Thank you to everyone who showed up for our last IMV meeting of 2021 on Dec. 12! We met Senya Bekui, the new lead organizer for Citizen Action CNY. He shared this inspiring video (co-starring our very own good friend, Shana Dahlin!) in his most recent email. IMV encourages everyone to become a sustaining member of Citizen Action and/or make an end of the year gift to this critical group that fights in our state and region for social, economic, climate, and racial justice. Seriously, click on the video, because the justice agenda it lays envisions is one IMV shares.

For our December 2021 IMV meeting we'll be on Zoom, and we have an awesome agenda! So grab some afternoon cocoa and cookies and join us on your screen for:

• Conversation & Q & A with Josh Riley, who is running for Congress in NY22

• Insights into our local 2021 election voting data

• Introduction to Citizen Action's new Utica-Rome organizer

Congratulations to Indivisible NY State groups who showed up in a big way for the rescheduled Zoom with Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday night. We had 500 activists on the call, and the Governor knew it. As she has in the past when we met with Sen. Schumer, Sarah Reeske prepared Indivisibles from all over the state to ask their questions and hold our elected officials' feet to the fire. When they meet with us, they know they are talking to the people who knock the doors, make the calls, and mobilize the New Yorkers for progressive action.

Heading into the 2021 election season last spring, IMV members led by Dick Meili began to get together over Zoom to talk about writing more letters to the editor in local papers, an effort encouraged by Indivisible and many grassroots political groups as a way to influence elected officials, public opinion, and voters, on a variety of issues and elected offices.

It was wonderful to see so many of you in person at the IMV Fall Fiesta on Sunday. We missed those who could not be there. Five years into our progressive political activism, we are still going strong.

If you want to be together in person again, please show up at the Clinton Village Green today for the monthly Climate and Racial Justice rally, 4-5 pm, and bring your climate signs in solidarity with the activists in Glasgow.

Our focus this week is Gov. Hochul, with climate as a top priority. We have a small delegation heading to Albany on Saturday with NY Renews to press the state legislature and the Governor to implement the CLCPA and pass the CCIA.

So many people worked hard this year, on campaigns and elections, but also on rallies and issues, legislative lobbying and LtEs, and much more. This is our annual celebration of the work and time to socialize, build relationships, and strengthen our connection as a grassroots political action community.

What: IMV's Annual Fall Fiesta
When: Sunday, Nov. 7th, 12:30 pm-3:00 pm
Where: JCC, 2310 Oneida Street, Utica

Details: We have Rio Grande once again catering delicious Tex Mex food, more than enough for everyone! Kids and families are welcome. There will be cake! You are welcome to bring your own plates and flatware if ecologically minded, but we will also have some disposables. We will be spaced out; come if you are feeling well and are vaccinated.

IMV and the candidates we support need you. There are no do overs on Nov. 3. It's now or never. IMV members are committing to show up together over the weekend. If that doesn't fit your schedule, or you can do GOTV on Monday or Tuesday, we also have other opportunities.

Please check the details and sign up!

Yesterday NY Times On Politics editor Trip Gabriel published a piece about the irony of the Republican candidate for Virginia Governor encouraging supporters to vote early (in spite of his Trumpian echo that early and mail in voting is one of countless voter frauds that invalidate results). The article explains that "An early vote, cast in person or by mail, means a campaign doesn’t have to pursue that voter with phone calls and door knocks in the final frenzied weeks."

That's why early voting GOTV this weekend is so critical.

IMV's Steering Committee has been working for months to organize a strategic postcard plan to get out the vote for our local Democratic candidates, especially those we have canvassed for and supported. We have postcards to rural Democratic voters and even a postcard that encourages our target voters to turn out to vote for our judicial candidates. Thanks to all those who have already picked up bundles from our boxes around town. It's been heartening to see them disappear so quickly. We have 1000 left to write and we need to get them in the mail very quickly because of Early Voting.

The message of the recent UN Climate report is that we have reached "Code Red for humanity."

