Here are the latest meeting notes: Action Group – 10-14-2017 Meeting Notes
Daily Posts
Recent Updates
We’ve made a couple updates that are buried in these pages. There is new poetry at the bottom of The Power of Words/Poetry and updated election information now that the run-off is drawing near.
DAILY POST
LOCAL EVENT
The North Valley Coalition and Weekly Alibi present:
North Valley Coalition Mayoral Forum 2017
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
6:00 pm – 6:30pm: Meet and greet
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Mayoral Forum
@ Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th Street NW
Candidates:
• Ricardo Chaves
• Brian Colón
• Michelle Garcia Holmes
• Wayne Johnson
• Tim Keller
• Dan Lewis
• Gus Pedrotty
• Susan Wheeler-Deichsel
All candidates have confirmed their attendance and the forum will be moderated by Weekly Alibi news editor August March. Please promote this event to your friends and neighbors.
Deborah Ridley
3247 Calle de Deborah NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
505.243.5554 or 505.321.0202
DAILY POST
It has been over six months since The Women’s March. Together, we have forged a powerful network of women, femmes and allies. Our network has flooded airports to protest the Muslim Ban, gone on strike for International Women’s Day, challenged the NRA, fought to save the ACA and so much more. The violence this weekend in Charlottesville shows exactly why we continue to resist – to stand together against hatred, bigotry and white supremacy in our communities.
It is time to channel the energy and activism of our network into tangible strategies and concrete wins in 2018. We are excited to announce The Women’s Convention, an inaugural conference that will bring thousands of women and femmes of all backgrounds to Detroit from October 27 – 29, 2017 for three days of workshops, strategy sessions, inspiring forums and intersectional movement building.
Register for The Women’s Convention
The Women’s Convention is the next wave in a political groundswell dedicated to the collective liberation of women and femmes of all races, ethnicities, ages, disabilities, sexual identities, gender expressions, immigration statuses, religious faiths, and economic statuses. The rise of the woman IS the rise of the nation.
In community,
Women’s March
Read more
USA Today: Women’s March to reconvene around 2018 after Charlottesville
Huffington Post: The Next Big Mobilization From Women’s March Will Be In October
Jezebel: The Women’s March Announces The Women’s Convention, an Activist Gathering in Detroit
GROUP EVENT: Progressive Activists Picnic
GROUP EVENT: Progressive Activists Picnic
@ Hyder Park, 700 Pershing Ave. SE, Albq
on Aug 20 – 1:00 – 3:00
(The event actually runs from noon – 6:00. We’re planning a slightly more abbreviated presence, but feel free to stay as long as you wish)
There is consensus that this event will be a great opportunity for our members to meet folks working in other groups with similar goals as ours and just enjoy hanging out together as a group.
We’re planning to have a NW Abq PAG table at the picnic and will be handing out our new brochures and probably some of our new business cards. Since we’re endorsing Tim Keller for mayor, we may have some type of hand out from his campaign as well. We’re working on NW Abq PAG t-shirts, but don’t know if they’ll be available before the picnic. Hope so, more on that soon.
As an added bonus, Lupe and Steve plan to perform at the picnic as well!
It is a potluck. We are asked to bring food and non-alcoholic beverages for ourselves and something extra for the community table. So bring your own lunch and one other item if possible. You might want to bring a couple of folding chairs as well.
We’ve CANCELLED the NW Abq PAG meeting previously scheduled for Aug. 19th and will reschedule it for sometime in mid-September. More on that later.
It would be helpful (but not necessary) if you could RSVP to carolynbeaty@comcast.net if you plan to attend the picnic.
Daily Post
Upbeat story on Immigrants – https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/30/nyregion/childrens-books-missed-these-immigrant-stories-so-students-wrote-them.html
Be Ready for Action – Anti-Muslim Group ACT Organizing new round of Rallies – Sept 9th
Monique Slahab, Secretary – Veterans for Peace says “If you haven’t heard of ACT, then please do some homework. They are the fastest growing hate group in the nation (unofficially). Although they have been around for more than ten years, they are experiencing the largest growth in numbers in their “membership” due to the level of hate and vitriol this administration delivers on a daily basis. What is even more disgusting? The founder of this organisation is Lebanese-American Brigitte Gabriel.” For more on ACT and what they are planning see – http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/2017/07/26/act-america-first-protests/
Daily Post
Call for Action – Call or Email Senators to Preserve the ACA!!
From the Children’s Defense Fund: The Senate began debate on health care on Tuesday and the whirlwind continues. A series of bills are being voted on as the Republican Leadership tries to get something over the finish line — but all are bad. Each ultimately would end Medicaid expansion, end Medicaid as we know it with deep cuts and caps, raise premiums and deductibles and gut consumer protections. And each would cause millions of children and others to lose health coverage.
Please call your Senators today and Friday and get others from your state to call too! Tell your Senators that no tinkering can make any of these bills better. Tell your Senators to vote “NO” — to reject any modified Senate health care bill and the “skinny repeal” bill. With a “No” vote your Senators can help stop great harm to tens of millions of children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly in your state and across the nation. #Protect Medicaid and #Keep Kids Covered.
Here’s what you can say:
I am a concerned constituent from (Hometown, State). I urge Senator ___ to vote NO on any modified health care bill and on the “skinny repeal” bill. All would ultimately end Medicaid as we know it, raise costs and gut consumer protections for children, those with disabilities and seniors and mean more uninsured Americans. The Senator has promised to make health care reform work for people in our state. These bills fail to do that. Vote NO.
Republican Call List-3 (PDF)
REMINDER: Call for Action – Comment on Valle de Oro National Wildlife Environmental Assessment – Deadline Aug 18th
Please email vdolistens@fws.gov by August 18th.
Sample text to support the Proposed Action Alternative (Alternative B): I would like to support the Proposed Action Alternative (Alternative B) as the best of the four management alternatives laid out in the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge Environmental Assessment. Alternative B would do the best job in furthering habitat management and restoration on the refuge and providing facilities and public use opportunities to meet the goals of the refuge.
For details see Comment on the Valle de Oro Environmental Assessment
Daily Post
Call for Action – Public Hearing re County Pro-fracking Ordinance – Tonight 6pm
P&Z Commission Public Hearing on Oil and Gas Ordinance Amendments – 1500 Idalia Rd, Building D, Bernalillo. Common Ground Rising Community Trust will present their findings and demand that the ordinance be strengthened. Dr. Robert Bernstein from Physicians for Social Responsibility and Dr. Val Wangler from HIS Zuim Pueblo will speak on health impacts. Contact: info@commongroundrising.org
Good News – Judge rules in favor of ACLU and Iraqis
Monday, just as the temporary stay was about to expire, a Michigan judge ruled in favor of the ACLU case! This means that all Iraqis have to get individual representation before a judge and ICE cannot just deport them en masse as planned. This affects two Iraqis that live in Albuquerque. One of them, Kadhim al-Bumohammed, has taken sanctuary in a local church. Coincidentally his birthday is tomorrow so this is a great early birthday gift!
Daily Post
Our Next Meeting – July 22, 2017 Saturday 3-5PM Friends Meeting House
Re. Class – Waking up to Whiteness 2.0: Using mindfulness to unlearn racism
A comment from Nelly — For those who can’t make the 6 week class, I just read and highly recommend Michael Eric Dyson’s new book, The Tears We Cannot Stop. Very clear, powerful, moving, not long, statement on white privilege and the experience of being/raising African-American. The library has it without too much of a hold list!
Article – When to Trust a Story That Uses Unnamed Sources
Fake news. Unnamed sources. What’s a person to do? How do we know what news to trust? Here’s a nice article by Five Thirty Eight with part 1 of 2 of a guide to unnamed sources.
Daily Post
Speaker – Debbie Johnson – “Empowerment through micro-industries.”
Wed July 19, 5:30-7PM
Ctr for Peace & Justice 202 Harvard Dr. SE
Debbie Founded the TenderLove Community Center. They teach unhoused and low income women sewing skills, and offer help re-entering the job market while providing them with a safe place to be during the day.
For more information, please email ilsebiel@icloud.com, or visit http://www.bernco.gov/tinyhomevillage.
Class – Waking up to Whiteness 2.0: Using mindfulness to unlearn racism
Albuquerque Insight Meditation Center
A 6-week class
Tuesdays 6:30 – 9pm. Sept 12, 19, 26 & Oct 3
Two day-longs: Sept 9 and Oct 7 (10 am – 4 pm)
Facilitated by Kathryn Turnipseed & Jennifer Tucker
Application Deadline: July 31, 2017
Racism causes suffering and violence. Our 6-week class will bring the tools of mindfulness and the Dharma to a deep exploration of racism and white privilege, or “whiteness.” We have three aims: 1) understand the historical and social roots of racism 2) use mindfulness to investigate our deep conditioning around race and whiteness and 2) work toward transformation at multiple levels: our own hearts & minds, our communities and the larger institutions that reproduce racism. We anticipate there will be more interest than spaces available, so be sure to apply by the deadline of July 31
For more info: http://abqsangha.org/study-groups/2017-9%20w2w%202.0.pdf (links to the sign up sheet).
NW ABQ PAG 