Time to Write 📝 Letters 📝 to NYS Voters
Invest in Our New York "To Do List"
It's time to write letters! The letters are being sent to New York voters represented by state legislators who should be contacted to support the #InvestInOurNewYork bills. What do you do?
Step 1: Starting at noon tomorrow (Saturday) stop by one of our two Resistance Boxes and get a pack (or two if you are ambitious) of 50-60 letters (with envelopes and stamps) and instructions. Resistance Box locations:
2 Laurelwood Drive in New Hartford (right of driveway next to garage) OR
207 W. Sycamore in Rome (next to the front door)
Step 2: Complete the letters before the end of February and put those letters in the US Mail. (We still need to raise money to pay for printing letters and buying stamps. Please send a check to IMV, 2 Laurelwood Drive, NH 13413 with your contribution.)
Want to be social while you write? We have scheduled four events for letter writing.
Thursday, Feb. 18, 6:30-8:00 pm, IONY Letter-palooza! BYO drink & talk with IMV friends while you write.
Friday, Feb. 19, 10:00 -11:30 am, CAFE Fridays get together
Thursday, Feb. 25, 6:30-8:00 pm, IONY Letter-palooza! BYO drink & talk with IMV friends while you write.
Friday, Feb. 26, 10:00-11:30 am, CAFE Fridays get together.
Want to catch up on what Invest in Our New York is all about? Here's the slidedeck for the presentation on Sunday. You can also check out the InvestInOurNY.org site for more information. Our IONY letters should be mailed before the end of February, so we're working quickly.
IONY Phonebank
Weekly IONY phonebanking has started, and many dozens of groups across the state are now signing up to "host" a phonebank. IMV is hosting Monday, March 1! That just means we are pledged to show up to make some calls. Please sign up here if you can attend, and select March 1 (or another week if it fits your schedule better). These calls are really fun because you get to talk to people who really want better public services in New York about the revenue bills that make it possible and help them reach out to their state legislators. This is the best kind of activism--direct to other voters!
Only have 5 free minutes today? Make this call
Every week the IONY Coalition focuses on a critical need or service that the IONY revenue bills would address. This week is all about homelessness and overdose deaths--issues that affect the poor and Black and brown people in New York the most. All you have to do is click HERE. and you'll be able to make calls to the Governor and your two state legislators in quick succession and leave a short message with their staff or on their voicemail about the importance of passing the six revenue bills so that we can end homelessness and turn the tide on overdoses for good.
Recap of IMV's Meeting on Sunday
At last week's meeting, we heard about three wonderful community social justice projects that need IMV's support. Monetary support and people with grant writing skills are needed now, and volunteers will be needed as the projects progress.
Freddie Hamilton talked about Rebuilding the Village, which is a not-for-profit organization located in, and serving, the Cornhill Community in Utica New York. The organization promotes racial equity, community empowerment, and social justice, by providing advocacy, emergency intervention, and support services for at-risk children, youth and families in an effort to combat poverty, sub-standard living conditions, substance abuse, street crime and gun violence. For more information or to make a donation, please see the website https://www.rebuildingthevillageutica.com/. Donations by check can be mailed to: Lillian Woods, Treasurer 516 Rockhaven Road, Utica, New York 13502. IMV members stepped up to support the summer program for children last year, and we need to keep up our efforts.
Sonia Martinez and Cimbria Badenhausen told us about their vision for LaAbundancia Community Center which will provide a space for residents of Cornhill to grow, prepare and eat traditional foods, celebrate holidays, the arts, and the many Latino and Hispanic cultures which make the Mohawk Valley their home. Over the next year, MVLA is launching the School for Ecosystem Advocacy. Through this program, participants will learn to create landscapes that control stormwater, remediate toxic soil, increase soil carbon storage and create edible landscapes using permaculture design techniques. The members of MVLA and MUCC together with our neighbors in Cornhill will design the property so that it meets these goals. Watch a video which describes the project here.
Any donations by check should be made out to MVLA.
Mohawk Valley Latino Association
2nd Floor, 309 Genesee St.
