Solidarity Lowell Events and Actions

Solidarity Lowell Summer Barbecue!

Sunday, July 23, 2-7pm
In-person

It’s time for the 6th annual Solidarity Lowell Summer Barbecue! Join us at Marissa Dupont’s house to celebrate our accomplishments, have some food, and maybe play a game or two.

Please bring lawn chairs if you have them. The Coordinating Committee will provide burgers, hot dogs, vegetarian burgers and hot dogs, and rolls. Please note that this is for Solidarity Lowell members only. We hope to see you there!

RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/584255546949665/

Tabling at Lowell Folk Fest

Saturday July 29 and Sunday July 30, 12pm-6pm

Solidarity Lowell will be tabling at Lowell Folk Fest Saturday 7/29 and Sunday 7/30, 12 noon to 6 pm both days. If you’re able to take a 1 or 2 hr shift, please contact chris@solidaritylowell.com.

Support for our unhoused siblings

As many of you may know, another encampment was cleaned out last week. Residents found help saving some of their possessions, but the larger items so necessary to survival (tents, tarps, blankets, pants, raincoats, and ponchos) were lost. Life Connection Center (192 Appleton Street) has volunteered to serve as a collection point for any replacement items you would like to donate. Items may be dropped off Monday through Friday 8am-6pm and Sunday through Thursday 7pm-10pm.

You may also contribute through their Amazon wish list at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/ARW4F37SG12T?ref_=wl_share

Local mutual aid group LLAMA is also collecting to help assist the displaced folks:

Thank you all for the donations we have received so far on our Venmo (@Lowell-LLAMA) and CashApp ($LowellLLAMA).

Reminder: We are in direct contact with those who were displaced and we are generating a list of items they need replaced, and all funds you send us that are labeled as for the displaced will be used for this purpose. We are a volunteer group of people building solidarity together (not a nonprofit) with no paid staff.

Support for Asylum-Seekers

Lillian, an asylum-seeker from the Dominican Republic, and her baby need assistance after a recent move. Gift cards can be given to Marissa Dupont. Email marissa@solidaritylowell.com to coordinate drop-off.

Marius, an asylum-seeker from Togo who we assisted since 2018, also is in need of assistance. Donations can be made to him here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/47gvz-marius

Thank you!!!

New Unpacking Whiteness Dialogue Group Forming

Individuals committed to exploring their own racial biases are invited to participate in the Unpacking Whiteness Dialogue Group. Engage in supportive, structured dialogues to explore whiteness in contemporary society, especially to better understand the legacy and impact of white supremacy, white privilege, explicit and implicit bias, systemic racism, and microaggressions.

Dialogue group is five sessions, capped at 10 people.

After attending the Dialogue Group, attendees are invited to join the ongoing group.

The ongoing group meets once a month, alternating between discussing a book or watching a film.

If you have questions, email Marissa Dupont: marissa@solidaritylowell.com.

Lowell Events & Actions

Lowell Litter Krewe

LLK continues with their regular cleanups.

To connect with them: https://linktr.ee/lowelllitterkrewe
Sign up to volunteer, check out their schedule and more.

Next events
Saturday, July 8, 8am-11am: Cambodia Town Cleanup
Meet at Pailin Park

Saturday, July 15, 8am-11am: Sheehy Park Big Hall (ages 14+)
Meet at Sheehy Park (West End)

Saturday, July 22, 9am-12pm: Pre Folk Fest w/ Canalwaters & LNHP
Meet at Lucy Larcom Park

Saturday, July 29-30, ALL DAY: Folk Fest Compost & Recycling Team
Sign up at ttps://linktr.ee/lowelllitterkrewe

Next City Council Meeting

Tuesday July 11, 6:30pm
At City Hall and online.

Meetings are held bi-weekly in Council Chamber during the summer, Tuesdays at 6:30pm with public welcome. (Next meeting July 25.) Attend in person or by using remote participation as follows: Members of the public may view the meeting via LTC.Org (Online; Live Streaming; Or Local Cable Channel 99).

