Hi, all, and happy Monday.
Also, of course, happy Indigenous People’s Day. I wasn’t sure whether or not to do a newsletter today, but it doesn’t seem like a time to take a day off if we don’t have to. So I’m honoring Indigenous People by continuing to fight for their rights—among other things— today. I hope you’ll join me.
And let’s also keep fighting for the earth’s rights. Because I think we can all agree on that, too.
Sending love and hugs. I know these are tough times.
Don’t quit before the miracle.
I know I won’t.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I understand that Senator Warren just joined Senators Heinrich and Luján and Representative Torres in introducing legislation to rename the official holiday recognized on the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The bill (S. 2919) would also replace any mention of Columbus Day in all federal laws or regulations with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I’d like the Senator to co-sponsor it.
Second, I am very, very concerned about the state of our democracy. We absolutely must pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Every vote must be counted; every voter should be able to freely and easily access the polls. These bills will ensure this, and the Senator should make passing them their top priority. [If Democrat:] The Democrats need to abolish the filibuster to pass these bills, and then go on and pass all of the other priority bills waiting on Chuck Schumer’s desk. Use your power while you have it, or you’re going to lose it!
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
First, I understand that several Members of Congress have introduced legislation to rename the official holiday recognized on the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The bill (S. 2919 in the Senate) would also replace any mention of Columbus Day in all federal laws or regulations with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I’d like the Congressmember to co-sponsor it.
Second, I want the Build Back Better Plan passed with all of its provisions—especially the climate ones. And the rich and corporations should absolutely pay for it. I will be furious if Congress puts billionaires’ wishes ahead of the American people. This package contains provisions we need desperately. We can’t afford not to pass it. Thanks.
Extra Credit
President Biden has made a statement honoring Indigenous Peoples Day, and that’s a big deal. But he is still allowing the treaty-breaking Line 3 Pipeline to carry oil across Native lands without their permission. Please:
1) Sign this statement of opposition to Line 3.
2) Send a Resistbot to President Biden asking him to cancel Line 3 by texting SIGN PKMYOV to 50409.
3) Consider responding to your MOCs’ Indigenous Peoples Day tweets/Facebook posts by asking them to pressure President Biden to #StopLine3. (You can see how I responded to my Congressman here)
Get Out Those Pens! (to Get Out the Vote!)
Y’all, I just adopted 5 more letters for Virginia from Vote Forward. Why? Because they have SOOO many left. And they’re only available through Saturday, October 16, when they need to be mailed. And this election is WAY too close.
We know that Vote Forward letters work to boost voter turnout— earlier this month they shared that they had a BIG impact in 2020 as part of The Big Send.
They still need to reach many more VA voters, so please consider writing EVEN 5 if you can.
To write letters to Virginia voters between now and our October 16 mail date, go here.
Get on the Phones! ☎️
PA has really, really important School Board and State Supreme Court elections on November 2nd. They need help with mail in ballot chase phone calls. Info below.
Wednesdays (10/13, 10/20, and 10/27) from 4-6 or 6-8 PM: It’s time for ballot chase! These calls are always super rewarding! We’ll be calling Democrats to be sure they have the information they need to return their ballots properly and on time. We need your help getting this vital information to as many voters as possible. We’ll use the autodialer, ThruTalk. Training before each shift, and we’ll stay on Zoom while we make calls for support and camaraderie. SIGN UP HERE.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here!)
[to all 3 reps] [H/T]
It is quite distressing to watch Congress chip away at the best provisions in the Build Back Better bill in the interests of letting the super rich stay super rich. Particularly devastating is to watch as critical climate provisions get stripped out. I’d like to remind the Congressmember that nobody makes any money if the climate is unlivable. This is obvious.
What needs to be in the bill if we want to stop climate change:
A Clean Electricity Performance Program that gets us on the path to 100% clean power by 2035 by building wind and solar at a record pace, as President Biden has pledged to do. This will cut pollution and modernize our grid.
Directing 40% of funding to frontline communities, to realize environmental justice in communities of color.
Ending fossil fuel subsidies, on which the federal government spends $15 billion directly every year—and hundreds of billions on indirectly.
A Civilian Climate Corps that employs millions of Americans, creates a pathway into good paying union jobs and the clean energy workforce we need.
Without these provisions I don’t see how our kids have a future. Please fight for them like our lives depend on it. They do. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess