Your weekend update! Get your Activist 2024 off the ground with these events

I hope you had a happy and restful holiday season — and are even more energized to take action in the new year.

This Sunday’s Activist Afternoon Launch Party has been rescheduled due to the incoming storm. But don’t worry–you can still join fellow activists online this Sunday, January 7th from 3:30-5pm in making calls to voters about important issues before the State House, including tenant protections and climate action. RSVP here.

Stay tuned for a new date for the Make Polluters Pay Holiday Party, which was previously scheduled for this Sunday as well. And see below for more opportunities to take action including our 2024 Annual Meeting on Saturday, January 27th from 1-5pm at Lasell University in Newton!

Sunday, 1/21: Activist Afternoons Launch Party

We’ll be joining with other groups for a re-launch of an in-person Activist Afternoons on Sunday, January 21st, at 4 pm at St. James’s Episcopal Church in Porter Square. The launch event will have some socializing and networking before people go off to take action.
RSVP here


 

Wednesday, 1/10: Mass. Housing Crisis Forum

At this forum, you will hear stories from people facing personal housing crises. You will learn how many people in the Commonwealth are unhoused and which populations are most at risk. You will learn about emergency measures, including rent control, that are needed now, and strategies for implementing them. You will also learn how many new units of housing need to be built to make a significant difference to people who need suitable housing. You will also learn what for-profit developers can provide to solve the crisis. Finally, you will learn about two new programs, community land trusts and social housing that provide practical solutions to some of our biggest challenges.

This forum — on Wednesday, January 10, at 7 PM, on Zoom — is brought to you by the Mass Progressive Action Organizing Committee (MPAOC).

The Forum includes presentations by Caroline Bays (PM),Martin Omasta (DSA), Katie McCann (CL/VU), Carolyn Chou (HFA), Minnie McMahon (Dudley St. Community Land Trust), Mark Martinez (Mass Law Reform Institute), and Representative Mike Connolly.
RSVP here


 Saturday, January 27: Annual Meeting

Join us on Saturday, January 27, at 1 pm at Lasell University in Newton for our 2024 annual member meeting — back in person! — where we will review accomplishments from the past year, talk about the work ahead in 2024, and host a variety of breakout sessions focused on building skills and digging deeper into policy and action.
RSVP here

January 2024: Ring in the New Year with These Events

  • Attend our 2024 Activist Afternoons launch party on Sunday, January 7th, 4-6 pm at St. James’s Episcopal Church in Porter Square.
  • Join 350 Mass and the Make Polluters Pay Campaign on Sunday, January 7th, 1-3 PM at the Democracy Center, 45 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge, for an afternoon of strategizing and socializing.
  • Join Mass Progressive Action Organizing Committee (MPAOC)’s Mass. Housing Crisis Forum on Wednesday, January 10th, 7-9pm (online) where you will learn more about the multifaceted housing crisis and two new programs that provide practical solutions to some of our biggest challenges.
  • RSVP for Progressive Mass’s 2024 Annual Meeting on Saturday, January 27th, 1-5pm at Lasell University in Newton. We’re excited to see you in person this year.

Save the Date! PM’s Annual Meeting is January 27th

Join us for our 2024 annual member meeting — back in person! — where we will review accomplishments from the past year, talk about the work ahead in 2024, and host a variety of breakout sessions focused on building skills and digging deeper into policy and action.

Saturday, January 27
1 pm to 5 pm
Lasell University, DeWitt Hall
80 Maple Street, Newton
RSVP today!

Our Annual Meeting is open to everyone. However, you must be a member to vote for members up for election or re-election to the Board. You also must be a member to nominate yourself or someone else for election.

Less Than Two Weeks Away: Strategies to Build Progressive Political Power Conference

Massachusetts has the reputation of being one of the most progressive states in the country. Yet we lack legislative transparency, have a progressive Democratic Party platform that the leadership ignores, and have a state government that struggles to pass progressive legislation.

In response, the Massachusetts Progressive Action Organizing Committee (MPAOC) invites you to an online Strategy Conference. We will focus on how progressive activists can gain the power to pass vigorous meaningful legislation and initiate changes to improve the lives of all of our citizens.

In panels and breakout groups, conference attendees will examine paths to increase progressive power, identify the obstacles to our success. and learn strategies to overcome them.

