Demand the Trump Administration Take Action to Fight Anti-Semitism via @ADL_National
Last week, all 100 members of the Senate sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and the FBI calling on them to address the string of bomb threats made against Jewish Community Centers, Jewish Day Schools and Synagogues, and desecration of Jewish cemeteries, across the country. Around the same time 100 leaders of Jewish Community Centers wrote to Jeff Sessions expressing their frustration at the lack of federal level involvement in the investigations.
Days later, the Department of Homeland Security finally pledged to investigate these crimes. Though their more than two month delayed response has been duly noted by all.
The lack of any serious action by Trump and the Feds prompted the Anti-Defamation League to basically do the work for them. In a post on the ADL Blog and Medium, the CEO and National Director of the ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, proposed a nine point plan of action for the Trump administration to address anti-semitism, while also calling out Trump for his reluctance to address it.
Greenblatt wrote, “Whether invective is coming from the Extreme Right or the Radical Left, it is irresponsible for leaders to shrug aside the slander and write off hateful threats or bomb scares as “empty hoaxes.” In an environment where there is no price to be paid for prejudice, bigots will continue to turn up the dial.”
The ADL plan includes the appointment of a new White House coordinator for fighting hate, a DOJ directive encouraging state and local law enforcement agencies to train officers on handling hate crimes, clarification from DHS on its Countering Violent Extremism program to ensure it encompasses all forms of extremism, increased Department of Education funding for anti-bias, anti-hate content in schools, and more.
You can make sure the Trump Administration is forced to address these proposed actions by sharing this plan widely on social media, as well as with your local Representatives, and especially your Senators, who all signed on to the letter to DHS, DOJ and the FBI. To see the post, go to the ADL Blog under the “News” tab on ADL dot org, or get the link from our show notes.
Again, we want to ask that you help us in our work to amplify the most effective activism. If you have come across an action or a new organization that is doing great work getting people engaged to resist the Trump agenda, please share it with us by emailing [email protected].
The segment notes include all the links to this information as well as additional resources and, as always, this and every activism segment we produce is archived and organized under the activism tab at Best of the Left dot com.
So, if fighting hate in all its forms is important to you, be sure to hit the share buttons to spread the word about Demanding the Trump Administration Take Action to Fight Anti-Semitism via social media so that others in your network can spread the word too.
There’s no better time to take a page out of Anne Frank’s Diary: “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
Words are not enough. @JGreenblattADL describes in @NYDailyNews ADL Action Plan to fight #antiSemitism More: https://t.co/5vxq72luYU
— ADL (@ADL_National) March 1, 2017TAKE ACTION
Share the ADL's 9 step plan for the Trump administration to fight anti-semitism on social media
Send the plan to your Representatives and Senators and demand they fight for action
EDUCATE YOURSELF
President Trump: Time for a Plan of Action to Fight the Surge of Anti-Semitism (ADL.org)
Anti-Semitism in the United States (ADL.org)
Letter from Senate to DOJ, DHS and FBI (Peters.senate.gov)
Homeland Security Finally Vows To Fully Join Investigation Into ‘Hate-Inspired Attacks’ (Huffington Post)
After a new wave of anti-Semitic attacks, White House appears skeptical about anti-Semitism (Vox)
A Sixth Wave Of Bomb Threats Has Hit Jewish Centers Around The United States (BuzzFeed News)
Muslim Fundraiser to Repair Jewish Cemetery Raises $100k (NBC News)
Posted March 10, 2017; Written by Best of the Left Communications Director, Amanda Hoffman.
Hear this segment in the context of Best of the Left Edition #1086: Unleashing the demons (Anti-Semitism)
Protect Immigrants in Your Community: Join #HereToStay Network & #RaidWatch via @UNITEDWEDREAM & @AmericasVoice
Trump’s executive orders at the end of January had an immediate and traumatic impact on the immigration community. Under the guise of protecting America from “acts of terror or criminal conduct” by undocumented immigrants, the ramped up ICE raids and deportations have targeted DREAMers, as well as those protected under DACA - a law Trump wants to get rid of, of course. According to the organization Free Press, in just the first week of February, immigration officers arrested 680 people.
