Posted on May 27, 2016
How to beat Trump’s hate
At CREDO we believe that when we witness racism, xenophobia, or any other form of bigotry we have an obligation to fight back.
That is why we are doing everything we can to stand up to Donald Trump’s demonization of immigrants, dehumanization of people of color, and the violence his hateful rhetoric has incited and spawned.
Thankfully we have an incredible partner in frequent CREDO donations recipient ColorOfChange. From demanding Glenn Beck’s advertisers abandon his program to successful campaigns to remove racist shows like Cops from TV, they have led the way in holding corporations accountable for the racism their sponsorship dollars fund.
Now we are proud to partner with ColorOfChange and other progressive allies to stand up to the companies who are sponsoring the Republican National Convention (RNC) that will confirm Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. Corporate sponsorship of the RNC helps mainstream and sanitize Trump’s racism, xenophobia and misogyny. It is irresponsible and dangerous for any company to choose access to political power over standing up to bigotry and hate. We’re working hard to make sure that corporations get that message, and feel the pressure to do the right thing.
We are already seeing success. 93,000 CREDO activists signed a petition demanding Coca-Cola drop their sponsorship of the convention. 63,000 made the same request of Microsoft. Both companies have now scaled back their support and pledged not to make any additional cash donations to the convention.
Posted on May 26, 2016
WATCH: Sen. Elizabeth Warren vs. a small, insecure money-grubber
News broke last week that Donald Trump responded to the prospect of the economic collapse of 2007 by saying:
I sort of hope that happens because then people like me would go in and buy. If there is a bubble burst…you know you can make a lot of money.
In response, in a speech Tuesday night in Washington, Sen. Elizabeth Warren took Trump to task for being “a small, insecure money-grubber who doesn’t care who gets hurt, so long as he makes some money off it.”
What kind of a man does that? Root for people to get thrown out on the street? Root for people to lose their jobs? Root for people to lose their pensions? Root for two little girls in Clark County, Nevada, to end up living in a van? What kind of a man does that? I’ll tell you exactly what kind—a man who cares about no one but himself. A small, insecure money-grubber who doesn’t care who gets hurt, so long as he makes some money off it.
Sen. Warren’s remarks raise another important question: What is Donald Trump hiding and why won’t he release his tax returns? We put together a quick video using Senator Warren’s powerful remarks to build pressure on Donald Trump to stop hiding and release his tax returns.
Watch the video below – then sign our petition urging Donald Trump to stop hiding and release his tax returns.
Posted on May 25, 2016
Three free progressive apps for your smartphone
Back in March, I recommended three progressive-friendly apps for your smartphone: Buycott: Buy this, not that, EWG’s Food Scores: Eat healthier, and iRecycle: Find where to take it.
Here are three more apps that can help progressives stay involved with the issues we care about.
Progressive Voices
Want to know where you can listen to progressive news and opinion talk shows? With all the corporate-owned radio stations out there, progressive radio can be hard to find. Now you can get fantastic progressive radio content whenever you want with the Progressive Voices app. Thom Hartmann, Stephanie Miller and Bill Press are just some of the hosts featured on Progressive Voices.
The app is FREE with live streaming 24 hours a day so you can listen anytime you want. What could be better than that?
Posted on May 18, 2016
Women for Women International visits CREDO headquarters
Economic security is an integral part of women’s ability to achieve full equality and freedom. Here in the U.S., CREDO activists are helping fight for equal pay, raise the minimum wage, and guarantee paid sick and family leave. In countries like Rwanda, Kosovo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, CREDO donations are helping to give women in conflict zones the support and skills they need to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency.
Since 1995, Women for Women International (WfWI) has received $452,810— nearly half a million dollars— in donations generated by CREDO members. WfWI works with marginalized women in countries affected by war and conflict. It is currently working in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Sudan. It enrolls women in a 12-month training program that creates a safe space where they can heal, form friendships, learn new skills and access resources. Women who complete the program increase their daily personal earnings fourfold, three times as many report practicing family planning, and 11 times as many report sharing information about their rights with other women. WfWI also trains men to be allies and accelerate women’s success at home, in business and in the community.
On May 4, Abdoulaye Toure, WfWI Country Director for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Antoinette Uwimana, WfWI Country Director for Rwanda, and WfWI CEO Jennifer Windsor visited our San Francisco office to report on their work around the world.