REGISTER HERE


Schedule

9:30 Welcome and call to order

9:50 Nina Turner – Plenary Speaker – founder, We Are Somebody; former Ohio state senator and Bernie Sanders campaigner

10:30 Panel 1 – Social/Economic Consequences in Massachusetts of excess military spending

Three activists who organize to support the social and economic needs of the people of Massachusetts will speak on how the Pentagon budget is starving state and local budgets.

Rep. Mike Connolly, state representative from Cambridge and Somerville, will speak about needed housing policies, including social housing and rent control.

Katie Murphy RN, president of the Mass. Nurses Association, will talk about the crisis in nursing and healthcare as providers try to rebuild the increasingly profit-driven system after COVID.

Jonathan King, professor emeritus of molecular biology at MIT and board co-chair at Mass. Peace Action, will address the impact on the important science and technology industries in Massachusetts.

11:30 Breakouts 1

12:30 Lunch break

1:15 Special presentation – Rep. Max Frost (D-FL)

1:30 Panel 2 – Overcoming Obstacles: Learning From Successful Campaigns

Three speakers from three different, successful Massachusetts-based issue campaigns will name the three largest obstacles to their goals and the strategies they used to overcome them, using examples from their work.

Sonia Chang-Díaz, former State Senator and 2022 candidate for Governor, will talk about how she worked with allies to pass ‘The Student Opportunity Act’, later renamed ‘The Promise Act’, which significantly increased funding to poor school districts.

Harris Gruman, executive director, SEIU State Council, will speak about the successful Raise-Up campaign he helped lead to increase taxes on income over one million dollars (The Fair Share Amendment) to fund public schools and transit.

Tricia Farley Bouvier, state representative from Pittsfield, will tell us about the campaign she helped lead which resulted in qualified undocumented immigrants being able to get driver’s licenses.

2:30 Breakouts 2

3:30 Panel 3 – What Are We Going to Do?

Speakers from grassroots organizations that have advanced the progressive agenda will be asked to identify barriers to continued progress as we enter 2024. Each will be asked to talk about strategies they employ and how they will use them to advance their political agenda.

Andrea Miller, founding board member of the Center for Common Ground, will talk about her work to build Democracy Centers in the U.S. South, addressing in particular the challenge of alienation from electoral work that is growing in communities of color.

Nicky Osborne will speak about her work to organize in southeast Massachusetts against MAGA supporters who are running for school boards with funding from major right-wing organizations. She will talk about the extent of the MAGA threat in Massachusetts and effective organizing techniques.

4:30 Wrap-up

5:00 Adjourn

Wanted: Bold Action on the Climate Crisis

Join us and Mass Power Forward in calling on our legislators to wake up and do more for environmental and climate justice!

Every day, we see new evidence of the dire state of the climate crisis: whether it’s record heat waves, storms, droughts, wild fires.

Your legislators need to hear from YOU that climate justice can’t wait.

RSVP for Mass Power Forward’s decentralized lobby day on Dec 5.

Rather than asking you to travel to the State House for a meeting, this lobby day is focused on in-district meetings with your legislator — at a coffee shop, a library, a community center, or maybe just on Zoom.

The in-district meetings will be focusing on Mass Power Forward’s priority bills.

Putting a moratorium on new gas infrastructure
Making big polluters pay for the costs of climate adaptation
Scaling up our investment in green retrofits
Improving indoor air quality
Advancing environmental justice through siting reform and through strengthening civil rights

Want better prep before the lobby day? You can attend a training on Nov 29.

Sign up here to participate!

MA Can Continue to Lead on Gun Violence Prevention

By Becca Kornet, Progressive Mass Western Norfolk County

Progressive Mass Western Norfolk County and the Medfield Democratic Town Committee co-hosted a virtual event on November 9 focused on gun violence. Rina Schneur from Moms Demand Action Massachusetts highlighted key statistics about gun violence, discussed the work that Moms does, and explained the omnibus gun violence bill recently passed by the State House (H.4139).

Moms Demand Action is an organization that advocates for gun safety laws, supports survivors and local partners, educates the public about secure gun storage, and supports candidates who will be champions for gun violence prevention.

Here are a few of the striking statistics she highlighted:

  • Every day, 120 Americans are killed with guns (up from 100 a day just a few years ago).
  • Firearms are the #1 leading cause of death for American children and teens.
  • While mass shootings are horrific and often motivate people to volunteer and take action, they actually represent <.5% of all gun deaths – the majority of gun deaths are suicides.
  • The gun death rate in the US is 20 times higher than that of other high-income countries.
Firearms are the #1 leading cause of death for American children and teens.
59% of gun deaths (2016-2020) were suicides
The gun death rate in the US is 20 times higher than that of other high income countries.