IMV's Climate Crisis Working Group is asking all of us to begin a weekly calling effort to demand that both our elected federal representatives and our elected state officials stand up and respond without delay to the urgency of the crisis. If you can call every day, even better. The calls for each issue are counted every single day.

If you've ever marched for women and gender equality, whether in January 2017, many decades before that historic day, or in the years since, and are wondering when you need to show up again, the answer is TOMORROW AT 2 PM for the Utica Women's March. This critical event is about reproductive freedom and justice, and everything is at stake. We love children and families, women and wombs, and society prioritizing care for all of the above, but no one should be FORCED to bear children or give birth. More than 500 marches are currently registered across the country.

It was wonderful to see so many of you at our September IMV meeting on Zoom Monday! We covered a lot of ground including updates on local canvassing and postcards, legislative efforts in Washington, and planning for our Utica Women's March on Oct. 2. Please read the details and check out our IMV calendar so you don't miss anything. 

IMV is moving back to Zoom for our September meeting. Monday, Sept. 20th, 7-8:30 pm.

We have a full agenda as always including an overview from The Center about the expected influx of Afghan refugees, legislative updates, info on our door knocking and postcard efforts for local candidates, and an update on the Oct. 2 Utica Women's March for reproductive freedom.

Based on your responses to our IMV survey about volunteering to support campaigns this year, we have planned our first door-knocking event for Sunday in support of Anthony Brindisi for Supreme Court and Karen Stanislaus for Oneida County Family Court Judge.

We're kicking off our IMV local election action! There will be something for everyone in terms of work that helps our awesome local candidates. Postcards writing is just a couple weeks ahead--so block off some time now, postcard writers!

The core of our work ahead is canvassing for those who can do it, and postcards for everyone to work on in the evenings and when canvassing isn't happening. Remember that local elections are where our volunteer hours have the biggest impact, because even a few votes can make the difference in a local election. Let's do the work and win!

Are you still reeling from local floods, rising temperatures this summer, and the UN's 2021 Climate Report? Don't be paralyzed by hopelessness. Join with IMV friends and TAKE ACTION.

The Climate Crisis Working Group is having a Climate Jobs & Justice Rally on Friday, August 27th from 4-5 pm at the intersection of the Parkway and Genesee Street (MVCC side) to bring attention to the urgency of Climate Change on a national, state and local level. This is very timely with the IPCC report calling for deep reductions in CO2 levels and greenhouse gas emissions. So please bring signs such as Electric Vehicles, Renewables, Solar Panels, Heat Pumps, New Electric Grid and join together with friends.

Whew! We had a whirlwind meeting under the Pavilion at Cherrywood on Tuesday night, and thanks to our facilitator, Dawn Laguerre, we finished just before the rain arrived. (If you missed it, this is the survey you should take asap), then read on to see what we covered at our August meeting:

The 2021 local elections are approaching fast. We all know that building the bench locally is a necessity to our long term ability to hold power and make it easy to make the laws that lead to a more just, equitable, and sustainable future. As in 2017 and 2019, IMV will use its people power to help elect candidates who reflect IMV’s progressive values. This year, we’d like to choose regular days and times that IMV members will work together to canvass or do lit drops or postcards. We may help a different candidate each week, but always as a group. The goal is to have fun together AND help progressive candidates get elected! (We know some candidates have already organized specific canvassing nights, and we will try to pick other times that won’t conflict.)

Indivisible National's co-founders, Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, have the cutest little baby, a nine month old named Zeke. If you're on the email list, you've probably seen pics. Poor little Zeke has had both his mom, and then his dad, arrested in the past couple weeks. Read on for a message from Ezra.

Progress on infrastructure and the budget resolution matter because we need to keep up the momentum and remind Democrats of the key message of the most recent Indivisible Guide: Go big, go fast, get it right. And nowhere is that urgency more important than on getting the For The People Act over the finish line before recess. As Ezra tweeted following news that some Democrats are closer to working to find agreement on S. 1:

"We're at that stage of the fight where nobody really knows if we're maybe winning or maybe losing. Don't let this fog cloud what *you* can do. SHOW UP. Tell the Senate to put off recess til they reform the filibuster and pass the damn democracy bill."