Posted on May 10, 2016
Victory: Gov. Deal vetoes “campus carry” in Georgia
Great news. Last week, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed Georgia’s campus carry bill, HB 859, responding to the pressure of 2,649 CREDO members who signed our petition, and 118 who made calls directly to the governor demanding that he keep Georgia college campuses safe.
Gov. Deal heard us loud and clear when we said that forcing colleges and universities to allow anyone to carry a loaded, concealed weapon without a permit would be a threat to the safety of students, teachers, and faculty.
Posted on May 5, 2016
Must-read book: Lies, Incorporated: The World of Post-Truth Politics
Fighting for progressive change, we are bombarded with a litany of lies. Think about the last decade: climate denial, death panels, the myth of voter fraud, the lie that more guns make us safer, to name a few.
Ari Rabin-Havt, a longtime ally of CREDO, has written a remarkable book. Lies, Incorporated: The World of Post-Truth Politics, exposes the conservative movement’s lie generation machine. Not simply a debunking of conservative falsehoods, Lies, Incorporated tells the hidden stories of the people who profit from the invention of lies and the ways they inject them into the public. He names their names and unveils their tactics.
In order to advance progressive ideas, we need to defeat Lies, Incorporated. Ari’s book is a critical tool for progressive activists as it teaches us how to do just that.
Lies, Incorporated: The World of Post-Truth Politics is available on Amazon.com.
Posted on May 4, 2016
WATCH: Why is Google sponsoring Trump’s hate?
Google just announced that its YouTube division will be the official livestream provider of the Donald Trump-led Republican convention, despite massive pressure from activists demanding the company stand up for its alleged values of diversity and inclusion in the face of Trump’s racism, xenophobia and misogyny.
Google’s planned sponsorship of the Republican convention will help legitimize and normalize Trump’s platform of hate. It’s appalling that access to political power is more important to Google than standing up for its stated values.
It’s not too late for Google to reverse course. That’s why we put together this short video to show Google exactly what it’s getting with its sponsorship of Trump.
Posted on May 4, 2016
CREDO’s April donations recipients want to say thank you
Thanks to our customers and the revenue they generate, CREDO donates tens of thousands of dollars to three progressive nonprofits every month. In April, we funded three groups fighting to ensure Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland: Alliance for Justice, American Constitution Society for Law and Policy and People For the American Way Foundation. Over 80,000 CREDO members voted to decide how to distribute our donations. Here are the voting results:
Alliance for Justice
Alliance for Justice is so grateful for CREDO’s support and partnership in the campaign to demand the Senate do its job to give fair consideration to Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. The vacancy comes at a critical time in the history of the court, the law and our nation. This grant will help continue AFJ’s leadership in progressive advocacy to ensure that the court and the federal judiciary advance core constitutional values, preserve human rights and unfettered access to the courts, and adhere to the even-handed administration of justice for all Americans.
For more info visit afj.org
Posted on May 3, 2016
Who we’re funding in May and why
In May, CREDO will donate tens of thousands of dollars each to three amazing progressive nonprofits. You have the opportunity to vote on how CREDO will divide this pool of money.
This month, we’ve chosen three exceptional organizations that work internationally on critical issues such as human rights, health and environmental quality, and women’s rights. Amnesty International USA, Pesticide Action Network North America and Women for Women International all have proven track records of success that make us excited to support them this month.
Amnesty International USA
Amnesty International USA is a global grassroots movement and one of the world’s foremost defenders of human rights. With millions of activists worldwide, Amnesty International works to protect people where justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
Amnesty faces crises that require both an emergency response and long-term campaigns that increase respect for human rights around the world. Funding from CREDO will help Amnesty meet these vital needs.
Posted on May 2, 2016
Transparency is a core value for CREDO
The need for technology and telecommunications companies to seriously address privacy and transparency is back in the headlines. In April, Microsoft went to court asking to be granted the right to inform customers when their email and private information is requested by the federal government.
Apple engaged in a public fight with the FBI over whether it should be forced to write new code allowing the agency to unlock San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook’s iPhone, compromising the security of its product.
While other telecommunications companies have only begun to address this issue recently, CREDO has been at the forefront of the fight for our customers’ privacy from the beginning.
In 2014, following Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA’s dragnet that collects information about the phone calls, emails and other communications of virtually all Americans, CREDO became the first mobile phone company to release a transparency report.
