Chop Wood, Carry Water 5/16
Hi, all, and happy Monday.
I know. It’s not particularly happy—it’s been a gruesome, heartbreaking weekend. Our country is, without question, in crisis; it’s deeply painful be living through it. Worse, we can’t know when we’ll reach rock bottom, or how much more awful things will get before we do.
It’s hard and scary. And very, very tiring.
And yet.
On Saturday morning I attended the Bans Off Our Bodies protest here in Los Angeles and stood with tens of thousands of others who want to protect reproductive rights. What I felt in that scorching heat, amongst all of those fabulous signs, wasn’t fear. It was anger, power, and determination. Even love. And even joy.
That afternoon I canvassed for Eunisses Hernandez, an amazing City Council candidate running in my district. It was 95 degrees and the block I was canvassing on had no trees. Talking to voters at the doors, though, even sweaty and panting as I was, made me deeply hopeful, even giddy.
And last night I attended a meeting where Gina Viola, an impressive progressive candidate running for L.A. Mayor, spoke. I arrived expecting to dismiss her, and left feeling fired up about her campaign, and more optimistic for our city.
There are so many awful people trying to do—and often doing—so many awful things.
But there are MORE incredible people doing spectacular, brave, daring, brilliant things. The press ignores them. Social media doesn’t blow up every time they sneeze. We may not even know they exist…
But it doesn’t change the fact that they do. Or that their work will effect out future in deeply positive ways.
So yes, it’s been a brutal weekend. We have a dizzying amount of work to do. Our challenges are legion.
But I believe—I know—we are up to it. We have everything going for us, save our fear, which can—and must—be overruled by action. For by taking action we meet others who uphold and inspire us, making further action easier and more effective.
See how that works?
Thanks for inspiring me every day.
Now let’s get to work.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
Our gun violence epidemic is out of control. There were 3 mass shootings this weekend. THREE! Congress’s inaction is unconscionable. Gun deaths, which are now up to 45,000 a year, need to be declared a public health emergency. President Biden needs to create a National Office of Gun Violence Prevention to address this problem holistically and Congress should approve generous funding for it. Also, the ATF hasn’t had a leader in 7 years. You must confirm Steve Dettelbach now. Then pass meaningful gun legislation like the Background Checks Bill that was already passed in the House. Finally, we need to take measures to address the deepening white supremacy crisis in this country. This is an emergency. We need Congress to act now. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
Our gun violence epidemic is out of control. There were 3 mass shootings this weekend. THREE! Congress’s inaction is unconscionable. Gun deaths, which are now up to 45,000 a year, need to be declared a public health emergency. President Biden needs to create a National Office of Gun Violence Prevention to address this problem holistically and Congress should approve generous funding for it. Also, the House needs to pass meaningful gun legislation like HR 748 Ethan’s Law, to mandate safe gun storage where youth are present. Finally, we need to take measures to address the deepening white supremacy crisis in this country. This is an emergency. We need Congress to act now. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Time to publicly shame Citibank for being a climate destroyer! This is fun and it takes 30 seconds!
Citibank is the second worst financier of fossil fuels in the world ― and yet, they continue to claim to be making progress on addressing climate change. This is called “greenwashing,” and calling them out for it on social is critical.
Please, if you’re on LinkedIn, comment on this post and tell Citibank that if they want to make real progress on climate they have to stop financing the expansion of fossil fuels.
All you have to do is sign-in to LinkedIn, click on the post linked here, copy the text below, personalize it, and post it as a comment.
"As a Citi customer, I feel compelled to point out that Val Smith’s statement is in direct opposition to what Citi actually needs to do on climate. The International Energy Agency says that we cannot open any new coal, oil, or gas operations and remain on a path to achieving the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. Yet, in 2021 Citi gave $15 billion to companies opening new oil and gas operations. Citi must stop financing fossil fuel corporations that have no intention of transitioning to a renewable-based economy. If it is not prepared to do that, its climate goals (and statements like this) are little more than greenwashing. Thanks.
See mine below.
Get Smart AND Write Postcards! 📚
Swing Blue Alliance is collaborating with the amazing organization Galvanize Action to launch a postcarding project to moderate women in battleground states, moving them to reliably vote for progress. Galvanize Action has proven its approach in a number of other grassroots campaigns.
The two groups are targeting moderately conservative women in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. These voters value patriotism and personal relationships; they are nostalgic for tradition and how they remember the past.
The plan is to send postcards to 30,000 women in these three states. The images on the postcards are evocative of their values, and the messages tie these values to more progressive goals. The campaign will apply a proven randomized control test (RCT) approach to determine the impact of various messages.
Hear more about the research behind the project, the images they will use and what they hope to learn at their online postcarding kickoff event Tuesday, May 24 from 7 – 8pm EDT.
Win Races! 🗳
Nida Allam is a powerful community leader and the first Muslim woman elected to office in North Carolina, and now she’s running for Congress! She'll be another a bold fighter for the Green New Deal there, but only if she can win her tough primary. Join me, the Sunrise Movement, and special guest Bernie Sanders (!!) to make calls to young North Carolinians today! Let's win this thing!
Phonebank is at 6pm EDT. Join me! Sign up here.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)
[to your Senators] [H/T] [quick send text SIGN PWRLCU to 50409]
I’m writing as your constituent to ask you to vote to confirm Gigi Sohn for FCC Commissioner now, without any further delay.
We need an FCC Commissioner who knows the issues, but isn't a former
telecom lawyer.
We need an FCC Commissioner who knows how the FCC works, but isn’t a former
lobbyist for the telecoms.
We need an *independent* FCC Commissioner, who isn’t hoping for a telecom
job when her term is over.
And that’s why we need the Senate to confirm Gigi Sohn, who is smart, qualified, independent, and compassionate.
The same giant telecoms that created the digital divide and deprived
millions of Americans of fiberoptic broadband are now lining up to oppose
Sohn's nomination. The last thing they want is an independent commissioner
who won't do their bidding, and who will call out the corruption and
self-dealing that has left the country far behind in our communications
infrastructure. As your constituent, I demand that you ignore them. Fight for us! Confirm Gigi Sohn now! Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess