Green and Global: March 12-27 2019

Hello Teen Resisters!
We hope you've had a good week. There's lots to cover this week. A couple things that you should be aware of:
- The results of the Mueller probe into Trump/Russia relations came in this week and the report was summarized in a 4-page letter by Trump's Attorney General, William Barr. Barr's summary reported that Mueller charged Trump with no crimes but also did not "exonerate" him from possible obstruction of justice. Trump has been shouting victory since, while Congress has demanded that the entire report be released to at least Congress, and ultimately the American public, by April 2nd.
- News also came in today that the Trump admin is cutting funds to numerous programs, including that DeVos wants to defund Special Olympics programs and Trump is once again cutting aid to Puerto Rico. The news came in too late for us to cover it in this week's list, but we'll cover it next time. Also coming up: a full-length feature about understanding the White Nationalist movement and what it means. 
Sending you lots of light in these first wonderful weeks of Spring!
​xx

What Went Down

Islamophobic Attack in New Zealand: 
This past week has been incredibly difficult for New Zealanders, and the rest of the world. Just over a week ago, a white nationalist gunman opened fire on two mosques, resulting in the death and injury of over 50 people. The shooter, a 28-year-old Australian, attacked two mosques on Friday, March 15th. This day is now dubbed “one of the darkest days in New Zealand’s history” by Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Prime Minister. The Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosques, where the acts of terror took place, were just miles apart.
This shooting took place on a Friday, which is considered a Muslim holy day, during morning prayer. The perpetrator was found to have posted a manifesto online of ramblings that spouted racist, white-nationalistic views; specifically against Muslims and immigrants. The manifesto refers to the likes of Dylann Roof (who targeted Black people attending worship in a predominantly Black church), and Anders Breivik, who attacked and killed a multitude of people at a summer camp just years ago. He cited President Trump and the American white nationalist movement as his inspiration. Besides just publishing his ramblings online, the shooter also live-streamed the attack on social media.
The attacks, a result of Islamophobia and the rise of the white nationalist movement, claimed the lives of over 50 people and injured about just as many, including children. Many people worldwide are standing in solidarity with their Muslim neighbors, including teams of people who are volunteering to watch and stand guard while they worship and pray. And, just 3 days following the attack, Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, announced that the government has agreed to reform the country’s gun laws. Ardern was quoted, saying the following:  "Within 10 days of this horrific act of terrorism we will have announced reforms which will, I believe, make our community safer," New Zealand’s gun laws, although considered more relaxed than other western countries (besides the US), will reportedly face rigorous reform. Currently, gun owners require a license but are not required to register their guns. It is also estimated that about 1.2 million people in New Zealand are in possession of a firearm, which is roughly one gun for every three people.
It took three days, just 72 hours, for New Zealand officials to ban assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. Ardern also vowed not to use the shooter’s name, committed to fighting white nationalism and Nazism, and New Zealand gun owners have been turning in their guns. The US, in stark comparison, has not yet acted in the need for universal background checks, despite being called for, for over half a decade. And our president has refused to strongly condemn or fight against the rising violence of the white nationalist movement that began in the 1960s. This travesty has rocked the world and it is important to take action in its wake.
What You Can Do:

• Fight Islamophobia wherever you are. Dispel negative stereotypes about your Muslim siblings and fight back when people target Muslims simply for being Muslim.
• Advocate for gun control legislation! We all know too well that although this happened across the world, the potential is ripe in the US. We must pass gun reform- we’ve already seen how white nationalist ideology is weaponized by guns in this country, in Pittsburgh, Charleston, etc. We highlight the Background Check Expansion Act in this list- go check it out!
• Fight against white nationalism. One very important thing we can do is understand the white nationalist movement and how it differs from other forms of white supremacy. We must understand its roots and ideology in order to defeat it. And we must demand that our representatives in government fight against it, as it is a movement dangerously infiltrating our government and mainstream culture. For some good reading, start here and here and in general, read the work of Eric Ward.

New Zealand students perform a haka in memoriam of the lives lost. Photo via The Atlantic.

A mourner prays at a memorial site. Photo via The Atlantic.

A vigil with candles in New Zealand. Photo via The Atlantic.

Mourners across the street from one of the mosques that was attacked. Photo via The Atlantic.

Climate Walkout: Youth Climate Strike
On Friday, March 15, students around the world walked out of school to protest the government’s lack of action on the imminent issue of climate change. Millions of people, including adults, took to the streets in order with a set of demands that included a reduction in Greenhouse gas emissions and that U.S. leaders implement the Green New Deal. Read the full platform here. Climate change is an increasingly dire issue, with a deadline fast approaching: in 2030, the effects of climate change will become irreversible. Effects include but are not limited to: a climate refugee crisis with a population of refugees equivalent to the population of North and South America combined, the depletion of natural resources, extinction of species including our own, and vastly different lifestyles. There may even be a new kind of war: some climate experts think that foreign governments will wage eventually wage war on countries that are not making energy adjustments and putting other countries in jeopardy. We need fighting climate change to be a priority for our government. We’ll keep updating you with legislation to support.
    
Green New Deal- What is it?
The Green New Deal (sometimes referred to as the New New Deal) is a proposed plan that aims to combat growing issues of Financial as well as Environmental Crisis/Climate change. It’s named after the Roosevelt-era New Deal that was implemented in the face of the Great Depression and radically changed US social and economic policies. The Green New Deal aims to do the same thing in the face of the climate crisis. The Green New Deal has been a point of controversy, throughout the country and within the Democratic Party. The initiative is headed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the powerhouse freshman representative from New York. In general, the proposal aims to wean the US off of fossil fuels and convert to 100% renewable energy by 2030. It’s a big task, but we can do it, and thus, we should. As teens, we know all too well that we will bear the brunt of this crisis. We’re taking the time here to officially endorse the Green New Deal and its principles. We believe that this is a necessary action that comes in a time of emergency.
The Green New Deal generally is supported by most people; the disagreement is just about what the action plan should look like.
Need to know more? Watch AOC break it down in the House this week.
More Understanding:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/20/opinion/green-new-deal-carbon-taxes.html

Climate strike in Munich, Germany. Photo via New York Times.

Climate strike in Hyderabad, India. Photo via New York Times.

Background Check Expansion Act: In late February, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would require background checks for almost all private gun sales. Representatives voted 240-190 to extend the background checks requirement to sales made at gun shows or over the internet. If passed in the Senate, the law will become one of the most significant gun safety measures to go through Congress in decades - and a long-past-overdue national legislative response to the rampant gun violence in the U.S.’ schools and streets.  
While eight Republicans in the House voted to pass the bill - and popular opinion on universal background checks is positive across the board, at 97% - Republican Senators refuse to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. While passage of the bill, even if brought to the floor, is unlikely, floor votes are important - they set precedent for future debate and action, and they force our representatives to go on record for supporting or opposing an issue, allowing us to hold them accountable at the ballot box. We need to fight for a vote on this bill.

What You Can Do:

• One of the ways we can pressure Mitch McConnell -- ultimately the one in charge of deciding whether the bill comes to the floor for a vote -- is by ensuring more cosponsors on the bill, both Democrat and Republican. Especially if you have Republican Senators - although not exclusively - call them, if not, reach out to friends and family members with Republican Senators to ask them to make the call. Check to see if your Senator cosponsors the bill here.
  • Script: Hello, my name is ____ and I’m a constituent of Senator ______’s. I’m calling to ask Senator _______ to cosponsor S. 42, the Universal Background Check bill. Gun violence claims the lives of 40,000 people every year, and it’s only getting worse; it’s long past time for Congress to pass substantive gun safety legislation. 97% of Americans support background checks. There is no excuse for opposing this measure. I urge Senator ______ to do their part in ensuring the bill comes to the floor for a vote by cosponsoring S. 42. Thank you.
• Sign this petition urging Senators to cosponsor the bill.
• If you can, support organizations advocating for gun safety measures like Everytown. ​

NYC School Segregation: Last week, as thousands of New York City 8th graders received letters regarding which high schools they were accepted into, the New York Times reported that only 7 Black students were accepted into Stuyvesant High School, an elite public school in Manhattan. This means that although Black and Hispanic students make up 67 percent of the NYC public school population, they only make up 10 percent of the specialized school population. NYC's public schools are the most segregated in the nation.
Stuyvesant High School along with seven other specialized high schools require the SHSAT, an annual standardized test to be taken in the fall of students’ eighth-grade year, as the sole means of admission. This is not the first time the test and its biased results have come into question. In 2013, Mayor Bill De Blasio's campaign platform included scrapping the SHSAT, but it wasn’t until June of 2018 that he proposed an alternative to the test. His proposal consisted of two main parts: to expand the Discovery program, as well as to eventually replace the test with a program that offers seats in specialized high schools to the top seven percent of every middle school. The expansion of the  Discovery program would aim to reserve 20% of seats in specialized schools to low-income students whose scores were just below the cutoff for admission. This proposal would need to pass in Albany and has already received pushback from many specialized high school alumni. This issue of systemic racial segregation in schools is far bigger than this test and the eight associated schools. So despite what many politicians would hope, it’s not an issue that can be solved with one bill or in a year. As representative Ocasio-Cortez pointed out during an education town hall a few weeks ago, “why isn’t every public school in New York City a Brooklyn Tech-caliber school?”

If this issue interests you, here are a few ways to get involved.

• Support and get involved with organizations such as Integrate NYC; “a youth-led organization that stands for integration and equity in New York City schools”
  • If you’re a student, you can sign their constitution to end school segregation.
  • To learn more about the history of this unjust system, listen to this virtual teach in.
• Pressure your state representative to support SHSAT reform and if you’re interested in this issue, stay educated on what kind of legislation might be happening!​​

See you soon!
Peace and Power,
​Teens Resist