The Advocate

SWAI, the San Leandro White Antiracism Initiative (pronounced "sway") is having our next meeting on Wednesday, October 20, from 7:30 to 9:00 PM. We will be having a presentation from Neighbors for Racial Justice (N4RJ). Contact SWAI@googlegroups.com to join and get the Zoom link. Blurb by N4RJ — Confronting Racist Profiling: Committing to Safer Communities is a 90-minute presentation given by one person of color and one white person. This includes a facilitated dialogue. Learn how our conditioned racist beliefs undermine public safety efforts and drive profiling that brings devastating harm to our neighbors of color, especially those who are Black. The presentation includes personal storytelling and actions to confront racist profiling in your community. The content was created by Neighbors for Racial Justice under the guidance of a Black, women-led council.  About SWAI — We are a group of neighbors, organizers, and allies committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusio

If your kids like to take naps in the car as much as mine do, maybe while driving around town you've noticed an American flag with muted colors and a thin blue line highlighted in the middle. To many this flag represents a commitment to law and order To many it represents solidarity with fallen police officers. To many it represents respect, honor, and courage. To many it represents their support for law enforcement as part of the fabric of American society. However, the reality is far less prosaic. Because this flag is actually a symbol of White Supremacy. Let's start with a history lesson. (See original reporting at https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/06/08/the-short-fraught-history-of-the-thin-blue-line-american-flag .) The flag made one of its most famous appearances at the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville in 2017. The same rally with Confederate flags and tiki torch wielding terrorists chanting "Jews will not replace us." (Full disclosure: