7/18/19
NATIONAL
ISSUES
(Including Emails & Twitter)
Fax
legislators for free:
Or use Resistbot: https://resist.bot/
Or use StampsLicked to
have messages hand-delivered to our own legislators: https://stampslicked.org/
White
House contact: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
|
CONTINUED IMMIGRATION ATROCITIES: As the awareness grows of the Trump
administration-made humanitarian crisis, there are many ways we can help. Past Rogan’s List suggestions
are still appropriate to work on: http://roganslist.blogspot.com/2019/06/62519-nationalissues-deplorable.html
http://roganslist.blogspot.com/2019/07/7219-nationalissues-addresses-district.html
http://roganslist.blogspot.com/2019/07/7419-nationalissues-addresses-district.html
Here are more:
ADVOCATES FOR IMMIGRANT CHILD FACING
DEPORTATION NEEDED: If we live in or
near Chicago, Houston, San Antonio, Harlingen, Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York,
or Washington, D.C, we can help immigrant children separated from their parents
by Trump’s cruel policies by volunteering as a child advocate, spending time
with and advocating on behalf of an individual unaccompanied immigrant child
while he or she is subject to deportation proceedings. Volunteers must be at least 21
and are welcome from all cultures, professions, races, ethnicities and social
backgrounds. There is a particular need for bilingual volunteers who speak
Spanish. Chicago needs volunteers who speak Mandarin, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati,
Bengali, Romanian and other languages.
When we click here, we will learn
more about the Child Advocate duties, training and support offered and how to
apply: https://www.theyoungcenter.org/volunteer-at-the-young-center We can also find out more about The Young
Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights and other ways we can help when we click
this link: https://www.theyoungcenter.org/
DEPORTATION AND THE MILITARY: Many legal immigrants
“joined the military through a special Defense Department program promising an
expedited path to citizenship”, however, recently they have been “abruptly discharged with
little or no explanation.” https://www.npr.org/2018/07/09/626773440/u-s-army-is-discharging-immigrant-recruits-who-were-promised-citizenship At the same time, some immigrant military
members fear that after they are deployed, their family members will be deported
despite “a program designed to prevent the deportation of undocumented
residents whose husbands, wives, sons or daughters are fighting overseas for
the United States.” https://www.npr.org/2019/07/12/739841785/facing-deployment-while-fearing-that-family-members-will-be-deported Let’s tell our MoCs that these brave men and
women deserve to have promises kept.
PRESSURE DELOITTE, PRICEWATERHOUSE
COOPERS, AND BOOZ HAMILTON TO STOP DOING BUSINESS WITH ICE: According to
recent New York Times articles, McKinsey Consulting has recently ended its
contracts with ICE https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/09/business/mckinsey-ends-ice-contract.html,
but two of the “Big Four” accounting firms, Deloitte and PWC, along with Booz
Allen Hamilton, still have a consulting contracts.https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/business/deloitte-ice-contract-uproar.html?
If we have relationships with any of these companies, it’s time to put
pressure on them to follow McKinsey’s lead and stop doing business with ICE. We
can contact them directly, or on Facebook or Twitter. If we are affiliated with
any universities, we should check to see if these companies recruit our
students and urge our colleagues to add to the pressure. Deloitte: 30
Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY, 10112-0015, United States, Phone:
212-492-4000, contact form, Facebook, Twitter: @Deloitte; PWC: Colonial
Brookwood Center 569 Brookwood Village Suite 851 Birmingham, Alabama 35209
United States 205-414-4000, contact form, Facebook, Twitter @PWC; Booz Allen Hamilton Contact form, Facebook, Twitter: @BoozAllen
JOIN/SUPPORT ICE BLOCKADES: One thousand
Jewish and immigrant activists participated in an action in Washington DC on
Tuesday that shut down ICE for five hours. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/immigrant-rights-activists-surround-ice-headquarters-demand-agency-s-closure-n1030456.
The march was organized by Movimiento Cosecha, an immigrant rights group, and
Never Again, a Jewish activist group determined to do everything possible not
to repeat the Holocaust. If we want to find out more information and
possibly join or financially support these groups, we should check out Movimiento Cosecha
and Never
Again Action
GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO DELIVER
LETTERS OF SUPPORT TO MIGRANT CHILDREN: Hundreds of children in the U.S.
have written letters to the migrant children in Homestead, but the government
refuses to deliver them. https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Young-Messages-of-Hope-to-Migrant-Children--512121202.html.
