Posted on January 5, 2021
2020 Survey Results: CREDO members are hopeful for a better 2021
Truly caring about our customers is part of what makes us a different kind of mobile carrier.
That’s why we reached out last month to ask how you were feeling about the end of a difficult year and the start of a new, hopefully better one.
Thousands of CREDO members responded to our “End of 2020 Survey” with heartfelt stories, concerns about our political landscape and optimism for a brighter 2021. Here are the results.
Looking back on 2020, how difficult was it compared to other years of your life?
For most of us, 2020 was one of — if not the most — difficult years of our lives.
From climate disasters, a global pandemic, protests against systemic racism and police brutality, and an increasingly erratic and incompetent White House occupant, our CREDO members probably won’t be looking back on last year with much fondness, as 71% of total respondents believed 2020 was very difficult, one of the most difficult or *the* most year of their lives.
2020 won’t be an easy year to forget. Which of the below will leave the biggest impressions on you from 2020?
Not surprisingly, when we asked CREDO members which issues in 2020 will leave the biggest impression on them, the pandemic, the 2020 election, economic hardships and climate change ranked at the top.
For some who took the time to answer, losing a loved one to COVID-19 will leave the biggest impression. From all of here at CREDO, we’re so sorry for your loss.
Do you expect 2021 will be better than 2020?
The majority of respondents are generally hopeful that 2021 will be better than the year before, with more than 73% replying that the new year will probably or absolutely be better. We hope so too!
Hope is a powerful thing. Which of the below, if any, give you the most hope for 2021?
Just as CREDO members are optimistic for a better new year, they are also hopeful about the change in our political leadership and the end of this devastating global pandemic that has hurt so many lives and livelihoods.
More than 65% of respondents are optimistic about the new Biden-Harris administration, while over 47% have hope for the COVID vaccines. Here at CREDO, we’re also hopeful that the movements for greater racial and social justice grow stronger in the new year.
How would you summarize 2020 in one sentence?
Lastly, we asked members for some open-ended comments to summarize 2020. Here’s a quick sample:
- “It’s been a hell of a year.”
- “I am ready to turn the page.”
- “It was a challenging year that brought new connections with people.”
- “Stephen King couldn’t have written a better horror story.”
- “It was the worst of times, it was…no, it was just the worst of times.”
- “Horrific nightmare made worse by conservative Republicans.”
- “The wealthy and political elite gained even more power over the public, but more people are pushing back.”
- “Politics without science is proven once again to lead to failure.”
- “It made you think ‘outside of the box’, and really appreciate the ‘little things’ that we take for granted, and know how truly important they are after all!”
- “Amen and good riddance.”
Posted on January 4, 2021
Our December grantees thank you for your support
Each month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute funding to three incredible nonprofits. Those small actions add up – with one click, you can help fund groups fighting for economic justice, protecting our democracy, and climate justice. In December, nearly 40,000 CREDO members voted to distribute our monthly donation to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Free Speech For People and Green America.
These donations are made possible by CREDO customers and the revenue they generate by using our services. The distribution depends entirely on the votes of CREDO members like you. And for that, our December grant recipients thank you.
Center for Economic and Policy Research
$47,894
“Thank you for your support and partnership! CREDO members like you make it possible for CEPR to keep advocating for an economy that values the lives of working people over the price of stocks.” – Eileen Appelbaum, Co-Director
To learn more, visit www.cepr.net.
Free Speech For People
$41,923
“Thank you, CREDO members, for standing up for our democracy! Your support allows FSFP to continue to fight every day, in courts and in communities across the country, to ensure all people can participate equally and meaningfully in our democracy.” – John Bonifaz, President
To learn more, visit www.freespeechforpeople.org.
Green America
$60,183
“Thank you! Your support makes it possible for Green America to curb the climate crisis and create lasting system change.” – Alisa Gravitz, President & CEO
To learn more, visit www.greenamerica.org.
Now check out the three groups we are funding in January, and cast your vote to help distribute our donations.
CREDO members who use our products are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the carrier with a conscience.
Posted on December 29, 2020
5 Great Apps to Help Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions in 2021
Happy New Year, CREDO family!
As challenging as 2020 was for all of us, we’re looking forward to a new year with hope and optimism — and that means making New Year’s resolutions to keep us happy and healthy in 2021.
But we know all too well that it’s never easy keeping those promises to ourselves beyond the first few weeks of the year. That’s why we’ve put together a list of handy apps that can help you keep your New Year’s resolutions well into 2021.
Flora
Resolution: Reducing screen time & social media use
Yes, we’re a mobile phone company, so why would we want you to reduce the time that you use your phone? Because we care about your health and well being! (We are the “Carrier with a Conscience,” after all.)
During the pandemic, screen time shot up significantly: The average adult now uses the internet on their phones 3.5 hours every day, and all that screen time can lead to various physical and mental issues, including eye strain, anxiety and depression.
While there are many apps to help reduce screen time, check out Flora, an app that will help you reduce the time on your phone by blocking time-wasting apps like Facebook and Instagram. The gamified app lets users set goals and stay focused by planting a virtual tree over a selected period of time. If you touch your phone during that time, the tree dies (sad, we know). The best part is that Flora has partnered with Tree.org to help users plant trees in real life and help save the Earth.
Get Flora from the App Store (Google Play coming soon).
Coin Up
Resolution: Giving back to the causes you care about
If you’re reading this, you already know that CREDO gives back every month — nearly $2 million every year — to progressive causes working to make change in the world, all at no cost to our customers. But what if you’ve resolved to do even more by giving back a little every day to the organizations doing important work across the country and globe?
With Coin Up, you can. After you download the app and link your credit or debit card, you can choose your favorite charities to receive a rounded up donation every time you make a purchase. It’s that easy. Coin Up has partnered with dozens of well-known non-profit groups working on hunger and poverty prevention, girl empowerment, childhood education and more. Check out the list of eligible groups here.
Learn more on the Coin Up website, or get the app from Google Play or the App Store.
Habitshare
Resolution: Hitting your goals & sticking to your routines
Sticking to your goals is always easier when your friends are around. But during these times of social distancing and isolation, keeping your motivation is a bit more challenging. That’s where Habitshare can help. This habit-tracking app combines setting goals and tracking your habits with a social network to help keep you motivated and share your progress with friends. This way, you and your friends remain accountable to each other — especially with regards to your New Year’s resolutions — and during these times, it’s another way to stay connected with your loved ones.
By default, your progress and habits remain private, but you can choose what and with whom to share your goals and updates to add personal accountability with friends and family.
Habitshare is free and available from Google Play and the App Store.
The be.come project
Resolution: Body-positive exercise
It wouldn’t surprise you that the top New Year’s resolutions year after year are “exercise more” and “lose weight.” And if you’re looking for an app for that, there are a lot available — but most don’t offer a strong body-positive and body-neutral experience that we’re willing to recommend.
That’s why we’re re-upping last year’s suggestion to try out the be.come project which helps users get active in a non-judgmental, positive way. Focusing on “body-neutrality” – the belief that some days we love our bodies, other days we don’t, but always by respecting ourselves – the be.come project is an app that focuses on how you feel, not how you look, and gives users a once-weekly curated workout routine that can be performed at home as many times as a user feels comfortable.
The app offers a free 10-day trial, and $35 per month after. Available in the App Store and Google Play.
My Water
Resolution: Drink more water every day
Water makes up 60% of the human body, but most Americans don’t drink enough of it, which can lead to persistent health problems.
The solution? Drink more water — but forget the “drink 8 glasses of water each day” myth. My Water and Drink Reminder app will help you stay hydrated with custom daily water goals, water requirement calculator, notifications to drink more and motivational rewards. For iOS users, the app is Apple Watch ready and integrates with Apple Health.
Install the app from the App Store or Google Play.
Posted on December 28, 2020
4 Simple Ways to Backup Your Phone Right Now
We hate to see it — a CREDO member accidentally shatters their phone on the pavement or drops it in water, and no matter how hard we try, it won’t turn on again.
Luckily, a protection plan may cover this kind of accidental damage, what about all that data on the device — years of photos, hundreds of contacts and your message history? If you haven’t backed up your phone, all this data could be gone forever.
But here’s the good news: Backing up your phone is really simple, and we can guide you through it in a few easy steps. As we head into the new year, here are four simple ways to backup your iOS or Android devices to safeguard your data in 2021 and beyond.
Backing up your iOS device to iCloud
If you have an iPhone, iPad or other iOS device, Apple recommends using their iCloud service to backup your phone. You probably already have an iCloud account, but if you’re not sure, visit this help article from Apple.
All iCloud accounts come with 5GB free data storage, although if you have a lot of photos, saved music or other data that exceed this limit, you may need to purchase more storage.
- On your iOS device, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup
- To backup automatically when your phone is turned on, plugged in and on WiFi, turn on iCloud Backup
- To backup manually, tap on Back Up Now.
Backing up your iOS device Google Drive
If you don’t want to use iCloud to backup your iOS device, you can use another cloud-based service like Google Drive. This option has some limitations, and it isn’t as seamless as backing up to iCloud, as your data is copied into different Google apps across your device, not your built-in Apple apps for contacts, photos and calendar. But if you use Google products regularly, this may be a good option.
Here are the instructions to backup an iPhone to Google Drive:
- On your iPhone, install and open the Google Drive app.
- In the top left, tap Menu.
- At the top, tap Settings > Backup.
- Tap Start backup.
Backing up your iOS device to a computer
You may not want to use a cloud service at all to backup your iOS device. That’s okay! We have you covered. Luckily, you can still backup your data directly to a computer. Here are the official instructions to do this from the Apple website:
Backup iPhone using your Mac
- Connect iPhone and your computer using USB.
- In the Finder sidebar on your Mac, select your iPhone.
Note: To use the Finder to back up iPhone, macOS 10.15 or later is required. With earlier versions of macOS, use iTunes to back up iPhone. - At the top of the Finder window, click General.
- Select “Backup all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac.”
- To encrypt your backup data and protect it with a password, select “Encrypt local backup.”
- Click Backup Now.
Note: You can also connect iPhone to your computer wirelessly if you set up Wi-Fi syncing.
Backup iPhone using your Windows PC
- Connect iPhone and your computer using USB.
- In the iTunes app on your PC, click the iPhone button near the top left of the iTunes window.
- Click Summary.
- Click Backup Now (below Backups).
- To encrypt your backups, select “Encrypt local backup,” type a password, then click Set Password.
To see the backups stored on your computer, choose Edit > Preferences, then click Devices. Encrypted backups have a lock icon in the list of backups.
Note: You can also connect iPhone to your computer wirelessly if you set up Wi-Fi syncing.
Backing up your Android device
Because of the nature of the Android universe, there’s not a one-stop solution to backing up your Android phone or tablet data all in one place, but it’s still very straightforward. Google makes it pretty easy to backup your important photos, documents and other data (up to 15GB of free storage), while the built in Android Backup Service can restore your apps and settings. These each require separate steps, but it’s worth it to protect your data.
Backup your photos and videos to Google Photos
- If you haven’t already, download the Google Photos app to your Android device.
- Open the Google Photos app and sign-in to your account if prompted.
- Tap your photo or initial in the top right.
- Select Photos settings > Back up & sync.
- Tap “Back up & sync” on or off.
Backup other data to Google Drive
- If you haven’t already, download the Google Drive app to your Android device.
- Open the Google Drive app and tap on the “+” button
- Tap Upload
- Then, select the files to backup
Backup your apps and settings
- Open your device’s Settings app
- Scroll down and tap “system” or “accounts and backup”
- Tap on ‘Backup and restore”
- Toggle on “Back up my data” and add your account
Posted on December 28, 2020
How Big Bend Community Action switched to CREDO Mobile to save money — and live their values
Bernie Zelazny has a tough, but rewarding job. Driving long hours on the rural roads near the Texas-Mexico border, Bernie and his crew spend many of their working days helping older and low-income people in the sprawling, four-county region get to and from their medical appointments, pick up groceries and prescriptions, and help folks make ends meet.
As a team member and financial officer at Big Bend Community Action, an anti-poverty nonprofit serving the southwest Texas region, Bernie is proud of the organization’s work fighting poverty and helping low-income people so they can become income self-sufficient.
