Get Involved!

How do YOU participate in perpetuating racial segregation and the legacy of redlining? How can YOU make a difference in your community?

  1. Wear A Mask. Stay 6 Feet Apart. Cancel Holiday Gatherings.

STOP contributing to the spread of COVID-19. Individual actions can have BIG impacts.

Wear a mask and socially distance when around people you don't live with. Stay home this holiday so that your loved ones don't get sick.

The conscious effort to adhere to SCC's guidelines is a conscious effort to protect neighborhoods of color, as structural racism is responsible for the ways in which this virus disproportionately affects redlined communities.

  1. Buy From Minority-Owned Businesses.

Support our local small businesses during shelter in place! Choose from this list, or this one, or download this app (@_shea.d on instagram) created by a San Jose native to support businesses owned by our Black and Latinx neighbors.

By supporting these businesses, you can invest in these communities. The more money that is put in the hands of redlined communities and minority community leaders, the more resources these communities have to respond to this pandemic and to dream big in the future!

  1. Get To Know Your Representatives.

Go to this page and type in your address to find out who your representative is on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and your representative in the US House of Representatives. Under "Your Supervisorial District" is where a number (1-5) will be. This number tells you which Supervisorial District you are in so that when you scroll down to and click on "Countywide Offices" you know which person represents you and their contact info is listed. Also, if you scroll down it'll say "x number Congressional District", once clicked their contact information will be listed. Once you know who your reps are you could also use our handy dandy contact information directory below!

Local change happens at the local level. We encourage y'all to attend a County Board of Supervisors meeting to see how it all works. Right now they are working on a number of projects that would benefit communities of color and/or redlined neighborhoods. You can check the schedule here and watch livestreams of the meetings on their YouTube channel.

Contact Info

(Click the carrot to the right!)

Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors

1st District: Mike Wasserman http://www.sccgov.org/sites/d1/ (408) 299-5010

2nd District: Cindy Chavez http://www.sccgov.org/sites/d2/ (408) 299-5020

3rd District: Dave Cortese http://www.sccgov.org/sites/d3/ (408) 299-5030

4th District: Susan Ellenberg http://www.sccgov.org/sites/d4/ (408) 299-5040

5th District: S. Joseph Simitian http://www.sccgov.org/sites/d5/ (408) 299-5050 or (650) 965-8737

US House of Representatives

17th Congressional District: Ro Khanna (D) http://khanna.house.gov/

(202) 225-2631 or (408) 436-2720

18th Congressional District: Anna G. Eshoo (D) http://eshoo.house.gov/

(202) 225-8104 or (650) 323-2984 or (408) 245-2339 or (831) 335-2020

19th Congressional District: Zoe Lofgren (D) http://lofgren.house.gov/

(202) 225-3072 or (408) 271-8700

20th Congressional District: Jimmy Panetta (D) http://panetta.house.gov/

(202) 225-2861 or (831) 429-1976

4. Get Involved With Local Organizations.

Silicon Valley De-Bug

Silicon Valley De-Bug is a nationally recognized organization based out of San Jose, rooted in models for community-based justice work. SV De-Bug facilitates local change through story-telling, community organizing, and advocacy. You can learn more about their successful campaigning efforts here, many of which strive to establish affordable, desegregated housing in Silicon Valley. Sign-up here for campaign updates and event announcements which YOU can participate in.

Roots Community Health Center

Roots Community Health Clinic is a non-profit founded in Oakland in 2008 that has since established a San Jose clinic too. They seek to provide culturally appropriate healthcare with the goal of reducing health disparities and improving health outcomes for uninsured and low income residents. They are on the front lines of COVID-19 testing in these vulnerable communities. YOU can make a donation here or fill out the form to volunteer here.

The Greenlining Coalition

Since 1993, The Greenlining Coalition has been working to improve the health and economic opportunities of marginalized communities in California, through the awareness that policy on housing, health, environment, education, etc. are all interconnected. Learn more about their efforts to advance health and economic equity here, read targeted policy reports here, donate here, and sign up for their advocacy alerts here to stay connected.

5. Advocate For Policy Change.

According to the San Jose Anti-Displacement Policy Network Team's "Community Strategy Report" the following policy changes could have a high impact on redlined and displaced communities in San Jose. We encourage you to send an email to your Santa Clara County Supervisor regarding these policy changes and to ask what progress has been made in the area of tenant rights.

To Affect Change Urgently:

"The Apartment Rent Ordinance should be expanded to include duplexes and affordable housing units, and its limit on annual general increases should be lowered to the cost of living so that tenants are protected from displacement by rent hikes. The Tenant Protection Ordinance should be expanded to include duplexes and other housing" (San Jose Anti-Displacement Policy Network Team, 2020). These measures would require a cause for evictions and thus help keep tenants in their homes. To read more, see page 37 of their report.

To Affect Change in the Long Term:

Support development and capacity building for innovative housing solutions including co-ops and community land trusts. These models would leverage public land to sell homes to low-income populations, giving them the ability to attain some homeownership while keeping housing prices affordable. This has the potential to create intergenerational wealth and access. To read more, see page 60 of their report.