For the safety of our community, we are conducting our meetings online until conditions permit us to resume assembling in person.
Monday March 6th 7-8 PM Fighting for Democracy & Equality in MA! with Rep Lindsay Sabadosa
What's happening right now in our state house?
What's the status of abortion and other health care access, Western MA rail, funding for education and childcare, gun safety, voting rights, and so much more??
Join IN-SLWM on Monday, March 6th, 7-8pm
to hear progressive leader,
Lindsay Sabadosa, Representative of the 1st Hampshire District*, talk about the bills currently on the docket and how we can help push the fight forward for more democracy, freedom and equality right here in MA!
There'll be time for your questions, as well as to hear about what IN-SLWM is doing right now to help save our democracy, and how you can join in!
*The 1st Hampshire District includes the towns of Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Hatfield, Plainfield, Westhampton, Williamsburg, and Worthington, and the city of Northampton, all in the county of Hampshire.
Wednesday March 8th 7-9 PM Western Mass CodePink Women for Peace presents "Women's Voices in the Struggle for Our Bodies & Our Lives"
Western Mass CodePink Women for Peace presents "Women's Voices in the Struggle for Our Bodies & Our Lives" - our 18th annual celebration of International Women's Day.
Wednesday, March 8th, 2023 at First Churches Sanctuary, 129 Main Street, Northampton, 7-9 PM
Featuring young women of Generation Ratify, an Iranian activist and an Indigenous artist, connecting the universal struggles of women & girls; plus the Raging Grannies, Offbeat Womyn Drummers and a special musical guest.
Sunday March 26th 7-9 PM Fundraiser for the Brigid Alliance
ACTIONS
Phone
Banking
Illustraton by PA Phone Banker, Nora Brown
Call WI Dems & Flip the State Supreme Court!
Help save democracy in WI - and the country -by calling Dem voters in WI to urge them to vote in the little known butenormously importantelection this spring! We'll be partnering with the Wisconsin Dems and Swing Blue Alliance to make sure that the WI State Supreme Court flips to a progressive majority, protecting voting, reproductive and other freedoms in this crucial swing state. See these articles from the NYT and Win WI for more info on this critical race.
This is very winnable, and our calls are crucial - many WI voters don't even know there's an election, don't know the candidates (who aren't identified by party on the ballot!), and aren't even sure of the election dates and rules! We can make the difference between no, low - and the high turnout of Dems that we need to win!
Training will be provided, but for those who like a little advance prep:
Once again, Vote Forward is running a letter-writing campaign to get out the vote in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election on April 4. Eighteen IN-SLWM volunteers are already at work preparing letters to voters, urging them to vote in this crucial race. The letters will go out on March 28, so there’s no time to waste. We’re no longer recruiting volunteers for our group, but if you already have a Vote Forward account and want to help, go to votefwd.org and download letters to prepare. If you want to help more, download a lot of letters and organize a letter-writing party – in-person or virtual – and have a good time while you’re doing good!
If you have any questions or need help getting started, email me atmjdover44@gmail.com.
Take Two for Wisconsin Postcards
Thank you, thank you for sending the first round of postcards, going to pro-choice voters in the WI State Supreme Court election. This has been called the most important election in 2023, and that’s not hyperbole! It has national implications.
The outcome of this election will either maintain the current 4-3 conservative majority in the Wisconsin Supreme Court or change that to a 4-3 progressive majority. If the progressive Judge Janet Protasiewicz is elected, the new WI Supreme Court could reverse the extreme gerrymandering in Wisconsin, expand voting access, and make a ruling on the certification of the 2024 presidential election results. This election could also decide whether the court will uphold an 1849 law that is a near-total ban on abortions (even in cases of rape or incest).
This is an off-year special election and the result will be decided by voter turnout. In this campaign, we will reach out to progressive voters who will need an extra nudge to vote. This is a very short handwritten script (see above), using a postcard with a relevant graphic, and includes address labels. Cards should be sent out within a week of receipt. Sign up here to reserve your postcards!