During a recent chat, Bernie told me how his organization has had measurable positive impacts on people’s lives, because the group’s work is so unique: Unlike most poverty-related organizations that focus on a specific area of need, such as job training, health care, housing, or economic development, Big Bend Community Action takes a comprehensive approach to the needs of low-income people in their communities, addressing their multiple needs and developing partnerships with other community organizations to administer a full range of coordinated programs for those in need.
And just like their clients who are working hard to get along in these economic times, Big Bend Community Action, like any nonprofit, is always looking to save a little extra money, too, especially on big or essential business expenses.
One of those big-ticket expenses is their employee phone plan. Most of the staff and drivers at BBCA use smartphones to contact their clients and use mobile data and GPS for navigating the long winding roads of southwest Texas. With dozens of lines on their account, those costs add up. So, when their mobile carrier raised the price on their business plan, Bernie started looking for alternatives to upgrade their fleet of smartphones along with a new mobile plan for the organization.
A longtime activist in his spare time, Bernie knew about CREDO Mobile because of our work over the years to create positive progressive change and our partnerships with nonprofit organizations, so he gave us a call. He explained his situation with our team, who helped to upgrade nearly three dozen smartphones and find a data plan that fit their needs perfectly — while saving his organization thousands of dollars every year in operating expenses.
“I couldn’t be happier with our new CREDO Mobile service,” he told me recently. “We not only have fast service in some of the most remote parts of our area, but we’re saving thousands while doing business with a mobile company that shares our values.”
We couldn’t be happier having Big Bend Community Action as part of the CREDO Mobile family, either! And we’re always looking for new ways we can help nonprofits and small businesses save on their mobile plans while doing business with a carrier working to make positive social change in the world. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can get started with CREDO Mobile, please feel free to reach out to us at 888-585-0354.
Posted on December 23, 2020
The Top 10 CREDO Tips for 2020
2020 was quite a year — and one that many of us can’t wait to be over.
But before we say goodbye to a year that had very few silver linings, the bright spots for many of our members were our weekly CREDO Tips. From how to clean your phone and improve your WiFi to the best climate documentaries, we shared these weekly tips to help our CREDO members get through these difficult times.
That’s why, today, we’d like to highlight the most popular tips of the year in case you missed them. We ran the numbers, and here are the top 10 CREDO Tips of 2020. Enjoy!
#10: 5 Tips for Coping with Social Distancing during the Coronavirus Pandemic
In 2020, staying at home and practicing social distancing to slow the spread of the pandemic had an unintended consequence: loneliness and isolation. In this new reality (which we hope is ending soon), we provide some tips to improve our health and stay connected.
#9 What is dark mode – and should you use it?
The average American uses their mobile devices almost 4 hours a day, and with all that use, we can develop eye strain, loss of sleep, reduced productivity and a drained battery. We provide a quick explainer of how you can use “dark mode” to combat these issues.
#8 7 Podcasts Lifting up Black Voices, History & Lives
2020 forced many Americans to grapple with this nation’s shameful history of slavery, discrimination, police brutality and the systemic racism that persists today — and what they should do about it. We’ve compiled a short list — which is by no means comprehensive — of some of our favorite podcasts lifting up Black voices, history and lives.
#7 4 Free Video Apps to Stay Connected While You’re Social Distancing
In the age of social distancing, it’s important now more than ever to stay connected to our friends and family. In this tip, we provide advice on 4 free video chat apps you can use to help you stay in touch while you’re away from your loved ones.
#6 6 Tips for Working From Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic
This year, many people started working from home for the first time, and that presented a lot of new challenges. We compiled 6 tips to make working from home a little easier.
#5 5 Must-Watch Climate Change Documentaries
Back in January, as wildfires were ravaging Australia, climate activist Greta Thunberg reminded us at Davos that “our house is still on fire” — just after Trump took the stage to deny climate change. In response, we compiled five of our favorite climate change documentaries that captured the urgency of the moment.
#4 5 great apps to help you manage stress and anxiety
We have all been feeling pretty uneasy and anxious this year. That’s why we put together a list of some of our favorite apps on iOS and Android to help all of us consider our mental health, de-stress and become a bit more mindful.