Living under constant threat of an immigration raid is a nightmare for undocumented individuals who are at risk of arrest and separation from their families via deportation. There are many ways to stand up for and protect the undocumented people in your community, but here are three actions you can take that will help you stay informed when someone needs help, easily report ICE activity in your community, and encourage your local officials to support undocumented immigrants:
#1: Sign up with #HereToStay Network to get notified if an immigrant in your community needs help
The immigrant youth-led organization United We Dream has launched the #HereToStay Network. By signing up, you pledge your commitment to defending undocumented people in your community and will get notified when they need your help.
#2: Report ICE activity in your community via social media with #RaidWatch
The organization America’s Voice is encouraging people to record video and take pictures of raids or ICE activity in their communities and post them to social media using the hashtag #RaidWatch. This not only helps alert activists and immigration lawyers to the raids, but provides warning to other undocumented immigrants in your community and publicly highlights the injustice of Trump’s executive orders. Learn more.
#3: Tell your Mayor to declare your city a “sanctuary of safety” for undocumented immigrants
United We Dream has also launched WeAreHeretoStay.org, a website with resources for immigrants, as well as a campaign to encourage US Mayors to declare their cities “sanctuaries of safety” for immigrants, Muslims, black people, and members of the LGBTQ community. In a sanctuary city, officials implement policies to restrict local police from turning immigrants over to federal immigration agents and declare in no uncertain terms that immigrants are welcome. Call, write, tweet at and show up at the office of your city’s mayor to demand they protect those under attack by Trump.
Resources for Immigrants
And finally, it is critically important for those under threat to know their rights and resources. If you are an immigrant, go to the "Resources” tab at WeAreHeretoStay.org to read your rights and tips on what to do if ICE comes to your door. You can also download deportation defense cards in more than 10 languages that include those rights and tips and the United We Dream hotline to report the incident. That hotline number is 1-844-363-1423.
Additionally, the organization Latino Rebels has created a valuable resource for undocumented immigrants called the MigraMap. The MigraMap is the first map pin pointing ICE raids and activity across the US. To view the map and/or submit a raid, go to migramap.latinorebels.com.
We want to ask that you help us in our work to amplify the most effective activism. If you have come across an action or a new organization that is doing great work getting people engaged to resist the Trump agenda, please share it with us by emailing [email protected].
So, if standing up for immigrant human rights is important to you, be sure to hit the share buttons to spread the word about Protecting Immigrants in Your Community by Joining #HereToStay Network & #RaidWatch via social media so that others in your network can spread the word too.
It’s been said a million times, but it can’t be said enough: no human being is illegal. Period.
🚨 WE HAVE TO PROTECT IMMIGRANTS! 🚨
— United We Dream (@UNITEDWEDREAM) February 10, 2017
RT these images—people need them more than ever!#HereToStay #Not1More pic.twitter.com/NjdOu7Y0s2TAKE ACTION
2. Document and report ICE activity in your community via social media using #RaidWatch
Resources for immigrants:
If you have been approached by ICE officials, call the United We Dream Hotline: 1-844-363-1423
Read your rights and download United We Dream Deportation Defense Cards and browse their "Resources" page
Find out where raids are happening (and/or submit them) with Latino Rebel’s MigraMap
Find an immigration lawyer via American Immigration Lawyers Association
EDUCATE YOURSELF
Mexican ‘DREAMer’ nabbed in immigrant crackdown (Reuters)
Trump's DHS Executive Orders (DHS.gov)
Donald Trump Plans to Bypass the Courts to Deport as Many People as Possible (The Intercept)
What Immigration Raids Mean for Students (The Atlantic)
Dreamer Says ICE Threatened to Deport Him (The Daily Beast)
Trump's Deportation Raids: What We Know and Don't Know (Mother Jones)
Law-Abiding but Illegal, and Fearing the New Trump Rules (The New York Times)
Trump touts recent immigration raids, calls them a ‘military operation’ (The Washington Post)
President Trump is on shaky ground with his new immigration order (The Washington Post)
Entrepreneurs Are Being Deported -- And They Might Be at the Center of America's Coming Immigration Fight (Entrepreneur)
Dallas County ‘Dreamer’s’ arrest puts scare in immigration-rights community (Texas Star-Telegram)
Immigration Agents Took a Woman With a Brain Tumor Out of the Hospital: Report (TIME)
Plan To Disrupt Immigration Raids Will Enlist Songs And Prayers (NPR)
Posted February 28, 2017; Written by Best of the Left Communications Director, Amanda Hoffman
Hear the segment in the context of the Best of the Left Edition #1083: Trump's immigration crackdown has begun
Fight Trump's Muslim Travel Ban via @theIRC @HIAS and @ACLU
The reality is that we are playing defense now and that means that as activists we must adapt in the moment, much faster than we can alert you to what's going on. It's not the way we would want it but there's no choice but to practice fast-paced "react-ivism" as the Trump administration drops unconstitutional bombshells and blatant lies multiple times a day, every day.
