Solidarity Lowell Events and Actions
THIS SUNDAY Solidarity Lowell General Meeting
Sunday June 26 at 5:30pm
Topic/Speakers: Candidates to be considered for endorsement
Assistance urgently needed for asylum-seeker Marius recovering from surgery
From: Merrimack Valley Interfaith Sanctuary Network (MVISN)
Asylum-Seeker Marius has recovered from his recent surgery to address ongoing issues related to the violence he fled from in Togo and Guinea-Bissau. He has finally been able to return to work. MVISN needs to extend ongoing assistance as he re-establishes himself. Any amount will be gratefully accepted. Please donate to his GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/47gvz-marius
You can also donate via:
CashApp – $gollygee17
Venmo – @owlnerd
Checks are also accepted, please email Marissa (marissa@solidaritylowell.com) for the address. Please put “Marius” in the notes.
Lowell Events
Lowell Litter Krewe
The LLK is in full swing helping to beautify our city.
To connect with them: https://linktr.ee/lowelllitterkrewe
Sign up to volunteer, check out their schedule and more.
Next events
Saturday June 25 | 9am-12pm, Abandoned Camp Cleanout, Ages 14+
Meet at 1125 Pawtucket Boulevard
https://www.facebook.com/events/585240472835621
Cleanups every Thursday 3:30-6pm with Life Connections
Call/text for details: 617-201-9916
Merrimack Valley Project “House Party” fundraiser/celebration
Thursday, June 23, 6:30 PM
Gary’s Restaurant, 26 Andover St, Lowell
Celebrate the past year, esp. Drivers’ Licenses Bill and Wheels of Hope.
ARPA Public Listening Sessions
Take the Survey and let your thoughts be known
www.lowellma.gov/ARPA
Deadline to submit: June 30, 2022
Information gathered from the past public listening sessions and the survey will help guide City administration on how to use ARPA funding, providing long-lasting benefits to the residents of Lowell.
Ranked Choice Voting Supporter Summit: Carry the MA Movement!
Saturday, June 25, 2022 9:45 AM – 2:00 PM ET
Harvey Wheeler Community Center, 1276 Main St, Concord, MA 01742 (in person)
RSVP: https://secure.everyaction.com/Lm6-DWamZEecgNiZ82RBKw2
This June, we are carrying forward momentum from the exciting town votes happening in Concord, Northampton, and many more around Massachusetts. We are the ones building momentum in MA around the issue we’ve all come to care about: making our democracy stronger through Ranked Choice Voting. Voter Choice Massachusetts invites all RCV supporters around the state to join us for progress updates, networking, tools, training, and the inspiration to keep our shared cause moving forward!
Keynote Speaker:
Danielle Allen, Harvard Professor and former candidate for MA Governor
Plus, we’ll welcome the MA Secretary of State Candidates
Attendance is free to all; we recommend bringing a bag lunch and laptop for breakout sessions. Event is indoors so vaccinations/boosters are required.
MVP Text Bank Training to Support Fair Share Amendment
Monday, June 27, 5-5:45 PM
Via Zoom (link to be supplied to those who register)
To register, email Trevor Fauci (TrevorLaFauciMVP@gmail.com)
With the recent good news about the Uber/Lyft ballot question being removed from the ballot, MVP and their Economic Justice team will be moving full-steam ahead on working to engage voters on the Fair Share Amendment prior to this November’s election. They have had members trained in phone banking and would like to also offer the opportunity for folks to become trained in text banking as well. Text banking has become a popular outreach method in recent years because:
1. You don’t need your actual phone and can use an app on your laptop or tablet
2. You can quickly send initial messages (1-2 seconds per message with batches coming in the 100s)
3. You can bookmark the app page and return periodically at times that work for you to respond to messages and send new ones
4. You can send 1 batch or 10, it’s simply a matter of what you are most comfortable with and how inspired you’re feeling on any given day!
With those benefits in mind, MVP is offering a training, hosted by Massachusetts Voter Table, with an opportunity to start texting immediately after. We invite you all along with members of your faith, labor, and community organizations to join us as we kick off this exciting, accessible new part of our 2022 community engagement!
Thank you all,
The MVP Voter Engagement Team
h/t Lisa Arnold
Other Events
January 6 Hearings Watch Events
Find and sign up at: https://www.mobilize.us/jan6hearings/
Disarm Hate
Mondays and Fridays, 3-5pm, next happening June 24
Phone and textbank to get gun reform legislation passed
Sign up: https://www.mobilize.us/brady/event/462576/
Democracy Corner
Our members running for office welcome volunteers:
Zoe Dzineku, Lowell 16th Middlesex
https://www.govotezoe.com/
- Central Votes Zoe Fundraiser: Thursday, June 23, 4-7pm, East End Social Club (15 W 4th St, Centralville)
- Volunteers for Saturday doorknocking would be greatly appreciated. .Choose from two shifts. People can sign up here: https://secure.ngpvan.com/p/SKoqjTVt40SifvNXEKxsmg2
- Field captains are needed to be responsible for checking people in for a shift, providing training as necessary, and checking them back out. People can contact Kjersten at kjersten@govotezoe.com.