#3 6 simple ways to improve your WiFi signal during the pandemic
With more time spent at home, our WiFi networks have been taking a beating. We provided a few tips and tricks to help speed up your home WiFi to ensure your video calls, distance learning and streaming video all run smoothly.
#2 How to record a police traffic stop on your phone
Getting pulled over by the police is stressful. It’s even more stressful if you’re Black, Brown, another person of color or an immigrant. So if you’re pulled over by the police, it may be a good idea to record your interaction. Here are some quick tips on how you can record your encounter with police during a traffic stop.
#1 Your phone is dirty. Here’s how to clean it.
Our phones are filthy. We touch dirty surfaces all day while checking email and social media, and we cough and sneeze on our devices. That’s why we aren’t surprised at all that our number one CREDO Tip of 2020 is a list of great ways to clean and disinfect our phones.
Posted on December 22, 2020
2020 in Review: CREDO members help donate over $2 million
A lot has been taken from us in 2020 — for some, it was more than others.
But thanks to our CREDO members who use our products and services every day, we’ve been able to contribute to organizations fighting for our values and give back to those who need help the most. In fact, our total donations to nonprofit causes this year exceeded an incredible $2,000,000!
We couldn’t have been able to give back so much in 2020 without CREDO members who fund our philanthropy at no extra cost to them. So for that, we can’t thank you enough for being part of the CREDO family.
Here’s our 2020 Donations Year In Review highlighting our total monthly grants to progressive causes and special donations to organizations fighting for COVID relief, voting rights, racial justice, hunger prevention and so much more. Feel free to share on social media to let your friends know what you and your mobile phone company were able to accomplish in 2020.
Posted on December 18, 2020
How CREDO Grantee Free Speech For People is Defending Democracy
In 2020, our democracy was tested like never before. This crisis laid bare the critical and urgent need we now face to repair, rebuild, and improve our democratic processes. Free Speech For People is ready to lead the fight. With our bold, singular, and innovative actions in the courts and in legislatures across the country, we work every day to ensure all people have an equal voice and an equal vote in our democracy.
DEFENDING OUR DEMOCRACY
Free Speech For People is marking this year ten years of fighting for our democracy. Since our founding on the day of the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC, we have won critical victories to get big money out of politics, challenge corruption at the highest levels of government, fight for free and fair elections, and advance new laws grounded in the promises of political equality for all. We are proud to share with you this summary of a few of our key victories from 2020.
DEFENDING OUR ELECTIONS
Enabled 35,000 New Voters to Register to Vote in Arizona for the November Election
We filed a federal lawsuit to extend the voter registration deadline in Arizona, due to decreased voter registration activity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
We won our lawsuit to extend the deadline, allowing time for an additional 35,000 new voters to register to vote in Arizona for the general election.
Protected Voters in Minnesota from Illegal Threats of Voter Intimidation
We filed a federal lawsuit against a private mercenary contractor which planned to hire and deploy armed ex-soldiers to polling sites in Minnesota. We won our lawsuit under the Voting Rights Act, prohibiting the company from moving forward with their illegal voter intimidation plans in the state.
Prompted Censure of Largest Electronic Voting Machine Vendor in Nation
We co-issued a letter to the US Election Assistance Commission detailing false claims made by Election Systems & Software regarding the federal certification of an electronic voting machine with an insecure wireless modem. The EAC agreed with our findings and censured ES&S.
Launched Actions Across the Country to Protect the Health and Safety of Voters
Following the onset of COVID-19, we launched new litigation across the country to protect the health and safety of voters casting a ballot in person, and we published a safe-voting guide, with infectious disease expert and FSFP Board member Joia Mukherjee and former Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.
DEFENDING LOCAL DEMOCRACY
In January 2020, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed our bill to end spending by foreign-influenced corporations in Seattle elections, in a major victory for Seattle voters and for defending the integrity of local elections. This victory followed the unprecedented attempts by Amazon and other companies to influence the outcome of the fall 2019 Seattle City Council elections. We were proud to work with Seattle City Council President Lorena González in drafting this legislation and we share in this victory with our campaign partners, Fix Democracy First and the Seattle area chapter of the League of Women Voters.
