U.S (Color Of Change) : POWER the MOVEMENT with a GIFT !

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friend,

 

 

 

This week, we celebrate the 67th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the first large-scale U.S. demonstration against segregation organized in response to Rosa Parks’ December 1st arrest for refusing to give up her seat for a white man.

Parks was not just a passenger on a bus who happened to say, “No.” She had her roots in activism and was an active member of the NAACP since 1943, serving as the Montgomery chapter secretary and youth director.

And she did not act alone.

After her arrest, Black community leaders began to organize. A group of Black women known as the Women’s Political Council circulated fliers calling for a boycott on the day Parks would be tried, and Black ministers helped to raise awareness of the planned action. Several Black leaders got together to form the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), electing a young Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as their president. On December 5th, 1955, approximately 40,000 Black bus riders — the great majority of the city’s bus riders — began a 381-day long boycott that ultimately resulted in the Supreme Court’s ruling that bus segregation was unconstitutional.

Dear friend, we believe that big change starts with local action — that’s why we engage year-round with local COC members to build community through service and hold decision-makers accountable on systemic issues affecting our communities. Our movement of everyday people is powerful, but we need your support — will you make a contribution of $25 or more today to fuel our grassroots organizing work with COC squads across the country?

 

 

Make A Gift To Power Our COC Squads

 

 

Today and every day, we honor the legacy of not just Rosa Parks and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — but of the many everyday folks behind the Montgomery Bus Boycott who exercised their collective power to bring a city to its knees. To sustain the movement throughout the 381-day boycott, Black leaders offered carpools and regular mass meetings to keep the community mobilized. Black taxi drivers began charging just 10 cents for Black riders — the same price as the bus fare. Many Black residents simply walked where they needed to go.

These community members provide us with successful models of protest and reveal the tenacity and strength of everyday Americans. They show us that organizing isn’t about any one person — it’s about making sure that communities feel empowered to fight for and organize for the change they want to see.

And that’s exactly what we’re working to do here at Color Of Change. In addition to holding days of service and events like our Black Women’s Brunches and Children’s Carnivals to engage folks in conversation and meet their direct needs, we’re working with COC squad members to develop their own organizing and leadership skills. We’re running training programs like our Storytelling Academy to ensure that COC members can harness the power of their own stories to drive change.

When you support Color Of Change, you’re supporting OG squad members like Sheila and Clovetta M. — two teachers who first got involved with COC in 2016, and who have been fighting to win reparations for Black students and end the school to prison pipeline in Oakland.

You’re supporting real, everyday people who are fighting for change in every region of the country. So friend, chip in $25 or more to support our ongoing work with local COC squads to serve and empower our communities to tackle the issues that matter!

 

 

Pitch In To Empower Communities Across The Country

 

 

There’s nothing more powerful than a community that shows up for one another.

We’re grateful for your support.

Until Justice Is Real,

 

 

 

 

The Color Of Change Team.

Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change.