Freedom to Learn and Love Event

October 6, 2023 Alan Cole

Freedom to Learn and Love Event Tomorrow

You are invited to join our celebration of diversity and inclusion on the village green in Clinton tomorrow, on the last day of Banned Book Week 2023,  Freedom to Learn and Love is a counter demonstration to the Moms for Liberty event at the Alexander Hamilton Institute. They want to ban books in libraries and schools, and make schools less welcoming and inclusive. Yuk.

We’re going to show up for what we are for: freedom to learn, reading books, and loving our LGBTQ+ community. People can participate in multiple ways: donate to the Kirkland Town Library or their local one; show up to the event; read a banned book at the event, and/or come to the rally in your pride gear and spread joy. Bring signs! Let your rainbow fly! Dress up as your favorite book character or bring banned books and read from them.

IMV Freedom to Learn and Love Rally
Saturday, Oct. 7
12:30-2:00 pm
Clinton Village Green
Weather: The forecast is iffy. With a little rain, we're all about umbrellas. If the rain is very heavy, there may be a change in plan so please check the Facebook event at noon.

Sign ideas:
Burn marshmallows, not books; Books are for reading, not banning; Love is Love; Books and people deserve love; Freedom to learn
Get out of town, Moms for Liberty; Clinton is a LGBTQ+ friendly town; Hey hey, ho ho, Moms for Liberty has got to go
Support kids reading; Books help kids dream big; Support our schools, libraries, and LGBTQ+ youth
No book bans; Support our public schools; Support our teachers; Support our librarians

Postcard Parties

Thanks to so many wonderful volunteers who have been writing postcards at the Thursday parties or doing pick up and drop off to write on their own. We've also had a tremendous response to our request for money for stamps and postcard stamps. Now we are down to the last two parties, both at the New Hartford Library (2 Library Lane):

Thursday, Oct. 12, 3:00-5:30 pm
Thursday, Oct. 19, 4:00-5:30 pm (Please note the later time on this date).

You can pick up and drop off postcards at the parties or if you want to arrange to pick up postcards at another time, email Carole Gehrig (cgehrig_1@yahoo.com). She can have a bunch ready for you in her box in Whitesboro.

CAFE Fridays Update

Just a reminder that CAFE Fridays (on Zoom) can be a great way to connect with the IMV community. The group has been meeting weekly for years on Friday mornings. Sarah Klee Hood usually checks in on the first Friday of the month, but in October, because of a scheduling conflict, she will be on the CAFE on Oct. 13th, rather than the 6th. Whether you are a regular or a first-timer, please join us!

Joining this morning? Zoom link HERE. PW: 607973

IMV Canvass for Candidates Update

We've had great turnouts the past two Sundays, first for the Caroline for County campaign and then for the Elect Crystal Faria campaign. A first time candidate, Crystal has been knocking doors for many months, and getting a lot of voters registered and/or committed to vote. She does deep canvassing which is about listening to peoples' concerns and engaging in conversations that lead to connections at the level of values. Here's a note from Crystal:

"Greetings from the Crystal Cares campaign! This past Sunday more than 15 IMV volunteers came out to support democracy in action by helping to door knock in Oneida County District 10 which includes parts of New Hartford, Kirkland and Westmoreland. Together we knocked over 450 doors!!! Each one was an opportunity to share our values of community, safety and equity. I thank everyone who was able to participate!!
Your continued support is how local candidates like myself are able to reach across party lines to have thoughtful conversation with everyday voters! Thank you for all you do."
--Crystal Faria

Celeste Friend for Mayor Events

Congratulations to Celeste Friend, on securing a string of endorsements, from 1199 SEIU, NYSUT, and the regional Council of Carpenters, to Sierra Club, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and Comptroller DiNapoli. And they just keep coming!

The Purple Posse continues to rock voter contact. As of October 1st, Celeste Friend's campaign reports that:
* Canvassers have knocked on over 10,000 doors and walked over 1500 miles!
* Volunteers have delivered over 1,000 yard signs.
* The events team has hosted nearly a dozen beautiful, impactful neighborhood "pop ups."
* The mailing team has hand-addressed and mailed tens of thousands of pieces of mail.

If you are talking to voters at their doors, keep it up! If you can write a neighbor support letter or LTE please do it!

With the election only a few short weeks away, Celeste Friend's campaign is asking for all hands on deck. She could use folks with good handwriting to hand address envelopes over the next few days. (She needs these done by next Wednesday). You can pick up bundles of 30 from the tub on her front porch (37 Emerson Ave, Utica), and return them as soon as you are done. One bundle will take you about an hour--perfect for in front of the tv.

And consider volunteering with neighborhood pop-up events:

Gilmore Village Pop-Up Meet-and-Greet
Saturday October 7th ⋅ 10:00am – 1:00pm
Location: 929 Hillcrest Ave., Utica, NY.
Calling all event volunteers... come help register voters, distribute groceries, and create more neighborhood connections.

Adrean Terrace Pop-Up and Canvass
Saturday, October 14th ⋅ 10:00am – 1:00pm
Location: Amory Drive

Downtown Pop-Up and Canvass
Saturday, October 21sth ⋅ 10:00am – 1:00pm
Location TBD

Brunch Anyone?

It's the Herkimer County Democratic Committee’s First Annual Brunch Fundraiser! Saturday, Oct. 28th, 10 am-1 pm. at the German Flatts Community Center, 555 State Route 5S, in Mohawk. Join us or just donate! Food, special guests and a chance to support candidates running in Herkimer County. Link for tickets is https://secure.actblue.com/donate/fall-brunch. Please purchase tickets by October 23, so we can give numbers to our caterer for the yummy food! Please support the efforts of active Democrats in this very red county!

State Lege Panel

Join IMV and friends from across NY at the State Lege Panel happening on Thursday, October 19th starting at 6:30pm on Zoom. Register here. We’ll hear from and learn about coalitions and organizations who advocate for policies at the state level to make NY a better place for everyone to call home. Let’s find out what’s on the horizon with the 2024 state legislative season and how we can make a difference!
Featured coalitions are:
NY Renews
Campaign for NY Health
Let NY Vote
Invest in Our New York
Caring Majority
Fair Elections
Fair Housing Coalition
Beyond Plastics.

LTEs Needed

Now is crunch time for Letters to the Editor in support of local candidates. Newspapers set early deadlines for those, because they receive so many compared to their usual LTE submissions. If you live in Utica, please write in support of Celeste Friend or Julie Gederos, who are running city wide campaigns. If you live in Westmoreland, Kirkland or New Hartford, write in support of Crystal Faria. Caroline Reale needs letters from county leg district 15, including New Hartford and a bit of Utica), and Shelly Garner needs letters for her Rome Common Council race. If you need help getting started on your letter or knowing where to send it, we can connect you to our IMV LTE workgroup. Email: IndvisibleMV@gmail.com.

Harvest on the Hill Volunteers Needed

Remember last year, when we had such a successful presence at Harvest on the Hill the Saturday before Halloween? Many hundreds of children in costumes voted in our "favorite candy" election and got their photo taken with our "Dinos for Democracy" dinosaur (Sarah Reeske). We gave away candy and apples donated by our farmer friend, Dan Casler, and we talked to parents about registering to vote and voting. Well, we are doing it again!

Mark your calendar for Saturday, Oct. 28th, and then ask friends to join you in volunteering. Please s ign up for a shift or two, and/or donate some candy or other materials. Here's the sign up.

Final Month of Election Season

Tomorrow is one month from Election Day, Nov. 7th, and just a few weeks from the start of Early Voting. We're asking everyone to pull out the stops to help our local candidates, especially with direct voter contact. Please, do what you can!

Then, mark your calendar now for our annual IMV Post-election Fall Fiesta/Festival! We'll be at the JCC in Utica again this year, on Sunday, Nov. 12th at 1:00-3:30 pm.

We also want to thank everyone who was prepared for the contingent rally in Rome, which was not held since the MAGA government shutdown didn't happen, and those who turned out to call attention to Brandon Williams' terrible vote to slash the budget that supports critical programs for people in NY22. It won't be the last No More Williams Wednesday protest for sure!

See you tomorrow at the Freedom to Learn and Love event in Clinton and/or upcoming postcard parties!
Democracy is not a spectator sport.