Let’s ask our MoCs to intervene. Perhaps if they are planning a trip to see
the conditions, they can personally hand some of the children the
letters.
HOTELS AS ICE
DETENTION CENTERS: The latest sweep of
ICE raids starting Sunday will arrest families and hold them in detention
centers—but if the government runs out of space, some might be held in
hotels.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/us/politics/ice-families-deport.html Marriot
has announced that they will not allow their hotels to be used by the US
government to detain people. https://www.mymcmedia.org/protesters-object-to-hotel-chains-assisting-ice-raids/ Let’s
contact these hotel chains (h/t Southern Poverty Law Center) and tell them to
follow Marriot’s lead and refuse to be accomplices in Trump’s round-up and
concentration of arrested people: 1)
Best Western: David Kong, President & CEO, Best Western International, P.O.
Box 42007, Phoenix, AZ 85080, 800-780-7234, 2) Choice Motels: Stewart W.
Bainum, Jr., Chairman of the Board, and Patrick Pacious, President & CEO, 1
Choice Hotels Cir., Ste. 400, Rockville, MD 20850, 301-294-2200, 3) Drury
Hotels: Chuck Drury, President, Drury Hotels Company LLC, 721 Emerson Rd, Ste
400, Saint Louis, MO 63141, 800-378-7946, 4) Red Roof: Andrew Alexander,
President, Red Roof Inns, 605 S Front St, Columbus, OH 43215, 800-733-7663, 5) Wyndham:
Stephen P. Holmes, Chairman of the Board, and Michael D. Brown, President &
CEO, Wyndham Destinations, Inc., 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, FL 32821,
407-626-5200. Bonus points for
thanking Marriot: J. Willard Marriott, Jr., Chairman of the Board, and Arne M.
Sorenson, President & CEO, Marriot International, Inc., 10400 Fernwood Rd,
Bethesda, MD 20817-1102, 800-721-7033
CORRECTION: DRIVERS’
LICENSE CAMPAIGNS AND DRIVERS’ LICENSE FACIAL RECOGNITION: One of the ways
ICE has been able to target undocumented residents is through facial
recognition software on drivers’ license records. The state of Oregon recently
forbid the FBI and ICE from accessing these records.
https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2019/07/fbi-and-ice-wont-have-access-to-oregon-drivers-records-for-facial-recognition-sweeps-oregon-lawmaker-says.html. Other states
prohibit undocumented immigrants from obtaining drivers’ licenses, which puts people
in peril from being arrested for driving without a license when they are simply
trying to go to work, and also makes the roads less safe for all of us. If
our state allows undocumented residents to legally drive, let’s ask our state
legislators to follow Oregon’s lead in preventing ICE from accessing driver
records. If our state doesn’t allow drivers’ licenses, let’s contact our state
legislators and ask them to introduce a law that would allow undocumented
residents to obtain drivers’ licenses and would also prevent ICE from accessing
driver records.
IMPEACHMENT: Nothing gets better or easier with Trump as a new
and challenging story emerges each and every day: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/17/trump-jeffrey-epstein-party-footage-surfaces Let’s
keep up the drumbeat with our MoC. If THIS president should not be impeached,
what is impeachment for? Let’s also reach out to three passive allies in our
circles and ask them to contact their MoC too – and let’s provide the phone
number.
CALL OUT REPUBLICANS FOR SUPPORTING RACISM: Only four
Republicans, Will Hurd
(R-TX); Brian
Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Fred Upton (R-MI)
and Susan Brooks(R-IN),
along with Justin Amash
(I-MI), who recently left the Republican party, voted to condemn Trump’s racist
comments. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/07/17/four-gop-house-members-voted-condemn-trump-racist-tweets/1753365001/.
