Color of Change explained

Color of Change
Type:501(c)(4)
Founded Date:2005[1]
Founder:James Rucker, Van Jones
Location:Oakland, California
Key People:Rashad Robinson, Heather McGhee
Focus:Civil rights, politics, mass media
Method:Online advocacy, lobbying, petitions
Revenue:$4.02 million (2023)[2]

Color of Change is a progressive[3] [4] nonprofit civil rights advocacy organization in the United States.[5] [6] [7] It was formed in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in order to use online resources to strengthen the political voice of African Americans.[8] Color of Change is a 501(c)(4) advocacy organizing with an affiliated political action committee.[9]

History and overview

Color of Change was co-founded in 2005 by James Rucker and Van Jones to replicate the MoveOn.org email list model among African American Internet users.[10] [11] Rucker had previously worked for the MoveOn.org Political Action and MoveOn.org Civic Action while Jones was the founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.[12] Rashad Robinson is the organization's president, having joined the organization in May 2011.[13]

Color of Change utilizes the Internet, and specifically e-mail, as its main conduit for communicating with its members. Web 2.0 developments such as social networking sites also contribute to the organization's strategy.[14] [15]

In 2015, Color of Change was ranked 6th on Fast Company's list of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World.[16]

Rashad Robinson serves as the organization's president. In December 2019 Heather McGhee became chair of the board of directors.[17]

Activities

Criminal justice advocacy

The organization gained prominence with its national campaign to assist the Jena Six, in which Color of Change raised $212,000 for the Jena Six legal defense, largely through online donations.[12] [18] The Chicago Tribunes Howard Witt noted that Color of Change was the only national civil rights group to be fully transparent with their use of the funds related to the Jena Six.[19] The Jena campaign was such a galvanizing force that it tripled Color of Change's membership.[18]

In September 2008, Color of Change began a campaign in support of Troy Davis. Over 666,000 petitions urging clemency for Mr. Davis were delivered to the Georgia pardons board.[20] The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles denied clemency to Troy Davis.[21] Color of Change released a formal statement after Troy Davis' death.[22]

Color of Change began a campaign in support of Trayvon Martin on March 19, 2012. The organization also advocated the repeal of Stand Your Ground laws nationwide.[23] [24]

In 2013, Color of Change launched a campaign targeting private prisons, demanding that investors in private prisons divest their investments. Various corporations have since divested nearly $60 million from the private prison industry.[25]

Criticism of media

Glenn BeckIn 2009, Color of Change launched a campaign urging advertisers on Glenn Beck's Fox News show to pull their ads, in response to comments by Beck in which he called President Obama "a racist" who has a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture."[26] Affected advertisers switched their ads to different Fox programs.[27]
Nas and Fox NewsA campaign against Fox News was developed in protest of recurring remarks that Color of Change believed to be racist,[28] including negative comments directed at President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.[29] [30] [31] This campaign was led by hip hop artist Nas, Color of Change, Moveon.org, and Brave New Films. The campaign collected 620,000 petition signatures, which were delivered to Fox News headquarters in July 2008.[32]
Pat BuchananIn 2011, Color of Change launched a campaign urging MSNBC to fire Pat Buchanan for his alleged remarks about white supremacy and his affiliation with a white supremacist radio program.[33] [34] MSNBC suspended Buchanan's show for four months before cancelling it in February 2012.[35]
News Accuracy Report CardIn March 2015, Color of Change and Media Matters for America released Not To Be Trusted: Dangerous Levels of Inaccuracy in TV Crime Reporting in NYC,[36] a report detailing how the organization believes that local news coverage in New York City distorts the picture of criminal justice, and the negative impacts this inaccurate imagery has on black communities.[37]
All My Babies' MamasIn January 2013, Color of Change launched a campaign demanding that Oxygen and its parent company, NBCUniversal, cease production on the reality TV show All My Babies’ Mamas, starring rapper Shawty Lo and the ten mothers of his eleven children. Color of Change argued that the show perpetrated harmful stereotypes about African American families.[38] A Change.org petition garnered over 40,000 signatures and Oxygen announced the cancellation of the show.[39]
Saturday Night LiveIn October 2013, an open letter penned by Color of Change Executive Director Rashad Robinson and published in The Hollywood Reporter criticized Saturday Night Live (SNL) Executive Producer Lorne Michaels for the lack of diversity on SNL, pointing out that only three black women had joined the show’s repertory cast in its then-39-year history.[40]

