This year — likely this MONTH, the Massachusetts Legislature will be drawing the legislative and Congressional districts for the next decade. The Drawing Democracy Coalition recently released a Unity Map informed by community groups across the state. What are the key features of this map? How does one set priorities in redistricting? What makes a map fair? And how can we be effective advocates?
We’ll have a discussion with Jordan Berg Powers of Mass Alliance, Beth Huang of the Massachusetts Voter Table, and Roberto Jiménez Rivera of the Boston Teachers Union. (Additional speakers may be announced.)
Today, just days before the U.S. Supreme Court begins a new session that will include a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, organizations dedicated to reproductive health, rights, and justice are joining together to demonstrate clearly and unequivocally that we will not allow abortion to be outlawed — and that we are ready to fight to protect, defend, and expand access to abortion for everyone, no matter what.
The biggest rally today will be the one in Boston at 12:00 PM in Franklin Park. RSVP: bit.ly/bostonrallytodefendabortion.
But there are also rallies and standouts in every corner of the Commonwealth. Find the closest one to you here.
In her book Don’t Blame Us: Suburban Liberals and the Transformation of the Democratic Party, Lily Geismer traces the evolution of modern liberalism by focusing on the suburban organizing along the high-tech corridor of Route 128 around Boston in the 1950s and 1960s. Surveying political fights around fair housing, education, war/peace, and land use, Geismer explores both the possibilities and limitations of such organizing, with important lessons for activists of today.
What can we learn about the political landscape in our state, and how can the history of such organizing inform our work today? We invited Worcester School Committee Member Tracy O’Connell Novick to facilitate a discussion with Geismer. Check it out!
In her book Don’t Blame Us: Suburban Liberals and the Transformation of the Democratic Party, Lily Geismer traces the evolution of modern liberalism by focusing on the suburban organizing along the high-tech corridor of Route 128 around Boston in the 1950s and 1960s. Surveying political fights around fair housing, education, war/peace, and land use, Geismer explores both the possibilities and limitations of such organizing, with important lessons for activists of today.
What can we learn about the political landscape in our state, and how can the history of such organizing inform our work today? Worcester School Committee Member Tracy O’Connell Novick will facilitate the discussion.
This past weekend marked the first time that Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday.
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery, with its date stemming from when the Union General Gordon Granger formally announced enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas.
Juneteenth is a day to celebrate, but also a reminder of how much work is still to be done, as the legacies of slavery live on in our policing systems, carceral systems, housing segregation, inequalities of wealth and access to public goods, and more.
WEDNESDAY: Driving Families Forward Hearing Watch Party
The Driving Families Forward Coalition will be hosting a virtual watch and action party for supporters and coalition partners from 2-4PM on Wednesday, June 23rd, during the bill’s hearing!
RSVP HERE to join.
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SATURDAY: FREEDOM TO VOTE RALLY
Join us at the Freedom to Vote Rally on 6/26/21 at 2 – 3:30PM in the Boston Common! There is overwhelming public support for voting rights! Push the Senate to pass S.1 for the People Act.
Join Indivisible Mass Coalition, Swing Blue Alliance, NAACP-Boston, Common Cause MA, Progressive Mass, JALSA, Act on Mass, Free Speech for People, Mass Peace Action, TPS Alliance, Indivisible Acton Area & others at the Rally.
Your strong voice at this critical moment is essential. The fate of our democracy hangs in the balance. This rally is one of the thousands of events to be held across the country to demonstrate massive grassroots support of the For the People Act.
Voter suppression has a disproportionate impact on voters of color. The Boston Freedom to Vote rally will coincide with the arrival in Washington D.C. of the Freedom Ride bus tour. This bus tour, organized by Black Voters Matter, commemorates the 60th anniversary of the original Freedom Ride movement as a means to unite voters in the fight to protect voting rights. We cannot let legislators continue to strip away voting rights, particularly impacting Black voters.
