Dear John,
It’s been a huge week – legislative session wrapped up in Minnesota, and we are clear: there is so much to celebrate, and there is so much to keep fighting for. This week’s news grounds us in both: the substantive policy wins that we deserve to see and feel, and the long-haul vision we need to keep organizing towards.
Here’s what we’re reading, watching and listening to this week.
1. Done!
This Twitter thread from housing and education researcher Will Stancil about the success of this legislative session in the hands of Minnesota Democrats is worth a scroll: “Rather than looking at the November numbers result and imposing some kind of self-limiting narrative about the scope of their mandate, MN Dems looked at their priorities and said 'How much of the list can we get done?' Turns out the answer was 'Almost everything.'"
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Also, look for our 2023 session wrapped series dropping this weekend covering highs, lows, and shenanigans at #mnleg. Check out Part 1 on Instagram.
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2. “The work has just begun”
J. Patrick Coolican writes about this legislative session in the Minnesota Reformer: “If we’re pouring $1 billion into housing, and more than $2 billion of new money into schools, and raising sales taxes for roads, it all needs to work. We should have more affordable housing, more children should be proficient in reading and math, and fewer potholes.
In other words: The work has just begun.”
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3. The Movement Never Stops
On the third anniversary of the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police Department, independent photographer KingDemetrius Pendleton’s photographs and books bear witness to the movement in Minnesota.
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4. Brakes pumped on protections for rideshare drivers
#OneMinnesota… unless you’re a gig worker driving Lyft or Uber. The Minnesota House and Senate POCI caucuses released a statement of disappointment in Governor Walz’s veto of a rideshare bill that would have provided drivers with worker protections and a minimum wage. “It is disheartening that the first veto of his term would be against worker protections for BIPOC and immigrant drivers,” they wrote.
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5. Call for action on Mosque attacks
After acts of violence at four mosques in four weeks, Muslim community members share complicated feelings and calls to action.
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6. Minneapolis City Council approves crafting rent control policy
Minneapolis City Council members Aisha Chughtai and Jamal Osman successfully introduced a motion Thursday to compel the city attorney to draft an ordinance capping rent increases at 3 percent. This comes after Minneapolis voters expressed support for rent control in the 2021 elections and the support of a city work group. Mayor Jacob Frey will veto the motion. [link removed]
7. Trans prom
Trans teens held this celebration of trans joy in front of the US Capitol.
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8. Fighting fascism with long-term vision
Strategist and organizer Ejeris Dixon writes in Truthout, “Leftists need to focus on the strategies of creating liberatory governance where people have access to their needs, freedom within their bodies, and rights separate from societal hierarchies. This is what scares fascists the most — that the left will envision and execute a world that eliminates the hierarchies that they depend upon.”
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9. Succession finale
Billionaires cost the literal Earth.
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They also have consumed my (Katie’s) TV life this spring as Succession comes to an end this weekend. I am not proud to watch this show! But I also can’t look away. The Succession podcast has been an interesting behind-the-scenes about the show. I especially appreciated James Cromwell’s discussion of his character Ewan Roy’s essential eulogy from the last episode.
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10. Simply the Best
We remember Tina Turner who died at the age of 83 this week. As New York Times writers and Still Processing podcast hosts Wesley Morris and J. Wortham share, “[Tina’s] entire career was an act of repossession: Taking back her name, her voice, her image, her vitality and her spirituality made her one of the biggest rock stars in the world, even in her 50s.” We remember Tina – a legend, in the truest, most authentic sense.
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And that’s a wrap!
Send us what you’re reading, watching and listening to.
Until next time,
Katie Blanchard (she/her)
Basebuilding Director
Jessica Zimmerman (she/her)
Development Director
Paid for by TakeAction Minnesota
TakeAction Minnesota
705 Raymond Ave Ste 100
Saint Paul, MN 55114
United States
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