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Dear Greylock Together,
We're entering the home stretch... it's your chance to help make a difference. This year won't come again. How do you want to remember it? As a bystander? Or as an activist? Get active!
Lovett. Now is the time to get your ticket to COCKTAILS AND CONVERSATION WITH JON LOVETT!! We are flipping the Senate with our partners at Force Multiplier. This is BIG, folks! An incredible evening with Jon Lovett of Crooked Media and podcast host of Lovett or Leave It! Spread the word, get your tickets, mark your calendar and join us for an evening of fun, laughter, brilliance...and HOPE!
Want a preview of that Lovett goodness? Listen to Saturday’s episode of Lovett or Leave It -- “New York’s AG sues the NRA and Trump struggles against withering questions like, ‘What manuals?’ Returning champion Naomi Ekperigin joins for the monologue. And Jon talks to Senator Ed Markey and Congressman Joe Kennedy III as they face off in a heated Senate primary, and both agree to face a Massachusetts version of ‘Queen for A Day.’”
RIGGED. Rigged is an award-winning documentary that exposes the nefarious tactics used to suppress the vote and serves to spark discussion on the actions needed to protect our democracy. It is narrated by Tony & Emmy award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright. View a free screening of this award-winning film followed by a discussion with Tim Smith, the Emmy award-winning producer of the film, Tom Gerety, former head of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School and Brooke Marie Bridges, founder of Building Bridges SEL and Executive Chair of Health, NAACP Berkshire County Branch. Join us Thursday, August 20th at 6:30PM. Here is the ZOOM Link; the password is "rigged."
Williamstown Town Meeting. The town meeting is coming up in a week (18th). It will be at Farley-Lamb Field, Williamstown (outside) at 7:00 pm. The town moderator has a video running through the logistics here. The town warrant is here. We would particularly ask you to vote in favor of Articles 36 and 37 at the end, which pledge the town to the Not in Our County pledge and which push all town entities towards equity evaluations and training. They're small steps, but they're vital first steps. More info on these can be found on this flyer.
 GT Book Group. Our book this month is One Person, No Vote: How Vote Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy, by Carol Anderson. Some of you might remember that Anderson’s White Rage was one of the first titles we read when our book group started in the spring of 2017. With the election only 91 days away, revisiting the critical topic of voter suppression is especially timely. There will be two discussions of the book! We’ll join our coalition at Indivisible MA this month for an opportunity to discuss this book with a statewide group on August 26 @ 7:30 pm. RSVP here for the Zoom link. Then the next night there will be the regular and more intimate GT Book Group discussion, August @ 7:00 pm. Here is the Zoom link for that one; email gdoench@gmail.com to RSVP...all welcome, as always!
Williamstown Poll Workers Needed. They're going to need volunteers for the actual election days, since some of the usual people are unable to assist this year thanks to COVID-19. Contact Town Clerk Nicole Pedercini to volunteer: 413-458-3500 ext. 101, or npedercini@williamstownma.gov
Florida Project. In 2018, Amendment 4 in Florida helped restore voting rights to 1.4 million people with felony convictions. Lift+Every+Vote is carrying this victory forward by postcarding 70,000 individuals who are immediately eligible to register to vote to remind them to do so—and they need our help! If twenty GTers each write 50 postcards, we can make a big impact by postcarding 1,000 of these potential voters. Ready to join the effort? Email Sarah at sarah.clader@gmail.com and let her know 1) How many postcards you'd like to write; and 2) whether you can provide your own postage or would like it provided. Greylock Together is part of "Round 2" of postcarding which might not happen for another few weeks, but we'd like to line up volunteers ahead of time. Let's help our fellow citizens get back on the voter rolls!
Phonebank for Markey. This election is going to be close, and every single phone call we make can make a difference! They're looking for volunteers to make calls - any time that works for you works for them, but they'd love to have you at their Thursday evening phonebanks (5:30-7). Please let Owen know if you're interested!
Alex Morse. If you aren't aware, the progressive challenger to Rep. Neal has been barred from College Democrats events; the organization charges that he used "his position of power for romantic or sexual gain" while a lecturer at UMass Amherst between 2014 and 2019 and while at College Democrats events. Obviously, this revelation has caused a lot of strife. Morse has responded to the charges, saying, "I have never, in my entire life, had a non-consensual sexual encounter with anyone. I have never used my position of power as Mayor and UMass lecturer for romantic or sexual gain, or to take advantage of students. I have never violated UMass policy. Any claim to the contrary is false." GT has not made a formal endorsement in the race (we don't do that), and we encourage you to read more about this and make up your own mind.
NC Phonebanking. The map of possible Senate gains keeps expanding, and that means so do opportunities for activism! Please join phone banking efforts in North Carolina. Every Tuesday from 6:30-8pm they call to reach unaffiliated voters in this critical state. Register for the phone bank here.
Letter-Writing. Jeanne M and Bernadine W are heading up this letter writing drive. Want to help write letters from home to marginal voters in other states? It motivates them to get to the polls! Write or text Jeanne at jeanne.marklin@gmail.com or 413 672-1766, or Bernadine at bhw1@williams.edu or 781 956-6622. Let us know if you need us to include stamps, or if you will provide them for your packet. You can also print your own letters by going to the VoteForward.org site and signing up. You can really make a difference!
If you want to write letters while hanging out with other folks -- which is pretty fun! -- then there's a Vote Forward letter writing event every Wednesday at 5:30 pm, conducted by Alyson Slutsky. To contact her: Gummo18@gmail.com. There's also a Thursday group, every week at 4:00 pm; contact Frank at Farkas1945@gmail.com
Census. North Adams only has about a 60% completion rate for the Census, and Williamstown only has 69%! The Trump administration is trying to cut the Census off early so that they can avoid counting people and game the system -- if you haven't responded yet, do so online now and foil their plan!
BLM Vigil Every Friday in Williamstown. Friday at 5:00 pm at Field Park, as usual, we will continue our weekly vigils in partnership with First Congregational. Facebook event here. Please wear a mask; social distancing practices observed.
ANTIRACISM IS DAILY WORK...WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TODAY?
READ
LISTEN
- “Nice White Parents” is a new podcast from Serial Productions, a New York Times Company, about the 60-year relationship between white parents and the public school down the block. (Listen via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google)
WATCH
TEACHING/RAISING ANTIRACIST CHILDREN
Check out more news from this week at Muckraker Farm.
Events (GCal,iCal)
Williamstown Town Meeting
Farley-Lamb Field, Williamstown (outside)
August 18 @ 7:00 pm
RIGGED: Free movie screening via Zoom
August 20
Presented by NAACP Berkshires, UUMSB, Four Freedoms, Democractic Brigades, BRIDGE and Greylock Together
Cocktails + Conversation with Jon Lovett
August 25 @ 5:00 pm
Reserve your spot here.
Indivisible MA Book Group
August 26 @ 7:30 pm
Selection: One Book, No Vote by Carol Anderson
RSVP here
GT Book Group
August 27 @ 7:00 pm
Selection: One Book, No Vote by Carol Anderson
Zoom link here
CONTACT INFO FOR GT TEAM ACTION:
Resist and persist!
Alexander
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