Posted on September 18, 2023
Small actions make a big difference: Join the CREDO Mobile Climate Project
Life as we know it is facing its end. Not in some far-off future, not in two generations or 200 years. Not then, now.
How in the world did we get here? Scientists first warned about climate change back in the mid-’60s. We humans—we collectively—should have listened. But instead we went on taking those small actions and making those small choices that brought us to where we are: near the end.
That’s how we got here. So how do we get out of here? The same way: small actions, small choices. Given the enormity of the climate crisis, it may sound hopeless. It isn’t. It’s the only hope we’ve got.
“Like the hummingbird in Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai’s inspiring tale, the little things we do in the face of the climate crisis are not insignificant drops in the vast ocean of challenges. Instead, they are the courageous acts of individuals who refuse to stand idle. Just as the tiny hummingbird carries water droplets to extinguish a forest fire, our collective ‘little things’ hold the power to ignite a wave of change that will shape a more sustainable and resilient world for generations to come.”
That’s Charity Migwi, Africa regional campaigner for 350Africa.org, an African grassroots movement coming together to champion solutions that will ensure a better future for all. She knows small actions can save our planet.
We know it too. That’s why CREDO Mobile has partnered with 350.org and four other groups fighting for our climate—the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice, the League of Conservation Voters and the YEARS Project—to launch the CREDO Climate Project, a campaign that encourages everyone to take those small yet meaningful actions that will halt climate change.
Actions like switching to electric school buses, stopping subsidies for the petrochemical industry and investing in clean-energy jobs. Yes, individually they seem small. But together they are mighty. Ready to start? Join the CREDO Climate Project.
Plant the tree
“Every little thing we do in the climate fight has the possibility of inspiring something greater,” says Vernon Church, managing director of the YEARS Project. “Greta Thunberg began by spending her Fridays standing outside the Swedish parliament holding a small sign. That simple act inspired millions to be warriors for the planet. It made us all realize we had a right and an obligation to fight for our future. Your job is not to ask how high people will climb. Your job is simply to plant the tree.”
Planting a tree is one way you can make a difference. There are many others. You can ride a bike to work or take public transit. You can eat more vegetables and less meat. You can give a lift to a voter at election time.
“Seemingly small actions around our elections like driving someone to the polls or registering just one more person to vote helps ensure more voters can access their rights and have a voice in their community,” says Justin Kwasa, Democracy Program director at the League of Conservation Voters. “The rights to breathe clean air, drink clean water and pass on a sustainable climate to future generations rely on a healthy democracy.”
Get politically active
Our government is divided as it has not been since the Civil War. Among all the many differences between the two major parties, the starkest is this: one believes in a better future and making long-term efforts to get there, the other is devoted to short-term profit—political profit for itself and monetary profit for the corporations that back it, whatever havoc they wreak on our world.
“The climate emergency is an all hands-on-deck situation, where everyone can make a difference,” says Jean Su, Energy Justice Program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “While some of us can make consumer changes like switching to solar and being more energy-efficient, the biggest contribution people can make is getting politically active and urging President Biden and all of our political leaders to speed the end of fossil fuels. Their decisions ultimately control the U.S.’s unique position as the world’s largest oil and gas producer, and it’s up to us to get them to change their ways and use their vast legal powers to transition us off deadly fossil fuels and into just, renewable energy.”
They will, if we push them hard enough. Although many politicians seem beyond the reach of reason, they will act for the climate when it makes sense (and dollars)—which renewable energy now does. For instance, land-based, utility-scale wind turbines are one of today’s lowest-priced energy sources and even deeply conservative states populated by climate deniers are embracing wind. What state generates the most wind power? Deep-red, oil-loyal Texas. If you press your politicians to follow Texas’ example, we can get more renewable energy up and running across the U.S.
“Taking on powerful interests is no small matter, especially when it comes to the climate crisis,” says Zarah Patriana, senior digital-advocacy manager for Earthjustice. “Polluting industries are often well-resourced. However, our collective small actions of fighting for a cleaner and healthier environment can make a big difference. From flooding the phone lines of the White House to sending a letter to your Congressperson to marching in the streets—all of it adds up. Because decision-makers pay attention when they see that we are paying attention and that’s a pathway to creating change.”
Join CREDO Mobile
Here’s another pathway to creating change: switch to CREDO Mobile, the phone company that cares about our climate as much as you do. It’s a small action, yes, but it will make a difference. Just by using our service, you’ll generate donations for nonprofit groups fighting to save our planet, groups like our partners in the CREDO Mobile Climate Project.
These donations cost you nothing extra. But they mean everything to the nonprofits we support. Since 1985, we’ve given over $94 million to progressive groups dedicated to a better, more sustainable future.
Join today and you’ll get the good feeling that comes with knowing you support climate action, just by using your phone. And you’ll get everything you want from a phone company: fast, friendly customer service and nationwide coverage on the top-rated, most reliable network.
Posted on September 14, 2023
How to charge your phone faster
You’re about to go out the door for the day (or the night) and, oh snap, your phone battery is in the red. If you have just a few minutes, you won’t be able to reach 100%, of course, but you can quickly put in enough juice to get you to the next charging point. Here’s how.
Turn it off
Your phone is full of complex electronics, like memory chips, a CPU and various radios that send and receive signals. All of these consume power and, when your phone is on, they’ll keep consuming it, which means your phone will charge more slowly. Turn your phone off and it’ll charge faster.
Switch to airplane or low-power mode
If you need to keep your phone turned on, you can put it in airplane or low-power mode before you plug it into the charger. It will charge more quickly. Airplane mode will disable all wireless functions, so you won’t be able to make or receive calls, send texts or go online. Your phone will also disconnect from all WiFi connections.
Or you can switch your phone to low-power mode, which will dim your screen and run some of your phone’s regular checks and refreshes—like registering new emails and updating the news—less often. It will also turn off your virtual assistant, wo you won’t be able to prompt your phone with “Hey Google” or “Hey Siri.” If you have a 5G phone, it will switch back to 4G. You can find low-power mode in Settings > Battery.
Plug into a wall outlet
Charging your phone from a wall socket is faster than charging it from a USB port on your computer. Most USB ports charge at fewer amps than plug-in chargers, which means plug-in chargers work faster.
Use an iPad charger for your iPhone
If you have an iPhone and an iPad, you can use your iPad charger to charge your phone more quickly, especially if you have fast-charge compatible cables and devices. An iPad charger is more powerful and, contrary to rumor, it won’t “burn out” your iPhone battery. Your phone will only take the charge it needs. Apple endorses charging your iPhone with an iPad charger, which means you won’t cancel your AppleCare coverage if you do.
Keep your phone cool
Your phone battery will charge faster if it’s not hot, so keep your phone out of the sun when you’re charging it. It’s also a good idea to take your phone out of its case when you’re charging it. In general, you should keep your phone as cool as you can as often as you can, because overheating may permanently damage your battery.
Clean your charging port
Dust and lint love small places like your phone’s charging port—and your phone won’t charge efficiently if the port is dirty.
First, turn off your phone. Next, blow out the port with a hand air blower (which looks kind of like a turkey baster). Avoid canned air, which is bad for people and the planet. Wrap a little cotton around the end of a toothpick and lightly dampen the cotton with a cleaning alcohol like isopropyl alcohol. Rub the cotton back and forth inside the port. Then blow it out again.
When it’s charged up and fully functioning, your phone is a powerful tool. But did you know there’s one phone with a power no other phone has? A CREDO Mobile phone. When you join CREDO Mobile, your phone has the power to change the world.
That’s because CREDO Mobile members generate vital funding for nonprofit groups working hard for progressive causes like equal rights, economic justice and a cooler climate. Since 1985, we’ve donated over $94 million to Amnesty International, Planned Parenthood, Earthjustice, the National LGBTQ Task Force, Social Security Works and dozens of others.
These donations cost our members nothing extra. But they mean everything to the nonprofits we support.
Join us and you’ll get all you want from a phone company: the nation’s top-rated network, competitive plans, great deals on new phones and friendly, responsive customer service.
And you’ll get the good feeling that comes with membership in a phone company that’s working hard for the progressive causes you believe in.
Switching is easy. You can keep your current phone number and bring the phone you have now. We’ll send you a free SIM card. If you’re looking for a new phone, we have a wide range of the latest models. And we offer a variety of affordable plans, including data plans from 1GB to unlimited, all with unlimited talk and text.
Posted on September 12, 2023
With funding from CREDO, SAGE continues to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ older people.
