-Submitted by Judy Sullivan, USH Social Justice Chair
Americans of Conscience Checklist
Week of September 16, 2018
By Jen Hofmann
97 weeks down, seven weeks to midterm elections.
The AoC Checklist features clear, well-researched actions for Americans who value democracy, equality, voting, and decency. We also practice gratitude, self-care, and celebration to stay engaged.
I value secure, convenient voting and fair elections.
Democracy thrives when all citizens can freely elect those who represent their values.
Action 1: Support your neighbors who can’t afford a voter ID.
Spread the Vote is a nonprofit, empowering disenfranchised voters to vote. I’m issuing a challenge this week: Can we raise enough to provide 25 IDs–$1000?
Donate: To Spread the Vote.
Action 2: Get ready for midterms.
1 min: Share on social media: Sign our Midterm pledge to vote on November 6, 2018: https://goo.gl/forms/jbridWNIVRs8UbVg1.
3 min: Watch to avoid falling prey to foreign trolls and bots in this short video.
1 hour: Participate in When We All Vote’s Week of Action.
1 day: Plan to serve as an unbiased, neighborly poll worker on Election Day.
I value equality.
Stand with your rainbow of neighbors from every religion, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, age, and ability. Out of many, we are one.
Action 1: Support our neighbors with disabilities.
Call: Or write your two senators and one House rep (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m calling from [ZIP] to support the right of people with disabilities to receive long-term care services at home rather than an institution. It’s more humane and cost-effective when the decision rests with an individual needing care. The bipartisan Disability Integration Act addresses this. Can I count on name to co-sponsor S. 910/H.R. 2472?
Action 2: Speak up for the health of all our neighbors.
Call: Your two senators and one House rep (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m calling from [ZIP] about the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill (S. 3158/H.R. 6470). Besides keeping programs that serve people with HIV/AIDS, STD and hepatitis C, more funding for research is needed, because the opioid epidemic is causing these infectious diseases to rise rapidly. Please ask [name] to only support a final bill that addresses both retaining programs and research.
Action 3: Support Native American equality.
Write: Muriel Bowser, Washington DC Mayor, and/or Phil Mendelson, DC City Council Chairman.
Script: I’m writing from [state] to urge the District of Columbia to require the city’s NFL team to change their name before discussing any plan to return to the RFK stadium site. The current mascot is a racial slur and deeply offensive. If DC retains this derogatory image, I will choose not to spend my entertainment dollars on football during my next visit. Thank you for doing the right thing.
Addresses:
MB: Via website or 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20004
PM: pmendelson@dccouncil.us or 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20004
I value showing respect for all people, no matter where they were born.
We oppose inhumane treatment of all people and the government agencies that perpetuate it. People who immigrate to the US make our country stronger and are entitled to basic respect.
Action 1: Support the silenced.
Call: Or write your one House rep and two senators (look up).
Script: Hi. I’m calling from [ZIP] to ask whether [name] is aware of the fivefold increase of children in US detentions centers. In May 2017, there were 2,400. Today, it’s 12,800. Can you tell me precisely what [name] is doing to stop the concentration of asylum-seeking children into taxpayer-funded prisons?
Action 2: Oppose more detention of aspiring Americans.
Call: Or write your one House rep and two Senators, red or blue (look up). This bill is already out of the House committee.
Script: Hi. I’m calling from [ZIP] to ask [name] to reject any funding increase for immigrant detention. The Homeland Security (DHS) budget has increased by almost a billion dollars over the last two years despite well-documented fiscal manipulation and mismanagement. DHS now seeks to increase their detention budget in fiscal year 2019. I want my tax dollar to fund services like healthcare, education, and housing. I’m asking [name] not to approve expanded immigration detention in the DHS Appropriations Act (H.R.6776/S. 3109) nor the ICE continuing resolution. Thank you.
Acts of Gratitude
Get out your stamps, postcards, and sparkle markers for some gratitude mail.
Thank Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), for releasing a document showing that the DHS diverted nearly $10 million meant for FEMA to ICE. We cannot undermine our ability to respond to catastrophic weather events, which disproportionately affect the poor and exacerbate economic disparities. Thank you for shedding light on this unethical use of my tax dollar.
Address: 121 SW Salmon Street, Ste. 1400, Portland, OR 97204
Thank Liz Weintraub, Senior Advocacy Specialist, for brave and moving testimony to the Judiciary Committee, describing the threat Brett Kavanaugh poses to the self-determination of people with disabilities. Your testimony paid homage to a lifetime of overcoming the limitations of others’ expectations. Thank you.
Address: Association of University Centers on Disabilities, 1100 Wayne Ave., Suite 1000, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Good news
Decent people everywhere are speaking up and working together. Just look. #GoodNews
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