January, 05 2021, 11:00pm EDT
Color Of Change PAC: Warnock and Ossoff Wins Pave Way for State and Nationwide Reforms that Will Help Black Communities
WASHINGTON
Today, Color Of Change PAC released the following statement from Arisha Hatch, executive director of Color Of Change PAC, celebrating the victories of Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff:
"The wins of Rev. Raphael Warnock and likely win of Jon Ossoff unlock the full possibility of the restorative and transformational agenda that Black voters and organizers worked for in November. By handing control of the Senate to the Democratic Party, these improbable and hard-won victories will allow President-elect Biden to pursue the agenda he laid forth in his victory speech, one that centers the needs of Black communities. Just like Biden-Harris' win in November, today's wins are a direct result of deep, relentless organizing by the Black community. Our community will hold the senators-elect, Congress, and the Biden administration accountable for delivering on their promises.
Electing leaders with real connections to our communities -- leaders who not only listen to our concerns and demands but act accordingly -- is key to creating meaningful solutions, improving our livelihoods and establishing strong foundations for future generations. We congratulate Color Of Change PAC-endorsed candidates Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff on their wins and look forward to working alongside them as they make the needs of their Black constituents and racial equity a priority once they take office."
Background on Color Of Change PAC's work in 2020:
Color Of Change PAC has been working to mobilize Black voters to ensure a historic turnout for this Senate runoff election. The organization launched a massive voter mobilization effort in the state to reach Black voters and encourage participation, including remote Black Joy voter contact events, as well as an in-person series consisting of "Black Joy Motercades", the "Black Joy Drive-In Series", and Black Joy PPE distribution events.
Over the past year, Color Of Change PAC explored ways to ensure that events were safe and followed social distancing requirements while remaining engaging, with food, music, and celebrity guests. Color Of Change PAC also hosted a number of text-a-thons and phone banking parties that allowed people to participate in the democratic process in new and exciting ways. Finally, the PAC invested significantly in digital ads, mailers, email and SMS communication, and peer-to-peer messaging and calls.
Here are a few of the key statistics about Color Of Change PAC's contributions to this election:
- 2 candidates endorsed that placed comprehensive and progressive reform on the ballot and pledged for real lasting change for Black people
- Over 2,600 volunteers mobilized
- 1,513,978 voters contacted (numbers dialed, numbers texted), including:
- 273,473 calls made to Black voters
- 840,505 texts sent to Black voters
- 400,000 direct mail pieces sent to Black voters and members
- Over 7,117,421 digital ad impressions
- 65 events held, with over 2,600 attendees
- Black Joy Drive-In with over 500 attendees (Photos available)
- Distributed over 40,000 PPE units
- 2,968,930 emails sent specific to the Senate Race since November
- 546,395 SMS broadcast texts launched
This election Color Of Change PAC, the political arm of one of the nation's largest Black-led racial justice organizations, set out to shift how the public views prosecutors and how prosecutors do their jobs is more salient today than ever before. The PAC led an educational campaign to inform voters about the link between criminal justice and voting reform and supported our endorsed candidates by building enthusiasm and mobilizing voters who are often left out. The PAC also congratulates our invaluable partners Working Families Party, New Georgia Project, Black Voters Matter Fund, America Votes - Georgia, and Sheriffs for Trusting Communities.
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"Joe Lieberman's legacy will live on as your medical debt."
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While current and former officials across the U.S. political spectrum shared praise for and fond memories of former Sen. Joe Lieberman in response to news of his death on Wednesday, critics highlighted how some of his key positions led to the deaths of many others.
Lieberman's family said the 82-year-old died at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital after a fall at his home in the Bronx. He served in the Connecticut Senate, as the state's attorney general, and in the U.S. Senate—initially as a Democrat and eventually as an Independent. He was also Democratic former Vice President Al Gore's running mate in the 2000 presidential election.
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The Lever's David Sirota declared, "RIP Joe Lieberman, Iraq War cheerleader who led the fight to make sure Medicare was not extended to millions of Americans who desperately needed the kind of healthcare coverage he enjoyed in the Senate."
The Debt Collective said on social media that "Joe Lieberman killed so many people when he killed the public option. Not to mention all the people he killed by cheerleading every war and every lie that led to war. A truly horrible person with a shameful legacy."
Journalist Jon Schwarz pointed out that Lieberman continued to lie about the WMDs long after the claims were debunked.
FormerMSNBC host Mehdi Hasan noted that Lieberman declined an opportunity to apologize for the disastrous war, sharing a clip from his on-camera interview with the ex-senator in 2021.
And please don\u2019t give me this \u2018don\u2019t speak ill of the dead\u2019 stuff - 1) I\u2019m not speaking ill, I\u2019m stating facts, and 2) public figures are public figures, and their obits reflect their legacies and so we should be honest in our accounts of their legacies. Not offensive but honest— (@)
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Irish Tánaiste Micheál Martin—the equivalent of a deputy prime minister in other parliamentary nations—said that Ireland decided to intervene in the case after analyzing the "legal and policy issues" pertaining to the case under review by the United Nations' top court.
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Martin continued:
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On January 26, the ICJ issued a preliminary ruling that Israel is plausibly committing genocide in Gaza and ordered its government and military to prevent genocidal acts. Palestinian and international human rights defenders say Israel has ignored the order.
A draft report
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