Amazing Grace for George Floyd Played at Governor's Mansion

this post originally appeared on 10 Questions About… on May 26, 2020

Tonight in front of Governor Walz’s mansion two musicians played Amazing Grace in the rain to honor George Floyd, a black man who was killed last night (May 25) by Minneapolis police.

I happened to drive by at just the right time on my way home from the protest for justice for Floyd. I had heard rumors of music teachers playing at sundown. I have always wanted to go and tonight I just happened to drive by seconds before they started their last song, in honor of George Floyd who was killed 24 hours earlier.

Floyd was a 46 year old man who was killed as a police officer knelt on his back and neck for several minutes. I haven’t watched the video but apparently he told them he couldn’t breathe, called for his mama and then nothing. I have seen the picture. It doesn’t look as if the police officer (or his three colleagues) were in danger. It is reprehensible. They have been fired.

Today there was a protest to let Minneapolis police, mayor and city council know that firing isn’t enough. There were thousands of people there. Most were wearing masks. Social distancing not as easy, but from what I saw people were respectful and supportive. They gathered at 38th and Chicago where it happened. I heard from local neighbors that protesting started at noon, although it was scheduled from 5-7pm.

The crowd moved from the original location to the Third Precinct. We followed. I was streaming for Women’s March MN and Monica streamed to her formidable Facebook friends. People were angry. As angry as protestors I’ve seen at rallies in the past, which is to say angry and fed up. This seemed so senseless. This racism and hateful act dwarfed the COVID-19 pandemic for a day.

We left after 7pm. The protest was still going strong. It was starting the rain hard. I have learned that the longer a protest goes past scheduled end, the increase in dangerous ending. When we left it was still nonviolent but on my way home I drove past 6-10 police cars away from the Precinct but poised. Apparently after we left the protest become violent.

What I want the police, mayor, city council and world at large to hear is that thousands protested what happened. We want change. I want them to hear the sadness and reverence in Amazing Grace and find the humanity to make that change.

Bill to establish taskforce on missing and murdered Indigenous women gets first hearing in the Senate!!

Great news! The bill to address the silent epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women, children and men (SF515) will be heard by the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee this Tuesday (4/2), 1:00 p.m., 1100 Senate Bldg, 95 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55155.

1. Attend if you can to show your support.

2. If your senator is on the Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee, ask them to support SF515 as a STAND ALONE bill.

 For more information on the bill and why it is so important, see the this short report by TPT.

HF70/SF515 will create a task force to identify the root causes of this epidemic of violence, gather data and make recommendations to the Legislature. HF70, introduced by Rep. Mary Kunesh-Podein, has done really well in the House. This is the first hearing of the senate version of the bill (SF515). It will be introduced by Senator Patricia Torres Ray.

Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee members: Senators Limmer, Hall, Latz, B. Anderson, Dziedzic, Ingebrigtsen, Johnson, Pappas, and Relph.

Not sure who your legislators are? Check this legislator look-up tool.

Keep going with pressuring the Senate about hearing gun safety bills - it’s working!

Good news! Senate Majority Leader Gazelka says he will allow the Senate to hear gun safety bills, IF they pass in the House. (The House versions, HF8 + HF9, have already passed a number of committees). Read more about it.

Thank you! Your calls and emails have helped make this happen. Please keep them coming!

Contact your MN state representative AND your MN state senator ASAP and tell them why you want them to vote YES on both of these bills. Please also contact Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and Senator Warren Limmer, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and let them know why it is so important that these bills get a hearing and a vote.

For more details and talking points on HF8/SF434 (Criminal Background Check) and HF9/SF436 (Red Flag) see Protect Minnesota's website.

Not sure who your legislators are? Check this legislator look-up tool.

Please support the work of Natives Lives Matter Coalition as they address the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

Tuesday, the bill to fund a Task Force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (HF70) passed in the MN Public Safety Committee. Next, it goes to Ways and Means. The Senate version is yet to have a hearing. See more details on Tuesday’s hearing and the powerful testimony,

Meanwhile, money is needed to fund the important work being done by Native Lives Matter Coalition and others to raise awareness, support families and Indigenous women-led organizations on the front-line of this work and find solutions. Some of the funds raised will be used to organize the upcoming MMIW Memorial March and RED Ribbon Memorial.

Please give generously.

And please plan to attend one of the upcoming MMIW Marches on Feb 14th:

Support HF70 to help end the epidemic of violence against Indigenous women in Minnesota

For centuries Indigenous women (and girls) have been victims of violent crime - going missing and being murdered at a much higher rate than any other group, with very little accounting of the extent of the problem.

Based on the limited data that exists, Indigenous women are 2 ½ times more likely to suffer violence than any other group in the US. In some parts of Minnesota, the murder rate of Indigenous women is over 10 times higher than anywhere else in the country.

Although the topic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women has gained awareness in recent years, and while sex trafficking and the fossil fuel industry go hand in hand, in fact this issue has been plaguing Indigenous communities for hundreds of years.

Tuesday, January 29, bill (HF70) will be heard by the Public Safety Committee to appropriate funds to enact a task force to start collecting data and make reports to the legislature regarding how to stop this epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women.

This bill was created by 25+ indigenous women of many different organizations, including Rep. Mary Kunesh-Podein, as an attempt to begin to determine the scope of the massive problem. Last year this bill got good support but it ended up in an omnibus bill, which was ultimately vetoed. The aim this year is for this bill to get a hearing on the House floor so that it can reach Governor Walz's desk and get signed into law.

Please support this bill:

1. Attend the hearing Tuesday, January 29 at 12:45 p.m., Capitol Rm 120, State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Blvd, Saint Paul, 55155.

   See details of the event from Natives Lives Matter Coalition, plus wonderful photos of them at the Women’s March.

2. If your House representative is on the Public Safety Committee, please contact them and urge them to support this bill. Not sure who represents you? Check here to find out who represents you.

This is the first hearing of this bill. There will be another hearing for this bill as well as hearings for the companion bill in the Senate. Your support at these hearing will be very welcomed, too. We will let you know when these bills come up.

More actions you can take:

Donate to Native Lives Matter

Donate to Native Lives Matter and their work to end the violence against Indigenous Women. The fundraiser donations will go directly towards RED for MMIW projects, annual MMIW March events to bring awareness to the epidemic, support families on the frontline of the MMIW movement and initiatives to address the ongoing crisis. Women’s March MN is donating $500 to match your donations!

• Please donate what you can to support the communities doing this important work.

Attend one of these events:

Interfaith Vigil for Victims of Tree of Life Synagogue

On October 29th, close to two thousand people, from all faiths and non-believers, came together to honor and mourn the lives that were lost at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh at the hands of a hate-filled gunman. Those of us who were in the main sanctuary watched in wonder at the ever growing crowd—unaware of all of those in overflow rooms and out on the streets surrounding Mount Zion Temple who felt compelled to join this community of love. For all of the fear and hate that events of the last week have wrought upon our country, in this sacred space we were reminded of what America looks like and what we stand for—togetherness, peace, hope and a determination to end the hate and violence.

Speakers included several area rabbis, a local cantor who grew up in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, survivors of gun violence, a leader from National Council of Jewish Women, Muslim leaders from Reviving Sisterhood, and several others.  At the end clergy from all faiths were invited to come to the front and join together. Every faith and denomination must have been represented as they just kept coming down the center aisle as they joined forces and we all sang about building this world from love.

Strangers reached out to greet and comfort each other and left feeling united. Those who had never been in a synagogue before stood side by side with those that call Mount Zion home, and embraced in this sacred space. There were reassurances to all the Jewish people that they were not alone, but that message resounded with everyone in attendance.

As Nausheena Hussain stated when addressing the congregation regarding white supremacy and Islamaphobia, "Today we mourn, tomorrow we resist,...next Tuesday we vote!"

