Will You Show Up for the Utica Women's March Rally?

January 20, 2023 Alan Cole

IMV's Utica Women's March Rally is Sunday

Everyone is welcome to join IMV in Utica at noon on Sunday, Jan. 22nd, for our sister rally, part of the national 2023 Women's March. It's the exact date of the 50th anniversary of Roe. That's BIG, and yet, our demands for rights and freedoms are even bigger than Roe.

To sign up for the rally now, so you get any last minute updates and alerts click here.

Be sure to make and bring signs with your favorite messages about women's rights and freedoms.
Wear your pink hats and be ready to make some noise.
And be sure you dress warmly with warm boots and gloves.
Come for any length of time that you can--even if it's just for 30 minutes or an hour. We want to get some honks!
See you at any and all the corners and medians at Genesee Street and Burrstone/Memorial Parkway (find the most plentiful parking behind the bowling alley). Be careful crossing the streets.

"We are putting all politicians on notice: If you come for our families, our freedoms, or our future, we are coming for your seat. Our movement is strong. Our movement is growing. Our movement is bigger than Roe."

Many of us first got involved, or got re-energized, in politics at Women's Marches in 2017. It's been seven years. Together, let's stay strong!

ICYM: Rep. Williams Meets IMV Round One

Six IMVers attended the opening of Rep. Williams' office in Utica on Tuesday: Teresa, Kathy W., Sue, Sandy, Sarah, and Pete. Sarah led the team with a big foam poster board (not allowed inside because it was such a powerful visual!) The poster requested Williams' commitment to the following Protections for NY22 Constituents:

No cuts to Social Security & Medicare
No national abortion ban
No defaulting on America's credit (pass a clean debt ceiling bill)

Williams agreed to the first, though it's not whether he understands that raising the age is a cut. He said that he is "pro life" (anti-abortion). Our members argued that this does not mean he can't protect constituents from a dangerous and freedom-restricting national abortion ban. He claimed that the third demand was complicated and he didn't know enough yet. This is a bad sign, as now we know that the Republicans are playing chicken with the debt ceiling vote, and once again running the risk of driving the American economy off a cliff--just as they did in 2011.

We have a lot more to talk about in terms of strategy in dealing with a MOC who looks and sounds mild and moderate in terms of his demeanor and language, (in contrast to the vile and bombastic approach of Tenney who alienated Democrats and many Republicans alike). This "mild temperament" presentation is deceiving. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Williams is actually far more extreme than Boehlert, Hanna, or Katko, and part of an infinitely more extreme, even radicalized, Republican majority in the House. He's dangerous to our freedoms and our district. That doesn't mean we give up, just that we need to be even more strategic, coordinated, creative, and skilled if we're going to defeat him in 2024.

Want to know more? Attend the Feb. 4th NY22 Summit with fellow IMVers and political activists and allies from across the district. We'll be coming together to figure all this out just like we did in 2017 when we developed our successful #OneTermTenney strategy with Knit the District. See you there!

ICYM (In Case You Missed It) #2: Indivisible Trainings

IMVers who attended the national training with Ian Haney Lopez, "Building a Broader We" were very impressed. Kathy said, "That was one of the best presentations to explain race class narrative I've ever seen. It was practical and the historical timeline opened my eyes. I realized that Brandon Williams is a perfect example of someone who is using dog whistles successfully--and so is Lee Zeldin."

Lopez talked about rich powerful elites have used strategic racism and dog whistles as an insidious class weapon to achieve their economic agenda for decades. These attacks are ramping up and threatening our fragile democracy. The race class gender approach exposes the limitations of how the left has historically called out racism and provides a roadmap for building a truly cross racial progressive movement, winning elections and saving our democracy.

We plan to do more of this work at our IMV meetings in the coming months so we can help our candidates win, and reframe the debates from the false frames the Republicans are using to the ways we can come together to make all our lives better. As Lopez said, "They divide to conquer. We unite to build."

If you missed the training, you can still watch the recording or view the slides. It was a good one!

Workshop Materials

Recording
Presentation
Reading/Viewing Prep Materials

If you would like to purchase Lopez's book, Merge Left, you can find it here.

Indivisible will be taking a deep dive into Race Class Narrative work with an intensive two-part training this spring. Stay tuned for more information.

Be sure to join Indivisible next Thursday, January 28th at 8:00 pm EST for a Deep Dive into "A Practical Guide to Defeating MAGA" Register for this event here.

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Then, last night Sarah Reeske's Statewide Indivisible training made a deep dive into housing with Housing Justice for All. It's a critical year to fight for funding at the state level--for climate, for housing, and for so much else. We're taking that fight forward once again this year with the Invest in Our New York (IONY) Coalition. If you want to learn more about IONY by participating in the Saturday morning meetings, email jendeweeth@gmail.com for a Zoom link. If you want to attend a training from IONY about talking to media, check out the training workshop offered on Jan. 24 or 26 in this weel’s calendar.
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Celeste Friend for Utica Mayor

There are now four candidates for Utica Mayor, two Democrats and two Republicans. It's going to be a tough race, but no campaign has the energy and volunteers that Celeste does!

Following a successful announcement event and a fundraiser already this month, the campaign is holding a fun volunteer orientation open house. The campaign says, "Join us as we build our campaign. Stay for as long as you like, or drop in for a few minutes. We'll have snacks, and as always, good company."

Time & Place: Sunday, January 22nd, 1-5pm, 37 Emerson Ave, Utica

"We already have over one hundred volunteers who are ready to contribute to our campaign for a brighter future for all of us. Some of you have been with us from the beginning, some of you have recently joined us. In either case, we would like for you to stop by, anytime between 1pm and 5pm, just to check in with us, be assigned to a specific Ward in the City, and get to know how our campaign works (preview: our campaigns are fun, and we believe in feeding our Volunteers!)"

There has already been a bit of trolling around why Celeste's campaign has attracted volunteers not just from the city of Utica but other surrounding communities. One Common Council member, Samantha Colosimo-Testa, asked in a Facebook post why people from other towns are involved in a Utica Mayor's race, and she made some assumptions and assumptions in her subsequent posts. Here was an answer from me, your newsletter editor, Jen DeWeerth, that was intended to bring people together rather than engage in a social media fight:

"I love this question! It’s such a good one for this Beloved Community Sunday— the day that churches celebrate the vision of Martin Luther King (he would have been 94 yrs old today) for our common life together. He reminded us in his work and writing of our relatedness and interdependence— our fates, freedom, and ability to thrive are bound up together across all boundaries and borders. For me that means that even though I am involved in my own town (Kirkland) and school district, and engage in specific church and volunteer groups, I also care about many others in and around me. Utica is my city! I have gone to work there five days a week for 18 years, spend time at community events in Utica, drive on the streets, and patronize the businesses.

We’re all in this together in our county (Oneida) and our region ( Mohawk Valley). Together, the more engaged we are, the more we care about one another no matter where we live, and the more we build each other up, the more we will all thrive. Thank you for your public service and for all you do to make sure that the city of Utica, my home city now of 18 years, is healthy and strong. We all want elected leaders and community leaders who serve us well."

We can all spread the word about Celeste's campaign and remain consistent with its message and character by staying positive whether we are talking to friends and neighbors, commenting on social media, or knocking doors. We encourage members of IMV who want to volunteer for Celeste's campaign to attend the event on Sunday after the Women's March Rally!

Kirkland Town Dems Documentary Series & Discussion (Zoom)

The Kirkland Democratic Committee is hosting a short documentary series this winter. They are selecting several short documentaries related to environmental issues, voting rights, or social justice issues. The first film in the series will be shown on Thursday, Jan. 26th at 7 pm.

We the Power-The Future of Energy is Community-Owned (2021) (38 min) by Patagonia Films. This film is about the citizen-led community-energy movement in Europe and the citizens paving the way for a renewable energy revolution to build healthier, financially stable communities. Everyone is welcome to join us! You can view the film before Jan. 26th using this link: https://youtu.be/75A9WGxoUn8

After the discussion of We the Power, if there's time, a second short film about the combination of solar panels with farming will be shown: Agrivoltaics: Sustainable Farming Systems (4:45) You can view the films before Jan. 26th using this link: https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/newsroom/sustainable-farm-agrivoltaic

Join Kirkland Town Democrats on January 26th on Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88419267893?pwd=SUhiS0dyYlFmUzVUL0pMZVZDKzRrQT09 to watch and discuss these films and current local issues.

IMV's Climate Crisis Working Group

This week, four IMV members (Maggie R., Carole G., Gerry G., Mona P.) lobbied in Albany for legislative support for the NY Renews Climate, Jobs, and Justice Package. They were part of a lobby team that included many people from Buffalo (PUSH Buffalo members and others) who shared stories of life in disadvantaged communities, and during the recent devastating blizzard. A highlight was having Rachel May return to her office just as we were leaving a meeting with staff. She had just spoken at the NY Renews press conference...a real climate champion!

Next week, on Tuesday, Jan. 24th, you have another opportunity to join IMV Climate Crisis Working Group members in Albany for a rally and lobby day sponsored by Alliance for a Green Economy to Kick Fossil Fuels Out of Buildings, one of the steps needed to implement the CLCPA and transition to a green economy. If you can attend and if you need a ride, please email Maggie or Jennifer. jgeiger777@gmail.com or margaret_reilly@mac.com

Action That You Can Take at Home: If you are not able to attend the Albany visit, you can still lobby for climate legislation with this one-click tool to tell legislators that you support the NY Renews plan to fund the CLCPA. The landmark Climate Act was passed three and a half years ago, but it’s still not funded. Thank you for taking action!

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This past week, on the recommendation of the Climate Crisis Working Group, IMV signed on to a letter from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) concerning neonicotinoids (“neonics”)—neurotoxic pesticides linked to catastrophic losses of bee, bird, and fish populations, extensive contamination of New York water, and growing concerns to New Yorkers’ health. The letter is in support of the Birds and Bees Protection Act, which would eliminate harmful and unnecessary uses of neonics in the state.

This short animated video provides a quick explanation of the issue, but, in a nutshell, neonics are highly insect-toxic, persistent, and widely used pesticides that extensively pollute New York water, soil, and wildlife on a nearly unprecedented scale. The Birds and Bees Protection Act addresses New York’s neonic contamination problem by eliminating 80-90% of the neonics entering the state’s environment every year by prohibiting only those uses that provide no benefits to users or are easily replaced by safer alternatives. There is optimism that advocacy and sign on support can help push the bill over the finish line this year.
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Save the Date for Our February IMV Meeting

At our January Meeting we heard from Celeste Friend, our candidate for Utica Mayor. At our February meeting we'll be hearing from some other candidates including Oneida County Legislative candidates. And we'll be talking about our next steps after the NY22 Summit...and much more!

Save the Date:
February 2023 IMV Meeting
Tuesday, Feb. 21, 7 pm on Zoom

This week:
Be sure to join the Utica Women's March Rally 12-2pm on Sunday.
Make sure you register for the Feb. 2nd Statewide Call with the Lt Governor and State Senate Leader
Get psyched up for the NY22 Summit and plan your carpool.

See you at The Women's March Rally! We are fighting for our freedoms and our rights in this country.
Can't Stop.
Won't Stop.
Democracy is not a spectator sport.