Have you watched the teaser trailer for the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers movie? If you haven’t, let me tell you, you are missing two minutes and fourteen seconds of pure nostalgic action! The only thing missing in this trailer was my expert karate moves and stunning good looks! I need to let you know now, this is the only thing I’m going to be talking about for the next thousand years! And when I travel up to Albany for the NYRenews Townhall meeting, I’m going to stand in the middle of room and shout, “It’s Morphing Time!” Don’t laugh, in a way what we do with Citizen Action makes us real-life Power Rangers. Just in this universe, Donald Trump is Lord Zed and Karen Scharff is our Red Ranger. See, it works, and on this episode of Citizen Action’s Power Rangers, we got busy. You can check out the episode below.
-Stanley
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Education Walk Meets Albany. On October 11, the Alliance for Quality Education and concerned parents from across the state met with Citizen Action of New York’s Capital District Chapter on the steps of the NYS Court of Appeals to conclude their walk for education. Guys, can we just take a moment to congratulate all of the people that participated in this walk? Do you understand how hard it is to walk ten New York City blocks? These guys walked 150 miles to Albany over ten days and when they got here, instead of taking an aggressive thug nap, they went right to the steps of the Capitol and demanded that Governor Cuomo and the state legislature finally provide the money owed to our schools. I get tired just thinking about it! So let’s keep this update simple. To everyone who participated, whether you walked three steps (me) or all 150 miles, thank you so much for your sacrifice and your effort.
Biking Through the Streets for Education. Remember how in that last post I was gushing about the 150 miles that participants in the #EdWalk covered to get to Albany? What If I told you that there were two members from our Western New York Chapter who more than doubled that trip, and they did it on BIKES? That’s exactly what happened. While our #EDWalkers were traveling to Albany, Eddie Ice Cream Jones (Greatest name of all time) and Board Member David Cates rode their bikes 350 plus miles from Buffalo, to Albany to collect invoices from upstate school districts for CFE funding. We literally have the most amazing members.
Good Food and Good People. On October 10, some people were given the opportunity to take the day off, for what most know to be “Christopher Columbus Day.” We had something else in mind at Citizen Action, where the good people of the New York City Chapter and New York Civic Engagement Table decided to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day with an office potluck. Tired of ordering five dollar boxes of grease and “secret meats” we all brought a dish representative of our culture to the office. The end result was me having to rush out to the store, only to return with a bag of spoons, and everyone discovering the magical food known as flan. Instead of honoring a man who at best was “problematic” we shared our cultures and honored the history of the county’s Indigenous people. Click here to find out why it’s time for a National Indigenous Peoples Day
BLOGS
After a small break, the Activist Check-in Podcast is back and better than ever! This week I spoke with Capital District Organizer Sophia Smart about the Movement for Black Lives. Sophia talked about what BLM meant to her, how she was working in the movement, and how Citizen Action of New York could be a strong comrade in the fight for racial justice. This one is a can’t miss. Click here to listen.
IN THE NEWS
Rome Sentinel: Two bicyclists who rode from Buffalo to Albany, including a Rome stop last weekend, linked up Tuesday with about 20 people who finished a 10-day walk from New York City, culminating with an Albany rally to demand more education funding for schools. Click here for more.
Saugerties Times: About 20 teachers, students, parents and others are marching from New York City to Albany to demand implementation of a 2006 Court of Appeals ruling that the state had failed to provide sufficient funds for quality education for all the state’s children. Click here for more.
EVENTS
With a new legislative session right around the corner, we’re gearing up for another major push, and we want you to be a part of it. On Monday, October 17, we will join the NY Renews coalition at a town hall meeting in Albany. If we’re going to accomplish something this monumental, it’s going to take serious people power. That’s why we need you there. And not just you: your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues. Click Here to RSVP
On October 20, Join us for the 24th Annual Jim Perry Progressive Leadership Awards. This year’s honorees include; Taina Asili, Taina Asili y La Banda Rebelde, Patricia Cuomo, CWA, Mark Emanatian, CDALF, Dr. Alice Green, The Center for Law and Justice Albany, Becky Meier and Robert Connors, Stop NY Fracked Gas Pipeline.Click here to RSVP
We are in such a crucial moment. In our order to advance our progressive agenda in 2017 – which includes affordable housing, public financing of elections, full funding of our public schools, and criminal justice reform – we need progressive champions in office who will lift up our voices. That’s why we are teaming up with coalition partners to knock doors and make calls to as many voters in these key districts as we can reach in the next 30 days! Phone banks are happening every weeknight from now through November 8, with locations in both Brooklyn and Manhattan: Click here to RSVP
TAKE ACTION!
It’s time for a slate of fundamental reforms to get big money out of politics, break down the barriers to voting, and clean up Albany and fight corruption. That’s why we’re asking you to join us in calling for the entire #DemandDemocracy platform.Click here to take action
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