Hi there! Welcome to Easy A–Your go-to source for quick and easy actions you can take in five minutes or less about the issues you care about.
Are you a busy mom? Or maybe your work is so hectic you can’t think about anything else during the day? A lot of us are also taking care of parents or other loved ones too, leaving little time for anything else.
The good news is that these are things you can do while you’re waiting in the school pick up line, on your lunch break, or even at your kid’s soccer practice – anywhere you happen to be! And you can easily share Easy A with your friends so they can be in the know, too! We’ll send you a new action to take every week–just one, we promise –and it will always be something you can do in five minutes or less. Ready to get started? Let’s go!
Watch This: How the Supreme Court Could Roll Back Voting Rights
Last week’s Easy A provided an easy explainer on gerrymandering, which is the purposeful drawing of voting districts to unfairly favor a certain group or political party.
We learned that while gerrymandering is not necessarily illegal, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 does make gerrymandering on the basis of race illegal – and we’re at risk of losing that protection!
Right now, the U.S. Supreme Court is deciding Louisiana v. Callais, which will determine if Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act remains constitutional.
Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund, argued this case before the Court. Take 90 seconds to watch this video and hear what she recently told us about how this ruling could reshape redistricting and fair representation across the country.
Then come back next week to take one more easy action to fight gerrymandering!
Got time to learn more? You can watch our entire event with Janai on our YouTube channel and read about the Fair Fight Action and Black Voters Matter report she referenced here.
Read This: An easy explainer on gerrymandering
If you’ve been following politics lately, you’ve probably heard the term “gerrymandering” and like most people, you may have wondered, what the heck is that?
What is gerrymandering?
Gerrymandering is when the maps for voting districts are purposefully drawn unfairly by politicians in order to benefit a certain political party or group of voters.
The term comes from former Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry who signed a bill in 1812 to redraw the voting districts in his state. One new district was so wonky, its outline resembled a salamander. So, Gerry+mander = gerrymander, and the term was born.
Gerrymandering is the kind of thing that annoys people about politics and makes them want to tune out altogether, but understanding and pushing back against it is the only way to fix it and get politics working fairly for all of us, so let’s learn a little more about it.
What’s the difference between gerrymandering and redistricting?
Gerrymandering happens during the perfectly routine process of redistricting. Every ten years, after we get updated population numbers from the U.S. Census, the number of seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives is recalculated.
This is also a good time for states to redraw their voting districts, and someone has to draw those maps! In most states, that responsibility falls to the state legislature, although in some states it is done by independent groups or commissions.
So, state politicians get the privilege of creating the very districts that will vote for them! Both political parties have been known to take advantage of this power by creating those districts in ways that favor their own candidates.
How does gerrymandering hurt voters?
Most voters agree, gerrymandering isn’t fair. It seems like common sense that politicians shouldn’t get to be the ones deciding who their voters are – it’s supposed to be the other way around!
Gerrymandering is also bad for voter representation. It reduces competitiveness in races because fewer candidates will challenge incumbents if the race seems impossible to win. And when politicians feel secure in their seats, they become less accountable. They know they’ll be re-elected easily regardless of how well they represent their constituents.
Gerrymandering ultimately results in the disproportionate representation of a party in the state compared to its actual population. For example, in heavily gerrymandered North Carolina, the percentages of Republican and Democratic voters are equal, but voting districts are skewed to elect 10-11 out of 14 U.S. House seats for Republicans in the 2026 elections. Similarly, in Ohio, their 2026 maps are expected to elect 12 out of 15 U.S. House seats for Republicans, despite their voting population being more evenly split.
Is gerrymandering legal?
While it’s unfair, there is nothing that makes gerrymandering along partisan lines illegal. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that there is no federal oversight for partisan gerrymandering, although it can be challenged in state courts. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 does, however, make racial gerrymandering illegal.
How does gerrymandering hurt Black and brown communities?
Gerrymandering hurts the party that is not in power when the district maps are drawn, and it also disproportionately impacts Black and brown communities. Gerrymandering has historically been used to reduce minority representation and voting power in a state. This is done by either “cracking” or “packing” districts.