Othniel Askew

In October 2014, Color of Change listed Othniel Askew among other victims of police violence published on Twitter. Askew was shot by a police officer in 2003 moments after he assassinated the New York City council member James Davis while he still had seven bullets in his gun. Several of the witnesses of the event were outraged by the Davis's inclusion.[41]

Amy PascalIn December 2014, Color of Change launched a petition for Sony to fire Amy Pascal, the co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, after her e-mails were leaked.[42] Pascal had suggested President Barack Obama would enjoy Django Unchained and The Butler, two films which deal with slavery in the United States and the pre-civil rights era.[43] [44]

Policy positions

In 2012, representatives from the Color of Change attended a meeting of the Democracy Initiative, a progressive coalition whose goals include restricting political contributions permitted by the United States Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and combating voter ID laws.[45]

In July 2014, Color of Change launched a campaign calling out ten members of the Congressional Black Caucus for opposing efforts to protect net neutrality.[46]

Color of Change advocated for investigations of Wall Street banks in the wake of a national housing and foreclosure crisis.[47]

Political advocacy

American Legislative Exchange Council

Color of Change began a boycott campaign against the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) on December 8, 2011, objecting to ALEC's support of Voter ID laws.[48] [49] After the campaign was expanded to a protest of stand-your-ground laws following the Trayvon Martin shooting, a number of major companies pulled their funding from ALEC. Color of Change also urged its members to take online and offline action to convince corporations to quit ALEC.[50]

Congressional Black Caucus

The organization lobbied the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in 2007 to not host a Democratic presidential debate with the Fox network.[51] Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama eventually decided to shun the Congressional Black Caucus/Fox debate. James Rucker, one of the founders of Color of Change, argued that Fox was using its partnership with the CBC as part of an image building campaign to make itself appear more "Black-friendly."[52]

In 2008, Color of Change began an e-mail campaign to urge members of the CBC (those who are superdelegates) to endorse candidates according to how their districts voted.[53] In February 2008, Representative John Lewis, a senior member in Congress and the CBC, declared that he would switch his allegiance from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama because his district overwhelmingly supported Obama in its primary.[54]

Support for net neutrality

In 2019, Color of Change joined several other organizations calling for support for net neutrality by asking for pressure to be put on Senator Mitch McConnell to stop blocking the Save the Internet Act in the U.S. Senate.[55] [56]

