vox--2020-11-17--Why every state should adopt a mask mandate, in 4 charts

Deborah Birx , the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force , recently toured North Dakota to meet with officials battling one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks in the country .
While she commended the state ’ s testing efforts , she was distraught by the noticeable lack of face masks in public spaces .
“ This is the least use of masks that we have seen in retail establishments of any place we have been , ” she said at an October 26 press conference .
As it turns out , North Dakota , which until recently didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lowest mask-wearing rate in the country in October , according to survey data .
It also had 171 coronavirus cases per 100,000 as of November 6 , the highest per capita rate of any state in the county , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) .
North Dakota is not the only state lagging in a mask policy in the throes of a major outbreak , however : Eight of the top 10 states that saw the highest new cases per capita in October did not have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chart below shows .
( Several of these Great Plains and Midwestern states were spared significant outbreaks of the virus until the fall . )
On November 8 , Utah implemented a mask mandate , as new daily Covid-19 cases continue to rise in the state and across the country .
Some other states have implemented or tightened mandates since then , including Iowa and North Dakota .
Over the course of the pandemic , America has been engaged in a massive and uncontrolled mask experiment : Some jurisdictions implemented and enforced mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health guidance became politicized .
President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned and even scorned the use of masks , and several Republican governors have followed his lead .
President-elect Joe Biden , meanwhile , has called for a national mask mandate .
But the different state-level approaches mean researchers can now parse the results of a trial they never would have received approval to conduct .
New unpublished research from Kansas and Tennessee suggests that not only do mask mandates prevent Covid-19 spread , they may also blunt the severity of illness and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ require hospitalization .
Other findings support the argument more and more public health experts are making : that masks remain among our cheapest most effective tools to control the pandemic — if worn consistently .
“ If you ’ re not in the ICU , the only tools at our disposal that we know work are the tried-and-true public health measures , like social distancing , hand-washing , and masks , ” says Vin Gupta , a critical care pulmonologist and affiliate assistant professor for the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re bearing the brunt of those things being implemented poorly.
” “ You ’ re less likely to get Covid-19 if you ’ re wearing a mask , ” says Donna Ginther , an economist and director of the Institute for Policy and Social Research at the University of Kansas .
And “ even if you do get sick while wearing a mask , you ’ re less likely to get deathly ill. ” Let ’ s walk through some of the latest research on mask mandates and what it means as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perilous seasons in the pandemic so far .
New evidence from Kansas and Tennessee that mask mandates control the spread of Covid-19 One intriguing piece of evidence of the effect of mask mandates on controlling the spread of the virus comes from Kansas .
In July , Laura Kelly , the Democratic governor of Kansas , issued a mandate requiring everyone in public places to wear a mask where 6 feet of social distancing couldn ’ t be maintained .
It prompted an immediate outcry from conservatives .
Because of a state law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supersede the governor ’ s emergency powers , 81 counties out of 105 opted out of the mask mandate altogether , and only 21 counties decided to enforce it .
Two researchers from the University of Kansas analyzed what happened next .
Ginther , the economist working on this analysis , found that in the counties that enforced mask-wearing , new cases stayed roughly steady .
But in the counties without mandates , even after controlling for how often people left their homes , they doubled .
“ We were stunned by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says .
The public health officer of Johnson , the state ’ s largest county , was so impressed he asked Ginther to share her work with the Board of County Commissioners , even though it ’ s not yet peer-reviewed or even written up into a paper .
She is currently working on publishing the results .
Ginther says it wasn ’ t until 12 weeks after the mandates took effect that the growth in cases began to slow .
But she thinks her results are likely conservative .
“ A 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a lower-bound on the true effect of wearing a mask , ” she says .
“ If you had 100 percent compliance , I would expect to see an even larger effect.
” Other researchers have made related findings .
A nonprofit group called Prevent Epidemics recently published a report showing that , following mask mandates , coronavirus cases declined in Alabama , Oklahoma , South Carolina , and Texas .
The CDC found that in Arizona , after a mask mandate was put in place , Covid-19 cases dropped 75 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when stay-at-home orders were lifted , demonstrating that behavior has a significant impact on viral transmission .
In addition to slowing the spread of the virus , new evidence from Tennessee shows that mask mandates could reduce the severity of the virus .
A paper by researchers at Vanderbilt found that at Tennessee hospitals where at least 75 percent of Covid-19 patients came from counties with mask requirements , coronavirus hospitalization rates are the same as they were in July .
In hospitals where fewer than 25 percent of patients come from places @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 200 percent higher .
What ’ s more , the researchers wrote , hospitals in areas with mask requirements and other mitigation strategies “ are in a much better position to serve the entire spectrum of community health needs , not just Covid-19 patients.
” Even if they aren ’ t always followed , mask mandates appear to be an effective tool in encouraging behavior change .
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation ( IHME ) at the University of Washington found in August that mask use increased 8 percentage points after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if those mandates were enforced .
Only around 65 percent of Americans currently regularly wear masks , according to IHME .
But in Singapore , for instance , around 95 percent of people wear masks , and they have one of the world ’ s lowest coronavirus death rates .
“ We know that countries that wear masks are doing much better , ” says Ali Mokdad , the chief strategy officer of public health at the University of Washington .
Thirty-three states and Washington , DC , implemented statewide mask mandates between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period , an increasing number of Americans began to wear masks regularly , according to a weekly survey started in mid-April by the data intelligence company Premise .
There is one caveat of all the analyses mentioned above : They simply observe behavior , which means that they can demonstrate associations — like case counts falling after mask mandates are put in place — but not causation .
The gold standard to prove that would be a randomized controlled trial .
But that ’ s a hard study to design in a pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ randomized trials , Rebekah Gee , a public health policy expert and secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health , says the body of evidence “ confirms what public health experts have known since early on in this pandemic , which is that masks work.
” Masks could save 130,000 lives by February , but more Americans would have to wear them consistently In fact , a study published October 23 in Nature Medicine by IHME ’ s forecasting team modeled current public health interventions — projecting case numbers based on current behavior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could save as many as 130,000 lives by the end of February 2021 .
Mokdad says that ’ s why it ’ s essential to have clear , consistent recommendations to wear masks .
He adds , “ We never debate seatbelts .
Is it okay if only 80 percent of people wear them ?
We say everybody should.
” But while he would prefer that 100 percent of people wear masks , Mokdad says at this point , any incremental increase in mask use “ for me is a celebration.
” Unfortunately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , mask use is actually decreasing .
In Florida , for example , which grappled with a serious surge in cases this summer , Mokdad says 70 percent of people were wearing masks in August .
Now , only 65 percent are .
“ Wearing masks has been a response to fear rather than a good , persistent behavior , ” Mokdad says .
Vox analyzed the relationship between the frequency of wearing masks from the Premise survey data and the Covid-19 cases in states from April to October .
As the charts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where cases surged in the spring , more people now wear masks .
These states — where more people consistently wear masks — are now less likely to see another huge surge in cases .
Even though mask use has risen in many states , the nation as a whole is on a troubling trajectory , with new daily cases , hospitalizations , and deaths all on the rise .
Mokdad says he ’ s very concerned about the holidays .
“ As we go be with our loved ones — our grandparents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go sit at a table and risk the people you care about most , or do you want to wear a mask ?
” IHME models predict that if some US states increased their mask use from now on , they could reduce the number of future Covid-19 deaths by about 50 percent .
The stakes for getting this right are high — not just for the holidays , but for the rest of the pandemic , however long that might be .
Anthony Fauci , the director of the National Institute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ echoed Biden ’ s call for a national mask mandate .
“ If you don ’ t want to shut down , at least do the fundamental , basic things , ” Fauci told the editor-in-chief of JAMA , “ the flagship of which is wearing a mask.
” Rather than thinking about a mask mandate as something that takes away a freedom , as anti-mask protestors have claimed , Leana Wen , a physician and the former Health Commissioner for the City of Baltimore , says , “ Mask-wearing allows you to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask , it will keep transmission low , allowing businesses and schools to stay open .
“ If you want a more normal life , we need to adjust our behavior , as opposed to locking ourselves away , ” Ginther says .
“ Masks rise to the top as an approach we can take as a society to have a more open economy but not get everyone sick.
” Lois Parshley is a freelance investigative journalist .
Follow her Covid-19 reporting on Twitter @ loisparshley .
Editor ’ s note , November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a previous version of the chart of increases in Covid-19 cases in October did not include Hawaii and miscategorized Louisiana as not having a mandate .
In fact , Louisiana implemented a mandate in August .
The chart has been updated to reflect these changes .

Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, toured North Dakota this fall, as the state was overwhelmed by one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks in the country. While she commended the state’s testing efforts, she was distraught by the noticeable lack of face masks in public spaces. “This is the least use of masks that we have seen in retail establishments of any place we have been,” she said at an October 26 press conference.
North Dakota, which at the time didn’t require masks, had the lowest mask-wearing rate in the country in October, according to survey data.