MN High School students say “No means No!” - support their school walkout and rally (Friday 10/12)

This Friday (10/12) at noon, MN high school students will walk out of their schools and head to the Capitol to demand better consent education in high school and to stand with survivors.

Please support these students as they once again take the lead. Attend the Walkout Against Sexual Misconduct and Violence MN this Friday as they say loud and clear - NO Means NO!

All are welcome, students and adults. Make your voice heard and amplify the voices of students!

For more details, see the Facebook event page.

“We have had enough. Kavanaugh’s confirmation was the last straw and we won’t take it any longer. ”

— "NO Means NO" HS student walkout and protest organizers.

PRESS RELEASE: Power to the Polls

GET A SHIRT!

WOMEN'S MARCH MINNESOTA ANNOUNCES POWER TO THE POLLS

9/14/18: St. Paul, MN ---- Power to the Polls: Over the past two years we’ve resisted, persisted and created change, and now it’s time to bring our collective Power to The Polls. 

On Sep 21st, early voting opens in Minnesota. At that point, it is 45 days until the general election on November 6th. 

For these midterms and beyond, Women’s March Minnesota, in partnership with Women’s March National, is launching Power to the Polls.  We are channeling our energy and activism into voter registration and mobilization across the state by empowering grassroots activists with information, tools, educational events, resources, and strategies to impact Minnesota’s turnout in the upcoming elections.

We are partnering with over 25+ organizations (and growing) to GET OUT THE VOTE. Our partners include: 

Asamblea de Derechos Civiles

Asian American Organizing Project

COPAL

ERA MN

East Side Freedom Library

Gender Justice

Honor the Earth

Little Earth Community

League of Women Voters

MN Interfaith Power and Light

Indivisible Minnesota Local

Make Voting a Tradition

Minnesota Indivisible Alliance

MNxMN

MN Voter Project

MN Women’s Consortium

MSP NOW

NAACP Mpls

National Council of Jewish Women Minnesota

Navigate MN

Planned Parenthood

ProtectMN

Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment

St. Croix Valley Alliance NOW

Women Winning

Women’s Congress

WOW Network

YWCA

Sisters of St. Joseph Carondelet

We are launching a social media campaign that will share video of 45+ women in our State talking about “Why I Vote”, we are linking across communities to provide resources (financial and boots on the ground activism) to support the communities who will really make a difference in the polls - communities with boots on the ground doing the important work of registration, early voting, getting people to the polls, and ACTIVATING VOTERS!  We are launching a cross-community shared calendar that educates, inspires, and informs voters about ballot issues, the importance of voting, and where and how to vote.

How to participate in Power to the Polls:

1. Make sure you are registered to vote! Register!  Know a person who is not a registered voter?  Have them check out our Election Central Page for informative information on the voting process (link to https://www.womensmarchmn.com/election-central-1/) .  People can also text P2P to RTVOTE (788-683) to receive text prompts to voter registration forms and other information.  

2. Join us for Rock the Vote Rock the Dam: Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.  Get yours early! This fundraiser will support mini-grants to provide resources to our partner organizations.  https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/mobile/index/1759925?utm_medium=bks  

3. DONATE! Support Power to the Polls – make a tax-deductibel donation on our Go Fund Me page: https://www.gofundme.com/power-to-the-polls-minnesota.  No amount is too small!

4. Join us!  Sign up to learn more about all the ways to volunteer with partner organizations across the state: https://www.womensmarchmn.com/volunteer/)  phone banking, texting, post card writing, calling to remind voters, registering voters, data entry, driving voters to the polls, helping organizations raise funds, supporting volunteers as they door knock in their communities, info tabling to GOTV, are among the early opportunities!

Join your fellow Minnesotan’s to show up and bring your Power to the Polls! Get a Shirt!

This is why we marched.

This is it. The time is now. You are all needed. On Sep 21st, early voting opens in Minnesota. At that point, it is 45 days until the general election on November 6th. 45 days. 45.

