Statehood for Washington, DC is critical for the 700,000 people who currently pay taxes without representation.They have no voting representative in the House and do not have the two Senators that other Americans do. It's also a racial justice issuebecause historically, DC has been majority Black, and this has played a role in its continued disenfranchisement. DC is still majority Black and brown and if D.C. is granted statehood, it will be the only state in the nation to have a plurality of Black residents.

That's why IMV and the Kirkland Town Democratic Committee arehighlighting the call forDC Statehood at the first Black Lives Matter Rallyon the Clinton Village Green of 2021 as well as recognizing that the police killings and brutality toward Black and brown people have not stopped since George Floyd was murdered in May 2020.

Please join us for at the Clinton Village Green today, 4-5 pm.Wear a mask and practice social distancing. Bring a sign about DC statehood or a #BLM sign. Attendees can take a photo with a 51 star American flag.

Other actions to take for DC Statehood:

1. Call Rep. Tenney and demand she support DC Statehood now. The House
Committee on Oversight and Reform just completed markup on the DC statehood bill for only the second time since 1993. This is exciting progress and we must push our representatives to be supportive and vocal as the enfranchisement of 700,000 Americans advances.

2. Demand Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand support and move quickly on S. 1 and S. 51. The For the People Act and the DC Statehood bill are both crucial steps in the democracy reform we need. Make sure our senators are pushing these forward and not letting the filibuster stand in the way of progress.

Climate Crisis Workgroup Events

As with the March meeting our April Climate Crisis workgroup meeting will start at 6:30pm and then at 7pm we will sign off and then sign on to the HeatSmart presentation. There will be a zoom link for each and they need to pre-register for the second part.  Our Cleaner and Greener Heating and Cooling  sessions are presented by HeatSmart CNY and Heat Smart Mohawk Valley and sponsored by the Climate Crisis Working Group of Indivisible Mohawk Valley.   Here is that schedule:  

Heat Pumps 101: Incentives for Cleaner and Greener Heating and Cooling
April 26, 2021 | 7 – 8pm
RSVP | Facebook Event
Join HeatSmart CNY and Heat Smart Mohawk Valley for an online workshop on what incentives are available for you to switch your home or property to renewable heat pumps!
Heat pumps are often cheaper and safer to operate, require less maintenance, and add comfort (both heating and cooling) to your home. And, they are essential for dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions!
Participants will learn about geothermal and air source heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and building performance improvement. We will explain financing options and the thousands of dollars in incentives and tax credits available to help make these technologies and energy efficiency upgrades affordable for residences, businesses, and community buildings.

Heat Pumps 101: Case Studies and Testimonials
May 24, 2021 | 7 – 8pm
RSVP | Facebook Event

Virtual Tour of Cleaner and Greener Heating and Cooling: Utica House with Air Source Heat Pumps
June 28, 2021 | 6:30pm
RSVP | Facebook Event

Again, save the dates above,and be sure to join for the first part of the group meeting Monday, April 26th at 6:30 pm:  https://fb.me/e/3MfLJIgog
 

Celebrate Earth Day!

Thursday, April 22nd marks the 51st anniversary of Earth Day.  IMV encourages everyone to take political action to celebrate, and also to consider a donation to the Proctor Park Peace Garden, an urban green space project.   All people in Oneida County should have the right to nature-to safe, healthy, and nearby natural areas, including sites for quiet contemplation and active recreation. Residents of Rome, Clinton, New Hartford have access to well maintained trails and parks. Help us make that available to residents in the city of Utica by donating to the Proctor Park Peace Garden.

We have something else to celebrate this Earth Day--the Climate & Community Investment Act (CCIA) has just been introduced as a bill in the State Assembly!  (Previously it was only assigned a state senate bill number.)   Now that we have an Assembly bill, it's time to talk to our Assembly members. Locally, our only Democratic AM is Marianne Buttenschon, and so it's up to IMV to get her on board.  If you are wiling to get together with some other IMVers for a Zoom lobby visit with AM Buttenschon focused on the CCIA, please email IndivisibleMV@gmail.com so we can put together that team.  
 