Here at Best of the Left, we’ve believed for a long time that online petitions don’t cut it. We've always needed to work much harder than that to make the change we want and that's never been more true than now. We have to make the effort to go to protests, make the effort to regularly donate to organizations fighting Trump’s agenda, make the effort to seek out our local organizations and chapters and get involved on the ground. We must make the effort to be so plugged in that when the call comes to take action, as it inevitably will, we’re ready and waiting.
It may be up to the Supreme Court now whether or not Trump’s ban can be reinstated, but public opinion has been shown to have an influence on the court. So, if you want to help the refugees trying to save themselves and their families and immigrants seeking a better life, there is no simple answer, but here are some things you can do:
You need to make the effort to call your representative and both senators in your state and show up at their town hall events to demand they denounce Trump’s muslim ban. Even if they already have, you need to call them to back them up and let them know they are doing the right thing.
You need to make the effort to find the local chapter of an organization near you that is working to help refugees and is working to fight the Trump muslim ban. There are hundreds of these organizations, but we recommend starting with International Rescue Committee which has program office locations in 29 cities in the United States where you can volunteer. Visit Rescue.org to learn more. And go to IndivisibleGuide.com to find other local organizations near you that are committed to resisting the Trump agenda.
You need to make the effort to be in the know. That means signing up to receive email and text alerts from the organizations who are organizing actions and protests in your area. Even better, you can volunteer to help organize those actions. As a heads up, this weekend, the refugee organization HIAS is hosting a National Day of Jewish Action for Refugees with a large action on Sunday, February 12th in New York City’s Battery Park and sister marches in cities across the country on Saturday and Sunday. Go to HIAS.org to learn more.
And finally, if you can, you need to make the effort to donate to the organizations we’ve mentioned today and others, like the American Civil Liberties Union at ACLU.org and Doctors without Boarders at DoctorsWithoutBoarders.org.
We are committed to amplifying effective activism and right now, with the incredible flurry of new resistance projects and efforts, we need your help to keep up. If you have come across an action or a new organization that is doing great work getting people engaged to resist the Trump agenda, please share it with us by emailing [email protected].
So, if making sure America continues to open it’s arms to the refugees and immigrants that have built this country is important to you, be sure to hit the share buttons to spread the word about Fighting Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban via social media so that others in your network can spread the word too.
Trump and his cronies are waiting for us to get fatigued and roll over. So make a commitment to yourself right now and each day that no matter how many battles we lose, you will not throw your hands up and say the war is not worth it. Justice is always worth it.
"Refugees are not terrorists. They are VICTIMS of terror." Watch @DMiliband on @TheDailyShow: https://t.co/ZjTHCWWR2x
— IRC Intl Rescue Comm (@theIRC) February 10, 2017TAKE ACTION
Call your Representatives and Senators to demand they denounce Trump's ban & thank those who have: 202-224-3121 (Capitol switchboard number)
Explore and donate to the many other organizations supporting refugees and immigrants
Find local groups near you committed to fighting the Trump agenda via Indivisible Guide
EDUCATE YOURSELF
Letter: National and Local Organizations Support the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program and Oppose Legislation that Would Stop the Resettlement of Syrian Refugees (Refugees International)
How to Help Immigrant and Muslim Neighbors (BillMoyers.com)
10 Concrete Ways to Take Action Against the Muslim Ban (Huffington Post)
Trump's Muslim Ban is Cowardly and Dangerous (The New York Times Editorial Board)
Donald Trump's Muslim Ban Makes Us All Less American (Rolling Stone)
Is President Trump's Immigration Order a 'Muslim Ban'? (Yes, here's why) (The Atlantic)
Trump’s Muslim Ban Is Culmination of War on Terror Mentality but Still Uniquely Shameful (The Intercept)
This is the Beginning of Donald Trump's Muslim Ban (The Nation)
Posted February 10, 2017; Written by Best of the Left Communications Director, Amanda Hoffman.
