Indivisibles,

Today, we need to talk about three people:

 1. Joe Manchin
 2. John Lewis
 3. You

Weird list, right?

In case you missed it, last Friday, Joe Manchin went on the record to talk
about D.C. statehood. And, like with most Joe Manchin interviews, there’s
good news and bad news.

First, the good news: Despite what one headline (wrongly) proclaimed,
Manchin did not say that he doesn’t support statehood.

The bad news: He said that he thinks a constitutional amendment is needed.

More good news: He’s wrong. Statehood is perfectly constitutional. And you
don’t need to take our word for it. [ [link removed] ]Just listen to Congresswoman
Eleanor Holmes Norton (a former tenured professor of constitutional law):

Those who make such an assertion are conflating a policy choice and a
constitutional requirement.

First, no new state was admitted by constitutional amendment. All 37 new
states were admitted by Congress, and there has never been a successful
constitutional challenge to the admission of a state. The Constitution
commits admission decisions solely to Congress.

Second, neither the text of the District Clause of the Constitution, which
gives Congress plenary authority over the federal district, nor the text
of the 23rd Amendment establishes a minimum geographic or population size,
or even a location, of the federal district. Under both clauses, Congress
has the authority to reduce the geographic and population size of the
federal district, as the D.C. statehood bill would do.

Third, even though the 23rd Amendment does not need to be repealed before
D.C. statehood, some scholars have argued that the 23rd Amendment would be
nullified under the D.C. statehood bill, either because the bill would
repeal the enabling statute for the amendment, or because the bill would
lead to the unreasonable result of allowing the reduced federal district
to participate in the Electoral College.

Fourth, even though the 23rd Amendment does not need to be repealed before
D.C. statehood, we expect Congress and the states to quickly repeal the
amendment to prevent the reduced federal district from participating in
the Electoral College.

Fifth, even though the 23rd Amendment does not need to be repealed before
D.C. statehood, Congress may have discretion in how it awards the
electoral votes. The 23rd Amendment provides that the federal district
“shall appoint” electors “in such manner as the Congress may direct.”
Congress could choose, for example, to award the electors to the winner of
the Electoral College or the national popular vote to prevent the reduced
federal district from controlling electoral votes.

You can also check out [ [link removed] ]this short video explainer and share it on your
social channels to help debunk Manchin’s argument.

We know that it’s easy to feel defeated by Senator Manchin’s comments. But
real talk: we’re always losing until we’re not. And there are no
shortcuts. This fight is winnable -- it just means that we’ve got some
work ahead of us. And that means doubling down on pressure nationwide to
demand our senators remake our democracy for the people by passing the For
the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and D.C. statehood.

So that’s where our next two people on the list come in: John Lewis and
you.

28 years ago, on the floor of the House of Representatives, Congressman
John Lewis made clear exactly what was at stake in this fight for justice
for the people of the District:

“One man, one vote. I rise in support of D.C. statehood. I rise in support
of what is fair. It is not right that we have to be here debating whether
to give American citizens living right here in the shadow of the Capitol
representation in Congress. The time is now to do what is fair, what is
right.”

In 5 days (on Saturday!), people across the country will hit the streets
in cars, on bikes, and on foot to remember Congressman John Lewis and
demand our nation’s leaders honor his legacy by passing the kind of
structural democracy reform he spent his life making good trouble for. So
today, it’s only fitting that we remember Lewis’ hope for this country and
remember why we’re showing up this weekend.

If you haven’t already, stop what you’re doing and find a [ [link removed] ]May 8th John
Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Action Day event near you. And, if there
isn’t one planned, it’s not too late to plan your own and [ [link removed] ]register it
to the map. Visit [ [link removed] ]www.johnlewisdayofaction.org and check out the
[ [link removed] ]host toolkit, [ [link removed] ]communications toolkit, and more.

With that, here are your weekly to-dos:

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Your 5 weekly to-dos 

 1. [ [link removed] ]Make calls to your senators about S. 1, the For the People Act.
Next week, the Senate will have a markup of the For the People Act.
This week, it’s urgent that your senators hear from you: if they’ve
already co-sponsored, tell them thank you and urge them to speak out
publicly about moving the bill urgently without letting the filibuster
get in the way. If you live in West Virginia, tell Senator Manchin our
democracy is at stake, and you urge him to support the bill ([ [link removed] ]we've
got a special script just for you here!). And if you have Republican
senators, tell them you’re paying attention and you won’t forget their
vote.
 2. [ [link removed] ]Tell your senators to make D.C. the 51st state. The good news is
that all Democratic senators except five have co-sponsored S. 51 to
make the District the next state (looking at you, Senators Sinema,
Kelly, Manchin, King, and Shaheen). But, co-sponsorship is not enough.
This week, ahead of events on Saturday, make a call to both of your
senators and demand they support a committee hearing on D.C. statehood
as soon as possible, a committee markup on the bill, and eliminating
the filibuster so that we can pass the bill on the floor. And tell
them to speak out publicly about the urgent need for statehood for the
District.
 3. Make calls to your [ [link removed] ]senators and [ [link removed] ]representative to ensure that
we win a robust recovery. This means everything in the American Jobs
and Families Plans, as well as key priorities that are currently left
out, like citizenship for undocumented immigrants, lowering
prescription drug prices, and expanding Medicare. [ [link removed] ]You can read
more about our priorities in our explainer here.
 4. [ [link removed] ]Ask your representative to co-sponsor the THRIVE Act. With the
climate crisis continuing to intensify, the economy entering a deep
recession, and the need for racial justice and healing being felt as
acutely as ever, the case for Green New Deal-style policymaking is
stronger than ever before. [ [link removed] ]You can watch our climate expert, Ann,
break down THRIVE here before you call.
 5. [ [link removed] ]Take the Indivisible Census. From time to time, we evaluate our
network and assess our impact. We’re excited to work with Dr. Dana
Fisher, a prominent researcher on American political movements, and
her team at the University of Maryland to launch this year’s
Indivisible Census. No matter if you founded one of the very first
groups in 2016 or just joined last week, we want to hear from you.

P.S. We rely on your support to keep call pages up and running, fund ads
to get the word out, and continue all the work we’re doing this year.
[ [link removed] ]If you’re able, click here to donate to help fund our work.



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National Events

Looking to brush up your advocacy skills or learn new ones? You can always
check out our [ [link removed] ]upcoming trainings on our website.

[ [link removed] ]Image of John Lewis, with text reading "John Lewis Mobilization Town
Hall. Join activists across the nation to learn more about the John Lewis
Voting Right Advancement events. Wednesday, May 5, 7:00 PM ET"

[ [link removed] ]John Lewis Mobilization Town Hall: Join activists across the nation on
Wednesday, May 5th at 7pm ET / 4pm PT for the John Lewis Mobilization Town
Hall to learn more about the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Day of
Action votercades scheduled to take place across the country this
Saturday, May 8th. [ [link removed] ]Register here.

[ [link removed] ]National Activist Call: Join us for our monthly Indivisible National
Activist Call on Thursday, May 6th at 8pm ET / 5pm PT. This monthly call
is a space for Indivisible group leaders, members, and other activists to
hear ways to take action and connect with one another. This month we'll
talk through the status of our major policy priorities and lift up some
Indivisible programs you can get involved with. [ [link removed] ]Register now.

May Facebook Trainings: We’re running “Facebook Strategy” trainings next
week on [ [link removed] ]May 10th (3pm ET / 12pm PT) and [ [link removed] ]May 12th (8pm ET / 5pm PT)
for more advanced users looking to learn about analytics, algorithms, and
promotions. If you’re curious about Facebook or want to polish your
skills, join us!

[ [link removed] ]Tough Talk: Tools for Anti-Racism Conversations with Friends & Family:
Wishing you were more confident in talking about anti-racism with friends
and family? On Saturday, May 15 at 12pm ET / 9am PT, join Indivisibles and
other progressive activists across the region for a customized half-day
workshop. This session is for everyone interested in playing an active
role in dismantling white supremacy and its ever-present impacts on our
communities. While white supremacy affects people differently, we have all
been socialized within it -- and therefore, must continue to work against
it. [ [link removed] ]Register here.

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Take the Indivisible Census

All of the energy and passion we've put into our organizing since the
inauguration in January is already starting to pay off. We’re seeing wins
with members of Congress (MoCs) fighting for the strongest COVID-19
relief, speaking out against the filibuster, and now they’re starting to
fight for the boldest recovery plan possible through the THRIVE agenda.
Being able to tell the story of our work this year is a way that we show
our power, but in order to do that, we need to build a shared
understanding of who we are as a community -- and to provide a way for
you, as the leaders of this movement, to share that with us directly. 

We’re excited to work with Dr. Dana Fisher, a prominent researcher on
American political movements, and her team at the University of Maryland
to launch the 2021 Indivisible Census, and we’re asking you to
participate. [ [link removed] ]Please click here and take a few minutes to complete the
Indivisible Census today.

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IndivisiWin of the Week

[ [link removed] ]Tweet from Rebecca "End The Filibuster" Elliot reading "Indivisible
San Jose met for the first time since 3/2020 to show support for DC
statehood. Thank you @RepZoeLofgren @RoKhanna @RepAnnaEshoo for voting yes
to make this happen. Thanks @SenAlexPadilla for your support in the
Senate. #DCStatehood @IndivisibleTeam #EndTheFilibuster" Tweet contains an
image of 11 people in a yard holding a 51-star United States flag.

It’s hard to overstate how much we’ve loved seeing all your 51-star flag
photos and videos. Keep posting them! [ [link removed] ]And keep tagging us on Twitter
(@IndivisibleTeam) so we can uplift you.

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What We're Reading

Instead of sharing things that we’ve been reading with you this week,
we’re sharing five things we’ve been watching with an ask that you help us
spread the word and share these videos with your friends, family, and
fellow Indivisibles on social media.

[ [link removed] ]Thumbnail image for Indivisible Weekly Episode 42: Next Steps for D.C.
Statehood[ [link removed] ]Last week's episode of Indivisible Weekly!
 

[ [link removed] ]Thumbnail image for For the People Project: a nationwide campaign to
save our democracy

[ [link removed] ]Our For the People Project Explainer.
 

[ [link removed] ]Thumbnail image for For the People Act: how to fix our broken
democracy 

[ [link removed] ]How we're going to build a democracy that works for everyone,
together.
 

[ [link removed] ]Thumbnail image for Why D.C. statehood is a racial justice issue

[ [link removed] ]Why D.C. statehood is a racial justice issue.
 

[ [link removed] ]Thumbnail image for Explainer: why we need to end the filibuster to
save our democracy

[ [link removed] ]Why we've got to eliminate the filibuster to save democracy.

Or, if graphics are more your speed, [ [link removed] ]we've got tons of them for you
here!

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Thanks! Don't forget to keep up with everything we're doing
on [ [link removed] ]Facebook, [ [link removed] ]Twitter, and [ [link removed] ]Instagram.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team

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