Let’s thank these reps if they, and also call out our own Republican reps for
turning a blind eye to racism. Let’s ask them straight out if they would have
voted the same way if Hillary Clinton or Obama had made these remarks.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: Some members of the House are not
yet ready to impeach Trump, but are considering opening an inquiry into
impeachment (https://n.pr/2KxHm27, https://nyti.ms/2XlZvTo). A
House resolution (H.Res.257) has already been introduced, which would
instruct the Judiciary Committee to begin the impeachment inquiry. Let's
urge our representatives to cosponsor the resolution and hold Trump
accountable. Indivisible has resources we can use to get H.Res.257 passed, as well
as a toolkit to help us prepare for the August recess, when we can pressure our
representatives in person: https://indivisible.org/resource/impeachment-inquiry-event-toolkit
WORKERS' RIGHTS: Amazon employees in the U.S., U.K.,
Spain, Poland, and Germany, have been striking over the past two days,
protesting unsafe working conditions and low pay, with the general public also
boycotting the corporation over its cooperation with ICE and the Department of
Homeland Security, as well as its threat to local small businesses (https://bit.ly/2NWTOuX). We
can help support these workers by not crossing the virtual picket line, and
making sure that we are not shopping at Amazon and Amazon-owned companies.
Instead, we can check out this resource, which lists alternatives for
purchasing and subscriptions, whether its for shopping, watching TV, listening
to music, wanting the convenience of free shipping, or just looking to
"buy less stuff": https://threshold.us/c/cancelprime/amazon-alternatives
SWEATSHOP LOBBYIST AS ACTING LABOR SECRETARY: However
pleased we may be at the departure of Alex Acosta, his replacement for acting
Labor secretary, Patrick Pizzella, is not much better. https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/12/trumps-acting-labor-secretary-pick-feared-by-unions-1589621 Let’s let our MoCs and the White House
know what we think of this.
RELOCATING FEDERAL AGENCIES: Let's not
lose sight of the depletion of federal resources, safeguards, and agencies; in
their continuing effort to hollow out not only the federal protections on which
we depend but the responsible federal agencies themselves, the Departments of
Agriculture and Land Management as well as the EPA have all relocated their
employees (and lost many of them, as they’d no doubt hoped). “Two vital
research agencies at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are hemorrhaging staff
as less than two-thirds of the researchers asked to relocate from Washington to
the Kansas City area have agreed to do so”; some call it a "blatant attack
on science": https://www.npr.org/2019/07/17/742519999/future-of-key-farming-research-uncertain-as-2-3-of-usda-staff-say-they-wont-move ;
“The reorganization [of the BLM] . . . is aimed at putting more
agency officials closer to the lands they manage out West, though critics have
questioned moving tenured policy officials far from the nation's
capital”: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/453321-bureau-of-land-management-to-move-headquarters-from-dc-to-colorado
And the EPA has “moved employees around several of its offices outside of D.C.” We should express our alarm to our MoCs at the systematic undermining of scientists and policy experts and their relocation as far as possible from Congressional oversight.
And the EPA has “moved employees around several of its offices outside of D.C.” We should express our alarm to our MoCs at the systematic undermining of scientists and policy experts and their relocation as far as possible from Congressional oversight.
TRAINING FOR COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTORS, CANDIDATES AND
CAMPAIGN STAFF: The Arena offers
trainings for candidates and campaign staff in various locations, with separate
tracks for directors, finance directors, communications staffers, digital
directors, data directors, and organizers. If we are interested in
training for Communications Directors or want an introduction to messaging for
our political or advocacy work, we can check out The Arena Academy’s online
introductory lesson on how to craft a compelling message. This sample
of what they would cover in one of their upcoming workshops it is also some
good information for someone interested in learning a little more about
crafting messages. https://arena.run/blog/campaign-communications-101
We can also find out more about the Arena Academies
trainings for Candidates and Campaign Staff, including their upcoming workshop
in Houston when we click this link: https://arena.run/academy
BEES AT RISK: ““The
Trump EPA’s reckless approval of this bee-killing pesticide across 200 million
U.S. acres of crops like strawberries and watermelon without any public process
is a terrible blow to imperiled pollinators,” Lori Ann Burd, the director of
the Center for Biological Diversity’s environmental health program, said
following EPA’s announcement. “With no opportunity for independent oversight or
review, this autocratic administration’s appalling decision to bow to industry
and grant broad approval for this highly toxic insecticide leaves us with no
choice but to take legal action.”” https://www.rollcall.com/news/congress/epa-approves-use-of-bee-killing-pesticide We all know that the bee population needs
protecting. Once again industry wins out
over environmental concerns. Let’s
tell our MoCs that we want them to find a way to protect our bees.