It’s not easy growing old – and it’s a lot harder when you’re a target for hate simply for being who you are. This is the place where LGBTQ+ elders find themselves: dealing not only with the stresses of aging, but also with an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.
In June, the Human Rights Campaign declared its first-ever state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans, “following an unprecedented and dangerous spike in anti-LGBTQ+ legislative assaults.”
But CREDO is fighting back. In January, CREDO customers and community members voted to donate to assist SAGE in its work to ensure that all LGBTQ+ elders have the rights, freedoms, and everyday support they need to thrive, not just survive.
Backed by its CREDO donation, SAGE has won pivotal victories that will make a real difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ older people.
Recent victories
This year, SAGE has achieved a number of critical wins for those elders whose resilience and determination to be their authentic selves have paved the way for all LGBTQ+ Americans.
- For the first time since 1988, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) began the process to update the regulations that govern the implementation of the Older Americans Act (OAA), the country’s primary funding mechanism for aging services that allow older people to age in community without having to enter long-term care. SAGE facilitated the delivery of 300 comments on the proposed regulations that pushed ACL to make the final rule LGBTQ+ and HIV inclusive. Over 70 LGBTQ+ and aging specific organizations signed on to SAGE’s organizational comment.
- In May, SAGE released and circulated the 2023 Long-Term Care Equality Index (LEI). A joint production of SAGE and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the LEI is the first national assessment tool for LGBTQ+ inclusion in elder housing and long-term care communities. It helps those communities implement, strengthen, and innovate their LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts and promotes equitable, inclusive care for LGBTQ+ older adults in residential long-term care and elder housing. This year’s LEI includes the first validated survey on LGBTQ+ inclusion in long-term care and elder housing.
- SAGE expanded SAGECollab to better support older adults nationally and gain further reach to communities of color, and to rural, Black, and Indigenous communities. SAGECollab is a network of diverse organizations that partner with SAGE toward the common goal of supporting LGBTQ+ older people in their communities and advocating for LGBTQ+ aging policies across the U.S.
New initiatives
SAGE is always working on new ways to support LGBTQ+ elders and advocate for their rights. Since it received its CREDO grant, SAGE has made progress on a variety of programs. Primarily, it has strengthened its strategic plan, which aims to support LGBTQ+ elders through a robust range of efforts, including expansion of its reach nationwide and extension of its existing programs and services in New York. Initiatives include:
- Shaping public policies on aging so that they recognize LGBTQ+ older people’s needs and assist in creating welcoming communities.
- Engaging across generations and finding ways to connect younger and older generations of LGBTQ+ people to increase visibility and feelings of belonging.
- Helping LGBTQ+ older adults address their vulnerabilities by providing direct services.
Guided by the inclusivity woven throughout its strategic plan, SAGE is developing a new, flexible collaboration model that will deepen its impact with organizations centered on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) communities by transferring resources and power. For example, earlier this year SAGE made grants to six inaugural recipients from its recently launched Equity Innovation Lab. The program gives microgrants to support community-based initiatives and entrepreneurial projects that help Black, Indigenous and elders of color, transgender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary elders, and rural elders.
If you’d like to learn more or get involved with SAGE, please visit SageUSA.org or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Posted on September 8, 2023
Democracy Forward uses the courts to defend progress, disrupt extremism, and build for the future – all at once.
Note from the CREDO team: This September, Democracy Forward is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Read this important blog post about Democracy Forward’s important work, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to Democracy Forward to support its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding September grantees.
While the vast majority of Americans believe in the promise and potential of democracy, an anti-democratic movement seeks to wield outsized power, undermine democracy, and misuse our courts to roll-back progress and the rights for all people. Extremists in states and local communities have removed books from classrooms, banned health care, and eliminated protections for working families. Far-right attorneys general and special interests bring legal challenges against almost every effort the federal government makes to do the work of the American people.
And, the US Supreme Court is now all too often friendly territory for those seeking to make an America only for some, not all. This anti-democratic movement is capitalizing on a multi-decade, highly-resourced campaign by far-right legal organizations to set our country and its laws backwards. The courts are now a front line in the battle for democracy, not just the last resort protectors of it.
At Democracy Forward, we’re proud to equip people and communities – from librarians to parents to health care providers and public health experts and more – with the tools they need to take their fights for democracy to the courts and beyond. And, we do it free of charge.