On October 18, the MA House voted 120 to 38 to pass H.4139: An Act Modernizing Gun Laws. Of Medfield’s two state representatives, Denise Garlick voted for the bill, and Marcus Vaughn voted against it.

Here’s what the bill would do:

  • Strengthen the process for and training associated with obtaining a license to carry a firearm
  • Ensure consistency in all forms of orders of protection and expands categories of people eligible to petition for protection
  • Rein in ghost guns by requiring firearm serialization and requiring the Department of Criminal Justice Information to collect and publish relevant data
  • Require all firearms sold in MA to be sold with locks or safety devices
  • Establish a commission to study the funding structure for violence prevention services and a commission to study and report microstamping and personalized handgun technology
  • Prohibit firearms in sensitive places (e.g., schools)
  • Raise the age of possessing a semi-automatic long gun to 21

The Massachusetts State Senate is working on its own bill, and we expect action by January. Please text MA to 64433 to contact your State Senator and urge them to take action.

Progressive Watertown Hosts Polluters Pay Forum

Prog-Watertown-Polluters-Pay1

By Eileen Ryan, Progressive Watertown

On Sunday, October 22, Progressive Watertown and Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice and the Environment co-hosted an educational forum at the Watertown Public Library about the current Massachusetts Make Polluters Pay bill. The panel discussion was moderated by Watertown resident Connie Henry and included Laurel Schwab, Watertown Senior Environmental Planner, Dan Zackin, 350MA Legislative Coordinator, and Steve Owens, State Representative for the 29th Middlesex District. 

“Make Polluters Pay” is the informal name for An Act Establishing a Climate Change Superfund Promoting Polluter Responsibility, Bill H. 872/S.481. Similar bills are currently in front of the legislatures of Vermont, Maryland, and New York. Make Polluters Pay will provide Massachusetts communities with funds from the largest emitters of greenhouse gases to address the effects of the climate crisis. The funds will be used for resiliency and adaptation projects such as geo-thermal grids, flood mitigation, and the reduction of heat islands. 

Laurel Schwab spoke about the possible use of the funds in Watertown and other Massachusetts cities and towns.

Dan Zackin spoke about broadening the coalition of groups supporting Make Polluters Pay, to include labor unions and environmental justice communities as well as environmental groups. SEIU is already a supporter. 350MA is one of several organizations actively working to educate the public and legislators about the importance of Make Polluters Pay. 

State Rep. Steve Owens who is a co-sponsor of the bill with Senator Jamie Eldridge, spoke about why this bill is important and how it differs from a lawsuit. 

There was a small but well-informed audience that asked thoughtful questions and included three current Watertown City Councilors, one previous counselor, and a candidate for school committee.

Want to find out if your legislators are already supporters? Check out our Scorecard page here.

Show Your Support for Public Education by Showing up for the Thrive Act Next Week

Sign up to let us know that you’re joining us for the Thrive Act hearing on October 4th!

Location: Gardner Auditorium

Time: 2pm – 8pm


The Thrive Act (H.495/S.246) would end the state’s ineffective approach to educational assessment and improvement by:

  1. Replacing the undemocratic and ineffective state takeover of local public schools with actual improvement plans and processes
  2. Replacing the (mis)use of MCAS as a graduation requirement with graduation based on successful completion of coursework that meets state standards and frameworks
  3. Establishing a commission to create an authentic, whole-child system for assessment and accountability.

The state has a responsibility to help all students and schools succeed, but, even by their own measures, the state’s interventions have not worked. It’s time to replace top-down ineffective punitive approaches with approaches that build local capacity, address root causes, and truly help students thrive.

In addition to showing up, here’s how you can help:

  1. Testify in person or virtually! Share your story about why this is important to you. Sign up to testify here! (deadline: October 3rd at 3 pm)
  2. Submit written testimony! Use this tool to craft your own testimony to send to the Education Committee.
  3. Help us spread the message about the hearing!

It’s Back to School at the MA State House. Here’s How You Can Support Public Education.

Earlier this month was back to school season. The backpacks big and small. The school buses. The returning college students. The proud parents taking photos.

Back-to-school season is always a reminder of how critical a reminder of is how critical our investments in public education are. Schools open doors to students for skills, experiences, and pathways to their future lives. Our public schools are anchors of communities. They are engines of democracy and economic opportunity. And they are essential vehicles for reducing economic and racial disparities.