Lowell African Festival

Saturday July 22, 11am-6pm
Lowell Heritage State Park, Sampas Pavilion, 160 Pawtucket Blvd

Lowell Fall Election

Solidarity Lowell’s Election Subcommittee gearing up

If you are interested in helping to elect/re-elect progressive candidates for Lowell City Council and School Committee, please email Lisa Arnold (likarnold @ gmail.com) or Dee Halzack (dee.halz @ ix.netcom.com)
(delete spaces when using emails cited)

We will be drawing up a survey to vet candidates for possible endorsement by Solidarity Lowell.

Campaigns have started up

The election schedule for the municipal election has been set. Tuesday, June 6 was the first day nominating papers could be pulled. Some candidates have already announced. Deadline to submit papers is Tuesday, July 18, 5pm.

Campaign events have been announced. Here are the latest we know about:

Susie Chhoun Campaign Kick-off for District 5, Sunday July 9, 3-7pm – Sompao Meas (450 Chelmsford St)
Justin Savoung Ford for District 6 Campaign Kickoff BBQ, Friday, July 14, 6pm – 69 Hastings St

The last day to submit nominating papers is Tuesday, July 18. At some point after July 18, when the slate of candidates is finalized, Solidarity Lowell will follow their process for endorsing candidates. Once we have selected endorsees, we will begin organizing canvassing events for our endorsees. Want to be a part of that? Contact Lisa or Dee as noted above. Among other things, we will be drawing up a list of questions we want prospective endorsees to answer.

If there is a preliminary election (there must be at least 3 candidates for a district, or 7 at large), which we’ll know on July 19, early voting begins August 23. That’s a little over a month to work for our progressive candidates, so we need to be ready to hit the ground running by then.

Other Events

Progressive Massachusetts Activist Sundays

Sundays, 3:30-5:00pm next: July 9
RSVP: https://www.mobilize.us/progressivemassachusetts/event/566422/

This Sunday will focus on the Transfer Fee bill, which would allow cities and towns to levy a small fee on high-end real estate transactions to provide much-needed funding for affordable housing.

Joint Committee on Housing Hearing

Tuesday, July 11, 1pm
Location: Massachusetts State House Room A-1

Will review approximately 6 Senate bills and 13 House bills on housing, mostly about affordability, but also brokers’ commissions and foreclosures.

The hearing is not listed on the legislative schedule as being hybrid. Don’t know if it will do any good to contact anyone about that. Co-chairs are Sen. Lydia Edwards (lydia.edwards @ masenate.gov) and Rep. James Arciero (James.Arciero @ mahouse.gov). Phone contacts: Senate: (617) 722-1634; House: (617) 722-2575.

Common Start Rally at the State House

Thursday, 7/13, 11:00am
Location: Grand Staircase, Massachusetts State House

Make sure to RSVP here: https://bit.ly/csrally7-13 and indicate whether you need a ride.

Please join the Common Start Coalition for a family-friendly rally at the State House. This is an incredible opportunity to keep up the momentum for high-quality, affordable, and accessible early education and care in Massachusetts.

Of course, the people most impacted by the Common Start vision are children themselves – and the Coalition encourages you to bring your children of all ages to the State House for this event! Following a brief speaking program, children and their families will lead a march through the State House to demonstrate the power of our coalition and to highlight solutions to the child care crisis. Art and other activities for children will be a part of the event.

Interpretation: There will be Spanish interpretation for the event.

There will be buses to the State House from Springfield, Lowell, Andover, New Bedford, Fall River, Brockton, Franklin Park, Worcester, Sagamore, and Barnstable.

State Level Actions – from Progressive Massachusetts

Urge your State Legislators to Reject Permanent Tax Breaks for the Ultra-rich

Over the coming weeks, a group of six legislators (3 from the House and 3 from the Senate) are negotiating the final details of a tax package.

Back in April, the House passed a fairly regressive tax package, filled with tax cuts for the ultra-rich and large corporations. The Senate, a few weeks ago, passed a more equitable tax package.

At a time when the state’s economic outlook is uncertain, and working families are struggling to get ahead, Massachusetts needs to prioritize spending on what will make our state truly affordable, equitable, and competitive: programs that ensure a labor force adequate to our economy’s needs, not tax cuts for the ultra-rich.