Democracy depends on a government that works for all people and is accountable to present and future generations. Through legal advocacy, policy engagement, and public education we are building collective power and advancing a bold, vibrant democracy for all people. And, in just the last year alone, we’ve represented and partnered with more than 100 organizations and communities in the critical fights our country faces today.
In Arkansas, we are representing librarians who are determined to beat harmful censorship agendas through legal action – and recently stopped a law Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed that would have threatened librarians with criminal penalties from going into effect. In West Virginia, our client GenBioPro, the generic manufacturer of mifepristone, is fighting to ensure that its evidence-based reproductive healthcare medication is not banned. Doctors in Ohio are using their voices in court. Parents in Mississippi are fighting for their public schools. And, we’re working with individual people across the country using their power and voices to defend progress and disrupt extremism — in Texas, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Kansas, to name just a few.
We have scored important wins, but we have also been on the frontlines on some of the most difficult days for our democracy. We were on the side of millions of people when the Supreme Court rolled back debt relief for student borrowers, and we proudly represented parents and teachers the DeSantis administration is seeking to silence.
We’re incredibly grateful to CREDO and CREDO’s community members for supporting our work. Every day, but most especially on the difficult ones, we know that democracy is worth the fight — that people are worth the fight. Our team won’t rest until the promise of democracy is achieved for all.
Posted on September 7, 2023
4 of the best parental controls for your child’s phone
When a child gets a phone, it changes their world. It opens a door to a universe of sights, sounds, voices, videos, friends and fiends. And then…the child steps through. Where will they go? Parents don’t know. They can’t be there 24/7 to watch what their children are doing.
But parents can lock the doors to those places where kids should not be. They can also make sure their children don’t spend all day (and night) on their phone, absorbed in apps and games. How? They can use parental controls. Most parents now do, managing their children’s activity to limit screentime, filter content, curb or block specific sites and apps, keep predators away and oversee phone use overall.
Indeed, there is today such demand for parental controls that there are dozens of choices on the market and it would take you a good deal of time to sort through them. We’re here to help. We think these are four of the best. They’re user-friendly and multifunctional, allowing parents to limit screentime, track phone activity and restrict addictive apps like TikTok and YouTube.
Apple Screen Time
Preinstalled in Apple’s iOS operating system, Screen Time is a set of controls that enables you to remotely manage your child’s iPhone or iPad, turn off access when it’s time for bed and restrict the amount of time your child can spend on individual apps, categories of apps—and on the phone overall.
Setup can be complicated and there are a lot of features and settings tucked away in different menus but, because it’s so closely meshed with the operating system, Screen Time gives you a comprehensive view of your child’s phone activity and superior capability in managing phone use.
To use Screen Time, you’ll need to set up Apple’s Family Sharing service. Once you do, you can remotely activate Screen Time on your child’s iPhone, iPad or Mac. Make sure you don’t skip the “setup passcode” step. If you do, your kid can easily disable Screen Time.
Google Family Link
This is a free app you can download to your Android phone (or iPhone) to manage your child’s Android phone. Family Link offers basically the same functionality as Apple Screen Time. It enables you to approve, limit or block use of specific apps, restrict total hours per day your child spends on their phone and set a turn-off time at night. You can also follow device location.
Family Link is best for kids under 13. After they turn 13, kids can sign up for their own Google account and opt out of your control. That might be OK with you. But if you want to continue monitoring, consider Qustodio.
Qustodio
Qustodio gives you the same capabilities as Google Family Link—and gives you use of them even after your child turns 13. With Qustodio, you can monitor and manage individual apps, and screentime overall. You can also set up more than one off-time. So not only can you remotely switch off your kid’s Android phone at bedtime, you can switch it off at, say, dinnertime as well.
Qustodio comes in different versions. There’s a free option but it covers only one device and keeps just seven days of activity history. The Small version covers five devices and costs around $55 a year. The
Medium version covers 10 devices and is around $100. The Large version covers 15 devices and costs around $140 a year. The paid versions all save 30 days of activity history and offer extra features.
