It's fall, y'all...and election season

Is it just me or is it starting to finally feel like Fall outside? I’m totally ready for my sweet potato pie latte (yes, I just made that up for all the anti-pumpkin spice latte folks out there). 

It seems like September wasted no time to make an unforgettable entrance…and what a wild start of the month it’s been for all of us! 

Speaking of introductions, I’m Aaricka Washington, your new biweekly AfroLA newsletter writer. I’m a community-driven journalist, a runner and one helluva dope auntie. 

My family has been in several parts of South Central Los Angeles since the late 1940s. Even though I’m from L.A., I’ve lived in several parts of the U.S. — New York City, Houston, Austin and Indianapolis throughout my life. But my heart will always have a bias towards L.A. 

I’m proud to share my love of L.A. and all things pertaining to Blackness with you twice a month on Fridays. Watch your inbox in the morning for the latest news from AfroLA and around the state, nation and world. 

Without further ado, let’s get into it…

We’ve made it through a series of notable earthquakes and a couple of weeks of a heatwave. It seems we’re in a season of climate change. We’ve also seen the deaths of a number of beloved celebrity — namely Fatman Scoop, Rich Homie Quan, James Earl Jones, Frankie Beverly and Tito Jackson, in just the past four weeks. We’ve also seen the fallen music mogul P. Diddy’s high-profile racketeering and sex trafficking federal indictment this week. 

Let’s all take a deep breath. Actually, why don’t you take a seat with your morning coffee for our next topic, OK?

Aaricka ✌🏾

WHAT’S NEW, WHAT’S NEXT?

Let’s talk about politics. We’re less than two months away from voting in what many experts call the most consequential election in recent history. 

Just last week, we witnessed Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump debate for the first time (and maybe the last time…). You might have heard Harris mention that Trump was going to talk about some Project 2025 policies during the debate. It’s a controversial 900-page plan written by the Heritage Foundation. This G calls for getting rid of the Department of Education, tighter policies on abortion and eliminating climate safeguards. Even though Trump denies even reading the document let alone supporting any of it, many of the people involved with the ideas in the plan are closely connected to Trump. We’ve collected a few guides from Grist, The 19th* and theGrio and broke down specifically how Project 2025 could impact housing, climate change, women, LGBTQ+ rights and the lives of Black Americans. 

Project 2025 could have major implications for HUD and affordable housing. Our political reporter Katie Licari wrote about how Project 2025 policies could impact Black Angelenos who are already challenged by L.A.’s ever-worsening housing crisis. Project 2025 echoes Trump Administration era policies that would disproportionately impact marginalized people. 

I wrote about how Project 2025 would harm Black Americans when it comes to environmental and climate policy, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights and the Black community as a whole. 

Lastly, new contributor Audy McAfee wrote about how Proposition 6 could end “forced labor” (ummm…slavery) in California state prisons. 

Make sure you stay tuned into the election season. Here are some key dates: 

TODAY!!! - Check to see if you’re registered to vote in any state. It takes 30 seconds.

Oct. 5 - Mail-in ballots are sent to voters 

Oct. 21 - Last day to register online to vote. Here’s how to register. 

Oct. 26 - Vote centers open. Find your Los Angeles location. 

Oct. 29 - Last day to request a replacement mail-in ballot 

Nov. 5 - Election Day! And, the last day for mail-in votes to arrive at county elections offices 

Our first virtual community office hours are next week (Monday, Sept. 23; Wednesday, Sept. 25 and Friday Sept. 27). Talk to AfroLA reporters about what’s important to you in this upcoming election, and anything else you think we should be covering locally in your community. Sign up for your slot here.

HELP US ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE

This summer, we partnered with Black Women Photographers and local high school students for Next Door: Environmental Injustice in Our Neighborhoods, a photo project documenting environmental injustices across Los Angeles County. During this process, we worked with USC’s Environmental Justice Research Lab. They’re working to address residents’ contaminated water.

If you live in South Los Angeles, consider joining their focus group on drinking water quality in Los Angeles and get your water tested for “forever chemicals” in your tap water. Sign up here.

WILL YOU BE A SUSTAINING MEMBER?

Morning coffee keeps you going throughout the day. But do you know what keeps us running strong? 

Your loyalty. Your donation. Your membership. 

For just the amount of a cup of Joe from your favorite coffee shop, you can keep us producing the news specifically tailored for a group of people who often get left out of authentic, crucial news coverage: Black Angelenos and other historically-marginalized communities. So please keep us going and we will do our parts, too! 

We are all here because we believe in the work and the mission. But love don’t pay the bills.

Even recent “big” grants aren’t enough to cover operational expenses and fund our really ambitious reporting (like our Water and Power series) and initiatives that center students and community (including our teen book club and recently concluded Next Door environmental justice art exhibit). And, not to forget our Election 2024 coverage which we are going at full force in the lead up to November. (Check out our elections mission statement.)

Here’s the bottomline: We need more steady, reliable streams of funding, which means we need your help. We need more recurring donors to help us bring in revenue we can rely on every month. If you’re already a sustaining member who makes a monthly donation, we’d ask if you’d consider giving an extra $5 or $10 a month. If that’s not feasible, would you consider a bigger one-time donation in addition to your monthly contribution?

We’re grateful for everyone who was able to make a contribution, no matter what the amount. But, we making a second pass with the collection plate in these rough times. If you’re able to help, please help support us.

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