Hear the activism segment in the context of the latest Best of the Left Edition #1078: Unnecessary, ineffective and un-American (Muslim Ban)
Learn How to Support Your Muslim American Neighbors via @MuslimAdvocates
In his farewell address to the nation, President Obama said, "We have to be consistent in condemning hateful rhetoric ... none of us can be bystanders to bigotry.”
With horrifying talk of registries and the revival of something akin to McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee, and even attempts at justification for camps, it feels like the roller coaster we’ve been on as a country is rapidly free-falling backwards.
The Muslim American community has been strong, creative and resolved in the face of increasing hate and Islamaphobia over the years, but with the radical, white-nationalist right entering the White House in a week, it is more important than ever to show our Muslim friends and neighbors that we have their backs.
So today our activism is about educating yourself so that you can be a valuable teammate and advocate for your fellow citizens as Trump, the Republicans and their supporters make good on their promises to un-justly target them.
Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and educational organization that works on the frontline of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths. Think “ACLU” with a Muslim American rights and religious freedom focus.
Their website is a rich resource of information, like a “how to” page on reporting hate crimes that is organized by state, tips and examples of effective tactics to use when responding to Islamaphobia and harassment of Muslims online, updates on their current litigation and Muslim voices and perspectives on their blog.
Head over to MuslimAdvocates.org and start educating yourself on how to be a better teammate. If you’re Muslim, this is a resource you can share with your non-Muslim friends when they start asking you how they can help so you don’t have to explain everything yourself. And a note on that, the farther away you are from being personally affected by Trumpian policies, the more you should make sure to do as much of your own homework as you possibly can before you even think about asking a muslim person or person of color how you can help.
To give just one perspective on this and another useful resource, here’s a real life muslim woman and co-host of the podcast Good Muslim Bad Muslim: Going through the traumatic experience of Trump’s election - #GoodMuslimBadMuslim - Air Date 12-25-16
If you have a business or work for one that is actively supportive and welcoming of all people, we found a great “Hate Has No Business Here” poster for you to download and print.
So, if actively fighting hate is important to you, be sure to hit the share buttons to spread the word about Learning How to Support Your Muslim American Neighbors via social media so that others in your network can spread the word too.
Because we all could use some hope right now, I’ll end with a few more words from our outgoing president...
“For every two steps forward, it often feels we take one step back…But the long sweep of America has been defined by forward motion, a constant widening of our founding creed to embrace all, and not just some.”
Great effort to block a Muslim registry https://t.co/tY59uhETg3
— Muslim Advocates (@MuslimAdvocates) January 7, 2017TAKE ACTION
Educate yourself and learn how to be a teammate at MuslimAdvocates.org
Learn how to report a hate crime in your state via MuslimAdvocates.org
“Click Here to End Hate” - Tips to Respond to Anti-Muslim Bigotry Online via Muslim Advocates.org
Download a “Hate Has No Business Here” poster
EDUCATE YOURSELF
Ten Days After: Harassment and Intimidation in the Aftermath of the Election (via The Southern Poverty Law Center)
Day 1 in Trump's America (via Twitter)
Trump continues to sow confusion over his plan for Muslims entering the country (via The Washington Post)
Gingrich's Outrageous Call to Deport All Practicing U.S. Muslims (via The Atlantic)
Newt Gingrich Suggests Reforming House Un-American Committee In Wake Of Orlando Shooting (via The Huffington Post)
Donald Trump’s Plan for a Muslim Database Draws Comparison to Nazi Germany (via NBC News)
At South Carolina Rally, Donald Trump Defiant on Muslim Ban (via NBC News)
Japanese American internment is ‘precedent’ for national Muslim registry, prominent Trump backer says (via The Washington Post)
Posted January 12, 2017; Written by Best of the Left Communications Director, Amanda Hoffman
Hear the segment in the context of the latest Best of the Left Edition #1071: First they came... (Religious Liberty)
Save Health Care! Attend an #OurFirstStand Rally on 1/15 via @BernieSanders
Medicaid, Medicare, Planned Parenthood and the Affordable Care Act. All four provide millions of Americans with health care, and yet gutting all four - without any real plan for what will replace the services and care they provide - is what Republican dreams are made of.
