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Dear John,
What will it take to save as many lives as we can in the face of white nationalism and authoritarianism in this country?
With nineteen children and two teachers dead in Uvalde, NRA-backed politicians will call for more police – not fewer guns. They will blame their usual cultural scapegoats – rather than a sick political ethos that refuses to feel, that refuses responsibility, that refuses to care.
Our hearts are still broken from the Buffalo and Orange County shootings. This is too much.
Today all I can think of is that we lost people who were showing us what it is to save each other. In Uvalde, Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia were changing the lives of their students long before they lost their lives defending them. In Laguna Woods, we lost a physician and dedicated patient advocate in Dr John Cheng, who confronted the shooter. In Buffalo, Heyward Patterson gave his neighbors free rides home from the grocery store when they needed them. He was doing life-saving work. Roberta Drury, who was caring for her brother after leukemia treatment, she was saving a life too. Community activist Katherine Massey – whose tenacity got trees planted and murals painted and supplies donated to local schools – was enriching lives throughout Buffalo. Pearl Young ran a food pantry for two decades. Security guard Aaron Salter Jr. lost his life defending others. Ruth Whitfield was a dedicated caretaker. Celestine Chaney. Geraldine Talley. Margus Morrison. Andre Mackniel. The nineteen precious children we lost in Texas. They were loved and they mattered and they should still be here.
When we win against the forces of nationalism and authoritarianism in this country, it will be because our movements fought for, celebrated, invested in, and organized all of us. Our victories will not be about charismatic leaders. They will be about a diverse ecosystem of caretakers – the health workers, the teachers, the town hall conveners, the artists, the policy wonks, the mutual aid organizers, the people who do what they can for their community, one day at a time. We need every one of you.
In grief, and in solidarity,
[[link removed]] Lauren Jacobs
Executive Director
PowerSwitch Action
Spotlight On: Washington State Senator Rebecca Saldaña
The former executive director of Puget Sound Sage spoke with d eputy director Felicia Griffin about her experience at our transformational leadership retreat and how she brings an organizing spirit to her work in the legislature [[link removed]] .
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Felicia: In your work today, as you’re championing legislation to support working families, communities of color, policies affecting our planet, you’re inevitably going to come up against pretty intense opposition. What helps you stay grounded, tap into your power, and work through that opposition?
Sen. Saldaña: I still use the meditation and body work exercises from the Transformational Leadership Retreat. I still use a power stance to ground myself when I’m having a difficult conversation or going up against colleagues that might be on different sides of an argument or a position. By “power stance” I’m talking about a literal physical stance — a stance that to me embodies an approach to power that’s collaborative rather than defensive. I keep my arms relaxed and open. It’s about being open to the spirit, being open to the conversation, so that we then can figure out our way forward together.
I also draw on the practices of sitting down with collaborators and mapping out who has the power, understanding who’s making the decision, and being able to help folks that I’m working with take a step back and ask — “how are we going to create that moment for change to happen?”
Those are skills we sharpened in the leadership retreat that I still call on regularly.
To read the full conversation visit us on Medium! [[link removed]]
Network In Action
Creating Green Spaces for BIPOC Californians
California affiliate CAUSE has racked up a win for environmental justice, with the Santa Barbara County of Supervisors moving forward with a project to extend the Santa Maria Levee Trail to the city of Guadalupe. Both Santa Maria and Guadalupe are underserved, BIPOC, working class communities with very little access to green spaces. Read more here [[link removed]] .
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Providing Free Legal Representation to Renters in Detroit
Detroit Action has been heavily campaigning for a right to counsel ordinance in Detroit, and this month the City Council passed it unanimously. The historic measure will give low-income residents access to free legal representation if they’re being threatened with eviction. Detroit Action is celebrating the ordinance as a step in the right direction, but calling for adequate funding for the policy – and vowing to continue organizing until Right to Counsel is fully funded. Read more here [[link removed]] .
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Celebrating a new Movement Center in Georgia!
On May 12th, Georgia STAND-UP officially unveiled The Movement Center, a space dedicated to facilitating Georgia’s next political movements. Faith leaders, elected officials, and labor leaders came from all parts of Georgia to celebrate the grand opening of The Movement Center and the work that Georgia STAND-UP has done while the doors were closed during the pandemic. Watch a video about the unveiling here [[link removed]] .
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Envisioning Climate Justice in Pennsylvania
POWER Interfaith and Pittsburgh United collaborated with partner organizations, advocates, and workers from across Pennsylvania to develop the People’s Plan for PA Climate Justice – a broad, visionary platform of interconnected policies that envision a future where we protect our air and water, share in our economic prosperity, and build bridges across our differences. Read the plan here [[link removed]] .
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In Case You Missed It
Resilient Public Schools are Key to Our Children’s and Our City’s Future
ALIGN NY’s Executive Director Maritza Silva-Farrell published an op-ed [[link removed]] in Gotham Gazette demonstrating how investments in solar and retrofits can provide healthier classrooms for New York City’s children while creating union jobs for communities most affected by the climate crisis. Read Maritza’s op-ed here [[link removed]] .
What's Inspiring Us
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning [[link removed]] - Cathy Park Hong
Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong blends memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose the truth of racialized consciousness in America. More here [[link removed]] .
Mapping Abundance for a Planetary Future: Kanaka Maoli and Critical Settler Cartographies in Hawai'i [[link removed]] - Candace Fujikane
University of Hawai'i professor and researcher Candace Fujikane contends that the practice of mapping abundance is a radical act in the face of settler capital's fear of an abundance that feeds . More here [[link removed]] .
An Amazon Warehouse Worker Takes the Fight to Shareholders [[link removed]] - WIRED
Daniel Olayiwola has become the first Amazon warehouse worker in history to present their own resolution at Amazon’s annual shareholder meeting. Through the Athena coalition, PowerSwitch Action organizes alongside Daniel Olayiwola in an ongoing effort to pressure Amazon [[link removed]] to stop its racist abuse of workers and communities. Read the article here [[link removed]] .
The Privatization of Everything [[link removed]] - Donald Cohen
In the Public Interest executive director Donald Cohen's new book, The Privatization of Everything , documents how corporations and private investors have taken over public goods and services and lays out how we can fight back. You can buy the book wherever books are available, including through Bookshop.org [[link removed]] . Watch Donald Cohen speak about the book on C-SPAN here [[link removed]] .
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