40 Days of Fire

The 40 Days of Fire Campaign was a statewide racial justice community organizing initiative designed for two purposes:  to shine a light on the use of racial dog whistles in political discourse and debate, by educating and empowering folks to break their silence and; to enlist folks to learn more about and engage in our ongoing efforts in the fight against overt and systemic racism. This involved updating community members on the progress on the implementation of Act 9 (2018), Racial Equity Panel and Act 54 (2017), Racial Disparities Panel.  We also provided updates and called folks to action on ongoing efforts to amend the constitution to remove slavery.  Homework was provided to enable folks to escalate concerns to elected and appointed stakeholders.

What we did.  What we accomplished

This statewide campaign organized nearly 200 people with visits to Montpelier,Burlington, Middlebury, Hardwick, Hartford, Marshfield, East Montpelier and Brattleboro.  We also conducted a webinar in conjunction with the ACLU Smart Justice Campaign.  The feedback that we have received from the “homework” assigned indicates that as a direct result of the campaign, the Attorney General and Human Rights Commission Act 54 “Task Force” Report was resubmitted and the Speaker of the House urged the Secretary of Administration to create a community-facing web presence for Act 9 updates.  We have also received reports that the full Act 9, Racial Equity Panel was seated and the Governor’s office announced that they are considering amending Executive Order 4-18 (Racial Equity) in the coming months.  Finally, the Senate President Pro Tempore committed to taking a “renewed look at what steps need to be taken” regarding improper implementation of Fair and Impartial Policing Policy by state police.  He also committed to taking measures to amend the constitution to remove slavery.

How we ended and what’s next

The campaign culminated in a Community Gathering where folks from across the state gathered to discuss next steps in organizing and begin the process of building a sustained effort to engage in addressing systemic racism and racial justice across the state.  As we transition into the next phase we will continue the business of engaging elected and appointed officials on a new legislative agenda (Public Engagement)!   We will also bring the community together around issues  (Community Organizing).  We will be meeting on a Conference Call on Wednesday, January 2, 2019 6:00 PM to discuss how we will make this happen.  We will be unveiling the 2019/2020 Legislative Agenda this meeting.  You don’t want to miss it.  The meeting is open for the community to join!