SELF-CARE: This has been an
especially rough stretch in a 2 ½ year rough stretch. Let’s check-in
with ourselves. Do we need a break? More support? A change in self-care
routine?
ELECTION/VOTING
GET-OUT-THE-BLUE-VOTE COLLEGE FELLOWSHIP—The deadline
to apply for Swing Left’s “3-month, highly interactive remote training &
organizing program” for college students is July 26, 2019. Students come away
with the tools and knowledge they’ll need to organize their campuses and
communities to get out the vote in 2020. If we’re college students,
let’s apply. If we have connections to college students, let’s tell them about
this opportunity:
VOTER SUPPRESSION: Spread the Vote, an outstanding
organization that helps poor people get the IDs they need to vote, has voter
education, voter information, and Section 208 Americans With Disabilities Act
information cards available online. Let’s fight voter suppression by
going to: https://www.spreadthevote.org/resources ,
printing them out, and distributing them in our communities.
AUGUST ELECTIONS:
For a listing of state and federal elections in August, we can check
here: https://politicalcharge.org/2019/07/17/elections-in-august-2019/
STATE
SPECIFIC ISSUES
MOST:
WORKERS' RIGHTS- RACIAL DISCRIMINATION: One of the ways that racism is
exhibited in the U.S. is through workplace and school grooming policies which
prohibit natural hairstyles (https://bit.ly/32m2ezi).
New York and California have both recently passed the CROWN Act (Creating a
Respectful and Open World for Natural hair) to ban natural hair discrimination,
and New Jersey has introduced legislation (A5564/S3945) in
both chambers to prohibit discrimination based on hair. Let's contact
our state legislators and tell them that we want to see the CROWN Act passed in
our own state. We can learn more about these bills and the CROWN Coalition,
which includes Color of Change, the National Urban League, Western Center on
Law and Poverty, and Dove, at their official website here.
ME: GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED RACIAL
JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS: Maine
Initiatives is looking for people to read grant proposals submitted by
community-based organizations advancing racial justice. This year, Maine
Initiatives is prioritizing grants to Native American/Wabanaki and African
American/Black American organizations. https://www.facebook.com/suitupmaine/posts/2387017741384062 Application
deadline is July 26. Let’s read about the process and apply: http://maineinitiatives.org/grants/grants-for-change/participatory-grantmaking/
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS
SIGN
UP FOR CANDIDATE TRAINING: Emily’s List is offering a
Candidate training on Saturday, July 27 in Philadelphia from 9:30 am to
2:30 pm. We can find out more about the event, Run to Win 101, a free
half-day training for pro-choice Democratic women thinking about running for
elected office and sign up, if we choose to, here: https://secure.emilyslist.org/page/s/20190713_email_RunToWinPhiladelphia
NATIONAL NETWORK ASSEMBLY: The first
National Network Assembly, made up of hundreds of local grassroots leaders
organizers from around the country is happening in Des Moines, IA, August 22
to 25. https://mailchi.mp/thedemlabs/nationalnetworkassembly
There will be workshops, sessions, and meetings in
which participants will strategize, plan, and learn skills to take home to
their groups. The 2019 National Network
Assembly will strengthen the
connective tissue between grassroots groups by bridging multiple networks and
organizations that
represent over 1,000 leaders across all 50 states. We can find more information, register to
attend, and donate to the scholarship fund here: https://www.nationalnetworkassembly.org/
We can use this document to invite others to attend: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oKWdGLESqQYFVIa3JXQrtsXO9zrZv7ihCdGfnmSZ0-M/edit
READING/WATCHING
A Border Patrol Agent Reveals
What It’s Really Like to Guard Migrant Children - https://www.propublica.org/article/a-border-patrol-agent-reveals-what-its-really-like-to-guard-migrant-children
New leak claims Trump scrapped
Iran nuclear deal 'to spite Obama' - https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48978484
Homestead isn’t just for kids
at the border, it’s for kids living in the U.S. their whole lives - https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article232579432.html
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We can stay up-to-date on Congress by checking out their
schedules. a) The House publishes a weekly schedule at The Weekly Leader (published and dated Friday)
as well as daily schedules at The Daily Leader. b) The Senate updates
their schedule daily at the Senate Floor Schedule
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