Happy Tuesday Activists!
We hope you're having a good week. Pop quiz--ever wonder about the derivation of the word "quarantine?" Not surprisingly, it originated in mid-14th century Europe. Read all about it here. And now you know!
The baseball part is at the bottom, but first, we've got some fun stuff coming your way, like our event next week. We hope you'll join us to relax and watch a new documentary together.
OUR NEXT GROUP EVENT
We have an exciting event for everyone next Wednesday evening. We’ll be hosting a Netflix Watch Party to view the new documentary by Michele Obama, entitled BECOMING. We’ll be using the new platform, Netflix Party. We can all watch the movie at the same time and there’s a chat box for comments. Here are all the details:
What: Netflix Watch Party – "Becoming"
When: Wednesday, May 20, 7:00 pm
In order to join the fun on Wednesday night, you'll need to set up Netflix Party first--but don't worry, it's super easy! You’ll need to set up Chrome on your laptop or desktop computer. (Netflix Party will ONLY work in the Chrome browser, and unfortunately doesn't work on tablets or smartphones.) All the instructions will be in your confirmation email to set up Chrome (if you don’t have it already).
Again, all the details are in the confirmation email after you sign up. We’ll keep you in the loop to be part of this!
VOTING BY MAIL – RECEIVE YOUR BALLOT YET?
Hopefully you’ve all signed up to vote by mail. If you haven’t, you need to get onboard for a few reasons. First, sign up here if you haven’t already. You can also download a printed application at that site and mail it in. Or call to have an application mailed to you at 877-VOTESPA.
You can see all the reasons to sign up for this in last week’s newsletter here.
Finally, our great Katie created a cool poster that you can hang in your window to tell your neighbors they should vote by mail too. Here is the link to it so you can print it out and hang it proudly. Take a photo and send it to us so we can show everyone on our social media!
CALL TO ACTION
No more waiting for “Next Time” – Next Time is here
You can see our previous Calls To Action, which are still a good thing for you to do, on our website here.
Sen. Casey – Phila office 215-405-9660; D.C. office 202-224-6324; email link
Sen. Toomey – Phila office 215-241-1090; D.C. office 202-224-4254; email link
Rep. Evans – D.C. office 202-225-4001; Phila. office (215) 276-0340; email link
Rep. Boyle – D.C. office (202) 225-6111; Phila office (215) 335-3355; email link
Speaker Pelosi is speeding to finalize a new multitrillion-dollar coronavirus relief package, hoping to put the bill on the House floor this week. To be honest, this bill – as important as it is – is unlikely to become law because Republicans are in control of the Senate and the White House. That won’t change until we take back power in November.
But what it can do is signal to the Senate exactly what a People’s Agenda looks like, setting a bold marker for what we want and help define the agenda. Right now there are different factions within the Democratic party trying to shape this bill, including efforts from moderates to water down the marker bill. That’s why we need to demand that Democrats propose a bold bill and show up for the people of this country.
We need to see:
✅ Direct financial relief.
✅ An Essential Workers Bill of Rights.
✅ Protections from mass layoffs.
✅ Election security measures in the form of universal vote-by-mail.
Your action now can put us in the best possible position to influence the next coronavirus bill.
Call our MOCs and demand they vote NO unless the next package has provisions that:
1. Keep people on payrolls: Stop mass layoffs, and preserve employment relationships for all businesses, including small businesses. Ensure federal dollars go to workers and small businesses, not enriching CEOs and Wall Street.
2. Provide financial relief: Expand aid for the most vulnerable in the epidemic, including direct cash assistance, increased food aid, debt relief, and eviction protections.
3. Protect public health: Full health coverage for all COVID-19 care and protections for all frontline workers.
4. Defend elections: Enact a vote-by-mail requirement for 2020 federal elections while maintaining access to in-person voting for those who do not have access to mail voting. Full funding for the Postal Service is a requirement to make this happen too.
After you make a call, follow up using Indivisible two tools to easily tweet and email. We’re hearing right now that social media is a more effective tool to engage with our members of Congress than usual because of remote working and social distancing. Let them know you’re paying attention.
Click this link to tweet at your representative and demand they vote 'no' on the next package unless it puts people first.
Click this link to email your representative after you've called and tweeted to follow up.
TURN PA BLUE “CANDID CANDIDATE” SERIES
This candidate forum series will introduce you to many inspiring PA state candidates, some you may have met at our last in-person meeting, and some we’ve already written postcards for.
Tonight’s Candid Candidate event is at 7:00 pm and features Claudette Williams, running for State Rep. of the 176th House District in Monroe County.
Claudette is a retired Sergeant-Major in the U.S. Army with over 30 years of experience on the field. She is currently the President of the Borough Council in Mt. Pocono Borough and the Police Commissioner for the Pocono Regional Police. Claudette is involved in several civic organizations including the African American Network, National Council of Negro Women, the Veteran of Foreign Wars, the League of Women Voters, the Disabled American Veterans and a member of the PA State Veteran Causes.
PHONEBANKING
Tell Voters About PA’s New Vote By Mail
We’ve made a staggering number of calls already. This is how we get Dems elected – remember Wisconsin?
Join this Saturday’s Back 2 Blue Phone Bank. The new phone bank system eliminates calls with no answer or an answering machine, so all the calls go to a person who answers the phone – no wasted time. Choose an hour or two to make calls between 11 AM-8 PM. You can sign up here for any shift.
Training is optional but recommended. Sign up for phone bank training HERE.
Make Calls from the Couch at Your Convenience! Choose from the full line-up of Back to Blue open virtual phone banks HERE. Check out Turn PA Blue Phone Banking Tips HERE.
