Dear John, 

 

I hope you and yours have had a beautiful start to 2022. Our work is cut out for us this year, but community and interdependence is the key to our resilience. For decades, the private sector has sold us a lie — a lie that says giant corporations and billionaire CEOs can fix society's problems, that they should lead in times of crisis. But let's be real. COVID is still here. Rents are sky-high, and so are our energy bills. From climate chaos to housing to public health, profit-driven 'solutions' are only deepening the compounding crises we face.

 

That's why we're focused on democratizing the economy, taking the fight to corporations, reclaiming power in our cities, and growing avenues for regular people to direct our shared resources back to the community. Thank you as always for helping us champion the voices and vision of working people and people of color leading innovative, grassroots campaigns for justice all across the country. Together, we can build a democracy that works for all of us, and re-imagine a people-and-planet-centered economy where everyone can thrive.       

In solidarity,

Spotlight On: Tenants Unions!

Betty Gabaldon and Kristi Laughlin discuss EBASE’s work to defend housing as a human right with PowerSwitch Action’s Senior California Campaign Manager Kathy Hoang 

Kathy: Thanks for chatting with us, Betty and Kristi! The tenant organizing you’ve been spearheading with EBASE is inspiring. For folks who aren’t familiar with them, can you explain what tenant unions are?

 

Betty: Tenant unions are a group of residents who get together to amplify their voices and build power to get their needs met. The tenants can be in one building, or they can be a group of residents that live across a city. We fight for things like essential repairs, pushing back against harassment by landlords, and stopping unfair rent hikes.

Kristi: Often tenant unions begin with a group of neighbors in a building coming together because they’re facing the same issues. They learn to unite and find power in that process. And then we’re connecting these building-wide associations, inviting members to monthly meetings of a citywide tenant union. That’s a space to grow solidarity with folks in other buildings and a greater sense of their potential power.

 

Betty: A lot of times, tenants think we’re the only ones not getting our repairs done or facing a huge rent increase. And we feel isolated. Especially right now with the pandemic. So once tenants start talking to other people, they realize they’re not alone.

 

To read the full conversation visit us on Medium!

In Case You Missed It

Lauren Jacobs on the Racism is Profitable Podcast

 

Our friends at Liberation in a Generation just launched episode 1 of their new podcast, Racism Is Profitable. By and for people of color, the Racism Is Profitable podcast is all about dismantling the assumptions that shape our lives — and limit our liberation. In episode 1, Jeremie Greer, Solana Rice, and Lauren Jacobs call out the racist lie that our worth as people of color is tied to our work. We are and always have been worthy — of safety, security, and economic wealth and well-being. Listen to the conversation and follow the podcast here.

 

POWER’s Climate Commentary on Planet Philadelphia Radio

Rabbi Julie Greenberg from POWER Interfaith was interviewed on Planet Philadelphia radio about Public Utilities Commissions, COP26, and leadership from highly impacted communities who are speaking truth about the stakes of the climate crisis. Give this excellent interview a listen for Rabbi Julie’s commentary on the need for a diversity of expertise at the table on climate and energy policy, both at the local and the global level.

Stand Up Nashville Champions Affordable Housing for All

Stand Up Nashville is pushing back against Amazon’s proposed housing program and demanding real housing solutions that are developed with the community at the table. In a recent report examining Amazon’s impact on the city, they call on all corporations to pay their fair share in taxes and document how Amazon’s arrival risks driving communities of color out, worsening racial and economic inequality, and continuing to raise costs for the average Nashvillian.

Read more about the report here.

Housing Justice Video Game Gets A Warm Reception

‘Dot’s Home’ — a video game for the housing justice movement - was developed in collaboration with the Rise Home Stories Project and released late last year. The innovative game continues to receive rave reviews and reach new audiences. Bloomberg City Lab recently interviewed Christina Rosales, Housing and Land Justice Director at PowerSwitch Action and a co-producer of the game. Gaming website Kotaku also featured Dot's Home this month in a moving review by writer Isaiah Colbert, who reflects that the game “provides both validation and insight into how housing inequality manifests for people of color in the U.S.”

Community Labor United Organizes for a Just Transition in Boston

The Green Justice Coalition, convened by our affiliate Community Labor United in Massachusetts, is leading the way on energy democracy. In Boston, residents are establishing critical, community-run microgrids and changing how we think about utilities and local climate resilience. Read more about their recent work in this comprehensive article on Climate XChange. 

What We're Reading

Understanding the State of the Right One Year After the January 6th Insurrection - Political Research Associates Briefing

One year after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, PRA hosted a briefing where they provided an overview of convergent forces, how we got to where we are, where we might be headed, and what we can do to defend democracy and promote justice. Watch the recording here.

The Landlord’s Worst Nightmare Is a Basic Human Right - New York Times Video Op-Ed

In this video op-ed, comedian and video journalist Jeff Seal interviews tenants and rallies for a new housing bill that would protect millions of New Yorkers from unfairly losing their homes. The good cause eviction bill would limit rent increases and extend basic protections to tenants all across the state. Watch the short video op-ed here.

 

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