To meet this moment, we are assembling all the supports that are needed, including event marshals and peacekeepers, water stations, medical support and a fully equipped stage with a state of the art sound system. If you can volunteer, please email debi.cpaul@gmail.com.
Join us at the Freedom to Vote Rally on 6/26/21 at 2 – 3:30PM in the Boston Common! There is overwhelming public support for voting rights! Push the Senate to pass S.1 for the People Act.
Join Indivisible Mass Coalition, Swing Blue Alliance, NAACP-Boston, Common Cause MA, Progressive Mass, JALSA, Act on Mass, Free Speech for People, Mass Peace Action, TPS Alliance, Indivisible Acton Area & others at the Rally.
Your strong voice at this critical moment is essential. The fate of our democracy hangs in the balance. This rally is one of the thousands of events to be held across the country to demonstrate massive grassroots support of the For the People Act.
Voter suppression has a disproportionate impact on voters of color. The Boston Freedom to Vote rally will coincide with the arrival in Washington D.C. of the Freedom Ride bus tour. This bus tour, organized by Black Voters Matter, commemorates the 60th anniversary of the original Freedom Ride movement as a means to unite voters in the fight to protect voting rights. We cannot let legislators continue to strip away voting rights, particularly impacting Black voters.
To meet this moment, we are assembling all the supports that are needed, including event marshals and peacekeepers, water stations, medical support and a fully equipped stage with a state of the art sound system. If you can volunteer, please email debi.cpaul@gmail.com.
Next Wednesday @ 6 PM: Democracy Denied Town Hall
A town hall discussion on hyper-incarceration’s effect on political power, and the movement to ensure democracy does not stop at prisons and jails.
Presented by the Democracy Behind Bars Coalition, Senator Adam Hinds, and Representatives Tyler and Miranda
We’ll be providing some updates about the organization, electing some new board members, and having breakout sessions on a wide range of key topics, such as:
Beacon Hill 101
What’s Wrong With the Massachusetts State House — and How Can We Fix It?
The Massachusetts Budget Dilemma: Wealthy State, Inequitable Services
Housing for All: Tackling the Affordable Housing and Evictions Crises
What the COVID Pandemic Reveals about Our Government
Police Reform: What Happened, and What’s Next?
Biden is President Now, So Why Are Massachusetts Immigrants Still at Risk?
Building a Green & Equitable 21st Century Infrastructure
Redistricting 101
Progressive Mass Q&A
There will be two periods of breakout sessions for the afternoon.
Breakouts 1
Beacon Hill 101
Facilitator: Jonathan Cohn
How does a bill become a law anyway? What is the timeline of the legislative process, and where are the best opportunities to engage? We’ll discuss the in’s & out’s of the legislative process and what that means for our work in the coming year.
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What’s Wrong With the Massachusetts State House — and How Can We Fix It?
Speakers:
Jonathan Hecht, former State Representative (2009-2020)
Galen Hall and Trevor Culhane – Co-authors of “Who’s Delaying Climate Action in Massachusetts? Twelve Findings” (CSSN Research Report 2021), Institute for Environment and Society, Brown University
Facilitators: Margaret Heitz and Leslie Greffenius
Every system is perfectly designed for the results that it gets. And if we aren’t seeing the progressive policy we want to see in the MA State House, at least part of that is structural. What are the structural impediments to passing progressive policy in the MA State House? What role do a lack of transparency and an over-centralization play, and how can we change both the culture and the outcomes? What can we learn from other states?
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The Massachusetts Budget Dilemma: Wealthy State, Inequitable Services
Speaker: Monique Ching, Policy Analyst at Mass Budget
Facilitator: Rachel Poliner
Massachusetts is one of the wealthiest states in the country. So why do we continually fail to invest in our education, transportation, and health care systems to the extent we need? How has the pandemic made existing budget inequities worse, and how can we fight for a budget that serves community needs and reflects our values?
