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AUGUST 2022 NEWS ROUNDUP
There is so much happening in our partner states… Whether its organizers flocking to state houses to defend abortion rights or state education departments censoring public schools and downgrading their accreditation scores – the battles playing out in Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia are fights bubbling up in communities and state legislatures across the country.
We know that the investments we make now will not only make a difference for community members going up against unyielding attacks on their rights in this moment, it will lay the groundwork for real change in the years ahead.
We have a ton of news to share with you, but before we do, please consider donating to Groundwork Project so we can help the folks steeped in these battles 365 days a year. [[link removed]]
Thanks,
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Joe
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Joe Kennedy (he/him/his)
Founder
Groundwork Project
News You Should Know
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Why doesn't Groundwork Project focus on the “purple” states where elections are generally decided by just a few points? We believe the Deep South, Plains States and Appalachia are the real battlegrounds. These states have been ignored by the Democratic Party for too long, and yet these are the places where secretaries of state, judges and legislators create new fronts in the most critical battles of our time, threatening our civil rights and our democracy itself. It was a case out of Mississippi that led the U.S. Supreme Court to dismantle Roe . It was a case out of West Virginia that gave those same justices the ability to block President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency on climate action. Read Joe’s recent op-ed in Democracy Docket to learn more about why Groundwork is helping organizers take on big fights in the real battleground states. [[link removed]]
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We all know that legal systems around the country disproportionately burden those at the bottom of the income ladder, but in Alabama the cruelty runs far deeper. More than 100 years ago, the wealthy used their political influence to rewrite the state constitution, creating a tax cap on income and property and preventing cities and counties from levying their own taxes without the state legislature. This created a system of minority rule with starved local governments and cruel courts and fine systems that keep the poor in a cycle of debt and excluded from the political process. Learn about what makes Alabama one of the most heartless tax systems in the country here. [[link removed]]
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State lawmakers in West Virginia are working overtime to further restrict abortion access and rights in their state. Republicans hold supermajorities in both the state House and Senate, which gives lawmakers the ability to criminalize abortion care despite the majority of voters who believe a person’s decision to carry a pregnancy should be left to them and their healthcare provider. Protesters from across the state stood in front of lawmakers to express their anger and dismay at the newly proposed ban. Learn more here. [[link removed]]
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The Oklahoma State Department of Education just voted to downgrade the accreditation of Tulsa Public Schools – deeming them ‘accredited with warning’ due to claims of violations of the recently passed censorship law, HB1775. This law is a dangerous precedent that limits what can or cannot be taught in classrooms about our nation’s history; censorship by the state that hurts students and denies them the right to an equitable education. Read more about the Oklahoma State Department’s censorship of Tulsa Public Schools here. [[link removed]]
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Take Action
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Freedom Oklahoma is hosting its 2022 Leadership Summit on Friday, August 26th! Join in-person or virtually as organizers from across the state REIMAGINE, ORGANIZE, and REALIZE the Oklahoma we all deserve. Register today! [[link removed]]
Get Registered [[link removed]]
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If you or someone you know was directly impacted by the flooding in Eastern Kentucky, check out the list of resources Groundwork Project is sharing to help local communities recover. Full list of resources here. [[link removed]]
Retweet This [[link removed]]
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Join the Mississippi Free Press for their next virtual solutions circle. Share your ideas on how we can prevent violence throughout the state and learn from neighbors in MS this Tuesday, August 16th at 6pm CT. Register here. [[link removed]]
Register Now [[link removed]]
> Founded by Joe Kennedy III, Groundwork Project invests in year-round, local community organizing in places Democrats have gotten used to writing off. With a focus on Appalachia, the Deep South, and the Plains, we support local advocates and activists working to build durable political infrastructure and secure power for those historically excluded.
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Groundwork Project
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