CHALLENGING SUPER PACS
In June 2020, we filed a petition for review before the U.S. Supreme Court in our case to abolish super PACs. In March 2010, the decision in the case of Speechnow.org v. FEC, unleashed super PACs into our political process. Big money forces have used super PACs to influence elections; overwhelm the voices of everyday people; and defeat public interest laws. While the Supreme Court decided in November 2020 not to review this case, we continue to pursue other efforts to revisit the ruling in Speechnow, including advancing our model law in new jurisdictions across the country to end super PAC spending in local elections.
FIGHTING AGAINST CORRUPTION
We co-launched a campaign calling for the impeachment of Donald Trump for his repeated abuses of power and for his defiance of the Constitution and the rule of law. Following his impeachment in December 2019, we continued to call on Congress to hold the President accountable to the law. We launched a legal challenge to the unconstitutional presidential pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio after his conviction for racial profiling and civil rights violations. Following a series of legal actions, in March 2020, a court determined that Arpaio’s conviction could not be vacated. In June 2020, we filed a Freedom of Information Act request regarding armed personnel at racial justice protests falsely claiming to be law enforcement. This action followed the release of our statement in support of the movement to demand justice and equality for all.
Our democracy may have been tested this year, but Free Speech For People has risen to the occasion and we will continue the fight to defend our democracy and our Constitution in the year ahead and beyond. To read more about our work, please visit, www.freespeechforpeople.org.
This month, Free Speech For People joins the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Green America on our December donations ballot to share a portion of our monthly grant. Please visit CREDODonations.com to vote for one, two or all three organizations to help us determine how to distribute these donations among these amazing groups.
Posted on December 15, 2020
11 Reasons to Say Goodbye to Trump and AT&T at the Same Time
In a few short weeks, we can all breathe a big sigh of relief. America’s collective nightmare — Donald Trump’s hateful and incompetent administration — will finally be over.
But Trump’s legacy will surely leave lasting scars on our progressive values and democractic institutions, and his corporate backers are to blame for much of the damage that he and the Republican Party have caused.
Top of Trump’s corporate enabler list: AT&T. Publicly, AT&T claims to support social progress, including Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ rights, but then turns around and quietly funds extreme conservatives who adamantly oppose those values. Over the last four-plus years, AT&T has donated millions to Trump and some of the worst in the Republican party and profited from Trump’s dangerous agenda.
As we say farewell to 2020, it’s time for a reminder about the role AT&T played in undermining our progressive values during the Trump era. Here are 11 reasons to say #ByeDon and so long to AT&T together, once and for all.
AT&T Donated More Than $1.1 Million to Republicans in the 2020 Election
In the 2020 election alone, AT&T’s political action committee donated more than $1.1 million to the Republican party and its candidates. Not only did AT&T directly support the reelection of individual right-wing Republican candidates in 2020, it gave hundreds of thousands to party committees that worked specifically to reelect Trump, flip the House to Republican control and support right-wing Senators.
Who are some of those Republicans that AT&T’s money supported? 126 House Republicans — 60 percent of the party in that chamber, including leaders — who signed on to support Trump’s baseless lawsuit to throw out millions of legal votes in the 2020 Presidential election in a brazen attempt to undermine our Constitution and subvert our democracy. Luckily, their desperate lawsuit failed.
AT&T Donated $2 Million to Donald Trump’s Inauguration
Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee raised a lot of money. A record-setting $107 million, in fact. The more than $2 million that AT&T funnelled to Trump stood above the pack: AT&T was the largest corporate donor to the inauguration, and second only to notorious right-wing funder Sheldon Adelson.
In late 2018, it was reported that federal prosecutors were investigating the sources of Trump’s inauguration slush fund to determine if any donors illegally “[gave] money in exchange for political favors.” At the time, AT&T had been seeking approval for a $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner.
AT&T Donated $2.7 Million to 193 Anti-LGBTQ Politicians
AT&T can rainbow-stripe its logo for Pride Month, wave the rainbow flag and claim it supports the LGBTQ community, but none of those things can make up for the fact that AT&T is directly funding politicians who are fighting against equality and LGBTQ rights.