Women's March Minnesota is focusing those 45 days on helping our community partners register, educate, and motivate voters. A spectacular example is COPAL, a Latinx grassroots movement. COPAL registered 10,000 new voters!  Now they need our help to stay in contact with those voters through election day. Did you know it takes 6 contacts with voters to ensure they actually vote?

Over the next 45 days, we will be sending out requests for you to get engaged in our Power to the Polls initiative - supporting other organizations with their voter registration efforts. These requests will come in the form of asking for volunteers to help with actions and events and requests for donations.

Now is the time to take action to ensure that we protect our rights and once again live in a country we are proud of. If not now - when? This is why we marched. In addition to the requests to participate, we will be sending out motivational videos and educational pieces about the election process called “Election Central”.

Get ready to participate - not just once but many times. You will be tired, you will be pushed, you will win. Get ready. 45 days. This is why we marched - you are all needed.

Support our Power to the Polls Go Fund Me Campaign. Join us for ROCK THE VOTE. ROCK THE DAM

Wall of Forgotten Natives

Minneapolis Franklin Hiawatha camp - find out about the issues and how to help.

The Wall of Forgotten Natives first appeared a month ago. This temporary encampment now holds about 300 homeless people and 150 tents. Many organizations and agencies are working to support the people at camp and to find stable accommodation for them. Listen to Patina Park of Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors (MUID) and Minnesota Indian Women’s Resources Center to understand the issues behind the Mpls Franklin Hiawatha camp and to find out what you can do to help.

Digital Smoke Signals Video - The Wall of Forgotten Natives - The tent encampment in Minneapolis, MN along the Hiawatha/Franklin Ave Wall. An introduction to the issue and what we need.

To donate money NOW, click here. To learn more about the camp and the organizations who are involved, see here. Scroll down on the page for items the organizations need to be donated and for opportunities to volunteer. And to follow the Haiwatha Franklin Camp blog mentioned by Patina in the video, see here. For the latest developments on the camp see here.

Are you ready for the elections? Do you know what your candidates stand for?

Just 55 days to the elections! Want to find out what the candidates running in your district stand for? Even better - want to ask the candidates a question so they will have to go public on issues that are important to you?

The League of Women Voters Minnesota are holding 34 candidate forums in districts across the state in the next month alone. See their event calendar here.

to find a forum for candidates in your district. Every the event description will include details of how to submit questions to the candidates before the forum.

This google doc might also help you to find the right event for you. (Thanks Chuck!) These are fantastic opportunities to put democracy into action!

Fundraiser for LaDonna Redmond - Social Justice, Gun Violence and Food Advocate

LaDonna Redmond is a social justice, gun violence and food advocate. She is a community organizer, and she is a friend of Women's March MN. We respect the work LaDonna is doing in the community and have learned so much from her. Now she needs our help. Her young adult child had a cardiac arrest and is fighting for their life. Please show LaDonna the generosity she has shown us and contribute to this emergency fundraiser to help her and her child.

“There was a point in my life that I thought when I became a mom I would protect my child. That it was my job to make sure that they got the right education, that we lived in the right neighborhood, that I kept them out of trouble and made sure they had the right friends. I would protect their potential. I’ve since learned better. [I’ve learned] my child is the one who is protecting my potential. The one that has introduced me to a love of the earth and a love of the land and the love of the soil that I would have never known without them.”

— LaDonna Redmond

The Primaries are Coming! August 14 - Mark Your Calendars

The Primary elections are NEXT WEEK! Are you ready?

The Primaries are just 5 days away. These federal, state, county (and some local) primary elections are important because this is when you get to make sure that the right candidates will be on the ballot in the general elections in November.

Here’s some information to help you get ready to vote:

1. Did you know that you can still VOTE EARLY until Aug 13th - in person and by mail?

If your plan is to vote on Primary Election day the polls are open from 7am to 8pm and you can find your polling station here.

