Your Newsletter for Civic Tech, Legal Tech, and Justice For All 

Hello Changemaker 👋

Welcome to The REYET Up Newsletter! Bundle up as Summer officially subsides and Fall is in full effect. This week we're going to highlight unsung civil rights pioneers, educate youth about their First Amendment rights, and share a new way to hear what's happening this week in The REYETS Up Newsletter... You ready?! 

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Reyets Question of the Week:

Do I have First Amendment rights in school?

Answer: Yes, students have the right to speak out, hand out flyers and petitions, and wear expressive clothing in school — as long as you don’t disrupt the functioning of the school or violate school policies that don’t hinge on the message expressed.

For example, a school can prohibit students from wearing hats — because that rule is not based on what the hats say — but it can’t prohibit students from wearing only pink panther hats or pro-Black hats.

Outside of school, students can enjoy essentially the same rights to protest and speak out as anyone else. This means their likely to be most protected if they organize, protest, and advocate for their views off campus and outside of school hours. Students have the right to speak their mind on social media, and their school cannot punish them for content they post off campus and outside of school hours that does not relate to school.

#backtoschool #freespeech #firstamdendment #knowyourreyets #teachtheyouth 

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Have you ever heard of the Freedom Riders who was confined for two months in a Maximum Security unit in the Mississippi State Penitentiary?

Meet Joan Trumpauer Mulholland

Born and raised in the DMV, Mulholland participated in dozens of sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and protest. However, she is most remarked for her efforts as a 1961 Freedom Rider. Freedom Riders were groups of Black and white civil rights activists who participated in Freedom Rides. Freedom Rides were bus trips through the American South in 1961 to highlight and protest against segregated bus terminals. Like many changemakers, majority of the Freedom Riders were young adults from the college demographic.

One of those students came from Duke University, believing that "anyone can make a difference. It doesn't matter how old or young you are". That student in 1961 was Mulholland. Mulholland believed in fighting for a free and just society so much that her freedom, in return, was compromised. In 1961 she was arrested and housed on death row for two months in Mississippi's Parchman Penitentiary at the age of 19! Nevertheless, Mulholland did not let that experience prevent her from fighting against social injustice.

Today, Mulholland's legacy continues. She fights against racism through her foundation - The Joan Trumpauer Mulholland Foundation - which is devoted to ending racism through anti-racist education pursuits. The goal of her foundation is to "educate people about the Civil Rights Movement and how they can make a difference in their community". To learn more about Mulholland's Foundation, click below!

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In the News 

Have you heard about The Freedom To Voting Rights Act?

After Democrats voting legislation, For the People Act, was passed in the House this year but was later blocked by a Republican filibuster in June, Democrats went back to the drawing board. As a result, The Freedom to Voting Rights Act was unveiled this month.

What does The Freedom To Voting Rights Act include?

Establishes Election Day as a federal holiday.

Requires states to provide automatic voter registration.

Sets a 15-day minimum early voting window.

Mandates every state to offer same-day voter registration by 2024.

Allows a board range range of cards and documents to qualify as proof of identification for in-person voting.

Bars states from drawing political boundaries with the intent to favor or disfavor political party.

To learn support The Freedom To Voting Rights Act by signing a petiiton to your state sentor, click below!

#knowyourreyets #votingrights #endvotersuppression #goodtrouble

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Are you or a loved one in need legal assistance? Check Out Good Call NYC

Good Call NYC is a free 24/7 emergency hotline that connects people who've been arrested with free lawyers and their loved ones, with just one phone call! The mission of Good Call NYC is to empower communities of color with tools to create systemic transformation through the use of technology.

Moreover, by providing access to immediate legal representation, individuals are given a chance to prevent life-long consequences for wrongful charges. Good Call advocates to provide early legal intervention in NYC and beyond. Who should you call in case of an arrest? Call 1-833-3-GOODCALL for immediate legal help!

#knowyourreyets #legalintervention #arrest #nycandbeyond #goodcall #24/7assistance

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Have you ever wished you could listen to The Reyets Up Newsletter? Are you interested in learning more about the content we're producing at Reyets?

Look no further, The Reyets Up Newsletter is coming to you via Instagram Live every Thursday at 3:35pm. In fact, last Wednesday our newest Justice Fellow, Chardonnay Beaver and C.E.O Wa'il Ashshowwaf gave our Reyets Instagram community a breakdown of last week's newsletter. 

To view our first live chat, click below!