While AT&T has long touted its inclusive employee policies and support of LGBTQ causes AT&T donated a total of $2,755,000 to 193 anti-LGBTQ politicians in 2017 and 2018.
AT&T Donated Nearly $200,000 to Anti-Abortion Politicians
According to the company’s career website, AT&T claims that it wants to “make sure women at AT&T feel supported in everything they do.”
Yet, as right-wing lawmakers across the country continue to enact some of the most restrictive laws on reproductive rights, AT&T donated almost $200,000 to politicians in states leading the fight to ban abortions and restrict women’s rights.
AT&T Claims to Support Black Lives Matter, Quietly Funds Anti-BLM Senator who Posed with Former KKK Leader
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and nationwide protests calling for racial justice and police reform, many corporations including AT&T jumped on the public relations bandwagon to publicly support the Black Lives Matter movement.
But reporting about the company’s donations at the time revealed just the opposite. Judd Legum at Popular Information found that while AT&T publicly claimed it supported Black Lives Matter, the company had quietly funded the campaign of Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, who adamantly opposes the Black Lives Matter movement, calling it violent, destructive and anti-Semitic. Now new reporting has revealed that Loeffler, who is currently in a heated runoff election in Georgia, recently posed for a picture with the former head of the KKK.
AT&T Paid Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s Fixer, $600,000
In 2017 and 2018, AT&T paid $600,000 to Trump’s convicted lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen to “advise” on various matters in the telecommunications industry – even though Cohen is not an expert in the field.
The timing of the payments to Cohen through a shady shell corporation raises serious questions about AT&T’s intentions to influence the Trump administration. Not only was AT&T’s proposed mega-merger with Time Warner pending before the Department of Justice, but AT&T also made payments to Cohen just as Trump’s hand-picked FCC chairman Ajit Pai pushed through the repeal of net neutrality regulations despite massive public outcry.
AT&T Supported the Campaign of Ted Yoho, who Called AOC a “f*cking b*tch”
This July, Republican Rep. Ted Yoho accosted progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, calling her disgusting and a “f*cking b*itch” while wagging his finger and denigrating her in public. AT&T has donated $20,000 to Ted Yoho’s campaign.
While Yoho offered a non-apology, ridiculously claiming “I cannot apologize for my passion,” AOC countered with an incredible speech on the House floor, condemning Yoho and the pervasive sexism women are forced to endure. You can watch it here:
AT&T Made Millions from Trump’s Racist Deportation Agenda
As Donald Trump ramped up his attacks on immigrant communities, corporate America, including AT&T, cashed in. Well-known consumer brands profited from lucrative contracts with Customs and Border Protection, the agency dehumanizing immigrants, jailing children in cages without basic needs and tearing families apart.
AT&T made more than $1.8 million from CBP’s deportation agenda, including $1.3 million since Donald Trump took office.
AT&T Fired Workers after Raking in Billions from Trump’s Tax Scam
In 2017, AT&T promised it would invest $1 billion in telecom infrastructure and create “7,000 good jobs for the middle class” if Congress passed Trump’s tax scam and slashed tax rates for corporate America.
Instead, AT&T laid off 23,000 workers, cut capital spending and pocketed $3 billion in a massive tax windfall. Their CEO even took home $29 million in total compensation as his employees received pink slips.
AT&T Helped Re-Elect White Supremacist Rep. Steve King
Soon-to-be former Rep. Steve King is a racist and white supremacist. He publicly courts favor with right-wing extremists, believes immigrants are “undermining our culture” and keeps a confederate flag on his desk.
Yet, AT&T has been one of Steve King’s largest corporate donors. Over his long, racist career, King received more than $60,000 from AT&T, including $10,000 – the legal maximum limit – for his 2018 re-election campaign.
AT&T is One of the NSA’s “Most Trusted Partners”
We’ve known for a while that AT&T was working hand-in-hand with the NSA to spy on Americans’ internet traffic. But an investigative report by the Intercept revealed eight cities where AT&T hosts “wiretap rooms” for the NSA to skim data as it passes through their networking equipment.
The Intercept report confirms what we already knew: the NSA “considers AT&T to be one of its most trusted partners and has lauded the company’s ‘extreme willingness to help.’”
