Democracy Out Loud #426:Solidarity

Every human being is of equal value and deserves human rights.

We are in a kind of war right now, so let’s remember what we are fighting for. Legislation coming out of Washington and Raleigh reminds me of this 10-year old tweet.

It’s worth remembering another thing that has aged well, the article called, “The Cruelty is the Point” from The Atlantic on October 3, 2018. Trump’s second term is cruelty on steroids (not to mention incompetence and dishonesty). The reckless actions of legislators who are clearly clueless and indifferent to human suffering are increasingly difficult to witness. Deep gratitude to everyone who continues to stay up on the news anyway and take what actions we can.

VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek plans to lay off more than 80,000 Veterans Affairs employees across the country. As a former VA nurse, I know how important VA medical care is for our veterans and their families, and I know VA hospitals are already short-staffed.

On Wednesday, April 2, at 3 pm, nurses at the Durham VA are organizing one of many rallies across the country to defend the VA and protest privatization and cuts to healthcare for veterans to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Join us on the sidewalk of the Durham VA, 508 Fulton Street (across from Duke Hospital). Sign up here.

You can phonebank on several different days at 7 pm for the crucial Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Sign up at this link.

You can also sign up to phonebank on any Friday from 3 to 5 pm at this link.

A Turkish doctoral student on a Fulbright scholarship was kidnapped by ICE agents (unmarked car, some agents wearing masks) this week. Student protestors who are legally in this country are being targeted, and so are universities where protests occur.

April 5 is a national mobilization by many different groups including Indivisible. You can find and register for an event near you at this link. There will be one in Raleigh, Durham, Morrisville, Pittsboro, Hillsborough, Greenville, Nashville NC, Winston-Salem, and over 800 other places (so far).

Make signs, and think of ways to make this not only a huge peaceful protest but also a joyful and family-friendly one. Music, art, puppets, and bubbles are all welcome.

Join a Safety and De-escalation training in preparation for April 5 on Wednesday April 2 at 8 pm. You can get more information and register at this link.

There will be a mass call for activists on April 1 from 8 to 9 pm to help us all prepare for this national mobilization. You can find out more and register at this link.

At Pullen Memorial Baptist Church on April 4 and 5, The Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South, and the Pauli Murray Center are sponsoring “Ancestral Wisdom for the Struggle for Liberation,” with special guest Sarah Azaransky, Ethics Professor at Union Theological Seminary. You can get more information and register at this link.

Here is the spreadsheet of the bills coming up in the NCGA that Mark’s Legislative Response Team is tracking. If you are interested in joining this group, which involves reading and tracking legislation as well as showing up at the NCGA, email Mark at DemocracyOutLoud@gmail.com.

I’m sorry to say that one of the bad bills is yet another “bathroom bill.”

Find out who represents you in Washington and Raleigh, and put them on speed dial. Use 5 calls.org every day to let them know what you care about.

Here’s the link to Democracy Out Loud’s crowd-sourced alternative news and commentary. Most of us read Heather Cox Richardson most of the time, and there are many other great places you can get news not completely covered by the legacy media.

Check out this very handy tool to help you write a letter to the editor in North Carolina, from Laura.

Check out Bull City Indivisible, a family-friendly group that meets in person on Sundays in Durham.

Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Craven is a wonderful source of actions to take.

We’re all feeling a bit overwhelmed right now, with heartbreak and frustration and anger and too much information. We are realizing that we are limited by time and space and can’t do everything we want to do. I hope you can feel and see how many of us there are, all around us and all over the world, who are feeling the same things, and doing what we can. The opposition to this authoritarian takeover is huge and growing. Eventually, it will be enough to turn the tide. Keep pushing. Try to be kind to yourself and everyone else at the same time.

love, Karen

sol·i·dar·i·ty. noun

1. unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual support within a group. "factory workers voiced solidarity with the striking students"

2. an independent trade union movement in Poland that developed into a mass campaign for political change and inspired popular opposition to regimes across eastern Europe during the 1980s.