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December 23 , 2019
"True redistricting reform is possible in New Jersey if we all agree districts belong to the people, and voters should be choosing their elected officials, not the other way around." - Fair Districts New Jersey Statement Regarding Democratic State Committee’s Chairmanship ([link removed]) .

Click the above link for the full statement and the list of signers, including Action Together New Jersey. Follow th
e Fair Districts NJ ([link removed]) Coalition (of which ATNJ is a member) on Facebook for more information.
We're all upset about Representative Van Drew switching to the Republican party so he can turn his back on his constituents and give his "undying support" ([link removed]) to Trump. We're especially upset about how the party line in New Jersey works and how the people have very little control in who gets elected, with candidates instead being picked and pushed through by party bosses. We had much better Democratic candidates in CD-02 last year, including one that ATNJ endorsed, but instead, the party bosses forced Van Drew on us and this is the result. Now, mere days after Van Drew declared he's joining the GOP, the Democratic party bosses have already picked their candidate for next year and Democratic County Chairs have already begun endorsing her - with no input from County Committee members, let alone constituents.

In response to all this, Action Together New Jersey is one of the signers of this open letter to the South Jersey Committee Chairs ([link removed])


** Take Action!
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* The 2020 Census is coming! ATNJ Educational Fund (ATNJ-EF) ([link removed]) , a non-profit charity that serves to educate the public, is teaming up with the official 2020 Census in order to help get the word out about how important it is. To help with that, ATNJ-EF will be holding public educational meetings across the state. Scroll down to the Upcoming Events section of this newsletter and each week we'll add more 2020 Census events as they are planned.

* New Jersey only has one homeless shelter for LGBTQ youth. You can help them out by donating to their winter clothing and supply drive ([link removed]) , going on until January 31st (donation locations in North, Central or South Jersey).

* Want to help refugees get settled in New Jersey? Follow along with One World, One Love ([link removed]) on Facebook (or check out their website ([link removed]) ) and help them set up apartments for new refugees in the Union County area. They take donations of new and gently used items, but also need volunteer help with their enrichment programs, apartment setup and special events.

Can you skip a cup of coffee this week and donate to ATNJ? We'll put it to good use! ([link removed])


** Good News in New Jersey
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* Hair discrimination is now banned in New Jersey ([link removed]) , the third state to make this expression of racism ([link removed]) illegal.

* Did you call your legislators last week? If so, thank you for being part of the change in NJ! Last week, three amazing bills passed so that now approximately 83,000 people on parole and probation ([link removed]) will be allowed to vote, undocumented people in NJ will be able to get driver's licenses ([link removed]) , and violent criminals will no longer be able to use their homophobia ([link removed]) as a defense for assault and murder.
Thank you to the groups who worked tirelessly to make all this happen, the legislators who voted the right way and to you - the people who called and emailed and rallied and stood up for what's right!

* Cannabis legalization in New Jersey has proven to be an uphill battle, but we still have some victories to celebrate. While it's still not legal to use cannabis, the NJ legislature voted to expunge past cannabis criminal records ([link removed]) and Governor Murphy has signed it into law.


** Upcoming Events
ATNJ and other groups
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* Middlesex County
January 22 - Old Bridge
2020 Census
Middlesex County 2020 Census Neighbor Night ([link removed])
Action Together New Jersey Education Fund

* Monmouth County
January 9 - Eatontown
Take Back NJ ([link removed])
Our Revolution & People for Progress, featuring Take Back NJ

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Action Together New Jersey
PO Box 366
Teaneck, NJ 07666
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