Start off the new year with two great events. First, join us for an evening of storytelling and comedy on January 17th at our "Making Good Trouble" event. At the end of the month, we'll reveal our plans to take on 2022 during our virtual General Membership Meeting on January 29th that includes Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch as our keynote speaker on the challenges to our democracy.
Making Good Trouble: An Evening of Storytelling
Monday, January 17th, 7PM, Virtual Event
Looking for a way to savor the past while we pump ourselves up for the year ahead?
Philly Neighborhood Networks invites you to MAKING GOOD TROUBLE, a virtual evening of storytelling & reflections featuring:
Elected Officials: Kendra Brooks, Derek Green, Helen Gym, and Larry Krasner
Award winning storytellers and comedians: Steve Clark, Che Guerrero, Chris Lundy
Hosts Marjorie Winther and Bo Dirnbach, PNN’s own comedic observers of our times
Best of all, YOU will be able – if so moved – to tell your story of good trouble-making to entertain or inspire the rest of us.
IT’S STILL ON: MONDAY, JANUARY 17, 7 PM
BUT IT WILL BE ON ZOOM DUE TO THE RECENT INCREASE IN COVID INFECTIONS.
YOU CAN ENJOY THE SAME GREAT PRESENTERS AND PARTICIPATE SAFELY.
“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and redeem the soul of America.” The late John Lewis made this statement on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 1, 2020 commemorating the tragic events of Bloody Sunday.
Honoring the late civil rights leader John Lewis and befitting the MLK holiday, we will celebrate times when we made good trouble. All stories are welcome from the light and personal to the political and more serious. Together, all our stories weave our human tapestry.
Besides an evening of enjoyment and a few laughs, this is also a Fundraiser for Philly Neighborhood Networks so we can continue to make the Good Trouble in the year ahead. Your safety and health are our concerns – and that’s why we are doing this on zoom.
After you reserve your tickets, we will send you the zoom information.
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PNN General Membership Meeting – Saving Democracy Edition
Saturday, January 29th, 3PM, Virtual Event
We meet this year in dark times, with a virus running amok, weather catastrophes emerging everywhere, a seemingly paralyzed Congress, and even more alarming than all of that, our ongoing ability to even address problems through a democratic political process very much in doubt.
To be blunt, the smell of rising fascism is in the air. PNN can’t avert that darkness by ourselves. But, as you will learn at our meeting, all of us together can and will do our part, and working with allies across the country, we are confident that we will prevail.
We will begin by hearing from one of our most eloquent local truth-tellers about the challenges we face, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch. He will discuss the national framework within which our battle for the soul of the country will be taking place. We will finish with a talk from Rep. Chris Rabb, who will discuss the struggle underway in Harrisburg to preserve democracy in Pennsylvania, one of the key arenas which may determine the result of the struggle.
To be clear: Our purpose will not be to ring an alarm so that we can all run for the exits, but rather to set the stage for the work that will lead to victory. Foremost will be informing and engaging you in our all-in fight to keep a Democrat in the Governor’s seat in Harrisburg, turn the Legislature blue and replace the despicable Pat Toomey with a U.S. Senator who represents all the people of the Commonwealth.
While working to preserve democracy on a national scale, we will also continue to work for justice and sustainability here at home. Thus you will hear about our ongoing efforts to create a public bank owned by the people, to address inequity in our tax code, to keep struggling renters in their homes, to make Philadelphia the greenest City in the U.S., and more.
We'll close out with how you can take part in the team that will tackle this important work. Be sure to save this date on your calendar and click the link below to let us know you'll be joining us on Saturday, January 29th.
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This Week in History
Jan 1, 1863 – Emancipation. On this day, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in what he later confessed was a calculated attempt to deplete the South's labor force and bring enslaved blacks into the Union army.
Jan 4, 2007 – Pelosi Gets the Gavel. On this day, California Representative Nancy Pelosi became the first woman Speaker of the House.
Jan 6, 2021 – Attempted Coup of United States. Right-wing cult worshipers of former president Trump assault the Capitol building in an attempt to stop the certification of the presidential vote count by Congress. They are barely thwarted by Capitol Police.
Thanks for your activism!
Tim Brown, Organizing Director