you are a PNC delegate you must register.

#GreenEnter2020

Green Party of California General Assembly Report

June 13-14, Virtual Conference

The Green Party of California (GPCA) held its virtual spring General Assembly (GA) on June 13 and 14. The GA was very well attended with over 70 participants! This was the first time a GA was held online (via Zoom) and all registrants were able to connect, listen to, and participate in the different sessions. Some sessions included presentations about the importance of including marginalized persons in the political process by Reyma McCoy McDeid, the role of street medics by Xylem Larla Dey, a discussion on the Black Lives Matter protests and possible Green Party actions, the principles of a solidarity economy by Mel Figueroa and David Cobb, and a short introduction to our two Green candidates, Jake Tonkel and Margaret Villa. Minutes of the GA will be available here after they're approved by our SGA delegates.

Thank you ALL for making the June virtual GA a success!

GPSCC June Monthly Meeting

Thursday, June 25, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

We are meeting via conference call or Zoom until the shelter in place orders are lifted. Contact us if you plan on attending and we'll send you the information!

The Green Party of Santa Clara County
http://sccgreens.org