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“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” ― Audre Lorde
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Happy Pride and Welcome to the Updated
Indivisible-RISE Newsletter!
(cue the trumpets!)
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As I-RISE rounds the corner to our SEVENTH year, we decided it was time for a new look to celebrate all we have done and gear up for all there is still to do.
Together we have moved from a handful of anxious, pissed off, overwhelmed volunteers trying to figure out how to respond to the 2016 election, to an established grassroots organization of over 1,000 members. Together we have flipped state legislatures, the Senate and the Presidency. We have helped elect gun-sense, pro-choice and environment friendly candidates. Together we have helped keep abortion accessible in Wisconsin and Kansas, we have cured votes in Georgia, we have written postcards (so many postcards!) and helped to register voters and get out the vote in swing states all around the country.
Together.
This summer we will continue writing postcards both remotely and at our in-person Action Hours in downtown Newburyport, and we encourage you to text and phone bank as oportunities arise. In the fall we will double down even more to help with the critical off-year elections, particularly in Virginia. And, of course, we will be gearing up with more volunteer opportunities as we start work for 2024.
There is so much more to do, and the exhaustion is real. But we have come this far together, and we look forward to pushing forward. Together.
Going forward, we will offer three key sections in the newsletter:
TO DO
TO READ
TO CELEBRATE
Check out these sections below. If you have suggestions for future items to do, read or celebrate, please share by emailing us at indivisible.rise.newburyport@gmail.com.
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TO DO
- Save Reproductive Rights in OHIO!! There is an important referendum in OH on August 8th that could have a significant impact on reproductive rights in that state. Let's help save those rights!
- Write postcards with us! Join Action Hour at NU Kitchen every Wednesday at 5:30-6:30 to help encourage Democrats to vote on this referendum. Or write remotely - just grab a packet of postcards at one of our pick up locations and email indivisible.rise.newburyport@gmail.com to request a script and addresses.
- Make phone calls on Mondays with our friends at Swing Blue Alliance in partnership with the OH Dems. Many OH voters are unaware of this August election, and these calls are proving to be very productive. Register here.
- Help Support Our Postcard Writers!! The cost of sending postcards to voters keeps rising. Please help defray those costs by donating to Indivisible-RISE. While we have been covering the cost of postcards for our writers, we are not able to keep doing so because printing prices are up and donations are down. Please pitch in by donating to I-RISE here so that those who give so much of their time are not also burdened with paying the full cost of the group's efforts.
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TO READ
In this section, we'll share links to articles or newsletters to entertain, engage, inform, and inspire us to keep up this work. Below are a few informative publications, with more to come in our next edition of this newsletter:
- If you don't already know historian Heather Cox Richardson, check out her daily newsletter, Letter From an American. She puts current events in a historical context and provides a long view on the struggles and triumphs of this current moment.
- Democracy in Color is an excellent organization that focuses on electoral politics and their intersection with race. They have a podcast and newsletter, both of which are full of great content (depending on if you like to listen or read)!
- In her daily Civil Discourse newsletter, former US Attorney and current MSNBC Legal Analyst Joyce Vance clearly describes in lay terms the legalities of the threats against and efforts to save our democracy. She covers topics like Supreme Court rulings, Jan 6th indictments, election challenges, and more.
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TO CELEBRATE
- Some good news for the LGBTQ community during Pride Month:
- The FDA finally ended it's policy of discrimination against blood donations by gay and bisexual men.
- More Governors are stepping up to protect LGBTQ rights. Loiusiana Gov. Edwards is vetoing a series of harmful LGBTQ and transgender measures passed by the Republican state legislature. And Maryland Gov. Moore signed an executive order making Maryland the 12th state this year to become a sanctuary city protecting transgender people from fleeing other states.
- A Trump-appointed judge in Tennessee struck down an anti-drag law.
- The Biden administration announced plans to release $1.7 million for new federal programs to support the health and safety of LGBTQ youth.
- Locally, Newburyport held its first Pride celebration! Kicked off by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy raising the Pride flag at City Hall, Pride in Newburyport included a parade attended by hundreds, as well as art exhibits, local business support and more. We joined cities and towns around the country, with hundreds of thousands attending the Pride Parade in DC and 40,000 attendees even in Salt Lake City!
- Around the country, courts and state legislatures are protecting abortion rights! In Oklahoma the state Supreme Court ruled that two abortion bans are unconstitutional; a South Carolina judge blocked a new abortion ban; and Nevada's Republican Governor signed a measure to protect out-of-state abortion seekers.
- The Supreme Court ruled that Alabama's 2021-enacted congressional map violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because it unfairly diluted Black political power. This is a huge win for democracy, for fair representation, and for the more than one million Black voters that would have been silenced by this map. Alabama won’t be the only state affected by this decision. There are currently 30 ongoing redistricting lawsuits in 10 states that stand to be impacted. Dems could pick up SIX Congressional seats as a result!
- And, last but not least, the long anticipated indictment...
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