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February 16, 2025

Weekend Edition: “Trans” removed from Stonewall website, how abortion bans affect infant mortality, and rallying against fast fashion.

We’re amplifying the work of Remake, a nonprofit organization uniting changemakers in the fight for human rights and climate justice in the clothing industry. Here’s a few quick actions you can take to make change

1. Email Amazon Executives to Protect Their Workers

2. Urge Brands to Sign the International Accord

3. Endorse the FABRIC Act (For Individuals and for Organizations)

4. Take Remake's #NoNewClothes Challenge

Why?

• 100B garments are produced annually. Many are discarded within years, mostly dumped in the global south.

• 2-8% of greenhouse gas emissions come from fashion— the 3rd worst industry behind food and construction.

• 93% of fashion brands don’t pay garment workers enough to live on while most face unsafe working conditions.

Our book club is BACK and we’re kicking off the new year reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison! It’s one of my personal favorite books, and feels well-timed with our Black History Month series and Toni Morrison’s birthday! Here’s how to join in:

1. Get a copy of The Bluest Eye from your local bookstore or the library (you can search to find it at a library near you using this link)! If you’re a teacher or community leader, you can request free copies here.

2. Follow us @bannedbooksbookclub on Instagram and subscribe to the newsletter for a discussion question prompt each week.

3. Join the live virtual discussion on Wednesday, February 26 at 7pm EST.

Catch up on 28 Days of Black History – and join in!

Our fourth annual "28 Days of Black History" newsletter series that launched this weekend! We're exploring the theme of labor and liberation, highlighting the innovators, organizers, and dreamers who rebuilt America's understanding of work while fighting for freedom.

Here’s some of my favorite stories that we’ve highlighted so far. Subscribe to the series to get each story in your inbox this month!

• Curt Flood’s sacrificed an award-winning baseball career to challenge baseball's reserve clause, helping establish athlete free agency. Read >

• Marvel Cooke was a pioneering journalist and labor activist who exposed the exploitation of domestic workers and broke barriers in mainstream journalism. Read >

• Stephanie St. Clair’s gambling circuit challenged expectations of Black women in the workforce and provided a path for economic mobility for Black people. Read >

Join us by subscribing to the series or following us on Instagram for posts. And please share with leaders and educators in your community!

Two new sessions in March to build more resilient, responsive and inclusive teams

Rupture and Repair in the Workplace

Monday, March 3 | 3-5pm EST

This two-hour intensive session focuses on navigating moments of tension and conflict as they arise in professional settings. Participants will learn practical, real-time strategies for de-escalating situations, intervening effectively, and rebuilding trust after moments of rupture.

Through hands-on practice and scenario work, we’ll develop a personalized toolkit for addressing workplace tensions while maintaining cultural awareness and psychological safety.

Conflict Evolution: From Friction to Transformational Change

Tuesday, March 4 | 3-5pm EST

With tensions and anxieties at an all-time high in a politicized landscape, effective tools for conflict resolution is a must.

This two-hour workshop on conflict resolution applies a culturally-responsive, inclusive framework to navigating challenging conversations, mediating tense scenarios, and fostering understanding with opposing viewpoints.

Here are the ways the Trump administration is trampling on workers’ rights. Weeks into Trump’s second term, one thing is clear: billionaires are being prioritized over working people. In These Times >

Curious about the history of labor activism in the U.S? We’re focusing on Black labor rights leaders in 28 Days of Black History, a small part of a deep and fascinating history. Join in!

Judge blocks Trump order seeking to halt gender-affirming care for trans youth. The Trump administration cannot enforce restrictions on care for Americans under 19 for at least two weeks. The order was granted in response to a lawsuit brought by LGBTQ+ advocacy groups this month. 19th News >

"Resist, Obstruct, Protect Our People": Maxwell Frost Has a plan for taking on Trump. Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost tells Teen Vogue about trying to get into the Treasury building to obstruct Elon Musk's government takeover. Teen Vogue >

RFK Jr. confirmed as Trump's health secretary, over Democrats' loud objections. In a 52 to 48 vote, the Senate installed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former Republican majority leader and a polio survivor, was the sole Republican joining Democrats to vote against Kennedy. NPR >

