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We have a busy beginning of the year and we kick it off with our all-hands General Membership (virtual) Meeting on January 29th (be sure to sign up below). It will be laser-focused on the battle to save our democracy. Much more is happening as you’ll see when you read on, all of which is tied to that overriding struggle.
Are You Coming to Our General Membership Meeting?
Saturday, January 29th, 3-4:30PM, Virtual Event
We meet at a fraught moment in this country’s political history. Some people say we’re contending with an ongoing fascist insurrection gathering steam throughout the country, including right here in Pennsylvania. Some think that’s an exaggeration. What is indisputable is that there’s one major political party in this country that sees the upcoming election as an opportunity to corrupt the very process of counting votes, along with suppressing the vote of millions of left-leaning voters. That doesn’t make this a time to panic, but it most decidedly makes it the moment to organize for power like we never have before. And that’s what our upcoming General Membership meeting, via zoom, will be all about.
We’ll start with a keynote speech by Inquirer columnist Will Bunch, one of our most eloquent local truth-tellers, about the national framework within which our battle for the soul of the country will be taking place. We will end our meeting with a talk from Rep. Chris Rabb, who will discuss the struggle underway in the legislature to preserve democracy in Pennsylvania, and how it ties into this year’s election for almost every important state and federal office.
In between, we’ll focus on Philly NN’s comprehensive plan – our most ambitious ever - to spread the word on the importance of voting this year. We intend to cover more territory, knock on more doors, make more phone calls, send more text messages than ever before. You will learn all the details that will enable you to decide for yourself how exactly to plug in, including new techniques we field-tested last year. We’re confident that all of us will find a way to take part, starting with attendance at this kickoff event.
As devoted as we intend to be in the fight to preserve our democracy, our issue-based work will also continue apace in the areas of education, the economy, healthcare, housing and economic justice. At the meeting you’ll learn how you can plug into that work as well.
This is truly an all-hands-in moment. Please click below to let us know you’ll be joining us.
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Making Good Trouble (Redux)
This past Monday we spent an evening of storytelling at our "Making Good Trouble" event. It was a great time as we heard stories from some of our political heroes - like Helen Gym, Kendra Brooks, Derek Green, Art Haywood and Larry Krasner, as well as fun and interesting stories from a variety of neighbors. Nearly a hundred people attended this virtual event and reported that they had a great time! If you missed it live, here's your chance to catch it on video.
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Sign Up for Our First Organizing Workshop of 2022
Wednesday, February 16th, 7PM, Virtual Event
Looking to build your organizing skills? Ready to take the leap from activist to leader? Just want to learn more about how organizers do what they do? Then sign up for our first organizing workshop of 2022 as we cover the fundamentals of organizing.
Learn different organizing models, the value of storytelling as an organizing tactic and how to create a storytelling framework, and how to confidently "make an ask" of volunteers. You don't need to bring any organizing knowledge to this workshop, just an open mind and willingness to learn.
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Movie Night: "Changing the World"
Thursday, February 24th, 7PM, Virtual Event
We have a special treat for community activists, as we kick off our Movie Night series with a powerful movie about someone that Senator Liz Warren calls, "the most influential person you never heard of...". Heather Booth is an organizer who has been at the center of almost every social movement of the past 50 years.
She registered voters in the South during the 1964 Freedom Summer, created an abortion rights network during the women’s movement and organized the first sit-in against the Vietnam War. Booth was the person Elizabeth Warren turned to in her fight for financial reform against big banks and Wall Street firms, returning more than $5 billion to consumers. Booth pioneered door-to-door canvassing as an organizing tool and was the co-creator of the renowned Midwest Academy, which has trained more than 45,000 organizers.
In short, she's the real deal. And you'll have an opportunity to meet Heather as she joins us in a viewing of the documentary based on her life, "Changing the World." After the movie, Heather will answer questions from our audience about her life, her organizing challenges and she'll talk about the future of organizing in our current political climate. This is a must-see event.\
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Philly Redistricting Plan to be Revealed
Friday, January 28th, 10AM-1PM, Virtual Public Hearing
City Council introduced legislation yesterday (Bill No. 220003) describing the proposed Council map that would be used for elections in 2023, 2027 and 2031. Here is an online version of the map produced by Dan McGlone, as well as his helpful analysis on Twitter. After nearly 90 organizations endorsed a Redistricting Roadmap of suggested steps to involve the public, this map was negotiated entirely behind closed doors and will be rushed to the finish line under the direction of Council President Darrell Clarke. See Plan Philly article.
There will be one opportunity to testify on the Proposed Council Map on Wed (1/28), 10 am-1pm. Speakers interested in giving testimony on any of these legislative matters must call 215 821 6625, or send an e mail to chris.goy@phila.gov by 3 p.m. the day before the hearing and submit the following information:
Full name (with proper pronunciation)
Callback telephone number where you can be reached to testify on the day of the hearing · Identify the bill number that will be addressed (Bill No. 220003)
Speakers who submitted the above information within the required time frame will be telephoned during the public hearing and invited to the remote hearing. They will be given additional instructions by the Committee Chair once they are connected.
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Do you receive a "Nextdoor" news feed in your neighborhood? Want to be part of our social media team promoting upcoming events? Contact Tim at tim@phillynn.org
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This Week in History
Jan 21, 1946 – Steel Workers Strike. Facing economic hardships after returning from the war, 750,000 steel workers went on strike for better pay and working hours and to protest mass firings by steel mill owners.
Jan 22, 1973 – Roe v. Wade. On this day, the Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 decision, that a woman’s right to choose an abortion was protected by the privacy rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.
Jan 26, 1907 – Tillman Act. In an attempt to curtail what they viewed as political campaign funding abuses, Congress passed the Tillman Act, banning corporations from expending money from their treasuries to influence a federal election. Campaign contributions are now recognized as a form of speech partly protected by the First Amendment.
Thanks for your activism!
Tim Brown, Organizing Director