Norton Family
Like Qustodio, this is a subscription service (around $50 a year) and comes with generally the same capabilities as the apps above. It works with iOS and Android, and offers a web dashboard as well as a phone dashboard. Setup and configuration are simple and Norton Family also includes geofencing tools. It’s the parental control top-rated by PC Magazine.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that getting a phone is modern childhood’s most important event. With phone in hand—which is nearly always for today’s kids—a child can watch practically anything and interact with almost anyone. They can go virtually anywhere. But with the right parental controls, you can make sure they go to those places where they learn and grow responsibly and safely.
Posted on September 4, 2023
Fighting for Earth: How 350.org is taking action to stop climate change
Note from the CREDO team: This September, 350.org is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO community will help 350.org work for a safe climate and a prosperous, equitable future, built with the power of ordinary people, driven by renewable energy and rooted in justice.
Read this important blog post about 350.org’s critical work, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to 350.org to support its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding September grantees.
In the year I was born, the Earth’s air had about 344.1 parts per million (ppm) of carbon. The safe amount for a healthy planet is 350 ppm – that’s why the organization I’ve been leading for 15 years is called 350.org. But today, that number has gone up to 411.44 ppm.
The consequences are calamitous. On July 4, 2023, the world had its hottest day ever recorded. This happened during the hottest week and month ever too. This summer, places in Europe, North Africa, and the U.S. got so hot that it felt like they were melting. There were big floods in India and Japan, and wildfires are still burning in Canada. The oceans are also hotter than they’ve ever been. Overall, the Earth’s temperature is now about 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 Fahrenheit) higher than it used to be.
The temperature could rise by more than 3 degrees Celsius if we don’t do something about it. To stay under a 1.5-degree increase, which experts say is the threshold of safety, we need to really change how we make energy, grow food and travel. If we don’t, the problems we’re seeing now will seem small compared to what’s coming.
The climate problem is connected to an energy problem. While many of us struggle with high energy bills, the companies that make fossil fuels (like coal, oil and gas) made lots of money in 2022, even as their fuels cause catastrophic damage around the world.
This is not okay. It makes me really mad and it makes the people I work with at 350.org mad too. The companies that are causing this mess need to pay for it and our governments should make them do so.
Photo By: Robert van Waarden
It’s time to say “yes” to a better future
For a long time, we’ve been saying “no.” We’ve been telling everyone to “keep fossil fuels in the ground” and “stop investing in them.” And we’ve made progress.
Now, it’s time to start saying “yes” to a better future. Science says we need to and we have the technology to make it happen. We need to commit to making positive changes. We need the world to come together and say a big “yes.”
Here’s some good news: this year, the world is adding a lot of new clean energy – 0.44 terawatts (TW) to be exact. That’s twice the amount experts thought we’d reach back in 2020. This is a big step in the right direction.
But if we want to keep the temperature from rising too much, we need to aim for at least 1.5 terawatts of new clean energy every year from 2030 onward. This is what studies from our group and Climate Analytics tell us.
That’s why we’re saying 2023 should be the year we really focus on finding solutions for a healthy planet. It’s not just about switching from bad energy to good energy, it’s about making sure everyone benefits from these changes, no matter where they live or how much money they have.
Change is happening
People all over the world are taking action. They’re starting movements to make energy in their communities and they want everyone to have a say in it. They know that using clean energy is about more than just helping the planet – it’s also about being fair and making things better for everyone.
Using clean energy can also create new jobs that are good for people and the planet. Done right, it can help countries share new technology so everyone can use it. And most importantly, it can help people who have been treated unfairly in the past.
Governments play a big role too. They need to make strong rules that support clean energy and stop giving money to the companies that make fossil fuels. They also need to work together, help each other and especially help those countries that want to use clean energy but need assistance to get started.
It’s time for action, not just words. Each of us can make a difference, whether by supporting clean energy policies, using less energy or helping groups that are fighting for a better future. Let’s take this moment in history and work toward a world where clean energy is the norm and fossil fuels are a thing of the past.
Let’s work together for a better tomorrow
This November, 350.org is starting a global movement called Power Up, a campaign to shift money and political influence away from fossil fuel companies and toward a renewable, equitable planet for all of us. Together with our partners in the CREDO Mobile community, we can create a world that runs on clean, fair and sustainable energy for everyone, now and in the future.
Posted on September 4, 2023
NAPAWF builds autonomy and power in AAPI women and girls
Note from the CREDO team: This September, the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO community will help NAPAWF in its work to build the power, influence and autonomy of Asian American Pacific Islander women and girls.