Opposition to use of plantations for weddings

In late 2019, after contact initiated by Color of Change, "five major websites often used for wedding planning have pledged to cut back on promoting and romanticizing weddings at former slave plantations."[57]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Gold. Matea. Glenn Beck goes after Color of Change co-founder Van Jones. 2 June 2015. Los Angeles Times. August 24, 2009. 10 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150410012400/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/08/glenn-beck-ignores-ad-boycott.html. live.
  2. Web site: Suozzo . Andrea . Glassford . Alec . Ngu . Ash . Brandon . Roberts . Colorofchange Org - Nonprofit Explorer . ProPublica . 13 July 2024 . en . 11 July 2024.
  3. News: Carroll. Lauren. Contorno. Steven. Republicans are trying to impeach Barack Obama, civil rights group says. 2 June 2015. Tampa Bay Times. PolitiFact.com. October 30, 2014.
  4. News: Chockshi. Niraj. Yahoo, Yelp, Facebook, Google and Microsoft reconsider their relationship with free-market group ALEC. 2 June 2015. The Washington Post. September 24, 2014.
  5. News: Thompson. Krissah. Activist groups take full advantage of new media outlets to spread their message. 2 June 2015. The Washington Post. December 28, 2010.
  6. Web site: What Is ColorOfChange.org?. Color of Change. 2 June 2015.
  7. News: Lewis. Renee. Activists demand comprehensive federal data on Americans killed by police. 2 June 2015. Al Jazeera America. October 22, 2014.
  8. Book: Shaw. Randy. Activist's Handbook: Winning Social Change in the 21st Century. 2013. University of California Press. 9780520956995. 170.
  9. News: Kaplan. Larry. DOJ Initiative on Community-Police Relations Draws Support. 2 June 2015. Nonprofit Quarterly. September 22, 2014.
  10. News: Weigel. David. Shut Up Everybody. 2 June 2015. Slate. March 28, 2011. 23 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160123130137/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2011/03/shut_up_everybody.html. live.
  11. News: Bai. Matt. Is Obama the End of Black Politics?. 2 June 2015. The New York Times. August 6, 2008. 12 August 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080812043508/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/magazine/10politics-t.html?pagewanted=all. live.
  12. Book: Moulitsas Zuniga. Markos. Taking on the System: Rules for Change in a Digital Era. 2008. Penguin. 9781440635526.
  13. News: Seligson. Hannah. The Advocates Jerime Black, Rashad Robinson. 2 June 2015. Ad Week. October 8, 2012. 7 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150907235315/http://www.adweek.com/sa-article/advocates-144201. live.
  14. News: Witt. Howard . Blogs help drive Jena protest. Chicago Tribune. 2007-09-18. 2008-03-24 .
  15. News: ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES. 2 June 2015. CNN. September 20, 2007. 30 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150530070246/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0709/20/acd.01.html. live.
  16. News: McCorvey. J.J.. Color of Change. 2 June 2015. Fast Company. 9 June 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150609190359/http://www.fastcompany.com/3039581/most-innovative-companies-2015/color-of-change. live.
  17. Web site: COLOR OF CHANGE ANNOUNCES HEATHER MCGHEE AS NEW CHAIR OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS. Color of Change. December 9, 2021. March 6, 2021. January 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210122122229/https://colorofchange.org/press_release/color-of-change-announces-heather-mcghee-as-new-chair-of-board-of-directors/. live.
  18. News: Garofoli. Joe. Louisiana's Jena Six beating case galvanizes S.F.'s 'black MoveOn'. 2 June 2015. San Francisco Gate. September 22, 2007. 6 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151006133842/http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Louisiana-s-Jena-Six-beating-case-galvanizes-2539458.php. live.
  19. News: Howard . Witt . Controversy over the Jena 6 funds . 2007-11-11 . 2008-02-02 . Chicago Tribune . 2008-02-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080202001835/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-jena_bdnov11,1,5899685.story . live .
  20. Web site: Sullivan. Lena. Groups deliver petitions for Troy Davis. Georgia Daily News. 11 May 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20130921222506/http://www.gadailynews.com/news/73097-groups-deliver-petitions-for-troy-davis.html. 21 September 2013. dead.
  21. News: Barr. Bob. Ruling to execute Troy Davis violates core principles. CNN. 11 May 2012. 12 November 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121112143831/http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/20/opinion/barr-davis-ruling-wrong/index.html. live.