The National Park Service has removed the word “Transgender” from the Stonewall Monument website. As part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to erase trans identities, the page was edited, referring only to the “LGBQ+” movement with no mention of the word “transgender.” Later that same day, the acronym was changed again to remove the “Q+,’ so that it now only reads “LGB.” them >

Reproductive Rights 

Two states are coming after a New York doctor for mailing abortion pills. Here’s what’s next. Cases from Louisiana and Texas represent the first test of a key law used to circumvent state abortion bans. 19th News >

Texas judge fines New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills to a woman near Dallas. In one of the first challenges in the US to “shield laws” enacted in Democratic-controlled states where abortion is legal, the doctor is being accused of violating state law by prescribing abortion medication via telemedicine. CNN >

Infant mortality rises in states with abortion bans, study finds. “Across the 14 states where abortions were banned or prohibited after 6 weeks of pregnancy by laws that took effect between September 2021 and August 2022, there have been an estimated 478 infant deaths that would not have occurred if the restrictions were not in place, the researchers said.” Reuters >

Immigration

Meet the undocumented workers who helped build Elon Musk’s Texas gigafactory. Tesla and SpaceX both relied on their labor while Musk advocated for a border crackdown, highlighting the paradoxes of the new administration’s efforts that stymy their own plans. Bloomberg >

Hear from the Center for Constitutional Rights on their challenges to Trump’s hostile immigration policies. A federal judge temporarily blocked the U.S. government from deporting three Venezuelan men to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where the Trump administration has started to send thousands of immigrants for detention. Democracy Now >

Communities continue to stand by immigrants amidst fear, heightened enforcement. As Trump continues his immigration crackdown, many communities are showing up to protect their immigrant residents. Immigration Impact >

“Modi and Trump must stop pitting Indian immigrants against each other.” Rajiv Narayan of Alliance of South Asians Taking Action shares how, as India seeks to preserve H-1B visas, a potential trade-off reveals the dark side of U.S. immigration policy: commodifying human lives. Prism >

Criminal Legal System

A death penalty case in North Carolina was reversed for racial bias. A Johnston County judge ruled Friday that race was “a significant factor” in the jury selection and sentencing of Hasson Bacote, a Black man who was sentenced to death in 2009 and who was spared from death row last year. His sentence was commuted to life in prison. Herald Sun >

The family of Sonya Massey, who was killed by police in her home, receive $10m settlement. An officer of Sangamon County, Illinois was charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting Massey, who had called 911 about a possible intruder. The Guardian >

A forensics company tells cops it can use DNA to predict a suspect’s face. Scientists worry the tool will deepen racial bias. It's "certainly not the real image of the perpetrator, and it can only harm both the investigation and communities of color, because it puts them at greater risk of arrest for things that they didn’t do.” The Intercept >

White Missouri man who shot Ralph Yarl pleads guilty. Lester, who shot now 18-year old Ralph Yarl in the head when he mistakenly knocked on the wrong door, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault. As part of a plea agreement, Lester now faces a maximum of seven years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Capital B News >

Workplace

Philanthropists pulled $8 million from pro-Palestine nonprofits, report finds. Funding Freedom reveals the behind-the-scenes funding struggles of nonprofits that have spoken out about the genocide in Gaza. Prism >

Corporate America’s Trump playbook: MAGA lobbyists, new board seats, axing DEI. Companies are trying to influence the new administration — and showcasing public displays of compliance with Trump’s agenda. Bloomberg >

Subscribe to Reimagined at Work for news and updates to build more resilient, inclusive workplaces.

Environment

Fashion industry regulations don’t do enough to protect workers or the planet — here’s why. Consumers often pay for low-quality clothing made with unsafe materials. Most fast fashion garments are so poorly constructed that they fall apart after a handful of uses. Experts assess the landscape and offer recommendations. Hint: Money. Teen Vogue >

Where did billions in climate and infrastructure funding go? From clean energy projects to bridges, this interactive tool shows what projects lawmakers announced in your neighborhood. Grist > 

Grist is doing incredible environmental justice reporting, and I highly recommend subscribing and donating if you can!

A Black family now owns the site of America’s largest slave revolt.Twin sisters, whose ancestors were enslaved in the area, purchased the plantation to ensure the history will never be buried again. Capital B News >