The Newsletter

WELCOME BACK. TODAY IS FRIDAY, JUNE 9.

Hello beautiful people, and happy Pride month!

My name is Christine, and I use she/her pronouns. As one of the newer staff members at Supermajority, I’m very excited to connect with you all for the first time! A little background on me: I am a native Marylander. So yes, I am one of those obnoxious people with a closet full of Maryland clothes, who casually eats crabs in their pastime. I was born alongside my twin sister in Washington, D.C., and spent much of my professional life in Virginia. I like to call myself a true DMV queen. Though, every once in a while, you can find me unapologetically sneaking out to California for a break.

I recently celebrated my birthday in May, and this year was different for me. That’s because, for the first time in decades, I was not scrambling to turn in a college final. This year, I finally had a chance to reset and hone in on something I’ve neglected for so long: self-care. In my African culture, women often selflessly take care of their “village” and home, which typically leaves no room for self-care. Outside of my culture, I’m sure this is something that resonates with a lot of women.

So this year, I’ve adopted a holistic approach to self-care and found ways to care for myself physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially. I also learned a new favorite word… no :)… and have been loving the drastic changes in my life so far. So my call to everyone reading this newsletter is to perform at least one form of self-care for yourself before spring ends in the next few weeks.

I love my role in people operations at Supermajority because well-being and the employee experience is the heart of my role. I came to Supermajority last year, and it’s breathtaking being a part of an organization that embodies its core values and our Majority Rules in everything we do in our workplace. Every day, I get to connect with my incredible team of Superpeople and help build an environment that is inclusive and safe for all — to me, that is another form of self-care.

Interested in specific ways I’ve incorporated self-care into my life? Continue reading this week’s newsletter, and let me know which ways you are committing to practicing self-care.

Here’s what you’ll find in today’s biweekly newsletter: injustices related to Cop City in Atlanta, an intro to Supermajority Ed Fund’s new Majority Leaders Speaker Series, an update on the debt ceiling, an invitation to Organizing Night School, and the details surrounding another tragic incident of gun violence in Florida. Plus, I’ll share what’s been bringing me joy lately.

ORGANIZERS OF BAIL FUND FOR “COP CITY” PROTESTERS ARRESTED

On Wednesday, May 31, Atlanta police officers and agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation raided a home and arrested three leaders of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, an organization that has been bailing out and organizing legal funds for protesters opposing the construction of “Cop City.”

An article from The Intercept states, “Wednesday’s arrests are just the latest in extreme law enforcement persecution of the popular Stop Cop City movement. A total of 42 activists are currently facing state domestic terror charges on the flimsiest of police claims, while three others face hefty felony intimidation charges for distributing flyers that named a police officer connected to the brutal police killing of 26-year-old forest defender Manuel ‘Tortuguita’ Terán.”

We will not stand for continued abuse of power by elected officials. We will continue to work towards voting out politicians that do not represent us, and voting in politicians who set out to do what is best for women and our families — especially when we are organizing for ourselves and our communities.

SUPERMAJORITY ED FUND’S MAJORITY LEADERS SPEAKER SERIES

A DEAL TO RAISE THE DEBT CEILING

Late on June 1, the Senate finally passed a debt limit bill. Power-hungry politicians have been threatening to stall budget agreements to gain leverage and further their personal agenda since they gained control of the House of Representatives back in November.

Thursday’s agreement comes just days before the government would have defaulted on its debt — something that could have pushed us into an economic recession and resulted in millions of job losses. When Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling, the U.S. government runs out of cash to pay its bills. That would halt government operations and freeze spending (even for things like payroll). It also creates a ton of economic uncertainty. It’s all an attempt to make cuts to critical programs and slide in legislation that can hold us back from making progress on the policy we need.

The final bill had a lot of concessions, and members of both parties have made it clear that nobody got everything they wanted out of the agreement. Budget discussions in Congress don’t have to be this way. Our elected officials shouldn’t use the livelihood of millions of people in America and the health of our economy as a bargaining chip for their own political gain. That’s why voting is so critical. We need our representatives to, well, represent us. And voting is one tool to ensure those we vote into office remember who put them there.

ORGANIZING NIGHT SCHOOL

Next Tuesday, June 13, at 7 p.m. ET, join Supermajority for a look ahead into the process and stakes of the 2024 presidential election, hosted by our states deputy director, Zack Mooney.

SAY HER NAME: AJ OWENS

Last Friday evening in Ocala, Fla., Ajike ‘AJ’ Owens, a Black mom of four, was shot and killed in front of her 9-year-old son by her white neighbor through a front door. Details are still being sorted out, but it appears several children were playing on the grass in the housing development when the shooter left her unit, threw a skate at the children, scooped up an iPad, and went back inside. One of the children told AJ what happened, and AJ went to the woman’s door to get back the iPad taken from her child.

Due to the “stand your ground” laws in Florida, no arrest was made until late Tuesday night. Officials waited to determine whether the deadly force was justified or not before they made the arrest. The shooter was arrested on charges of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery, and two counts of assault — but not murder. This tragedy is a reminder that the lives of women, particularly Black women, are not safe. While details are continuing to develop, and until justice is served, we will #SayHerName and keep imagining a world where the Majority Rules are real for all.

MY WEEKEND READS

WHAT’S BEEN BRINGING ME JOY

• Awaiting the weekly Crumbl Cookies menu every Sunday at 8 p.m.
• Making time for my hobbies: learning instruments, baking, tennis, and hiking.
• Planning meetups with friends that live across the country.
• Making funny memories with my family, even if it’s just catching them with a silly photo filter.
• Watching my pup grow into her sassy and independent personality.
• Watching my Black friends getting accepted into and graduating from med school.
• Traveling, solo trips, and being open to new and fun experiences.

Thanks for reading—you’ll hear from another staff member in two weeks.
Christine