Write Postcards to Win Back the State Senate; Collect Signatures for the Project Beloved Community Petition; Back-to-School Fest

Write Postcards to Win Back the State Senate

Here is an opportunity to stretch our influence beyond the City's boundaries to positively influence races elsewhere in Pennsylvania. We are going to do this by writing postcards to win back our state senate by targeting vulnerable incumbents who have voted time and again against helping Philly - things like refusing to raise the minimum wage, tying the hands of our District Attorney, or refusing to provide sufficient funding to our public schools.

So this summer and into the fall we will be conducting a postcard campaign aimed at a few of those state senators with the goal of flipping those seats to blue. We are in the process of designing the postcards, choosing which voters to send them to, and tinkering with the message. While that's being done, we want to find out who is willing to be part of our postcard-writing team. If you would like to help, click below to sign up.

I'll Write Postcards

Collect Signatures for the Project Beloved Community Petition

If you've been following our newsletter, you know that PNN is one of the main organizers for Project Beloved Community. This project, based on the teachings of MLK, Jr., is one of restoration and hope and belief in the power of our community to work together to improve the lives of everyone. It starts with building the "political will" in our local elected officials to do the right thing, to change their priorities from monied interests to working for the betterment of the people who they are supposed to represent.

We'll build that political will by demonstrating a clear preference by we the people of Philadelphia to change our priorities by creating far-reaching, long-term solutions to seemingly intractable problems - providing sufficient good-paying jobs, building enough deeply affordable houses, by providing a true sense of community that leads to a reduction in gun violence and poverty.

If you want to help us build that political will, then let us know here that you are willing to join us this summer as we gather signatures from our neighbors that call for full implementation of Project Beloved Community. It can be as simple as talking with your neighbors or joining us on a buddy canvass. We will build our schedule around your summer plans. Sign up below.

I'll Gather PBC Petition Signatures

You haven't signed the petition yet? Do that here

____________________________________ Actions with Our Allies  _________________________________________

Back-to-School Fest

Saturday, August 1st, 1PM-4PM, 1100 E Chelten Avenue

Join State Senator Art Haywood and State Rep Andre Carroll for a day of fun at Lonnie Smith Recreation Center in Germantown. The theme is "All Youth are All-Stars!" and there will be fun and games, free school supplies, health screenings, food and community resources.

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Allegheny Avenue Arts Fest

Saturday, August 1st, 10AM-5:30PM, 16th & Allegheny Avenue

Join friends and neighbors for the annual Allegheny Avenue Arts Fest. It's an opportunity to celebrate creativity and build community. There will be live music, arts and crafts, food vendors and dance in this vibrant North Philly neighborhood. And PNN will be there getting PBC petition signatures. Join the fun!

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Fridays at Fetterman's

Friday, July 31st, 11:15AM-12:15PM, 200 Chestnut Street

Join our allies in front of the United States Customs House for this weekly peace vigil rooted in the principles of active nonviolence, and dedicated to building the political momentum to move our reluctant senator to vote in favor of stopping the slaughter in Gaza. Whether or not Fetterman changes his mind, we must continue to refuse to be invisible or silent while our tax dollars are used for weapons of destruction that are deployed in war crimes against innocent children and civilians.

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Mondays at McCormick's

Monday, August 3rd, 10AM, 2000 Market Street

If you're fed up with fascism, then join our allies at Mondays at McCormick's this coming Monday morning to continue what has become a year's worth of community presence to pressure our reluctant senator. Join us for an enjoyable time with like-minded activists!

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Weekly ICE Vigil

Monday, August 3rd, 11AM, 114 North 8th Street

Join State Senator Art Haywood and our allies as we keep vigil at the local Center City ICE office to call out their bad behavior. Keeping a regular presence is a way to remind them that we are watching and to remind our fellow citizens that while it looks like life is going on as usual, we cannot allow ourselves to accommodate fascism.

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Word Scramble

ITDYSIOALR

Clue: Mutual support among members of a group, based on shared goals, as in a worker's union.

Last Week's Word: UNIVERSAL

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This Week in History

Aug. 1, 1946 – Mine Workers Strike.The 400,000-strong AFL-United Mine workers went on a nationwide strike for better wages and safer working conditions. They resisted violent attempts to break their strike until the Federal government intervened to broker a deal acceptable to the miners.

Aug 3, 1981 – Air Traffic Controllers Strike.Due to insufficient pay and long hours in a stressful environment, the U.S. Air Traffic Controllers (PATCO) went on strike, shutting down both passenger and freight travel. Two days later, then-president Ronald Reagan fired all 11,000 workers thus setting the stage for the decades of right-wing sabotage of the rights of workers to organize and strike.

Aug 6,1945 – Hiroshima Destroyed.On this day, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, instantly killing 80,000 people. Another 60,000 would die of the effects of radioactive fallout.

Thanks for your activism!

Tim Brown, Organizing Director

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