PNN’s mission is to engage, educate and empower. Here’s what’s coming up in each of these areas:
Engage: Sign Up for Buddy Canvassing; Join Our Housing Call
Educate: Watch Our Public Bank Q&A with Derek Green
Empower: Table for a Better Climate; Tax the Rich
Read on to find out the when, where, and how.
Sign Up for "Buddy" Canvassing
The biggest fear folks have about canvassing, aside from the pandemic, is that you are often left to do this work on your own - knocking on door after door, getting rejected by strangers - all of it can be intimidating even to a veteran canvasser.
That's why we've decided to "buddy up" our canvassers to knock doors together, share the conversation, get better at it by debriefing each conversation between doors, and making a new friend in the process. Ask someone who's done it and they'll tell you that they had a great time Buddy Canvassing!
Now it's time to get to work. We have a Primary Election on May 17th and beyond that a General Election that will decide whether or not we have a democracy next year.
So, sign up below and we'll get in touch with you about when and where you will be needed. You can canvass your own neighborhood, but if you do, then please be willing to offer the front of your home as a staging area to canvass your entire division. We will help you recruit volunteers. You will also be asked to buddy up with local canvassers in often neglected neighborhoods to help them build their skills.
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Join Our Housing Action Call
Tuesday, April 5th, 6:30PM, Virtual
Due to technical issues with Zoom for this week’s meeting, the Housing Action Committee has rescheduled its first meeting for April 5th at 6:30pm. Whether you've worked for housing justice in the past, are inspired by recent events related to housing in Philadelphia, or just want to get more involved in your community, this committee is meant for you.
We will be getting to know each other and our interest in housing, defining current housing and community development issues in Philadelphia and shaping the Housing AC’s core beliefs, focuses, and goals. The Housing AC is looking to create a community for collaborative and meaningful activism. A working draft of the committee's beliefs and focus, up for discussion during our initial meetings, is posted on our Housing webpage.
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Tabling Volunteers Needed
Ongoing thru Spring
PNN's Community Net-Zero Education Project is working to educate and engage neighbors on how to reduce climate risk. We are looking for some volunteers to help us cover tables at festivals this spring. "Tabling" is a fun way to be outdoors, have interesting conversations with nice people, and make a difference for the planet!
We’ll be at several events this spring, including Chestnut Hill Home and Garden Festivals (May 1) and Mt. Airy Day (May 7), and would welcome volunteers for 2-hour shifts (3 people on each shift). Whatever time you can contribute will be appreciated! If you’re interested, please contact Leonard Nakamura.
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Brooks Introduces Wealth Tax at City Council
With the wealth of billionaires jumping an obscene $1.7 trillion since the beginning of the pandemic, Philly NN has been in the forefront of a new Coalition, the Philadelphia Revenue Project, looking for ways to make those profiteers share at least a fraction of their fortunes.
Yesterday, Councilmember Kendra Brooks rewarded our work when she introduced a proposal to reinstate a longstanding tax on wealth that was repealed early in this century. Her proposal would levy a modest .4% tax on individual holdings of stock and bond portfolios, excluding holdings in retirement accounts.
Stock and bond taxes are targeted with great precision at the assets of the rich. The top 10% of families own 70% of all the financial wealth in the country. In Philly we think the wealth tax would not only bring equity to our tax code, but also provide about a quarter of a billion dollars to meet the critical needs of all Philadelphians. Let’s do this Philadelphia!
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Watch "Financing Philadelphia's Future"
Now that we have had a win on public banking legislation in City Council, and because both the board selection process and the city budget are simultaneously before us right now, we asked Councilmember Derek Green to join us on our monthly video presentation of "Financing Philadelphia's Future" to help us answer the questions: “What have we achieved?” "Where is the money?” “Who will be on the boards of the new financial authority?" Watch the 30-minute presentation by clicking on the link below.
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We're Looking for Organizers. We are currently accepting resumes for Organizing Staff (full/part) on Contingency Funding for c3/c4 electoral and community work. Send your interest to tim@phillynn.org
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This Week in History
April 1, 1946 – United Mineworkers Strike. 400,000 mineworkers went on strike to win union-sponsored healthcare against black lung and other respiratory diseases from mining.
April 2, 1917 – Woman in the House. Jeannette Pickering Rankin from Montana became the first woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
April 4, 1968 – MLK Murdered. Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered as he stood on a hotel balcony in Memphis. He was in town to support a sanitation worker's strike.
Thanks for your activism!
Tim Brown, Organizing Director
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