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1. Choose a note taking method (Cornell Notes, Sketch Notes, graphic organizer, or traditional notes) to document your findings.

2. How are you travelling?
A) Solo mission
B) Dynamic Duo
C) Group Collabo (3-4)

3. Review your Depth & Complexity/Content Imperative Chart.

4. EXPLORE THE GALLERY

5. As your read, view, and/or listen to each Gallery item, choose a Depth & Complexity icon or a Content Imperative from your critical thinking "toolkit" to analyze and examine the issues, perspectives, relationships, conflicts, and/or themes that are presented in this Gallery.

As always, your responses (comments) must include the Depth and Complexity icon and/or Content Imperative that you selected, and a well explained connection linking the icon to the TEXTUAL EVIDENCE (can include what you see or hear) that you used to support your assertions.

Also, remember to use the T.A.G. strategy, the genre and source of each gallery item are listed on the item 's tab.

BONUS: Use the Google search engine,  or Google Draw to create or identify images, drawings, news articles, quotes, social media posts, literature, memes, artwork, photos, or videos that connect or draw a PARALLEL between one of the featured Gallery  Items and your research. Click on the  (+), to add your research/contribution to the Gallery Wall.

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#19 - Young Voices Media Project - Organization & Website

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#19 - Young Voices Media Project - Organization & Website

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"I feel like now is when we should come together and work together so that we can bring real change that is positive for everyone. If we stick together, both sides are gonna win, and we will all be together."
- Janet Zavala, 17
By Amber Solorio
Soledad is often described as "the Gateway to the Pinnacles," with its abundant natural resources and rolling fields, but what the town should be known for are the people who live there. Sweat glistens on the foreheads of the campesinos - the farmworkers who work the land as the sun rises and disappears on the horizon over Salinas Valley.

Soledad is a beautiful, fruitful community in which many ethnic backgrounds are represented, with a Latino majority. Almost 73 percent of the town's 26,000 residents are Hispanic or Latino, while 8.6 percent are Black, according to 2019 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.

In the reawakening of the Black Lives Matter movement, youth from this small Monterey County community are stepping up to promote Black and Brown unity. Latinx youth advocates say that coming together is necessary because although their struggles are not the same, the parallels in the history of the Latinx and Black communities are real.

Somos for Black Lives, a national coalition of Latino leaders, wrote that the Latino community has failed to confront the anti-Blackness that exists: "Many in our community benefit from the privilege or illusion of proximity to whiteness, without acknowledging the depth of our own African diaspora.

Although many Latinos stand with the Black Lives Matter movement, some Latinx community members ask why they support BLM when they also are being targeted by violence such as police brutality, or the detainment of almost 70,000 migrant children in cages. According to Statista.com, 551 Hispanics have been shot to death by police between 2017 and 2020. In the first six months of 2020 alone, police have killed 66 Hispanics.

The city of Soledad held a BLM protest on June 6, 12 days after the murder of George Floyd. Through participating in the protest and other activities, youth advocates have been leading the charge to educate their community about the importance of solidarity.

One of these youth leaders is Soledad native Janet Zavala, an upcoming senior at Soledad High School. Throughout her high school experience, she has gained many leadership skills, been an active member of the community, and is a youth advocate for the BLM movement in Soledad. Janet described her experience educating her Latino parents about BLM.

"Both my parents are immigrants, so they have to get their information from Spanish-based places like the news or radio," she told Young Voices via FaceTime. "I remember in the beginning I asked them if I could go to the BLM protest in town and they both got really mad because they thought it was going to be a riot or dangerous."

Janet explained that her parents used to think that "all protesters do is cause problems," but after many conversations her parents now understand that the BLM movement fights for change and human value. She also constantly keeps them updated. Janet said that Black and Brown unity is important because "I hate the idea of people hating on others because of skin. Both Brown and Black people are fighting for that respect because of our skin colors and it's so upsetting to see us divided."

She believes that Latinx and African American communities are stronger together. She acknowledges both communities are being targeted but she doesn't believe that it means we should stop supporting BLM. "Just because we're helping a group doesn't mean that we're taking away from our own; if we ally with them they'll ally with us," she said. "I feel that we should fix the worst first and then go on with the rest."

The Latinx and African American communities have experienced racism and police brutality. Janet explained that the focus is so much more on the Black community right now because its members have experienced it a lot harsher and longer. But the two communities have faced the same struggles, so coming together is a win for both sides, she said.

Sixteen-year-old Sofia Vargas is an upcoming junior at Soledad High School. Although she recently moved to Soledad, Sofia has found ways to stay active in her community. Through her contributions to clubs like the Environmental Club and Youth Council, she hopes to make it a better place for future generations.

Sofia also is a young advocate for the BLM movement. In a phone interview, Sofia explained that her family is willing to listen and understand, although she has faced challenges with relatives that work for the police force. She's helped her family members learn about things such as the importance of petitions and how they can help create political change.

When asked about Black and Brown unity, Sofia said it's important to come together because "people racially profile us. We even get thought less of because of where we came from, what color our skin is, or what language we speak."

Sofia explained that personally, it would hurt her if any of her family members experienced police violence or discrimination because of their skin color, and so it's important not to be silent because "as long as this keeps going it could happen to others and it's not gonna get better unless we try to do something about it."

She added the Latinx community should continue to support BLM even though they also are being targeted - and maybe because both communities are being targeted. "Something as simple as people (who) are supposed to protect you...committing violence is something that is a big problem," she said.

Sofia wants to ensure that she's not the only young person who is trying to educate others, especially as media attention wanes on protests. She said her generation is increasingly diverse, so "we should work on educating others so we don't continue to make these same mistakes as generations pass on."
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Participant at a march on Seaside on May 30, 2020 | Photo by Jesús Valenzuela, Building Healthy Communities | YOUTH BEAT "I feel like now is when we should come together and work together so that we can bring real change that is positive for everyone.

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Barr Says There Is No Systemic Racism in Policing (Published 2020)

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The attorney general’s remarks, which mirrored those of other administration officials, came as the president was scheduled to meet with law enforcement officials at the White House.

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Some of the nation's top Latino leaders say it's time to acknowledge - and fight - problems that have been overlooked for far too long: racism and colorism within the Latino community.

"We have failed to grapple with anti-blackness that exists in our own community," prominent leaders of dozens of organizations wrote in an op-ed published in The Miami Herald and posted Tuesday on a website, somosforblacklives.com.

"We have remained silent when our tias have encouraged us to partner with people who have lighter skin than we do so we can mejorar la raza (improve the race). We have hated ourselves for our skin color, hair texture, our curves and our accents," the letter says.

"Our faith traditions, the schools we attend, the families we love, the music we listen to are anchored in blackness and our indigenous roots, but we obscure that with whiteness."

The letter comes as protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis, have spurred institutions and groups across the US to examine the ways racism is embedded in their own organizations.

The Herald's headline accompanying the letter reads, "Latinos must acknowledge our own racism, then we must pledge to fight it."

Its more than 40 signatories comprise leaders of civil and immigrant rights organizations, political advocacy groups and community organizations, including American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Anthony Romero, United We Dream Executive Director Cristina Jimenez, Hispanic Federation President Frankie Miranda and League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) CEO Sindy Benavides.

The issue of racism within the Latino community has come up before.

But the leaders who signed on to the letter this week feel like more needs to be done to address it head-on, according to Denise Collazo, a co-author of the letter and senior adviser for the advocacy group Faith in Action.

"We felt like at this moment there's an important need to call out some of what does exist in our own families. ... It needs to be called out and it needs to stop," she told CNN. "We're looking at what does it take to build, real, authentic multiracial partnership? Because everybody talks about it, but it doesn't happen very much."

Some Latinos identify as white. And about a quarter of Latinos in the United States identify as Afro-Latino, Afro-Caribbean or of African descent with roots in Latin America, according to the Pew Research Center.

"It gets talked about in public as this either/or. You're Latino or you're black. That's not how it is," says Collazo, who's also working on a book that she says will include a chapter about anti-blackness in the Latino community.

"A lot of times, especially for Latinos like me...who present as light-skinned, there's a certain amount of privilege that comes with that," she says. "And it doesn't always get named."

