Take on hunger this Thanksgiving, stand with immigrants and farmworkers, gun safety and gun control, and more!
*** THANKSGIVING WEEK SCHEDULE ***
We here at Rogan’s List will be honoring the holiday with a brief break! We will be off Wednesday through Friday before returning to our normal schedule on Monday, November 27th.
We hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving! Our list is now 15,000 strong, and we are grateful for every single one of you.
– Susan, Jeri, Joe, Kelly, Dina, Jen, Amy, Melek, Lou and Kathleen
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:
- THIS THANKSGIVING, SUPPORT BILLS THAT ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF HUNGERIn the US, 44 million people are food insecure. In 2022, 49 million people sought food assistance. There is not a single community in America that is free of food insecurity. The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) has compiled a list of bills pending in Congress that, if passed, would address root causes of hunger, like poverty, discrimination, housing instability, and insufficient wages. Let’s tell our Members of Congress to co-sponsor and see these bills to passage:
- TRUMP AT THE BORDER
Donald Trump traveled to the border this weekend to receive the endorsement of Texas Governor Greg Abbott and promote his extremist second term agenda: a revived and expanded Muslim ban, ideological screening for all immigrants, increased unilateral use of deportation power, ending birthright citizenship, rolling back the right to asylum and mass detention camps. This is a moment that demands pushback against these proposed abuses and a renewed effort to fix our immigration system. Here are two actions we can take:- The Texas legislature has passed and Governor Abbott is expected to sign SB4, one of the harshest immigration policies in the country to date, into law. Reminiscent of Arizona’s notorious “show me your papers” law SB 1070, it would become a state crime to cross into Texas without documentation and threaten those who did so with decades in prison. SB4 would also give law enforcement the ability to arrest anyone they believe has crossed into the state illegally, a recipe for discrimination. Immigration activists and Rep. Joaquin Castro are calling on the Justice Department to intervene to stop this law from taking effect. Let’s contact the Justice Department and add our voices to theirs, and urge our own members of Congress to do the same.
- The mayors of New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, and Denver have written to the Biden Administration requesting a 30-day turn-around in work authorizations for asylum-seekers and migrants with Temporary Protected Status who are sent to their cities. (Currently, the wait can be longer than six months.) This, along with better coordination among municipalities and more federal monetary assistance could make a huge contribution in resolving the migrant crisis, as it would enable people to get out of the shelter system and support themselves. Let’s read the mayors’ letter here and then contact the White House and our MoCs to see what can be done about expediting work permits and creating a fair and equitable system that welcomes people with dignity.
- ADVOCATE FOR FARMWORKERS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Earlier this year, the grocery giant Kroger was identified by the Department of Labor as a purchaser of watermelons harvested by modern-day slaves. They have also been connected to forced labor in Mexico and identified as a buyer from a farm that has been violating labor law for decades. These outrages have renewed attention on efforts by farmworkers and organizers led by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to push Kroger to join the Fair Food Program to prevent human rights abuses. This Thanksgiving, they’re holding a week of action, asking consumers and allies to ramp up the pressure on Kroger to address the human rights problems in its supply chain. Let’s use this toolkit from CIW to stand in support of farmworkers and tell Kroger via mail, email, phone, livechat and social media that we want them to do the same.
- SAVE LIVES: SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT SECURE GUN STORAGEFirearms are the leading cause of death for children in the US. The campaign Be SMART seeks to save children’s lives by teaching gun owners how to store their firearms safely and securely. Be SMART offers resources to help us spread the message that secure gun storage saves lives. We can use their materials to learn how to ask about the presence of guns in homes our children may visit, how to get gun resolutions passed to keep our schools safe, how to protect LGBTQ+ youth from gun suicide, and more. Let’s explore the Be SMART website and take action to spread the word about life-saving secure gun storage. Let’s also consider bringing a Be SMART presentation to our communities and school boards—we can text SMART to 64433 to learn more. h/t Moms Demand Action
- VIRTUAL TRAINING: HOW TO BE POLITICALLY ACTIVE“How to be Politically Active—List, Listen to, and Engage Your Network” is a one-hour virtual training program from Building Bridges for America. We’ll learn how to invite the people we know to join us in helping to elect Democrats in 2024. Let’s sign up for a training session.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- ME – HONOR LEWISTON VICTIMS WITH ACTION
In the wake of the devastating mass shooting in Lewiston that left 18 of our friends and neighbors dead, lawmakers are promising to finally address gaps in our state’s gun control laws. While we are still awaiting the details of new proposals that might be considered when the legislature reconvenes in January, leaders have suggested they will attempt to strengthen Maine’s yellow flag law and expand background checks. Let’s reach out to our legislators and let them know we will be watching this session closely and expect them to act, and not just talk, to prevent future tragedies.
AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS
- LAST WEEK’S WINS
The last seven days have been marked by chaos and tragedy beyond description, but also by some real signs of hope as we pick up steam towards the presidential election. Here’s a summary of some of last week’s biggest victories from our friend and ally Jessica Craven at Chop Wood, Carry Water, including the Biden Administration getting Xi Jinping to agree to stepped-up efforts to curb fentanyl; gun violence falling by 12% in 168 cities; and a new effort to register more Black Floridians before next November.