Read this important blog post about NAPAWF’s critical work, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to NAPAWF to support its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding September grantees.
The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum is the only national, multi-issue organization focused on building power with and for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls within a reproductive-justice framework at the intersections of immigrant rights, racial justice, reproductive rights and economic justice.
Our mission is to build the collective power of AAPI women and girls to gain full agency over their lives, families and communities. We work toward equity and lift the visibility of AAPI issues using our core strategies of base-building and leadership development, grassroots organizing, policy advocacy, community-engaged participatory research, and strategic communications and coalition-building.
NAPAWF raises women’s voices in the media and in spaces where important decisions that impact AAPI women’s lives are made. We continue to grow our base by reaching, activating and mobilizing AAPI women and girls through grassroots organizing, leadership training and development, and by creating AAPI women leaders from diverse ethnicities and regions of the U.S. NAPAWF increases public and community awareness of issues that impact AAPI women and works toward influencing systemic and culture shifts to propel our reproductive-justice movement forward.
Reaching many communities and gender identities
NAPAWF’s work primarily impacts AAPI women and girls but also other marginalized communities and gender identities. As we have built our field organizing programs over the years, we have shifted our base to center on the AAPI women who are most affected by the issues we work on, including low-wage workers, first-generation immigrants and people with limited English proficiency. Our base spans many different AAPI ethnic groups and is multigenerational, ranging from young adults to “aunties.”
Today, NAPAWF has a base of more than 40,000, with 500 active members leading change within their communities across the U.S. We work in collaboration with values- and mission-aligned organizations, engage our base year-round, mobilize our movement and its organizing power, continue centering the experiences of the most-impacted AAPI women, highlight reproductive, economic and gender justice issues, and push for systemic and culture change that empowers the leadership and value of AAPI women.
Many successes so far this year
In 2023, NAPAWF has been hard at work with the HEAL Coalition to advocate for the reintroduction of the Health Equity and Access Under the Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Families Act. Our coalition’s work has succeeded, with Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Nanette Barragan and Sen. Cory Booker, along with 56 cosponsors in the House and nine cosponsors in the Senate, reintroducing the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act to Congress on July 27.
On another front, NAPAWF’s reproductive rights and abortion access work was marked by the launch of our Free the Pill letter in April, which was signed by 478 individuals and submitted to the FDA ahead of its hearing on the authorization of over-the-counter birth control.
In our gender justice work this year, NAPAWF launched a strategic partnership initiative to build the AAPI Gender Justice Collaborative, which commenced in July at the Gender Justice Convening in Chicago.
Our fight for affordable healthcare for all, reproductive justice and abortion access is uncompromising. It is the focus of the ever-growing work and advocacy efforts implemented in the field by NAPAWF’s five chapters in Chicago, Florida, Georgia, New York and Texas.
Working together to make a difference
AAPI women and girls in the U.S. continue to face immense challenges. But we are hopeful and we are stronger as we work with CREDO Mobile and our sisters from other immigrant, marginalized and underserved communities to overcome all challenges on all fronts, one battle at a time. Together, we’re gaining ground, making a difference and achieving our goals.
Posted on September 3, 2023
Our August grantees thank you for your support
Each month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute funding to three incredible nonprofits. Those small actions add up – with one click, you can help fund groups fighting for climate justice, worker’s rights and fighting for civil rights for all. In August, CREDO members voted to distribute our monthly donation among Amazon Watch, National Domestic Workers Alliance and National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund.
These donations are made possible by CREDO customers and the revenue they generate by using our services. The distribution depends entirely on the votes of CREDO members like you. And for that, our August grant recipients thank you.
Amazon Watch
“All donations to Amazon Watch DIRECTLY support our Indigenous partners’ rights, resistance & self-determination in their territories, which is the best solution to permanently protect the Amazon rainforest and our climate. Thank you CREDO community!” – Leila Salazar-López, Executive Director
To learn more, visit https://amazonwatch.org.
National Domestic Workers Alliance
“Thank you! Support from CREDO members like you helps us to advocate for the rights of the domestic workers who do the essential work of caring for our loved ones and our homes and to transform the way care work is understood, valued, and compensated.” – Jenn Stowe, Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance
To learn more, visit https://domesticworkers.org.
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund
“As we honor the Task Force’s 50th anniversary as the country’s oldest LGBTQ+ advocacy group, we recognize that our work is more important than ever. Thank you for joining in our fight.”- Kierra Johnson, (she/they) Executive Director National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund
To learn more, visit https://www.thetaskforceactionfund.org/.
Now check out the three groups we are funding in September, and cast your vote to help distribute our donations.
CREDO members who use our products are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the carrier with a conscience.
Posted on September 2, 2023
CREDO funding helps Life After Hate rehabilitate far-right extremists
Fed by political forces that thrive on division, far-right extremism is now the most lethal terrorist threat in the U.S. 90% of U.S. terrorism cases are classed as domestic and, of domestic extremists, 95% are far-right.
They are white supremacist, male supremacist, antisemitic, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, anti-Latino, anti-Asian and anti-government. And they are all pro-hate.
But we can counter this hate with help. To give it, we need organizations that offer practical paths for individuals to disengage from their lives of violence and anger, and reintegrate into society in meaningful, productive ways.
An organization making real progress in this arena is Life After Hate. The first nonprofit in the U.S. dedicated to helping individuals separate from violent far-right groups, Life After Hate provides timely and critical assistance to people who decide to leave extremism behind, reconnect with humanity and lead compassionate lives.
In recognition of Life After Hate’s vital work, CREDO customers and community members in February voted to donate to support Life After Hate. And, backed by its CREDO donation, Life After Hate has been able to strengthen its services at the individual, family and community levels.
How CREDO is helping
This year, our grant assisted Life After Hate in the launch of a new initiative, the Daily Former, a podcast and website where former far-right extremists share stories and challenges, celebrate successes, air grievances and prove that, sometimes, quitters do win. The program is helping many individuals recognize extremism for the dead-end it is and see that there are paths to exit a life of anger and violence.
CREDO funding will soon help Life After Hate begin a new program focused specifically on U.S. veterans connected with violent extremism.
Life After Hate’s existing efforts include ExitUSA, which provides case management, life skills training and peer mentoring services to individuals who are or have been involved in extremism, as well as psychoeducational support for families and friends who have loved ones involved in the violent far-right. Case management is a comprehensive assessment followed by collaborative goal setting, and identification and coordination of referrals and resources. Peer mentors work with clients to change extremist beliefs, behaviors and social networks to promote reintegration into society.
Hope instead of hate
Research shows that people join violent far-right extremist groups because these groups give them a sense of belonging in a society where they feel disconnected and without hope.
But there is hope and there is help. For those who are prepared to account for their past, leave their violent communities behind and write a new chapter focused on acceptance, there is Life After Hate.
If you’d like to learn more or get involved with Life After Hate, please visit LifeAfterHate.org or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Posted on September 1, 2023
Vote for 350.org, Democracy Forward and National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum this September
Every month, CREDO members vote to distribute our monthly grant to three incredible progressive causes – and every vote makes a difference. This September, you can support groups fighting for climate justice, advancing democracy and empowering AAPI women and girls to fund the 350.org, Democracy Forward and National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum.
350.org
350.org is an international movement of ordinary people working with individuals across the world to oppose those wrecking our climate and to fight for a sustainable future. We achieve this by strengthening, empowering and growing the climate movement.
CREDO funding would enable 350.org to maintain pressure on global financial institutions to invest in renewable energy projects, grow global grassroots campaigns to stop pipelines and fracking, and deliver training to increase community resilience.
Democracy Forward
Democracy Forward is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy and public education, and regulatory engagement. We defend progress, disrupt extremism, and build for the future—all at once.
Funding from CREDO members furthers our ability to address the range of issues that threaten our democracy—from combatting censorship to advancing reproductive rights to economic freedom to health equity and more—in the courts, in communities, and across our nation.
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
We imagine a country where AAPI women and girls are no longer defined by the stereotypical perceptions of mainstream America but rather are known for bold leadership and deep, compassionate commitment to creating a just world where everyone thrives.
Funding from CREDO members will help NAPAWF continue our anti-hate, pay equity, voter registration and language access programs for communities who have long demanded policy solutions and platform changes to protect the AAPI community.
Your vote this month will determine how we divide our monthly donations among these three progressive groups. Be sure to cast your vote to support one, two or all three by September 30.
CREDO members who use our products and services everyday are the reason we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile and join our movement.