North Dakota is not the only state that lagged in a mask policy in the throes of a major outbreak, however: Eight of the top 10 states that saw the highest new cases per capita in October did not have a widespread mask mandate, as the chart below shows. (Several of these Great Plains and Midwestern states were spared significant outbreaks of the virus until the fall.)
But the dramatic surge of Covid-19 across the country this fall and winter has forced some states to change course. On November 8, Utah implemented a mask mandate, as new daily Covid-19 cases continue to rise in the state and across the country. Several other states have implemented or tightened mandates since then, including Iowa and North Dakota. Thirty-seven states now have mandates, according to the AARP.
And on December 4, the CDC issued a new recommendation that people wear masks indoors at all times, unless they are at home.
Over the course of the pandemic, America has been engaged in a massive and uncontrolled mask experiment: Some jurisdictions implemented and enforced mask mandates; others rejected them as public health guidance became politicized. President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned and even scorned the use of masks, and several Republican governors have followed his lead. President-elect Joe Biden, meanwhile, has called for a national mask mandate and for Americans to wear masks for the “first 100 days” he is in office, as vaccines roll out.
But the different state-level approaches mean researchers can now parse the results of a trial they never would have received approval to conduct. New research from Kansas and Tennessee suggests that not only do mask mandates prevent Covid-19 spread, they may also blunt the severity of illness and reduce the number of serious cases that require hospitalization. Other findings support the argument more and more public health experts are making: that masks remain among our cheapest most effective tools to control the pandemic — if worn consistently.
“If you’re not in the ICU, the only tools at our disposal that we know work are the tried-and-true public health measures, like social distancing, hand-washing, and masks,” says Vin Gupta, a critical care pulmonologist and affiliate assistant professor for the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. “We’re bearing the brunt of those things being implemented poorly.”
“You’re less likely to get Covid-19 if you’re wearing a mask,” says Donna Ginther, an economist and director of the Institute for Policy and Social Research at the University of Kansas. And “even if you do get sick while wearing a mask, you’re less likely to get deathly ill.”
Let’s walk through some of the latest research on mask mandates and what it means as we head into one of the most perilous seasons in the pandemic so far.
New evidence from Kansas and Tennessee that mask mandates control the spread of Covid-19
One intriguing piece of evidence of the effect of mask mandates on controlling the spread of the virus comes from Kansas. In July, Laura Kelly, the Democratic governor of Kansas, issued a mandate requiring everyone in public places to wear a mask where 6 feet of social distancing couldn’t be maintained. It prompted an immediate outcry from conservatives. Because of a state law passed in June that allowed counties to supersede the governor’s emergency powers, 81 counties out of 105 opted out of the mask mandate altogether, and only 21 counties decided to enforce it.
Two researchers from the University of Kansas analyzed what happened next.
Ginther, the economist working on this analysis, found that in the counties that enforced mask-wearing, new cases stayed roughly steady. But in the counties without mandates, even after controlling for how often people left their homes, they doubled. “We were stunned by the strength of the effect,” she says.
The public health officer of Johnson, the state’s largest county, was so impressed he asked Ginther to share her work with the Board of County Commissioners, even though it’s not yet peer-reviewed or even written up into a paper. She is currently working on publishing the results.
Ginther says it wasn’t until 12 weeks after the mandates took effect that the growth in cases began to slow. But she thinks her results are likely conservative. “A 50 percent reduction in cases is likely to be a lower-bound on the true effect of wearing a mask,” she says. “If you had 100 percent compliance, I would expect to see an even larger effect.”
Other researchers have made related findings. A nonprofit group called Prevent Epidemics recently published a report showing that, following mask mandates, coronavirus cases declined in Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. The CDC found that in Arizona, after a mask mandate was put in place, Covid-19 cases dropped 75 percent. Conversely, cases spiked 151 percent when stay-at-home orders were lifted, demonstrating that behavior has a significant impact on viral transmission.
In addition to slowing the spread of the virus, new evidence from Tennessee shows that mask mandates could reduce the severity of the virus. A paper by researchers at Vanderbilt found that at Tennessee hospitals where at least 75 percent of Covid-19 patients came from counties with mask requirements, coronavirus hospitalization rates are the same as they were in July. In hospitals where fewer than 25 percent of patients come from places with a mask mandate, hospitalizations are 200 percent higher. What’s more, the researchers wrote, hospitals in areas with mask requirements and other mitigation strategies “are in a much better position to serve the entire spectrum of community health needs, not just Covid-19 patients.”
Mask mandates lead to more people wearing masks
Even if they aren’t always followed, mask mandates appear to be an effective tool in encouraging behavior change. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington found in August that mask use increased 8 percentage points after mask mandates, and increased 15 points if those mandates were enforced.
Only around 65 percent of Americans currently regularly wear masks, according to IHME. But in Singapore, for instance, around 95 percent of people wear masks, and they have one of the world’s lowest coronavirus death rates. “We know that countries that wear masks are doing much better,” says Ali Mokdad, the chief strategy officer of public health at the University of Washington.
Thirty-three states and Washington, DC, implemented statewide mask mandates between April and August. During the same period, an increasing number of Americans began to wear masks regularly, according to a weekly survey started in mid-April by the data intelligence company Premise.
There is one caveat of all the analyses mentioned above: They simply observe behavior, which means that they can demonstrate associations — like case counts falling after mask mandates are put in place — but not causation. The gold standard to prove that would be a randomized controlled trial. But that’s a hard study to design in a pandemic because of ethical concerns.
Even without randomized trials, Rebekah Gee, a public health policy expert and secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, says the body of evidence “confirms what public health experts have known since early on in this pandemic, which is that masks work.”
Masks could save 130,000 lives by February, but more Americans would have to wear them consistently
In fact, a study published October 23 in Nature Medicine by IHME’s forecasting team modeled current public health interventions — projecting case numbers based on current behavior — and found that universal mask use could save as many as 130,000 lives by the end of February 2021.
Mokdad says that’s why it’s essential to have clear, consistent recommendations to wear masks. He adds, “We never debate seatbelts. Is it okay if only 80 percent of people wear them? We say everybody should.” But while he would prefer that 100 percent of people wear masks, Mokdad says at this point, any incremental increase in mask use “for me is a celebration.”
Unfortunately, in many parts of the US, mask use is actually decreasing. In Florida, for example, which grappled with a serious surge in cases this summer, Mokdad says 70 percent of people were wearing masks in August. Now, only 65 percent are. “Wearing masks has been a response to fear rather than a good, persistent behavior,” Mokdad says.
Vox analyzed the relationship between the frequency of wearing masks from the Premise survey data and the Covid-19 cases in states from April to October. As the charts below show, in states with mandates where cases surged in the spring, more people now wear masks. These states — where more people consistently wear masks — are now less likely to see another huge surge in cases.
Even though mask use has risen in many states, the nation as a whole is on a troubling trajectory, with new daily cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all on the rise. Mokdad says he’s very concerned about the holidays. “As we go be with our loved ones — our grandparents, our kids — do you want to go sit at a table and risk the people you care about most, or do you want to wear a mask?” IHME models predict that if some US states increased their mask use from now on, they could reduce the number of future Covid-19 deaths by about 50 percent.
The stakes for getting this right are high — not just for the holidays, but for the rest of the pandemic, however long that might be.
Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently echoed Biden’s call for a national mask mandate. “If you don’t want to shut down, at least do the fundamental, basic things,” Fauci told the editor-in-chief of JAMA, “the flagship of which is wearing a mask.”
Rather than thinking about a mask mandate as something that takes away a freedom, as anti-mask protestors have claimed, Leana Wen, a physician and the former Health Commissioner for the City of Baltimore, says, “Mask-wearing allows you to do things.” If everyone wears a mask, it will keep transmission low, allowing businesses and schools to stay open.
“If you want a more normal life, we need to adjust our behavior, as opposed to locking ourselves away,” Ginther says. “Masks rise to the top as an approach we can take as a society to have a more open economy but not get everyone sick.”
Lois Parshley is a freelance investigative journalist. Follow her Covid-19 reporting on Twitter @loisparshley.
Editor’s note, November 7: Due to a data error, a previous version of the chart of increases in Covid-19 cases in October did not include Hawaii and miscategorized Louisiana as not having a mandate. In fact, Louisiana implemented a mandate in August. The chart has been updated to reflect these changes.


vox--2020-11-17--How long can Trump keep disputing the election results?

President Donald Trump ’ s effort to dispute Joe Biden ’ s victory in the 2020 election is well into its second week , with no end yet in sight .
Despite Trump ’ s failure to produce any evidence of widespread voter fraud and a floundering legal effort so far , the president ’ s public rhetoric has remained defiant .
“ Those responsible for the safeguarding of our Constitution can not allow the Fake results of the 2020 Mail-In Election to stand , ” Trump tweeted Sunday night ( earning a warning label for misinformation from Twitter ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Most leading Republicans have not yet acknowledged Trump ’ s defeat either .
So ... how long is this going to go on , exactly ?
No one knows for sure what Trump will do .
But deadlines looming in the next few weeks may prevent his effort to overturn the election results from having any legal chance of success .
First , the various states all have their own deadlines to certify the election results , making them official .
In several key states , those deadlines are fast approaching — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this Friday .
Trump has been trying to slow down or block these certifications , but he ’ s had little success so far .
Second , the Electoral College will meet and cast the votes that will formally make Joe Biden the president-elect on December 14 .
Unless Trump can somehow get his own electors appointed in states Biden won , that would make it truly official that he ’ s lost .
If Republicans have indeed just been “ humoring ” Trump or indulging him for the time being , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Electoral College vote provide an obvious opportunity for them to make it clear to him that enough is enough .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , for instance , said last week that “ the process ” and “ our system ” will resolve post-election disputes .
Faced with criticism that Trump hasn ’ t let the transition process officially get started for Biden yet , Republicans like McConnell have tended to point to the disputed election of 2000 as a precedent .
That dispute was wrapped up in mid-December — so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar timeline for the GOP acknowledging the outcome of this one .
Sources close to Trump have suggested to reporters that , even if he never rhetorically concedes that he lost , by then he will probably recognize the practical reality and stop fighting to block a Biden presidency .
But , of course , we won ’ t know that for sure until he actually does it .
Certification deadlines are in late November and early December Federal law sets the deadline for all states to certify their presidential election results and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the various states have set earlier deadlines for themselves , and the Washington Post ’ s Elise Viebeck and Daniela Santamariña put together an excellent rundown of all the important dates to watch .
Each certification that Biden won in a swing state will be a blow to Trump ’ s efforts to dispute the election .
First up among the key states Biden won is Georgia — its deadline is this Friday , November 20 .
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has made clear he views this as a hard deadline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statewide audit of all its votes by hand , and it ’ s reportedly on track to wrap up by 11:59 pm on Wednesday .
( Biden leads by 14,000 votes there , so it ’ s very unlikely the audit will put Trump ahead . )
There is one potential wrinkle here : Though the audit has sometimes been referred to as a “ recount , ” it technically is not one .
And after Georgia certifies its vote , Trump ’ s campaign would be able to request an actual recount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So there might be a bit more action in Georgia after the certification deadline — though , again , Biden ’ s lead is likely too big to be overcome in a recount .
The next domino to fall may be Michigan , which has its certification deadline early next week , on Monday , November 23 .
Biden ’ s lead in Michigan — 146,000 votes , a 2.65 percent margin — is the biggest in any of these contested states .
Still , one potential issue here is that results must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State Canvassers , which has two Democratic and two Republican appointees .
Some are worried that the GOP appointees might decide to ignore the clear outcome in their state due to conspiracy theories about fraud .
On Monday , we ’ ll find out whether they will .
Pennsylvania does not have a specific state deadline to certify results , according to Viebeck and Santamariña , but its deadline for county-level certifications is also Monday , November 23 .
The Democratic secretary of the commonwealth , Kathy Boockvar , will then have the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is next , with certification scheduled to take place on Tuesday , November 24 .
But the final key deadlines are after Thanksgiving — Arizona on November 30 , and Wisconsin on December 1 .
( Trump can ask for a recount in Wisconsin , but he ’ d have to fork over the hefty sum of $ 7.9 million to do so ; he has to decide on it by this Wednesday . )
It ’ s also worth noting that these are all deadlines for states to certify , but they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deadline .
The electoral votes make things official in mid-December Generally , in these states , certification is tied to the next stage in the process — the appointment of the electors , the 538 people who will comprise the Electoral College and cast the votes that will technically choose our next president .
If Biden is certified the winner in a state , his electors get appointed ( though Republican state legislatures could theoretically try to challenge this , such a challenge would be legally dubious at best ) .
If Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won , then everything would be on track for him to win .
The electoral votes themselves technically would not be cast until December 14 .
Once those votes are cast , they will be publicly known ( though Congress technically won ’ t “ count ” those votes until January ) .
This is the “ process ” and the “ system ” that McConnell has pointed to that will settle the election ’ s outcome .
This is also about when the 2000 election , which Republicans have pointed to as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closer and the contestation was serious ) , was settled .
So if the key state results are certified in late November and early December as planned , and especially once the electoral votes are cast in mid-December , it will become much harder for Trump to sustain this dispute .
That doesn ’ t mean he won ’ t keep trying .
But recent reports have suggested that Trump sees the writing on the wall and is thinking about how to make a face-saving exit — perhaps by announcing a 2024 campaign @

President Donald Trump’s effort to dispute Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election is well into its second week, with no end yet in sight.
Despite Trump’s failure to produce any evidence of widespread voter fraud and a floundering legal effort so far, the president’s public rhetoric has remained defiant. “Those responsible for the safeguarding of our Constitution cannot allow the Fake results of the 2020 Mail-In Election to stand,” Trump tweeted Sunday night (earning a warning label for misinformation from Twitter). “The World is watching!” Most leading Republicans have not yet acknowledged Trump’s defeat either.
So ... how long is this going to go on, exactly?
No one knows for sure what Trump will do. But deadlines looming in the next few weeks may prevent his effort to overturn the election results from having any legal chance of success.
First, the various states all have their own deadlines to certify the election results, making them official. In several key states, those deadlines are fast approaching — for instance, Georgia’s is this Friday. Trump has been trying to slow down or block these certifications, but he’s had little success so far.
Second, the Electoral College will meet and cast the votes that will formally make Joe Biden the president-elect on December 14. Unless Trump can somehow get his own electors appointed in states Biden won, that would make it truly official that he’s lost.
If Republicans have indeed just been “humoring” Trump or indulging him for the time being, as some claim, the state certifications and the Electoral College vote provide an obvious opportunity for them to make it clear to him that enough is enough. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, for instance, said last week that “the process” and “our system” will resolve post-election disputes.
Faced with criticism that Trump hasn’t let the transition process officially get started for Biden yet, Republicans like McConnell have tended to point to the disputed election of 2000 as a precedent. That dispute was wrapped up in mid-December — so perhaps we’re looking at a similar timeline for the GOP acknowledging the outcome of this one.
Sources close to Trump have suggested to reporters that, even if he never rhetorically concedes that he lost, by then he will probably recognize the practical reality and stop fighting to block a Biden presidency. But, of course, we won’t know that for sure until he actually does it.
Certification deadlines are in late November and early December
The various states have set deadlines to certify their results in November and December, and the Washington Post’s Elise Viebeck and Daniela Santamariña put together an excellent rundown of all the important dates to watch.
Each certification that Biden won in a swing state will be a blow to Trump’s efforts to dispute the election.
First up among the key states Biden won is Georgia — its deadline is this Friday, November 20. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has made clear he views this as a hard deadline. Currently, Georgia is conducting a statewide audit of all its votes by hand, and it’s reportedly on track to wrap up by 11:59 pm on Wednesday. (Biden leads by 14,000 votes there, so it’s very unlikely the audit will put Trump ahead.)
There is one potential wrinkle here: Though the audit has sometimes been referred to as a “recount,” it technically is not one. And after Georgia certifies its vote, Trump’s campaign would be able to request an actual recount that the state would pay for. So there might be a bit more action in Georgia after the certification deadline — though, again, Biden’s lead is likely too big to be overcome in a recount.
The next domino to fall may be Michigan, which has its certification deadline early next week, on Monday, November 23. Biden’s lead in Michigan — 146,000 votes, a 2.65 percent margin — is the biggest in any of these contested states. Still, one potential issue here is that results must be certified by the bipartisan Board of State Canvassers, which has two Democratic and two Republican appointees. Some are worried that the GOP appointees might decide to ignore the clear outcome in their state due to conspiracy theories about fraud. On Monday, we’ll find out whether they will.
Pennsylvania does not have a specific state deadline to certify results, according to Viebeck and Santamariña, but its deadline for county-level certifications is also Monday, November 23. The Democratic secretary of the commonwealth, Kathy Boockvar, will then have the authority to certify the result.
Nevada is next, with certification scheduled to take place on Tuesday, November 24. But the final key deadlines are after Thanksgiving — Arizona on November 30, and Wisconsin on December 1. (Trump can ask for a recount in Wisconsin, but he’d have to fork over the hefty sum of $7.9 million to do so; he has to decide on it by this Wednesday.) It’s also worth noting that these are all deadlines for states to certify, but they can potentially do it earlier than the deadline.
The electoral votes make things official in mid-December
Generally, in these states, certification is tied to the next stage in the process — the appointment of the electors, the 538 people who will comprise the Electoral College and cast the votes that will technically choose our next president. If Biden is certified the winner in a state, his electors get appointed (though Republican state legislatures could theoretically try to challenge this, such a challenge would be legally dubious at best).
If Biden electors are appointed in the states Biden won, then everything would be on track for him to win. The electoral votes themselves technically would not be cast until December 14. Once those votes are cast, they will be publicly known (though Congress technically won’t “count” those votes until January).
This is the “process” and the “system” that McConnell has pointed to that will settle the election’s outcome. This is also about when the 2000 election, which Republicans have pointed to as a precedent (although it was much closer and the contestation was serious), was settled.
So if the key state results are certified in late November and early December as planned, and especially once the electoral votes are cast in mid-December, it will become much harder for Trump to sustain this dispute.
That doesn’t mean he won’t keep trying. But recent reports have suggested that Trump sees the writing on the wall and is thinking about how to make a face-saving exit — perhaps by announcing a 2024 campaign.


vox--2020-11-17--New Democratic sheriffs in Georgia and South Carolina have vowed to cut ties with ICE

Three Democratic sheriffs who have promised to cut ties with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement will soon assume office in some of Georgia ’ s and South Carolina ’ s most populous counties after defeating hardline Republicans .
All of them have promised to end longstanding agreements with the federal government under which sheriffs can question people about their immigration status and detain them on immigration charges .
These agreements , known as 287 ( g ) agreements after the section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that created them , predate President Donald Trump .
But Trump has vastly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , issuing an executive order during the first weeks of his presidency that allowed him to rapidly sign more such agreements with local law enforcement to arrest and detain unauthorized immigrants living in the US .
During fiscal year 2019 alone , the agreements allowed local law enforcement to take almost 25,000 immigrants into custody .
Opponents say they foster distrust of law enforcement in immigrant communities , result in racial profiling , yield few arrests of violent criminals who should be prioritized for deportation , and prove costly for local authorities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out .
In Georgia ’ s Gwinnett County , Democrat Keybo Taylor , a police major , prevailed over Republican Chief Deputy Sheriff Lou Solis .
The county ’ s 287 ( g ) agreement had been used to refer more than 21,000 people in the county to ICE over the past decade , making it one of ICE ’ s biggest local law enforcement partners outside of counties on the US-Mexico border .
“ Along the campaign trail , I spent hours listening to your needs .
You voiced concerns for community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( g ) program and nonviolent interactions with law enforcement personnel , ” Taylor told his supporters in a letter last week .
“ In the upcoming months , my team and I will implement robust plans which will address these concerns .
My goal as your sheriff is to lead an office that truly serves the needs of every constituent in our county.
” In nearby Cobb County , Democrat Craig Owens , also a police major , ousted incumbent Republican Sheriff Neil Warren , who has held office for 17 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state to enter into a 287 ( g ) agreement .
Taylor and Owens are also their counties ’ first black sheriffs .
And in Charleston County , South Carolina , Kristin Graziano , a former master deputy at the sheriff ’ s office who was put on leave once she announced her candidacy , defeated incumbent Sheriff Al Cannon , who had never seen a serious challenger and had run unopposed in the general election for eight terms .
Democrats also fended off pro-ICE sheriff candidates in Ohio ’ s Hamilton County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where the infamous former Sheriff Joe Arpaio once targeted immigrants and sought to implement one of the most restrictive “ show me your papers ” laws in the country .
The election of these sheriffs , who made cutting ties with ICE a central message of their campaigns , is a triumph for immigrant rights activists .
They view it as a signal that the public doesn ’ t think local law enforcement should be involved in efforts to deport members of their communities and spread fear among immigrants .
“ I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a federal matter , and it is , and so they often don ’ t want their local police , who should be focused upon the public safety of everyone in the community , distracted by efforts to be immigration agents , ” said Ronald Newman , the political director of the American Civil Liberties Union , which worked with grassroots organizations in Georgia and South Carolina to galvanize support for the anti-ICE sheriff candidates .
“ At the end of the day , local police should do their job , not the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that sentiment is what we try to tap into when we do this work , ” he added .
Immigrant rights advocates argue that the 287 ( g ) program isn ’ t improving public safety , but rather undermining it .
There are two kinds of 287 ( g ) agreements that local law enforcement can sign : the jail enforcement model and the warrant service officer model .
The jail enforcement model allows local law enforcement to interrogate people who have been arrested on state or local charges about their immigration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deportation by ICE .
The more limited warrant service officer model , which the Trump administration created in May 2019 , trains local law enforcement to carry out civil immigration warrants issued by ICE for the arrests of unauthorized immigrants , even in places that have adopted sanctuary policies .
But it doesn ’ t allow local law enforcement to interrogate people about their immigration status .
Both types of agreements formalize cooperation between the federal government and local law enforcement .
But even in the absence of these agreements , local law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opt to share information with ICE or allow the agency into local jails without a judicial warrant , unless state and local governments have otherwise prohibited those practices .
While the Trump administration has invoked the program as a means to keep criminals off the streets , the Migration Policy Institute found that half of all the requests to detain unauthorized immigrants issued through the program were directed at people who had committed misdemeanors and traffic offenses .
In places like North Carolina ’ s Alamance County and Arizona ’ s Maricopa County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , the program led to widespread racial profiling of Latinos , damaging the relationship between law enforcement and the community .
Both the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Major Cities Chiefs Association — which represent law enforcement in the US and Canada — have stated that unauthorized immigrants are more fearful to contact police or assist in investigations without assurance that they will not be targeted for deportation .
Trump has also made changes to the 287 ( g ) program .
While the agreements were previously designed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conversations at the local level over whether they should be renewed , ICE is no longer placing end dates on the agreements .
The agency has also allowed local law enforcement to arrest unauthorized immigrants and refer them for deportation proceedings without filing charges in criminal court , leading to baseless arrests .
Ending these agreements would foster more trust between local law enforcement and immigrant communities .
“ There is an embrace that is signaled when a sheriff exits from one of these agreements that I think has a really significant effect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The message being conveyed is that you are fully a member of this community and my role is to protect and serve you.
” The 287 ( g ) program was created under a law signed by President Bill Clinton and supported by then-Sen. Joe Biden and other Democrats .
But Biden vowed this August that he would end all of the Trump ’ s administration ’ s new 287 ( g ) agreements and “ aggressively limit the use of 287 ( g ) and similar programs that force local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of immigration enforcement.
” Currently , 148 total jurisdictions have signed 287 ( g ) agreements , including 126 that did so under the Trump administration .
“ We would encourage him to take another step further and actually exit from all 287 ( g ) agreements entirely , and he can do that completely on his own — no conversation with Congress required , ” Newman said of Biden .
Aside from 287 ( g ) agreements , there are other programs under which federal immigration authorities can deputize local law enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal government pays local authorities to provide space in jails and prisons to detain unauthorized immigrants beyond a 48-hour limit on detaining people in non-ICE facilities for immigration violations .
Biden also would have the power to stop these programs unilaterally , but he has not yet elaborated on his plans .
On the campaign trail , he promised that he would focus on deporting only immigrants who pose a threat to national security and public safety and that he would improve accountability for immigration agencies like ICE , without delving into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some or all of these programs intact , Newman said the ACLU intends to scope out opportunities to lift up sheriff candidates who oppose this kind of cooperation with federal immigration authorities in the 2022 election cycle .
Frederick County , Maryland , where the sheriff ’ s office recently prohibited profiling or targeting people based on their immigration status and arresting people based on ICE warrants , seems to already be moving in the direction of cutting ties with ICE .
But other targets could include Alamance County , North Carolina ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Massachusetts ; and Kenosha County , Wisconsin .
“ It ’ s a second failsafe that leaves us comfortable that local involvement in federal immigration enforcement won ’ t occur , irrespective of what president is in office and what request they make , ” Newman said .

Three Democratic sheriffs who have promised to cut ties with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement will soon assume office in some of Georgia’s and South Carolina’s most populous counties after defeating hardline Republicans.
All of them have promised to end longstanding agreements with the federal government under which sheriffs can question people about their immigration status and detain them on immigration charges.
These agreements, known as 287(g) agreements after the section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that created them, predate President Donald Trump. But Trump has vastly expanded the 287(g) program, issuing an executive order during the first weeks of his presidency that allowed him to rapidly sign more such agreements with local law enforcement to arrest and detain unauthorized immigrants living in the US. During fiscal year 2019 alone, the agreements allowed local law enforcement to take almost 25,000 immigrants into custody.
Opponents say they foster distrust of law enforcement in immigrant communities, result in racial profiling, yield few arrests of violent criminals who should be prioritized for deportation, and prove costly for local authorities, who foot the bill of carrying them out.
In Georgia’s Gwinnett County, Democrat Keybo Taylor, a police major, prevailed over Republican Chief Deputy Sheriff Lou Solis. The county’s 287(g) agreement had been used to refer more than 21,000 people in the county to ICE over the past decade, making it one of ICE’s biggest local law enforcement partners outside of counties on the US-Mexico border.
“Along the campaign trail, I spent hours listening to your needs. You voiced concerns for community inclusion, neighborhood safety, the 287(g) program and nonviolent interactions with law enforcement personnel,” Taylor told his supporters in a letter last week. “In the upcoming months, my team and I will implement robust plans which will address these concerns. My goal as your sheriff is to lead an office that truly serves the needs of every constituent in our county.”