Tara Hong, Lowell 18th Middlesex
https://www.tarahong.com/
- Volunteer for phonebanking, doorknocking, and more on the site.
Teresa English, Billerica
https://www.voteteresaenglish.org/
- Phonebanking Mondays and Wednesdays. Register on the site.
Help Get Progressive Candidates Elected
Progressive Massachusetts proudly endorses Sonia Chang-Diaz, Governor (78% of Progressive Mass member vote); Dr. Tami Gouveia, Lieutenant Governor (78% of PM member vote); Tanisha Sullivan for Secretary of the Commonwealth (93% of PM member vote), Quentin Palfrey for Attorney General (62% of PM member vote), and Chris Dempsey for State Auditor (78% of PM member vote).
Progressive candidates have qualified and the state Convention has selected them to appear in the Primary. Now we start the joyous work of helping them win the Primary. All campaigns are currently looking for people to help.
Learn more about Sonia Chang-Diaz at https://www.soniachangdiaz.com/meet-sonia
Volunteer to help Sonia’s campaign at https://www.soniachangdiaz.com/volunteer
Learn more about Dr. Tami Gouveia at https://www.tamigouveia.com/meet-tami/
Volunteer to help Tami’s campaign at https://www.tamigouveia.com/volunteer/
Learn more about Tanisha Sullivan at https://www.tanishasullivan.com/
Volunteer to help Tanisha’s campaign at http://tanisha4ma.us/join
Organizer: nate@tanishasullivan.com
Learn more about Quentin Palfrey at https://www.quentinpalfrey.com/
Volunteer with the campaign at: https://www.quentinpalfrey.com/get-involved
Organizer: signatures@quentinpalfrey.com
Learn more about Chris Dempsey at https://dempseyforauditor.com/.
Volunteer to help the campaign at: https://dempseyforauditor.com/volunteer/
Signatures Contact: matthew@dempseyforauditor.com
Help Get Out the Vote-When More People Vote, More Progressives Win
Wednesdays, June 22, 29 12-3pm
Join a Mass Voter Table phone bank encouraging folks to vote by mail.
https://tinyurl.com/mr2yfv92
State-Level Actions
Progressive Mass Priority Asks on the state budget
The Legislative session will be over in just under six weeks, but there’s one key deadline that’s earlier than that: the state budget deadline, which is just around the corner on June 30.
The Legislature doesn’t always meet that deadline (pushing things into July), but it still exists. And that means action has to happen quick.
Here are three key areas to contact your legislators on:
*Equitable Approaches in Public Safety: The Senate budget included language to increase funding to $3.5M for the Equitable Approaches to Public Safety (EAPS) program (line item 4512-2020). This language and funding will allow municipalities to create community-based alternative crisis response models centered around social and emotional health professionals like social workers and peer support specialists.
*Early Education and Child Care: The House and Senate both included new funding for early education and child care in their budgets. They increased funding in different ways, but, as the Common Start Coalition has argued, if the priorities of both chambers make it into the final budget, it would represent a substantial step toward implementing the coalition’s full vision of a high-quality early education and childcare system that is affordable and accessible for all families.
*No Cost Calls: Both the House and Senate budgets included language to provide persons who are incarcerated with access to free phone calls or similar forms of communication. It is unconscionable that prisons and jails have been price-gouging incarcerated individuals and their families for years, and it’s important that this provision is a part of the final budget.
Please contact your state legislators in support of these three budget priorities.
https://tinyurl.com/2p8cwmfx
Take action to support the Safe Communities Act (SCA)
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/june-1st-deadline-for-committee-action-on-safe-communities/
The deadline on the SCA has been extended to June 24. The link will take you to an editable email to send to the members of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, urging them to vote the bill favorably out of committee so that it can be brought to a vote in the full legislature.
Will you take two minutes to email the Joint Committee advocating for a positive report?
On June 24th, the Committee must decide if the Safe Communities Act should advance to the Ways and Means Committee, which is the next step in the legislative process. They gave the bill a positive report last session, and we need your help to ensure that happens again.
The Safe Communities Act will communicate loud and clear that in Massachusetts, everyone can seek help, protection and treatment without fear of deportation. This is a message that immigrant communities desperately need to hear. It is past time for the legislature to take action on this crucial piece of legislation – will you urge the Committee to act on or before June 24th?
Once you’ve sent an email to Committee members, please amplify your voice by sharing this action with five people in Massachusetts.
Help Establish Indigenous Peoples Day
From the MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda:
On Juneteenth, we celebrated the end of slavery in this country. Let’s take a few minutes to help end the practice of celebrating the father of slave trading in the Americas, Christopher Columbus, at least in Massachusetts, where we have the chance to pass S.2027 / H.3191 An Act Establishing an Indigenous Peoples Day. The bill has received tremendous support. But it must be voted favorably out of committee no later than June 30th.You can help make that happen! Please Act Now to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day in MA.
