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PNN’s mission is to engage, empower and educate. Here’s what’s coming up in each of these areas:
Engage: Join organizing workshop, run to be a committee person, sign up for the election
Empower: Participate in a Car Caravan to change prison conditions
Educate: See the movie “Changing the World” and meet the subject of the movie; join a meeting on Food Waste Reduction & Recovery
Read on to find out the when, where, and how.
Car Caravan for Human Rights
Saturday, February 12th, 12:30PM, Rhawn St & State Road
On Feb 12, we will join in a car caravan to call on the leaders of our city to protect the rights of people inside prison - many of whom are awaiting trial - to stop using the torture of solitary confinement, and to adopt practices that would keep our communities whole and thriving. The car caravan will meet up at 12:30PM at Rhawn St and State Road, and proceed to CCFC. (Sign Up Below to Let Us Know You'll be There)
What: Car Caravan will Call for Justice
When: Saturday, February 12th, 12:30PM
Where: Starts at Rhawn St & State Road; caravan heads to CCFC
What's Going On in Philly Jails?
People inside Philadelphia’s jails are currently experiencing a serious, comprehensive human rights crises: with severe understaffing, people are being subjected to violence but consistently denied medical care, denied access to counsel and even court dates, refused any kind of mental health care–and since nearly everyone in the jails are being denied more than an hour or two of out-of-cell time, the entire system is in the equivalent of solitary confinement. And all this despite most people being held pre-trial.
None of this is new inside of Pennsylvania’s prisons and jails, where people are constantly subjected to a lack of programming and mental health support, poor hygiene and nutrition, and the constant use of solitary confinement. The current crisis has pushed that to an extreme and must be addressed immediately, and it also reflects the larger problems that these jails continue to harm people and fail to make our communities safer.
Click on the link below to let us know you'll be joining us.
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Volunteer for Election & Issue Projects
Our activists are taking on issues around education, the environment, healthcare and housing, and preparing for the upcoming elections that will be part of everything we do for 2022. The theme of Saving Our Democracy permeates all the work that we will be taking on this year. And we cannot do it without you – so please sign up for whatever you can do and we will be in touch to follow up.
For those of you who missed last Saturday’s meeting, here is the video.
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Organizing Workshop: The Art & Science of Conversation
Wednesday, February 16th, 1-4PM, Virtual Event
Looking to build your organizing skills? Ready to take the leap from activist to leader?
The focus of our February 16th workshop will teach how to have a "Transformative 1:1 Conversation" with others. This is an interactive online workshop, so be prepared to practice organizing conversations and receive direct feedback.
In short, you will learn the core skill to being an effective organizer of others - the ability to construct and conduct meaningful conversations that build mutual trust and secure commitments.
This class usually has a fee attached to it, but we have secured a limited number of free passes for our members who want to improve their organizing skills.
If you want to attend, email tim@phillynn.org
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Food: Waste Reduction and Recovery
Thursday, February 17th, 6:30PM, Virtual Event
As part of "Philly Talks Trash: A Virtual Series on Waste" this virtual event will highlight some of Philly’s programs that work to get overproduced food to people in need, instead of being buried or burned. We will learn about the reduction and recovery of food waste from large scale Philadelphia supermarkets, businesses and institutions alongside the grassroots-driven Community Fridge movement, which is growing quickly here.
The topic will be introduced by Coryanne Mansell, the Center for EcoTechnology, currently engaged in the Philly Food Waste Business Challenge with Weavers Way. We will then engage in a lively discussion with Kait Bowdler, the Director of Food Sourcing at Philabundance and Syona Arora, the Founder of the South Philadelphia Community Fridge.
This program is part of Philly Talks Trash, a collaboration between the Philadelphia Neighborhood Network’s Environment Action Committee and the Plastic Reduction Task Force of Weavers Way Co-op. Beginning January 20, and ending July 21, monthly programs will be offered featuring representatives from nonprofits, government programs, and businesses that are working to reduce waste and increase reuse and recycling in the Greater Philadelphia region.
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Want to be a Committee Person? Here's How:
Tuesday, February 15th, 7PM, Virtual Event
Did you know that a Committee Person is an elected official? That's right. They must first collect signatures from their neighbors on a petition to get on the ballot in this year's primary election. If elected, their job is to reach out to their neighbors to keep them informed about issues and upcoming events. They also play an important role in elections and in selecting the Ward Leader. If you'd like to know more about what a Committee Person does and how to become one, then here's what you should do:
Read this how-to document
See this official website
Come to this zoom meeting
ALERT: Nomination Petitions are Temporarily Suspended. The PA Supreme Court recently suspended the timeline for circulating and filing of nomination petitions for the 2022 Primary, pending a decision on redistricting that is currently before this Court. This applies to all nomination petitions, including state, national and local committee person elections, that were originally scheduled to start on Feb 15th.
We do not know what the new timeline for nomination petitions will be and whether this will also result in a delay of the primary election date. See this Philly Inquirer article for more info and keep tuned for further developments.
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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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Report from Harrisburg
On Wednesday, we joined our friends at March on Harrisburg to challenge State House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff at his fundraiser across from the State Capitol to remind him of his promise to let the anti-corruption policy known as the "The Gift Ban Bill" out of his committee. His reply was precious: "This is an inappropriate time to protest."
We disagree. In fact, what better time to protest political corruption than at a fundraiser attended by lobbyists intent on buying influence from our elected leaders?
Right now, legislators need only fill out a form to let us know they are accepting a "gift" from powerful lobbyists - and magically, an under-the-table act of bribery suddenly becomes "legal". MOH's work exposing this blatant corruption has received news coverage across the state, country, and world.
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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
___________________________________________________________________________________________This Week in History
Feb 11, 1990 – Mandela Freed. After spending 27 years in a South African prison, Nelson Mandela was free by the Apartheid government. Four years later, he would be elected president.
Feb 12, 1909 – NAACP Founded. On the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett and other black leaders announced the formation of a new organization called the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which played a huge role in the civil rights movement.
Feb 15, 2003 – Anti-War Protests. A coordinated day of protests was held across the world in which people in more than 600 cities expressed opposition to the imminent Iraq War.
Thanks for your activism!
Tim Brown, Organizing Director
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