In nearby Cobb County, Democrat Craig Owens, also a police major, ousted incumbent Republican Sheriff Neil Warren, who has held office for 17 years and was the first sheriff in the state to enter into a 287(g) agreement. Taylor and Owens are also their counties’ first black sheriffs.
And in Charleston County, South Carolina, Kristin Graziano, a former master deputy at the sheriff’s office who was put on leave once she announced her candidacy, defeated incumbent Sheriff Al Cannon, who had never seen a serious challenger and had run unopposed in the general election for eight terms.
Democrats also fended off pro-ICE sheriff candidates in Ohio’s Hamilton County and Arizona’s Maricopa County, where the infamous former Sheriff Joe Arpaio once targeted immigrants and sought to implement one of the most restrictive “show me your papers” laws in the country.
The election of these sheriffs, who made cutting ties with ICE a central message of their campaigns, is a triumph for immigrant rights activists. They view it as a signal that the public doesn’t think local law enforcement should be involved in efforts to deport members of their communities and spread fear among immigrants.
“I think voters tend to think of immigration as a federal matter, and it is, and so they often don’t want their local police, who should be focused upon the public safety of everyone in the community, distracted by efforts to be immigration agents,” said Ronald Newman, the political director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which worked with grassroots organizations in Georgia and South Carolina to galvanize support for the anti-ICE sheriff candidates.
“At the end of the day, local police should do their job, not the federal government’s job, and that sentiment is what we try to tap into when we do this work,” he added.
Immigrant advocates argue that 287(g) hurts public safety
Immigrant rights advocates argue that the 287(g) program isn’t improving public safety, but rather undermining it.
There are two kinds of 287(g) agreements that local law enforcement can sign: the jail enforcement model and the warrant service officer model. The jail enforcement model allows local law enforcement to interrogate people who have been arrested on state or local charges about their immigration status as well as process them for deportation by ICE. The more limited warrant service officer model, which the Trump administration created in May 2019, trains local law enforcement to carry out civil immigration warrants issued by ICE for the arrests of unauthorized immigrants, even in places that have adopted sanctuary policies. But it doesn’t allow local law enforcement to interrogate people about their immigration status.
Both types of agreements formalize cooperation between the federal government and local law enforcement. But even in the absence of these agreements, local law enforcement could still, for example, opt to share information with ICE or allow the agency into local jails without a judicial warrant, unless state and local governments have otherwise prohibited those practices.
While the Trump administration has invoked the program as a means to keep criminals off the streets, the Migration Policy Institute found that half of all the requests to detain unauthorized immigrants issued through the program were directed at people who had committed misdemeanors and traffic offenses.
In places like North Carolina’s Alamance County and Arizona’s Maricopa County (which has since ended its agreement), the program led to widespread racial profiling of Latinos, damaging the relationship between law enforcement and the community. Both the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Major Cities Chiefs Association — which represent law enforcement in the US and Canada — have stated that unauthorized immigrants are more fearful to contact police or assist in investigations without assurance that they will not be targeted for deportation.
Trump has also made changes to the 287(g) program. While the agreements were previously designed to expire after three years, prompting regular conversations at the local level over whether they should be renewed, ICE is no longer placing end dates on the agreements. The agency has also allowed local law enforcement to arrest unauthorized immigrants and refer them for deportation proceedings without filing charges in criminal court, leading to baseless arrests.
Ending these agreements would foster more trust between local law enforcement and immigrant communities.
“There is an embrace that is signaled when a sheriff exits from one of these agreements that I think has a really significant effect within these communities,” Newman said. “The message being conveyed is that you are fully a member of this community and my role is to protect and serve you.”
Biden could unilaterally end the 287(g) program
The 287(g) program was created under a law signed by President Bill Clinton and supported by then-Sen. Joe Biden and other Democrats. But Biden vowed this August that he would end all of the Trump’s administration’s new 287(g) agreements and “aggressively limit the use of 287(g) and similar programs that force local law enforcement to take on the role of immigration enforcement.”
Currently, 148 total jurisdictions have signed 287(g) agreements, including 126 that did so under the Trump administration.
“We would encourage him to take another step further and actually exit from all 287(g) agreements entirely, and he can do that completely on his own — no conversation with Congress required,” Newman said of Biden.
Aside from 287(g) agreements, there are other programs under which federal immigration authorities can deputize local law enforcement.
And under intergovernmental service agreements, the federal government pays local authorities to provide space in jails and prisons to detain unauthorized immigrants beyond a 48-hour limit on detaining people in non-ICE facilities for immigration violations.
Biden also would have the power to stop these programs unilaterally, but he has not yet elaborated on his plans. On the campaign trail, he promised that he would focus on deporting only immigrants who pose a threat to national security and public safety and that he would improve accountability for immigration agencies like ICE, without delving into specifics.
But even if Biden keeps some or all of these programs intact, Newman said the ACLU intends to scope out opportunities to lift up sheriff candidates who oppose this kind of cooperation with federal immigration authorities in the 2022 election cycle.
Frederick County, Maryland, where the sheriff’s office recently prohibited profiling or targeting people based on their immigration status and arresting people based on ICE warrants, seems to already be moving in the direction of cutting ties with ICE. But other targets could include Alamance County, North Carolina; Bristol, Plymouth, and Barnstable counties in Massachusetts; and Kenosha County, Wisconsin.
“It’s a second failsafe that leaves us comfortable that local involvement in federal immigration enforcement won’t occur, irrespective of what president is in office and what request they make,” Newman said.


vox--2020-11-17--A young Ugandan climate activist’s challenge to Joe Biden

For 24-year-old Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate , climate change is not an abstract concept — it ’ s personal .
She witnesses the impact of it on her country every day .
“ I have seen it in my country , I have seen how the changing weather patterns have destroyed homes , have destroyed farms , destroyed businesses , and left people with nothing , ” Nakate said .
“ And that is what I want to change.
” In January 2018 , after educating herself about the seriousness of the environmental issues facing her community , Nakate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raise awareness .
Her efforts appeared to have paid off when the Arctic Basecamp , a team of researchers and scientists , invited Nakate to participate in a workshop with other climate activists in Davos , Switzerland , during the World Economic Forum in January 2020 .
Following a successful and enjoyable week , Nakate was photographed alongside several other young climate activists , including Greta Thunberg .
But when the Associated Press published the photo , Nakate saw she had been cropped out — leaving just the four other activists — all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photo .
Her tweet asking why she had been removed from the photo garnered international attention .
Being cut out of the photo made Vanessa feel like “ she wasn ’ t there ” and was symbolic of what often happens in many climate talks and negotiations : the Global South , and the African continent , are often left out .
The Global South is a term often used in social science to refer to Africa , Asia , Latin America , and parts of Oceania — regions outside Europe and North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and often politically or culturally marginalized .
Many developing countries in these regions are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change .
Nakate believes the Global South needs more representation , because “ if there ’ s only going to be [ climate ] justice in the Global North , then it isn ’ t justice at all.
” Nakate recently wrote a letter to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris , asking them if they were serious about their commitment to fixing the climate crisis and expressing her desire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equitable planet .
Nakate ’ s letter gained a lot of international support , but it also opened her up to the worst online trolling she ever experienced .
I spoke with Nakate about her work as a climate activist ; what she wanted Joe Biden , Kamala Harris , and the rest of the world to know by reading her letter ; and how she remains strong in the face of Twitter trolls .
Our conversation , lightly edited for length and clarity , is below .
Thanks so much for taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me .
I ’ ve heard a lot about your story in the past and I ’ ve read a lot about you .
What does it mean for you to be a climate activist ?
What are the things that you really care about ?
Finding solutions for the people who are being impacted by the climate crisis right now .
Because I have seen it in my country , I have seen how the changing weather patterns have destroyed homes , have destroyed farms , destroyed businesses , and left people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I want to change .
I want to see justice in my country .
And also in the different parts of the world that are affected the most .
What do you want people to understand about your movement ?
Well , what I would want people to understand is that the climate crisis is not something that is coming in the future .
It is something that has been here .
So , I want everyone to treat it like an urgent crisis that we are all facing right now .
Because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are all affected by the climate crisis , though not equally , and that should be the motivation of many people to fight for those voices , for those communities that are affected the most right now .
What ’ s the climate like in Uganda ?
Can you tell me a little bit more about how the weather patterns have been changing ?
In my country we usually have two seasons : the dry season and the wet season .
But now with rising global temperatures , there are times when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get it .
It ’ s no longer reliable .
And the disruption in weather patterns means that when we do receive rainfall , it comes in the form of short and heavy rainfall that causes massive floods .
And when we are in the dry season , we find that the heat is hotter then it would be , hence bringing about the longer and hotter dry spells .
How has this impacted people in Uganda ?
Well , this year , during the pandemic , we saw a rise in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this rise caused so much destruction in the areas around the lake because many people ’ s homes were submerged .