Let’s break these down for a second. Is the ACA perfect? Absolutely not. But it has helped millions of Americans get health insurance. Despite the right-wing talking points, federal dollars do not directly fund Planned Parenthood. So when Republicans say they want to “defund” it, what they really are saying is that they want to stop millions on Medicaid from having access to medical treatment at Planned Parenthood health centers simply because they offer abortion services. While millions in poverty rely on Medicaid for their healthcare needs, Trump and Republicans want to effectively kneecap the program. And when it comes to Paul Ryan’s obsession with privatizing and gutting Medicare, even Republican voters are furious.
What makes this all the more sickening is that Republicans want to cripple our healthcare systems while at the same time giving tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans. And you know who gets really worked up about healthcare and America’s widening wealth gap? Bernie Sanders.
That’s why on Sunday, January 15, Bernie, Democratic members of Congress, trade unions, senior groups, health care activists and all those who believe in economic and social justice, are organizing a day of action in cities across the country to tell Republicans loudly and clearly: You are not going to get away with it.
Go to berniesanders.com/ourfirststand to read about the day of action, download materials to help spread the word and find a rally taking place near you. Use the #OurFirstStand on Twitter to join the conversation.
So, if defending your right to health care is important to you, be sure to hit the share buttons to spread the word about this campaign’s call to action via social media so that others in your network can get involved too.
If you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired…fighting for your rights is the only cure.
On January 15, join a day of action to stand up to Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress and save health care. https://t.co/oVtr4LCpHV
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 9, 2017TAKE ACTION
Save Health Care on Jan. 15th! Find an #OurFirstStand rally near you.
Use #OurFirstStand, #ProtectOurCare, #SaveHealthCare, #MakeAmericaSickAgain, #CareNotChaos and #IStandWithPP to join the healthcare conversations online.
EDUCATE YOURSELF
Not Just Obamacare: Medicaid, Medicare Also on GOP's Chopping Block (The Huffington Post)
Republicans’ 4-Step Plan to Repeal the Affordable Care Act (The New York Times)
Repealing Obamacare Could Leave 59 Million Americans Uninsured (The Atlantic)
Repealing Obamacare Effects Everyone (CNN Money)
GOP to Defund Planned Parenthood in Obamacare Repeal (The Hill)
9 Things People Get Wrong About Planned Parenthood (The Cut)
Posted on January 10, 2017; Written by Best of the Left Communications Director, Amanda Hoffman.
Hear this segment in the context of #BestoftheLeft Edition #1070: Readying the wrecking ball (Reproductive and Health Rights)
Get Trained for the Resistance via @ShowUp4RJ
You're a listener of this show, so you’re already paying attention and you understand what the country is facing under a Trump administration. But if you've never taken the next step to get involved in activism in the past, we want to remind you today that you, of all people, at all the times in history - ESPECIALLY if you are white - have no excuse not to take action today.
You cannot rely on the people who already consider themselves activists or the people who will be targeted to get in the streets, stand up for themselves and those under attack and fight Trump and his followers for the next four years. If you do, you will be complicit in America's downfall. Because it doesn't matter anymore if you voted for Bernie, Hillary, Johnson or Stein. We all lost on November 8th - even Trump voters. They just don't know it yet. And that's just the sick reality of it.
In less than 70 days, Trump will be sworn in as president of the United States. But as you've heard today, his impact is already being felt. So what are you going to do? Here’s a better question - how will you be part of changing our culture so this can’t happen again?
Your first step is to go to ShowingUpforRacialJustice.org. Also known as SURJ, Showing Up for Racial Justice is a national network of groups and individuals organizing white people for racial justice. Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ Action moves white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability. Their focus is inviting in those who are simply uneducated about racism instead of spending time calling out those ill informed people when they misstep.
White people elected Trump. So to write them off in our resistance movement would be absurd. We want the “moveable white middle” to join us. We want them to see the mutual benefits of equality for all races, genders, religions and abilities. That means engaging in a conversation with them and inviting them to join us in standing up for people of color, the LGBTIA+ community, immigrants, refugees, the disabled and women with mass demonstrations across the country.
As civil rights activist Anne Braden once said...