That group of six negotiators, called a “Conference Committee,” consists of Senate Ways & Means Chair Michael Rodrigues (D-Westport), Senate Revenue Chair Susan Moran (D-Falmouth), Senate Revenue Ranking Minority Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton), House Ways & Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz (D-North End), House Revenue Chair Mark Cusack (D-Braintree), and House Revenue Ranking Minority Michael Soter (R-Bellingham). And they need to hear from your legislators.

Please write to your legislators today to ask them to urge the Conference Committee to reject permanent tax cuts for the ultra-rich and large corporations.

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/conference-committee-2

Advocate for specific budget items important to working families

Urge your legislators to support tuition equity, permanent universal school meals, and no cost calls for the incarcerated in the FY 2024 budget:

Use the pre-written editable email here:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/equity-budget-fy2024

A point you might want to add: The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF) reports that according to their calculations, undocumented students could generate approximately $2.6 million to $3.5 million in new revenue for public higher education institutions. These figures are a sharp rebuttal to arguments mischaracterizing tuition equity as a burden- instead of a revenue generator – to public higher education institutions.

Urge your legislators to support the Prison Moratorium

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/prison-moratorium-2023

Formerly incarcerated women and families of currently incarcerated women have been fighting plans to build a big new women’s prison as well as advocating for other changes in our correctional system. We know that every time bigger prisons are built, there is a drive to fill them with more people. Many feel that a different approach to corrections is needed. One group that has been leading the way is Families for Justice as Healing – https://www.justiceashealing.org/

To Contact the Governor

Governor’s Office of Constituent Services (617) 725-4005
Call between 9am and 5pm and leave a message.

Or email the governor, using this form: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/email-the-governors-office#email-the-governor-using-this-form-

Our State Legislators’ Info

Speaker Ronald Mariano Ronald.Mariano@mahouse.gov | 617-722-2500 | Rm 356
Senate President Karen Spilka Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov | 617-722-1500 | Rm 332
Rep. Rodney Elliott Rodney.Elliott@ma.house.gov | 617-722-2000 x7313 | Rm B1
Rep. Vanna Howard Vanna.Howard@mahouse.gov | 617-722-2060 | Rm 33
Local office: 25 Central Street, ground floor, Lowell
Rep. Rady Mom Rady.Mom@mahouse.gov | 617-722-2637 | Rm 544
Rep. Colleen Garry Colleen.Garry@mahouse.gov | 617-722-2380 | Rm 238
Senator Edward Kennedy edward.kennedy@masenate.gov | 617-722-1630 | Rm 109-E
Senator Michael Barrett Mike.Barrett@masenate.gov | 617-722-1572 | Rm 109-D
Senator Jamie Eldridge James.Eldridge@masenate.gov | 617-722-1120 | Rm 511-C
Senator Barry Finegold Barry.Finegold@masenate.gov | 617-722-1612 | Rm 511A
(… or find yours here: https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator)

Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02133

National Actions

Student Loan Decision got you feeling trapped? There’s a campaign for that.

More Perfect Union has already sent out an email urging folks to write to Biden asking him to use the Higher Education Act to forgive debt.

Not posted on their website yet (expect that to happen soon).

The Higher Education Act in 1965 gave the Secretary of Education the authority to make or back federal student loans. It also gave the Secretary broad and unrestricted power to cancel or write down that debt — to “enforce, pay, compromise, waive, or release any right, title, claim, lien, or demand, however acquired, including any equity or any right of redemption.”

Secretary Betsy DeVos even used it to cancel debt for certain borrowers. President Biden could direct current Secretary Miguel Cardona to use that power to relieve millions of people of crushing debt.

If you want to do something now, here’s how:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/write-or-call/
There’s even a link to a form for emailing.

How to Contact the White House

https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/write-or-call/
(Includes a link to send email.)

Our Federal Legislators’ Info

Representative Lori Trahan
https://trahan.house.gov/contact/write-your-rep.htm
2439 Rayburn HOB | Washington, DC 20515 | 202-225-3411
126 John Street | Lowell, MA 01852 | 978-459-0101

Representative Seth Moulton
https://moulton.house.gov/contact
202-225-8020 | 978-531-1669

Sign Up For the Annual Solidarity Lowell Summer Barbecue!