State Senator Lindsey M. Williams, Your District 38
Update

*

*Welcome to our New Monthly Newsletter**

Every
January, my staff and I have a retreat where we intentionally take
time to reflect on the previous year, plan out the following year, and
set goals for ourselves and our office. This January, our planning
session was a little more difficult than it had been in previous years
because we kept coming up against a feeling of uncertainty and
unease.

The uncertainty of early January quickly ramped up into the
chaos we're in now. We found ourselves doing what most of you are
probably doing- sending news alerts to one another, sharing resources
on how to navigate these waters, and having more conversations about
what we could do to meet this moment.

Because the moment that we're
in requires each and every one of us to think about our power, and how
we can use it to help people who are suffering. So much of this chaos
is coming out of Washington DC, and I don't have much influence there.
But I am incredibly privileged to be a sitting State Senator- and I do
have more influence here at home and in Harrisburg. I'm constantly
reevaluating how to be most effective.

Those conversations about
where we can be most effective led to the idea for this newsletter:
Finding Community in Chaos. We get tremendous feedback on our weekly
newsletter and the resources and information that we share. While we
will continue with our traditional newsletter, we're adding this one
to the mix.

This is our first try, and like all new things, it's a
little scary for us. But we know that the way to fix isolation,
loneliness, hatred, fear, and greed is through community. So we're
going to help build it. This newsletter is for you, and it will change
and adapt as we all move forward together. So if you have thoughts,
comments, or suggestions on things you like or don't like, please
share them with us.

My office is here to help and is a safe place
for everyone. If you're scared, need help, or don't know where to go,
please call us and we'll do the best we can to help or connect you
with local services. My Ross Township office phone number is
412-364-0469; my Natrona Heights office phone number is 724-224-2131;
my email address is [email protected] [link
1].

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*Take
Care**

My office has gotten thousands of calls and emails over the
past two months from people who are angry, scared, and sad about the
chaos coming out of Washington, DC and how it is going to affect them
and their families. I don't blame them. I feel the same way.

One of
the things I'm trying to remember is that taking care of my own mental
health, and checking in on my friends and neighbors, is an act of
love. Whether that's taking 5 minutes to yourself after a hard
conversation, limiting your screen time and going to bed early, or
just drinking a glass of water or cup of tea, taking care of your
physical and mental health is important. You can find a list of
self-care resources and ideas here [link 2].

Checking in on your
friends, family, and neighbors is also a radical act of community
building. Take a minute of your day to connect with someone. Take a
walk through your neighborhood and say hi to a new neighbor. These
connections are what community is built on.

You can also find and
build community in your local third spaces like your library, place of
worship, coffee shop, and more. We have amazing local libraries in
District 38 that host regular events for community members of all ages
and interests. Check out your local library calendar for events that
interest you and join in. You can also get involved by joining a local
board or commission and helping shape the future of your neighborhood.
Eating together or sharing a game or craft is a great way to build
community. This week, my staff joined the Muslim Association of
Pittsburgh for an evening of food and conversation at their Interfaith
Iftar and I got an introductory lesson in MahJong from members of the
Adat Shalom congregation.

Here are just a few things that my staff
and I are doing to find community and take care of ourselves. We'd
love to hear what you're doing- share your actions with us at
[email protected] [link 3].

-
Allowing myself
to cry and feel vulnerable. I don't have to be strong all of the
time.

-
I feel like we are in a total tangle. Every single thing
we do is through our phones and it is really frustrating when tech
companies are taking over our government with their money. Any amount
of time I spend off of a screen, at the gym, taking a walk with a
friend, or even just cleaning, takes away their power. I guess that is
a small thing but it does feel like I'm living my values more.

-
I have been boycotting a big box store that I shopped at a lot after
they dropped their DEI policies. It brings me joy to know I have some
little amount of power in what I spend. Take a look at
www.opensecrets.org [link 4] to better understand what companies are
donating to politicians and issues, plus how industries influence
policy through lobbying.

-
I've been rewatching older TV shows.
There's something comforting about revisiting old stories and old
characters in a time when things are uncertain.

-
Swimming and
moving my body regularly.

-
Staying informed by prioritizing news
sources that analyze patterns, not just focus on individual
events.

-
Learning new things- take a class at the local
community college, try a new craft, read about a new topic!

-
Taking time to connect with my spouse at night. Our days are crazy and
full of work, family, and everything else. If we don't prioritize time
to check in and focus on just spending time together, it's easy to get
too busy and distracted. Even if it's 5 minutes, it makes a
difference.

-
Disconnecting from social media.

-
I'm
scheduling my cook book club gatherings, volunteering with my
community garden, spending time reading books from my local library
instead of on social media apps, and finding grocery deals that save
food from being wasted from on the FlashFood app.

-
Spending more
time reading for fun and making an effort to declutter spaces in my
house.

*

*Bystander Intervention**

As we build community,
we're inevitably going to face difficult conversations. While it's OK
to disagree, it is not ok to disrespect one another or spread hate
speech. But it's also hard to know what to do in the moment- how to
speak up and defend your friends and disarm the situation.

Right to
Be [link 5], a non-profit committed to ending harassment in all its
forms, is a great resource for how to be an effective bystander. We've
used their free bystander training in my office to be better equipped
to handle these situations.

You can read more about their training
and sign up to take a free class yourself at:
[link removed] [link
6].

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*Advocate!*

Do
you want to channel your energy into advocacy? Here are some ways to
learn more about what's going on in your federal and state
government.

But that's not the only place where things are
happening- check out your local municipality and school board for
their regular meetings and get involved locally!

-
*Demystifying
Harrisburg Series*: Senator Lindsey Williams' ongoing series that
helps you understand how your government in Harrisburg works (and
sometimes doesn't work), plus how you can make it work better for
you.

You can watch segments on our elections, utility rates with
the Office of Consumer Advocate, how to unionize your workplace, how
to lobby and talk to legislators, the legislative process, and
more!

Go to: [link removed]
[link 7].



-
*US and Find your Legislator*: Find your federal
and state representatives, plus sign up for alerts on legislation that
impacts you.

Federal: [link removed] [link 8].

State:
[link removed]
[link 9].

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We
hope you found this newsletter helpful. If you have thoughts or
questions, please contact us at 412-364-0469 (Ross Township),
724-224-2131 (Natrona Heights), or by email at
[email protected] [link 10].

If you received this
newsletter from a friend and would like to subscribe, please sign up
here [link 11]!

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Senator
Lindsey Williams

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footnotes
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[link 1]
mailto:[email protected]
[link 2]
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[link
3] mailto:[email protected]
[link 4]
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[link 5] [link removed]
[link 6]
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[link
7] [link removed]
[link 8]
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[link 9]
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[link
10] mailto:[email protected]
[link 11]
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Contact
Information:

Website:
[link removed]

Office Location:
District
Office
5000 McKnight Road
Suite 405
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
Phone:
412-364-0469
Fax: 412-364-0928
Monday ? Friday 9-5

Harrison
Office
1826 Union Avenue
Natrona Heights, PA 15065
Phone:
724-224-2131
Fax: 724-224-2145
Monday ? Thursday 9-5

Harrisburg
Office
366 Capitol Building
Senate Box 203038
Harrisburg, PA
17120-3038
Phone: 717-787-6538
Fax: 717-787-8625
By appointment
only


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