“Cracking” is when district lines are drawn right through communities of color in order to split them up across multiple districts. This gives them less of a chance to elect a representative in any given district. “Packing” is when lines are drawn to place communities of color all in one district, reducing their overall opportunities for representation in the state. Both are illegal, but that doesn’t stop lawmakers from trying.
Why are we talking about gerrymandering so much right now?
We already mentioned examples of gerrymandering in North Carolina and Ohio, states that have seen significant gerrymandering in recent years, but it’s happening nationwide as extremists in state legislatures try to hold onto power.
President Trump recently pressured Texas and Missouri into gerrymandering their congressional districts in favor of Republicans. In response, California passed a redistricting measure that will favor Democrats in 2026, and Virginia is holding a special election this month to do the same. Other measures or court cases are taking place in states like Utah, Missouri, New York, and Maryland.
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on Louisiana v. Callais, an incredibly consequential case that risks overturning some of the protections the Voting Rights Act gives us against racial gerrymandering.
What’s an alternative to gerrymandering?
Once voters understand what gerrymandering is, they agree that it undermines our democracy. We all want our votes to count fairly and equally. Elections should be decided by voters, not by the politicians themselves before we even get to the polls!
One way to combat gerrymandering is to have redistricting done by independent commissions who accurately represent the general population and operate openly and independently. States can also pass laws against gerrymandering, and we can be sure to elect judges who will rule against unfair gerrymandering in our states.
In other words, in order to get rid of this ugly side of politics, we have to get involved locally and change it for the better!
Do This: Tell us, how easy is this for you?
We’re taking a break from our usual Easy A routine this week just to check in with you.
Our weekly Easy A blog is written with our busiest members in mind – those of you who are fired up and want to do something but don’t have a lot of free time. We provide meaningful actions that you can take in five minutes or less each week.
We want to know, is that still working for you?
If so, great! We’ll keep the easy assignments coming. If not, let us know and we’ll find a better way to stay in touch. Just click below to answer and we’ll take care of the rest.
Please start sending me more ways to take action with Red Wine & Blue.
I love these quick, meaningful actions I can take each week. Keep ‘em coming!
I’d prefer to hear about upcoming opportunities with Red Wine & Blue on a monthly basis.
Do This: Find the Women Making History Near You
Red Wine & Blue’s theme song is “We Came To Make A Change” and we aren’t kidding! Our members are making history every day in their communities through changemaking actions, big and small.
From holding a “Save Sesame Street” bake sale supporting a North Carolina PBS station to a local art show fundraiser supporting reproductive rights organizations in California – both raised thousands of dollars!
And from filling food and diaper banks to organizing lobby days at state legislatures –our members are supporting their neighbors’ immediate needs AND demanding their elected representatives address those needs through lasting legislation.
You can be a part of these changemaking efforts, too.
No matter how much (or how little) time you have to spare, local groups in the Red Wine & Blue Network are looking for new members with a full range of time, talents, and skills right now.
Let’s close out Women’s History Month with a commitment to writing the next chapter. Take a few minutes to search our map and join the women making history near you today!
Watch This: Celebrating Women’s History Month
America has been celebrating March as Women’s History Month since 1987, but we know that women have been making history since the very beginning.
Take a few minutes this week to watch our recap of notable moments in the history of women’s rights:
As we celebrate this progress, we also recognize there’s still a lot of work to do! The good news is, women are great organizers and Red Wine & Blue members are leading the way. Come back next week for an easy way to join us in making our own history.
Read This: Notable Moments in the History of Women’s Rights
March is Women’s History Month, which evolved from women fighting for better working conditions, women’s suffrage, and equality in education. Those are our people!
Thanks to lobbying by the National Women’s History Alliance, President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the first National Women’s History Week in 1980. In 1987, Congress passed a law to designate it as a month-long recognition.
Let’s take a few minutes to reflect on some notable moments in women’s history, specifically progress that’s been made in women’s rights:
- 1920. The 19th Amendment is ratified, giving women the right to vote nationwide (although we know now that discrimination will keep non-white women from voting for decades to follow).