Letters to the Editor and a Timely Op Ed

Congratulations to Katy Timpano from IMV's "Winning Writers" team whose opinion piece on why DC should be the 51st state was published by the Rome Sentinel yesterday. Kathy Wojciechowski, another member of the team collaborated on the pieces.  This piece was timed to coincide with DC Emancipation Day and the upcoming vote in the House. It's an example of how IMV members can make an impact in educating the public on our issues and shaping public opinion. Thanks, Katy and Kathy!

There have been many other wonderful letters from IMV members and friends in the pages of the local newspapers lately.  Tenney took quite a verbal lashing in the April 11th Utica OD.   We also loved this letter from Dick Meili calling attention to the benefits of the American Rescue Plan in the Rome Sentinel.  

Please keep the Letters to the Editor coming!  We especially urge letters in the coming weeks that push our state elected leaders to pass CCIA.  
 

Indivisible Rural Summit is Sunday, April 18th

The Rural in NY Summit is finally happening this Sunday at 3-5pm!   Please watch this video, and share it with a friend who lives in a rural or small town community.  Attend the event together!  There's no point in feeling isolated about being progressive in a conservative rural area when you could start gathering some likeminded folks to be with you, or develop some strategies to influence your neighbors.  Register here.
 

IMV To Meet Local Candidates

Our eveningMeet the Candidates sessions are set for thisMonday, April 19thandTuesday, April 20th, from 6:30-7:00 pm. We've condensed to two nights to make the best possible use of your time, and will give each candidate a few minutes to introduce themselves. This background will help us when we gather Sunday, April 25th to consider how IMV members can have the biggest possible impact on electing Democratic candidates to office to county, city, and town seats this fall. Please make time to attend these two short events. Remember,ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL

Take part in the 2021 IndivisiCensus 

Indivisible is working with Dr. Dana Fisher, a prominent researcher on American political movements, and her team at the University of Maryland to launch theIndivisible Census. If you haven't taken this anonymous national survey yet of Indivisible activists yet, pleaseclick here to fill out the Indivisible Census now.

More IMV Celebrations Than We Can Count

We have even more celebrations coming up besides Earth Day:

• Our IMV Steering Committee member, Dawn Laguerre, has been named the YWCA Mohawk Valley's Salute to Outstanding Women 2020-21 awardee in the Social Justice category. Congratulations to Dawn! If you would like to buy a ticket to the online Salute event, which supports domestic and sexual violence services in Oneida and Herkimer counties, click on the Salute video on this page to buy a ticket.

• The YWCA Mohawk Valley also extends an invitation to everyone in the community to attend next week's Stand Against Racism event, which is a free Zoom panel about educational equity.

• IMV was part of the InvestInOurNY Coalition that won billions of dollars in new progressive revenue in the state budget earlier this month. IMV signed on to the letter here which expresses thanks to the legislative leaders and intentions to keep going so that New Yorkers can have the housing, climate protections, health care, services, and education we need. Good for us!

• IMV got a mention in City & State in an article about the election and political career of progressive upstate Sen. Rachel May. IMV and Kirkland Town Democrats have been key players in helping her win in 2018 and 2020 and engaging her on the issues that matter to all of us: education funding, climate, budget justice, health care and much more.

• We had a huge NYS week of action for climate and jobs last week that included a Honk & Wave Rally in Clinton for the Climate, Jobs and Justice that had more than 25 attendees, and a call with more than 600 activists and Sen. Schumer to talk about climate and jobs. Sarah Reeske was the brilliant mind behind this week, which was organized in coalition with NY Renews.

• IMV Steering Committee member, Deborah Wilson-Allam, who is not only our Treasurer but also our website guru, has just finished moving the IMV website to a new platform. Deborah is also gathering a few other IMVers who will help build out the website and keep it updated. Please check it out and be sure to share it with friends who wonder what IMV is about.

Happy Earth Day! Salute Outstanding Women! Stand Against Racism. Black Lives Matter. Statehood for DC! End the Filibuster. Pass the CCIA. Invest in Our New York. Health Care for All. Everybody Votes.

These are just some of the manyefforts we have joined and the celebrations we mark. Please be sure to mark your calendar for ournext IMV meeting, Sunday, April 25th,3-5 pm.There is yet more work to do because Democracy is not a spectator sport.