ALERT Collective Blog

The 2020 presidential election was the most unusual election in recent memory for a variety of reasons, one of which was due to the logistics of voting during a pandemic. Most polling places could not accommodate voters indoors with adequate social distancing, and voting machines had to be sanitized after each voter used the touch screen to make their choices. If alternatives were not implemented, there would have been long lines at polling places all over our state, and voter turnout would have dropped as people were disenfranchised by the challenging, time-consuming, and dangerous process of in-person voting this year. Thankfully, the legislature in Delaware introduced and passed House Bill 346 , which allowed all registered voters in Delaware to apply for mail-in ballots for the November 2020 election. As a result, many Delawareans voted by mail for the first time, choosing to exercise their right from the safety of their home and reducing the strain on in-person polling location...

  There are different ways in which individuals and groups can demonstrate for or against a cause. Such demonstrations are protected by the First Amendment, which protects the right to assemble and express views through protest. Demonstrations are usually intended to be peaceful, and are often used as a tactic of strategic nonviolence to draw attention to a cause. Common types of political demonstrations include – Marches – a group of people move along a predetermined route, usually holding signs and yelling chants to share their message Rallies – people gather to listen to speakers or other performance related to a cause; many marches end at a rally where marchers can hear from an organization’s leadership or influencers Sit-ins – demonstrators occupy a designated area to bring attention to their cause, either for a set period of time, until the issue is addressed, or until they are forcibly removed Picketing – a group assembles outside a set location (such as a government buildin...

A friend of mine recently shared her experience seeking medical attention for a broken ankle. The break was so bad that it required emergency surgery to fix, yet she spent much of the evaluation simply trying to convince the examiners that something was wrong and that she was in pain. It wasn’t until “a Black nurse intervened and pushed her coworker aside because she believed me” that my friend, who is also Black, received any sort of diagnosis. Unfortunately, my friend is not alone in her experience . Although healthcare professionals take required oaths to treat all patients equally, it is becoming widely realized that “ blacks and other minority groups in the U.S. experience more illness, worse outcomes, and premature death compared with whites .” Structural racism in the United States assures that the lives of people of color are less healthy in a multitude of ways – Neighborhoods of color are less likely to be protected from pollution , causing Black and Hispanic populations to ...

The media can be helpful in publicizing your event and giving the public insight and information into the mission and goals of your groups. If you have a good story that merits media coverage, don’t hesitate to let local reporters/editors/producers know about it. Local publications and news outlets are usually actively looking for stories to feature so don’t be shy.  If  you are planning an event or action for a specific time, speaking to   a media outlet by phone will help them plan coverage and allow your group to be prepared for them at the event. If you have to leave a message, be brief, speak clearly and carefully give your name, organization and phone numbers. Say that you will follow up with an emailed press release, then do that. If you don’t hear back via email in 24 hours, call again to make sure the message was received and that the press release went to the correct email address.  When you reach the reporter by phone, say you are calling to let the outlet...