Not yet registered to vote? Be sure to take the right ID with you to the polling station.

If you are new to voting or just need to refresh your memory on what to do at the polling station, this is a good place to look, and don’t forget, you have the right to time off work to vote, without losing your pay, personal leave, or vacation time.

Check here if you need help with voting, want to know about polling station accessibility or need access to a ballot marking machine.

2. This next section is really important:

What’s on your ballot? Which candidates and ballot questions will you be voting on next week?

• FIRST check out this great tool from MN Secretary of State to find out more about what might be on your ballot. THEN enter your address to see exactly what your ballot will look like. The YWCA MN has also put together a really useful visual representation of how the Primaries work, as well as other information on these elections that is worth looking at.

Now that you know which candidates are on your ballot, be sure to take some time to find out what they stand for, so that you can decide who you want to support:

• Check each candidate’s website to understand more about them.

• Run a google news search on them.

• Check what the organizations that you trust are saying about them. Here are some places to start:

  • Planned Parenthood MN, Mom’s Demand Action, Take Action MN.

  • Also check out WMM Election Central – Get Involved - no. 2 (Who Supports Your Issues) and no. 3 (Check Voting Records) for more ideas.

  • Look at this Candidate Guide by WCCO (CBS Minnesota) of short videos by many candidates in different races across the state talking about their positions.

Reminder: Do not underestimate the importance of the down-ballot races like County Commissioner, County Sheriff, School Board etc. These offices have direct impact on what happens in your community. Be sure to take some time to find out what the candidates for these elections stand for and which ones best represent your values.

3. Want to help Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts for the Primaries? Check out the following resources:

DFL: To Volunteer, DFL Event calendar

Republican Party: To Volunteer, Republican Event calendar

Green Party: To Volunteer, Green Party Event Calendar

4. Finally, here’s a short and very useful video from MPR called Elections Explained: What's a primary election?

For any unanswered questions on the upcoming Primary elections, visit MN Secretary of State’s excellent website on Elections and Voting. Another excellent election resource to look at is CD2Action’s website, and of course you can also check out our own WMM Election Central

Now go vote!  #BeAPrimaryVoter  Vote for success in November! #iCareiVote

Join Women's March! We Need You.

Women’s March MN - one of the largest women’s movements in the US and in Minnesota. Bring your passion to our all-volunteer team. We are stronger together, and we need you!

Volunteer Orientaton

Monday, August 13, 8-8:30 pm.

Join the meeting by smartphone or computer: https://zoom.us/j/366974585

Join the meeting by phone: US: +1 669 900 6833

Meeting ID 366 974 585

Here are a few reasons why:

• Join 200+ other volunteers to make sure women’s voices are heard in MN.
• Use your leadership and organizational skills, passion, and power to make change!
• We need to use our political power – vote, speak, activate!

Our Time Is Now!

Women’s March Minnesota’s mission is to work towards transformative change for women and their communities. Join us as we link women across communities, across projects, across issues

What can happen when we work together – and what can we create in 2018 and beyond?

Join one of our issue area committees; use your knowledge, relationship building skills, and project management experience to participate in a committee, write content for our newsletter and / or social media, host educational events, and empower your ACTIVISM!

Our Unity Principles are the grassroots backbone of our work, and include the following: Rights for People with Disabilities, Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Workers’ Rights, Environmental Justice, LGBTQIA+ Rights, Ending Violence, Civil Rights, and Reproductive Justice.

Is project management your thing? Are you able to see the big picture and break it down to all the pieces to get stuff done? Are you great at motivating teams of volunteers? Is coordinating and scheduling and getting all the I’s dotted and t’s crossed your superpower? WE.NEED.YOU! Join our Special Events Team!

Interested in getting involved with Women's March MN? Email: volunteer@WomensMarchMN.com today!

Primaries Next Week! Find out what’s on your ballot.

Get ready for the Primary Elections next week.

