Rest For Now & Enjoy Your Holidays
Rest & Breathe, We'll Be Here for You in 2025
The past year of political action may have left you exhausted and the results of the election may have left you discouraged. It's ok to not feel "happy" this holiday season. Eat the cookies! Spend time with loved ones and take care of yourself. Play games, do puzzles, visit family and friends, and watch favorite movies. You'll feel more rested when we get busy in the new year. Very soon we'll be busy making political activism bite size, local, and fun. We need to take a breather now because very soon we have to talk to lots of voters for the NY21 special election.
For today, we just ask that you mark your calendar for upcoming IMV meetings (we've set the dates in advance to make it easier to keep track).
Sunday, January 26, 1:30-3:00 pm New Hartford Public Library
Sunday, February 23, 1:30-3:00 pm New Hartford Public Library
Sunday, March 23,1:30-3:00 pm New Hartford Public Library
Sunday, April 27, 1:30-3:00 pm New Hartford Public Library
And remember to save the date for our Saturday, January 18th, Utica People's March (Details TBA).
Remember what the midwife says, BREATHE, then PUSH. For now, we breathe.
End of Year Report from Letters to the Editor Group
Dick Meili, one of the leaders of our IMV LTE group, has prepared an end of the year summary. He writes:
"Starting in January, 2023 when Rep. Brandon Williams joined the House, and continuing until last month’s election, we focused our LTE effort on flipping NY-22. Let’s look at some LTE data; I think they’re rather impressive.
During those first 22 months of Rep. Williams’ term, 37 of us submitted 119 Letters to the Editor. Obviously, many of us wrote more than one. All but three were published by at least one of the 12 newspapers on our list. (Continued attempts to expand the list have been unsuccessful.) By publishing 85 of those letters in both their digital and print editions, The (Rome) Daily Sentinel continued to be, by far, our number one paper. Since many of our letters were published by more than one paper, IMV had an LTE out there in the ‘public square’ 161 times. Now for some comments about the people who made all of this possible.
About 30 of us who wrote an LTE did so upon joining the group after Williams was elected. I thank them for coming forth voluntarily and jumping right in . The rest of the 37 writers have been at it since the group’s 2021 inception. I thank them for their continued participation, especially Regina Kekis. She injected a new enthusiasm into the group, initiated and then coordinated an LTE surge during the crucial final two months of the 2024 campaign. I sincerely thank all of you who so willingly participated in our effort, and express my appreciation for your dedication and contributions." -Dick Meili
Looking ahead
Regina notes that: "This group is a vital part of our IMV message delivery system.. I am looking forward to starting up again as soon as the holidays are over. We have an election to win here in NY21 and do we have some ideas!" Dick adds: "With the NY21 special election, local elections and the Trump administration's nonsense it's going to be a heck of a year for IMV's messaging in general, and LTEs in particular. We can't ease off because it it doesn't look like 2025 will be an 'off year'."
MLKJ Memorial Luncheon in Utica in January
The Mohawk Valley Frontiers Club is hosting its annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Luncheon on Monday, January 20th at noon at Hart's Hill Inn in Whitesboro. Tickets are $50 per person and checks should be made payable to Mohawk Valley Frontiers Club and mailed to MVFC c/o U'Nice Elliott, PO Box 172, Utica, NY 13503-0712 or email the completed form to: uelliott3@aol.com.
Sarah Reeske Hosts Indivisible NYS Calls in January
Our NYS Indivisible Organizer, Sarah Reeske, has been hearing from people interested in learning more about Indivisible ever since the election in November. IMV has seen new people showing up at our meetings and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. Whether you are new to Indivisible or you're an Indivisible Guide "pro." we encourage you to sign up for Sarah's trainings below. And whether you live in NY21 or NY22, it's going to be all hands on deck for the special election as soon as Elise Stefanik officially announces her resignation. Just click on the links to register.
Introduction to Blue Sky Training, Wednesday, January 8th at 7-8pm, Register here. Facilitated by Indivisible’s Sr. Social Media Manager Frank Dale, come learn how to navigate and effectively use Blue Sky, a popular social media platform that many people are leaving Twitter/X for."
Grassroots Activism 101 Crash Course, Tuesday, January 14th at 6-8pm. Register here. New to activism? This training is for you! Come learn the organizing basics, vocabulary, and the Indivisible activism cycle that groups have used to be successful in their activism work. Let's get as many new people up to speed on how we make so much magic happen! They will better understand calls to action and feel more confident in participating in your group's planning for 2025 with what they learn at this training.
NY21 Special Election Call, Tuesday, Jan. 21st, 6:30 pm, Register here. Open to Indivisibles in NY21 and those in NY who want to learn how they can take action to support the special election. There's going to be something for everyone on this call. The last time there was a special election in NY21, a Democrat won and held the seat for 5 years. Let's do this! Dem chairs in NY21 are interviewing 8 candidates. Nobody has been dubbed the official candidate yet, and that's ok. Indivisible is positioned well for us to get a head start.
We're Taking The Next Week Off:
However You Celebrate, May You Know Peace
There will be no weekly IMV Newsletter on Dec. 27th, and a short newsletter will come out Jan. 3, 2025 with reminders of dates and any new updates on Indivisible calls to action.
CAFE Fridays is always happening on Zoom, and it's a great time to connect with political activism friends, commiserate about the MAGA insanity, and dream the resistance into being.
However you celebrate, may your holidays be filled with peace.
No one let go of anyone's hand.
Follow us on Bluesky: @Indivisiblemv.bsky.social, on Instagram's Threads.net/@indivisiblemohawkvalley, on X (Twitter) using @indivisiblemv and of course on our Facebook page and IMV Activism Group.