That’s why we’re fighting for legislation this session to improve the full spectrum of education, from child care and pre-K to K-12 schools to public higher ed. Here’s what’s happening–and how you can help.

This Past Monday: Cherish Act Hearing

On Monday, more than a hundred people were in Gardner Auditorium at the State House to support the Cherish Act.

The Cherish Act lays out a comprehensive blueprint for supporting public higher education:

  • debt-free public higher education
  • increased student supports
  • better wages and working conditions
  • green & healthy buildings

Over the course of the hearing, the Joint Committee on Higher Education heard powerful testimony from students struggling to make ends meet, graduates facing mountains of debt, and adjunct faculty lacking basic benefits on the job, underscoring the importance of investing in public higher ed.

If you weren’t able to attend on Monday, here are two things you can still do:

  1. Action Network: Urge the Higher Education Committee to report the Cherish Act favorably out of committee: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/urge-your-legislators-to-support-the-cherish-act/.
  2. Follow the Higher Ed for All coalition on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mahigheredforall

Wednesday, October 4: Thrive Act Hearing

Sign up to share that you’re joining us for the Thrive Act hearing on October 4th!

Location: Gardner Auditorium

Time: 2pm – 8pm

The Thrive Act would end the state’s ineffective approach to educational assessment and improvement by:

  • Replacing the undemocratic and ineffective state takeover of local public schools with actual improvement plans and processes
  • Replacing the (mis)use of MCAS as a graduation requirement with graduation based on successful completion of coursework that meets state standards and frameworks
  • Establishing a commission to create an authentic, whole-child system for assessment and accountability.

The state has a responsibility to help all students and schools succeed, but, even by their own measures, the state’s interventions have not worked. It’s time to replace top-down ineffective punitive approaches with approaches that build local capacity, address root causes, and truly help students thrive.

In addition to showing up, here’s how you can help:

  • Testify in person or virtually! Share your story about why this is important to you. Sign up to testify here! (deadline: October 3rd at 3 pm)
  • Join a Testimony workshop: If you’d like support with your testimony, attend a testimony writing workshop hosted by the Thrive Act Coalition.
  • Help us spread the message about the hearing!


Tuesday, October 17: Common Start Hearing

Massachusetts families need affordable and accessible child care and early education. Instead, our state has some of the highest costs in the country, while at the same time many providers are at risk of closure and early educators are not compensated enough for their work. It’s clear: we need a new system.

The Common Start bills would strengthen our commonwealth’s child care and early education infrastructure through a combination of direct-to-provider operational funding and family financial assistance to reduce costs to families while compensating providers for the true cost of providing quality care.

The legislative hearing for the Common Start bills will be on October 17th at 1:00 PM. While the room is yet to be announced, we know that it’s critical for Common Start to show up in full force and pack the hearing room so the Legislature and the Joint Committee on Education know how much support there is for affordable, accessible, early education and care!

The coalition will be organizing buses from various parts of the state and wants to gauge interest. If you can join on October 17 at the State House and would be interested in organized transportation, please fill out this form.

If you would like to write testimony in support of H.489 / S.301, feel free to reference our written testimony guidelines and written testimony template, and if you have any questions about writing testimony, please reach out to James at james@field-first.com.

Join us to rally for early ed & child care!

Common-Start-Coalition

This week is a big week for me and my family–my 2.5 year old son just began a day-care program for the first time! I feel excited, proud, and very lucky.

I want every parent in our state to feel the excitement and security that I feel right now in being able to send my child to a high-quality and affordable day care, yet we currently face a crisis in high-quality, affordable, and accessible early education and care in Massachusetts.

Please join me and the Common Start Coalition for a family-friendly rally at the State House on July 13th.

Date and Time: Thursday, July 13 at 11:00 AM

Location: Grand Staircase, Massachusetts State House, Boston

Travel: Common Start is providing bus service from several locations across the state. Indicate if you need transportation when you RSVP

Interpretation: Spanish interpretation will be available

CLICK HERE TO RSVP!

This is our opportunity to remind the legislature about the importance of the Common Start vision, thank them for funding early education and child care in this year’s state budget, and urge them to build on those investments by passing H.489 and S.301 to establish a system of affordable, high-quality early education and child care for Massachusetts families!

Following a brief speaking program, children and their families will lead a march through the State House to demonstrate the power of our coalition and to highlight solutions to the child care crisis. Art and other activities for children will be a part of the event. I hope you will join us!