Happy Friday, Activists!
For those who celebrate, we hope you are enjoying the five days of Diwali – the Indian festival of lights. For those who want to know more, this holiday's theme is light prevailing over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. Seems amazingly appropriate for our times. See how it is celebrated in India and how New York City lights up for Diwali.
And don't forget this week's Calls To Action in this past Tuesday's newsletter. We need to keep the pressure on our Members of Congress.
Now, on to this week's elections. We know Tuesday’s results were pretty disappointing. The political pundits will continue to theorize the reasons for Tuesday's results, but we won't really know the whole story until experts have the data and time to come to well-informed conclusions. Hopefully that will help inform our strategy going forward.
Plus, this week's results don't change our mission to elect Democrats next year. In fact, the losses in Virginia and Pennsylvania make us more motivated and determined to get infrequent voters out to vote. We can’t take anything for granted! You’ll see our plans for next year in the coming weeks, as we continue to improve our Three New Projects started this year.
Until then, we have some great events for you in the next two weeks. See you there!
RALLY TO PROTECT DEMOCRACY November 10, 5:00 pm
Join us on November 10 at 5:00 pm for a short action to show that the Senate must pass The Freedom To Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act – and end the filibuster to do it. We'll have light-up signs and we’ll hold other signs and ask drivers around City Hall to honk for democracy! Where: Broad Street at the south side of City Hall Sign up here.
Women’s Reproductive Health – Where Do We Go From Here? November 11, 7:30 pm Are you worried about the future of women's reproductive rights now that we have a super conservative Supreme Court? Chances are you are very concerned. So we need some ideas for where we focus if/when Roe v. Wade is stripped away. This meeting will give you those ideas from two experts who have been activists in this field for years. We'll welcome authors and activists Kathryn Kolbert and Julie Kay. Their new book is Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom. In 1992, Kolbert argued before the United States Supreme Court in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the seminal case that modified but upheld the rights established in Roe v. Wade. Our speakers will discuss the state of reproductive health laws after the recent rulings on the Texas anti-abortion law and the cases scheduled to come before the Supreme Court later this year. And they’ll offer what we should be ready to do in light of those realities. We are partnering with Turn PA Blue on this event. When: Thursday, November 11, 7:30 pm Where: Zoom SIGN UP HERE QUIZZO NIGHT! Tuesday, November 16, 8:00 pm If you haven't played Quizzo before here's your chance! It's super fun. We will have a professional Quizzo Master lead the game. You can join a team or start your own, to go on to fame and glory! PLUS -- our crack video production team has created a fun new video that we'll premier at the event! So. Much. Fun. Come for the camaraderie! Come for the food! Come for the prizes! Come for the glory of a winning team! Come for the new video! And bring a friend! We'll provide all the food and there will be a cash bar. When: Tuesday, November 16, 6:00 pm Where: Black Sheep Irish Pub, 247 S. 17th St, Philadelphia, 19103, Second Floor. We'll have this private room to ourselves. The windows will be open so we have good ventilation. The Rules: You must: (1) be vaccinated; (2) bring proof of vaccination; (3) wear a mask in the building when you're not eating or drinking. SIGN UP HERE. (This party is brought to us through a generous grant from Indivisible national.)