Plus Upcoming Events, Advocacy Days, & More!

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Early Voting Starts on Saturday, March 23

Early voting begins on Saturday, March 23 for the New York 2024 Presidential Primary Election. And it’s also the last day to register to vote. So be sure to vote early, from March 23-30, or on Election Day, which is April 2. You can find your polling site, links to register, and other important information here ([link removed]) .
Voter Information ([link removed])
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Come to the Unveiling of Cecil Corbin Mark Street!

Join us on Saturday, April 20 for a special ceremony unveiling Cecil Corbin-Mark Street. Yes, thanks to the help of New York City Councilmember Shaun Abreu, Cecil will have a street named after him! We will gather on Saturday, April 20 at 11 am for the ceremony at the corner of West 143rd Street and Convent Avenue. Get all the details ([link removed]) , and RSVP for the outdoor ceremony ([link removed]) as well as for the indoor reception ([link removed]) afterwards.
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Become a Cecil Corbin-Mark Fellow: Apply by March 31

Applications for the Cecil Corbin-Mark Fellowship for Environmental Justice Leadership are open through March 31! Check out this video testimonial ([link removed]) and blog post ([link removed]) to hear first-hand from our current fellows about what the fellowship is like!

The Fellowship honors the legacy of the late Cecil Corbin-Mark, our former Deputy Director and Director of Policy Initiatives who was a well-known and highly respected leader in the movement and served as an informal mentor to aspiring environmental justice advocates across the country. It is a unique opportunity for young people to continue to follow in Cecil’s footsteps by preparing them to become the next generation of environmental justice leaders. The year-long paid fellowship will begin in June but applications are due on March 31. This year we will be inviting applicants to apply for a digital marketing fellowship and a civic engagement and community organizing fellowship.
Learn More and Apply Here ([link removed])

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Make Phone Calls to Get the NY HEAT Act Over the Finish Line on Thursday!

The push to get NY HEAT passed is heating up next week! We're joining a statewide week of action to make 1,000 phone calls to Governor Hochul to get this critical bill - which will lower energy bills and rollback fossil fuels - over the finish line. Different organizations have volunteered to coordinate each day and WE ACT is responsible for filling the call relay on Thursday, March 28. Head on over to this spreadsheet ([link removed]) and sign up for a time slot on Thursday. If you are feeling fired up, sign up for another day as well. And don't forget to share with friends and family!

Sign Me Up! ([link removed])

The Real Estate Lobby Wants to Roll Back Tenant Rights. Take Action to Stop Them!

WE ACT joined more than 1,000 tenants and activists in Albany on Tuesday demanding New York State protect rent stabilization and pass Good Cause Eviction to stop landlords from egregious rent hikes and retaliatory evictions. A new analysis ([link removed]) of lobbying data shows that the top real estate lobbying outfits spent more than $14 million dollars over the last five years during their campaign to block tenant protections.

The data also shows that the real estate industry’s lobbying activity focused on opposing tenant protections rather than on policies to advance the production of housing, lobbying legislators and legislative staff more than 1,000 times in opposition to Good Cause Eviction alone. And now, the real estate lobby is trying to strike a deal with Governor Hochul to roll back rent stabilization in exchange for good cause eviction.

We cannot let the real estate lobby win. Find your assemblymember ([link removed]) and senator ([link removed]) and tell them "no rollbacks to rent stabilization and hold the line on a strong statewide version of Good Cause Eviction."

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Join Us for Our Advocacy Days in Albany!

The legislative session is in full swing and there are plenty of opportunities to help us champion important environmental justice bills. Check out this video ([link removed]) to see what to expect!
* March 27 - Climate Justice Education ([link removed]) : Join the Climate Resilience Education Task Force ([link removed]) to advocate for climate justice education ([link removed]) legislation to establish a course of instruction and learning expectations on climate education in all of the New York State’s public elementary and secondary schools.
* April 16 - Earth Day: ([link removed]) Celebrate Earth Day by advocating for a variety of environmental justice legislation including the Enhanced Public Participation Plan, the Beauty Justice Bill, and the Lead Paint Right to Know Act.
* May 21 - Childhood Lead Poisoning: ([link removed]) Help us advocate for the prevention of childhood lead poisoning.

Food and transportation between New York City and Albany are always provided along with quick training to help you prepare to advocate!

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Join Peggy Shepard at Climate Reality Project’s Leadership Conference: March 24 RSVP Deadline

Peggy Shepard will be speaking about “false solutions” on two back-to-back panels beginning at 1:30 pm on Saturday, April 13 during Climate Reality Project’s Leadership Conference at the Javits Center on April 12-14. The conference is free and open to all, and will provide an opportunity to learn how to become more active in the fight to address the climate crisis. Learn more and RSVP ([link removed]) by March 24.