- 1960.The birth control pill is approved by the FDA.
- 1963. The Equal Pay Act requires equitable wages for men and women.
- 1965. The Voting Rights Act prohibits race-based discrimination, removing the barriers to voting that non-white women still face despite the 19th Amendment.
- 1965. The U.S. Supreme Court establishes a constitutional right to privacy, allowing married couples the right to use contraceptives.
- 1969. California passes the first “no fault” divorce law, making it easier for women to get divorced. This eventually spreads to all 50 states.
- 1972. Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in school programs and activities that receive federal funding.
- 1972. Congress passes the Equal Rights Amendment to constitutionally guarantee equal rights regardless of sex or gender, though it struggles to be ratified by enough states by its Congressionally-required deadline.
- 1972. The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the constitutional right to privacy extends to unmarried people’s right to use contraceptives.
- 1973. Roe v. Wade makes abortion legal.
- 1974. Congress adds sex as a protected class in civil rights law.
- 1974. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act makes it legal for women to open bank accounts and apply for credit cards, car loans, and home loans without a male co-signer.
- 1981. The U.S. Supreme Court overturns state laws that give a husband sole control over property that is jointly owned with a wife.
- 1993. The Family and Medical Leave Act gives women job protection – albeit unpaid and limited to 12 weeks – if they need to take leave for family reasons, like maternity leave.
- 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, removing women’s constitutionally protected right to abortion.
After nearly 250 years of slow, hard-won progress in women’s rights, it’s worth noting that the Dobbs decision in 2022 is the first time that the U.S. Supreme Court took a constitutional right away from citizens, rather than granted or expanded one.
We know from history that women will not stand for this reversal of progress, and we’re here to support those who are fighting back and making history of their own today.
Sources:
- Women’s History Milestones: Timeline, History.com
- The Equal Rights Amendment, Explained, Brennan Center for Justice
- Timeline of Legal History of Women in the United States, National Women’s History Alliance
- Women’s rights throughout U.S. history, Politico
Do This: Test Your Knowledge of Black History
Pop quiz! Let’s test what you’ve learned from our Black History Month Easy A actions over the past two weeks!
Want to challenge your friends and family to test their knowledge, too? Use the post below to share on your favorite social media or messaging apps.
Watch This: Black History You May Not Have Learned in School
Have you ever heard of America’s Black Belt? No, we don’t mean martial arts!
The Black Belt is a geopolitical region across the South. Its name originally referred to land where the soil was fertile and agriculture was strong, which meant it also had a high population of enslaved people. Now it refers to a Southern swath of counties where Black residents are the majority of the population.
Learn more by watching this one-minute video about the Black Belt:
These areas once thrived under Black leaders who represented their communities, but many of them lost their positions of power once white supremacists started disenfranchising Black voters after Reconstruction.
This rise in voter suppression in the South went hand-in-hand with an intentional whitewashing of the history taught in public schools – an effort led by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
This erasure of Black History is one reason a lot of us never learned about the Black Belt. But we can change that by sharing the stories of these vibrant communities, as well as the history they are still making today, like Plymouth, North Carolina just electing their first Black female mayor, Crystal Davis, in 2025! And come back next week for another easy action to celebrate Black History Month.
Read This: More Hidden Figures in Black History
You may be familiar with the movie, “Hidden Figures,” based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s book of the same name. It told the true story of Black women mathematicians for NASA who were critical to the success of the U.S. space program, but who had been overlooked by history books.
Shetterly brought the names of Christine Darden, Barbara Holley, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, Kathryn Peddrew, Eunice Smith, Sue Wilder, and Dorothy Vaughan to popular culture, teaching many of us Black history that we never learned in school. But countless other figures have been hidden or overshadowed in history, so let’s shine a light on a few more!
Dr. Gladys West
Dr. Gladys West was also a mathematician. She was one of only four Black professionals working at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division in Virginia when she was hired in 1956. Dr. West conducted research on satellite orbits and modeling the surface of the Earth. The mathematical model she created paved the way for Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.