“The battle is and always has been a battle for the hearts and minds of white people in this country...We need to become involved with it as if our lives depended on it because really, in truth, they do.”
On the SURJ Action website, you can get resources on organizing, find a SURJ chapter in your community or start one, and sign up for in person or on the phone direct action and organizing trainings. Right now, many SURJ chapters across the country are currently offering direct action trainings in their communities and the national office is offering training conference calls into December.
SURJ is about educating those who are new to activism. So if this is your first time, don’t be nervous - they want you to be prepared. Because when activists are prepared and organized, they are effective. And that has never been more important.
So if resisting racism, fascism and authoritarianism is important to you, then be sure to hit the share buttons to spread the word about Getting Trained for the Resistance by Showing Up for Racial Justice via social media so that others in your network can take action too.
So stand up. Fight back. There is no time to lose.
TAKE ACTION
Find a SURJ chapter near you (or start one)
Sign up for SURJ national training conference calls
Sign up to volunteer with SURJ
Find a SURJ action near you or post your own
EDUCATE YOURSELF
White People Elected Trump. Now What?
Finding Common Ground with Trump Supporters in Buffalo
Posted November 18, 2016; Written by BOTL Communication Director, Amanda Hoffman.
Hear the clip in the context of Best of the Left Edition #1059: "Hatred Unleashed"
Keep the Pressure on Congress to #BeBoldEndHyde via @AllAboveAll
We know this story all too well. Forty years ago, a rich white man wrote and passed a law that negatively impacted the health and welfare of women in poverty for decades to come…and of course, it disproportionately harms people of color, immigrants, the LGBT community, young people and rural communities.
Thanks to Mr. Hyde and his “Hyde Amendment,” it is against the federal law for government funds to cover even one cent of the cost of a safe, legal abortion - effectively putting abortion out of reach for millions on Medicaid. As Maine state Senator Dave Miramant wrote this month, “The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed women’s rights to choose for themselves when to start a family back in 1973. But a right isn’t really a right when it’s dictated by how much money you make.”
Right now, nearly one in six women of reproductive age are enrolled in the federal Medicaid program. Fifteen states currently have policies that provide state Medicaid coverage of an abortion, but 60% of women on federal Medicaid do not live in those states. And it’s important to note that Transgender people are living in poverty at four times the national average with Medicaid as their only option.
But Hyde is not just harming those on Medicaid. It has provided a path for anti-choice politicians to add abortion coverage and funding bans to appropriations language that restricts Medicare and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees, federal employees and their dependents, Peace Corps volunteers, Native Americans, women in federal prisons and detention centers - including those detained for immigration purposes - women who receive health care from community health centers, survivors of human trafficking and low-income women in Washington, D.C.
The organization All Above All is leading the fight to end the Hyde Amendment. Not only are they educating the country about the devastating impacts of Hyde with fact sheets, videos and articles, but they are taking direct action on the state and local level to pass resolutions that would allow abortion coverage. Visit allaboveall.org and click “Act” to sign up, find resources and join in on state and local actions near you. You can also engage by spreading All Above All’s resources and facts on social media and using the hashtag #BeBoldEndHyde to encourage politicians to stand up for the reproductive rights of those in poverty.
For the first time, repealing the Hyde Amendment is part of the Democratic Party’s platform, but it is up to us to hold them to it. We encourage you to make fighting for reproductive justice part of your theory of change by getting involved in the long term with organizations like All Above All, Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights, NARAL Pro-Choice America and other organizations fighting to provide everyone with the reproductive healthcare access and coverage they deserve.
So if making sure people can make their own healthcare decisions is important to you, then be sure to hit the share buttons to spread the word about Keeping the Pressure on Congress to Be Bold and End the Hyde Amendment via social media so that others in your network can take action too.
The Hyde Amendment is "blatant economic injustice." https://t.co/Bld9cC0aDI @Broadly @Seemstween #BeBoldEndHyde
— All* Above All (@AllAboveAll) October 21, 2016TAKE ACTION!
Get involved with All Above All actions on the state and local level
Share All Above All resources on social media with #BeBoldEndHyde
EDUCATE YOURSELF
What Women Do When They Can't Afford an Abortion (Broadly.vice.com)
What are your state's laws when it comes to abortion coverage? (AllAboveAll.org)
All Above All's Hyde Amendment Fact Sheet (AllAboveAll.org)
Term And Partial Birth Abortions: The Mythical Arch-Nemeses Of The Anti-Choice Movement (HuffingtonPost.com)
Tim Kaine Now Backs Lifting the Hyde Amendment Banning Abortion Funding (NBCNews.com)
Written by Best of the Left Communications Director, Amanda Hoffman.
