If you are reading this for the first time, welcome!
We cram a lot into this weekly newsletter and not everything will be important to you.
Skim through the sections (from Protests to Who we are Calling) to find what you can use.
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Hi Friend,
A Schoolhouse Rocks refresher on how the Trump Tax Scam becomes a bill clarifies the work we have to do now. So far the Big Beautiful Bill (a name worthy of 1984;s Ministry of Truth) has passed the House by one vote in the middle of the night. Now, it is in the Senate. There, deficit hawks are demanding even more cruelty so that the $1.5 trillion tax cut for billionaires can be funded on the backs of everyone else, hitting the poorest among us the hardest. We can’t sit this one out. (Read more about it here).
Our job is to slow the process down. We can encourage Democratic senators and representatives to continue to oppose it (no matter how late votes are called) and remind Republicans that their votes will cost them in the ballot box. Getting the word out is critical. Write editorials, post on social media, talk to friends and family. Sign up to phone bank with Indivisible. Explain this budget takes food from the mouths of hungry children, leaves people without health insurance, makes Social Security and Medicare more difficult to access, results in the closure of rural hospitals and inevitably thousands will die. Tell Siri to call your Senator and then ask your friends to call theirs. We can do this.
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- Saturday, May 31 Ride for the Republic 10-1 the last Saturday of every month bicyclists gather in Paul Revere park in the North End and ride a 12.7 mile route to declare like Thomas Paine did that in a republic the law is king. There are waypoints where you can join and ride shorter distances.
- Saturday, May 31 Tesla Takedowns and every Saturay at Tesla dealerships and repair centers around the world. 12-2 at the Prudential Center.
- Friday, June 6, No Kings on D-Day, 5-7, meet at the Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common. Honoring veterans, flags are welcome but leave protest signs at home.
- Saturday, June 14, No Kings but Yaaas Queen! Pride for the People Parade. 11-3 starting in Copley Square (sign up to walk with us). Ways to participate: sign up to march with us, join another group marching, help line the streets OR show up at a No Kings event elsewhere. BUT SHOW UP SOMEWHERE!! with friends!!!
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A nationwide day of defiance has been incorporated into Boston’s historic Pride Parade. In 1970 participating in what was then the Gay Pride parade took courage. LGBTQ people risked jobs, family and friends. Now, literally standing with groups targeted by the GOP is an essential part of expanding and solidifying our majority opposition. Parade with us or line the streets with pride, joy and courage. OR find a No Kings event here. Whatever you do – COME OUT!
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- Join Activist Evenings’ Rapid Response Team for notice of last minute actions like protests, legislation, and supporting immigrants.
- Join Activist Evenings’ Outreach Team and expand hope and courage in our community.
- Thursday, May 29, The Power of Editorial Cartoonists for Democracy, a conversation with Ann Telnaes 8-9:30 on zoom
- Saturday, May 31, People’s Cafe sing along and fundraiser for IFSI (Immigrant Family Services) at First Parish Church in Brookline.
- 5 calls, is an app that makes it super easy to make the calls our electeds rely on.
- Every Wednesday and Thursday starting in June, 11-12:30, well run phone banks calling voters with Republican Senators with Indivisible to Stop the Trump Tax Scam
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Also every Wednesday starting in June, 6-8 pm The Good Neighbors phone bank will be calling rural Democrats in Virginia who didn’t vote in the 2024 elections to find out what issues they care about. There will be full training and support throughout the phone bank using active listening to hear what issues are important to these voters. Help find stories we can use in Virginia campaigns for 2025.
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- For the month of June, donations to Activist Evenings Indivisible will be matched dollar for dollar. We appreciate and make use of every donation we’ve received. If you’ve never given before, or can give just a little more, this is the month to do it.
- With legacy media and legislatures in thrall to Trump, the courts are on the frontlines in the battle to defend democracy. Force Multiplier’s Democracy Defenders Fund identified four effective groups in this battle where your support can have the most impact.
- Sister District figured out that we could use the GOP playbook against them and have a proven track record of flipping and defending the state legislatures that are protecting civil and reproductive rights.
- Rural Ground Game understands that focusing exclusively on urban and suburban areas is no longer electorally viable and are working on the ground in Virginia to hold the State Legislature and flip the Governor’s mansion this year.
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- Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American has a dire warning today about the risk to the country as Trump undermines the courts. If you are unsure of the importance of attending a No Kings protest, this letter makes the case that mass demonstrations are THE critical bulwark against the attacks on the rule of law.
- Jessica Craven’s daily Chop Wood, Carry Water is always worth reading for targeted actions. Sundays she finds good news about what we’ve accomplished. Do yourself a favor when you need your spirits lifted and read this. “Set down your worries and just enjoy, for a few precious minutes, reading about what went right this week. We need to know something did, or we won’t have the morale to keep going.”
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- Every Thursday at 3, Indivisible founders, Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, host What’s the Plan? We watch this along with 9000 other activists and a few MAGA infiltrators to boost our mood and get a preview of the actions that are coming up.
- Power to the People, Laurie Woodward’s fight song will stiffen your spine.
- We Began to Sing is free to stream through 6/15 with a live zoom on Saturday 5/31. The documentary revolves around stories of resilience, community, and hope. The creators of the popular songbooks Rise Up Singing and Rise Again and their friend and mentor Pete Seeger inspire communities to sing together and find common ground.
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You probably have a long list of things you care about and while calling your elected representatives can feel daunting, it gets easier with practice and takes very little time. Usually we are done making our day’s calls in under 10 minutes. If you’ve never done it before, start by calling outside of office hours. You’ll reach voicemail; be sure to leave your contact information and ask for a response so you are sure your opinion is tallied. Sometimes we make calls at stop lights since our Senators and Representatives contact information are in our phones. “Call Elizabeth Warren, Siri” and we are quickly sharing our opinion. 5 calls automatically connects you and has scripts for all of the many issues you might want to address. Remember, you pay your electeds to represent you and they need to hear from you to do their jobs.
Multiply your impact after you’ve called by messaging friends. Honestly, even for us, it’s sometimes great to get a reminder from someone in our circle.
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- Call your Senators and Representatives to demand they do their jobs as leaders protecting democracy, end regular business in Congress and slow down the steam roller the GOP is taking to the Constitution.
- Call Governor Healey and ask her to deny Trump’s police state tactics for deportations. Then add her number to your contacts!
- Call your friends who have Republican Senators and ask them to make the calls you can’t. You can make it easier for them by having phone numbers and suggested scripts for them to follow.
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Plastic lawn signs prepped for No Kings but Yaaas Queen sign making. (TY, Michael, Diane and Ka
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Courage is contagious. Promote activism. Forward this newsletter, let friends know what you are doing, bring someone new to an event and share the joy of being in community.
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