While you read this email, I’m somewhere in Harlem trying to find a way to keep my foot elevated long enough to convince my girlfriend that I’m in good enough shape to go outside. Oh, I should explain. Earlier this week I broke my toe in a freak bike accident. And by freak, I mean I hit a huge pothole and fractured my toe and my ego. Have no fear, I’m at home in good spirits, with the great honor of knowing that my injury was so rare that half of the hospital staff was in attendance while my doctor removed the toenail (yup, that happened). Things got a little weird when people started asking to take pictures of my broken toe (yup, that happened too). But while I was taking selfies with doctors and nurse assistants, you were out in the streets fighting to make the world a better place. Here are some of the awesome things we accomplished this week.
-Stanley
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Community Door Knocking in the Hudson Valley: Behind every big election, whether for the President of the United States or School Board, there are issues that the community can get behind. On August 11, the Hudson Valley Chapter of Citizen Action went door knocking in their community to talk about the issues that were most important to them. Members discussed their vision for a brand new Albany, getting real campaign finance reform, a $15 minimum wage for upstate families, and progressive representatives in the State Senate. Click here for more information.
Long Island Activists for a Better New York. Bernie’s campaign for the White House may be over, but his supporters have just begun their fight for the political revolution. In the aftermath of organizing efforts from Long Islanders for Bernie Sanders, the Long Island Progressive Coalition has created a training program to educate and involve community members in New York State Politics. This is the first of what will hopefully be many meetings and the building of a coalition to demand democracy for New York State. Picked above is State Senate candidate Jim Gaughran signing the Demand Democracy pledge. Learn more here.
Good People, Good Food, and Activism. What’s better than fighting for justice with all of your favorite people? Don’t answer that, I’ll tell you. It’s fighting for justice with your favorite people while munching on delicious food and enjoying the beautiful summer weather. That’s exactly what the Southern Tier Chapter did this week when they hosted their annual picnic at Ross Park. Members got to mingle with the community, talk politics, plan future events and celebrate victories from the year. Click here for some photos from the event.
The Capital District Goes to Virginia. Be sure to send some positive vibes in the air for our Capital District Chapter as fast food workers and community members left our Albany office this morning at 6am on a journey to Richmond, VA to join with thousands of cooks, cashiers, home care workers, adjunct professors, airport workers, child care workers, retail workers, farm workers and manufacturing workers from across the US to rally for $15 and freedom! #FightFor15!
Reversing Runaway Inequality in Western New York. All day today, Buffalo activists gathered for a workshop on reversing runaway inequality. While families in Buffalo struggle to make ends meet, the super wealthy continue to build on their bottom line with no interest in how it affects anyone else. At this workshop, participants learned about the breathtaking wage gap between CEOs and regular workers, how institutionalized racism has robbed wealth from communities of color, and how we can build a movement to fight back.
Blog
On August 1, The Movement for Black Lives released their policy platform. In this document, they outline their vision for our country as well as programs and policies that can help us get there. I believe that Citizen Action can be an important partner in this fight for racial justice. In this blog, I outline spaces I believe we can be supportive to our sisters and brothers in the movement. Click here to read.
IN THE NEWS
Check out this awesome letter to the editor discussing the need for publicly financed elections. It was written by the Long Island Progressive Coalition’s super cool intern, Paul. Click here to read.
TAKE ACTION!
Everyone should have the opportunity to receive an affordable college education. Unfortunately, that isn’t our current reality and now Congress wants to raid Pell grants. Tell your member of Congress to stand up for affordable and accessible higher education! Click here to take action.
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