alliance4action Newsletter
February, 2021
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Dear a4a Members,
January 20 was an amazing day. The inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris was spectacular. After 4 years and many obstacles from the past administration, the peoples’ will was realized.
On the first day of office, President Biden signed many Executive orders that support so many of our values. The confirmation hearings have begun. Things are far from perfect, but we are on the path to restoring our democracy with this administration. It’s easier for us all to breathe when we have competent, capable, and compassionate leadership.
We have work to do to support and guide this administration. We may also need to be patient because the previous damage has been so great. This is particularly true with the COVID vaccine.
In the meantime, we have the Senate Impeachment trial coming up next week. We must not let this distract us from our path forward.
Please join us. If you are interested in one of our action teams, check it out on our web page. Everyone is welcome and your participation is valuable. If you have not become a paid member yet, you can pay your dues on our website ( https://alliance4action.org).
Thanks to all for your hard work. I’m looking forward to our future.
Polly Daly, Chair, alliance4action
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Save the Date!
February General Meeting
Sunday, February 21, 2021
2:00 p.m.
More information to follow.
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EXCITING NEWS!!! A NEW ACTION GROUP
On Wednesday, February 17th, from 4:00 - 5:00 a planning meeting (via Zoom) will be held to discuss the a4a formation of a Racial Justice Action Group. This initial meeting will focus on what the priorities of the group will be and how the group will operate. Sydney Chayes, who has volunteered to chair this group, will lead the discussion. If you are interested, please email Sydney at: [email protected].
To provide a framework for the group's discussion, please try to view The Long Shadow, a documentary by Frances Causey, prior to the meeting. This powerful documentary describes the history of how white privilege was established in our institutions, laws, culture and economy. It can be viewed on Amazon Prime. Other viewing options may be available via YouTube or the film's website: http://thelongshadowfilm.com
This film will also be the subject of discussion on Saturday, February 27th at 1:00 when the Tucson chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) will host a Zoom Q&A with Frances Causey - director of The Long Shadow. Please view the actual film ahead of time. Registration includes free access to the film. Register at the Tucson SURJ Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/434162894440932/
Space is limited.
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Treasurer's Report
as of January 24, 2021
Beginning Balance as of December 31, 2020 $3,332.01
Income $649,89
Expenses $47.40
Ending Balance as of January 24, 2021 $3,934.50
Maggie Sievers, Treasurer
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Climate
1. Amanda Gorman, our country’s youth poet laureate, caught the attention of the nation with her stirring reading at the Inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris.
We were pleased to learn Amanda Gorman has also composed a moving poem on climate change, “Earthrise”, which she delivered to an audience of the Climate Realty Project. Take the time to watch her reading “Earthrise” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwOvBv8RLmo
2. Register for Environmental Day at the AZ Capitol
 Feb 3rd Environmental Day at the AZ Capitol -- One Planet, One Future. Climate Justice Now! (This year virtual meetings and lobbying with representatives via ZOOM) Register with the Sierra Club.
https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=7013q000001b9DbAAI&mapLinkHref=
3. ACTION TO TAKE NOW
Republican lawmakers in Arizona are trying to pass bills that would block a 100% clean energy mandate tentatively approved in November, after much study, by the state’s Republican majority Corporation Commission.
Sierra Club has made it easy for us to send messages to our local AZ reps. to vote “NO” on these bills, SB1175 and HB2248. Take Action here:
https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/Arizona?actionId=AR0312809
4. Next a4a Climate Conversation - February 18 2pm
Since the best and cheapest energy is energy that is never used, we continue our look at Energy Efficiency with a talk and discussion with Michael Brod. Michael’s area of expertise is energy efficient design of housing. We will also be discussing incentives currently available to the public. All are welcome to join us.
Education
Our group last met on January 18, 2021. Our speaker was Kelley Allen, who is a newly elected member of the Continental School Board. She told us that she had children at the school and was recruited to run by others. She was the write-in candidate that a4a recommended that people vote for.
Kelley told us that she has only attended one meeting so far, so has not had much opportunity to see how the board operates. She has a child that she felt had not been adequately cared for academically at the school several years ago, but feels that the school has improved administratively since then.
She is planning to join our group. Because Kelley works with mortgages, she was able to give us information about student debt as a barrier for people to obtain loans.
Beth Lewis, the Executive Director of Save Our Schools Arizona, will be our next speaker on Monday, February 15th. She will be sharing information about the current legislature and the prospects for funding for public education. The meeting is at 4:00pm on Zoom. Please email me ( [email protected]) for the Zoom link if you are interested in attending. Beth is very knowledgeable about public education and we are honored to have her speak to us.
Polly Daly
Health Care
The Health Care  Action Group met on 01-27-21. We had seven on hand. We reviewed our priorities which will be a combination of the Biden/Harris health care agenda, Arizona State health care issues and members’ personal interests. (There could be more.) Our overall context is the COVID pandemic. Our overall goal is universal health care coverage, knowing that a public option will be a stepping stone.
Our current priorities include drug pricing reform, rebuilding of the Affordable Care Act and nursing home reform. We know surprise billing legislation got passed in the federal budget/COVID Relief bill passed in December. We committed to learning exactly what it does.
We acknowledged a member’s Op-Ed in the local paper that spoke from the heart about the stress that nurses are living with. We heard a report from a webinar about separating health insurance from employment. Several members will attend a Zoom session with Senator Sinema's staffers on 01-28-21 about Medicare4All, which is one way to achieve universal coverage. We agreed to start inviting guest speakers and shared ideas.
We are having good conversations regarding going big or going smaller on our goals and priorities. Similarly we are working through whether to set up meetings with MOCs (Members of Congress) to hear their health care priorities or whether to wait until we have our own priorities better defined.
The next meeting will be February 17, 2021 at 1 pm via Zoom. Please come sit in on a meeting and see if it’s for you. We would love to have you. Email Laurie Jurs at [email protected].
Immigration
CALL TO ACTION - CALLING FOR IMMIGRATION ACTIVISTS
The incoming Biden Administration promises to make positive immigration changes and we need to support them. Pick any of these important areas of immigration reform and make them your own. Stay current, educate others, contact your legislators, write letters to the editor, and engage others in the same process. Become an immigration activist!
- Citizenship for persons with DACA status or TPS, agricultural, and front-line COVID workers
- Pathway to citizenship for all undocumented persons already in the country
- End immigration detention
- Return deported U.S. veterans
- Restructure immigration courts - out of the DOJ
- Dismantle ICE
- End family separation and unify separated families
- Stop construction of the wall. Tear down the wall.
- Streamline the citizenship process
- Reinstate the legal asylum process (end MPP, 3rd country asylum, detaining asylum-seekers)
BIDEN's INAUGURATION DAY EXECUTIVE ACTIONS are summarized here.
BRAVER ANGELS - a national organization that facilitates and supports small groups of "mixed political persuasion" to communicate and get to know one another. Their website is here.
Civic Engagement Beyond Voting - for Arizonans to learn how to participate in state government. Find their website here.
Contact [email protected] to join our email list.
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