What Is ColorOfChange.org?

ColorOfChange.org exists to strengthen Black America's political voice. Our goal is to empower our members - Black Americans and our allies - to make government more responsive to the concerns of Black Americans and to bring about positive political and social change for everyone.

 

We were heart-broken and outraged by the catastrophe that followed Hurricane Katrina. And we were devastated to realize that no African-American organization or coalition had the capacity to respond on the necessary scale.

Hurricane Katrina made it clear that our lack of a political voice has life-and-death consequences. With no one to speak for them, hundreds of thousands of people - largely Black, poor, and elderly - were left behind to die. But it wasn't just Black folks. Poor, sick, and elderly people of every color were abandoned too. We are not alone, and when we work to protect Black lives and interests, we do the same for all who have been left behind in political silence.

ColorOfChange.org is comprised of Black folks from every economic class, as well as those of every color who seek to help our voices be heard. Our members are united behind a simple, powerful pledge: we will do all we can to make sure all Americans are represented, served, and protected - regardless of race or class.

Judges vacated the convictions of ten men falsely arrested and harshly prosecuted as teenagers for crimes they did not commit.
ColorOfChange.org members were part of a huge victory against racially-biased marijuana arrests in New York City.
The single mom's felony convictions for sending her kids to a school outside her district have been reduced to misdemeanors.
U.S. Justice Department agrees that the $39 billion proposed telecom merger would harm consumers.
12,000 people unjustly sentenced under the old 100:1 crack to powder cocaine disparity are now eligible for reduced sentences.
Fox News dropped Beck after our campaign highlighting his race-baiting pressured 300 sponsors to pull their ads. Click here to read our response.
Gov. Blanco urged to protect displaced New Orleanians' voting rights in first post-hurricane mayoral election.
Six young men were charged with attempted murder for a schoolyard fight with a White classmate; the charges were reduced to simple misdemeanors.
Michigan GOP planned to target every voter with a house on a foreclosure list to challenge their voting rights in the last presidential election.
Philadelphia's Valley Swim Club shut down as a result of financial pressures from class action lawsuit and civil rights investigation.
Dobbs called to account for using his platform to legitimize bogus questions about President Obama’s citizenship.

What We Do

Using the Internet, we enable our members to speak in unison, with an amplified political voice. We keep them informed about the most pressing issues for Black people in America and give them ways to act. We lobby elected representatives using email, the telephone, and face-to-face meetings.

We bring attention to the needs and concerns of Black folks by holding coordinated events in different parts of the country, running TV and print advertisements, and demanding that the news media cover our issues. We also work with other groups - online efforts and other organizations that are doing related work - to magnify our impact.

When we come together and speak with one voice, we cannot be ignored.

ColorOfChange Staff

  • Rashad Robinson » serves as Executive Director of ColorOfChange, having joined the organization in May 2011. For well over a decade, Robinson has helped to mobilize communities across the country to create more inclusive cultural and political institutions. A recognized expert on how popular culture impacts American attitudes and values, he has served as a thought leader, widely sought-out speaker and strategist on utilizing media to shift public opinion concerning progressive and civil rights issues. He has appeared in hundreds of news stories, interviews, and political discussions through outlets such as ABC, BET, CNN, MSNBC, OWN, The New York Times, Fast Company, and NPR. In 2010 and 2011, Robinson was selected as one of "The Root 100," a list of emerging and influential African Americans under 45. He has previously held leadership roles at GLAAD, the Right to Vote Campaign, and FairVote.
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  • Gabriel Rey-Goodlatte » joined ColorOfChange.org two weeks after the effort started and has played a lead role in campaign definition and execution. He serves as Director of Strategy. Prior to joining ColorOfChange.org, Gabriel was a student at Bard College in New York.
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  • Dani McClain » is Campaign & Media Director at ColorOfChange.org. She joined the organization in December 2008. Before working in online organizing, Dani covered education while on staff at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and reported for the Miami Herald's metro desk. She taught social studies at the nation's first public Montessori high school and worked to end racially discriminatory drug laws as a communications staffer at Drug Policy Alliance. Dani holds a B.A. in history and a master's degree in journalism, both from Columbia University. She serves on the board of Allied Media Projects.
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  • Arisha Michelle Hatch » serves as the Campaign Director of ColorOfChange, having joined the organization in February 2012. Prior to joining ColorOfChange, Arisha left behind a legal career to organize for the Obama Campaign in 2008, and later worked to mobilize the LGBT community during the aftermath of Prop 8 as National Organizing Director at the Courage Campaign. She earned degrees in Economics and Creative Writing from Stanford, as well as a juris doctorate from Santa Clara University.
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  • Charlene Carruthers » joined ColorOfChange in January 2012 and serves as a Campaign Manager. Charlene has worked for several progressive organizations including the Women's Media Center, Center for Community Change and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under Law. She is a feminist activist and writer. Charlene holds a B.A. in History & International Studies from Illinois Wesleyan University and a Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis.
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  • Fanna Gamal » joined the ColorOfChange.org team in fall 2011 as a Campaign Fellow focusing on social media and related projects. Fanna spent a year living and working in La Guajira, Colombia. Before Colombia, she attended Tufts University where she was active in issues of racial justice and educational access. Fanna is originally from Khartoum, Sudan and grew up in Berkeley, CA.
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  • Kim Lehmkuhl » joined the ColorOfChange.org team in July 2011 and serves as Research and Campaign Manager. Kim has previously worked with the Urban Justice Center, Center for Constitutional Rights, and Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. She has a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science from the University of Southern California, and attended Columbia Law School.
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  • Matt Nelson » joined the ColorOfChange.org campaign staff in the spring of 2010 and serves as Senior Campaign Manager.  As a campaign strategist, organizer and communications expert, Matt has trained and mentored hundreds of community leaders and organizers around the country, and has started four successful small businesses that promote alternative economic structures, including the first fair trade, worker collective café in Milwaukee, WI.
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  • Kira Shepherd » serves as a Campaign Manager at ColorOfChange, having joined the organization in November 2011. Kira has also worked at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, Brooklyn Legal Services, New York University's Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, and Make the Road, the largest member-led economic justice organization in New York City. Kira graduated from Rutgers Law School – Newark.
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  • Natasha L. Simpson » joined ColorofChange.org in the fall of 2010 as Community Relations Specialist. Natasha formerly worked with the Journal of Homosexuality and the Women of Color Resource Center. She holds a B.A. in Women and Gender Studies from San Francisco State University.
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  • Wagatwe Wanjuki » joined ColorOfChange.org in January 2012 as a Campaign Fellow. Wagatwe is a feminist blogger and activist. She first started organizing as a student at Tufts University, where she campaigned to change the school's sexual assault policy. She has worked with organizations including Amnesty International USA, Students Active For Ending Rape, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
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