Dear Greylock Together,
It’s been a crazy time, but we’re going to get started gearing up again. We’re beginning to meet in person again soon, and we’re going to throw a community picnic, and we’re going to begin to organize again. And it’s important that we get going. It’s not just because the country is back on the upswing, with ANWAR leases getting canceled and actual competence in the White House. It’s also because we want to keep the momentum going. We’ve had a good, long rest. But America is opening back up, and so we need to open back up, too.
In 2008, Barack Obama was elected as President of the United States, and a lot of people were very relieved. Finally, they thought, things will be okay again. And they just sort of… stopped paying attention. After all, Obama was president and Democrats held Congress and Jersey Shore was on.
But in 2010, Republicans won the midterm election, and that was the end of a Democratic Congress. Democrats wouldn’t win control of both chambers for another decade.
It’s going to be an strange election in 2022, one unlike any we’ve ever seen. Ending of a pandemic, reorienting of work, boom in teenage employment, a favorable Senate map — it’s going to be weird. That’s good, since it means that we have a shot at escaping another 2010. Let’s make that happen.
Time for activism, folks.
We Need Help with Postcarding! Swing Blue Alliance is launching a major new postcarding campaign on June 7 in support of the critical voting rights bill S1, the For The People Act. In partnership with Common Cause they aim to send 150K postcards over June and July to targeted voters in ME, NH, and NV to lobby their Senators in support of passing S1. Greylock Together made a huge impact with postcards and letters this fall. To do it again, we need an intrepid volunteer (or two) to step up as S1 Postcarding Captain! This person would keep track of interested volunteers, order postcards from Swing Blue Alliance, and arrange the logistics of postcard pick-up. (Sarah C can share tips and tricks!)
**We need YOU! Interested? This can be a terrific summer project from home…please help the team! Respond to this email to let us know. You can also contact Sarah (GT’s fall postcarding captain) at sarah.clader@gmail.comwith questions.
Bee Friendly Native Plant Sale. ONE DAY ONLY — June 5, 9 – 1 pm at the Williamstown Farmers Market. Pesticide-free, pollinator-friendly native plants, grown at Wing and a Prayer Nursery by Amy Pulley of Cummington. Landscape plugs, an economical option for both small gardens and for planting large areas, and small potted perennials will be available. beefriendlywilliamstown.org for more info.
Newsletter Contact News. This summer, Jess is grateful to be passing her role to Sarah C. for a necessary summer deep breath! PLEASE SEND ALL ITEMS for newsletter consideration directly to greylocktogether@gmail.com(instead of to Jess and Alexander’s personal email addresses). THANK YOU!!
Williamstown Elections/Committees. As you saw last time, congratulations are due to new Select Board members Jeff Johnson and Wade Hasty. Keep the civic energy of the election moving forward by coming to Annual Town Meeting in Williamstown on Tuesday, June 8 at 6:00 PM at the Weston Athletic Complex!
Thanks are also due to Bilal Ansari, Gina Coleman, Aruna D’Souza, Drea Finley, and Mohammed Memfis, five members of Williamstown’s DIRE (Diversity, Inclusion, and Racial Equity) Committee who are departing from the committee. Williamstown owes a debt of gratitude to these community members for their selfless service. The town’s first majority-BIPOC committee is losing five of its six inaugural members of color; many members mentioned how the last ten months have been extremely difficult, in part because of the lack of recognition and respect afforded to the committee and its labor. If you are interested in supporting this sort of work, you might consider subscribing to the WRJPR newsletter. That organization focuses specifically on issues of racial justice and equity in Williamstown.
HR1 Phonebanking. Join our friends at Indivisible Northampton and Common Cause for weekly phonebanks, Thursdays from 6-8 pm, to get this critical legislation over the finish line and passed into law. As a phonebank volunteer, you’ll call voters in specific districts, ask them to call their Senator, and patch them through on-the-spot. Right now we’re focused on Joe Manchin (D-WV). It’s simple, fun, and super effective. No experience needed, all training provided, ALL are welcome and needed! Sign up for one or more Thursdays here.
Williamstown Cares. The town is embarking on a research project to better understand safety and wellbeing in our town. They want to hear from as many community members as possible, and especially from those who feel unsafe, unwelcome, or excluded in our town. If we want to live in a community where everyone feels safe, welcome, and included, we need to know what is preventing that from being true right now. They also need to hear from people who do feel safe, welcome, and included, so they can understand both what is working and what is not. Residents will be getting a mailer with more info, or you can sign up here to be interviewed: https://williamstownma.gov/community-research/ All interviews will be confidential.
Filibuster Fight. The fight over the filibuster is getting more and more real now, as it goes from theoretical to real votes. Schumer is looking to push the issue to try to make the point. Here‘s a good rundown from the NYT.
2021 Grassroot Reboot. Swing Left Greater Boston and a bunch of cosponsors have put together a grassroots conference: 2021 Grassroots Reboot. It’s June 5, 10am-12pm. The event is free to everyone. Register now or learn more about the event and its agenda on our website.
Williamstown Farms. Local farmland is facing unprecedented development pressure right now. The Agricultural Commission produced this 10-minute Info film to gain support for farmland preservation: “Farms for the Future: A Conversation about Farmland in Williamstown”: https://vimeo.com/552596026
The film explains the hardship of farming in a place with high property values and development pressure, such as Williamstown. Please contact the Ag Commission for more information or with any questions, concerns, ideas, or if you would like us to speak to your group or organization. agcom@williamstownma.gov
Redistricting Fund. Join Force Multiplier MA next Thursday, June 10, 7:00 – 8:00 pm ET to hear as AG Eric H. Holder, Kelly Ward Burton, Saumya Narechania will speak about the National Redistricting Action Fund’s work to ensure that we have fair maps and that every person’s vote counts equally. Register Here: https://www.forcemultiplierma.org/events
Check out more news from this week at Muckraker Farm.
CONTACT INFO FOR GT TEAM ACTION:
Resist and persist!
Alexander
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