While her career with the U.S. Navy spanned 42 years and her contributions to the creation of GPS are widely agreed upon, Dr. West didn’t receive public recognition until after “Hidden Figures” was released in 2016. In 2018, the military honored her as a Space Pioneer, and the Virginia General Assembly passed a joint resolution commending her work. In 2021 she was the first woman to receive the Prince Philip Medal from Britain’s Royal Academy of Engineering. In 2023 she was honored by the U.S. Navy with the first Freedom of the Seas Exploration and Innovation Award.
Dr. West died on January 17, 2026 at 95 years old. You can think of her with gratitude the next time you plug an address into your GPS!
Claudette Colvin
In January, we also lost an often overshadowed figure of the civil rights movement. Claudette Colvin passed away at the age of 86. While most of us learned in school about Rosa Parks’ bravery, Claudette Colvin was arrested for displaying the same bravery in March 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks.
Fifteen year-old Claudette was riding home from school on a segregated bus in Montgomery, AL. While she was seated in the back of the bus, it filled and the driver ordered Black passengers to give up their seats for white riders. Claudette refused and was arrested. Months later in October, Mary Louise Smith was arrested for the same thing, followed by Rosa Parks in December. Rosa Parks’ arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, so her name earned a rightful place in history, but Colvin and Smith were two of the four plaintiffs in the landmark case that ended racial segregation on Montgomery’s buses.
Colvin laid the groundwork for progress when she refused to give up her seat in 1955, and again in 2021 when she filed to have her record expunged, having never technically been cleared of her charges. She said it was important to show the next generation that “…progress is possible, and things do get better. It will inspire them to make the world better.”
The Bennett Belles
Many of us learned about strategic nonviolence and sit-ins as methods of protest during the Civil Rights Movement. While it was not the first, the sit-in led by the Greensboro Four at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, NC on February 1, 1960 gained national attention and is credited with launching a nationwide movement.
The Greensboro Four were male students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University – Ezell Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond, but have you ever learned about the women behind the movement? Female students like Linda Brown and Emma Washington from Bennett College played a huge role. In fact, hundreds of students known as the Bennett Belles helped plan and execute the Greensboro sit-ins.
These female students had been organizing since Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at Bennett College in 1958. In the fall of 1959, NC A&T students joined NAACP student chapter meetings at Bennett College where the sit-ins were planned. 40% of Bennett College students participated in demonstrations between 1960 and 1963, and 250 of them were arrested during the months of the lunch counter sit-ins.
Perhaps the ultimate Bennett Belle was the college’s President, Dr. Willa Beatrice Player who first brought King to campus and who supported her students throughout the entire movement. She even brought them personal items and school assignments while they were in jail! The sit-ins eventually lead to the desegregation of the lunch counters in July 1960, and we have the Bennett Belles to thank for that!
During Black History Month, and all year long, it’s important to keep uncovering these hidden, unsung, and overshadowed heroes of the past so that we can all learn the full story of American history.
Do This: Share These News Literacy Tips
National News Literacy Week may be over, but we have one more action to take to make it a success!
An important part of News Literacy Week is sharing its tips and resources with others. Earn your Easy A this week by sharing our 5 Steps to Evaluate News Sources video with friends and family, especially any kids or teens in your life.
Share one (or both!) of the premade posts below using your favorite social media or messaging apps. They are ready to share and include a link to the video we watched last week.
Together, we can help spread the word about media literacy and help fight misinformation, one source at a time!
Watch This: 5 Easy Ways to Check a News Source
It’s National News Literacy Week!
Led by the News Literacy Project, this week highlights the need to restore trust in news journalism, improve media literacy, and keep us all grounded in facts.
News Literacy Week’s website provides tools and resources for parents, teachers, and other concerned adults in order to help kids and teens – and ourselves – navigate today’s media environment, and we’re joining in.
Earn your Easy A this week by watching this short video with 5 Easy Ways to Check a News Source:
Understanding and modeling news literacy like this for our kids and teens is important. Next week, we’ll take one more action as part of National News Literacy Week – see you then!