Call or email the Co-chairs of the Joint Committee on State Administration, Rep. Tony Cabral and Sen. Marc Pacheco today. Ask them to hold a vote before the June 30 deadline, and favorably pass this bill out of their Committee, so the Legislature can vote on it this year:
A phone call to Rep. Tony Cabral, could make all the difference. His phone number is (617) 722-2017 or email him at Antonio.Cabral@mahouse.gov .
If you have time, please also call his co-chair, Sen. Marc Pacheco, at (617)722-1551 or email him at: Marc.Pacheco@masenate.gov.
Urge Rep. Cabral and Sen. Pacheco to allow the Indigenous Peoples Day bill to move forward with a positive vote from the Joint Committee on State Administration today!
The law, if passed, will replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day in MA. Changing the second Monday in October to Indigenous Peoples Day would acknowledge the harmful impact of celebrating Columbus as a hero. Historical accounts prove that wherever he went, Columbus and his men murdered and enslaved Indigenous People. The repercussions continue to be keenly felt even now in Massachusetts.
Indigenous Peoples Day would replace something negative with something positive – an increased awareness of Indigenous Peoples and a celebration of Indigenous resilience and survival, in Massachusetts and throughout the Americas. A victory for Indigenous People would be a victory for all people of color in Massachusetts, who still experience the racism and violence that was first visited upon the Indigenous People of the Americas by Columbus and his crew.
You don’t need to be an expert on this bill. Just speak from your heart and encourage Rep. Cabral and Sen. Pacheco to allow this long stalled racial justice bill to move forward.
We want to honor the Native people of this land rather than honoring the slave trader Columbus in our public schools, and in our cities and towns.
[NOTE; It would have been far better if the entire Indigenous Agenda had made the cut this time around. Many more consequential items did not make it. But this bill at least still has a chance of passing.]
h/t David Detnold
Our State Legislators’ Info
House Speaker Ronald Mariano: Ronald.Mariano@mahouse.gov 617-722-2500
Senate President: Karen E. Spilka: Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov 617-722-1500
Rep. Thomas Golden Thomas.Golden@mahouse.gov 617-722-2263
Rep. Vanna Howard Vanna.Howard@mahouse.gov 617-722-2800 x7302 / Google Voice: 978-272-9078
Rep. Rady Mom Rady.Mom@mahouse.gov 617-722-2460
Rep. Colleen Garry Colleen.Garry@mahouse.gov 617-722-2380
Rep. Tram Nguyen tram.nguyen@mahouse.gov 617-722-2425
Sen. Edward Kennedy edward.kennedy@masenate.gov 617-722-1630
Sen. Michael Barrett Mike.Barrett@masenate.gov 617-722-1572
Sen. Jamie Eldridge James.Eldridge@masenate.gov 617-722-1120
Sen. Barry Finegold Barry.Finegold@masenate.gov 617-722-1612
(… or find yours here: https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator)
Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02133
National Actions
Support the Stop Overdraft Profiteering Act
Thank Elizabeth Warren for introducing and Ed Markey for co-sponsoring the bill. Ask your rep to co-sponsor the House version.
https://tinyurl.com/4ka5wv46
The bill stops overdraft abuses by:
- Limiting the number of overdraft fees a consumer may be charged in a year
- Prohibiting charging a non-sufficient fund fee for any debit card transaction
- Prohibiting automatic enrollment in overdraft protection plans when opening an account
- Banning the reporting of negative information related to overdraft coverage to any consumer credit reporting agency
Petition to Biden Administration to Protect Workers Reporting Unsafe Conditions
Unsafe working conditions and labor abuses are equal-opportunity threats to workers. They don’t care about a worker’s immigration status. But some workers are vulnerable to intimidation and retaliation because of their status and may be afraid to report or testify, putting all workers at risk. This petition from Jobs with Justice asks that workers be protected in those circumstances.
Our Federal Legislators’ Info
Senator Elizabeth Warren: 617-565-3170
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
https://www.warren.senate.gov/contact/shareyouropinion
Senator Edward Markey: 617-565-8519
255 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
https://www.markey.senate.gov/contact/share-your-opinion
Representative Lori Trahan: 978-459-0101 / 202-225-3411
https://trahan.house.gov/contact/write-your-rep.htm
Representative Seth Moulton: 978-531-1669 / 202-225-8020
https://moulton.house.gov/contact
The RRT (Rapid Response Team) Action List compiles action items from the week and upcoming events into one place. If you would like to add anything to the weekly update, please send it to Dee Halzack at dee@solidaritylowell.com.
Solidarity Lowell is a volunteer group of community members of Greater Lowell working toward social justice by defending the human rights, dignity, and equality of all persons against all forms of hate and discrimination.
Visit the Solidarity Lowell website at solidaritylowell.com
For more events not listed here, visit the full Events calendar: https://solidaritylowell.com/events/
May meeting notes:
https://tinyurl.com/ycyndtvd
May meeting recording:
https://youtu.be/76Z21IW3D2U
See recordings of past Solidarity Lowell meetings in our YouTube channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCohwMIkVdabQdDHsVTLIGsQ
For positive news visit Solidarity Lowell Upbeat on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/326202548419687
Solidarity Lowell is a chapter of Progressive Massachusetts. Join at: https://www.progressivemass.com/donate/