In addition to calling for greater acknowledgment of racism, the leaders' letter outlines a series of plans for next steps moving forward, including:

Standing with the black community "in saying unequivocally, that Black Lives Matter"

Holding "all politicians at every level of government accountable, for advancing bold, structural change"

Dedicating resources "to raise consciousness and disrupt anti-blackness within our own organizations"

Holding Spanish-language and Latino-focused media accountable "for how they use their platforms to dismantle racism, colorism and anti-blackness"

The growing list of signatories includes Christy Haubegger, chief enterprise inclusion officer at WarnerMedia, the parent company of CNN.

Collazo says the letter marks a significant first step.

"This is not just a statement," she says. "All of these people who represent large organizations are making commitments to act."

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These leaders say Latinos need to acknowledge their racism, too | CNN

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Some of the nation's top Latino leaders say it's time to acknowledge - and fight - problems that have been overlooked for far too long: racism and colorism within the Latino community. "We have failed to grapple with anti-blackness that exists in our own community," prominent leaders of dozens of organizations wrote in an op-ed published in The Miami Herald and posted Tuesday on a website, somosforblacklives.com.

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An estimated 20,000 demonstrators came out yesterday in Los Angeles to protest against racism and police brutality. The march was organized by Black Lives Matter, BLD PWR and local LA rapper YG. Protestors marched west on Hollywood Boulevard from Highland Avenue in Hollywood.

Filmmaker Ron Kurokawa attended the event and flew his drone over the crowd to capture the historic moment.

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Drone Captures LA's Largest Anti-Racism Protest Ever from Above

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An estimated 20,000 demonstrators came out yesterday in Los Angeles to protest against racism and police brutality. The march was organized by Black Lives Matter, BLD PWR and local LA rapper YG. Protestors marched west on Hollywood Boulevard from Highland Avenue in Hollywood.

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'We were wrong': Goodell admits NFL should have listened to players on protests

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I covered the Rodney King and Freddie Gray riots. This moment feels different. That’s why I’m afraid | CNN

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I’ve seen the same pattern before: Exuberant protesters, vows for police reform and then … nothing. But after the George Floyd protests I see three big reasons why things really do feel different this time.

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WARNING: Sensitive content

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America, Inflamed: A Conversation on Race and the Death of George Floyd

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Timeline of Kaepernick's protest

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Colin Kaepernick gestures to fans following his NFL workout in Georgia in November. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Four years ago, Colin Kaepernick began sending a message about police brutality and social injustice by refusing to stand for the national anthem before NFL games.

His act continues to reverberate. In May, the message took the form of protests that raged across the country over the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.

As the sports calendar was rebooted, athletes made gestures calling attention to racial inequality and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., has caused the conversation and protests to flare again.

"Just watching the Republican convention, and they're spewing this fear," Los Angeles Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said Tuesday night after an NBA playoff game. "All you hear is Donald Trump and all of them talking about fear. We're the ones getting killed. We're the ones getting shot. We're the ones who were denied to live in certain communities. We've been hung. We've been shot. All you keep doing is hearing about fear. It's amazing why we keep loving this country and this country does not love us back."

Here's a timeline of Kaepernick's protest and what has happened since.
Who was Kaepernick in 2016?
A second-round draft pick (36th overall) by the San Francisco 49ers in 2011, Kaepernick led the team to Super Bowl XLVII after the 2012 season and to the NFC championship game after the next season, becoming one of the NFL's most exciting young stars. But after a couple of years with mixed results, he began the 2016 season as Blaine Gabbert's backup at +quarterback.
When did Kaepernick begin protesting during the national anthem?
Few noticed the first protest by Kaepernick, on. Aug. 14, 2016, because it came before a preseason game in which he was not in uniform. He remained seated on the bench, out of uniform, for the second game as well, on Aug. 20. Kaepernick's gesture was first noticed before the third game, on Aug. 26. After the game, he addressed his protest to members of the media for the first time, saying: "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

There had been several shootings of unarmed black men that summer, and Kaepernick acknowledged his actions could have consequences. "If they take football away, my endorsements from me," he said, "I know that I stood up for what is right."
When did people start paying attention?
Kaepernick's took a knee during the anthem before the final exhibition, on Sept. 1, 2016, in San Diego, with teammate Eric Reid joining him in protest. Kaepernick went from sitting to kneeling after a conversation with Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret and NFL player. "We sort of came to a middle ground where he would take a knee alongside his teammates," Boyer told HBO's "Real Sports." "Soldiers take a knee in front of a fallen brother's grave, you know, to show respect."

