We're a week away from the inauguration, and I keep thinking about my recent visit to the Equal Justice Initiative's Legacy Sites in Montgomery, Alabama. That visit made it all make sense.

I'm back. In the era of billionaire bros, voting with our dollars has taken on great importance. I share some thoughts on how to do that and why there is reason for hope as we go through this Gilded Age reboot.

Bookshop.org alternative to Amazon for books

The StoryGraph alternative to GoodReads for book reviews and tracking

Fossil Free Funds for sustainable investment options

Muckraking journalism by Judd Legum

We are a few days away from the end of voting in the United States, and many are facing long lines to vote. Pizza to the Polls is here to help, by sending pizza to voters facing long lines.

Facing an 1+ hour long wait to vote? Request pizza from Pizza to the Polls here.

Pizza to the Polls is available in all states for this election except Georgia, which criminalized the provision of food and water to voters following 2020, when Georgia voted for Joe Biden and for two Democratic senators.

Welcome to Season 5! If you're feeling election anxiety, I've got a way for you to direct that energy towards winning in November. In addition to winning the White House, we also need to retake the House and keep the Senate; the change we need requires a blue trifecta. With that in mind, here are a few places where you can donate to key congressional races, i.e. races that are really close and underfunded, so a boost in funding can make a difference in the voter turnout needed to ensure a blue trifecta.

key House races

key Senate races

key House and state races

key House, Senate, and state races

*full disclosure: I have donated to each of these funds, so I am recommending what I myself have used

I have collaborated again with Mike Pinto, host of the Singing for Survival capoeira history podcast. This time, we discuss sexual abuse in capoeira and what we as capoeiristas can do to address the wrong that has happened and how to prevent it moving forward. One of those ways is to support CapoeirAcolher, an organization in Brazil that supports victims of such abuse.

My thoughts on voting no on Prop. 36.

More information:

LA Times Editorial Board piece on No on Prop. 36

Stop Prop. 36 campaign

Independent journalist Judd Legum has done several pieces on retail theft and Prop. 36:

• California's shoplifting laws are not broken. California is "fixing" them anyway
• A closer look at California's $267 million war on "organized retail crime"
• UPDATE: The truth about Target

The Vera Institute Infographic on Prop. 36 and longer analysis

Politico coverage on Prop. 36

How California's incarceration rates compare to other states and countries, by the Prison Policy Initiative

I will be doing a two-part series on why to vote NO on Prop. 36. Part one is a quick share on some upcoming opportunities to learn about Prop. 36 from reputable criminal justice organizations.

Wednesday, September 25th at 5:30pm PST (virtual) - Initiate Justice's No on Prop. 36 Workshop

Thursday, October 3rd at 6pm PST (in-person in Oakland) - Ella Baker Center and Urban Peace Movement Prop. 36 Town Hall

Stay tuned for part two!

With the November election coming up soon, it's time to get out the vote! In this episode, I share some ways you can help boost voter turnout.

• register to vote
• check your voter registration status
• save the Election Protection Hotline number to your phone: 866-687-8683
• Vote Save America's Empower GOTV initiative - get paid to get out of the vote in swing states
• North Carolina - register to vote by mail. To learn about what's been going on in NC on the voting front, check out this article.
• Neighbor2Neighbor initiative by Indivisible
• Postcards to Voters
• sign up for voting rights news from Democracy Docket