Call & Tell Philly To Complete The Census!
This pandemic has highlighted the importance of a good healthcare system. How do we ensure we have it? By completing your Census! The Census determines the amount of funding that goes to, among other places, our hospitals! Get counted and you’re making a contribution to our community!
Then, you can to sign up to make a few calls to our fellow residents to ask them to fill out their Census form too. Here’s how to do it:
Sign up here to make some calls. It’s really easy and the system removes the rings with no one home or an answering machine. So you get only real people on the other end. Here are instructions on how to set up your account for the phone bank.
Also – Remember to fill out your Census! You still haven’t? This is your reminder!!
POSTCARDS
Some comments from our member postcard writers:
“I really enjoyed meeting new people, and getting work done at the same time. You guys from Philadelphia are really inspiring with your efforts.” ~ Fran, after her first Virtual Cards & Coffee party last week.
“My mind is still blown daily at the incompetence and ill will coming from the WH . . . and utter disregard for life: human and otherwise. So I am in need of finding a positive focus to put my energy behind. This activity helps . . . as does the support of the group. Thanks, and “see” you soon!” – Lucinda
It’s been fun writing cards together even though we’re not in the room together.
And of course, if you don’t want to write postcards with a group, no problem – just write cards at home. It all helps! Details are below.
We’ve been writing to voters in critical states to remind them to double-check their voter registration status. We’re also writing to more Florida voters to tell them to sign up to vote by mail. We’ll be adding more options as we go along. This is guaranteed to relieve your anxiety and give you confidence you are making a difference.
Here’s how it works:
– Step One: Order postcards from the Postal Service at this link. They are 39 cents each, including the stamp, and are the cheapest way to buy cards and stamps.
– Step Two: Email us at info@indivisiblephiladelphia.com and let us know you want to write cards and we’ll get you all the information you need.
– Step Three: We will send you addresses, a script and instructions for you to write the cards. We’ll replenish your supply of addresses as needed.
Our weekly virtual postcards parties are listed below, each on Zoom so we can write postcards “together.”
Virtual Postcard Events
We’ll be doing these events every week so order your postcards now. They’re taking about 10 days to arrive. The Zoom meeting link will be at the bottom of your confirmation email. For easy access, all of our events are at this link.
Virtual Cards & Coffee
TOMORROW, May 13, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (stay for as long as you want). Sign up here.
Wednesday, May 20, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (stay for as long as you want). Sign up here.
Virtual Cards & Cocktails
This Thursday, May 14, 6-8 pm (stay for as long as you want). Sign up here
Thursday, May 21, 6-8 pm (stay for as long as you want) Sign up here.
MORE IDEAS FOR SPENDING QUALITY INDOOR TIME
Here we go with more fun stuff! If you missed our ideas from last week, find them on the Newsletter page on our Indivisible Philadelphia website here.
BASEBALL!!
Yes, it’s Korean baseball, but still….See what’s going on and how you can watch the games. It'll give us a taste until the Phillies are back in action.
Free Online Photography Classes –
– Nikon – While the in-depth courses normally cost anywhere between $15 to $50 each, you can currently register for any (or all) of the virtual classes on Nikon School’s website, totally free. Nikon is also hosting “The Best of Nikon Live,” an online compilation of video presentations from photography professionals such as Carol Guzy, four-time Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post photojournalist, sourced from the Nikon Live archives.
– Leica – Leica has announced its series of free online educational talks as part of its #StayHomeWithLeica program.
More Performances --
Nightly Metropolitan Opera Livestreams –
Each day, the Met features a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series. They are available for free streaming on the Met website, with each performance available for a period of 23 hours, from 7:30 p.m. EDT until 6:30 p.m. the following day.
Broadway performances
Theater-streaming service BroadwayHD is offering a seven-day free trial (before a monthly or yearly subscription) so users can livestream full-length shows from Broadway, which will now remain dark in New York City through June 7. The site has a hefty archive of Broadway performances with everything from Cats (1998) and Swan Lake (2015) to Sweeney Todd (1982).
New York City Ballet’s spring 2020 season
New York City Ballet (NYCB) is going digital for its now-canceled spring 2020 season by streaming recorded performances from its repertory every Tuesday and Friday at 8 p.m. (EST) through May. The virtual performances spotlight classic works filmed during recent seasons at the Lincoln Center, including classic ballets such as George Balanchine’s Apollo (filmed in January 2019). Each performance will be available on NYCB’s YouTube channel, Facebook, and homepage for 72 hours after it streams.
Museum Tours –
American Museum of Natural History
Similarly, New York City’s American Museum of Natural History is making its previously recorded tours of the museum halls available on Facebook Live every day at 2 p.m. (EST) throughout its closure. The virtual tours, which are led by museum guides, take viewers through collections in the museum’s Hall of African Mammals, Hall of the North American Forests, Hall of Meteorites, and more. A collection of the museum’s educational materials (for children and adults) has also been made available to the public for free; you can find scientific articles and videos on topics including climate change and human health, as well as science classes, games, and quizzes for kids, on the museum’s website.
Baltimore Museum of Art
The Baltimore Museum of Art is offering virtual gallery walks of several exhibitions currently installed as part of the museum’s year-long 2020 Visioninitiative, which is dedicated to highlighting the works of female-identifying artists. Virtual tours of various museum exhibits are available on BMA’s website, including Baltimore-born artist SHAN Wallace’s exhibit, 410, which the photographer describes as a love letter to the beauty, complexity, and resilience of her hometown.
And animals!
You can watch gorillas in the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (or GRACE), located near the Tayna Nature Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Watch them in this Live Gorilla Cam
Stay Safe. Stay Inside. See You Soon