  22. News: Robinson. Rashad. Troy Davis Is Dead; the Movement Continues. The Huffington Post. 11 May 2012. 2011-09-22. 2012-04-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20120423021507/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rashad-robinson/troy-davis-is-dead-the-mo_b_975152.html. live.
  23. News: Nichols. John. Outrage Is Rising Against Stand Your Ground. 2 June 2015. The Nation. July 16, 2013. 27 June 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150627010357/http://www.thenation.com/blog/175312/outrage-rising-florida-and-nationally-against-stand-your-ground. live.
  24. News: Muskal. Michael. Renisha McBride, Trayvon Martin shootings: How they compare. 2 June 2015. Los Angeles Times. November 15, 2013. 13 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150413224350/http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-renisha-mcbride-trayvon-martin-20131115-story.html. live.
  25. News: Quandt. Katie Rose. Corporations Divest Nearly $60 Million From Private Prison Industry. 2 June 2015. Mother Jones. April 28, 2014. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170312092509/http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/04/investment-corporations-divest-60-million-private-prison-cca-geo-group. live.
  26. New York Daily News, 18 August 2009, President Obama insult by Glenn Beck has advertisers boycotting show
  27. [Bloomberg Businessweek]
  28. Web site: An overview: Fox News and its problem with African-Americans. Color of Change. 11 May 2012. 26 August 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110826120919/http://orig.colorofchange.org/fox/summary.html. dead.
  29. Slate: The "Terrorist Fist Jab" and Me. July 14, 2008.
  30. News: Malcolm. Andrew. Fox News in trouble again over Obama smear: 'baby mama'. Los Angeles Times. 11 May 2012. 2008-06-12. 2012-04-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20120406203317/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/06/baby-mama.html. live.
  31. Tuned In, Time: In Which I Admit That Bill O'Reilly Is Right. March 31, 2008.
  32. News: Reid. Shaheem. Nas Takes Fox News To Task For What He Calls 'Racist Attacks,' At NYC Rally. 2 June 2015. MTV. July 23, 2008. 23 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160123130137/http://www.mtv.com/news/1591451/nas-takes-fox-news-to-task-for-what-he-calls-racist-attacks-at-nyc-rally/. dead.
  33. Huffington Post: Pat Buchanan's MIA From MSNBC While Promoting Controversial Book. November 8, 2011.
  34. News: Shapiro. Rebecca. Color Of Change Urges MSNBC To Fire Pat Buchanan. 2 June 2015. Huffington Post. October 25, 2011. 5 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150405044429/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/25/color-of-change-msnbc-pat-buchanan_n_1031274.html. live.
  35. News: Bauder. David. Pat Buchanan, MSNBC Part Ways: Network Drops Conservative Commentator 4 Months After Suspending Him. The Huffington Post. 8 May 2012. 2012-02-16. 2012-04-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20120424225737/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/16/pat-buchanan-msnbc-part-ways_n_1283483.html. live.
  36. Web site: Not To Be Trusted: Dangerous Levels of Inaccuracy in TV Crime Reporting in NYC. Color of Change. 2015-05-15. 2015-05-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20150523112722/http://www.colorofchange.org/newsaccuracyratings/. live.,
  37. Web site: Not To Be Trusted: Dangerous Levels of Inaccuracy in TV Crime Reporting in NYC – Color Of Change. 2018-10-10. 2018-07-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20180720022600/https://colorofchange.org/newsaccuracyratings/. live.
  38. News: Couch. Aaron. Civil Rights Group Accuses Oxygen Reality Show of Racism. 2 June 2015. The Hollywood Reporter. January 13, 2013. 10 June 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150610113136/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/oxygens-all-my-babies-mamas-411766. live.
  39. News: Porter. Alfonzo. All My Babies' Mamas: Change.org scores a victory against negative images. 2 June 2015. The Washington Post. January 16, 2013. 13 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150513112151/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/all-my-babies-mamas-changeorg-scores-a-victory-against-negative-images/2013/01/16/443e9fac-5ff2-11e2-a389-ee565c81c565_blog.html. live.
  40. Web site: Civil Rights Group to Lorne Michaels: Why Doesn't 'SNL' Cast Black Women? (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. 1 November 2013. 1 November 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131101234518/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/snl-lorne-michaels-asked-by-652441. live.
  41. Web site: Gartland . Michael . Gonen . Yoav . 2014-10-22 . Politician’s assassin was a police brutality victim: group . 2023-01-05 . New York Post . en-US . 2023-01-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230105102307/https://nypost.com/2014/10/22/politicians-assassin-was-a-police-brutality-victim-group/ . live .
