Dear Friend,
The past few weeks have brought news of a student-led rally for Black Lives Matter in Simi Valley plus two significant Supreme Court rulings, all of which promote equity and justice. At the Social Justice Fund, we celebrate these moments as a reminder that progress toward justice is possible and requires our participation.
Recent high school graduate Mikiiya Foster organized the Simi Valley Solidarity March on June 6, 2020. Threats in advance of the protest did not deter Foster and the event drew a crowd of 2,000 people. The Social Justice Fund of Ventura County was proud to co-sponsor the march thanks to the leadership of our Executive Director, Dr. Martita Martinez-Bravo.
On June 15, 2020 the United States Supreme Court voted to support protection for LGBT workers. The 6-3 decision forbids employers to discriminate and/or fire workers for being gay or transgender. While the court has a history of expanding gay rights, the June 15th decision marks the first time it spoke directly to the legal protections for transgender individuals.
Three days later on June 18th the Supreme Court ruled on the side of the DREAMers, providing temporary legal status to people brought to the United States as children. By blocking the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the program, the Court upheld protection from deportation for more than 700,000 DREAMers protected under the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).
We invite you to join us in celebrating these three important events and urge you to stay committed to working for issues of equity and justice.
Follow the Social Justice Fund of Ventura County on Facebook to read more about important events like these in real time.
The Board of the Social Justice Fund for Ventura County