Kaepernick was booed throughout the game by Chargers fans and his protest began to gain national attention. He also announced that he would donate $1 million of his $11.9 million salary to charities. "Once again, I'm not anti-American," Kaepernick said. "I love America. I love people. That's why I'm doing this. I want to help make America better."
What was the initial reaction?
By the start of the 2016 season, Kaepernick had the top-selling jersey among NFL players, and the story was becoming national news. On Sept. 5, 2016, President Obama defended Kaepernick, saying "he cares about some real, legitimate issues that have to be talked about." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told the Associated Press, "I don't necessarily agree with what he's doing." The first week of the regular season included other players taking a knee or raising a fist during the anthem.
How did Kaepernick's time with the 49ers end?
Kaepernick protested throughout the 2016 season, and he started 11 games as the 49ers finished 2-14. He opted out of his contract after the season and, with a number of mediocre quarterbacks landing with other teams, suspicions grew that he was being blackballed by NFL owners, who presumably didn't want the attention that signing him would bring. He has not played professionally since the 49ers' final game of that season, on Jan. 1, 2017.
How did the story explode into a national debate?
Kaepernick was out of the NFL during the 2017 season, but protests and demonstrations reached a peak in the third week of play, fueled in part by outrage from President Trump's call for owners to get any "son of a bitch" who didn't stand for the anthem off the field. Players skipped the anthem altogether or continued to protest, with some joining arms on the sideline. The Dallas Cowboys, joined by owner Jerry Jones, took a knee before the anthem was played at a Monday night game but rose for the anthem itself. Before an October 2017 Indianapolis Colts game, Trump instructed Vice President Pence, Indiana's former governor, to walk out if any players protested during the anthem, and he did so.

If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect....
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017

...our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED. Find something else to do!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017

In response to claims they were targeting the military, players took pains to clarify their message and pointed out they were trying to raise awareness of police brutality and social injustice.
Was Kaepernick content to move on from football?
In the summer of 2017, there were reports that the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants were interested in Kaepernick but backed off after hearing from some fans. The quarterback maintained all along that he wanted to play, and on Oct. 15, 2017, he filed a grievance against the NFL, accusing its 32 teams of colluding to keep him out of the league.

Colin Kaepernick had a quiet ally in Roger Goodell, but his NFL tryout still unraveled
Did the NFL take action to respond to player protests?
During the 2017 season, the NFL and the Players Coalition reached an agreement for the league to provide financial support to players' community activism endeavors. In the spring of 2018, NFL owners, players and executives met to discuss the protests, and an audio recording revealed players questioned why Kaepernick remained unsigned.

By mid-May, owners ruled that players could no longer kneel during the anthem without being subject to punishment but allowed that they could remain in the locker room during the anthem. Trump reacted favorably but said that if a player didn't stand for the anthem, "maybe you shouldn't be in the country." The NFL Players Association filed a grievance over the policy in July and, after owners and the union agreed to put the policy on hold, players focused their efforts elsewhere.
How did Kaepernick's grievance turn out?
On Aug. 30, 2018, arbitrator Stephen B. Burbank said Kaepernick's lawyers had enough information for the case to proceed to a full hearing, marking an early win for the quarterback. In February 2019, Kaepernick and the NFL reached a settlement (as did Reid, who had similarly alleged collusion), with both sides signing a confidentiality agreement.
What happened next?
Kaepernick had transcended football by the start of the 2019 season. He became the face and voice of a Nike ad campaign that drew both praise and criticism. He continued to have a role in shaping Nike's decisions; the company dropped plans to produce a sneaker with a 13-star flag known as the Betsy Ross, in part because Kaepernick had privately criticized its use by racist groups. In an award-winning Nike ad called "Dream Crazy," Kaepernick said, "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything."
Is Kaepernick's football career over?
Kaepernick, 32, was invited to work out for NFL teams at the Atlanta Falcons' training facility in November 2019. There were disputes over which teams would attend and a waiver the league asked Kaepernick to sign, and he ended up moving the workout to a high school more than an hour away. Eight scouts attended and, although Kaepernick said he had "been ready for three years," he received no job offers.