  42. Aaron Couch, Civil Rights Group Asks Sony to Fire Amy Pascal Over Leaked Emails, The Hollywood Reporter, December 18, 2014
  43. Web site: Scott Rudin On Obama's Favorite Movies: "I Bet He Likes Kevin Hart". BuzzFeed. 2014-12-10. Matthew Zeitlin. 2017-08-25. 2014-12-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20141211061915/https://www.buzzfeed.com/matthewzeitlin/scott-rudin-on-obama-i-bet-he-likes-kevin-hart. live.
  44. Web site: A Sony exec cracks jokes about Obama's race, and eight more bruising revelations from the Sony leak. The Washington Post. 2014-12-11. Hayley Tsukayama. 2017-08-25. 2015-03-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20150327045252/http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/12/11/a-sony-exec-cracks-jokes-about-obamas-race-and-eight-more-bruising-revelations-from-the-sony-leak/?resType=accessibility. live.
  45. News: Kroll. Andy. Revealed: The Massive New Liberal Plan to Remake American Politics. 2 June 2015. Mother Jones. January 19, 2013. 3 June 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150603044700/http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/01/democracy-initiative-campaign-finance-filibuster-sierra-club-greenpeace-naacp. live.
  46. Web site: Fight over net neutrality gets racial. Seattle pi. 3 July 2014. 14 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140714200938/http://blog.seattlepi.com/techchron/2014/07/03/fight-over-net-neutrality-gets-racial/. live.
  47. News: MoveOn, Color Of Change Demand Obama To Investigate Wall Street Banks, Housing Crisis. 2 June 2015. Huffington Post. January 19, 2012. 23 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141123135503/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/moveon-obama-wall-street_n_1216752.html. live.
  48. News: Hsu. Tiffany. Coca-Cola, Kraft leave conservative ALEC after boycott launched. 2 June 2015. Los Angeles Times. April 6, 2012. 12 October 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141012004042/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/06/business/la-fi-mo-coca-cola-kraft-alec-20120406. dead.
  49. News: Condon. Stephanie. Liberals keep up the pressure on ALEC. 2 June 2015. CBS News. April 23, 2012. 23 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160123130138/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/liberals-keep-up-the-pressure-on-alec/. live.
  50. Hoffman. John. ColorofChange.org and Advocacy: The ALEC Campaign. Nonprofit Quarterly. 10 May 2012. 9 May 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120509231116/http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/policysocial-context/20238-success-in-advocacy-a-conversation-with-colorofchangeorgs-gabriel-rey-goodlatte.html. live.
  51. Web site: Derkacz. Evan. Group calls on Dems to leave Fox debate out in cold. Alternet. 2007-04-05. 2008-03-24. 2008-03-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20080315162402/http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/50198/. live.
  52. News: Hernandez. Raymond, and Jacques Steinberg. For Democrats, Debate on Fox Reveals Divide. The New York Times. 2007-05-27. 2008-03-24. 2011-05-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20110513194821/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/washington/27fox.html?hp. live.
  53. Web site: Tell CBC superdelegates to uphold the will of the voters. Color of Change. 8 May 2012. http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20120906052645/http://colorofchange.org/campaign/superdelegates/. 6 September 2012. dead.
  54. News: Zeleny. Jeff, and Patrick Healy. Black Leader, a Clinton Ally, Tilts to Obama. The New York Times. 2008-02-15. 2008-03-24. 2011-05-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20110513194816/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/us/politics/15clinton.html?em&ex=1203138000&en=8f611eb3382183d3&ei=5087%0A. live.
  55. Web site: Tell Congress: Undo the FCC's disastrous Net Neutrality ruling. ColorOfChange.org. 2021-09-16. 2021-09-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20210916150010/https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/tell_congress_CRA/. live.
  56. Web site: Civil-Rights and Media-Equity Groups Call on Senate to Pass the Save the Internet Act. Free Press. 2019-06-29. 2019-06-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20190629210846/https://www.freepress.net/news/press-releases/civil-rights-and-media-equity-groups-call-senate-pass-save-internet-act. live.
  57. News: Pinterest and The Knot Pledge to Stop Promoting Plantation Weddings. Heather. Murphy. December 5, 2019. The New York Times. December 7, 2019. November 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211126072713/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/style/plantation-weddings-pinterest-knot-zola.html. live.

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