Censure Santos and Gosar, stand up for exploited children, engage Black voters, and more!
Contact all members of Congress:
- By phone: (202) 224-3121
- By email: democracy.io
- By US mail: Representatives / Senators
- By fax: Representatives / Senators
- By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
- ASK YOUR MOC TO DEMAND CENSURE FOR SANTOS AND GOSARGOP Congressional leaders have been eerily silent in learning about George Santos’s criminal charges and now Paul Gosar’s staffer’s affiliations with neo-Nazis, leaving Americans to wonder if there’s any ethical boundary Republicans won’t cross if crossing it serves their agenda. Even more disturbing is Gosar’s newsletter linking to a blatantly anti-Semitic website. Let’s ask our MoCs to speak out loudly against these ethics breaches and call for Santos’s resignation and Gosar’s removal from all committees.
- CHILD EXPLOITATIONWhen children seek asylum in the US without an adult caretaker, they are under the care of the Department of Health and Human Services. This agency is falling down on the job, neglecting to protect these children from predatory employers who flout child labor laws and place them in danger. The food sector is one of the biggest offenders. Let’s tell the following officials that this state of affairs is unacceptable and we expect them to fix it: President Biden; our Members of Congress; Secretary of Health & Human Service Xavier Becerra https://www.hhs.gov/about/contact-us/index.html and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su https://webapps.dol.gov/contactus/contactus.asp?agency=DOL
- BLACK VOTERSJoin a virtual postcard writing party with Black Voters Matter in order to get out the vote on either May 18 or June 22! Here’s the pitch: “‘My Mic Sounds Nice’ is in celebration of hip hop’s 50th anniversary. As you know, people have used hip hop to speak about issues in their community like police brutality and poverty. At the party, we will play hip hop trivia and write encouraging messages. Through these messages we are encouraging community members to pick up the “mic” and sound off about what is going on in their community, to make their voices heard, and to know that what they have to say is valid and important. Join us and bring a friend!” We can sign up here.
- PROTECT HOMEOWNERS FROM DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICESA ProPublica investigation has found that franchisees of HomeVestors of America, the outfit behind “We Buy Ugly Houses,” “used deception and targeted the elderly, infirm and those so close to poverty that they feared homelessness would be a consequence of selling.” Adding insult to injury, HomeVestors cooked up a corporate strategy to bury the ProPublica article. Let’s do our part to protect vulnerable homeowners from HomeVestors’ unscrupulous practices by sharing the link to the ProPublica story (copy and paste this: https://www.propublica.org/article/ugly-truth-behind-we-buy-ugly-houses) on social media and with the Federal Trade Commission and our state’s attorney general’s consumer protection division.
- TELL VW TO END COMPLICITY IN THE UYGHUR GENOCIDE
Volkswagen, the world’s largest car manufacturer on the planet, also has another more dubious distinction: they are the first car company to open a plant in Xinjiang, where the ongoing Chinese repression of the Uyghur Muslim population has notoriously included mass forced labor. While VW claims they see no signs of forced labor in use at their facility, human rights organizations have argued this can’t be verified in a place where victims cannot safely speak freely. Uyghur advocacy groups are calling on VW to shut down their plant. Let’s sign this petition in support of their efforts, and we can also find more ways to take action against Uyghur genocide here.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- WI: APPLY TO WISDEMS FREE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP TRAINING INSTITUTEIf we, or someone we know, is thinking about starting a career in Democratic politics, we can check out the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s Democratic Leadership free two day training, on Friday, June 9 and Saturday, June 10. Held in conjunction with the WisDems 2023 Convention, this training is for high schoolers, college students, recent graduates, and others who are looking to start their careers in Democratic and progressive politics. Trainees will learn campaign skills from experienced operatives and have a chance to network with Wisconsin political professionals as well. Candidates must have demonstrated cultural competence with a diverse group of constituency groups. Applicants with ties to Black, Latin@/Latinx, AAPI, Muslim, Indigenous, non-English-speaking, differing ability, rural, working class and no-income, Veteran, and LGBTQ communities area strongly encouraged to apply. We can find out more about the free Democratic Leadership Institute and then, if we like, apply by this Thursday, May 18 here. https://wisdems.org/democratic-leadership-institute/
- MI: LGBTQ SUPPORT IN SCHOOLSLast Tuesday, the Michigan Board of Education passed a resolution of support for LGBTQ+ students, staff, and LGBTQ+ clubs in schools. Citing the dangers of bullying, the civil rights protections guaranteed through Michigan law, and the value we place in the LGBTQ community, the resolution explicitly states the Board of Education’s position in support of LGBTQ students and staff. The resolution also affirms and recognizes LGBTQ student groups and clubs, Pride month, and the International Transgender Day of Visibility. Let’s ensure that each of Michigan’s school districts become an inclusive space for our LGBTQ community by reaching out to our local school boards and superintendents, to inform them of the passage of this resolution and to ask them to adopt a district-level resolution of support for LGBTQ students and staff.
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