Unleash Your Activist!
March 22, 2017
Downtown Silver Spring
THIS WEEK’S
WHAT CAN I DO?
Rally and March for the ACA
Thursday, March 23, 1pm, Freedom Plaza, 14th St. NW and Pennsylvania Ave. This is the seventh anniversary of the day President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. For the past seven years, Republicans in Congress have attempted to repeal the ACA, and for the past seven years, they have failed. This year, they’ve come closer than ever before, and on March 23, 2017, they’re hoping to finally pass a bill: one that would result in higher premiums, massive tax cuts for corporations, and 24 million people losing their health care. Join Indivisible, CPD Action, Health Care for America Now, People's Action, PICO, CASA, SPACES, Virginia New Majority, and other partners for a rally and march in support of the ACA. RSVP on Facebook.
Join a Candlelight Vigil Against Hate
Friday, March 24, 6:00-6:30pm, on the steps of Tifereth Israel, 7701 16th St NW (corner of 16th and Juniper). Take a moment before the start of the Jewish Sabbath to come together for a candlelight vigil for Srinivas Kuchibhotla and many other individuals and communities across the United States who have suffered from hate crimes, violence, and fear in recent months. Full invitation and dinner sign-up here.
Register Voters in Virginia
Sunday afternoon, March 26, Unleash Your Activist will be joining New Virginia Majority for voter registration! Please join us as we help register voters, especially citizens from immigrant and minority communities, to help them fully participate in our democracy. This is important and valuable in and of itself. But for those of us motivated to resist Trump and his allies, registering more voters, especially minority voters will also help achieve our goal to elect progressive candidates who share our values. We will meet in DC - I suggest near Woodley Park metro - at noon to drive over together to the NVM office at 3801 Mt. Vernon Ave. in Alexandria where our brief but thorough training will begin at 1:00, after which we’ll set up at recommended locations. Will you attend? Can you drive some of us on Sunday? Have questions? Please let Michael know: Contact Michael by email or call (202) 706-0575.
Mark Your Resistance Calendar
Make the most of whatever time you can spare. Info on the Resistance Calendar.
THIS WEEK'S
PROGRESS
Understanding the Needs of Refugees and Asylum-Seekers
At Sunday’s Unleash Your Activist meeting, Jennifer Geetter gave a vivid description of the many different categories and circumstances of new immigrants in the U.S. and their consequent needs. We learned in particular about the unmet needs of asylum seekers, who don’t receive any systematic assistance. For those who want to give some much-needed relief to relief organization workers, consider volunteering at or delivering a meal to Tahirih Justice Center, Human Rights First, CAIR, Legal Justice Center, or CASA de Maryland. After the information session, a large group met to determine action steps while others wrote postcards to elected representatives on a variety of issues. Meeting notes available here. To connect on action steps for immigrants, contact Ariel.
Did you take action? Do you spot progress? Do you have an action item to share? Write in by Tuesday for next week’s newsletter. Thanks to all who provided info for this one!
Unleash Your Activist
Neighbors helping neighbors engage on local & national issues.
Affiliated with Bend the Arc (a Jewish social justice organization)
and Indivisible (making Congress listen through best practices).
To communicate with the whole group email unleash-your-activist@googlegroups.com
To suggest an item, update, or correction, contact amyeisner@gmail.com. Photos welcome!
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