Happy Friday, Activists! As you probably know, this morning the House passed the Build Back Better bill. THIS is what we worked so hard for! And our organizing and activism has paid off. The job is far from over, but we should all take a pause, forget for a minute all the frustrations we've had a long the way, and savor this good moment. You might recall that we didn't have a lot of these good moments during a recent four-year period. So enjoy this one! We'll have plenty of time to worry and fret really soon. This past Tuesday we had so much fun at our Quizzo Night! Good food, fierce competition among the teams, and prizes! Lots of prizes. For those who couldn't make it, we hope you can the next time!
OUR NEW MESSAGING PROJECT! So what is the next step now that the Biden Administration has gotten two major pieces of legislation passed (plus one more on the way)? It turns out that most Americans don't even remember the American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill passed in March, that provided free vaccines, help for schools, those $1,400 checks, the Child Tax Credit, and so much more. And if people know about it, they definitely don't know that it was passed only by Democrats, without a single Republican vote. Now, the Infrastructure Bill may face the same fate if it isn't sufficiently publicized. And we know that historically the Democrats are not, uh, good at promoting their achievements. So this is where we come in! We can really help spread the word about these monumental investments in our country, and that the credit goes to Democrats to push them through. We're starting a new project that inspires all of us to spread the word too. And we'll make it easy for everyone. You can do it from home or in a casual conversation. Or even over Thanksgiving when politics comes up!
This is how it works: 1. Each week we'll give you short, strategic talking points that you can use when you're talking to your friends, family and neighbors, and in your social media networks. 2. We'll use messages that show how these investments help people in their lives, not a boring laundry list of dollar amounts for each type of investment. 3. Every week we'll provide a new message that will be easy to remember and use. 4. Soon we'll have some quick links and tools for you to use on social media too. Here's the first one, about the Infrastructure bill signed into law just this past Monday: "No matter where we live, we all deserve to have safe drinking water. The Infrastructure & Jobs Act will deliver clean water to millions of Americans. I'm happy we're creating healthier communities for future generations." We'd love to hear your feedback about this new project! Email us (info@indivisiblephiladelphia.com) and tell us what you think or any improvements you think we can make. Thanks!
And speaking of messaging -- Letters To The Editor!
This week, two of our members had their letters to the editor published in the Philadelphia Inquirer! Hooray!
On Thursday, our steering committee member Meg Berlin's letter about what the corruption captured in the trial and convictions of Bobby Henon and Johnny "Doc" Dougherty says about the state of our City government. Read it here.
And today, our member Louise Rozik was published in the Inky, with her letter about the benefits of the Build Back Better bill. Read it here.
The public really does read these letters, so it makes a difference to write them.
You can do it too -- and we'll help you!
We’ll help you get started on your letter with the information about the issue and a template. Email megberlin271@gmail.com to get all the info you need.
That's it for now. Hope you have a great weekend!