Primaries are just 6 days away! There are federal, state, county and some local primary elections too. Want to know what's on YOUR ballot?

Find out which candidates and ballot questions you will be voting on next week.

Know who's running, but not sure who to vote for? Find out who best represents your values - look at candidates' websites, run a google news search on them, and check what advocacy groups like Planned Parenthood, Sierra Club, Protect MN, LWV MN, Take Action MN, etc. say about them. For more on this, go to WMM's Election Central, Get Involved page.

For more on the upcoming Primaries, see WMM’s Election Central

#iCareiVote #BeAVoter

Lindsey Port - 2018 Recipient of the Political Courage Award & our August Resilient ReSister

Written by; Jackie C - Women's March MN Communications Director

During the May 16th Women Candidate Development Coalition's 32nd Birthday Celebration, Lindsey Port was awarded the Political Courage Award for her #MeToo leadership. Lindsey entered politics as a volunteer on the 2012 marriage equality campaign, Minnesotans United for All Families, where she learned to have values-based conversations and fell in love with voter contact and door knocking. Working on local campaigns brought her face-to-face with ordinary Minnesotans who didn't feel represented by their elected leaders, so when her state representative's seat opened up for 2016, she decided to run. She came within five points of her opponent by knocking on more doors than any other Minnesota candidate. Lindsey now co-leads Blueprint Campaigns, which provides professional development support for emerging leaders from traditionally underrepresented communities.

When We Have More

"When we have more women, more young people, more people of color, more queer people at the table, we make a better world for everyone." - Lindsey Port

Lindsey made local and national news for coming out about sexual harassment by then Minnesota Sen. Dan Schoen (D). Fellow Democrats even accused Lindsey of "softening the ground" for Franken's resignation.

This is why Women Candidate Development Coalition honored Lindsey with their Political Courage Award. Lindsey continues to be an incredibly brave leader. In an excerpt from her acceptance speech she says, "As I look back over the last six months, the knowledge that I was part of a movement that could change the world my daughters grow up in, combined with the pain of retaliation reminded me again how radically different our world could be if women had an equal voice at the table. If women were setting the agenda at the Capitol this session, we would have passed sexual harassment reform with input from an independent task force. We'd see more lasting support for the #MeToo movement, instead of the backlash we see now." She goes on to say, "we would see institutions and businesses at the table finding solutions instead of circling the wagons and protecting the status quo." Lindsey ended her acceptance speech with the following, "Courage isn't a single action that you do. It's a choice you make to continue to push against the status quo and demand more. I'm demanding more. And I hope you'll stand with me." Women's March Minnesota stands with you, Lindsey.

Even though Lindsey's business continues to be shut out by funders, they are committed to the important work of building the next generation of progressive leaders.

To learn more about our August Resilient ReSister, visit Blueprint Campaigns. To read more about the progress of Minnesota lawmaker promises to address the local #MeToo movement, read Briana Bierschbach's May 11th Minnesota Post article, "Lawmakers promised to address sexual harassment during the 2018 legislative session. How's that going?"

WMM Official Statement; The Murder of Thurman Blevins

Two years ago, Jamar Clark and Philando Castile were killed by police. Justine Damond was killed last year. Thurman Blevins, Jr. was killed just last month. This is unacceptable. These were human beings. Our neighbors.

Police have killed someone in Minneapolis every year for the past 18 years, with the exception of 2007, 2011 and 2014. According to the Star Tribune, 63% of those people were black, even though the population of Minneapolis is 19% black. News coverage and accountability of these shootings reveal structural and deeply-rooted inequities and prejudices. If found liable, it is the taxpayers that have to pay for the bad acts of police because, unlike doctors, practicing attorneys, and other occupations that hold the life and freedom of others in their hands, law enforcement officers do not need to be insured. At the very minimum, it should be too expensive for cities, counties, and the state to employ (and thus pay for the insurance of) police that are bad actors. The cost, trauma, and other damage to communities, especially the black community, in our state associated with these police killings will likely continue if we do not speak out. Every week there is a new video of a white person calling the police on people of color as if the police are their personal concierge. The answering officer’s response to the situation could be to end someone’s life. We say, "No more!"

You are more powerful than you know. We need you. Be courageous with us. This is the time that we all need to show up for everyone in our communities. In light of everything going on, there is a tangible way for you to show up. Join us on the streets when called upon to raise our voices and let it be known that racism, murder, and police brutality will NOT be tolerated. We expect more than just police accountability after a shooting. We demand real reform of law enforcement hiring, training, and protocol. We call for our appointed and elected officials to address institutional racism, poverty, and violence; which is the very foundation of these deaths. We refuse to stay silent while our neighbors continue to die by the hands of police. This must end now.

-Women's March Minnesota Board of Directors

Will Kavanaugh Be Confirmed? Pressure On Both Sides Mounting

Written by; Glenda H, Workers' Rights Committee - Women's March MN

---

The pressure for and against quickly confirming Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the vacant U.S. Supreme Court is ramping up in the U.S. Senate. Now is the time for citizens to contact senators, supporting careful consideration rather than haste on this nomination.

Advocates for workers’ rights and other social justice causes are opposing Kavanaugh, as his extensive record as a jurist is clearly pro-business and against progressive values. He also has a background in political work and on the White House staff of President George W. Bush.

“Judge Kavanaugh has a dangerous track record of protecting the privileges of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of working people. Any Supreme Court nominee must be fair, independent and committed to protecting the rights, freedoms and legal safeguards of all Americans. Judge Kavanaugh does not meet this standard and must not be confirmed,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said at the time of Kavanaugh’s nomination.

Timing is potentially crucial.  

The Senate consideration is playing out just months before the November election. With a narrow majority, Republican leadership aims for confirming Kavanaugh before control of the chamber could flip to Democrats. The Republicans’ original goal was to seat Kavanaugh by Oct. 1, when the Supreme Court begins its next session. But as a tactic to counter Democrats who want time to examine Kavanaugh’s long public record, Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is threatening to delay hearings                                                                                                                                                    on Kavanaugh until just before the election.

“Judge Kavanaugh has a dangerous track record of protecting the privileges of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of working people. Any Supreme Court nominee must be fair, independent and committed to protecting the rights, freedoms and legal safeguards of all Americans. Judge Kavanaugh does not meet this standard and must not be confirmed.”

— Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee is arguing that citizens and the Senate need a traditional kind of review for a high court nominee. The Judiciary Committee is central to advancing judicial nominees. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is a member of the minority party on the committee.

In addition to workers’ rights concerns with Kavanaugh’s record as a judge, that record is raising alarms among environmental, reproductive rights and an array of regulatory issues.

Organizations on both sides of the Kavanaugh nomination are pouring resources into campaigns to influence this pivotal nomination of another young, conservative jurist to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Experts do not see a great difference between Kennedy and Kavanaugh on workers’ issues. Both have sided consistently on the side of business and against regulation. But on other key issue, notably LBGT and abortion rights, Kavanaugh has the potential to vote with the current majority that seems inclined to overturn settled law.
 

Related Articles:

WMM Official Statement on Judge Kavanaugh Nomination

Our Lives, Bodies and Freedoms are on the Line

Our Warming Climate Expected to Turn the Boundary Waters Canoe Area to a Savannah Habitat by 2100

Justice Kennedy is retiring from the U.S. Supreme Court. What does this mean?

Kavanaugh Nomination - What's At Stake, What Can We Do?

The balance of the US Supreme Court is set to change significantly for a generation or more, following Kennedy’s retirement and Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to fill his seat.

Kavanaugh is a partisan Republican and an extremist, and his confirmation would pose a serious threat to reproductive rights, healthcare, environmental protection, net neutrality, works’ rights, LGBTQ rights, gun violence prevention laws, voting rights and more.

Kavanaugh was one of 25 potential SCOTUS candidates on a list pre-approved by 2 conservative groups -  the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation - and given to the president to use. Kavanaugh was chosen because of the corporate and ideological interests he represents and as such his nomination is anti-democratic. Kavanaugh has also said he believes a sitting president cannot be indicted and should be able to hire and fire special counsels. His confirmation must be stopped.

“We cannot sit by while our values — abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, voting rights, workers’ rights, reining in corporate interests — are hijacked by a conservative base desperate to make change not through democracy and the ballot box, but through the judiciary”

— Senator Tina Smith (MN)

What can we do?

1. McConnell says he will hold a vote on Kavanaugh before the Midterms. What we must do is convince 51 senators to oppose this nominee - i.e. all the Democratic Senators must vote no, plus at least 2 Republican Senators.

2. We must make it absolutely clear to our US Senators what is at stake with this SCOTUS vote, and what we expect them to do.

3. A vote for Kavanaugh is:

• A vote to ban abortion
• A vote to end affordable healthcare
• A vote against environmental protection
• A vote against workers rights
• A vote against democracy.

4. Our Senators need to vote NO to his confirmation. They must also understand that the way they vote will be remembered in November.

Here is the list of the Senators we think are worth writing to, calling, tweeting. The list includes MN Senators, as well as Dem and GOP Senators in other states who may be wavering about which way to vote. Normally people should only write their own Senators. However, we think everyone has the right to contact Senators whose vote will impact the future of this country so significantly for the next few decades at least. So write to as many of these Senators as you can.

And if you have friends and family who live in any of the following states - FL, IN, MI, MO, ND, OH, PA, WI, WV - encourage them to write to their Senators too.

5. Senator Tina Smith has come out strongly against Brett Kavanaugh. Sign her petition.

6. Women’s March National has put together a Stop Kavanaugh #DefendRoe action. Check it out and make sure to sign their #DefendRoe petition.

7. Most importantly, commit now to support GOTV efforts to ensure that progressives are elected both in MN and in other states. If your district is safe, sign up to a campaign that needs your support and donate, door-knock, phone-bank for them.

8. For more on details on the fight to #SaveScotus, see what Indivisible is saying and follow groups like NARAL ProChoice MN for actions they are suggesting.

#SaveSCOTUS #WhatsAtStake #WhatCanWeDo?

WMM Official Statement on Judge Kavanaugh Nomination

Over the last few weeks, we watched as the Supreme Court of the United States narrowly voted to strip away rights and trample on progressive values including women’s rights, immigrant rights and workers’ rights. In the midst of it all, Justice Anthony Kennedy, a key swing voter, announced his retirement.

While on the campaign trail, Trump pledged to appoint someone to the Supreme Court who will vote to overturn Roe v. Wade and true to his word, Trump has nominated Brett Kavanaugh. Judge Kavanaugh has openly voiced his support of overturning Roe v. Wade. That’s not all that will be under attack. Judge Kavanaugh’s opinions from his time on the federal D.C. Circuit show he is hostile to rights of people and that he embraces the power of big business in the pursuit of their private gain. His opinions establish his extreme right-wing rulings on gun violence, ACA (Obama Care), consumer protection, environmental protection, net neutrality and workers rights.

Judge Kavanaugh’s appointment to our highest court will have devastating consequences to the progress of civil rights of all people, a woman’s right to choose, the people’s rights to clean air, water and land and affordable healthcare.  

In the coming days, Women’s March Minnesota will send an open letter to Senator Amy Klobuchar and Senator Tina Smith on behalf of the 110,000 Minnesotans who marched January 21st 2017, urging our Senators to vote NO on any nominee who does not believe the United States Constitution incorporates a right to privacy and will not commit to publicly stating that Roe v. Wade is settled law.

Women’s March Minnesota believes it is our responsibility and our challenge as a community to rise up, speak out and stand together against this threat to our democracy. Learn more about what you can do to make your voice heard here:

-Women’s March Minnesota Board of Directors