Utica, NY 13501
Jennifer Geiger and Phil Bean discussed the proposed F.T.Proctor Park "Peace Garden" project, which grew from an IMV member’s suggestion. The project will restore an area of the park, centering around a stone cistern surrounded with a pathway and a bed of perennial grasses and flowers and a bench placed in the garden. Eventually, a small backdrop of trees will further define this garden. It will be dedicated to victims of genocide, political violence, and injustice and to the cause of peace, a distinctive spot for contemplation and respite. The psychological and physical benefits of green spaces in urban areas are well known, and the use of indigenous plants will promote healing of the earth as well. Other partners in this project are the Interfaith Coalition International, UU Church of Utica, and the Institute of Peace Through Tourism (IIPT). Donations should be made out to IMV and sent to 2 Laurelwood Dr., New Hartford, NY 13413
What else did we talk about Sunday?
Also at the meeting, we said thank you to Maggie Reilly, who has stepped down from the IMV Steering Committee but will continue to help lead the Climate Crisis Working Group. If you have any interest in learning more about the Steering Committee, please contact any of its members: Jennifer Geiger, Jen DeWeerth, Deborah Wilson-Allam, Sarah Reeske, Jill Farnham-Us, or Dawn Laguerre.
In addition to learning about Invest In Our New York, and discussing the NY22 race, we also spent a few minutes on Race, Equity and Inclusion. We loved the the Black Futures Month video from the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), a wonderful and new way to celebrate Black History Month.
We know that the meeting Sunday was too packed and there was not enough time for conversation! We had almost 60 people in attendance, and about half stayed an extra 30 + minutes afterwards to continue to learn more about the status of the NY22 election. We will have more time for breakout room conversations at our upcoming meetings. Thank you for your commitment, even after four years, to IMV and the work we do together. It takes a village to make political activism local, bite-sized, and fun.
But What About NY22? ...Qlaudia is BAAACK!
It was a hard week for NY22. In one of the closest races in history, the vote count ended in favor of Tenney over Anthony Brindisi, and Anthony conceded the race without demanding further ballot counts. Here's what you need to know:
1. Anthony Brindisi already filed to run again in 2022. We don't know yet whether NY22 will look the same--it could be significantly redistricted. The point is Anthony hasn't given up on serving the people in Congress, and we haven't given up on him.
2. Knit the District, the coalition of progressive grassroots groups that came together in 2017 to defeat Tenney and elect Anthony, is still going strong, and starts work this weekend on the plan to win again.
3. IMV issued a press release yesterday following Claudia Tenney's swearing in. We will remain vigilant just as we did throughout 2017 and 2018, and not relent in holding her accountable for her statements, her actions, and her votes.
Is Health Care Your Priority?
We were reminded at the IMV Sunday by Teresa Van Etten and Sylvia De Swaan just how critical health care is for ourselves, our families and friends, and for our communities. Recently, Teresa shared this video about the NY Health Act. Emmie Pizarro Davis shared this upcoming event with the Campaign for New York Health for those who want to know more about how the Invest in Our New York campaign will impact education, housing and especially, health care. Please RSVP to join here on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 7:00 pm
For a couple years, IMV had an active working group on health care that worked to advocate for this bill and other critical legislation related to affordable, accessible health care. If health care is a top issue for you and you want to get involved in this effort again, email IndivisibleMohawkValley@gmail.com and put "Health Care" in the subject line, and we'll connect all those who are interested to get the ball rolling again.
We're Gearing Up for the 2021 Elections
It's not too late to join our Candidate and Campaign Training this Saturday. Turnout last Saturday was excellent, and the feedback about the content was positive. We have a lot more to cover tomorrow, and our many local Democratic and WFP endorsed candidates for town, city, and county races are going to need our volunteer support. Remember that political strength is built from the ground up, and that means local elections matter.
Even with the reduced signature requirements, we have a lot of petitioning to do this March. The petitioning period begins March 2 and ends March 18 in time to get Democratic petitions to the county chair. We recommend that petitioners contact signers by email or phone to make an appointment to collect signatures, and then meet outside, signing petitions on a front step or near a parked car to minimize contact and maximize masked social distancing. If you are collecting signatures, please mark time on your calendar now to do that work, which will certainly be more challenging because of the pandemic.
Remember, Democracy is not a spectator sport. Make calls, Write letters. Volunteer for candidates. Support local organizations and projects that are focused on racial and social justice. Thanks for for doing the work!
