By Michael Saunders

Our group continues in its commitment to deal with racism in El Dorado County and our area.

The Monday morning picketing in front of the Mountain Democrat continues weekly at 12 noon. We have been a visible force to show the community that racism will not be tolerated and let others know there are like-minded voices. The protest has been visited by members from Unite Here and also has shown our solidarity with the Sacramento community for Stephon Clark.

We have been addressing the problem of Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs) in our county. Covenants are limits and rules placed on a complex of dwellings by a builder, developer, neighborhood association, or homeowners association. Many old CC&Rs contain outdated language forbidding "blacks" to own or have property in that complex. Several CC&Rs with this language have been collected and will be sent to the California Legislature. The intent is to create a law requiring homeowners associations to remove these antiquated, unenforceable, yet highly offensive clauses from their CC&Rs.

On the school front, we are attempting to work two efforts: a curriculum for Social Justice to be taught throughout EDC schools and a one-day Social Justice workshop with panels of experts, speakers, and exercises for all schools.

And we may have some upcoming actions to protest against yet another police shooting of an unarmed African-American.

We live in a democracy where all people do not share the same freedoms. We continue to deal with bigotry, hate, and injustice. If you are looking to join us in rapid response actions and/or if you are willing to help in one of our many-faceted approaches to the problem, sign up for our workgroup here at the next general meeting.