Hear this segment in the context of the latest Best of the Left Edition #1052: The policies we have vs. the policies we need (Reproductive Rights)
#HikeforHealing to Support The #MonumentQuilt for Survivors of Rape and Abuse via @UpsettingRape (FORCE)
30 years ago, the AIDS Memorial Quilt was displayed on the National Mall in DC - visually representing the overwhelming devastation of HIV/AIDS and forcing the country to confront the crisis. Inspired by that first quilt, sexual assault activists have been stitching together what is called “The Monument Quilt” to achieve the same kind of awareness and action for survivors of rape and sexual abuse.
The organization behind the quilt is FORCE, a creative activist collaboration dedicated to “upsetting rape culture and promoting a culture of consent.” FORCE says the quilt will be a place of healing and that it resists the popular and narrow narrative of how sexual violence occurs by telling many stories at once, not just one.
The project began in 2013 thanks to a kickstarter campaign and FORCE tweeted this week that the quilt has doubled in size in the last year - now covering a football field. FORCE plans to display the quilt on the National Mall in the spring of 2018, and a national, year-long tour will follow. You can learn more about the quilt, view quilt squares, get information on making a quilt square, sign up to host a workshop and volunteer at themonumentquilt.org.
But this project needs materials and the corresponding workshops for healing and activism need resources to expand. That’s why on October 29th, FORCE, and local organizations fighting rape culture and sexual assault across the country, want you to join them in your community for “Hike for Healing.” Participants will hike or walk with others and raise funds for the completion of this quilt, while raising awareness about consequences of our rape culture.
To find a Hike for Healing team near you or to start one in your community, go to crowdrise.com/hikeforhealing.
The Monument Quilt is about giving a voice to many to show survivors they are not alone. In that spirit, we also strongly encourage you to check out the powerful hashtag #WhyWomenDontReport on Twitter to read survivor stories and the reasons that hold women back from reporting assaults.
As the Republican candidate for president continues to personify rape culture itself and politicians continue to defend him, we encourage you to make ending rape culture part of your theory of change by getting involved in the long term with organizations like FORCE, Ultra Violet, Planned Parenthood, No More, RAINN, and other organizations fighting to end sexism, sexual assault, domestic violence and abuse and upturn the rape culture we live in.
If you or someone you know has been assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. That’s 1-800-656-4673.
So if making our country face and change rape culture is important to you, then be sure to hit the share buttons to spread the word about the #HikeforHealing to Support The #MonumentQuilt for Survivors of Rape and Abuse via social media so that others in your network can take action too.
The Monument Quilt has doubled in size in the last year, blanketing a football field. Help us continue to grow: https://t.co/Add2yfmdpl
— FORCE (@UpsettingRape) October 14, 2016TAKE ACTION
Find a Hike for Healing team near you or start one at https://www.crowdrise.com/hikeforhealing
View quilt squares, get information on making a quilt square, sign up to host a workshop and volunteer at https://themonumentquilt.org
Check out #WhyWomenDontReport on Twitter
EDUCATE YOURSELF
Our quilt project shares rape survivors' stories (CNN.com)
Trump's Campaign Embraces Rape Culture (ThinkProgress.com)
Everyone's talking to their daughters about Donald Trump. They need to talk to their sons. (Mic.com)
The Conversation You Must Have With Your Sons (HuffingtonPost.com)
8 Societal Barriers That Make it Hard to Report Sexual Assault (EverydayFeminism.com)
Women share stories of sexual assault to show Trump what rape culture looks like (HuffingtonPost.com)
Written by Best of the Left Communications Director, Amanda Hoffman.
Hear the segment in the context of Best of the Left Edition #1051: "Consent is sexy"
Tell Your Legislators to Support Medical #AidinDying via @CompandChoices
We talk a lot on this show about the importance of being able to make your own decisions about your body during your life - but just as important is being able to have options at the end of your life.
