PNN’s mission is to engage, educate and empower our neighbors to make our City a better place to live. Here’s what’s coming up in each of these areas:
Engage: Holiday Toy Drive Thanks You! G'town Radio Wants Youth Journalists
Educate: Update on H'burg Hijacking Krasner Power, We Can Afford Nice Things
Empower: Volunteer Connect, Voter Registration
Thanks for Helping the Toy Drive!
A word of thanks to everyone who donated toys, clothing, money and time to making our second annual toy drive a success! A special thanks to Mother Zoar African UMC for once again hosting out event. Distribution took place over the two days before Christmas and hundreds of toys now have brought some joy to the lives of the children with incarcerated parents. We look forward to working with you next year!
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We Can Actually Afford Nice Things
Did you know that the Philadelphia Pension Fund has about $8 billion in assets and that it is invested without regard to how those investments impact Philadelphia residents? In fact, the Fund holds stocks in any number of sectors, industries and financial instruments that actively harm Philly residents because they support fossil fuels, anti-labor businesses and risky, opaque items like derivatives and foreign currencies that do nothing for our people.
Led by Philly NN, the Philadelphia Public Banking Coalition has taken notice of this, and is proposing that the Fund take some portion of its assets and find credit-worthy, income-producing investments in Philly that serve the needs of local residents and businesses.
These could include investments in affordable housing, clean energy infrastructure, land trusts and co-ops, and emerging BIPOC-owned businesses that but for lack of access to capital, would flourish.
See a description of the proposal in more detail.
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H'burg Pols Trade Larry Krasner for a Budget Deal
It's a sad state of affairs that a handful of backwater Republicans from the other side of Pennsylvania get to dictate policy for a million and a half people, but that's just what happened when wobbly Democrats outside of our city caved to GOP demands, trading real power over our city in exchange for a tax break they could tout to their constituents in next year's elections.
Here is the piece by the Philadelphia Tribune
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Germantown Radio is Looking for Youth Journalists
GTown Radio is looking for young people 12 to 17 years old interested in journalism - fact and opinion - to help create radio talk show programs. Participants will learn how to choose topics for discussion, conduct interviews with guests, add commentary and create broadcast-ready programs on environment, culture and other topics of interest.
The team meets at Germantown Life Enrichment Center on Saturdays. There is no fee to participate, but donations are welcome. For details, please email PNN Steering Committee member Conni Billé or call at 215-285-8136.
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Northwest Volunteer Connect
Saturday, January 6th, 10AM-1PM, Summit Church, 6757 Greene Street
Our friends at Summit Church are hosting a Northwest Volunteer Connect that will feature 20 organizations including Awbury Arboretum, East & West Mt Airy Neighbors and others. Click below for details.
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VR at Constitution Center
Saturday, January 6th, 12PM-2PM, Constitution Center, 5th & Market Street
Voter Registration will be a key component of our election strategy in 2024. We have some volunteer friends from Delco who will be registering new voters in front of the National Constitution Center on Saturday, Jan. 6th. If you are interested in helping, then don your PNN tee-shirt and join the fun! Clipboards and on-the-spot training provided.
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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.
Thanks for your activism!
Tim Brown, Organizing Director