"I've been denied for three years. We all know why. I came out here and showed it today in front of everybody. We have nothing to hide," Kaepernick said. "So we're waiting for the 32 owners, the 32 teams, Roger Goodell, all of them to stop running - stop running from the truth, stop running from the people."
What did Kaepernick say following Floyd's death?
As the circumstances of Floyd's death became known, Kaepernick tweeted in response. "When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction," he wrote. "The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance. We have the right to fight back! Rest in Power George Floyd." Kaepernick also started a legal-defense fund for protesters in Minneapolis.
What is the NFL's stance?
In early June, Goodell filmed a video in which he said the league was "wrong in silencing our players for peacefully protesting" police brutality and social injustice during the anthem. That extraordinary admission was spurred by a video featuring the league's young stars, including Patrick Mahomes, but absent from Goodell's statement was an apology to or a mention of Kaepernick.

In late August, Goodell, in an interview with former linebacker Emmanuel Acho, said was asked what he'd say to Kaepernick, if given the chance. "The first thing I'd say is I wish we had listened earlier, Kaep, to what you were kneeling about and what you were trying to bring attention to. We invited him in several times to have the conversation, to have the dialogue. I wish we had the benefit of that. We never did. We would have benefited from that. Absolutely."

Goodell added, "We have never disciplined a single player for anything with the national anthem and in violation. And I don't intend to. And I will support them."

America's Racial Reckoning: What you need to know
Full coverage: Demographic changes: Newsletter: Subscribe to About US to read the latest on race and identity Resources: Understanding racism and inequality in America How the racial makeup of where you live has changed since 1990 Race & Reckoning
George Floyd's America: Examining systemic racism through the lens of his life

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A timeline of Colin Kaepernick's protests against police brutality, four years after they began

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Four years ago, Colin Kaepernick began sending a message about police brutality and social injustice by refusing to stand for the national anthem before NFL games. His act continues to reverberate. In May, the message took the form of protests that raged across the country over the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.

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Artist: Banksy

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(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

California Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Monday that he is "haunted by the sound" of George Floyd's voice "begging to breathe, begging for life" and vowed to initiate a greater focus on teaching about implicit bias in California classrooms.

"We want to create opportunities to support and to address the trauma that so many of us feel," said Thurmond. "We want to make sure that our children can be supported in the trauma that they will feel when they think about what has happened to George Floyd," a black Minneapolis man who died after a white police officer used his knee to pin him to the ground by the neck.

He said the state Department of Education will begin conversations about implicit bias education with superintendents and education leaders as well as elected officials and police chiefs, and will assemble online resources and training.

"Racism is taught," Thurmond said. "Children aren't naturally prone to be prejudiced unless they've been exposed to it. And so I say that to say that we cannot just stop with our students, but that we have to work with adults and we have to deal with racism and bias in every sector in education."

Thurmond said he plans to compile online resources and sought public input through email suggestions and notes to createracialJustice@gmail.com.

"It has been difficult for me as a parent raising African American children to know what to say, how to answer their questions. When they asked me, 'Dad, why did this happen?'" he said. "It has been difficult for me as a public servant, as an elected official, to know how I can be helpful and to know how I can do more than just give platitudes to know how I can do more than just offer condolences."

Thurmond became emotional speaking about the death of Floyd.

"We want to create opportunities to support and to address the trauma that so many of us feel. We want to make sure that our children can be supported in the trauma that they will feel when they think about what has happened to George Floyd," he said. "I think about trauma every time I think about what has happened to George Floyd, I'm haunted by the sound of his voice, begging to breathe, begging for life, and we must address that trauma head on and we must have hard conversations."

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After George Floyd's death, California schools chief vows to address bias

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California Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Monday that he is "haunted by the sound" of George Floyd's voice "begging to breathe, begging for life" and vowed to initiate a greater focus on teaching about implicit bias in California classrooms. "We want to create opportunities to support and to address the trauma that so many of us feel," said Thurmond.

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President Donald Trump denies systemic racism exists in US: I don't believe that | CNN Politics

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During a roundtable on public safety in Kenosha, Wisconsin, President Trump denied that systemic racism exists in the US, saying "I don't believe that" when asked for his stance by a reporter.