Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1291735
All Californians deserve the same opportunity to chase their dreams and build a strong future, and thanks to fierce advocacy and legislative action, voters have a historic opportunity to reinstate affirmative action in our state by voting Yes on Proposition 16. The events of this year have only underscored the vast inequities that exist in our communities. As Americans take to the streets to protest widespread systemic racism across the country, the COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging Black, Indigenous and people of color at alarming rates, pushing families to the brink physically and economically. There has never been a more critical time to reinstate equal opportunity as we chart a path forward to a stronger economic future for women and communities of color, and a California where Black Lives Matter and our systems are just. Prop. 16 will repeal Prop. 209, adopted in 1996, and restore the state's ability to consider race and gender in state contracts, hiring and college admissions. "We must recognize the roadblocks within our systems and make every effort to clear the path for equal opportunities for women and people of color," says CTA President E. Toby Boyd. "Prop. 16 is necessary to help prevent discrimination by reinstating equal opportunity for all, laying the foundation for all students to achieve their dreams and define their own limits." California is one of the most diverse states. It's time our laws reflect the strength of our diversity. LEARN MORE voteyesonprop16.org End the Cash Bail System FREEDOM SHOULD NOT BE ONLY FOR THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD IT As our nation grapples with institutional racism and a justice system rife with inequity, voters have a chance to end the cash bail system, which keeps people in jail only because they are poor. A Yes vote on Prop 25 means replacing a system that criminaliz- es poverty and race with an unbiased individual assessment of each person's risk to public safety. It eliminates a money bail system that allows anyone, including dangerous offenders, to buy their way to freedom if they are wealthy enough. LEARN MORE EndMoneyBailCA.com YES on PROP 16 YES on PROP 25 '' I am voting Yes on Prop. 16 because I know that our underrepresented students need educators that look like them, and they need doors opened for them just as they have been for me." SHAY LOHMAN Association of Rowland Educators '' I'm voting Yes on Prop. 25 because cash bail is both racist and classist. It's time to end this ongoing inequity." DAWN MURRAYˆSIBBY Temecula Valley Educators Association "EQUAL OPPORTUNITY HAS NOT YET BEEN REALIZED FOR ALL CALIFORNIANS. THAT IS WHY WE MUST PASS PROP. 16." DOLORES HUERTA Equal Opportunity for All RESTORATION OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IS ON THE BALLOT Did you know? In 2020, women in California still earn only 80 cents for every dollar a man earns, and women of color make significantly less. Wage discrimination hurts our families, and we can start to fix it by voting for Prop. 16. 24 cta.org