Dear Greylock Together,
Do you feel the urgency of now?
It’s hard out there. There’s a pandemic that’s put many of us out of work and out of childcare. We’re rocked by the strife of our inequitable systems. And we’re years-deep into a bitter battle with governmental cruelty.
And so… we let the moment slide. We’ll volunteer next week. We’ll make some calls some other day. We’ll write letters when things settle down.
But now is the time, folks.
You can’t afford to wait any longer. The primaries are about to open to early voting, federal races for a dozen senate seats and the presidency are about to hit their peak, and every single day people suffer because of injustice. There is a fierce urgency to this moment — you must feel the fierce urgency of now. What will you say to your children or grandchildren if you watched this moment pass you by?
There’s a list of things to do below, and we are desperate for volunteers.
We need you. Now is the time. Get involved! If you know someone who might possibly be interested, forward this to them. Now is the moment when you are needed!
Morse Force. The following is from Tashi, a student activist who is helping change her world. Join her and help her.
Canvassing is on Friday (1-4 and 4-7) in Pittsfield and Springfield; on Saturday (10-1, 1-4, and 4-7) in Pittsfield, Springfield, and Holyoke; and on Sunday (10-1, 1-4, and 4-7) in Pittsfield, Springfield, and Chicopee! Which times and locations work for you? Sign up here: http://bit.ly/1MonthOutPhone banking is on Friday (5-7), Saturday (10-12, 1-3, 4-6, and 7-9), and Sunday (10-12, 1-3, 4-6, 7-9)! Which times work for you? Sign up here: http://bit.ly/1MonthOut
We are also encouraging the Morse Force to show their support for this campaign by putting a lawn sign in their yard! To receive your own personal yard sign, sign up here: http://bit.ly/MorseYardSigns
Meet with Markey! Volunteer for Markey! Senator Markey will be in town this Friday (7/31). He’s endorsed by the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the Boston Globe, and backed by Greylock Together. Come and see him in Pittsfield at Park Square from 2:00 – 3:00 pm, where he’ll talk about justice, health care disparities, COVID relief, and our essential freedoms. After that, he’ll be in North Adams at MASS MoCA between 4:30 and 6:00, discussing teachers and climate change. Come and chat with your senator!
Volunteer Owen T needs your help, too!
This election is going to be close, and every single phone call we make can make a difference! We’re looking for volunteers to make calls – any time that works for you works for us, but we’d love to have you at our Thursday evening phonebanks (5:30-7). Please let me know if you’re interested!
NC Phonebanking. The map of possible Senate gains keeps expanding, and that means so do opportunities for activism! Please join our phone banking efforts in North Carolina. Every Tuesday from 6:30-8pm we call to reach unaffiliated voters in this critical state to determine their stand on three key races: the presidential (Joe Biden), the governor’s race (Roy Cooper), and the US Senate seat (Cal Cunningham). Register for the phone bank here.
Thank You Action Volunteers! Tremendous thanks to our terrific team who represented GT on Saturday at the NAACP’s Student Day of Action in Pittsfield! Liza Barrett, Lucy Shepard, Karen Shepard and Wendy Penner welcomed many new faces and sold 75 BLM signs! They reported a steady stream of interested, engaged folks with many new NAACP-Berkshire County Branch memberships, voter registrations and fabulous student orchestral music in honor of Elijah McClain. Folks throughout the county continue to come to us for sign purchases! We are grateful to Elinor Goodwin at The Print Shop in Williamstown for making these available every day on Spring Street ($10/sign). Thank you, Elinor!
Brady Reforms from DA. District Attorney Harrington has mandated new policies to ask flag questionable witnesses and spells out a process for determining what evidence is discoverable by defense attorneys. It’s an important step in bringing our local prosecutors in line with the Brady decision. Read more and promote the link on Facebook.
Eviction Moratorium. Remember that Gov. Baker has extended the moratorium on evictions! Until October 17th, no one can be evicted for the following reasons:
- Nonpayment
- Foreclosure
- No fault/no cause
- Any fault/cause except
- Criminal activity that impairs health and safety of other residents, health care workers, emergency personnel, persons lawfully on the subject property, or the general public (collectively, “others”);
- Lease violations that may impact the health or safety of “others”.
Letter-Writing. Jeanne Marklin and Bernadine Williams are heading up this letter writing drive. Want to help write letters from home to marginal voters in other states? It motivates them to get to the polls! Write or text Jeanne at jeanne.marklin@gmail.com or 413 672-1766, or Bernadine at bhw1@williams.edu or 781 956-6622. Let us know if you need us to include stamps, or if you will provide them for your packet. You can also print your own letters by going to the VoteForward.org site and signing up. You can really make a difference!
Voting. The state primary is September 1 and the general election is November 3. Everyone is eligible to vote by mail, however. If you didn’t get an application to vote by mail, you can download one here. You may need to register to vote first. It can be sent in by mail, email, or fax to your local election official (town or city clerk). Applications must reach your local election office by August 26 for the primary and October 28 for the general. IF YOU NEED ANY HELP, JUST REPLY TO THIS EMAIL AND ASK!
BLM Vigil Every Friday in Williamstown. Friday at 5:00 pm at Field Park, as usual, we will continue our weekly vigils in partnership with First Congregational. Facebook event here. Please wear a mask; social distancing practices observed.
ANTIRACISM IN ACTION – THIS WEEK’S RESOURCES
READ
- If You Really Want to Make a Difference in Black Lives, Change How You Teach White Kids, 6/29/20
- What Black Lives Matter Has Revealed About Small-Town America NY Times, 7/17/20
- The False Premise of Anti-racism Books – The Atlantic, 7/21/20
- She never set out to be a leader. But she’s become a force in movement for racial justice Courier Journal, 7/21/20
- The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson
LISTEN
- Should We Abolish The Police? (ep. 112) – At Liberty, ACLU Podcast, 7/22/20
- “Uncivil,” hosted by two journalists, employs riveting storytelling and reporting to highlight the overlooked stories of the American Civil War.
- On Being with Krista Tippett – John Lewis: Love in Action – updated 7/23/20
WATCH
- Racism has a Cost for Everyone – Heather McGhee, Ted Talk, 2019
- How to Build an Antiracist World Ibram X. Kendi, Ted2020
- Fruitvale Station
- Clemency
GIVE
Check out more news from this week at Muckraker Farm.
Events (GCal,iCal)
Greylock Together Meeting via Zoom
August 9 @ 3:00 – 4:30 pm
Alexander