We sat down to write this week’s newsletter mere hours after the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder last year of George Floyd. As Indivisible National’s Black Caucus said earlier in the week, it was extraordinary that this trial happened at all—police killings of Black people are rarely prosecuted, and convictions are even rarer. So the first-ever conviction in Minnesota of a white police officer for murdering a black person is a truly historic moment, and one we hope is a step toward greater liberty and justice for all.
And that’s why we’re reminding you once again that Washington, DC, is long overdue to become a state. It’s not just that promoting DC to statehood would move us closer to political equity in both the Senate and the Electoral College. It’s also a racial justice issue. Racist politicians have prevented the district from becoming a state for years, precisely because they fear that giving statehood to a plurality-Black, majority-minority city would threaten white political power. In this extraordinary week, we demand that the country take another historic step toward justice by passing H.R.51, Washington, D.C. Admission Act, introduced in the Senate as S.51 on January 4, 2021.
Both Representatives who represent San Francisco supported H.R.51. Call your Representative and thank her.
Now S.51 has to pass the Senate. Call your Senators and tell them to vote for the Washington, DC Admission Act and give DC the statehood it deserves.
And while you’re calling your Senators...
We’re still pushing to reform or eliminate the filibuster in the Senate so that we can protect and strengthen our democracy by passing S.1, the For the People Act. Senator Padilla has already said he supports filibuster reform, so we need to call him to express our gratitude and ask him what he’s doing to convince other Senators to join him in supporting it. Meanwhile, we need to ask Senator Feinstein to leverage the collaborative relationships she’s so proud of having developed over her 25 years in the Senate to ensure that S.1 passes.
Call your Senators and ask what they’re doing to prevent the filibuster from blocking passage of the For the People Act.
Our Next General Meeting: TONIGHT!
ISF General Meetings will now be held once a month, starting TONIGHT, Wednesday, April 21, at 7:00 PM.
The focus of this meeting will be on pushing our Members of Congress to change the Senate filibuster in order to pass the For the People Act. It will include a presentation, discussion, and Action Hour. RSVP here to join us!
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All are welcome to join our events!
ISF General Meeting: TONIGHT, Wednesday, April 21, 7–9 PM. Register here to join this month’s general meeting, where we will focus on ending the Senate filibuster and supporting the For the People Act. It will include a presentation, discussion, and Action Hour.
ISF Federal Working Group meeting: Thursday, April 22, 7–9 PM. Register here to help us develop strategies to influence our Members of Congress and the Biden administration to enact a progressive agenda. Zoom room opens at 7 PM for discussion and orientation, and the meeting agenda starts promptly at 7:30 PM.
ISF State and Local Working Group meeting: Friday, May 7, 7:30–8:30 PM. Register here to help us plan to propose legislation to our state legislators and support progressive initiatives on the state and local level.
Indivisible Marin & Common Cause For the People Phone Bank for HR1/S1: Saturday, April 24, 10 AM–12 noon. Phone bank with Indivisible Marin every Saturday to support the For the People Act and oppose the filibuster! Sign up for a shift here.
About this week’s photo
If you’ve seen our newsletter posts on Twitter and Facebook, you might have noticed that we include a photo or graphic with each issue. This week’s photo is of Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., taken by Don Barrett and published in “Here” Magazine.
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Keep Fighting,
The Indivisible SF Team
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