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Peggy Shepard to Discuss Federal Grants at NJEJA TCTAC Training Webinar

If you work for an organization in New York or New Jersey seeking federal grants for environmental justice work, we encourage you to join our TCTAC training webinar being hosted by the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance (NJEJA) on Tuesday, March 26 from 6 - 7 pm. Peggy Shepard will join Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) Executive Director Dwaign Tyndal for a candid conversation on leveraging federal funding to help build and sustain your organization. Both WE ACT and ACE have been awarded substantial federal grants, and they will discuss what they have learned about applying for and managing federal grants as a grassroots organization.

Sign Up Here ([link removed])
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Micaela Martinez on Public Health Career Path Panels

Dr. Micaela Martinez will participate in two panel discussions at CUNY’s Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy’s symposium on public health innovation and partnership on Tuesday, March 26. The symposium, Public Health Everywhere: Nontraditional Career Paths, will run from 10 am - 3:30 pm at CUNY’s School of Public Health & Health Policy’s campus, located at 55 West 125th Street. The event is free and will be a great opportunity to discover diverse career paths in public health and law, the arts, media, the environment, advocacy, and entrepreneurship. Micaela will be part of the opening keynote panel at 10 am and the public health advocacy panel at 11:10 am.
Register Here ([link removed])
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April Membership Meeting: Assembly District 68 Candidates Forum

Come to our April Membership Meeting on Saturday, April 13 and meet the candidates running for New York State Assembly District 68, which covers East Harlem, a few pockets of Central Harlem, and all of Randall's Island. The meeting will begin at 10 am at the New Heights Academy Charter School, which is located at 1818 Amsterdam Avenue (look for the signs between 150th and 151st Streets).
RSVP ([link removed])

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Get Ready for Our Earth Day 5K Fun Run!

Come celebrate Earth Day, help raise funds for WE ACT, and run or walk for a healthier, greener community at our annual Earth Day 5K fundraiser. We will be holding the fun run at Randall’s Island on Sunday, April 28. You can run or walk, and enter as an individual or as a team. Sign up today ([link removed]) and get a free WE ACT membership! And If you can’t join us, please consider making a donation ([link removed]) to support our work.

Register Here ([link removed])
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* Justice40: Peggy Shepard was quoted in an article on President Biden’s Justice40 initiative that appeared on Reuters’ Context ([link removed]) news platform, noting that it could prove transformative but it’s still too early to tell.

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Our federal policy team responded to “Energy Week” by challenging liquified natural gas (LNG) which the Biden administration recently put a pause on while it reviews the environmental impacts on disadvantaged communities. Spoiler alert: It's bad and communities already know it. To further demonstrate this, our team published a new visual story map featuring highlights and testimonies of residents of Chester, PA, a frontline community that's been actively harmed by LNG. Check it out here! ([link removed])
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We participated in the 1% For Parks campaign digital week of action this week. New York City parks have been underfunded for decades and Mayor Adams campaigned on raising the parks budget ([link removed]) to 1% of the city budget. Instead of keeping his campaign promise, the Mayor has slashed the budget for parks even more. Sign the petition ([link removed]) to tell Mayor Adams that parks and green spaces are essential and deserve full funding.

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New York City Councilmember for District 9, Dr. Yusef Salaam, stopped by our table at Community Board 9’s Public Health Forum at Columbia University last weekend, looking at the Climate Ready Uptown Plan ([link removed]) we created to help the community plan and prepare for climate-related disasters.
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We hosted two Beauty Justice fairs this week, one in Harlem and another in Buffalo, to raise support for the Beauty Justice Act. This bill will ban some of the worst toxins in our personal care products, many of which are marketed specifically to people of color. The European Union already bans a lot of these chemicals - now it's time for New York to do the same. Stay tuned for more photos next week! And be sure to send a letter ([link removed]) to your New York State representatives telling them to support the bill too!

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Uptown Chats: Listen to Our Housing Episode Before the Election Episode Comes Out

In our latest episode of the Uptown Chats podcast, Jaron and Lonnie talk to WE ACT’s Climate Justice Campaign Manager Annie Carforo about our new campaign, Our Homes Under Our Control ([link removed]) , and the intersection of environmental justice and housing justice. On Monday, we will release a new episode on the upcoming primary elections ([link removed]) .

Listen Here ([link removed])
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