Beyond Valentines: Five Ways to Write Letters That Can Change the World
Fundraiser for Wisconsin Supreme Court Election:
ON TO THE APRIL 4 GENERAL ELECTION
In case you missed it, the leading progressive candidate in last Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary was the top vote-getter by far. Judge Janet Protasiewicz won 54% of the vote, more than her two conservative opponents combined. Here’s the New York Times on the win:
Eight months after the nation’s highest court made abortion illegal in Wisconsin, a liberal State Supreme Court candidate who made reproductive rights the centerpiece of her campaign won more votes than her two conservative opponents combined.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court primary election on Tuesday was a triumph for the state’s liberals. In addition to capturing54 percent of the vote in the four-way, officially nonpartisan primary, they will face a conservative opponent in the general election who was last seen losing a 2020 court election by double digits.
You can read the whole story here(it’s outside their paywall).
The runner-up and her opponent in the general election is former Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, an anti-abortion MAGA Republican who, according to MSNBC, had “connections to a plan hatched by the former president's allies to reverse the 2020 election results in Wisconsin through the use of ‘fake electors.’”
This is a must-win – and expensive – race for Wisconsin and the country. We have five weeks to do what we can to help “Judge Janet,” as she is known in Wisconsin, to flip the Court from 4-3 conservative to 4-3 progressive.
Thank you to everyone who has given to our fund drive so far. If you’ve been waiting to see the outcome of the primary, it’s time to chip in. If you haven’t had the time or energy to focus on this election, it’s time to step up. If you’ve already given and feel moved to donate again, this is a good time to do it. We’re more than halfway to our $5,000 goal for our Movement Voter Project fund for Wisconsin grassroots groups, and have a good start on our Swing Left fund supporting the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Please help us help Wisconsin progressives take their Supreme Court back.
BAR INSURRECTIONISTS FROM THE BALLOT
Sign the Petition
Enacted after the Civil War, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment disqualifies from public office any individual who has taken an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and then engages in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or gives aid or comfort to those who have.
By inciting a violent attack on Congress in an effort to prevent the certification of his own electoral defeat, Donald Trump engaged in insurrection and violated his oath of office. Free Speech For People and Our Revolution have teamed up to urge Secretaries of State and chief election officials across the country to follow the mandate of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment and bar insurrectionists from any future ballot.
Sign hereto tell Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin to abide by Section 3 of the 14th Amendment and bar Trump from appearing on any future ballot in MA.
And read about this success in New Mexico! where citizens filed suit and a County Commissioner was removed from office as a result of his participation in the Jan. 6th insurrection!
TEAMS
Update on IN-SLWM Climate Team
Our Climate Team is continuing to receive weekly action alerts by email, mainly about climate action that they can take at home. This past week, though, we told the team about an in-person event in Northampton on March 21:
Stop Dirty Banks! Don’t Bank at Chase – Northampton, March 21
From Third Act
Third Act is a group founded by Bill McKibben dedicated to organizing older Americans to fight for the planet. Their mission statement: We are building a community of Americans over the age of sixty determined to change the world for the better. Together, we use our life experience, skills, and resources to build a better tomorrow.
Over the past year, thousands of people have taken the Banking on Our Future pledge to close their accounts, cut up their credit cards, and boycott Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, and Wells Fargo if they don’t move their investments out of fossil fuels. On 3.21.23, we are gathering to show the strength of our movement.
You don’t need to be a cardholder or a Third Actor to participate –– we need people of all ages, races, and means to make visible the connection between cash and carbon. Bring your friends, energy, and creativity!
The event is 4:30-6pm on Tuesday, March 21. Start at Pulaski Park in Northampton and march to the soon-to-open Chase Bank at Main and King Streets, passing the TD Bank and Bank of America. Sign up on Mobilize here.
If you’d like to join in the Climate Team, email Michael Dover at mjdover44@gmail.com.
The Feminist Action Team
Senator Becca Rausch and Representative Sally Kerans recently filed the Abortion Access Act (Senate SD.1854; House HD.3434) in the MA legislature to curb the deceptive practices of anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers in Massachusetts, and at the same time expand reproductive care in a number of ways.
The bill aims to provide medically sound information to pregnant people in Massachusetts, curb the misuse of non-diagnostic ultrasounds, and prevent delays for women seeking legal abortion care here, among other steps. It also directs the Department of Public Health to conduct a statewide educational campaign about these 35 or so anti-abortion centers created specifically by anti-abortion forces to prevent women from seeking legal abortion care in the state.
Read more about the Abortion Access Act in this blog post by team member Cathy Walthers HERE.
The Team encourages everyone to share the updated Life in a Post-Roe America Toolkit you can check out HERE.
On Wed evenings at 8 pm or Fri mornings at 9 am, join Paul Spector and activists from across the country to collaborate on helping Democrats win elections. At Paul's meetings, you will...
hear upbeat political news
share questions and comments
learn about new political actions
support fundraisers with special guests -- such as Swing Left, Movement Voter Project, Flip the Senate, New Georgia Project, and Bucks County Democrats
hear inspiring music (mostly from Playing for Change).
Folks find his meetings educational, uplifting, and hopeful, and it's wonderful to see 50-100 other people at each of the two meetings. To check out the meeting, come Wednesday at 8 p.m. or Friday at 9 a.m. EDT, to this Zoom room: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87820043147?pwd=aXZ0K3QrZGtHR2dBUFlCZnk2TU1hQT09
Debt Ceiling Crisis Team
We've formed a new team to deal with the debt ceiling crisis.
See Indivisible's explanation of what the Debt Ceiling is, and how the GOP is using it to try and dismantle the social safety net, climate mitigations, and all things progressive.
If you'd like to join us or for more information, contact Joel Rosen at jalrose2@gmail.com.
Letters to the Editor (LTE) Writing Team
Attention all writers and activists! Our LTE (Letters to the Editor) Team is back and ready to collaborate on letters and articles for our local newspapers. Letters are powerful tools since they’re read by neighbors we might not otherwise talk with, and because politicians pay particular attention when their names or pet projects are noted in local papers!
Sharing our writing and ideas in a smart, politically savvy and supportive group can help us clarify our thoughts and write in ways most likely to be published. It’s also just more fun! So please join us every other week on Tuesday evenings from 7:00- 8:00pm (on Zoom). Let’s challenge our opposition and strengthen our allies by making our voices heard - and read - in our local papers!
For questions or more information, please contact Larry at lpareles@yahoo.com. And don't forget to use the Zoom link HERE to join our next meeting. Let's write and be heard!
Indivisible New England Digest:
National Workshop, Webinar & Call Calendar
We are fortunate to have Judy Stadtman as our Indivisible National regional organizer. Judy is the liaison between the national organization and local groups in CT-MA-ME-NH-VT. She does an incredible job keeping IN-SLWM connected to and supported by Indivisible National. If you attended our recent general meeting, you might have had the pleasure of hearing her speak about the national political landscape and actionable steps we here in MA can take.
Judy is incredibly active and responsive to our needs. She is eager to lend a hand and hear from anyone who seeks her advice or guidance. If you have any questions or would like to connect with her, please don't hesitate to email her at Judith@Indivisible.com. She looks forward to hearing from you!
New Mission Statement
The Steering Committee has recently updated our Mission Statement to better reflect our post-merger identity and priorities as we collaborate with you to save democracy.
We're eager to hear your thoughts and feedback, so please take a moment to check out our new Mission Statement and let us know what you think. Thanks for your continued support!
Here it is:
Our mission is to promote a strong and inclusive American democracy by educating and mobilizing constituents of MA CD-2 and beyond. We work to elect and hold accountable bold progressive leaders who will protect our country from the dangerous agenda of the right-wing MAGA extremists. We aim to strengthen our democratic institutions, advance social justice, protect the environment, and more. As a proud chapter of Indivisible and Swing Left, we collaborate with local, regional and national groups to build an informed, sustainable activist community.
Northampton Reparations Committee Webinar
On January 24 the Northampton Reparations Committee presented an online webinar cohosted by Forbes Library.
This section of our newsletter features articles written by one of our subscribers and an article or two selected by our steering committee. Subscribers to the newsletter are welcome to submit writing by email to info@indivisiblenorthampton.org with the subject line "Newsletter Submission".
The opinions expressed in the writings don't necessarily reflect any consensus of Indivisible Northampton.
When you click the link in your confirmation email, a Zoom page will open in your web browser and the Zoom app will open.
If the Zoom app does not open, here are a few things you can try. You will need to know the meeting id, which is embedded in the address of the Zoom page that opened. On the page that opened in the browser, in the address bar you'll see an address that looks something like this:
