IC-SS Weekly News
Let’s Write Letters to Voters – Thurs March 7th
We’re getting the band back together. Next week, Vote Forward will launch its 2024 letter-writing campaigns, and Indivisible Chicago-South Side is starting right in. Join us on Thursday, March 7th, 6:00-8:00 pm at the Nile Restaurant (1162 E. 55th). RSVP.
With guidance and resources from our letter leader, Steve Kagan, we’ll be writing to voters in key districts and states. Which states, you ask? To be announced! But Vote Forward always does careful research before selecting its campaigns, so we know our letters will have an impact. RSVP here
Note: We’ll get appetizers for the table, and you can order your own meal. Steve will provide the letters, envelopes, and pens. We encourage you to bring first-class stamps to donate, and you’re welcome to bring wine or beer to share. The most important thing is to be there!
2024 ICA Action Calendar
Indivisible Chicago-South Side is a local group affiliated with the citywide Indivisible Chicago-Alliance (ICA).
In this vital election year, Indivisible Chicago Alliance will be focusing on races in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois, as well as on Chicago’s Ballot Question 1. For ways to get involved, check the brand-new feature on the ICA website — the ICA action calendar!
Watch for a comprehensive plan to be announced soon. Meanwhile, ICA is already sharing lots of opportunities for us to get involved including canvassing, phonebanking, textbanking, and other actions. Keep your eye on the ICA action calendar.
Shout-out to IC-SS founding member and past coleader Wendy Posner for coordinating this calendar for Indivisible Chicago Alliance!
Still on the Ballot – Vote YES
When we go to the polls for the March primary, we’ll be voting in the Bring Chicago Home (BCH) referendum.
What’s Going On with Bring Chicago Home?
On Friday, you may have heard that a judge ruled in favor of a group of landlords and developers who had sued to remove Bring Chicago Home (Ballot Question 1) from Chicago ballots. In fact, the question is remaining on our ballots — though the votes will be tallied only if there is a successful appeal.
Thus, it is extremely important that we all cast our YES vote on Ballot Question 1. If the judge’s ruling is overturned on appeal, our votes will count! Read more about the matter in stories from WGN and WTTW. See also the Chicago Board of Elections press release.
Want more info? Tomorrow, Tuesday February 27th, 6:30-8:00 pm, the Bring Chicago Home Coalition has planned a virtual teach-in. Register and attend online to get all the updates and action plans on Bring Chicago Home. Register here: BCH Virtual Teach-In
Vote YES on Ballot Question 1
As explained above, Ballot Question 1 remains on the ballot. On your ballot, you won’t see the words “Bring Chicago Home”; instead look for Ballot Question 1, which asks if you want to support affordable housing and supportive services, to be funded by adjusting the one-time Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) so most people will pay less, while buyers of properties over $1million will pay more.
Here’s the wording for Ballot Question 1:
Bring Chicago Home Resources
- TODAY online, Tues. Feb 27th, 6:30-8:00 pm: BCH Virtual Teach-In
- Bring Chicago Home Coalition resource webpage
- Indivisible Chicago Alliance’s BCH fact sheet
- Videos:
Act: Tell Voters About Bring Chicago Home
In the coming weeks, step up and inform Chicago voters about the important Bring Chicago Home referendum (Ballot Question 1). Get on Zoom in the comfort of your home and phone Chicago voters together. Knock doors in or near your neighborhood and talk face to face with voters. Either way, you get friendly training and support – both veterans & newbies are welcome!
Phone voters every Sunday, 4:00 pm – Indivisible Chicago Alliance in partnership with Bring Chicago Home: get info/sign up
Phone voters every Tuesday/Thursday, 5:30 pm – Bring Chicago Home Coalition: get info/sign up
Canvass on Saturdays & Sundays: Knock doors with Bring Chicago Home – find a convenient date and neighborhood: get info/sign up
Text Voters at the GOTV Text Party, Sun. March 3, 4:00-7:00 pm: In-person texting party to Get Out The Vote at SEIU-HCii headquarters, 2229 S. Halsted. RSVP.
Illinois Primary: Info & Resources
Illinois’s primary is March 19, but voting has already begun. Here is Chicago voting info plus voter guides on judicial candidates.
Early Voting Is Live
Early voting is on! Chicagoans can now vote in the Illinois primary at two downtown locations: the Loop Supersite (191 N. Clark) and the Board of Elections offices (69 W. Washington, 6th Floor). Next week (March 4), early voting sites will open in all 50 Chicago wards.
As of this past Friday, mail voting remained temporarily delayed. Watch the Vote By Mail page for updates. And check the Chicago Board of Elections website for updates on all forms of voting: early, mail, and Election Day (March 19).
What’s On Your Ballot?
To find out what’s on YOUR ballot, you can use one of these guides:
- League of Women Voters of Illinois: IllinoisVoterGuide.org
- Ballotpedia: Ballotpedia sample ballot tool
- Sun-Times/WBEZ voter guide: Voter Guide tool
- Blue Voter Guide: Build Your Guide
Voting Guides – Judicial Candidates
Indivisible Chicago-South Side is not making endorsements for the primary, though we encourage everyone to vote YES on Ballot Question 1 (for the RETT adjustment to support housing/services for homeless).
Here are some judicial voting guides put out by other organizations.
- From Injustice Watch: Check Your Judges 2024
- From Vote for Judges.org: 2024 voters’ guide expected Feb 28
Organizations & Opportunities
Indivisible Chicago-South Side shares information and actions from other organizations on issues important in our country, state, city, and communities.
BCH House Party: Thurs. Feb. 29
From community member Anne Holcomb: On Thursday, Feb 29th at 6:00 pm, join your South Side neighbors at a Bring Chicago Home in-person house party in South Shore! (RSVP by emailing aaholcomb85@gmail.com to obtain the address.)
Help raise funds to support the campaign for Bring Chicago Home, and learn about how you can help pass the initiative to create housing in Chicago to help people experiencing homelessness, all while enjoying an evening with friends. This event is vegan- and carnivore-friendly, and children are welcome.
To support the campaign for Bring Chicago Home, come to the House Party and make a donation that’s comfortable for you – even if that is just a promise to vote YES on the ballot referendum on March 19th! Hosted by Anne Holcomb, Allan J. Lindrup, and K.T. O’Loughlin, RSVP by emailing aaholcomb85@gmail.com to obtain the address.
People’s Hearing on Police Torture – Sat. March 2
From CAARPR: CAARPR’s Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Torture and Wrongful Conviction (CFIST) is hosting a People’s Hearing on Saturday, March 2, 12:00-4:00 pm at 6353 S. Cottage Grove. Indivisible Chicago-South Side has endorsed this event. Free tickets here.
Join us for a People’s Hearing on police torture, wrongful conviction, and mass incarceration to hear testimonies from the struggle and build power among community members fighting for justice. Together let’s put an end to corruption, torture, and racist systems of injustice! Free tickets here.
Volunteer with New Arrivals – Teach ESL
Community member Maureen Graves has been organizing multi-faceted efforts to assist new neighbors – recent arrivals from Venezuela who are living on the South Side. In partnership with two local churches, Ms. Graves has set up an English as a Second Language (ESL) program for Spanish-speaking adults who need to learn English. She is seeking volunteers to help out.
Ms. Graves writes: Volunteers are needed for intensive, beginning English instruction for migrants, primarily from Venezuela. There are afternoon and early evening opportunities.
- Afternoon classes for adults meet each weekday (M-F) from 12:00 to 2:00 pm at Woodlawn Baptist Church at 6207 S. University Ave.; classes will be on break the week of February 19.
- Early-evening classes for adults will start soon and are expected to meet each weeknight (M-F) from 5:00-6:30 pm at Manantial De Vida church at 6005 S. Marshfield.
About the adult ESL volunteer teaching:
- Classes combine a structured curriculum (Direct Instruction Spoken English) with vocabulary practice and dialogues on topics of interest (e.g. work-related vocabulary, talking about Chicago, etc.)
- Lesson planning is not required, though if volunteers want to create additional materials, that’s great.
- Although I am seeking volunteers to cover M-F classes, there may also be opportunities to work one on one with adult learners.
- Transportation is available to and from either location.
- You don’t need to speak Spanish in order to volunteer.
Working with children and teens: At these same two locations, children often accompany their parents. Many children could benefit from tutoring in spoken English and in reading. Younger children would benefit from simply playing with an adult or older teen speaking English. I have materials for volunteers to use in these efforts.
CONTACT: I welcome any questions about volunteering – and I welcome volunteers!
- Please contact me at maureenrgraves@gmail.com.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP: If you’re looking for more ways to help migrants staying on the South Side, check out the Hyde Park Refugee Project’s Helping Our New Neighbors page.