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What the COVID Pandemic Reveals about Our Government
Speakers:
Mike Hugo, Director of Government Affairs of Mass Association of Health Boards
Carlene Pavlos, Executive Director of the Mass Public Health Association
Roberto Jiménez Rivera, Chelsea School Committeeman and political organizer at the Boston Teachers Union
Facilitator: John Kyriakis
The vaccine rollout in Massachusetts has been a disaster for everyone, but it has been particularly devastating to the communities of color who have already been disproportionately sickened and killed by the virus. Meanwhile, Gov. Baker continues to cater to the interests of the business community, opening the state prematurely, and calling for the opening of schools without adequately vaccinating teachers and staff. What pre-existing inequities has COVID brought to light, and how can we ensure an equitable response now and an equitable recovery and government beyond?
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Police Reform: What Happened and What’s Next?
Speakers:
Oami Amarasingham, Deputy Legislative Director at ACLU of Massachusetts
The MA Legislature recently passed an omnibus police reform bill. What made it in, and what didn’t? How can we continue the fight for police accountability and a community-centered vision of public safety at both the state and local levels?
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Breakouts 2
Housing for All: Tackling the Affordable Housing and Evictions Crises
Speakers:
State Rep. Nika Elugardo
Karen Chen, Executive Director of the Chinese Progressive Association
Isaac Simon Hodes, Director of Lynn United for Change
Facilitator: Etel Haxhiaj
Massachusetts has one of the highest qualities of life in the US, but with some of the least affordable housing, it is out of reach for too many. Housing instability was already widespread pre-COVID, and the pandemic has brought it to dangerous levels. How can we deliver on the promise of housing for all?
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Biden is President Now, So Why Are Massachusetts Immigrants Still at Risk?
Speakers:
Laura Rotolo, Staff Counsel and Community Advocate, ACLU Massachusetts
Dalida Rocha, Political Director, SEIU Local 615
Brenda Quintana, Immigrant Worker Center Organizer, Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health
Facilitators: Leslie Greffenius and Zayda Ortiz
Relieved by the election of a new president in November, many assume that undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts are no longer at risk. But the previous administration was merely a wakeup call; undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts have, for decades, been particularly susceptible to wage theft and other crimes, domestic abuse, and family separation. And when immigrants are unsafe, it turns out, we are all less safe. This session will explore the reasons for the situation we are in and some of the bills that will help Massachusetts chart a safer course.
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Building a Green & Equitable 21st Century Infrastructure
Speakers:
Cabell Eames, Legislative Manager for 350 Mass/Better Future Project
Jarred Johnson, Chief Operating Officer at Transit Matters
Yanisa Techagumthorn, Electoral Team Lead at Sunrise Boston and Associate Transportation Planner at Nelson\Nygaard Consulting
Facilitator: Jonathan Cohn
Over the past year, we’ve seen both the beauty of car-free streets and the ugliness of disinvestment from public transit. And in the omnibus climate bill that the Legislature will finalize any day now, transportation is notably missing. What steps should we be taking to bring our infrastructure into the 21st century and to ensure that equity is at the forefront?
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What to Expect (and Fight for) in Redistricting in MA
Speakers:
Beth Huang, Executive Director of Mass Voter Table
Avi Green, Senior Advisor at the New School
Rahsaan Hall from the ACLU
Moderator: Ziba Cranmer
This year, Massachusetts will be redrawing the borders of state legislative and Congressional districts. What does the process look like? How can we ensure that underrepresented communities are able to make their voices heard, and what lessons can we learn from the last redistricting cycle?
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Progressive Mass Q&A
Facilitator: Rachel Poliner
Curious about chapters, committees, finances, etc? Have ideas for events, fundraisers, building up for 2022? Come with your questions and ideas.
For the sake of the children separated from families and for the safety of undocumented citizens who are our neighbors,in order to #KeepFamiliesTogether let’s demand from our representatives that they make this the first order of business when they re-convene in January 2019.
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