If you or your friends haven’t made the switch to CREDO, ask yourself: Do you want your money supporting this?
Unlike AT&T, we at CREDO will never, ever align ourselves with right-wing hate, Republican candidates or conservative causes. CREDO members can rest assured that we will never compromise our progressive values for profit.
In contrast, our company was founded on the mission to fund the progressive movement through our philanthropy, which is powered by our members who use our products and services every day. We donate nearly $2 million each year to groups like Color of Change, the ACLU, Doctors without Borders, Planned Parenthood and 350.org who are fighting for Black lives and civil rights, peace, climate justice, LGBTQ rights, reproductive freedom and more.
If you’re not already a CREDO member and would like to switch to the mobile company that shares your values and donates to progressive nonprofits every month, please check out CREDO Mobile here. If you’re already a CREDO Mobile customer, get rewarded with a $100 bill credit for each friend you refer to CREDO. Get $500 for referring 5 friends, it’s that easy! Get started here.
Posted on December 10, 2020
How to get involved in the Georgia runoff elections
Right now, all eyes are on Georgia.
That’s because the outcome of the upcoming Jan. 5 runoff elections will determine control of the U.S. Senate, with hopes of meaningful action on climate, voting rights, equality, reproductive freedom and racial justice hanging in the balance.
Here’s the problem: Runoff elections in Georgia have historically favored Republicans. But the incredible work this November by all the amazing groups in Georgia, including CREDO grantees Fair Fight, Vote Forward, Vote.org, the ACLU and others, proved that organizing, fighting voter suppression and turning out young voters and voters of color were big keys to flipping the state.
And that’s where your help again could make a big difference. We’ve put together a quick guide on how you can get involved in the Georgia runoff election, no matter where you are.
Volunteer with Fair Fight
CREDO grantee Fair Fight, the organization founded by progressive voting rights activist and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, helped register 800,000 voters in Georgia and played a major role in flipping the state in November.
Now, with the focus on Georgia again, Fair Fight is mobilizing voters for the January runoffs — and they’re looking for volunteers to call and text voters in the state to make sure they have the information they need to make a plan to vote either by mail or in person.
To get started, you’ll need to attend one of the many Zoom training sessions being held over the next few weeks. Sign up to attend a training and start volunteering with Fair Fight here.
Help turnout young voters with Sunrise Movement
Young people in Georgia voted in record numbers in November, and our allies at Sunrise Movement are working hard to replicate that turnout with younger voters this January. Whether you’re new to phonebanking or a seasoned activist, you can join one of their phonebanks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6 – 8pm EST to contact young Georgia voters and ensure they vote in the upcoming election.
Sign up here to help turnout young voters with Sunrise Movement.
Mobilize Latinx voters with Mijente
November election exit polls in Georgia found that Latinx voters overwhelmingly rejected Trump and Republican Senate candidates, so their voices and votes will be critical to the outcome in the January runoffs.
CREDO grantee Mijente is working to turnout Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican and other Latinx voters across Georgia, so if you speak Spanish (although not required), you can help the organization with its mobilization efforts ahead of Election Day.
Learn more and sign up to help mobilize Latinx voters with Mijente.
Turnout Black voters with the NAACP
The NAACP doesn’t mince words on its civic engagement website: “Black voters in Georgia will decide the future of America” and “Black voters in Georgia are the most powerful voters in America right now.”
The NAACP is recruiting volunteers from out-of-state and within Georgia to boost Black voter turnout. Sign up to help with their text and phonebanks, join their poll watching efforts or provide legal protection for voters, if you’re qualified.
Apply to become an ACLU Poll Worker
If you live in Georgia, you may be able to apply to become a poll worker in your county through the ACLU of Georgia. While the organization is currently recruiting previous poll workers who participated in the recent election, you still have the opportunity to apply through the ACLU’s website.
Learn more about becoming a poll worker and how to apply here.
Georgia Voter Resources from Vote.org
If you vote in Georgia, our friends and grantee partners at Vote.org have all the information, rules and deadlines you need to request your ballot, vote early or in person, track your ballot, provisional ballots, and what to do if your ballot is rejected.