Many people ’ s farms were washed away and their crops were washed away , meaning that many people were left homeless and with nothing to eat , and with no access to clean water .
Even the available water was contaminated by the toilets that were submerged in the process .
Every time it rains , we expect it to flood in different parts of the country , even in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dangerous to walk when it has just finished raining , because you never know where you could fall in a ditch filled with water .
Earlier this year , in May , there were floods in the western region of Uganda .
And we saw very many people being displaced , over 90,000 people were displaced because of severe flooding and some people were killed in the floods .
So , when these floods happen and there ’ s this such intense destruction , what is the relief process like ?
How do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I speak right now , most of the people who are displaced by the floods are sleeping in what I would call camps .
So most of them haven ’ t completely recovered from the losses that they experienced , because they literally lost everything .
And of course , we have seen some activists organizing Go Fund Me campaigns to try and get food for these people , to try and get food to them in these camps , where they are sleeping with their children .
What do you say to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the climate crisis in the Global North , or in the countries where the emissions are the highest ?
What do you say to people who think that the solution can be achieved without the input of the Global South ?
Well , there is no climate justice if it isn ’ t global , and if it doesn ’ t include everyone .
If it is only going to be justice in the Global North , then it isn ’ t justice at all , because it erases the voices of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ erases the suffering of the millions of people who have to sleep hungry , who have to walk long distances to have access to water , whose kids have to drop out of school because they can ’ t take care of them .
So that really needs to be understood that we are not talking about a future disaster .
We are talking about a present catastrophe that needs to be addressed now .
How did you get started with climate activism ?
What made you get started ?
In 2018 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause change in the lives of the people in my community .
So I started carrying out research to understand the challenges people were facing and what I could do to offer help or to offer my voice in finding help for them .
One of the problems that I found out about was climate change .
And I was really surprised to find out about it , because in school climate change hasn ’ t been taught as if it ’ s something that is happening right now .
I didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the climate crisis .
And yet , my research was telling me that this was one of the greatest threats facing humanity .
So I decided to read more about it , and I have realized that some of the challenges and effects of the climate crisis were already visible in my country .
I had already seen them , but now I began connecting them to climate change .
That ’ s when I decided that I could add my voice to the climate movement and demand action .
So I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the first week of January 2018 .
And what was the reaction like from people in your community ?
It wasn ’ t the best reaction , as expected .
It began with quite a few negative comments from people saying that I was wasting my time .
From people saying that I had nothing [ better ] to do , to people saying that I have to stand on the streets because I ’ m probably trying to sell myself .
Or maybe I ’ ve started taking really dangerous drugs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s taking me out into the street .
There was so much negativity .
Also , even my friends in the beginning , they could never really understand why I was going into the streets , including my family .
How did you respond when you saw and heard those comments ?
How did you feel ?
It was heartbreaking for me to see these comments because it made me realize how many people are ignorant about what ’ s happening .
They do not know the danger they face .
They do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because some would say , “ We have much bigger problems than what you are talking about.
” And yet , this is something that is affecting lives right now .
So it was painful to see the ignorance of people , and also how much negativity they can decide to throw at one person .
How did you keep going ?
I think the very thing that motivated me to start striking were the people that are being affected right now .
I really wanted to keep working so that they can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeing millions of young people from different parts of the world doing these climate strikes was very inspiring for me because I knew that I wasn ’ t alone , and there were different voices speaking up .
And even if there isn ’ t support from your own country , there is support from the international community , there is this kind of global solidarity .
Tell me more about that .
How would you describe the international solidarity and the climate activist community more generally ?
Well , to me , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has kept me moving , because so many people have been so supportive .
Ever since I started my activism , people from different parts of the world have been saying how important it is that young people are speaking up .
People have been sharing my work .
That ’ s been a very supportive way of showing that they understand the challenges that we are facing .
They understand the urgency of the climate crisis and they think it ’ s important for young people to keep speaking up .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that photo , there was this global support that came in .
That made me realize that I wasn ’ t alone and there were many people who were backing me up , many voices that were supporting my work .
To me , that is a form of global solidarity .
Who are those voices for you , who are those heroes that help you to keep going ?
Wow , well there are so many activists , from those in my country and those in other countries .
I would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , people like Malala [ Yousafzai ] , people like Licypria [ Kangujam ] from India .
People like Elizabeth Wathuti from Kenya , or Edwin Namakanda from Uganda .
There are so many who have incredible voices that I could list , and they help inspire me and keep me going .
So what you were describing in Uganda — where there might not be a lot of support in your community , but there ’ s hope and support in the international community — kind of reminds me of the situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half of our government that doesn ’ t support or perhaps even believe in climate change , but the international community is cheering us on .
What do you think about the recent election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ?
Well , before the announcement of the results of the presidential election , the US left the Paris agreement .
But when Joe Biden said that if he were elected then the US would get back into the agreement , it meant a lot for the climate movement .
So it gives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back on track in getting the climate action that we deserve and that we need .
Because we want all leaders to treat the climate crisis as a crisis , and to listen to the science , and to the scientists .
To listen to the young people who are speaking up and to take the directions that we are asking them to take .
And now that he ’ s won ?
There was a ray of hope that this is something that could actually happen now that he has been elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that when he actually is sworn in and he actually gets to the White House .
We hope to see that he fulfills his promises .
And of course , we are going to hold him accountable if he doesn ’ t fulfill those promises .
And how will you do that , how will you hold him accountable ?
By speaking up .
By striking .
By protesting .
By writing letters .
Because I feel like we need to do everything we can to ensure that the leaders treat this as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in US history , our vice president will be a Black woman of South Asian descent , Kamala Harris .
Considering the importance you place on girls and education , how do you feel about her victory ?
To me that speaks so much because representation has been lacking , and it really made me happy to see that she is the vice president-elect and is a Black woman .
As a Black woman from Uganda , it really inspired me to to believe in even greater things .
To believe that certain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ specific or special group of people .
We can all make it to those places now , because we have every right to be in those places .
So , I was very happy to see the representation .
I read the letter to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris that you posted to Twitter .
Why did you write it ?
I was inspired by one specific activist named Samantha Reed Smith .
I don ’ t know if you ’ ve heard about her , but she was a peace activist [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she wrote a letter [ to the leader of the Soviet Union at the time , Yuri Andropov ] talking about how this world is for all of us , and how we can live in peace without having any trouble , without having any wars .
And I guess that is why she was called a peace activist .
I love reading about different young people who did incredible things to demand change .
I decided that if Samantha Smith wrote a letter , and she got a response , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could do the same for the climate crisis .
I wanted to write it in the simplest way possible , and to write it with the purest of heart .
I wanted to write it in a way that people wouldn ’ t expect , because I ’ m sure many people would have expected a formal letter .
I wanted to get across the demands of the people who want a livable and sustainable planet .
What was the reaction like when you posted the letter ?
Good and bad .
Literally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter it was trending in my country , and people were sharing it on different platforms , and there was so much negativity from the people in my country .
There was so much trolling .
So , that is the bad side of all the reactions — from most of the people in my country .
What kinds of things were they saying ?
Some were saying that I have so much nerve to write to the president-elect .
Some were saying , “ We are tired of you making headlines like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that photo.
” So it was very hard seeing those responses , especially from the people from my own country .
And most of them were young people , probably in their 20s or early 30s , so it was really hard to see all those negative comments coming from people who were around my age .
But when it comes to the international community , there was so much support .
Because some of the comments were saying , “ Thank you for writing this letter ” and “ This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heart ” and “ These are really powerful words .
I hope that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are able to read it.
” How do you continue to fight so hard into your activism when you get comments like that or when people troll you for , for speaking out ?
Honestly , I do not know how I am able to do that because it is very , very hard .
And it even makes it hard to walk out of the house because you never know who might confront you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think you are that you can write a letter to the president of the US ?
” Some may say , “ You haven ’ t written to your own president.
” I wrote a letter to our president last year , but I don ’ t think it was ever received .
But I think I ’ m stronger than the trolls and it really keeps me going .
I know you did a ton of interviews after the incident earlier this year where you were cropped out of that AP photo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you to tell me once again how you felt .
But I do want to ask you : You said at the time that the incident was symbolic of the lack representation of Black people and the Global South more generally in discussions around climate change .
Do you think anything has changed with representation since then ?
Well , I really can ’ t say anything has changed , because even after that , we saw the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement .
We saw all these protests .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs to be done when it comes to racial discrimination .
A lot needs to be changed in the system that enables this kind of discrimination .
That really needs to be destroyed .
Like , right now .
How do you think we should do that ?
Well , I believe in the power of the people .
And I think people are able to destroy that kind of system through the organizing of protests , through the organizing of strikes , through signing petitions , through voting and selecting the right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shut down that system .
So , I believe people power can do that .
You mentioned the Black Lives Matter movement and racial discrimination .
What do you see as the links between racial discrimination and your climate activism ?