Right now, Vermont, Washington, Oregon and California are the only four states in the country that allow aid in dying as an authorized medical practice. But as you heard today, the stories of Brittany Maynard, and other brave people like her, have paved the way for other states to follow suit in an astoundingly short amount of time.
They are doing it with the help of organizations like Compassion and Choices, lead by Barbara Coombs Lee, and people like you, who believe individuals have the right to make decisions about their own life and death.
You can help keep the momentum started by Brittany and other activists going by visiting the “Take Action” page at CompassionandChoices.org. There, you can join volunteer advocates and educators in your area, send a message to your state legislators to urge support of medical aid in dying and download the Compassion and Choices Legislative Guidebook to share with your representative.
Make fighting for medical aid in dying part of your theory of change by getting involved with Compassion and Choices, and other advocacy organizations like Death with Dignity and The Brittany Maynard Fund.
Leading up to the election, we want to give you the resources, knowledge and inspiration to get involved and stay involved beyond November. Because no matter who wins the Presidency, as progressives, we always need to be prepared to fight for what is right…That’s what keeps bending that arc of the moral universe toward justice.
So, if making sure your state allows people to make their own choices about how they die is important to you, then be sure to hit the share buttons to spread the word about supporting medical aid in dying via social media so that others in your network can get involved too.
TAKE ACTION
Urge your legislators to support medical aid in dying
Find and become one of the volunteer advocates and educators near you
Download the Compassion and Choices Legislative Guidebook to share with your representative
EDUCATE YOURSELF
Hear stories from those directly impacted
Understanding Medical Aid in Dying (Compassion and Choices)
End of Life Care Commonly Used Terms (Compassion and Choices)
Medical Aid in Dying is Not Assisted Suicide (Compassion and Choices)
Being Mortal: Dr. Atul Gawande on How U.S. Healthcare Fails to Handle the End of Life (Democracy Now!)
Brittany Maynard's Legacy: One Year Later (Compassion and Choices)
Written by Best of the Left Communications Director, Amanda Hoffman.
Hear the segment in the context of Best of the Left #1041: The other pro-choice movement (Death with Dignity)
Tell Congress to #MakeRoom for Affordable Housing via @MakeRoomUSA
Make Room, a national campaign giving a voice to renters and aiming to end the national rental housing crisis, wants to send 1 million messages to Congress before November 8th to demand attention, action and resources to end the affordable housing crisis in America.
Organizations and individuals can join the campaign by visiting makeroomusa.org to sign the national sign-on letter to Congress, download the Take Action Toolkit, and read stories about renters across the country. After signing on, you can spread the word via social media using the hashtag #MakeRoom.
Make fighting for affordable housing part of your theory of change by getting involved with organizations like the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the primary organization behind the Make Room campaign, Enterprise.
Leading up to the election, we want to give you the resources, knowledge and inspiration to get involved and stay involved beyond November. Because no matter who wins the Presidency, as progressives, we always need to be prepared to fight for what is right…That’s what keeps bending that arc of the moral universe toward justice.
So, if getting Congress to put affordable housing issues front and center is important to you, then be sure to hit the share buttons to spread the word about telling Congress to #MakeRoom for Affordable Housing via social media so that others in your network can get involved too.
.@MakeRoomUSA asked, Americans answered: Should we #makeroom for #affordablehousing ? Support is strong: https://t.co/UctmhECfJv @ipsospa
— Enterprise (@EnterpriseNow) August 13, 2016TAKE ACTION
Sign up and send your message to Congress via the Make Room campaign
Download the Make Room Take Action Toolkit
Encourage your organization to sign the Make Room sign-on letter
EDUCATE YOURSELF
"Affordable housing advocates push for Baltimore charter amendment, future funding" (Baltimore Sun)
"The lack of affordable housing is causing a public health disaster in Oakland" (Fusion.net)
"Public health problems in Oakland linked to housing crisis" (San Francisco Chronicle)
"Dallas is pushing in the right direction on affordable housing" (Dallas Morning News)
"Rep. Ellison Introduces the Common Sense Housing Investment Act" (EllisonHouse.gov)
"Sanders Announces Vermont Secures $3 Million for Affordable Housing, Praises First-Ever Funding of National Housing Trust Fund" (Sanders.senate.gov)
Written by Best of the Left Communications Director, Amanda Hoffman.
Hear the segment in the context of Best of the Left Edition #1040: "Home Sweet Home"