Guys, we did it. After another action packed week of life, work and everything under the sun, we made it to Friday! I spent much of this week trying to find the secret formula for creating a fat free pizza that still tastes good. It doesn’t exist. Bland tasting pizza aside, there is a lot going on right now and lot of great events and actions took place this week. Things will definitely be picking up from here on out, but here’s a recap on what’s happened so far.
-Stanley
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The Fight for Worker Rights Continues. 39,000 of our brothers and sisters who are on strike are still going strong and we’re right there with them! These workers deserve good pay and shouldn’t have their jobs outsourced to foreign countries so that shareholders can increase their profit. On Tuesday, May 17, members of Metro Justice stood alongside these workers to amplify their voices. It takes guts to go on strike – these workers haven’t been paid in a month and many of them are now without health coverage after Verizon cut off their health insurance on the 1st of May. They need us now more than ever. Click here to find out how you can get involved.
Black Lives Matter in the Classroom. On May 18, members of the Southern Tier Chapter marched to demand an end to the school-to-prison pipeline and profiteering off of our children of color. Participants marched from their meeting place, The First Congregational Church, all the way to City Hall where activists and parents spoke about the extremely high suspension rate for black children in the school district. According to those in attendance, black children are 7 times more likely to be suspended from school than their white counterparts. That troubling statistic speaks to the continued issue of overt and soft racism in our classrooms. Click here for more information on the event.
It’s Time to Break Free from Fossil Fuels. On May 14, hundreds of activists came to the Port of Albany to block the tracks that carrying crude oil trains to Albany. We were one of many groups organizing around the country to take a stand against the corporations that are profiting from our fossil fuel addiction. Now more than ever we need to stop investing into the same old harmful resources and begin the shift to 100% renewable energy. If we care about our communities and our children’s future, we need to start now. Click here for more information on the event.
Gun Ranges and Community Centers Don’t Mix. Members of the Hudson Valley Chapter didn’t let a small problem, like not having a public forum, stop them from letting their voices be heard. With nothing but small signs to express their thoughts, Chapter members attended the Kingston Laws and Rules Committee meeting to let their elected leaders know that they don’t want a gun range in their community. The proposed gun range/shop would be located in Midtown Kingston, putting it in close proximity to the local community center and Kingston High School. Come on guys, does Kingston really need a gun range? Is there a zombie apocalypse that the town needs to be trained for? Click here for more information on the meeting.
Justice Works
On July 23 and 24, 2016, hundreds of New Yorkers who fight for justice will join together. Regardless of the issues you work on or how you work on them: if you’re an organizer, a volunteer, a door knocker, blogger, policy wonk, all of these things or none of them – Justice Works is the conference for you. This year, the weekend will be broken up into three sections. Justice Works will take place on Saturday, July 23. On Sunday, we’ll host our first-ever Citizen Action Leadership Summit. It’s a great opportunity to talk with other Citizen Action leaders from around the state about the direction of our organization. While that’s happening, Justice Works attendees who aren’t members of Citizen Action will have the chance to participate in a series of workshops with the New York Civic Engagement Table. Click here to register for Justice Works.
Upcoming Events
On May 21, Metro Justice is taking their message to the doors! From 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, we’ll be knocking on doors to get the word out to the community about all of our work in Rochester! Click here to learn more.
On May 25, join us in the Capital District for a meeting to bring our communities together in the fight to demand 100% clean renewable energy, good jobs, frontline justice, and healthy communities. Click here to learn more.
On May 26, join activists and elected officials to Demand Democracy in New York. Our democracy in under attack. Billionaires and their lobbyists flood elections, drowning out the voices of ordinary New Yorkers. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are being blocked or discouraged from voting. Click here to learn more.
Join #NYRenews in Albany on June 1 and together let’s tell legislators in Albany that they were elected to represent ALL New Yorkers and that ALL New Yorkers deserve protection from the impacts of climate change. Click here to learn more.
Job Alert!
Citizen Action, PPEF and the New York Civic Engagement Table have a number of positions open across the state, including Organizer, Lead Organizer, and Regional Coordinator. Click here for more details.
Metro Justice is looking for a Fundraiser and Membership Director.
From the Blog
In the last ten years, cycling has grown in popularity in the state of New York. In honor of that and National Bike Month, I decided to share my biking story. In the blog post below, you’ll find out how I went from a poor millennial taking the subway from Northern Manhattan to Brooklyn New York, to a poor millennial who bikes from Lower Manhattan to Tribeca every day. Click here to get the story.
In the News
Long Island Exchange. Alliance for Quality Education Launch Online Campaign to Blast Families for Excellent Schools for Harmful School Discipline Campaign.
Time Warner Cable. Black Lives Matter March for Fair Education
Albany Times Union. LLC loophole bill moves to Senate Codes as backers push for floor vote
Take Action!
Albany is the key battleground in the fight to stop fossil fuel expansion in the Northeast.Tell Governor Cuomo that we can’t afford an expansion of polluting fossil fuels that put our communities at risk at a time when our climate is at the breaking point! Click here to sign!
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