It ’ s quite obvious that communities of Indigenous people , communities of Black and brown people , are the most impacted by the climate crisis .
We know that Black kids and brown kids and Indigenous kids are exposed to the most polluted air and polluted water .
In the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ water crisis , and how many people were exposed to the poisoned water .
When you come to the Global South , you find that the people in these regions , for example on the African continent , are some of the lowest emitters of CO2 , but then they are the most affected by climate change .
So I think there is really a great linkage between climate justice and racial justice , and I believe that we can not have climate justice without racial justice .
There is an element of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ injustice that must be dealt with in the climate movement , if you want to get justice for everyone .
So besides the strikes , and writing letters , what else are you working on ?
What ’ s next for you ?
Last year I started a project of installing solar panels and eco-friendly stoves in schools , to drive a transition to renewable energy in rural communities and to reduce the amount to firewood that schools use in the preparation of food .
Literally 90 percent of the schools in Uganda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food , and they do not have any other alternative .
And , of course , the students can not go hungry .
So , with these stoves , they are able to cut down on the amount of firewood that the schools use in a term .
And it also brings a form of climate education to the students , to the teachers , and to their parents .
I would love to cover as many schools as possible .
But what really keeps this project moving is the funding that comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from donations .
But I hope to cover as many schools as possible .
This month , I already have two installations because we already received funding for two schools .
By the end of this month , I will have covered eight schools .
That ’ s great .
I ’ m going to include a link to your project so people can donate if they want to help .
Thank you so much .
If you would like to contribute to Vanessa Nakate ’ s solar stove project , more information @ @ @ @ @

For 24-year-old Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate, climate change is not an abstract concept — it’s personal. She witnesses the impact of it on her country every day.
“I have seen it in my country, I have seen how the changing weather patterns have destroyed homes, have destroyed farms, destroyed businesses, and left people with nothing,” Nakate said. “And that is what I want to change.”
In January 2018, after educating herself about the seriousness of the environmental issues facing her community, Nakate began staging climate strikes every Friday to raise awareness. Her efforts appeared to have paid off when the Arctic Basecamp, a team of researchers and scientists, invited Nakate to participate in a workshop with other climate activists in Davos, Switzerland, during the World Economic Forum in January 2020.
Following a successful and enjoyable week, Nakate was photographed alongside several other young climate activists, including Greta Thunberg. But when the Associated Press published the photo, Nakate saw she had been cropped out — leaving just the four other activists — all of whom were white — in the photo.
Her tweet asking why she had been removed from the photo garnered international attention.
You didn't just erase a photo
You erased a continent
But I am stronger than ever pic.twitter.com/J34WMXvPAo — Vanessa Nakate (@vanessa_vash) January 24, 2020
Being cut out of the photo made Vanessa feel like “she wasn’t there” and was symbolic of what often happens in many climate talks and negotiations: the Global South, and the African continent, are often left out.
The Global South is a term often used in social science to refer to Africa, Asia, Latin America, and parts of Oceania — regions outside Europe and North America, most of which are low-income and often politically or culturally marginalized.
Many developing countries in these regions are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change. Nakate believes the Global South needs more representation, because “if there’s only going to be [climate] justice in the Global North, then it isn’t justice at all.”
Nakate recently wrote a letter to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, asking them if they were serious about their commitment to fixing the climate crisis and expressing her desire for a clean, sustainable, and equitable planet. Nakate’s letter gained a lot of international support, but it also opened her up to the worst online trolling she ever experienced.
I spoke with Nakate about her work as a climate activist; what she wanted Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the rest of the world to know by reading her letter; and how she remains strong in the face of Twitter trolls.
Our conversation, lightly edited for length and clarity, is below.
Jariel Arvin
Thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview with me. I’ve heard a lot about your story in the past and I’ve read a lot about you. What does it mean for you to be a climate activist? What are the things that you really care about?
Vanessa Nakate
Finding solutions for the people who are being impacted by the climate crisis right now. Because I have seen it in my country, I have seen how the changing weather patterns have destroyed homes, have destroyed farms, destroyed businesses, and left people with nothing. And that is what I want to change. I want to see justice in my country. And also in the different parts of the world that are affected the most.
Jariel Arvin
What do you want people to understand about your movement?
Vanessa Nakate
Well, what I would want people to understand is that the climate crisis is not something that is coming in the future. It is something that has been here. So, I want everyone to treat it like an urgent crisis that we are all facing right now. Because at the end of it all, we are all affected by the climate crisis, though not equally, and that should be the motivation of many people to fight for those voices, for those communities that are affected the most right now.
Jariel Arvin
What’s the climate like in Uganda? Can you tell me a little bit more about how the weather patterns have been changing?
Vanessa Nakate
In my country we usually have two seasons: the dry season and the wet season. But now with rising global temperatures, there are times when we expect rainfall but we do not get it. It’s no longer reliable. And the disruption in weather patterns means that when we do receive rainfall, it comes in the form of short and heavy rainfall that causes massive floods. And when we are in the dry season, we find that the heat is hotter then it would be, hence bringing about the longer and hotter dry spells.
Jariel Arvin
How has this impacted people in Uganda?
Vanessa Nakate
Well, this year, during the pandemic, we saw a rise in the water levels of Lake Victoria. And this rise caused so much destruction in the areas around the lake because many people’s homes were submerged. Many people’s farms were washed away and their crops were washed away, meaning that many people were left homeless and with nothing to eat, and with no access to clean water. Even the available water was contaminated by the toilets that were submerged in the process.
Every time it rains, we expect it to flood in different parts of the country, even in the capital city. It’s quite dangerous to walk when it has just finished raining, because you never know where you could fall in a ditch filled with water.
Earlier this year, in May, there were floods in the western region of Uganda. And we saw very many people being displaced, over 90,000 people were displaced because of severe flooding and some people were killed in the floods.
Floods again have hit and affected Kirembe Mines Hospital. Alert sent out to the district disaster management committee. Redcross team in Kasese dispatched to offer life saving support. @opmdpm @OPMUganda @GovUganda @IFRCAfrica @ifrc @inakasiita1 @nbstv @CanaryMugume pic.twitter.com/DkNQWAKcKg — Uganda Red Cross Soc (@UgandaRedCross) May 10, 2020
Jariel Arvin
So, when these floods happen and there’s this such intense destruction, what is the relief process like? How do people get help?
Vanessa Nakate
Well, as I speak right now, most of the people who are displaced by the floods are sleeping in what I would call camps. So most of them haven’t completely recovered from the losses that they experienced, because they literally lost everything. And of course, we have seen some activists organizing Go Fund Me campaigns to try and get food for these people, to try and get food to them in these camps, where they are sleeping with their children.
Jariel Arvin
What do you say to people who think that we can solve the climate crisis in the Global North, or in the countries where the emissions are the highest? What do you say to people who think that the solution can be achieved without the input of the Global South?
Vanessa Nakate
Well, there is no climate justice if it isn’t global, and if it doesn’t include everyone.
If it is only going to be justice in the Global North, then it isn’t justice at all, because it erases the voices of the activists speaking up, and it also erases the suffering of the millions of people who have to sleep hungry, who have to walk long distances to have access to water, whose kids have to drop out of school because they can’t take care of them.
So that really needs to be understood that we are not talking about a future disaster. We are talking about a present catastrophe that needs to be addressed now.
Jariel Arvin
How did you get started with climate activism? What made you get started?
Vanessa Nakate
In 2018, I wanted to do something that would cause change in the lives of the people in my community. So I started carrying out research to understand the challenges people were facing and what I could do to offer help or to offer my voice in finding help for them.
One of the problems that I found out about was climate change. And I was really surprised to find out about it, because in school climate change hasn’t been taught as if it’s something that is happening right now. I didn’t really get to learn the realities of the climate crisis. And yet, my research was telling me that this was one of the greatest threats facing humanity.
So I decided to read more about it, and I have realized that some of the challenges and effects of the climate crisis were already visible in my country. I had already seen them, but now I began connecting them to climate change. That’s when I decided that I could add my voice to the climate movement and demand action. So I started striking every Friday. That was in the first week of January 2018.
Jariel Arvin
And what was the reaction like from people in your community?
Vanessa Nakate
It wasn’t the best reaction, as expected. It began with quite a few negative comments from people saying that I was wasting my time. From people saying that I had nothing [better] to do, to people saying that I have to stand on the streets because I’m probably trying to sell myself. Or maybe I’ve started taking really dangerous drugs, and that’s what’s taking me out into the street.
There was so much negativity. Also, even my friends in the beginning, they could never really understand why I was going into the streets, including my family.
Jariel Arvin
How did you respond when you saw and heard those comments? How did you feel?
Vanessa Nakate
It was heartbreaking for me to see these comments because it made me realize how many people are ignorant about what’s happening. They do not know the danger they face. They do not know the challenges they face, because some would say, “We have much bigger problems than what you are talking about.”
And yet, this is something that is affecting lives right now. So it was painful to see the ignorance of people, and also how much negativity they can decide to throw at one person.
Jariel Arvin
How did you keep going?
Vanessa Nakate
I think the very thing that motivated me to start striking were the people that are being affected right now. I really wanted to keep working so that they can get the justice they deserve.
And seeing millions of young people from different parts of the world doing these climate strikes was very inspiring for me because I knew that I wasn’t alone, and there were different voices speaking up. And even if there isn’t support from your own country, there is support from the international community, there is this kind of global solidarity.
Jariel Arvin
Tell me more about that. How would you describe the international solidarity and the climate activist community more generally?
Vanessa Nakate
Well, to me, it has been one of the things that has kept me moving, because so many people have been so supportive.
Ever since I started my activism, people from different parts of the world have been saying how important it is that young people are speaking up. People have been sharing my work. That’s been a very supportive way of showing that they understand the challenges that we are facing. They understand the urgency of the climate crisis and they think it’s important for young people to keep speaking up.
I remember when I was cropped out of that photo, there was this global support that came in. That made me realize that I wasn’t alone and there were many people who were backing me up, many voices that were supporting my work. To me, that is a form of global solidarity.
Jariel Arvin
Who are those voices for you, who are those heroes that help you to keep going?
Vanessa Nakate
Wow, well there are so many activists, from those in my country and those in other countries. I would say people like Greta [Thunberg], people like Malala [Yousafzai], people like Licypria [Kangujam] from India. People like Elizabeth Wathuti from Kenya, or Edwin Namakanda from Uganda. There are so many who have incredible voices that I could list, and they help inspire me and keep me going.
Jariel Arvin
So what you were describing in Uganda — where there might not be a lot of support in your community, but there’s hope and support in the international community — kind of reminds me of the situation in the US, where we have half of our government that doesn’t support or perhaps even believe in climate change, but the international community is cheering us on. What do you think about the recent election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris?
Vanessa Nakate
Well, before the announcement of the results of the presidential election, the US left the Paris agreement. But when Joe Biden said that if he were elected then the US would get back into the agreement, it meant a lot for the climate movement. So it gives me hope that the US will be back on track in getting the climate action that we deserve and that we need.
Because we want all leaders to treat the climate crisis as a crisis, and to listen to the science, and to the scientists. To listen to the young people who are speaking up and to take the directions that we are asking them to take.
Jariel Arvin
And now that he’s won?
Vanessa Nakate
There was a ray of hope that this is something that could actually happen now that he has been elected president, and we hope to see that when he actually is sworn in and he actually gets to the White House. We hope to see that he fulfills his promises.
And of course, we are going to hold him accountable if he doesn’t fulfill those promises.
Jariel Arvin
And how will you do that, how will you hold him accountable?
Vanessa Nakate
By speaking up. By striking. By protesting. By writing letters. Because I feel like we need to do everything we can to ensure that the leaders treat this as a crisis.
Jariel Arvin
For the first time in US history, our vice president will be a Black woman of South Asian descent, Kamala Harris. Considering the importance you place on girls and education, how do you feel about her victory?
Vanessa Nakate
To me that speaks so much because representation has been lacking, and it really made me happy to see that she is the vice president-elect and is a Black woman.
As a Black woman from Uganda, it really inspired me to to believe in even greater things. To believe that certain spaces are no longer just for a specific or special group of people. We can all make it to those places now, because we have every right to be in those places. So, I was very happy to see the representation.
Jariel Arvin
I read the letter to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris that you posted to Twitter. Why did you write it?
The purpose of this letter is to remind the elected President @JoeBiden and Vice President @KamalaHarris of the changes we really want to see in this world. We want a livable and sustainable planet for all: this is my message. https://t.co/6AlfnHSYad pic.twitter.com/QUzH7JxwcI — Vanessa Nakate (@vanessa_vash) November 16, 2020
Vanessa Nakate
I was inspired by one specific activist named Samantha Reed Smith. I don’t know if you’ve heard about her, but she was a peace activist [during the Cold War], and she wrote a letter [to the leader of the Soviet Union at the time, Yuri Andropov] talking about how this world is for all of us, and how we can live in peace without having any trouble, without having any wars. And I guess that is why she was called a peace activist. I love reading about different young people who did incredible things to demand change.
I decided that if Samantha Smith wrote a letter, and she got a response, and it was a positive response, then I could do the same for the climate crisis. I wanted to write it in the simplest way possible, and to write it with the purest of heart. I wanted to write it in a way that people wouldn’t expect, because I’m sure many people would have expected a formal letter. I wanted to get across the demands of the people who want a livable and sustainable planet.
Jariel Arvin
What was the reaction like when you posted the letter?
Vanessa Nakate
Good and bad. Literally the following day, after posting my letter it was trending in my country, and people were sharing it on different platforms, and there was so much negativity from the people in my country. There was so much trolling. So, that is the bad side of all the reactions — from most of the people in my country.
Jariel Arvin
What kinds of things were they saying?
Vanessa Nakate
Some were saying that I have so much nerve to write to the president-elect. Some were saying, “We are tired of you making headlines like you did when you were cropped out of that photo.” So it was very hard seeing those responses, especially from the people from my own country.
And most of them were young people, probably in their 20s or early 30s, so it was really hard to see all those negative comments coming from people who were around my age.
But when it comes to the international community, there was so much support. Because some of the comments were saying, “Thank you for writing this letter” and “This is a letter written from a very sincere heart” and “These are really powerful words. I hope that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are able to read it.”
Jariel Arvin
How do you continue to fight so hard into your activism when you get comments like that or when people troll you for, for speaking out?
Vanessa Nakate
Honestly, I do not know how I am able to do that because it is very, very hard. And it even makes it hard to walk out of the house because you never know who might confront you and say, “Who do you think you are that you can write a letter to the president of the US?” Some may say, “You haven’t written to your own president.” I wrote a letter to our president last year, but I don’t think it was ever received.
But I think I’m stronger than the trolls and it really keeps me going.
Jariel Arvin
I know you did a ton of interviews after the incident earlier this year where you were cropped out of that AP photo, and I won’t ask you to tell me once again how you felt.
But I do want to ask you: You said at the time that the incident was symbolic of the lack representation of Black people and the Global South more generally in discussions around climate change. Do you think anything has changed with representation since then?
Vanessa Nakate
Well, I really can’t say anything has changed, because even after that, we saw the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. We saw all these protests. So I think there is a lot that needs to be done when it comes to racial discrimination. A lot needs to be changed in the system that enables this kind of discrimination. That really needs to be destroyed. Like, right now.
Jariel Arvin
How do you think we should do that?
Vanessa Nakate
Well, I believe in the power of the people. And I think people are able to destroy that kind of system through the organizing of protests, through the organizing of strikes, through signing petitions, through voting and selecting the right leaders into leadership who are able to shut down that system. So, I believe people power can do that.
Jariel Arvin
You mentioned the Black Lives Matter movement and racial discrimination. What do you see as the links between racial discrimination and your climate activism?
Vanessa Nakate
It’s quite obvious that communities of Indigenous people, communities of Black and brown people, are the most impacted by the climate crisis.
We know that Black kids and brown kids and Indigenous kids are exposed to the most polluted air and polluted water. In the United States, we know about the Flint water crisis, and how many people were exposed to the poisoned water.
When you come to the Global South, you find that the people in these regions, for example on the African continent, are some of the lowest emitters of CO2, but then they are the most affected by climate change. So I think there is really a great linkage between climate justice and racial justice, and I believe that we cannot have climate justice without racial justice.
There is an element of environmental racism and an element of environmental injustice that must be dealt with in the climate movement, if you want to get justice for everyone.
Jariel Arvin
So besides the strikes, and writing letters, what else are you working on? What’s next for you?
Vanessa Nakate
Last year I started a project of installing solar panels and eco-friendly stoves in schools, to drive a transition to renewable energy in rural communities and to reduce the amount to firewood that schools use in the preparation of food. Literally 90 percent of the schools in Uganda heavily use firewood for the preparation of food, and they do not have any other alternative.
And, of course, the students cannot go hungry. So, with these stoves, they are able to cut down on the amount of firewood that the schools use in a term. And it also brings a form of climate education to the students, to the teachers, and to their parents.
Last year, I started a project that involves installation of institutional stoves and solar system in schools.
I was very blessed to find someone who offered to finance the first school:
I was able to do the installation. I will do a brief explanation about this
1/4 pic.twitter.com/DY6PMWrXcN — Vanessa Nakate (@vanessa_vash) February 22, 2020
I would love to cover as many schools as possible. But what really keeps this project moving is the funding that comes in and the support that comes in from donations. But I hope to cover as many schools as possible. This month, I already have two installations because we already received funding for two schools. By the end of this month, I will have covered eight schools.
Jariel Arvin
That’s great. I’m going to include a link to your project so people can donate if they want to help.
Vanessa Nakate
Thank you so much.
If you would like to contribute to Vanessa Nakate’s solar stove project, more information can be found here.